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13 Things to Bring to a Library Study Session

1. A good, big bag

You’ve got to carry everything on this list, plus whatever info gems you find in the library. Some of our books are pretty big. You don’t want to be that guy, fumbling around with your stuff on the spiral stairs. Get a cool bag.

Available in the Library: no bags available, neither plastic nor Louis Vuitton.

2. Water Bottle

Food services on campus doesn’t sell bottled water, but there are tons of water fountains where you can fill up your own bottle. Bringing a water bottle helps to reduce the amount of plastic in the garbage. It can also be a stylish accessory.

Available in the Library: two water fountains, one near each set of washrooms on the 5th floor.

3. Coffee Mug

Humanity owes quite a bit of its intellectual development to coffee. The Library invites you bring along a cup to stimulate your mind whilst you ponder life’s great questions, or memorize your Human Anatomy textbook. We just ask that you bring a mug with a lid. Same for tea drinkers.

Available in the library: neither coffee nor mugs, but the Buffeteria is just down the hall with both.

4. Your textbook(s)

This one’s pretty obvious. Even if your intention is to write a paper or do other research, your textbook will usually come in handy.

Available in the library: generally no textbooks, unless on Course Reserves. Sometimes, though. It’s worth a quick search.

5. Phone and Laptop

This one is controversial. These are pretty wonderful tools. Coupled with the campus wifi, they provide a world of information at your fingertips. But much of the time they will serve as nothing but a distraction. If you can leave these at home, you’ll probably get more done. See my other blog post about distractions. Note: no one wants to hear the sounds coming out of your devices. Silence them.

Available in the library: we have over 60 desktop computers you can use.

6. Phone and Laptop Chargers

Whether you bring these really depends on whether you decided to bring any technology at all (see above).

Available in the library: two charging stations with Apple and Android phone connections, outlets all over the place.

7. Computer lock

Again, this isn’t needed unless you’ve brought your laptop. You should never leave your laptop unattended. Even with the lock, don’t leave it for more than a quick bathroom break. Use at your own risk. Note: A Study Buddy (below) can also fill this role.

Available in the library: not at the moment, but this is an idea we’ve discussed, so maybe in the future.

8. Headphones

Most of the library is quiet space. We’ve sectioned off a couple areas where you are free to have conversations, but mostly we (and your fellow students) want you to be quiet. If you’re listening to music, or watching youtube, or whatever, plug in headphones and make sure the volume is low enough to avoid disturbing those around you.

Available in the library: no, the bookstore sells them.

9, Pens, Pencils, Highlighters, Markers, Notebooks, Flash Cards, etc.

You will definitely need an assortment of writing implements and somewhere to put down your ideas. These are especially important if you opted to go lo-fi and leave your computer at home. Multiple colours will help you categorize your notes, or at the very least make things really pretty.

Available in the library: staplers and whiteout you can use, nothing for sale (check the bookstore).

10. Timer

If you’re planning a long study session, it’s advisable to have some system for taking breaks. Most people work better in small chunks, with short breaks in between. The pomodoro technique is one such system that breaks your time up into 25 minutes of work with a 5 minute break. You also get a longer break every four cycles. Consider setting a timer on your phone (with a silent alarm, of course).

Available in the library: wall clocks (a few of them), break materials like magazines, newspapers, children’s books.

11. Study Buddy

I’m not talking about a study group or a pal to joke around with. A study buddy doesn’t even really need to be someone you like that much. They’re just a person to sit with while you study. The best Study Buddies are studying something completely different from what you are (to avoid distracting conversations) and are people that motivate you and help you stay focused.

Available in the library: You can ask someone at an adjacent table, but the librarians will not formally provide you with friends. Sorry.

12. Snacks

Long study sessions will require you to think ahead and bring snacks. It’s perfectly acceptable to eat a granola bar or sandwich in the library as long as you clean up any garbage and crumbs. You might get some funny looks from people if you pull out a big smelly meal. In general, it’s best to eat full, hot meals in the cafeteria.

Available in the library: no food for sale, no microwaves for reheating, check the caf for both.

13. Sweater

The temperatures in the library can swing wildly back and forth between arctic and tropic. Bring an extra layer to keep warm. The librarians recommend cardigans or sweater vests for style, hoodies for practicality.

Available in the library: we don’t sell clothes, no. The bookstore has nice UW branded stuff, if you want to show your school spirit.

#university #winnipeg #library #studying

7 places to find inspiration for a research topic

Inspiration can come from all sorts of places. Here's a list for those of you who are struggling to think of a good topic to research.

1) Your Textbook

Source: Rosemary Gilliat Eaton / Library and Archives Canada.

