New Library Catalog Interface!

Yesterday, the University Libraries went live with a new library catalog interface!  When you click on the link to the Library Catalog from the library's home page, you'll see a screen similar to this:

Check back for future posts on using the new catalog screen more effectively in your searches!

Tarleton Lib Mobile App

Tarleton Libraries has a new app for iPhones and iPads! You can find it in the App Store by searching for "Tarleton Lib" or use the QR code below to download the app:

From the app you can search the library catalog, make book lists and even read e-books and online journals. You can also see what books you have checked out and manage your holds. 

Want directions to the library? Need to call or e-mail us? You can do that from the app! You can find out more about library events and new library equipment under Library Events, and read this very blog under Library Blog. 

Screenshots from iTunes.

Have fun with the app and, as always, if you have questions, ask a librarian!

July New Books

Each month the Dick Smith Library adds new books to its shelves. The books range from several topics which typically align with Tarleton State University's curriculum. 

Here's a look at a few new books that hit our shelves last month, July:

Book Cover from Amazon.com

Latinos and American Popular Culture  Patricia M. Montilla, editor.

General Stacks: E184.S75 L3674 2013

Book Cover from Amazon.com

A Will to Believe : 

Shakespeare and Religion 

David Scott Kastan

General Stacks: PR3011 .K37 2014

Book Cover from Amazon.com

Open Standards and the Digital Age : History, Ideology, and Networks

Andrew L. Russell

General Stacks: T59.2.U6 R87 2014

Book Cover from Amazon.com

Masterpieces : Early Medieval Art 

Sonja Marzinzik

General Stacks:

 N5964.G7 M37 2013

If you're interested in these books and would like to know about other books/e-books/audio books/etc.  that we've recently added, check out our New Books and Resources page. 

Also, if you need assistance in finding these books on the shelf and checking them out contact 

the Reference Desk located in the Library Learning Commons:

(254)968-9249

reference@tarleton.edu  

How to Find Books, Movies, & More

Have you visited the library and wondered how to find books or other items specific to your research topic? You're not alone; several students approach the Reference Desk with questions on locating items on a daily basis.

We're always happy to help but here's a brief tutorial to get you started: 

1.  Visit the library's homepage, www.tarleton.edu/library. 

2. Click on the Library Catalog link, as pictured below: 

The Research tab has several tools to help you find what you need. 

3. You'll be directed to  a Quick Search option where you can enter a keyword or select a specific search term to find your item (see below). 

The Quick Search is an easy way to search for topics, by title, or by author.

4. You can also select the Advanced Search Options for more in-depth search criteria. 

5. Select an item of interest, write down the call number, and find it on the shelf. 

*If you're not sure what to do next, feel free to ask a library staff member for assistance. We'll be happy to walk you through the process. If you're on the go, you can call the Reference Desk (254) 968-9249 or email reference@tarleton.edu 

Need Help on the Upper Level of the Library? You're In Luck

Have you ever found yourself lost upstairs in the library's stacks? Or maybe you're working on a paper on one of our computers upstairs and realize you need assistance finding more sources but don't want leave your work unattended? 

We have you covered!

Did you know we have a reference desk upstairs which is staffed by professional librarians and library staff throughout various times of the day?

Don't be afraid to visit us at the desk; we would be happy to help you with any questions you may have, such as:

• password assistance
• locating a book
• searching the academic databases
• computer and printing questions
• citation assistance
• and more!

Need help upstairs but there's no one at the desk? 

Feel free to use the phone and dial 9249.

On the go and need assistance?

Contact us via phone or email:

(254) 968-9249

 reference@tarleton.edu   

                                                

                                          

As always, we're happy to assist you in any of your endeavors. 

Dick Smith Library Can Help You Get What You Need

In addition to the useful library resources and services described in yesterday's post, the library strives to help you get what you need when you need it:

• Online library catalog so you can locate items (print and electronic) in our collections.
• Databases so you can locate articles, films, reports, books, and more.
• Use your NTNET login to access databases when off-campus.
• Use Discovery@Tarleton to search 85% of the library's databases with one click.
• Choose specific databases from our A-Z database list.
• Choose recommended databases from our topical Subject Research Guides.
• Mobile apps and resources so you can get what you need while on the go.
• Off-campus and distance services so Tarleton students, faculty, and staff at satellite campuses and/or in online classes can take full advantages of our resources.
• Interlibrary loan services so you can obtain items not in the library's collections
• TexShare card program so you can get borrowing privileges at libraries across the state.

