May 2009 Library Newsletter

Newsletter + Library + Academics


May 2009	Volume 1, Issue 2
In This Edition: What's New in the Collection How to Find Journals and Magazines Do You Know About Twitter? Announcements and Staff News From the Director	HOW TO FIND JOURNALS AND MAGAZINES using Journal Title Finder Journal Title Finder (JTF) is an online tool to find out if the library subscribes to a particular journal or magazine (online or print). The link to JTF is located on the library's homepage, directly beneath our Online Resources link: Once on the JTF page, simply enter the title of the periodical you wish to find and click Search. In the example below, we searched for the trade publication Forbes. The results show (1) the date ranges of our multiple holdings of Forbes (print or online database), (2) that Forbes is located in our print collection, and (3) the library's database(s) in which Forbes is located. Select an online source for reading Forbes by clicking on one of the red hyperlinks. You'll be brought to a page that either lists all the issues of Forbes in that database (most recent first) or will embed Forbes into your search (i.e., any search you perform in that database will be temporarily limited to articles within Forbes). Journal Title Finder also allows you to browse our journal/ magazine titles A-Z (there are thousands!) or to browse them by subject. For any questions about Journal Title Finder and how to make further use of this multi-faceted tool, please e-mail us at library@bryan.edu. DO YOU KNOW ABOUT TWITTER? Twitter is a social networking site that asks users one simple question: "What are you doing?" The answers (called tweets) are limited to 140 characters, a form of microblogging. Those using Twitter are called tweeters. Users select tweeters they want to follow (i.e., get updates as they're posted). How is Twitter relevant to higher ed? In an article from a recent online issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education, entitled "10 High Fliers on Twitter," author Jeffrey R. Young states: "Twitter is quickly becoming a global faculty lounge. Sure, it’s easy to waste a lot of time on the Internet-based microblogging service reading mundane details about people’s days. But you can also pick up some great higher-education gossip, track down colleagues to collaborate with, or get advice on how to improve your teaching or research." He then goes on to profile some of the most prolific--and most followed--tweeters in higher ed, who share why and how they use Twitter. Among the uses mentioned in both the article and posted comments about the article: public relations tool for the college/ university following trends in social media sounding board for ideas on philosophy of information technology (specifically, ambient awareness and digital intimacy) conference blogging/ reporting online discussions soliciting feedback on the use of web technologies in the classroom On our campus, one department uses Twitter as a means of communicating rapidly with a broad community: "The Bryan College Financial Aid Office is using Twitter to inform current and prospective students about the latest financial aid opportunities and any impending deadlines," said Rick Taphorn, Director of Financial Aid. "We also follow higher education professional organizations and are finding out about the latest news in higher education without having to contintually visit each individual organization's web site." Taphorn said he hopes to see the bcfinancialaid profile gain over one thousand followers, and he intends to post a Twitter widget on the Financial Aid web site. How could you or your department use Twitter?
WHAT'S NEW IN THE COLLECTION Here's a small sample of what we ordered last month: Main Collection Allen, Leslie H. (1925). Bryan and Darrow at Dayton: The record and documents of the "Bible-evolution trial." New York: Arthur Lee. 308 B840 Bryan, William Jennings. (1923). Famous figures of the Old Testament. New York: Flemming H. Revel Company. 221.92 B840f From seed to fruit: Global trends, fruitful practices, and emerging issues among Muslims. (2008). Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library. 266.0088 F925 Peterson, Roger P. (2003). Maximum impact short-term mission: The God-commanded, repetitive deployment of swift, temporary, non-professional missionaries. Minneapolis, MN: STEMPress. 266.02373 L751s Snyder, John A. (1997). How to prepare for the GRE, biology: Graduate record examination in biology. Hauppage, N.Y.: Barron's. 378.1662 B278h Taylor, Betsy. (2003). What kids really want that money can't buy: Tips for parenting in a commercial world. New York: Warner Books. 649.1 T212w Towns, Elmer L. (2004). *Perimeters of light: Biblical boundaries for the emerging church.* Chicago: Moody Publishers. 253 T662p Wood, Todd C., et al. (2008). *Johannes Buteo's the shape and capacity of Noah's ark.* Center for Origins Research Issues in Creation, No. 2. Eugene, OR: WIPF & Stock. 575 W850c Reference Fang, Irving E. (2008). *Alphabet to Internet: Mediated communication in our lives.* St. Paul, MN: Rada Press. REF 302.2309 F214a Audio-Visual Russia: Land of the tsars. (2003). Vols 1 & 2. New York, N.Y.: A&E Home Video. A-V 947 R920 *The Anderson platoon.* (2008). Haciendo Heights, CA: Allied Artists. A-V 959.7043 An243 Children's Literature Raczka, Bob. (2009). *The Vermeer interviews: Conversations with seven works of art.* Minneapolis, MN: Millbook Press. JUV 759.9492 R115v Walker, Sally M. (2009). *Written in bone: Buried lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland.* Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda Books. JUV 614.17 W151w Well Said Doing research on the Web is like using a library assembled piecemeal by pack rats and vandalized nightly. -Roger Ebert
FROM THE DIRECTOR I would like to wish everyone a good, safe summer. If the Lord brings up your library staff this summer, please pray for us and our “helpers,” as we will be busy working with the Academic Support Center to rearrange spaces to better serve the Bryan community in many ways. Look for new, more versatile spaces this fall along with new, more versatile services to follow throughout the school year. By the way, two of our library student assistants were nominated as Library Stars for Library Workers Day, April 14th. You can see the nominations here. –Dr. Gary Fitsimmons When Insults Had Class... "He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary." - William Faulkner on Ernest Hemingway "Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?" - Ernest Hemingway	ANNOUNCEMENTS AND STAFF NEWS Summer Hours: Library summer hours begin Saturday, May 9. During the summer, the library is open Mon-Fri, 8:00am - 4:30pm; closed on weekends. Library Survey Highlights: Of the 64 respondents to our recent survey, 62 (96.9%) have used the library (online, in person, or both) this year; the top three uses are, respectively, to check out books, study, and make copies. Our Online Resources page was the web site feature most frequently selected (by 52 respondents) as useful. The majority of respondents were very satisfied with the assistance they received from the library staff, and they were satisfied with the ease with which they could find information. Twenty-three respondents (37.7%) self-identified as faculty, staff, or administration. Congratulations to the winners of the iTunes gift card drawings: Anna Hull, Faith Kostreva, and Dinah Webster. Mencken Collection: Bryan College and its Stevens H.L. Mencken Collection recently came to the attention of the Mencken Society and were mentioned on its homepage blog (scroll down past the latest few posts). The collection came to the college in a series of gifts from Dr. and Mrs. Ray Stevens, and it is housed in the Humanities Room on the 2nd floor of the library. Lamination Materials: In the fall, the library will begin selling lamination materials to students and community patrons, in addition to making them available for interdepartmental purchase. The Bryan College Library has been informed that it was not selected as one of the five locations for the ACRL Scholarly Communication 101 Road Show for this year. We, along with Tennessee Weslyan College and several of the ACA libraries had hoped to host the workshop and were competing with 46 other groups all over the country. If ACRL decides to tour the program next summer, we will be considered again. In the mean time, the library will be looking for other ways to support scholarly communication from and among our faculty.
© 2009 Bryan College Library
Please direct your comments or questions to Dr. Gary Fitsimmons (Library Director) or Keri-Lynn Paulson (editor)