The most obvious and immediate place is in the course lectures and related readings. In particular, your textbook will outline a full range of topics within the field of study. When you look at the table of contents, which chapters jump out at you as particularly interesting? Is there anything in the text that was left unfinished? Do you have any lingering questions about a topic that aren’t suitably answered? These can form the basis for a really good research topic.

2) Family and Friends

Source: National Film Board of Canada. Photothèque / Library and Archives Canada / PA-117562

When I was an undergraduate student, I would talk constantly with my family and close friends about what I was studying. Instead of responding to “How was your day?” or “What’s new with you?” by saying “Boring” or “Nothing”, try using that opportunity to put some of what you’re studying into your own words. It’s amazing some of the fantastic academic ideas that can come out of a good conversation with an interesting friend at a party.

3) Television and Movies

Source: Government of Canada. Library and Archives Canada.

Even if you’re not into documentaries (which can obviously inspire you to research interesting topics), you can still find good topics in TV and movies. Why do reality TV stars behave the way they do? Is the world really like how it’s portrayed in gritty crime dramas? Would that bank heist really work, and if so, what are the consequences for the worldwide financial markets? Don’t let a show’s entertainment factor prevent you from seeing the academic potential in the topics it covers.

4) News and Opinion Magazines/Websites

Source: Rosemary Gilliat Eaton / Library and Archives Canada.

Odds are pretty good that your Twitter and Facebook feeds are full of articles about all sorts of topics. You can even go hunting for articles like this using Google News or Reddit. Translating one of these trendy news and opinion topics into an academic research paper can be really rewarding. Here are a few excellent online magazines:

Slate.com

Huffington Post

Salon.com

Jezebel

The New Yorker

5) YouTube

Source: Tash, R. / Library and Archives Canada / PA-067263

Believe it or not, there’s more to YouTube than cat videos (although cat videos, too, can be the subject of academic study, see here, here, and here). There are actually a ton of excellent YouTubers who create thoughtful and engaging scholarly content. Here are a few examples from my subscriptions:

Crash Course

Feminist Frequency

Mental Floss

PBS Idea Channel

RSA

TED Talks

Vsauce

6) Podcasts

Source: Library and Archives Canada.

This wasn’t really a thing when I was doing my undergrad (I feel old suddenly), but the podcasts I listen to these days provide no shortage of interesting topics to explore. Here are only a few examples of top-notch podcasts:

Invisibilia

Stuff You Should Know

This American Life

Radiolab

7) In The Library

Source: William James Topley/Library and Archives Canada/PA-008375

People have been randomly stumbling onto things forever. And while you can’t really plan to spontaneously find something interesting, you can put yourself in place where that type of thing can, and often does, happen. In my opinion, the best place for this kind of guided spontaneity is the library. Use the Library of Congress classification to find your subject area, then just wander around looking at spines, opening interesting books, and scanning sections and chapters until something strikes you. There are no guarantees, of course, but this browsing method can sometimes yield some interesting fruit.

What about you? What are some of your best sources of research inspiration?

#inpiration #research #topics

The quiet and not-so-quiet places to study in the library

When the average person thinks about a library, they generally recall images of dusty book stacks, green table lamps, and absolute silence. These beautiful libraries do still exist, but a modern library often fails to meet this expectation… especially when it comes to quiet. In fact, there’s so much activity in most modern libraries that people often claim that the library seems more like a noisy cafeteria. I took a look at this phenomenon by measuring the noise levels of various spots in the library at lunch hour on Monday, September 8th, 2014.

*Note: noise levels were gathered with a simple iPhone app, and while they may not be completely accurate, they do seem to reflect the relative noise levels of the spaces monitored.

Comparison to Riddell Hall and the Buffeteria

This first graph shows that, although noise levels vary significantly in the library, they never really come close to those of a cafeteria. At lunch, both Riddell and the 5th floor Buffeteria are an average of 10 decibels louder than even the loudest parts of the library.

4th Floor Study Spaces

The Reference Desk (average: 64db) is a great a place to get some research assistance, but due to the conversations that happen there, along with the surrounding computer commons and high levels of passing foot traffic, this is not a great place for quiet.

The Pitcairn Commons (average: 59db) is slightly more tucked away, with some stacks and other noise barriers to help. You can find more peace here than out near the desk. Still, the noise level here fluctuates significantly and even quiet conversations carry.

5th Floor Study Spaces

There’s a nice new open area at top the of the spiral staircase (average: 62db). The tables are configured to allow for some conversation so those seeking absolute quiet may find the area distracting. The staircase, elevator, and archives entrance all converge here, so the area is pretty high-traffic. Still, during the study sample the area was relatively quiet.

