"I think the health of our civilization, the depth of our awareness
about the underpinnings of our culture and our concern for the future can
all be tested by how well we support our libraries."
-- Carl Sagan
In this issue:
The beginning of the school year is always the most challenging and exciting period of the academic year. New students, new faculty, campus upgrades, etc., all encourage us to rededicate ourselves to the academic effort.
This is my first September at Monmouth University, having arrived here in July. My impressions of Monmouth continue to amaze me -- the pride everyone has in the University, the commitment of its staff, and the readiness to meet new challenges in creative ways. And the extraordinary talents of the library faculty and staff have made me extremely proud to be a member of this particular remarkable, service-oriented organization.
This year the Library administration has dedicated itself to the maintenance and growth of service. As the building project plans are being finalized, the staff is already thinking of ways to maintain service while the construction and renovation take place. We are developing ways of keeping the University community informed about changes in service patterns as well as ways of celebrating the progress of the total effort. Currently the plan is to break ground this Spring and stage the process over a few years.
This will be a momentous year in the history of the Library for all the right reasons. Do take the opportunity to avail yourself of the services, reference and instructional, offered by the staff. Some of the most exciting new developments are taking place in the area of electronic journal databases. Through direct licensing or membership in consortia such as VALE, our students and faculty have access to over 11, 000 periodical titles -- from the Library, on campus, or from home! (Visit the Library's Electronic Resources Gateway). And soon the architectural renderings of both the exterior and interior building project will be made available to you -- online and/or in person when you visit the Library.
And on a personal note, please take the opportunity to introduce yourself to me. It is truly a privilege to be serving the University.
Jean Schoenthaler
Interim Dean
of the Library
Interim Dean, Jean Schoenthaler - read about her in her own words:
From the age of 17, I wanted to be a non-conventional librarian. I think I have reached my goal.
I was graduated from college with three majors -- English, History, and Religion & Philosophy. In graduate school (1963/64), I took the first course ever in any library school on the automation of libraries. It was almost like science fiction to all of us in the class.
I have seen so many changes in my almost 39 years as a librarian and have been so lucky to have participated in many of them. I started as a cataloger and reference librarian, but because I had my own set of tools, soon became the Head of Technical Services when it was a male-dominated specialty. My mentor, Julia Baker, urged me to get into the field of preservation, and I had the opportunity to meet both Carolyn Horton and George Cunha when they were helping to develop the field of preservation. Drew University gave me the dubious honor of gaining experience in disaster planning and implementation.
In 1980, I started to gain experience with library building projects, including new construction and renovation, both in the academic and public library arena. Another aspect of my professional growth was to develop out of a genuine love of institutional archives and an appreciation of how important they are for the development of a strong organization. I have also done professional indexing (not using computer generated key words) in order to present the politically correct concept in the index.
I have a home in Florida, currently reside in Freehold, and love the whole state of North Dakota. I am an avid mystery reader with my favorite mystery writer being James Lee Burke. I am a firm believer in the Disney "can do" approach to requests. I have been swimming with the manatees, driven in a NASCAR, gone down into the Grand Canyon on a mule, and spent time on a number of Indian reservations. I have a LARGE buffalo collection. And I love to drive, anytime, anyplace.
Eleonora Dubicki, Instructor Librarian,
specializing in Instructional Services and Reference.
Eleonora has a combination
of academic and business research experience. She has worked in market
research
departments at Lucent
Technologies and Telcordia. Prior to working in the telecommunications
industry, she held
librarian positions
at the American Institute of CPAs and New Jersey Institute of Technology.
Ms. Dubicki has
an MLS and MBA from
Rutgers University.
Enda-Mai Michelson-Holland, Adjunct Librarian,
specializing in Reference.
Enda-Mai comes to the Guggenheim
with extensive background as a Media Specialist/ Librarian in the Southern
Regional High School district. In addition to an MS degree in library
science, she an MEd. in Silversmithing & Art History, and has earned
certificates (University of Helsinki, Finland) in Philology and Design.
