Library Blog

President Obama announces plan for college affordability and completion

In his State of the Union address, President Obama laid out a blueprint for an economy that’s built to last – an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values. As an important part of keeping the American promise alive, the President called for a comprehensive approach to tackling rising college costs.  In today’s global economy, a college education is no longer just a privilege for some, but rather a prerequisite for all.  To reach a national goal of leading the world with the highest share of college graduates by 2020, we must make college more affordable.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/01/27/fact-sheet-president-obama-s-blueprint-keeping-college-affordable-and-wi

 

Spring 2012: Is My Textbook at the Library?

Welcome back to Campus! 

If you are looking for textbooks for your classes, the library might be able to help.  You can search the Roosevelt catalog for the books, or expand your search to over 70 I-Share Libraries.

Searching Roosevelt's Catalog

1. Go to the library's home page
2. Click into the keyword box under the words Search RU Catalog
3. Type your book's title or author in the box, select title or author from the drop-down list, and click Find.

Location will tell you where the book is located (Auditorium, Schaumburg, Reserve, etc.)

Call Number is the number you will need to find the book on the shelf.  Books are listed first by the letters alphabetically, and then follow the numbers in order on the shelf.  If you need help with this, ask any library staff membre.

Copy lets you know how many copies of this book we have.

Status is very important, as it lets you know whether or not the book is here and available for you to take home.

Searching I-Share Libraries

1. Go to the library's home page
2. Click the keyword box under the words Search RU Catalog
3. Type your book's title or author in the box, select title or author from the drop-down list.
4. Change the drop-down menu that says Local Catalog Only to All I-Share Libraries, and click Find.

When you click Find, the I-Share catalog will open and will show whether the book you need is available in another I-Share library. If it is available, you can request to have the book delivered to the Roosevelt University Library location of your choice by clicking the Request 1st Available link that appears below the book's Status in the Location tab:

NOTE: if you do not want to wait for a book to be delivered to the library, check to see if it is available in an I-Share library near you. If so, you can check it out directly from the library using your Roosvelt ID card. Some materials may be restricted, so it is a good idea to check with the library first before visiting. Click Here to view a list of Illinois I-Share libraries.

Looking for more instructions for searching I-Share? You can view a list of video tutorials covering advanced searching techniques in the I-Share and RU catalog by clicking Here.

*Please note, we are no longer able to request any course required texts through InterLibrary Loan (ILL).  If you request a required texts from ILL, it will be cancelled.

To contact the Roosevelt University bookstore about purchasing your books, visit their webpage HERE or call 312-341-3592.

If you cannot find your textbook through Roosevelt or any I-Share Libraries, here is a list of discounted sites and textbook rental sites that could prove useful in your search. 

Disclaimer:  RU is not endorsing any of these sites.

Discounted Sales

www.bigwords.com = ‘The sweetest, cheapest textbook deals on the planet’.

www.alibris.com = Use the “Textbooks” tab to search for new & used textbooks.

http://textbooksrus.com = ‘The books you need, the prices you want’.

http://www.abebooks.com = Use “Textbooks” to search by ISBN, Author, or Title.

http://www.isbns.net = Searches over 100 bookstores and 60,000 booksellers in seconds.

http://www.half.ebay.com = Use the “Textbooks” tab:  Author, Title, Keyword, or ISBN.

http://www.cheapesttextbooks.com = Help in finding extremely cheap college books.

http://www.getcheapbooks.com = Compares 7 million prices for new and used textbooks

Textbook Rental Sites

www.chegg.com = is about 50% cheaper than actual purchasing

www.campusbookrentals.com = text in your reservation using a cell phone.

www.bookrenter.com = “Here to make education more affordable”.

www.skoobit.com = Browse by category or Search by ISBN, Title, Author, or Keyword.

Do not hesitate to contact us with any questions.

Women's and Gender Studies Databases: Women's Studies International and LGBT Life

Women's and Gender Studies Databases

Library databases offer a collection of journals, conference papers, interviews and book chapters.  Using a library database to locate these items allows you to search by keyword, subject headings, author(s)' name, or even by date range or the number of pages in an article.  The library subscribes to several databases that allow you to search for subject specific articles, including two specifically dedicated to Women's and Gender Studies.

Women’s Studies International

"Women’s Studies International, produced by NISC, covers the core disciplines in Women’s Studies to the latest scholarship in feminist research. Coverage includes more than 871,000 records and spans from 1972 and earlier to present. This database supports curriculum development in the areas of sociology, history, political science & economy, public policy, international relations, arts & humanities, business and education. Over 2,000 periodical sources are represented."

