KU now has temporary access to new and innovative databases.

By Samuel Box

From now until the end of March, KU students and faculty will have access to several new innovative and interesting online databases through EBSCO and Data-Planet.

The first database is the Points of View Reference Center, where you can essentially receive a quick crash course in more than 370 political, social, and public issues and topics cataloged in 35 different categories. In a simple but comprehensive one-page summary, each topic is given:

• Background Information
• Definitions for some of the specific terms used in the discussion
• The issue’s history and current status
• Various opposing views on the subject
• A bibliography of sources used for writing the paper, many of which are journals and books available for search on EBSCO

The POV Reference Center is perfect for political science students who are looking for the various sides of a certain argument, journalism students who need to write about a particular issue they’re not familiar with, or just anyone who wishes to educated themselves on every topic from flag burning, to the Arab Spring, to concussions in professional sports.

Here are just some of the topics available at the POV Reference Center.

The other EBSCO databases we now have are each subject specific, with each featuring thousands of journals and hundreds of books. The new databases are:

• America: History and Life with Full Text
• Applied Science & Technology Source
• Business Source Complete
• Education Source
• Historical Abstracts with Full Text

The other two databases we now have access to come to us from Data-Planet. They are the Statistical Datasets and the Statistical Ready Reference. The Datasets provide a wide range of visual aides, including :

• Charts
• Graphs
• Tables
• Maps

The visuals feature more than 18.9 billion data points collected from over 70 source organizations. Types of data you can find include crude oil prices over time, salary statistics, sports statistics, and countless, countless others, each presented in an easy to understand visual figure. All of the data can be manipulated to show only certain stats and criteria that you require, and most charts can be presented in whatever type of graph suits you, such as line, pie, or bar graphs. The Ready Reference Database is essentially an easy method of navigating and searching through the various data graphs for a specific piece of information or study.

It’s important to note that the Data-Planet databases are only accessible on-campus. The POV Reference Center will be available till March 23rd, and the Data-Planet sources will be available until March 31st. Be sure to take full advantage of these extremely useful resources while KU still has access to them.

Over 20,000 E-Books are now available on JSTOR!

By Samuel Box

We at the Rohrbach Library are pleased to announce that Kutztown University currently has access to JSTOR’s extensive collection of e-books. The PALCI Board of directors announced earlier this month that every library within the PALCI system will take part in this pilot program, which is expected to continue until the end of the semester at the earliest. KU students and faculty now have access to more than 20,000 academic books available on the online JSTOR platform.

The books in the database were all added to the collection based on levels of past use and existing demand. All of the books have been extensively integrated into the system and are cross-searchable, meaning that it’s now far easier to find books that have been cited in academic journals and articles, and vice-versa. Scholarly reviews for the books are also available and easily searchable, making the process of researching on JSTOR all the more easy and streamlined. To use the new service, simply click on the “Books” tab of the JSTOR results page after you’ve searched for something and you’ll see the wide range of books related your search criteria.

JSTOR also saves you the trouble of tediously scouring through a book’s index or table of contents for individual pieces of information by giving you search results that feature not just the book, but the specific chapter that holds the information relevant to your source. From there, you can view any other chapter of the book as you see fit.

Additionally, if you’re not a fan of reading long blocks of text on a computer screen, all of the books are capable of being downloaded and/or printed as a PDF, chapter by chapter.

The program will continue to add books to the program each month that it is in place. The initial pilot program is expected to run through to the end of the Spring 2015 semester, but if the program is deemed successful, the PALCI may continue to offer the service in future semesters. This is all the more reason to take advantage of this service while it is available.

The more you make use of this, the more likely it will be here to stay!

For more information on the ebooks from JSTOR, contact Bob Flatley.

Media Scape and Technology Showcase

By Samuel Box

Mark your calendars, because on Thursday, February 12^th, the Rohrbach Library will be holding an event to showcase our MediaScape Room and the Library’s new technology/equipment that KU students, staff, and faculty can access and borrow.

