Tutorial: Renewing Books Online

In (fewer than) 90 seconds, you'll be able to renew books online through My Library Account!


This tutorial is more like a combined tutorial and Frequently-Asked-Reference-Question.  Everyone wants to be able to renew their library items with as little hassle as possible.  Although renewing books online is pretty simple, there are a few restrictions, in general, about library renewals.  For example, DVDs can never be renewed, nor can journals.  A full list of borrowing privileges and restrictions for undergraduates, graduate students, faculty members, and other library users can be found here:  http://www.lib.vt.edu/circ-reserve/borrowing.html

The following tutorials demonstrates the ease with which you can view your library record and renew your books online.

Hint:  for best viewing, enlarge the tutorial to full screen.  On the far right of the toolbar (which pops up after you've hit "play"), there is a square icon that will make the tutorial full screen.  Hitting "Esc" will minimize the tutorial after you've finished watching it.

Peer Review Revised?

Last month, the New York Times published two articles that dealt with the changing nature of peer review.  The first one, published on August 16, discussed a real-time analysis of a mathematical proof on mathematics-related blogs and wikis.  The second one, published on August 23, presented the case of the Shakespeare Quarterly's recent experiment as it invited criticism, via the world wide web, on four articles submitted to the journal.

These two examples indicate that the traditional methods, and notion, of peer review are changing.  Traditionally, we rely on peer review as a sort of quality assurance policy.  Peer reviewed journals are the ones we want to use in research, because we trust that they have been vetted by authorities in the field.  However, the changing nature of publishing and communication seems to be making many people rethink the peer review process.

Politics, competition, and other issues often play a role in the peer review process, too, which is what these articles seem to be getting at.  Revising the peer review process could help alleviate these issues, but also introduce new ones that are not easily alleviated.  As a librarian, I can't foresee a radical change in the peer review process anytime soon, and I will not be changing the way I communicate the "peer review process" to students or select books/journals for the library.  However, these articles did make me realize that critically thinking about the peer review process, and the way we trust information, is always an interesting exercise.

I did a quick keyword search in Addison, just to see what sort of books we may have on the topic, and I found several recent ones that I might recommend, just for some more food for thought:

• Peer Review:  A Critical Inquiry, by David Schatz (2004)
• How Professors Think:  Inside the Curious World of Academic Judgment, by Michele Lamont (2009)
• Peer Review in Health Sciences, edited by Fiona Godlee (2003)

New Books from August 2010--with reviews!

The August 2010 New Book List is up!  Here are a few that I (and hopefully you) find particularly interesting.  Any reviews posted below are available through University Libraries, and may prompt you to log in with your VT PID and password.

Global agro-food trade and standards : challenges for Africa / edited by Peter Gibbon, Stefano Ponte, and Evelyne Lazaro.

Summary, Notes, and Table of Contents available here

Sugar : a bittersweet history / Elizabeth Abbott.

Summary, Notes, and Table of Contents available here

Library Journal review available via Academic Search Complete

Twain's feast : searching for America's lost foods in the footsteps of Samuel Clemens / Andrew Beahrs.

Summary, Notes, and Table of Contents available here

Booklist review available via Academic Search Complete

Hyperspectral imaging for food quality analysis and control / edited by Da-Wen Sun.

Table of Contents available here

Are you waiting for a particular book to appear on the New Books list?  Recommend it to us!  Simply fill out the form here:  https://aqua.lib.vt.edu/Bookorder.php

FARQ: Off Campus Problems

Look for this button on the
University Libraries homepage

It's time for another installment of Frequently Asked Reference Questions!


Since it's the beginning of the semester, the reference desk has been abuzz with problems related to accessing library resources from off campus.  So, today's FARQ is

Why can't I access [enter resource here] from off campus?


Well, many of the library's databases, electronic journals, electronic books, and other resources are restricted to staff, faculty, and students of Virginia Tech.  This restriction is facilitated by the VT network, meaning that all of the restricted resources use IP addresses to determine whether or not you are affiliated with Virginia Tech.  When you're on campus, you will (usually) automatically receive access to VT resources.  However, when you're off campus--away from the IP ranges--you need another way to identify yourself as a VT affiliate.  This is where "Off Campus Sign In" comes in.

When you use the "Off Campus Sign In" option (which should be available on all library web pages), you are authenticating yourself with EZProxy, which essentially makes your computer think that it's on the VT network, even when it's not.  This will allow you to access the "restricted" resources.  When you click the "Off Campus Sign In" button, you will be prompted for your PID and password:

If you do this, and still cannot access what you need, then you may need to clear your browser's history/cache/cookies, and start over.  Usually, this will clear up any issues with off campus sign in.  If you continue to experience problems from off campus, do not hesitate to contact me, or any other library staff members.  You can even IM us through our Ask a Librarian service for immediate help:  http://www.lib.vt.edu/help/ask.html

Happy off-campus researching!

