Library Blog

Featured Resource: Digital Public Library of America

Last week the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) launched. This new platform brings together the cultural collections from museums, libraries, and archives and makes them available for users to search from one convenient location. Through DPLA, you have access to millions of items--photographs, manuscripts, books, sounds, moving images, and more. You can search and browse by timeline, map, collection, or topic and then use and share what you find.

From their website:

[DPLA] strives to contain the full breadth of human expression, from the written word, to works of art and culture, to records of America’s heritage, to the efforts and data of science. The DPLA aims to expand this crucial realm of openly available materials, and make those riches more easily discovered and more widely usable and used.

At RU Library we’re excited about exploring this new resource, and we hope you will be too. Below are some examples of what you can find in DPLA:

 Activism in the U.S.

DPLA features a number of exhibits that highlight the many resources searchable through their platform. The Activism in the U.S. exhibit has pictures and descriptions of activism on topics ranging from civils rights to LGBT activism.

From the dp.la Education Activism Collection

Maps

Among other collections, DPLA searches the David Rumsey map collection.

From the David Rumsey collection: Official railroad map of Illinois. 1876.

Smithsonian Collections

DPLA has access to the phenomenal digital archives of the Smithsonian Insitute. When you browse the timeline, you can find items dating back to the 14th century.

Folio from a Mu'nis al-Abrar fi Deqa'iq al-Ash'ar (Free Man's Guide to the Subtleties of Poetry) by Badr al-Din Jajarmi (d. 1287);

And Much More!

What can you find in DPLA?

Related articles

A First Look at the Digital Public Library of America

Digital Public Library of America Launches

DPLA: Coming Soon

Featured Resource in Social Justice

Encyclopedia of activism and social justice

Gary L. Anderson & Kathryn G. Herr, Editors.

Call Number: HM671 .E53 2007

Link HERE to access the encyclopedia.

"The Encyclopedia of Activism and Social Justice presents a comprehensive overview of the field with topics of varying dimensions, breadth, and length. This three-volume Encyclopedia is designed for readers to understand the topics, concepts, and ideas that motivate and shape the fields of activism, civil engagement, and social justice and includes biographies of the major thinkers and leaders who have influenced and continue to influence the study of activism."

Featured Resources in Biology: Biological Abstracts

Featured Resource: Biological Abstracts Database

The Roosevelt University Library offers access to several research databases.  In order to conduct research in Biology, we recommmend taking a look at EBSCOhost's Biological Abstracts.

"Complete collection of bibliographic references covering life science and biomedical research literature published from more than 4,300 journals internationally. It provides access to the information in virtually every life science discipline and contains nearly 13.2 million archival records from as far back as 1969, with more than 370,000 citations added each year."

To access this database, click HERE.

Featured Research Guide: Sociology

What are Research Guides?

You may have noticed "Research Guides by Subject" on the library's home page...  But have you ever wondered what these research guides ARE?

Research guides are special subject guides that pull together a lot of different library resources in one place...  based on specific subjects being taugh on campus.  You will have a "one-stop-shop" for your research needs, and a way to get in touch with the librarian who works with those materials. 

About the Sociology & Anthropology Guide

The Sociology & Anthropology Research Guide is your portal to all elements of research in Sociology.  There is a list of new books, a suggested list of databases where you can conduct your sociology and anthropology scholarly article searches, and an indispensible collection of reference books (encyclopedias, dictionaries, bibliographies, etc.) both in print and available electronically. 

The Sociology & Anthropology Guide provides you access to writing and research in the social sciences, social justice, and much more.  

To visit the Sociology & Anthropology Guide, click the image below:

Featured Resources in Sustainability: Sustainability Databases

Sustainability Studies is an interdisciplinary program, that has an environmental focus.  The library provides resources to all members of the Roosevelt community to support all aspects of Sustainability Studies.  Two resources that Sustainability Studies majors, and those taking Sustainability classes, may find useful include GREENR and GreenFile. 

 

GREENR (Global Reference on the Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources) offers up to date information on environmental issues, sustainability, and agriculture;  GREENR is a also a great database to consult when you need primary resources or case studies on these issues.  Video reports and podcasts are also available through GREENR. 

GreenFile, an EBSCO database is "a collection of scholarly, government and general-interest titles including all aspects of human impact to the environment such as global warming, green building, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, recycling, etc."

