Help us help you! ...by filling out the library survey

In April, the Library will once again be participating in the LibQUAL survey. LibQUAL is a rigorously tested, web-based survey sponsored by the national Association of Research Libraries that helps libraries assess and strengthen our services. Albertsons Library previously participated in 2006 (see results), so this year we not only get to hear what you think now, we get to compare that to what you thought two years ago.

We’ll be sending out an e-mail message to 3,000 students, and to all staff and faculty inviting them to participate in the survey. If you get our message, we hope you’ll participate. We really appreciate your help in letting us know what we're doing well and what could be better.

Your opinion makes a difference! Thank you in advance for filling out the survey.

Free Trial: Morgan & Claypool’s Synthesis Digital Library of Engineering and Computer Science

The Boise State University Albertsons Library has arranged a free trial of Morgan & Claypool’s Synthesis Digital Library of Engineering and Computer Science. The trial will start March 3. To allow time for this product to be considered for purchase, please send feedback by April 25.

A description of the product from Morgan & Claypool’s promotional materials:

“Synthesis is a revolutionary collection of e-books: dynamic presentations of key R&D topics written by leading … scientists and engineers. The titles range in scope from core undergraduate course areas to the state of the art in research from academic, corporate, and government labs. Most are less than 100 pages and provide students and faculty complete yet succinct coverage of advanced topics in rapidly changing fields.”

Subject areas currently emphasize computer science and electrical engineering, but mechatronics, biomedical and general engineering topics are also available. Environmental engineering topics are slated for future production.

Access:

• From on campus, go to http://www.morganclaypool.com/page/ForthcomingSynthesisLectures
• From off-campus, go to http://library.boisestate.edu/indexes/indexlist.htm#safari and click on Synthesis (you may need to scroll down the page a little).

[Or use the Library’s home page (http://library.boisestate.edu ), then click Find…Articles, Databases, then click on S in the Databases by Name list, then click on Synthesis.]

Select a series of interest, and view the e-Book pdf. New content is still being developed, so not all categories are complete.

Please give it a try –

Faculty: would you find the product useful for your research and teaching?

Students: would you find it useful in your studies?

Send comments to Nancy Rosenheim, by April 25.

LexisNexis Academic Available at Albertsons Library

The Albertsons Library has acquired another major research database: LexisNexis Academic. From LexisNexis:

LexisNexis Academic provides access to full-text news, business, and legal publications, using a variety of flexible search options. One of the most heavily used databases in higher education, LexisNexis Academic is available at over 1,500 libraries serving over 8 million students and faculty. It is a standard element in many research and information literacy programs.

Product Overview
Access over 6,000 news, business, and legal sources. The outstanding news coverage includes deep backfiles and up-to-the-minute stories in national and regional newspapers, wire services, broadcast transcripts, international news, and non-English language sources. Use the included Company Dossier module to retrieve detailed company information and financial performance measures or identify and compare companies matching specific criteria. This product also provides access to the renowned Shepard's Citations® service for all federal and states court cases back to 1789.

You can access LexisNexis Academic from the Articles, Databases link on Library's webpage. Let us know if you need help using this or any of the 200+ research databases available to you at Albertsons Library.

Collection Grants Offered by Albertsons Library

Albertsons Library is once again offering collection grants for the purchase of library materials in a specified subject area. Competitive grants of up to $3000 will be awarded to teams of librarians and faculty members.

The intent of these grants is to work with faculty members to identify areas of the collection in need of special attention. The goal is to promote the use of library resources by making collections more relevant to the coursework and research interests of faculty and students.

Faculty members interested in applying for a grant should begin by contacting their library liaisons. Grant proposals may address a single academic area or an interdisciplinary topic.

Send completed applications to Carol Silvers, Albertsons Library, by Tuesday, April 15th, 2008. The grant recipients will be announced on May 1st, 2008.

Contact Peggy Cooper at 426-2311 for more information.

Join us for a faculty discussion about student research

Join Albertsons Library and a panel of faculty from across disciplines this Friday, February 22nd from 12 - 2 pm in ILC 315. We will discuss student research problems and strategies for addressing them.

Serving on the panel will be professors Michael Blain (Sociology), Lisa Growette Bostaph (Criminal Justice), Molly Gribb (Engineering), Tom Peele (Writing Program), and Will Schweinle (Psychology).

Sign up soon as the workshop is limited to 25 participants to facilitate conversation among all attendees; lunch will be provided. You can also register online!

Online Exhibit: Idaho Likes Ike

With the 2008 Presidential campaign in full swing and candidates coming to Idaho, Special Collections in Albertsons Library has put up a website looking back at Dwight D. Eisenhower's campaign visit to Boise in 1952, the largest political rally in Idaho's history.

The Library owns a photo of Ike and Governor Len B. Jordan taken at the rally, autographed by both of them. Take a look at: http://library.boisestate.edu/Special/Ike.htm

Alan Virta, Head of Special Collections and Associate Professor Boise State University, Albertsons Library

Now you can search plays online using the Play Index

Thanks to a new database purchased by the library, you can now conduct an online search of over 30,000 plays written from Antiquity to the present. Search by title, author, subject, keyword, and genre, and limit your search by cast numbers or reading level. The Play Index helps you quickly find plays that fit your needs for research, production, or just for fun!