Straight ahead from the spiral staircase is the enclosed periodicals room (average: 57.5db). This sunny space is a nice escape from the noise outside.

On the east side of the building, at the start of the main stacks (average: 57db), there are windows facing downtown Winnipeg. The students who study here regularly will likely be angry with me for sharing this well-kept gem with everyone.

The Sky Tunnel (average: 60db) is just to the left upon exiting the spiral stairwell. The stunning views are pretty relaxing (watch for airplanes taking off and landing at YWG). Unfortunately, this area is really enclosed making any small noise echo throughout.

I little further and you pass through the quiet doors (average: 53db). Historically, these have been the point beyond which noise is not tolerated, hence the name. There is an immediate and significant drop in the noise level once you pass through these doors.

If you follow the main aisle between the stacks all the way to the west side of the building (average: 56db), you get another set of windows with a view of the West End and beyond. The single-person study carrels are meant to encourage quiet, individual study.

Students are often found at the back of the library (call #s PS - Z), sitting on the floor in the stacks (average: 55db). These are peaceful, enclosed spaces. The vents create a fair amount of white noise, which may or may not be desirable, depending on your study style.

Mezzanine Study Spaces

There are five mezzanines up above the fifth floor. Just through the quiet doors is mezzanine 3 (average: 52db). Surprisingly, this was found to be the quietest place in the library.

The final mezzanine, or what is commonly called the Greenhouse (average: 60db) is another popular study space. This is another area where vents provide a large amount of white noise.

The “Packing Up” Effect

Another interesting observed phenomenon was the effect of people packing up their stuff to leave. Ten to fifteen minutes before the class change the level of noise increased dramatically (~3bd) as people put their things away and left. Unfortunately, you can probably expect this increase to happen at the class change each day.

#noise level #library #university #winnipeg #study space

Building Little Free Libraries

I built my first Little Free Library in August 2013. It was a thrift store bread box with a homemade roof. I placed it atop a post in a park near my apartment. The location was perfect, sandwiched between a community garden and public wading pool. The community centre was kind enough to give me permission to place it there, only warning that someone may steal or destroy it. I was happy to accept this risk and installed in sometime in late-August.

The books were almost immediately borrowed and replaced by others, donated by kind people in the neighbourhood. The turnover of materials in the library was surprisingly quick, especially early on. Some other interesting things started turning up in the collection as well, including products of the community garden and even homemade jewelry!

The library lasted through the fall and into winter. Then one day in January, while walking past, I noticed the library had been destroyed. The roof and bead box door had been torn off and the back was busted. By that point, we were in the midst of a pretty cold winter and only one book remained and was also destroyed in the attack.

This was disappointing, but I knew the community was largely interested in the library and had been using it, so I wasn’t too discouraged. I made up my mind to build another one. With the neighbourhood winter carnival approaching, I acquired a cabinet, made a few customizations, and affixed it to the existing pole. This library was better built than the last and held a greater number of books. It was really fun to show off the library to friends and neighbours at the event and before the end of the day, many books had been added and even a pair or used ski boots were placed on top for whoever might be interested in taking up a new hobby.

Unfortunately, this library only lasted a very short time, about a week. I was incredibly discouraged to find the library knocked off the pole one day, then, after refastening it, finding it completely destroyed. I began to wonder if it was even worth my time to create these things only to see them get broken.

After some good discussions with friends and family, I decided that a more sturdy library should be placed in the same location as the previous two. A friend mentioned an old newspaper box that had been left in an alley nearby. This seems like the ideal material for a little free library, or any public box. With the addition of some bright colours, the library looks pretty great.

It’s my hope that this new little library will stand up to the elements and to neighbourhood vandals. It’s been almost two months and it has yet to suffer any attacks. It’s my hope that the community will continue to enjoy the little library, and I would like to plan some family-friendly events there for the fall.

I’d like to extend a huge thank you to my friends and family who offered advice and encouragement, and in particular to my lovely girlfriend who has offered so much help with this project.

#little free libraries #vandalism #resilience

3 Wayfinding Strategies at the University of Winnipeg Library

Let’s face it, the UW library can be a pretty confusing place. Unlike many libraries, ours is housed on the top floors of an unusual modernist structure. Even libraries with straightforward layouts can be intimidating to new students, so ours, with its many twists and turns, can seem downright labyrinthian.

All these little nooks and corners are also what make this library so amazing, but the library space isn’t only for those students who are brave enough to venture into its deepest, darkest recesses; it’s for everyone! So how can we make the space more inviting?

Wayfinding is the study of how people orient themselves to places, and the systems of navigation that are designed to facilitate efficient movement through those places. The librarians would like to use some of the principles of wayfinding to create simple and consistent navigation through the library.