Some of the new editions to the library‘s technology inventory  this year include:

• Camcorders (including 2 with built-in projector technology)
• Point and Shoot Digital Cameras
• SLR Digital Cameras
• A New Color Printer
• Kindle Paperwhites
• A Book Scanning Station
• Tablets

Be sure to stop by RL 106 next Thursday between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM to see these innovative new tools that the KU community has at their disposal.

For more information about the event, please contact Karen Wanamaker.
For more information on the equipment available to be checked out of the Library, please call our main desk at 610-683-4480.

It’s Time for the 2015 READ Posters!!!

Calling all KU students and faculty!

By Samuel Box

Do you have a favorite book that you want to share with the world? Well it’s that time of year when, in honor of National Library Week, the Rohrbach Library celebrates the joy of reading by featuring members of the KU community in our READ posters.

You’ve probably already seen the posters of KU students and faculty holding their favorite book hanging throughout the library. Well now you have the chance to be in one yourself!

Whether it’s an obscure book that hasn’t gotten enough attention, a new book that’s already a bestseller, or an old classic that still holds up today, bring it to the library where we’ll take your picture  and make a personalized poster out of it.

Part of a club or team? Group pictures are optional too, so if you have a club or a team that wants to be featured together on a poster, feel free to bring them along!

Open spaces are limited, however, so the earlier you sign up, the more likely you’ll get to be on a poster

Where: RL 24, Ground Floor, Curriculum Materials Center

When: February 9 to March 13, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM. Before you come across campus for your photo, you can call 610-683-4282 to make sure that someone is in the office at that time.

Two New Database Trials from Data-Planet

The Rohrbach Library is happy to announce two database trials from Data-Planet. These trials are for ON-CAMPUS ACCESS ONLY, and they end on March 31, 2015.

Statistical Datasets provides easy access to an extensive repository of standardized and structured statistical data. The Data-Planet repository contains more than 18.9 billion data points from more than 70 source organizations. The over 3.9 billion time series in Data-Planet provide immediate access to data presented in charts, maps, graphs, and table form, via multiple points of entry. Learn more

Statistical Ready Reference: provides simple and refined searching of the extensive Data-Planet repository of standardized and structured statistical data. Data-Planet Statistical Ready Reference is designed to allow users to quickly navigate the billions of points of data contained in the Data-Planet repository. Learn more

If you have any questions about these databases or the trial access to them, please contact Bob Flatley.
You can view all library trials and provide feedback at: http://libguides.kutztown.edu/databasetrials

The LearningExpress Library – Basics

By Samuel Box

One of the many helpful resources that the KU community has access to is the LearningExpress Library. The LearningExpress Library is a website that provides a variety of resources intended to assist not only younger students but also adults in a number of capacities.

Features

Younger visitors to the site will find tools that can help them to prepare for and succeed in college, including practice quizzes that review your math, language, and science skills, and tests that prepare students for SATs and placement exams, among others. The LearningExpress Career Center has similar tools that can prepare visitors for specific occupations, and also provides detailed information on a diverse array of career paths.

The College Center and College Preparation Center are just two of the resources offered by LearningExpress.

LearningExpress also has a page specifically for users who primarily speak Spanish, which features tests similar to the aforementioned skillbuilders, but also includes features that prepare users for achieving high school equivalency, or even practice for the United States citizenship test.

The GED and U.S. Citizenship practice modules found in the spanish speaking section of the site.

How to Access

To access The Learning Express Library, click on the Learning Express Library link and register for an account. The link can be found on the Rohrbach Library’s list of databases. It’s important to access it through this list so that the URL includes the login information that lets you access it as a KU user.

The Login Screen

If you see this text in the upper right-hand corner of the web page, it means that you’re browsing LearningExpress as a KU user.

If you are accessing the site off-campus, use the same link from the database list and log in with your KU email and password so that the site knows that you’re associated with the university. Then simply log in using your existing account or register for one if you haven’t done so already, and you are ready to make full use of LearningExpress.

This website is an extremely helpful tool and all members of the KU community would be wise to take advantage of it.

Films on Demand adds PBS’s Eyes on the Prize series

 

Films on Demand has announced that the PBS series Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Movement 1954-1985 has been added to our subscription. KU members can find the series by clicking here.

For more information, please contact Bob Flatley at flatley@kutztown.edu.