Taya M. Petino, Library Assistant, Interlibrary
Loan
Taya works part time in the
Interlibrary Loan department. She is also a 3rd year, part-time library
school student at Rutgers University. She will be receiving her master’s
degree in May of 2003. In addition to her love of reading, she also enjoys
spending time with her two young sons, Casey and Korey.
Lisa Gannon, Library Assistant, Circulation
Lisa Gannon has been working
in the circulation department since June. She transferred from Admissions
where she worked, since 1998, as an enrollment process coordinator.
Michele Jackym, Library Assistant, Circulation
and Reserves
Michele Jackym started working
in the Library in October as our new library assistant in charge of reserves.
She has a BA in Communications from MU and has plans for further graduate
study. If her name is familiar, it is because her mother, Linda Jackym,
has worked in the Library for many years.
A reminder to faculty: Library Instruction Sessions are available for your classes. If you would like to arrange an instruction session for your class, please contact Mike Banick by e-mail (mdbanick@monmouth.edu) or by phone (x4404), in order to discuss the assignment and set up a time.
Remember, classes can meet either in the Library or in your classroom (provided your classroom is equipped with a network connection and LCD projector), two weeks’ advanced notice is asked, and professors must attend the session with their classes. Students are required to have a library research assignment before the instructional session.
More information about Library Instructional Services can be found on the Instructional Services Webpage.
JournalWebCite: Find the Full Text of a Journal Article
Navigating the library's full text resources has become a bit easier with the introduction of JournalWebCite. This tool effectively eliminates having to hop from database to database to locate the full text of indexed or abstracted articles. JournalWebCite is found on the Library's "Electronic Resources Gateway" alphabetically in the center column or under the heading "Can I Find the Full Text of My Article." It will show the dates of coverage in each resource.
Be sure to search JournalWebCite before submitting an Interlibrary Loan request.
JSTOR: Language and Literature Collecton
The JSTOR Language and Literature collection contains full text articles from a total of 47 journals and covers the literary cultures of many different countries. The Collection contains articles in several languages, including Arabic, Italian, and Russian.
For a
list of the journals in the Language & Literature Collection: http://www.jstor.org/about/langlit_content.html
For
a complete list of ALL JSTOR titles: http://www.jstor.org/about/alpha.content.html
Search JSTOR: Library Home Page/ Electronic Resources/Alphabetic List/JSTOR
(Please note that JSTOR is a journal archive providing backfiles: it is not a resource providing access to the most current journal issues. "JSTOR's agreements with publishers include an updating provision referred to as a 'moving wall.' The moving wall is a fixed period of time ranging, in most cases, from 2 to 5 years, that defines the gap between the most recently published issue and the date of the most recent issues available in JSTOR. In calculating the moving wall, the current, incomplete year is not counted" [JSTOR web page]. In cases where there is a title overlap between JSTOR and Project Muse [licensed by the Guggenheim], JSTOR provides a link to current volumes. Use JournalWebCite to determine whether the Library subscribes to a journal and/or whether the journal article is available full text in another database).
E-Books! ProQuest Safari Tech Books Online
We now have a virtual collection of "computer books!" Safari Tech Books Online may be accessed from the Library's Electronic Resources Gateway web page (under General Databases/Catalogs or the Alphabetic List). These 770+ titles (with about 70 new titles added each month) cover such topics as Creative Media, Desktop Applications, e-Business, Linux, Networking, Programming, Web Authoring, Design and Development, and even Windows!
When you do a key word search or browse by topic, you will have access to titles such as those published by O'Reilly Associates ("In a Nutshell" series) and Pearson Group, the latter of which includes such imprints as Addison Wesley, Cisco, New Riders, Peachpit, Que and Sams. Although some titles go back as far as 1996, most titles are 2000 or more current. What’s more, new or revised titles are added regularly -- often before they appear in print.