The Play Index covers a wide range of plays written in or translated into English, including mysteries, pageants, plays in verse, puppet performances, radio and television plays, and classic drama. You'll get the full publication details needed to locate the published play, and you can click on the button to see if we own it, or to request it from another library. (Keep in mind that plays often come out in many editions, so you may want to search the catalog for the title, too!).

More information about this database is available online from the publisher's site. Or to start searching, go to the Play Index now!

Albertsons Library in Google Maps

A great feature in Google maps is the ability to pinpoint just about any location in the world, but if you want an even better mapping experience check out Google maps in "Street View" mode. This is the north side of the Albertsons Library, next to the Boise river:

View Larger Map

Explore the Boise State University campus from your desk via Google Maps.

International Connections Luncheon: Kevin Kiely

International Programs and Albertsons Library want to remind everyone of the next International Connections Brown Bag Luncheon Seminar on Wednesday, February 20, from 12:30-1:30, in the Student Union Building, Hatch B.

Award winning poet, prose writer, critic, and editor, Kevin Kiely--Fulbright Scholar in Literature at Boise State, 2007-2008--will be the guest speaker. A son of Northern Ireland, Professor Kiely’s lecture is entitled “Celtic Dawn to Celtic Tiger” and offers a “fast forward cultural history of 20th Century Ireland specifically based on its writers” and the impact they have had on their nation and people.

Please join us for this engaging talk!

Read up on China!

Library staff attended Carole Schroeder's "Teaching and Interacting Effectively with Students from China" workshop on February 6th, and created a list of suggested readings based on Albertsons Library's holdings :

• The Search for Modern China, by Jonathan Spence - DS 754 .S65 1990
• Chiang Kai-Shek, China’s Generalissimo and the Nation He Lost, by Jonathan Fenby – DS 778 .C55 F46 2004
• Mao the Unknown Story, by Jun Chang & Jon Halliday – DS 778 .M3 C38 2005b (also an audiobook)
• Dragon Lady, the Life and Legend of the Last Empress of China, by Sterling Seagrave – DS 763.63 .T96 S43 1992
• Oracle Bones : a Journey Between China’s Past and Present, by Peter Hessler – DS 712 .H458 2006
• The Private Life of Chairman Mao, by Dr. Li Zhisui – DS 778 .M3 L5164 1994
• China Wakes : the Struggle for the Soul of a Rising Power, by Nicholas Kristof & Sheryl Wudunn – HC 427.92 .K75 1995
• The Devil Soldier : the American Soldier of Fortune Who Became a God in China, by Caleb Carr - (ordered 2/7/2008)
• The Question of Hu, by Jonathan Spence – BX 4668 .H82 S66 1988
• Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee : An Authentic Eighteenth-Century Detective Novel, by Robert Van Gulik (an eAudiobook)
• Snowflower and the Secret Fan, by Lisa See – ordered 2/7/2008
• Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, byDai Sijie – PQ 2664 .A437 B3513 2001 (also on video)

Enjoy!

Join us for a faculty discussion about student research

Do you often see students struggling with academic research, or are you a struggling student?

Join Albertsons Library faculty and a panel of faculty from across disciplines in a discussion of student research problems and strategies for addressing them.

Serving on the panel will be professors Michael Blain (Sociology), Lisa Growette Bostaph (Criminal Justice), Molly Gribb (Engineering), Tom Peele (Writing Program), and Will Schweinle (Psychology).

Sign up soon as the workshop is limited to 25 participants to facilitate conversation among all attendees.

The panel will take place on February 22 from 12-2pm in ILC 315; lunch will be provided. Register online!

Westlaw adds News and Business

Westlaw, one of the premier legal research databases available to you via the Library's website, has added a new collection of databases known as News and Business:

• Newspapers - Includes current and archival newspapers like The New York Times, USA Today, Atlanta Journal and Constitution, Boston Globe, Financial Times, and hundreds more!
• Magazines -Provides current and archival issues of sought-after sources like Newsweek, the Economist, Consumer Reports, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Spectator, Publishers Weekly, and Business Week.
• Trade Journals -Offers current and archival issues for virtually any discipline. Includes titles like U.S. Banker, Securities Industries News, Accountancy Age, Advertising Age, PR Week, Modern Physician, and many more.
• Company Information - Provides SEC filings and Hoover’s company records, including profiles for thousands of private and public U.S. corporations.
• International Publications - Includes popular international sources like European Report, Middle East Observer and World News Connection.
• Newswires - Get the most current news from more than 400 newswires, including the Associated Press, U.S. Newswire, and numerous international wires.
• Newsletters -Access timely information across many specialties, including Alternative Medicine Alert, Agriculture Chemical News, White House press releases, Wireless News, and many others. -
  
• Broadcast Transcripts -Offers more than 900 television and radio transcripts that includes national and local news content from ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, MSNBC, NBC, PBS, and BBC radio.
• Foreign Language Publications. Search non-English news sources available in Afrikaans, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish.

Let us know if you need assistance to access this or any of the 230+ research databases available to you at Albertsons Library.