Discovery Search has citation help

Did you know that our Discovery search tool can help you with citations?
Here's how.

Citation Help in Discovery
1. Do an article search.
2.   Click on a hyperlinked title in your results for the article you'd like to use (see below).

Screenshot from a Discovery search results page.

2.  Click the yellow icon labeled "Cite" on the next screen and a drop down menu will appear.

The next screen gives you details about the article.

3. Click on your desired citation format from the drop down menu.

Styles include AMA, APA, and MLA.

Citation Saving

From here, you can either:
a) copy and paste your citation into Word or
b) click on the e-mail icon to the right to e-mail yourself the citation (be sure to select the correct format on your e-mail screen). 

If you subscribe to bibliographic management software, such as EndNote, you can c), export the citation to your account.

Citation Errors
Be sure to check your citation for mistakes. 

Reliable sources to use include our manuals at the reference desk, or the Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) site  or  our Citing Sources page.

By the way, did you notice that the APA citation pictured above is incorrect?  It requires a hanging indent. Can you spot any other mistakes?

Throwback Thursday: The Bankhead Highway in Texas

The Bankhead Highway was an automobile route from Washington, D.C. to San Diego, mainly through southern states.  It was the second national cross-country highway and the first that could be used year-round. It was named for Alabama senator John Hollis Bankhead, a leader in the early national road building ("Good Roads") movement.  Work on the route began in 1916, and its about-850 miles across Texas run from Texarkana to Dallas, and then west more or less near the routes of Interstates 20 and 10 today.

Retired meteorologist Daniel L. Smith spoke to the Dick Smith Friends of the Library this past weekend about his book (pictured above), The Bankhead Highway in Texas.  In the second half of the book, Smith took the 1921 Authentic Roadmap and Tourist Guide of the Bankhead Highway  by Thomas A. Dunn, and marked its routing on 1936 county maps of Texas.  Those maps show roads that may no longer exist today, but even by 1936, a few parts of the 1921 Bankhead Highway no longer existed - or could not be definitively identified.  And of course, today the interstates and other highways have obliterated parts of the Bankhead.

One of the Bankhead routes in western Tarrant County went right down today's Camp Bowie Boulevard, past the location of today's Hickman Building of the Tarleton Southwest Metroplex Center in Fort Worth.  The route also went through downtown Weatherford in Parker County.  Much of the road through Eastland County was paved with red brick made in Thurber, and you can easily see these segments in Cisco and Ranger.

Old photos, ads, and postcard images of bridges, signage, hotels, tourist courts, service stations, and other businesses along the Bankhead route, and recent photos of remnants of the road, buildings, landmarks, and other features that remain today are available in a Bankhead Highway in Texas group on Flickr started by the Texas Historical Commission as part of its Bankhead Highway Project.

This book can be found in the General Stacks on the upper level, call number HE356 .B36 S65 2013.

Do you InstaLibrary? Follow or Tag Us on Instagram

Follow us @tarletonlib

You may have seen that Tarleton Libraries has a Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest (as well as other social media accounts)but did you know that we also have an Instagram?

Search for our username @tarletonlib to follow us.

We post Tarleton-related and Library-related photos. For example, we have posted a few renovation updates to keep our users current on what's happening in our building.

We also post images of interesting/visually pleasing things that we find around campus; for example the tulips that are blooming in front of the library.

We're always open for suggestions. Also, if you take a library-related image, you can tag us in the photo or use a hashtag such as #dsl, #tarletonlibrary, #dslibrary, #Tarleton.

Check us out!  



Photos Taken By: Tracy Holtman

#FinalsFrenzy Coming Soon

The semester is almost over. I know, it's crazy! Now is the time to start thinking about preparing for your finals. It's never too early, or too late, to get started and organized. Check out this blog post on the top ten study tips.

Inspirational Quote

 Remember to drink lots of water, eat a healthy breakfast, and get some exercise during finals week. It is important to be mentally and physically prepared. Be on the lookout for the #FinalsFrenzy hashtag to find more tips on how to be successful during finals.

@tarletonlib #FinalsFrenzy #studentsuccess

Need Assistance? Call 254/968-9249 or email reference@tarleton.edu.

World Autism Awareness Day

Today, April 2, 2014, is World Autism Awareness Day.  In honor of this, Tarleton will "Light It Up Blue" by having one of our most iconic landmarks, the smokestack, shine blue rather than purple this evening.  Be sure to look for it tonight!

Although the cause of Autism is unknown, in 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network determined that approximately 1 in 88 children (1 in 54 for boys, and 1 in 252 for girls) were diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder in the United States.  

If you want to learn more about autism, check out this TEDTalk by Ami Klin from our Films on Demand Database.

Happy April Fools Day!!

Today is April 1st, April Fools Day.  Having never heard how the day got started I decided to see what I could find using the library's Discovery Tool. 

