Archive for September, 2007

Peer Reviewed Journals

September 27, 2007 at 12:32 pm · Filed under Instruction, Research Tips

Every day students come to the library looking for peer-reviewed articles. Sometimes they say the articles have to be refereed or juried, other times they say it has to be scholarly or professional. Whatever the term, we understand what they’re looking for, but I often wish students had a better grasp of what peer review is and why it’s important, even as this hallmark of scholarly communication comes increasingly into question.

Wikipedia, often at the center of controversy in questions of authority, actually has a pretty good entry on peer review. Pay close attention to the section on the weaknesses and failures of peer review. For more authoritative coverage of the topic, see Nature’s Peer Review Debate.

If you’re reading this because you just want to know how to find peer reviewed sources in the library databases, stop by the reference desk at any time the library is open and we’ll show you how.  (You can also call us at 201-200-3033.)

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This Day in History: T.S. Eliot’s Birthday

September 26, 2007 at 10:49 am · Filed under Books, History, Web Sites

eliot.jpg  Named by Time Magazine as one of 100 most important people of the last century, the American poet, T.S. Eliot was born on this day in 1888. Elliot’s best-known works The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock and The Waste Land revolutionized American poetry. To learn more about him and his works, take a look at this Web site and this one. You can also see his Nobel Prize acceptance speech here. (Eliot won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1948.)

For literary reviews of his works, try using one of these databases: Literary Reference Center, Literature Online or Literature Resource Center. They’re available on the Databases by Title list on the library’s homepage.

Or you can check out one of the following, on the library’s 4th floor:

Eliot in his time; essays on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of The waste land
A. Walton Litz, editor
PS3509.L43 W3687                           

Eliot’s new life
Lyndall Gordon
PS3509.L43 Z6793 1988                     

A  reader’s guide to T. S. Eliot: a poem-by-poem analysis
George Williamson
Reference PS3509.L43 Z898 1979                      

T.S. Eliot, a study in character and style
Ronald Bush
PS3509.L43 Z6466 1983   

We have many more books about and by Eliot. Come in and take a look! Or search OSCAR, the library’s online catalog.                   

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Spotlight on: Accounting and Tax with Standards

September 25, 2007 at 8:40 pm · Filed under Databases

proquest.gif Faculty and students in our accounting programs have something to be excited about! This new database provides access to nearly 600 authoritative journals, most in full text + FASB, GASB and FASB standards. Specifically, it includes the following:

  • FASB – Statements, Interpretations, Technical Bulletins, Concept Statements,  Accounting Research Bulletins, Accounting Principles Board Opinions and Statements, AICPA Accounting Interpretations and Terminology Bulletins, Current Text and EITF Abstracts
  • GASB – Statements, Interpretations, Technical Bulletins, Concept Statements, National Council on Governmental Accounting Statements and Interpretations Currently in Force, Accounting Principles Board Opinions and Statements, AICPA Accounting Interpretations and Terminology Bulletins, Current Text and EITF Abstracts
  • IASB – International Financial Reporting Standards, SIC Interpretations, International Financial Reporting Standards, and IFRC InterpretationsSee also the full list of journals available. From home you will need to type in your Gothic ID to access the database.The database allows searching by title, author, keyword, subject and other fields. You can also limit your search to full text and scholarly journals. The results list also allows you to limit by these document types: scholarly journals, magazines, trade publications, newspapers, standards, reference reports and dissertations.And if you need to write a paper and not sure what to write about, click on Browse Topics. The Help page can offer additional tips and hints for searching.

    For help searching this database and the many others to which we subscribe, come visit us at the reference desk, call us at 201-200-3033 or email us at libraryref@njcu.edu.

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    NJCU on Flickr

    September 15, 2007 at 10:53 am · Filed under Fun, History, Photos

    840572990_08e8201144.jpg  Steve Weintraub is writing a book about the architects who built Hepburn Hall. He has posted some interesting photos on flickr. Also take a look at his blog, for more info on Bettelle, one of the architects.