Overall, a good wayfinding system should remove as much excess information as possible and communicate what’s left (the most essential) clearly and concisely.

I’ve been looking at three common wayfinding strategies for the library. These are largely based around city planning, so you’ll notice a lot of metaphors for urban spaces. They are only very rough drawings, but ultimately, we’d like to adopt a clear, simple strategy to make the library an easier place to get around. Let us know what you think.

1) Districts

Here, we can visualize the library as divided into zones. Each zone should have some meaningful attribute that’s consistent across the area. The most obvious application for the library would be to divide the 5th floor into separate spaces based on the noise levels that you’ll find there. Imagine a library that gets quieter as you continue deeper. This is generally what we observed on the 5th floor. The districts system could be presented on public maps and tie in to the physical space by use of colour.

2) Connectors

The connector model looks like the iconic subway maps of big cities. Here, we see simple, bold pathways that connect all the various destinations on the 4th floor. Each coloured line represents a particular library use: assistance, collections, technology, and facilities. So, if you are looking for a place to study, just follow the red line on the map to the various suitable destinations. Like the districts strategy, the map can correspond to the physical space by colour coding the signage for each destination.

3) Landmarks

As you walk through any space that isn’t a complete desert, your mind will naturally notice certain points of interest. The landmark strategy capitalizes on this. Most often the directions we give to one another also take this form (e.g. “turn left at the Reference Desk”). We can develop a map that reflects these landmarks and again colour code the destinations to help you orientate yourself within the physical space.

Our natural tendency is to create maps that accurately reflect the layout of the library. You can see this in our current maps. The difficulty arises when the floor plan serves only to confuse, rather than improve, people’s mental map of the space. Sometimes more abstract representations are actually easier to understand.

What do you think? Feedback about the library is always welcome.

#university #winnipeg #library #wayfinding

How to Read an Ebook (A User's Experience)

Our ebooks are available to all our users to read online. And while the in-browser interfaces for these books are pretty straightforward, it takes a considerable amount of time and effort to even open them offline. I'm willing to bet the vast majority of our users will forego this cumbersome process and opt to read sections of the book in their browsers. Still, what follows is a description of the process for downloading and opening ebooks from two of our major platforms (Ebsco and Ebrary) to see first-hand what it's like for those who would like to read in places not serviced by a steady internet connection.

The User's Goal

I would like to download some ebooks to my computer and to my iPad so that I can read them on the bus, in the park, at the cabin, etc.

I'm off to a pretty good start, these are the things I already have: - an iPad - a MacBook Pro - an Adobe ID - Adobe Digital Editions (installed and computer authorized) - the Bluefire App - a MyEbscoHost account - an Ebrary account

All of these are important. Without them, I won't be able to accomplish my goal of reading offline.

Downloading to My Computer

EbscoHost

The Ebsco Ebook Collection allows me to download ebooks for reading offline. When you click the Download (Offline) link you are informed that you must sign in to your MyEbscohost account.

You can sign in if you have one already, or create a new one if you don’t. I already had an account, but I had to use the Forgot your Username and Password? function to get it sorted out.

Once I signed in, I re-clicked the link and could Checkout and Download the ebook.

If, like me, you've already downloaded Adobe Digital Editions and authorized your computer, opening the book is as simple as double clicking the file (or, depending on how your computer is configured, right-clicking and choosing "Open with... Digital Editions"). If not, you will need to go through the process of creating an Adobe ID, downloading Digital Editions, opening the program, and authorizing your computer.

Ebrary

Titles in the Ebrary Collections have a Download link. Much like Ebsco, you are required to sign in before the book will download. Here, your options include downloading a range of pages, a chapter, or the whole book.

Once again, the book will open very easily if you've installed and configured Adobe Digital Editions.

Downloading to a Mobile Device

Ebsco

There is an EbscoHost app, but I had difficulty finding a way to sign-in, so it may be that this feature isn't available. Because of this, I had to access the Ebsco Platform using my iPad’s Safari browser and then sign in to my MyEbscohost account from there. The book that I had already checked out was waiting for me under My Checkouts.

Here I could download it to the device. They recommend using the Bluefire Reader, a free app I fortunately already have installed.

When the download is complete, I can select Open in... Bluefire Reader and the book will be added to my shelf in the app, but only once I sign in with my Adobe ID and password.

Ebrary

Using the Ebrary app, you can sign in to your account and access the same collections through your mobile device.

I didn't see any access to my Bookshelf (where presumably my existing loans are sitting), so I needed to search for the title again, open it, and then download it. Once it's downloaded, it can be read within the app offline.

