Alkek Library News

Welcome Students! The Library's resources & services = a successful semester!

For a great start to the new semester, Alkek Library offers drop-in orientations at the beginning of each semester. If you are new to Texas State and have never been in the library, all you need to do is check the schedule for the time and then just meet at the Reference Desk on the 2nd floor as you enter the main lobby.  There is still time left to take advantage this open walking-tour.  

If you prefer to tour Alkek Library from the comfort of your home or dorm room, we have an online tutorial as well as still photos and mp3 audio tours for you to enjoy at your leisure.

If you have a question, need directions or want to get a jump start on your research, you can stop by the Reference Desk, call us at 245-2686 or get online help using the Ask-A-Librarian service. We offer multiple ways of online help. You can chat with us using your preferred chat client by adding us to your contacts, or you can chat w/a librarian using the many Ask a Librarian widgets placed on various pages throughout the library website. There is an email option, and you can also schedule an individual consultation. New this semester we now offer the option to meet online with a librarian using videoconferencing software.

Also new this semester we have added an additional way to contact us! Now you can also TEXT-A-LIBRARIAN by texting # 512-761-8398. We are using a Google Voice number, so we can receive offline message in case you send it after hours.

We also offer workshops on using RefWorks, an online resource for bibliographic management. These are held in our classroom 101, downstairs from the main lobby. Our workshop schedule is updated periodically, so check back often for other classes.

Many of our research resources are available remotely. Access to many journal articles, newpapers, magazines are available online. If you want to know if we have access to your favorite newspaper or magazine you can search for it by using the Periodical List. Or, if you already have a topic you need to research, you can use one of the subject research databases. For more information about using the databases, see this research guide. There are also other research guides arranged by subject which offer you the best resources for your research topic.

Other popular library resources are Reserve and E-Reserve. You can check Reserve by professor or course for materials your professor has placed there for your class to use. Sometimes your textbook will be on Reserve. Other things like chapter readings, articles, videos, or old tests may be on Reserve. If your professor uses the E-Reserve service, they will give you a password to access the materials.

The final tip for a successful semester: Don't pay for journal articles! If you find an article you need, but the library does not have a subscription, then you can utilize the Interlibrary Loan Service to get a copy of the article. This service is also available for books and other materials. It is a free service.

Welcome to Texas State and remember: librarians are here to help you succeed!

 

 

Need Help Finding Business/Marketing Information?

If so, then you need to read the Bag O' Tricks Business Librarian's blog. Today's post deals with finding Legal Treatises. This assignment comes up regularly at Alkek Library, so the business librarian Charles Allan offers tips for locating all the legal treatises using the Library Catalog, but many of these deal with bankruptcy and other business related topics. 

Other recent posts deal with such topics as:

• Tips for using an easily missed database, RAND Texas, helpful for finding Texas statistics on business, economics, education and more.
• Finding information on taxes by state
• Underwater mortgages in Austin

You can also use the tag cloud on the right side of the page to find marketing information, suggested uses for the many business & marketing related databases, company research, economic indicators, and much more.

Charles' contact information and links to video tutorials are also available via the blog.

Research Guides Get New Look

The library recently moved the  Research Guides from the library Wiki to the library website. The  Research Guides are now easier to search for using the library/university site search at the top of the page.

In addition to search capability for the  Research Guides, you can now ask a question directly form each guide with the addition of the Ask a Librarian chat widget on each one.

Research Guides are a great way to start your research.  There are many subjects covered which include the most relevant Subject Databases to search. Reference material, web resources and other helpful information is covered.

Check out the changes!! 

Research Guides: Start Your Research Using the Right Resources

Do you have a research project, but aren't sure where to begin? Well, the library has a list of research guides in many different subjects to help you start on the right track.

Each research guide begins with reference material on the topic such as subject specific encyclopedias and dictionaries.  These types of resources are very helpful in gaining an understanding of the subject. The library has LOTS of great reference books, on pretty much any subject. You can even limit your search in the library catalog to the Reference Collection.

The second section of the guide shows how to effectively find books about your topic using the library catalog. The guide shows how to use the Library of Congress subject headings to find books using the "subject" search.

The next section of the guide lists the recommended Databases for the subject you are researching. Databases are useful for finding journal, magazine and newspaper articles about a topic. Most information is available online too. Keep in mind, the research guides reflect the broad subjects such as Education or Art & Design and will point you in the right direction in order to focus the topic.

The last part of the guides offers tips for finding the information in the library, online or how to get something the library doesn't own. There are also suggested Websites listed  for the subject.

Happy New Year! Learn how to use Refworks before you start your research papers.

First, I should introduce myself. My name is Tara Spies and I am the newest addition to the Alkek Library Information Literacy Instruction Team. I am a Reference/Instruction Librarian and my subject specialties are art/design, communication studies, and technology. If you have any questions about research in those areas you can contact me at ts20@txstate.edu or want to request an instruction class in any of these areas with me please don't hesitate to do so.

It is the beginning of the spring semester so it is probably a good time to learn about new and improved research tools before your research gets underway. If you don't already know about Refworks, you will wish you had once you know that it is a online citation and bibliography tool that you can use to help you organize and format your citations/references for your research papers in whatever writing style you are supposed to use (APA, MLA, etc.). You can create a free account and familiarize yourself with some of its basic features. You can use their tutorial or attend one of our upcoming workshops on how to use Refworks. Once you get the hang of it you will see what a helpful tool Refworks can be for citing sources in your paper and for your reference/bibliography page that you put at the end of it.

Refworks just released a new version of Write-and-Cite that will let you download and use it while offline. The online version is still available for when it is more convenient for you. You can read about more new enhancements to Refworks in their January 2008 Release Notes

Good luck with your spring semester!