11 Tools to Save Time

Have you ever found something online and wished you could save it to read later? Or maybe bookmarks and del.icio.us are not working out for you and you want to try something new.

Mashable.com has recently published a list of 11 tools that can save sites for you to read later. These range from browser add-ons to tools that send the site to your email or phone.

-Elaine Settergren, Online Librarian

APA Citation in a Nutshell Webinars

How does APA citation work? How do I cite a website? What if the website doesn't have a date? What's "in text" citation?
If you have these types of questions, you can get them answered by attending one of these webinars.

The online library is offering 3 more webinars about APA Citation next week. They are all the same so you can pick one that fits your schedule.

• 5/20 @ 7 p.m. http://elm.elluminate.com/HOSTEDMSOB/join_meeting.html?meetingId=1207240697950
  
• 5/21 @ 1 p.m. http://elm.elluminate.com/HOSTEDMSOB/join_meeting.html?meetingId=1207241136670
  
• 5/22 @ 4 p.m. http://elm.elluminate.com/HOSTEDMSOB/join_meeting.html?meetingId=1207241358004

These sessions are all live webinars with me (Elaine Settergren, Online Librarian) through Elluminate Live software. You'll need to have the latest Java downloaded. A high-speed internet connection is best. Just click the link 5-10 minutes before the session time. Enter your GU/MSB username, but you don't need a password. Bring your APA questions!

If you can't make the live session, you can access a recording on this page.

If you have any questions, please contact me.

-Elaine Settergren, Online Librarian

Researching Controversial Issues

Are you researching controversial issues?

Watch this 3 minute video!

Linked full text in EBSCO

If you see this "linked full text" button in an EBSCOhost database, you can click it to get to the full text. This is a new feature for us. This button indicates that the full text is available in a different EBSCO database, but you don't need to go search a different database. Just click the "linked full text" button. Click here to search EBSCOhost now!

Please ask your librarian if you have any other questions about finding full text articles.

- Elaine Settergren, Online Librarian

Question of the Week: searching frustrations

Q: I need help finding sources for my topic. I want to write about how animal abuse is related to human abuse. When I search, I can't find any good sources.

A: We were eventually able to find some sources. If your topic is causing you trouble, there could be two problems: where your searching or what keywords you're using to search. In this case, the problem was the keywords.

Here are some tips:

• Trial and error is your friend, but when you get frustrated seek help from professional searcher - ask your librarian! We're happy to help.
• Try thinking of related terms and synonyms. For this topic we had luck with "cruelty to animals" and "child abuse" or "spousal abuse." Using "abuse" on it's own was too broad.
• Subject headings can be your friend too. Once you find an article or other source that you like, you can use those subject terms. I searched for "animal abuse," but one of the subjects was "cruely to animals." I was able to search that and come up with more sources.

- Elaine Settergren, Online Librarian

What are Scholarly Sources?

The library has added a new web guide to scholarly sources. Many instructors request that you use scholarly sources for papers and projects. This guide will explain:

• what they are,
• how to find them,
• and why you should use scholarly sources.

Do you have feedback about this guide? Please leave a comment! We want to offer you the best guides, resources, and services we can.
-Elaine Settergren, Online Librarian

Question of the Week

Q: How do I find "Don't Shoot the Cannons: Maintining The Appearance of Propriety Standard by Margaret McKeown"?

A: If you're searching for this article by title, you'll have a problem because there's a typo in the title. "Canons" is the correct spelling. One way you could have gotten around this is by searching for the author.

In any case, here's the full citation. That should help you find it. You can see by the citation that you need to search Gale's LegalTrac database.

McKeown, M. M. (Spring 2005). Don't shoot the Canons: maintaining the appearance of propriety standard. Journal of Appellate Practice and Process, 7, 1. p.45(14). Retrieved April 01, 2008, from LegalTrac via Gale database.

-Elaine Settergren, Online Librarian

YouTube Video on PowerPoint

So you want to show a YouTube video in a PowerPoint presentation? Here's how:

1) Make sure the computer you are doing your presentation from will be connected to the Internet.