Points of Interest for Librarians

Create an Account: This is perhaps the most annoying part of the whole process. Students open their session with Ebsco and Ebrary (any subscription resource) by authenticating through the proxy. Why then are they asked identify themselves again-and-again? For each platform, there are two additional accounts (platform account and Adobe ID) to create, remember, and verify, It's cumbersome to say the least.

Digital Rights Management: I don’t think it’s ever made entirely clear to the user why the ebooks can’t simply be opened using any Reader or PDF Viewer. Even with my basic understanding of DRM, the necessity to install specific software applications is frustrating. I imagine students are baffled by this.

PDF v. EPUB: Both ebooks in this example were PDF documents. This means that the text can’t be resized for different screens. Reading on the MacBook screen was a bit difficult, the iPad worked best, the iPhone was basically impossible. EPUB format is becoming dominant for this reason. If I had tried to load this content onto a dedicated ereader device, I suspect the reading experience would have been terrible.

Conclusion

I think we can generally assume that most users will prefer the in-browser experience to this arduous process. So our ebooks will be used more like our electronic journals, skimmed or read superficially online. The search feature will facilitate finding relevant sections of the text, but it’s hard to imagine any of these books being read in full. Until ebooks are more easily accessible for offline reading, we can probably expect to hear students asking for the print copy of texts they want to really read.

#ebooks #university #winnipeg #library #ux #ebsco #ebrary

6 Free Tools to Help You Focus on Studying

The Internet can be pretty distracting. A recent study showed that Internet users spent an average of just six minutes "on-task" before becoming unfocused and switching to social media or another online distraction. There are a few popular applications that you can pay for to limit distractions during your study time (Freedom, Concentrate, Anti-Social). Here are some free alternatives to help you roll up your sleeves and focus while you're studying.

1) Self-Control (Mac only)

Self-Control is a very simple Mac application that allows you to block a list of websites for a specified period of time. Creating a Blacklist will make those sites inaccessible. A Whitelist will only allow the listed sites to be accessed, all other Internet content will be Blacklisted. This remains in effect until the time runs out, even if you restart your computer or delete the application.

2) I Am Studying (Chrome extension)

I Am Studying lives in your Chrome browser. When you set it to ON, it will block the sites on your Block List. You can add or remove sites as you wish and the program gives you a 10 minute break every hour. There is also a nice report generated to tell you where you're spending your time online.

3) LeechBlock (Firefox Add-on)

LeechBlock allows you to create six groups of blocked sites, each with its own set of rules. You can make the sites inaccessible during a certain time of day/week, or you can set time limits for how much you're allowed to use a site each hour or day (or specify other time periods). This add-on gives you lots of control over what parts of the Internet you're allowed to use.

4) Mindful Browsing (Safari extension)

Mindful Browsing, for Safari users, makes blocking distracting sites easy. By clicking a little forbidden icon next to your address bar, you can designate a site as blocked. When you visit this site later you're greeted with a message. Sure, you can easily click through to allow yourself access, but you'll do so knowing full well that you're about to waste time.

5) RescueTime (system and browser neutral)

RescueTime works in the background to track what websites and applications you're using. You can set goals to limit time at some activities and increase time at others. You can view your stats on your dashboard and you'll get a weekly email report. This probably works best for people with some self-control, but who are curious how much time they spend doing different things.

6) WriteRoom (Mac, free version) or DarkRoom (PC)

WriteRoom gives a word processor completely free of distractions. Unlike Word, you aren't given any fancy formatting options or other unnecessary frills. Download this program and enter fullscreen; now it's just you and your words. DarkRoom is the PC version.

#university #wininpeg #library #studying #distractions #self-control

11 Search Tricks to Know and Use

The following search commands will give you greater control over your search results. In addition to allowing these commands, many search engines and databases will include these options as part of their advanced search. You may also be interested in this video tutorial to learn more about developing your search strategy.

1) “…” (phrase searching)

Description: search for exact phrases, i.e. those words, together in that order.

Use in: WorldCat Local; Google, EbscoHost, Jstor, etc. Almost any search engine or library database.

2) AND

Description: join together two keywords to narrow your search results to only those that contain ALL the words.

Use in: WorldCat Local; Google, EbscoHost, Jstor, etc. Almost any search engine or library database.

3) OR

Description: search for alternative words or concepts at once, most commonly synonyms, yielding results that contain EITHER/ANY of the words.

Use in: WorldCat Local; Google, EbscoHost, Jstor, etc. Almost any search engine or library database.

4) NOT

Description: exclude certain terms from your search results

Use in: WorldCat Local; Google (formatted as -…), EbscoHost, Jstor, etc. Almost any search engine or library database.