LGBT Life with Full Text

LGBT Life with Full Text contains all of the content available in LGBT Life as well as full text for more than 120 of the most important and historically significant LGBT journals, magazines and regional newspapers, as well as more than 150 full-text monographs and books. The database includes comprehensive indexing and abstract coverage as well as a specialized LGBT Thesaurus containing over 6,400 terms.

Members of the Roosevelt community can access these databases from the links above.  You will be asked to enter your FULL RU ID number to gain access.  These and more WGS databases can be located in the Women's and Gender Studies Research Guide, linked on the library's home page, under "Research Guides by Subject."  Also, if you know the name of the database you are looking for, it can be located in the "Online Resources A-Z" menu, found on the home page.

A Crucible Moment: College Learning and Democracy’s Future

A Crucible Moment: College Learning and Democracy’s Future
By The National Task Force on Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement

This report from the National Task Force on Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement calls on the nation to reclaim higher education’s civic mission. Commissioned by the Department of Education and released at a White House convening in January 2012, the report pushes back against a prevailing national dialogue that limits the mission of higher education to workforce preparation and training while marginalizing disciplines basic to democracy. The Task Force calls on educators and public leaders to advance a 21st century vision of college learning for all students—a vision with civic learning and democratic engagement an expected part of every student’s college education. The report documents the nation’s anemic civic health and includes recommendations for action that address campus culture, general education, and civic inquiry as part of major and career fields as well as hands-on civic problem solving across differences. AAC&U thanks the Bringing Theory to Practice project and its supporters, the S. Engelhard Center, and the Christian A. Johnson Endeavor Foundation, for funding the design, printing, and dissemination of this publication.

Read the full report at:  http://www.aacu.org/civic_learning/crucible/documents/crucible_508F.pdf

Women's and Gender Studies Bibliographies

Women's Studies Bibliographies

Bibliographies are an integral part to research, in all areas of study.  They help to identify core pieces of writing in their area of interest, allow researchers to explore works in their specific area of interest, and are a great place to identify experts in any given field.  Graduate students in Women's and Gender Studies may find these bibliographies particularly helpful as they enter their studies.  Here are two bibliographies to get you started exploring Women's and Gender Studies:

Reader's guide to women's studies

 

editor, Eleanor B. Amico

Call Number: REF. HQ1180 .R43 1998

Women's studies : a recommended bibliography

 

Linda A. Krikos and Cindy Ingold

 

Call Number: REF. Z7963.F44 K75 2004

For more Women's and Gender Studies related reference sources and bibliographies, try this search for bibliographies of women, or this search for bibliograpies on feminism. 

Check back for more resources in Women's Studies, and visit the library's web page for more information.

Featured Resources: Finding Business Ratios

Working on an industry research project for that Marketing or Business class?  Did you know that the library has a subscription to the electronic edition of the Dun & Bradstreet Key Business Ratios and the RMA Annual Statement Studies?  Both sources provide an easy-to-use format for finding industry profitability ratios. 

Sorted by SIC code, rather than by NAICS code, the D&B electronic product will provide upper, middle, & lower figures for 14 ratios.  Accessible via a NAICS code list or by entering a keyword search, RMA offers, in a table ranked by business size, over 20 ratios.

To access these databases, just visit the library webpage at www.roosevelt.edu/library and click on “Online Resources A-Z”.  From the drop-down list, choose either “Dun & Bradstreet Key Business Ratios” or “RMA Annual Statement Studies”

Another way to find Business and Marketing related information from the library homepage is to click on “Research Guides by Subject” and choose “Business” or “Marketing” from the drop-down list.  Here is a direct link to the research guide webpage for Industry Ratios:  (http://libguides.roosevelt.edu/content.php?pid=72163&sid=534250)

Good luck, and enjoy your time researching your industry – for additional interesting business-related reading, browse the library’s “Value Line Investment Survey” or “A Code for Finding Journal Articles” blog posts.

Welcome our newest Librarian!

Please join us in welcoming Micah Jefferson, the newest Reference Librarian at the Murray-Green Auditorium Library.  Those of you at the Schaumburg campus may recognize Micah, who has been working with their Circulation Department for a few years now.  We had Micah answer a few questions, to introduce him to the RU Community:

RU LIBRARY: What made you decide to become a librarian?

MICAH: I’ve been reading books ever since I can remember learning. I would often go to the public library and start in a subject like Science Fiction and start reading authors beginning with A and made my way through the alphabet. That’s probably why my favorite books “The Foundation Series” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_series) are by Isaac Asimov.

I first started working in libraries as a student worker at Founders Memorial Library at Northern Illinois University (NIU) in DeKalb. I worked there for the 4 years of my undergrad in Philosophy and upon graduation the Librarians that worked there suggested I look into pursuing a Masters in Library Science if I was really interested in continuing to work in Libraries. So I did.