Sustainability Studies students may also find useful research in EconLit, Biological Abstracts, and our full list of online databases. 

 

Featured Resources in African American Studies: Voyages

Are you looking for primary sources in African American Studies?  Take a look at Voyages, a Trans-Atlantic Slaving Voyage database.  According to the site, "The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database is the culmination of several decades of independent and collaborative research by scholars drawing upon data in libraries and archives around the Atlantic world. The Voyages website itself is the product of two years of development by a multi-disciplinary team of historians, librarians, curriculum specialists, cartographers, computer programmers, and web designers, in consultation with scholars of the slave trade from universities in Europe, Africa, South America, and North America."

You can search for specific voyages, voyages sailed under certain country flags, vessel name and much more.  The database includes images, essays and maps, as well as very useful lesson plans for ideas on how to incorporate the database in to an educational program. 

Visit Voyages by clicking HERE.

 

Featured Resources in Theater: Databases

Naxos Music Library

"Listen over the web to the complete recordings found in the Naxos catalog. The catalog includes all recordings by Marco Polo, Dacapo, and First Edition. Naxos is the leader in the classical recording industry."

Oxford Music Online

Access to articles, biographies, bibliographies, 20th century composers and performers, world music, jazz, opera, rock, popular music, instruments and their history.  *Please note, this resource has limited concurrent user access. Be sure to log off when finished your searching so that other authorized users can access it. If unable to connect, please try again at a later time.

DRAM

Listen to streaming audio on your computer of important American music. DRAM contains folk, opera, Native American, jazz, 19th century classical, early rock, musical theater, contemporary, electronic and beyond.

Featured Resources in Theater: Monologues

The Performing Arts Library, located on the 11th floor of the Auditorium Building, has a vast collection of monologue and audtion books, as well as several other resources to prepare you for upcoming auditions.  Here is a brief selection of titles.  For more monologue books, click HERE.

Exceptional monologues 1 for men and women

From the publisher: Volume 1 includes such titles and authors as: Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl, The Receptionist by Adam Bock, In the Continuum by Danai Gurira Nikkole Salter, Bach at Leipzig by Itamar Moses, and many more.

Call Number: Performing Arts Library  PN4305.M6

Monologue mastery : how to find and perform the perfect monologue

From the publisher: Prudence Wright Holmes, also known as the Monologue Detective, is a veteran actor and teacher who has been coaching actors for more than twenty-five years. Her students have appeared in films, on television, and in Broadway, off-Broadway, and regional theater. Her own extensive acting credits include the film Sister Act and the original off-Broadway casts of Godspell and Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You. She comes from Bexley, Ohio, and lives in New York City.

Call Number: Performing Arts Library PN2071.A92 H585 2010

The Oberon book of modern monologues for men

From the publisher: Looking for fresh, contemporary monologues? The Oberon Book of Modern Monologues for Men collects over fifty speeches selected from the unique roster of one of Britain’s leading publishers.

Call Number: Performing Arts Library PN2080 .O24 2008

The Oberon book of modern monologues for women

From the publisher:  The Oberon Book of Modern Monologues for Womenis an essential resource for actors participating in acting classes, contests, auditions, and rehearsals. This book collects over fifty speeches from some of the finest plays of the last twenty years, bringing together specially selected speeches by essential modern dramatists.

Call Number: Performing Arts Library PN2080 .O247 2008

Featured Resources in Actuarial Sciences: ACTEX Study Manuals

To support capstone courses in Actuarial Sciences, which help students prepare for the professional exams that display their understanding of the mathematics involved in day-to-day actuarial science in the workplace, the library provides exam preparation “Study Guides” from the ACTEX publishing company.

These classes include preparation seminars for Exam FM (Financial Management) and Exam P (Probability) which alternate between the Chicago and Schaumburg campuses.

From the publisher: "This manual is comprehensive and written in an easy-to-understand style. In many cases, it goes beyond an outline and thoroughly explains the more difficult topics. Concepts are introduced in a clear way so that students can quickly understand new topics. Among the many features of this manual are detailed review examples and exercises embedded into the text, additional practice problems at the end of each unit, a key formulas summary, mid-term exams at the end of major topics and calculator assistance. The manual concludes with eleven sample practice exams."