5) * (truncation)

Description: Search for multiple endings of a concept.

Use in: WorldCat Local, EbscoHost, Jstor, Proquest, etc. Most library databases, not Google or Google Scholar.

6) ti: (title search)

Description: search for words in the title.

Use in: WorldCat Local, Jstor, EbscoHost (formatted as TI …), Proquest (formatted as TI(…) )

7) su: (subject search)

Description: search for words in the subjects headings or descriptors.

Use in: WorldCat Local, EbscoHost (Formatted as SU …), Proquest (formatted as SU(…) )

8) au: (author search)

Description: search for works BY an author. N.B. if you are looking for sources ABOUT an author, use the subject search.

Use in: WorldCat Local, Jstor, Google Scholar (formatted as author:…), EbscoHost (formatted as AU …), Proquest (formatted as AU(…) )

9) so: (journal source)

Description: search for terms within the journal/magazine title. works best when combined with keywords or subject terms (see “nesting” below).

Use in: WorldCat Local, EbscoHost (formatted as SO …), Proquest (formatted as SO(..) )

10) yr: (year search)

Description: search for sources published in a certain year, or within a range of years (format year range as yr:[start]..[end]).

Use in: WorldCat Local, many databases have this feature under Advanced Search.

11) ( ) (nesting)

Description: create a combination search using any of the search techniques listed above. Just join your "nests" with AND.

Use in: WorldCat Local, Google, EbscoHost, Jstor, etc. Almost any search engine or library database.

#university #winnipeg #library #searching #keywords #subject headings #boolean

7 Tactics for Finding Missing Books

Sometimes the books aren't where they're supposed to be. Here's some advice as to what you can do in this situation.

1) Double-check the catalogue

I hate to say it, but most of the time, the reason the book isn't there is either because you're looking in the wrong place or because the book's been checked out. Go back into the catalogue and make sure the item is located in the Main Stacks (or wherever you've been looking), marked Available, and that you've written the full call number correctly.

Remember, the Library of Congress numbers increase sequentially through single- and double- letter combinations, and from 1 to 9999 (e.g. A1 to A9999, then AB1 to AB9999, etc.). Decimal numbers appear in between full numbers, just like you'd expect (e.g. HF1744, then HF1744.1, then HF1744.15, etc.). Any subsequent letters and numbers work like decimals as well (for instance, HF1744 C5, then HF1744 C525, then HF1744 C54). Watch this video for more detail.

2) Scan the shelf

If you're sure you're looking in the right place and the book is listed as available, then you should look nearby to see if it has been slightly misshelved. Often, a person will grab a book, glance through it, then return it to the approximate place they found it. This means it can be close by, but not in exactly the right spot. Try scanning across the shelf looking first for the call number, then a second time looking for the book title on the spine.

3) Look behind the books

Another thing that happens a lot is this: when someone reshelves a book, they accidentally push a neighbouring book in behind. You can pull a couple of the books off the shelf and have a look. Also have a look behind the bottom shelf as sometimes the book will fall down there when it gets pushed back. Make sure you replace the books you pulled in their correct spot, or better yet place them in the orange bins (more on them later) to be reshelved by our shelvers.

4) Check nearby shelves

If that didn't work, you may still be able to find the book nearby. Try the shelves immediately above and below where the book belongs. Next try the shelves to the left and right, and above and below them. Move outward, little by little, from where the book should be. As a somewhat last resort of this tactic, try the same spots in neighbouring rows.

5) Look on the return carts and in the orange bins

Another possibility is that someone was using the book earlier, either in the library or by checking it out. If they still had it out, it would identify it as such in the catalogue, but it may be that the book has been returned somewhat recently and has yet to be reshelved. The carts around the base of the mezzanine staircases are all returned books in waiting. Each cart is in call number order, so quickly check for your book there. Also, we generally ask that people place any books they've been using in the orange bins. Check in there too.

6) Imagine how it might have been mis-shelved

The last tactic to try is to think of ways the book may have been misshelved. This is more of an art than a science. What if the PE label was a bit worn and the shelver placed it in PF? PZ and P2 look a lot alike, maybe it's there. An O looks a lot like a 0 sometimes. Or maybe the person accidentally skipped over a portion of the number (see above). There are no guarantees, but this messy line of reasoning might be what you need in order to find this book.

7) Fill out the missing item form

If you've exhausted all these options, the only thing you can do is ask for the Material Search Form at the circulation desk. Hopefully our staff can track it down for you. We'll let you know if we do.

#library #university #winnipeg #books #missing

On the disappointing gap between our tastes and our skills, and how to overcome it. Great visuals.