Remember, we're here to help you and glad to do so.  Just give a call (254-968-9249), send an email (reference@tarleton.edu), or stop by (hours).  You can also check in with the library through various social media venues (linked from the library's homepage).

Dick Smith Library staff wishes you an excellent Spring 2013 semester.

Quick library catalog searching tip: Titles with "not" in them

The library has several "Eat This, Not That!" books, but if you try searching for them like this, you'll never find them:

If you're searching for a title that has the word "not" in it, what you need to do instead is put the title in quotes, like in the example below. If you wanted to do an even more exact search, you would change the dropdown menu from "General Keyword" to "Title."

Another option would be to omit the word "not" completely. Then your search would be eat this that.

This all sounds odd, I know, but that's because "not" is a special word in library catalog searches, a Boolean operator. Used properly, it can, for example, help you find books that are about World War II, but not about the Holocaust, or books that are about dogs but aren't fiction. When you search eat this not that without quotes, you are actually asking the catalog to find records with the words "eat" and "this" in them, but not the word "that" - which is why the search would never find David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding's Eat this, not that!

Doing research from home?

I know a lot of students and faculty do research and need to access library resources from off campus. Recently the library purchased some additional electronic books (eBooks) covering all academic areas. The library now has over 56,000 eBooks you can use and access from anywhere in the world! Other online resources available include digital music you can listen to and/or download, electronic journals (or eJournals as we call them), government documents (eGov) and more! The library catalog includes over 400,000 items with over 16% available remotely! And don’t forget about the 174+ electronic databases with tons of full-text articles!

Doing research from home? We have you covered!

(If you need information about how to access these resources go to - http://www.tarleton.edu/library/offcampus.html)

Top 10 Tuesday: Tips for E-Research

Research can be pretty daunting -- so many possible starting places, so little time. Online resources can help us locate useful, quality information, as well as meet deadlines if used systematically. The following list presents one possible strategy: begin with general resources and progress to more specialized resources.

10. Start with Wikipedia for topic overviews.
While not considered appropriate for most academic papers, encyclopedias like Wikipedia are good starting spots because they can help us understand a topic well enough to begin researching it.

9. Read the library's e-books (and print books, too).
Books offer in-depth discussions, have indexes for locating specific information, provide recommended reading lists, and can help you obtain a lot of information in a short time.

8. Use Google Scholar to begin locating materials.
Use this tool to locate article citations and, perhaps, links to articles in Tarleton Libraries' databases via SFX. It's a handy way to get a sampling of the research materials available on your topic.

7. Advance to the Tarleton Libraries' web site.
When you're ready to locate scholarly sources (i.e. when your instructor says "use peer-reviewed resources" or "locate some credible books on this subject"), go to your library -- either online or in person. Check out the resources, tips, and services available to you as part of the Tarleton community. You may be surprised at the resources that await you.

6. Check out the library's subject research guides.
These guides offer "starter" lists of databases and selected Internet sites, which are organized by subject to help "jumpstart" your research.

5. Search the library databases.
Using the library's databases gives you access to 1000s of electronic journals, trade magazines, and newspaper, as well as article citations, research reports, and online reference works.

4. Use interlibrary loan to get more materials.
If what you want/need isn't available via your Tarleton library (either electronically or in print), ask us to get it for you via your ILLiad account.

3. Evaluate, evaluate, evaluate.
Use evaluation criteria like authority, currency, reliability, etc. to help you choose resources worthy of being in your papers/projects.

2. Use the University Writing Center's citation resources.
The Writing Center staff can help you organize, develop, and document all types of research papers -- in person and online.

1. Confused? Ask for assistance.
Use Dick Smith Library's Ask a Librarian email reference, call the library's Information Desk (254-968-9249), or stop by during library hours. We can help you locate resources, give you tips for searching the library's database/catalog, and assist you in figuring out how to cite sources.

How to read a list of "kept" titles

When you "keep" a group of titles in the library catalog, your printout will look something like the above image. (If this looks familiar to you, great; if not, and you'd like to be able to do this, just ask!)

Do you know how to read this list? Where would you go in the library to find Transformers and philosophy? How about Persepolis 2? A lot of people have trouble figuring out which call number and location goes with which title when they look at these lists. Hopefully this post will help clear things up.

The image below is the same as the one above, only with the first and second titles in the list more clearly indicated.

Your first instinct might have been to think that the indented lines are the second half of an entry, so that the call number PN6747.S245 P4713 2007 goes with the title In Odd we trust, but in this second image you can see that this call number actually belongs with The complete Persepolis.

Remember, if you ever have problems finding anything at the library, we're happy to help!