Search options have some limitations. By default, all your terms will be joined with an implied "NEAR," though you may use AND or quotation marks to force a search of an exact phrase. Consult the HELP section for more detailed information. The indexes of books are not visible, but you can limit your search to one title by setting "Current Book." To use this resource, you must be either on the MU network or able to access our databases from off campus. (Please contact the HelpDesk at 571-3539 or its web pages for instructions). No more than 2 users may access Safari at the same time, and printing may be limited by ProQuest (If you reach the Safari page and are asked for an ID and password, FIRST try clicking "Connect" WITHOUT entering anything. You may be put right through).
Call the Library for further details or to arrange for a demonstration. The ProQuest Safari Tech Books collection should prove a valuable resource for all .
New
York Times
NYT Historical:
1851-1999
New York Times Historical
Newspapers (ProQuest) offers the complete text and image of every item
in The New York Times from 1851 through 1999. Each page of the paper was
scanned and is now fully searchable for articles and editorials, as well
as advertisements and graphics. In addition to the article, a page map
is available, which shows where the item appeared on the original page.
Just a few areas where this resource might be helpful:
· Advertising & public relations: view old ads and see where they appearedLibrary Home Page/ Electronric Resources/Alphabetic List/New York Times (ProQuest)
· Social science: coverage of events that shaped the national landscape
· Literature: book and theatre reviews
· Nursing: introduction of vaccinations for diseases
NYT 1980-Current
(within 24 hours)
For the full text (no images)
of information published in the New York Times from June 1, 1980 through
current (within 24 hours),for abstracts from January 1, 1969
- May 31, 1980 (Final New York City Edition): Lexis Nexis
Academic (Library Home Page/ Electronric Resources/Alphabetic List/Lexis
Nexis Academic). Click on guided search; fill in information
and add "New York Times" in Publication Title (Step 5.)
Today's NYT: www.nyt.com
ScienceDirect: an Online Resource for Many Disciplines
ScienceDirect may fit your research needs if you want to use an online index containing more than 1500 scientific, technical, and medical peer-reviewed journals. It contains more than two million full text scientific journal articles. This database of full text scholarly journal articles is not just helpful for those researching natural and applied sciences, but also for those doing research in such disparate fields as social work, nursing and healthcare, criminal justice, and psychology. The ScienceDirect search engine also allows one to search in more than one subject area at a time; hypothetically, one could search for articles in “computer science” and “mathematics.” Other pluses: citations are clearly presented, full text availability is clearly indicated, and the pdf format loads in very quickly without any bugs -- all important features for researchers working against a tight deadline.
ScienceDirect offers its users an email alert system. By registering with them, users will automatically receive postings of new journal issues as they become available. (As always, though, “caveat emptor” when keying in personal information!)
So, if you want to explore the Library’s online tools beyond Wilson Omnifile or Academic Search Premier, take a look at ScienceDirect!
Using Electronic Library Resources from Off-Campus
Access to more than 20 electronic databases licensed by the Library are now available from off-campus. Many of these resources include select full text of journal, magazine and newspaper articles as well as other important research materials. To use this service you must have Internet access, a web browser, and a Hawkmail account. Click on Remote Access Help from the Library home page for detailed instructions on how to configure your computer.
Guggenheim Library deals with the parking problem in an old-fashioned way---with a new bicycle rack!
With the installation of a new bicycle rack late this summer, the Guggenheim Library welcomes bicyclists! Now library users with bikes may lock them up safely on the dark green rack located halfway up the main sidewalk leading up to the library’s entrance. Forget the parking hassle and cycle on over to the library to do your research or read a book!
For more information
on any of the resources described here, please contact the Reference Librarian
on duty at 732 571-3438.
Contributors to this issue: Mike Banick, Eleonora Dubicki, Rachel Gardner, Hugh Holden, Aurora Ioanid, Susan Kadezabek, Dawn Popoff, Jean Schoenthaler, and Sue Stehle. Special thanks to Theresa Coppola for editing assistance.
Questions or comments - Please contact Rachel Gardner, Associate Librarian, Information Services & Collection Development.