#creativity

Think Like a Librarian: New Tabs

Here's how I have organized my browser to handle new tabs:

It's pretty sweet. I can open a new tab and see a collection of bookmarks to get me where I want to go. In the past, I would just open Google and search for whatever site I wanted, or I would go to the Library homepage and start my research from there. I can still do that using the address bar search, but this way, I cut out those steps and get where I need to be much faster. Here's how to do it:

1) Download a New Tab Extension

You'll need to get a browser extension that allows you to bookmark specific sites in your new tabs. In the image above, I'm using Foxtab, but I've also used Speed Dial in the past and it works very well too. You can find a good list of Google Chrome extensions here.

2) Identify the Main Resources You Use

You'll need to decide what bookmarks to place in your new tab. I have two pages of bookmarks, one for common daily links, like Tumblr and Gmail, and one for my research links, which includes things like Jstor and Google Scholar. Try browsing the library's most popular databases for key research tools, or have a look at our research guides, which will help you find resources for specific subject areas. Also, you can keep adding new bookmarks as you discover them throughout your research.

Here's a list of the tools I have on my Research page:

Google Scholar

Jstor

EbscoHost

Proquest

Sage Journals

Oxford English Dictionary

Oxford Reference Online

Gale Virtual Reference Library

Online Writing Lab (OWL)

Refworks

3) Create the Bookmarks

For the library's subscription resources, you can't simply link to the main page. What you'll want is to link through the library's proxy authentication so you can access our subscription. To do this, go to the resource listing on the library databases page, right-click the Connect link, and click Copy Link Address. Now the links go through the library, requiring you to login with your ID and password.

4) Add a Logo (optional)

Because I like to have things nicely organized, I usually add a logo as the image for each resource. I find these by searching Google Images. Most extensions will allow you to add custom images, but some may have predefined options only.

5) Make it Pretty (optional)

Most of these extensions will give you the option to customize the background, the size of the links, and other aspects of the appearance. I chose the wood grain background so I feel like I'm working at a nice pine desk.

#thinklikealibrarian #new tabs #research #university #winnipeg #library #databases #bookmarks

6 Ways the Library Helps Critical Thinkers

The single most fundamental skill you'll learn in university is how to critically consider everything you see, hear, and read. Not only does critical thinking help you do better in school, but knowing how to think about and evaluate the information you find day-to-day will help you make better decisions in every way. Regardless of whether you're writing a research paper or buying a new computer, you can't go wrong with making good decisions. Here are 6 ways the library can help support critical thinking:

1) Get Generally Better Informed

When I go wandering through the stacks, I frequently see the same people in the same areas, looking at the spines of our books or simply flipping through one of them. By browsing their areas of interest, these students are dramatically improving their understanding of these topics. If they couple this with exploring our ebook collections and searching the online databases, these students will be really well-versed in their subject areas in no time. Not only does this give them a bigger pool of sources from which to choose when they do start writing their paper, but this also makes them better equipped to decide which sources are truly the best in their field. Find out the call number for your area here.

2) Evaluate the Quality of Everything

I wouldn't dare say that our library contains only the best sources of information. We've been collecting the books on our shelves for decades, with input from thousands of students, professors, and librarians. There's absolutely no guarantee that what you find is necessarily a great, scholarly resource. But surrounding yourself with such a huge and varied array of information resources forces you to develop strategies for sifting through everything to find what's best. By browsing in our collection, you'll be faced with all sorts of resources, good and not-so-good, boring and interesting, old and new, to analyze and evaluate. Contemplating the value of a variety of information sources is a huge part of critical thought.

3) Verify Definitions and Basic Factual Information.

Spending lots of time in the library means that you're never far from our reference books. This collection will allow you to find scholarly definitions of terms, broad overview articles of concepts, and a wide range of factual and statistical information about any and every topic. So if ever you come across an unfamiliar term or the author is rattling off a bunch a unsourced statistics, it's a good idea to look it up. Then, you'll know if the author is making faulty assumptions, exaggerating, or straight up lying. Search here, select Reference (UW) under Location.

4) Find supporting and dissenting research.

In most cases, there will be more than one researcher exploring any given topic, especially if that topic is interesting or controversial. While one study may draw certain conclusions, the results they get may have a lot to do with the researcher's methodology, theoretical approach, or biases. Try doing a keyword search in the library to uncover other research articles about the same topic. This will give you a diverse set of viewpoints, some of which may directly challenge the results of the original article you used.