RU: Where did you get your MLIS?  (Masters in Library Science)

MJ:  I obtained my masters from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. They had an online education program called LEEP (http://www.lis.illinois.edu/academics/leep) where you could take all of the required courses online without having to relocate to that campus. That was quite an experience. I focused on Data Curation and Digital Librarianship

RU:  What is your favorite thing about the RU library?

MJ:  My favorite thing aesthetically is the view of Lake Michigan from the Reading Room in the Auditorium Library. What I love most about RU Library though is the ease of access to online and print resources that may be accessed from on or off campus, and the high quality Reference services that are available to the students at both the Schaumburg and Chicago campus. Access to information is a basis for Social Justice.

RU:  Do you have a favorite book or author?  Tell us what you like to read!

MJ:  My favorite book(s) are “The Foundation Series” by Isaac Asimov. I don’t feel as if I currently have a favorite author. I’ve picked up a few books by bell hooks and I think she has become one of my most favored writers.

I’ve read a lot of science fiction in my youth, but I currently like to read non-fiction, historical analyses, and biographies. Right now I’m reading Assata Shakur’s autobiography.

RU:  Do you have a favorite restaurant in Chicago?  Where is it?  Close to campus or in a near-by neighborhood?

MJ:  My favorite restaurant in Chicago has been Demera Ethiopian Restaurant (http://demeraethiopianrestaurant.com/). It’s up north at the corner of Lawrence Ave and Broadway St. I’ve never had Ethiopian food before moving a year ago. I just used a Groupon there and it was well worth the deal.

RU:  What do you do for fun?

MJ:  I’ve been b-boying (commonly known as “breakdancing”) for about 8 years now. I started dancing my first year at NIU with a group on campus call Groundhogs. After graduating and moving closer to Chicago to work at RU Library in Schaumburg, I joined a group that has been dancing in Chicago since 1982 - Phaze II Crosstown Crew. We are now teaching a bboy/bgirl class in Evanston Illinois at a community center called Boocoo.

RU:  Finally, is there anything else you would like the Roosevelt Community to know about you?

MJ:  Yes. This breakdancing librarian loves turtles.

Stop by the library and help us welcome Micah to our Crew! 

Featured Pharmacy Database: Facts & Comparisons @ eAnswers

If you are a new Pharmacy student you may be asked to check out the classic reference book called Drug Facts & Comparisons.  It comes out yearly and most pharmacists always have a copy handy to look up generic and trade name drugs, especially for commonly prescribed drugs that have warnings, adverse effects, or interaction issues they need to make patients aware of.

The library now has access to the online version but it’s called Facts & Comparisons @ eAnswers.  It can be confusing the first time you go to use it, because it’s on the Online Resources A-Z list under “F” not “D”.   The online version has the latest news on drug approvals plus interactive dosing and calculator tools.  You can look up drugs by shape and color, or search by symptoms or disease.  Even if you’re not a Pharmacy student there is news you can use in the Medication Guides written in everyday language as handouts for patients.   The information is similar to what your pharmacist gives you when you get your medicine but you can also check out your vitamins and supplements and read about dosage and brand differences.

Featured Pharmacy Database

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database has something for everyone.  This highly respected and well-reviewed database is free to all Roosevelt University faculty, staff and students.  You don’t have to be in Pharmacy to appreciate what this database has to offer.

This database was created by experts to help both the pharmacist and consumer by providing evidence-based answers to your questions about which natural supplements to take for various conditions or diseases.  Since it gives you the scientific evidence behind their Safety and Effectiveness Ratings, it’s safer than just surfing the web. Included are all the potential interactions with regular prescription medications, other herbs, vitamin and mineral supplements, lab tests, and foods, etc. based upon scientific reports in the literature.  So, want to see a chart rating the severity of possible interactions that might occur when taking ibuprofen, aspirin or acetaminophen with certain foods, or beverages? Or see if one of them might interfere with the anti-biotic or herbal supplement you’re taking? Or check on the ingredients in a particular natural supplement by brand name before buying it?  Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database is worth checking out. 

Some of the interactive features are the “Natural Product Effectiveness Checker”, the “Disease and Conditions Checker” the “Natural Products/Drug Interaction Checker, “Nutrient Depletion Checker”.  Your free access is available through the Library homepage (scroll down the Online Resources A-Z list) or, enter from the Pharmacy Research Subject Guide’s Articles & Databases tab and scroll down.  As always, let us know if you have any questions about using this new Library online resource.

Palgrave Dictionary of Economics

Access to the Palgrave Dictionary of Economics is currently unavailable.  We are working on getting access to this resource restored ASAP. In the meantime, you can consult 

Dictionary of economics

or call 312-341-3643 for any questions.