The Librarian Is In!

Original image from Peanuts, by Charles Schulz.
Slight changes made by Rebecca Miller.

I'm excited to announce that I will be holding regular office hours in Wallace Hall this fall.  Starting today (8/26), I will be in 342-A (the conference room) in Wallace Hall every Thursday from 3-5 p.m.   Please drop in to discuss your research, instruction, comments/suggestions for the library, or anything else!

Oh, and the research help isn't really $0.05--one-on-one (or group) consultations with me are totally free :)  What a bargain!

Expert Research Tip: Use Your Librarian

Confession:  as an undergraduate, I never once talked to a university librarian or asked for help at the reference desk.  Instead, I tentatively typed search phrases into the library catalog, and then browsed library shelves for any books related to my research topic.  I never once used an online database, and was always confused when a professor alluded to "JSTOR" or any other confusing-sounding resource of some type...oh, if I had only known:

Using your librarian makes your life so much easier, and your work so much better.

What makes this entire confession worse is that I worked in the circulation department of my college library, and knew most of the reference librarians by sight, if not by name.  Why, then, didn't I tap into the incredible wealth of knowledge and resources that I had at my fingertips?  Many students, and I think I was one of them, feel that they should be able to tackle research on their own.  While this sort of independent thinking can be a good thing, I know that I missed out on a lot of very helpful resources, tips, and relationships because of it.  

Librarian Carol Dallman sits at the 4th floor SciTech Desk, waiting to help a researcher

Librarians go through rigorous academic and professional training.  It was only after two years of coursework, comprehensive exams, and a master's paper that I earned the privilege to be called a "librarian."  The students and faculty of HNFE have their own research, their own goals, and their own professional programs.  The librarian exists to supplement these with what they know best:  research methods and the organization of research materials.  Some of the specific ways that we do this may include:

• Helping you brainstorm and select a topic for research
• Helping you find journal articles and other resources related to your research
• Making sure you are using information ethically and legally
• Helping you get the most of the library and its plethora of information resources
• Giving you professional and moral support as you navigate the intricacies of a research project
• Ordering you materials and new resources that can help you with your research project
• Meeting with you, a group, or a class to do any of the above

Here at Virginia Tech, we utilize the College Librarian model, which ensures that librarians with expertise in particular subjects work with students, faculty, and researchers that will be able to benefit from the librarian's subject expertise, in addition to that librarian's professional training.  I, of course, am the College Librarian for HNFE.  A full list of the College Librarians and their contact information can be found here:  http://www.lib.vt.edu/instruct/clprg.html

What are you waiting for?  Set up an appointment to talk with me today!  

Journal Clubs & Tradition

Image from Deborah J. Good, Ph.D.

Journal clubs have been used for well over 100 years to help bridge the gap between research and practice.  Students, clinicians, and researchers have participated in journal clubs to supplement continuing education, help learn/teach critical research skills, and generate discussions related to timely issues.  By getting involved with the HNFE Undergraduate Journal Club, you are embracing a tradition that has served a long history of medical and science professionals.

Mark Linzer, in his 1987 article "The journal club and medical history:  over one hundred years of unrecorded  history," traces the history of journal clubs as far back as 1835, when medical students at St. Bartholomew's Hospital in London decided to meet in a small room over a baker's shop because the library did not have a suitable reading room (p. 476).  Fortunately, in 2010 at Virginia Tech, you have access to suitable space here in Newman Library.  Additionally, you have access to the main journals related to your field, which was the impetus for an 1875 journal club that formed in Montreal because its founder needed access to periodicals "which he could ill afford to subscribe to" (Linzer, p. 475).

The HNFE Undergraduate Journal Club promises to help students discuss current literature and understand critical research techniques in a casual setting.  Questions about the Journal Club can be directed toward Deborah Good or Christina McIntyre.  PubMed Central offers free access to biomedical and life sciences journal articles, including the one discussed in this blog post.  Visit it to access full-text journal articles related to your research, the history of journal clubs, and many other topics!

References
Linzer M.  The journal club and medical history:  over one hundred years of medical history.  Postgrad Med J.  June 1987;63,475-478.  Available via PubMed Central:  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2428317/

Check out the "cited by" feature that is now available in PubMed Central to see articles that build upon Linzer's research!