    Flickr really is becoming quite an interesting way for people to meet. Just this week, we were invited to join a group called NJCU Flickerites and our flickr site has also drawn attention from alumni, who remember the NJCU campus fondly.

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    Have news your way

    September 13, 2007 at 1:50 pm · Filed under Reports

    In a recently released report from the Project for Excellence in Journalism, mainstream sources concentrate on “traditional” news, while user- news providers are dealing with the advent of the new iPhone. Is this an indication of generational differences in how people get their news as well as in what each news provider is focusing on?

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    New Databases

    September 13, 2007 at 11:10 am · Filed under Databases, Research Tips

    Over the summer, the library subscribed to a large number of new databases in many subject areas. For the next few weeks I will be highlighting some of these and offering tips on how to use them to help you with your assignments and research.

    Some of you may be wondering why you would need or want a database. Databases contain articles from many types of publications: scholarly journals, trade magazines, newsletters, and newspapers. As well, some databases contain material from reference books, dictionaries and encyclopedias. Every database has something good to offer, but it can be difficult to plow your way through all of them. I will try to make this a bit easier for you by highlighting a different one each week. I will start with the new ones first.

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    Today in History: Brazilian Independence Day

    September 7, 2007 at 8:28 pm · Filed under Books, History, Holiday

    br-lgflag.gif On September 7, 1822 Brazil won independence from Portugal. Although we’re too late for the annual street festivals celebrating the day, if you would like to learn more about the country, take a look at the Library of Congress’ excellent Country Study on Brazil, which provides a detailed overview of its history and culture. If you crave greater depth and have an interest in government, take a look at the Center for Research Libraries’ Brazilian Government Document Digitization Project.

    And for those of you who would rather curl up with a book, check out one of these at hte library:

    Brazilian narrative traditions in a comparative context
    Earl E. Fitz
    PQ9597 .F58 2005        

    Collective action and radicalism in Brazil : women, urban housing, and rural movements 
    Michel Duquette et al. 
    HN290 .Z9 R3 2005                         

    Consumption intensified : the politics of middle-class daily life in Brazil
    Maureen O’Dougherty
    HT690 .B7 O36 2002                        

    Culture and customs of Brazil
    Jon S. Vincent, et al.
    F2537 .V73 2003                                               

    The forbidden lands : colonial identity, frontier violence, and the persistence of Brazil’s eastern Indians, 1750-1830
    Hal Langfur
    F2534 .L325 2006                          

    Go-betweens and the colonization of Brazil, 1500-1600
    Alida C. Metcalf
    F2526 .M48 2005                           

    Music in Brazil : experiencing music, expressing culture
    John P. Murphy
    ML3487 .B7 M85 2006 

    The party of order : the conservatives, the state, and slavery in the Brazilian monarchy, 1831-1871
    Jeffrey D. Needell
    F2536 .N44 2006                           

    The practice of politics in postcolonial Brazil : Porto Alegre, 1845-1895
    Roger A. Kittleson
    F2651 .P8 K58 2006                           

    Searching for home abroad : Japanese Brazilians and transnationalism
    Jeffrey Lesser, Editor
    DS832.7 .B73 S43 2003                     

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    Offsite Access to Databases

    September 5, 2007 at 5:11 pm · Filed under Databases

    We’ve received a few reports that databases on the Databases by Title list are not accessible from off-site. We are aware of this situation and are working to fix it ASAP. In the meantime, try accessing the databases from the Databases by Provider list.

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    Welcome Back Everyone!

    September 5, 2007 at 4:44 pm · Filed under Hours, Welcome

    libfrontwkids.jpg 

    The library staff would like to welcome you back to school! We would also like to take this opportunity to remind you that we’re here to help you with your research needs, whatever they may be. Stop by the reference desk and say hello to the librarians. We are open during the following hours:

    Monday-Thursday: 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. 
    Friday: 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 
    Saturday: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
    Sunday: 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

    For exceptions to this schedule, look here.

    We hope this is the best semester ever for you!

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