5) Find critical reviews by experts

Once an author publishes their work, it is immediately open to the scrutiny of their fellow researchers. It can be really useful to see what these other researchers have to say about the article. Web of Knowledge and Google Scholar are both very good tools for finding Cited By information. You can track down any articles that have cited the one you're holding and see what the experts have to say. The introduction or literature review section of the article will likely provide you with some critical analysis of the source, sometimes even pointing to flaws in logic or methodology.

6) Verify the accuracy of sources

While the literature review of academic articles will provide you with summaries of other research sources on your topic, it's not unheard of for scholars to misunderstand the results of a research article, or perhaps focus on one aspect while ignoring others. By tracking down and reading some of the main citations in an article (whether they're books or other articles), you can check to see that the source is being properly represented.

#critical thinking #university #winnipeg #library #research

From Ancient Greece to quantum mechanics, or what a Chinese room and a cat have to do with infinity. From the fine folks at the Open University comes 60-Second Adventures in Thought, a fascinating and delightfully animated series exploring six famous thought experiments.

Delightful indeed.

#philosophy #animation

explore-blog

So great, so necessary – Joe Hanson of It’s Okay To Be Smart offers some invaluable tips on how to read science news. Pair with The Baloney Detection Kit , these 11 essential rules for critical thinking, and Carl Sagan on mastering the vital balance between skepticism and openness.

#infolit #science #news #critical thinking

8 Library-related Things To Do The First Week of Class

1) The Annoying Things

Figuring out all the basic stuff now (computer login, off-campus database access, printing, etc.) will save you some headaches later. So, if you haven't already gotten this sorted out, just do it. You'll be so happy in March when you can print your paper without all the petty little troubles that sometimes pop up.

2) Textbooks

In general, the library doesn't buy textbooks. Our goal is to support what you're learning in class by offering you additional, complementary materials. That said, sometimes we get donations of textbooks or have a slightly older edition of the book in our collection, so give it shot. Search for the title and author using the search box on our homepage.

3) Course Reserves

Many professors will have specific readings set aside in the library. This may include a copy of the textbook, chapters from other books, or articles from scholarly journals. These will be made available to you either as a paper copy or an electronic one. Your course syllabus will often identify these readings and give you a week-by-week list of of which you should read for class. Start off the semester by noting the call number of print items and downloading any electronic copies to a special folder on your computer.

4) Other Readings

While your professors have the option of putting readings on course reserve, some of them may simply put the name and source of certain articles into the syllabus and expect you to go find them. Getting the articles isn't difficult, you can simply use the library Journal Search to look up the title of the journal. Once you find a database with access to that journal, you can navigate to the proper volume, issue, and page number. If you don't have all this information, most databases will allow you to do a keyword search within the journal to find the right article. Finding these articles now will save you the effort later on when you need to get down to reading and preparing for class.

5) Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

You will likely be hearing a lot of new terminology in your courses and it will be your responsibility to learn and understand what it all means. You can use free online resources like Wikipedia to get an overview of a term or concept, or you can find a good subject-specific reference source in the library. Our Reference Collection has dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlases, and handbooks about every discipline taught at the university. Use our Advanced Search and select Reference UW under Location. Try searching for the department name (eg. Sociology) or a broad subject area (eg. Technology). You'll find books with academic definitions of terms and/or overview articles of core concepts in the discipline. Some of our reference sources are even available online.

6) Call Number Ranges

Although the library isn't organized into clear 'sections' like a bookstore, the Library of Congress system sorts our books by the subject or discipline of their contents. You can find out where the books relevant to your course are located by finding the number range associated with the discipline. The LC Classification Outline will show you how the collection is broken down. Go have a quick look at that section of the library. Browsing around will give an idea of the different aspects of the course and what resources we have.

7) Librarians

A professor once told me that librarians are like the pharmacists of academia: they know a lot and are super helpful, but people don't really think to ask them. You can ask for librarian assistance with research projects at the reference desk or by scheduling a research consultation. Check out our list of subject librarians and jot down the contact information for the appropriate one in your course syllabus. Later on in the semester, if you have a question, you can easily get in contact with us and get some good advice.

8) Research Guides

The library provides a wide range of online research guides to help you do your work. The How-to Guides will give you an overview of research techniques and approaches that will be useful to know once you start collecting sources for your papers. There are also a bunch of good subject guides that will point you to some key resources in your discipline. Go ahead browse these guides now so you have an idea of what's out there, then bookmark them for later.

#library #university #winnipeg #week one

This list will help non-scientists to interrogate advisers and to grasp the limitations of evidence

#science #critical thinking #sources #evaluation

How to Mend a Book

Ever wonder how the Library fixes our old, beaten-up/well-loved books? Follow along as Laura takes you through the basic process of book mending. Note: This book is being mended for reuse, valuable or rare books require a different approach to mending.