Keeping in the back of my mind that some of these articles would have been written on April Fools I looked at many, many articles and found a few origins that are believed to be possibilities. 

While no one knows the exact beginnings of pulling pranks on April 1st the most widely accepted theory comes from the 16th century in France when the Gregorian calendar was introduced.  This changed New Years from April 1st to January 1st.  Those that continued to celebrate on the first of April were called April Fools and were invited to parties (that no one was actually throwing), sent on "fools errands", and given silly gifts. 

Women's History Month

March is Women's History Month, which makes it an excellent time to research the women who have contributed so much to our university, nation and world. The library has many great books, encyclopedias and journals on women's history.

For a place to start, check out the results of this search in our Discovery tool.  You'll find books on women playwrights, warriors and politicians. Have fun!

             

The trouble with roommates...

HackCollege had a great blog post about how to deal with a terrible roommate.  You can check it out here.  Some of there best advice was:

• Communicate
• Set up Routines
•  Recognize your differences
• ...and many more.

There tips are great advice to use with everyone, not just bad roommates. The Residential Living and Learning Department at Tarleton can help too!

How to create a hanging indent in Word 2010

Both MLA and APA citation styles require a hanging indent--that is, the indentation of all lines, except the first, in your citation. 

Here's how to create hanging indents for your Works Cited or Reference page.

1. Open your Word 2010 document (it should default to the Home tab).
2.  Highlight the text you'd like to convert.
4.  Click the small arrow next to Paragraph (click on picture for larger view).
5.  The Paragraph box should default to Indents and Spacing.
Underneath the Special section, click on the drop down menu.
6.  Select Hanging.

Under the Home tab in Word 2010, click on the Paragraph arrow.
Under Indents and Spacing click the Special drop down menu and select Hanging.

7.  The result should look something like the image below.

This citation has a hanging indent.

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 

Envoy by Poet Laureate, Billy Collins

"Envoy"

By Billy Collins, Poet Laureate of the United States

From Aimless Love: A Selection of Poems

"Go, little book,
out of this house and into the world.

carriage made of paper rolling toward town
bearing a single passenger
beyond the reach of this jittery pen
and far from the desk and the nosy gooseneck lamp.

It is time to decamp,
put on a jacket and venture outside,
time to be regarded by other eyes,
bound to be held in foreign hands.

So off you go, infants of the brain,
with a wave and some bits of fatherly advice:

stay out as late as you like,
don't bother to call or write,
and talk to as many strangers as you can."

Save the Date! April 16th @ 3pm

It's getting close to National Library Week (April 13 - April 19, 2014). In celebration of National Library Week, the Tarleton Libraries will yet again reveal their annual READ posters. We have had Dr. Dottavio, Purple Poo, and the Texan Rider, to name a few, as previous faces for our posters. Who will be on this years' posters? Can't tell you, it's a secret. Save the date, April 16, 2014, and join us in the library at 3pm for this years' READ poster reveal to find out. Check out this blog post on previous READ posters.

Need Assistance? Call 254/968-9249 or email reference@tarleton.edu.

Job and Career Accelerator Database

To go along with the job fair on campus today I thought I would give a spotlight to the library's Job and Career Accelerator database.  Under the Guidance tab at the top you can find information on filling out an application, creating resumes and cover letters, interviewing, finding education and training, finding the right career for you, and searching for a job or internship.

If you click on the yellow Start button in the middle of the page it will take you to your dashboard or you can use the Occupation Matcher.  To use these features you will need to register.  Registering is free.  After you register you can explore occupations, search for jobs and internships, and create cover letters and resumes. 

Your dashboard is made up of tasks, saved resumes, letters, and jobs, your occupation matches, and your tests and tutorials.  You can search for jobs straight from your dashboard searching by job title, skills, or company.  The results can be narrowed down by location.

The occupation matcher will ask you several questions and will break down your answers into six different interest categories.  These categories are realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional.  At the bottom there are tabs to Start Over and to View the Matches. If you choose to view the matches it will take you to a list of primary and secondary matches.  You can click on one of these and it will take you to an occupation card that includes information about that occupation including wages, skills and knowledge you will need, tools and technology, education and training needed, and web resources.  You can view related occupations, search for jobs, and it will also give you recommended occupation practice tests and skills improvement.  The occupation cards can be saved to your dashboard.

For other resources you can choose the Other Centers tab at the top of the Job & Career Accelerator homepage and choose the Learning Express Library, Adult Learning Center, Career Center, High School Equivalency Center, College Preparation Center, Spanish Resource Center, College Center, School Center, or the Computer Skills Center.  All of these can also be found on the library's database page by choosing the Learning Express Library database.

Films on Demand

Have you checked out Films on Demand lately? We've added thousands of new videos, including videos from PBS, TEDtalks, History Channel and more! You might find something that will give you background on a research topic, or entertain and inspire you. Check them out today!