Iron Maiden in the library March 27, 2008
Posted by Paolo in : Life in the library , add a commentNo, not this kind of iron maiden. The other kind.
Last night about 50 students took a study break and came down to the computer classroom in the basement of Bostock Library to play video games. If was the first of what we hope will become a series of game nights in the library.
Our friends in ISIS and the Dean of Students Office brought over a couple of XBox 360 consoles, a Wii, a Playstation2, and a Playstation3, along with some high end desktop computers for gaming. Most importantly, though, they also brought a complete set of instruments for the game Rock Band. We rearranged some of the tables in the classroom, projected the game consoles onto big screens, turned up the volume, and transformed the room into a concert hall and gaming room for one night.
Students “rocked the ’stock” for about 3 hours to the tunes of Iron Maiden, R.E.M., Soundgarden, Boston, Bang Camaro, and more. Others played Halo3, FIFA 06, Atari Anthology, Brawl, Wii Sports, and other video games, while snacking on pizza and soft drinks courtesy of the game night’s three sponsors, the ISIS Program, Duke Libraries, and the Dean of Students Office.
Check out these photo sets in Flickr and a set of short videos in YouTube for a better taste of the evening.
- Game Night!! - Flickr photoset
- Game night at the library - Flickr photoset
- More game night photos - Flickr photoset
- Game night at Bostock Library - YouTube videos
We hope you’ll come out and join the fun too next time…
Search TRLN: unified catalog for Duke, UNC, NCSU and NCCU March 25, 2008
Posted by Phoebe in : Catalog Tip, Cool tools , 3commentsDid you know that these local universities have cooperative agreements between their libraries ? Duke students, faculty and staff can use their Duke ID cards to check out books at UNC, NC State, or NCCU, and vice versa, for example.
Now TRLN (the Triangle Research Libraries Network) has launched a new catalog that has a unified search for the collections of all the schools’ libraries. You can request delivery between the schools, which is expected to take 48 hours.
Search TRLN has a number of exciting new features:
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Browse by call number
Look at books recently added to the collections
Limit to types of libraries (i.e. law only)
Refine your search by format, subject, etc.
It still has the support you’re used to:
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Ask a Librarian
Live chat help
We’ll be posting some more detailed suggestions and web tutorials for how best to use this new catalog in the coming weeks. Right now, give it a try! Leave a question or a tip in comments.
How do I access databases from off-campus? March 21, 2008
Posted by Kathi in : Database Tip, Duke researchers, Question of the Week , 1 comment so farTo get to databases or e-journals from off-campus, be sure to go through the library website in order to be recognized as a Duke user. Going directly to a bookmarked e-resource will not work.
Try logging in using any one of these methods:
- Start at the database or e-journal interface, or follow a “GetIt@Duke” link. When you click on a link, a new window will pop up, and you just need to fill in your NetID and password to connect to EZProxy. You should be good to go until you end your browser session or log out!
- When entering the library website from off-campus, you might also notice that there is a Yellow box located to the right of the titled database link(s) saying “Your web browser is reporting an IP address that is not within range of authorized AP addresses”. Just click on the link for signing in with your Net ID/password. Once you’re signed in, you can access any number of databases.
- If you’re still not being recognized as a Duke user, download and install the Duke Virtual Private Network (VPN). Some resources exclusive to Law, Business, or Medical Center affiliates cannot be accessed via EZProxy. Make sure that the the VPN is open when you access the database or e-journal.
If you’re having any trouble Ask a Librarian, or check through some of the connection issues that might cause difficulties with the VPN.
Watch Your Laptop March 18, 2008
Posted by Phoebe in : Life in the library, Tips for students , add a commentYesterday there were two laptop thefts reported in Perkins-Bostock in the course of the morning. The police officer who responded walked around the building and noted that he could have taken three more laptops that he saw unattended. Please do not leave your laptop alone, even if you just plan to run to the Perk or to the stacks for 2 minutes!
Laptop thefts are a financial blow to students, but they often cause academic harm as well. Many students do not regularly back up their files, so the loss of a laptop can mean the loss of projects and papers you haven’t turned in yet.
Sometimes it feels like we’ve seen it all at the Reference Desk (there was the squirrel living in a trash can on Perkins 4 one spring), but we never get used to the heartbreak of seeing students who have lost significant work. I’d estimate that laptop theft is the number 2 cause of loss of student work; the number one cause we see is saving to the desktop of a public computer, then getting logged out (which wipes the desktop of all files). Take the time to back up your files, and keep your belongings with you. It’s worth it.
How do I cite sources? March 14, 2008
Posted by Kathi in : Citing Sources, Question of the Week, Research Help, Tips for students , 1 comment so farThere is a citation help guide available through the library website.
The section on the left explains how to cite sources within your paper. The section on the right explains how to compile a list of references at the end of your paper. Styles covered in this guide include: MLA, APA, Turabian, Chicago, and CSE. If this source does not include what you are looking for - try a Google search. Many libraries create similar citation guides, and one of them just might have what you need. Complete style manuals can also be borrowed from the library. Check the online catalog for availability.
For keeping track of citations and managing your references, be sure to consider some of the bibliographic software options available to Duke students:
- EndNote, for example, will import references into a document as you write, and papers can be automatically formatted according to many different bibliographic styles.
- The open-source Zotero (part 1 / part 2) is also an exciting new Firefox extension that allows you to store, retrieve and organize your reference sources for a more streamlined citation process.
Any of these can be fabulous time-saving options, and worth taking the effort to learn and explore!