2) Download a small application (also called add-in) from here: http://skp.mvps.org/youtube.htm. It's free.

3) Open "YouTubeVideo2k7.zip" file. Double click the file "YouTubeVideo2k7.ppam." It is installed!

OK, now you are writing your PowerPoint presentation and want to insert a YouTube video.

1) Click Insert tab. The YouTube Video button will be at the top (most likely the furthest spot on the right).

2) Click the YouTube Video button.

3) Copy the link of the YouTube video (example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anwy2MPT5RE)

4) Paste that link into the YouTube Video button wizard. (To paste, type "ctrl + v" at the same time.) Click next.

5) Most likely you will want to keep the defaults the way they are (Play box checked; Loop box unchecked). Click next.

6) Choose how much of the slide space you want it to cover. (example: 50 percent will cover half of the slide.) Click next. Click finish.

7) It looks like a white box with a big x. You can move it around like a picture.

8) To actually to see the video (instead of the white box), you will need to view it in a Slide Show. Click Slide Show tab. Click the From Current Slide button. It should be there!

Q. Will you be able to do this at your own computer, then bring the PowerPoint slide to a different computer (with Internet) that doesn't have this add-in installed and display the video?
A. Yes.

There are many other useful add-ins for PowerPoint, Word, Excel, and Access on the Internet for free.

--Brent S.

Question of the Week: Citing an E-Book

Q: How do I cite an e-book in APA style?

A: It's a lot like citing a regular book, but you'll need to add the date that you read the book and the e-book provider or URL. Here's an example:

McKeever, M. P. (2005). How to write a business plan. Berkeley: Nolo. Retrieved March 14, 2008, from Netlibrary database.

The in-text citation will be just like a book. You'll use the author's last name, year, and page number.

For more help and info, take a look at the APA guide. There are links to more APA guides at the end of that guide. You can also contact your librarian.

Good luck on your final papers and projects!

-Elaine Settergren, Online Librarian

Question of the Week: Surgery Videos

People often ask me how to find videos. While YouTube and other web video collections can be useful, not everything is available for free on the web. I'd like to share with you how to find a special collection of surgery videos.


You can find over 200 videos of and about surgeries in Gales' Health Reference Center Academic! Watch a three minute demonstrative video here.



If you can't watch the video, here are the steps:

1. From the library's homepage, click on "subscription databases"
2. Click on Gale
3. Click on Health Reference Center Academic
4. Use the pull-down menu to select "publisher name"
5. Type or-live into the search box next to "publisher name" and click the search button
6. Click the "multimedia" tab
7. If you'd like to narrow down your results, use the pull-down menu on the left to select "publication title"
8. To watch a video, click on the title and then the URL.

Please contact your librarian, if you have questions.

-Elaine Settergren, Online Librarian

Question of the Week!

Q: I found the abstract for the article I want. How do I find the full text? It looks like there's a delay on the article in the database...

A: Sometimes publishers put a delay on periodicals in databases to encourage individuals and libraries to purchase the print version of the periodical.

Here are your options:

• The library does have some print periodicals. You can search for them by journal title in the catalog or see this list.
  
• It is possible that a different database has the full text. Check the E-journal Portal. Need more info about using the E-journal Portal?
  
• If you have time, there is also the option of interlibrary loan.

Don't forget, you can also ask your librarian!

Question of the Week

Q: How do I find an article? I know the author, title, and magazine.

A: If you have a citation, but you're not sure which database to use, then try the E-Journal Portal.

1. You can search for the magazine/journal/periodical title.

2. Click on the database name.

3. A pop-up window will appear. You can now find your article by searching for the article title or keywords. I clicked on "search within this publication" to get to the search screen. The database automatically entered JN "consumer reports." I added the "cell phone" search terms.

If you're not able to find what you're looking for in the e-journal portal or have other questions, be sure to ask your librarian!

- by Elaine Settergren, Online Librarian