ACTEX manuals can be located HERE.

Featured Resources in Training and Development: Training Tips

Training Books

10 steps to successful training

Elaine Biech

From the publisher: From creating a safe learning environment to learning how to align your training to meet various learning styles, 10 Steps to Successful Training offers readers everything they need to deliver results.

Call Number: HF5549.5.T7 B54 2009

Learning, training, and development in organizations

edited by Steve W.J. Kozlowski, Eduardo Salas

From the publisher: This scholarly book in SIOP’s Organizational Frontier series looks at research on enhancing knowledge acquisition and its application in organizations. It concentrates on training, design and delivery given the changing nature of work and organizations. Now that work is increasingly complex, there is greater emphasis on expertise and cognitive skills. Advances in technology such as computer simulations and web-based training are necessitating a more active role for the learner in the training process.

Call Number: HD58.82 .L43 2010

Unleashing talent

From the publisher: Every company has talented employees. But the best managers understand that having the right people in the right positions doesn't just happen--it requires careful management and talent development. This collection of fourteen first-hand accounts gives you insight into how some of the world's top business leaders invested in human capital and grew their teams into truly world-class talent.

Call Number: HF5549.5.R44 U554 2010

Featured Resources in Training and Development: Instructional Design

TRDV: Books about Instructional Design

According to the Encyclopedia of Evaluation, instructional design "blend[s] the processes of curriculum development, instructional materials development, and instructional management and delivery. The general aim of instructional design is to construct optimal “blueprints,” or knowledge about what methods of instruction will produce desired learning outcomes under the variety of conditions that may exist."  (Click HERE to read the entry on instructional design.)

The library has several books available to help you with instructional design:

The essentials of instructional design : connecting fundamental principles with process and practice

From the publisher: This book is designed to introduce you to the foundational elements of instructional design - the fundamental principles, processes, and practices that currently shape and define the field. By not subscribing to any single ID model or approach, the authors are able to clearly articulate the principles of design (e.g. task analysis), and then they describe, compare, and contrast the processes of applying each principle as established by leaders in the field.

Abbie Brown, Timothy D. Green.

Call Number: LB1028.38 .B76 2011

Learning and instruction in the digital age (eBook)

From the publisher: Instruction tailored to the individual student, learning and teaching outside the limits of time and space—ideas that were once considered science fiction are now educational reality, with the prospect of an intelligent Web 3.0 not far distant. Alongside these innovations exists an emerging set of critical-thinking challenges, as Internet users create content and learners (and teachers) take increased responsibility in their work. Learning and Instruction in the Digital Age nimbly balances the technological and pedagogical aspects of these rapid changes, gathering papers from noted researchers on a wealth of topics relating to cognitive approaches to learning and teaching, mental models, online learning, communications, and innovative educational technologies.

J. Michael Spector, Editor

Call Number: LB1028.5 .L38347 2010

The systematic design of instruction

From the publisher: This classic book simply and clearly introduces readers to the fundamentals of instructional design and helps them learn the concepts and procedures for designing, developing, and evaluating instruction for all delivery formats. The new edition covers the impact of critical new theories, new technologies, and the Internet. The book also addresses current design processes used in instructional settings and delivery systems across many curriculum and business areas including Internet-based distance education.Anyone interested in learning about instructional design.

Walter Dick, Lou Carey, James O. Carey

Call Number: FOLIO. LB1028.38 .D53 2009

For additional titles, click HERE.

 

Featured Resources in Training and Development: Learning Theories and Theorists

TRDV Learning Theories and Theorists

An important focus in graduate-level study in the RU Training & Development program is gaining an understanding of how adults learn. Summarization of specific learning theories and their theorists are clearly, and briefly, explained on the ‘Theory in Practice’ website: http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/index.html.

Books and articles available from the library are your main source of inspiration for gaining further insight into your theory of choice. You can find articles on different learning theories by searching directly in the journals that RU subscribes to through the library here: http://libguides.roosevelt.edu/content.php?pid=32783&sid=240170.  These journals include Performance Improvement Quarterly, Adult Learning, and Personnel Psychology.

You can find books on different learning theorists by searching these I-Share book catalog links: http://libguides.roosevelt.edu/content.php?pid=182050&sid=2398734.

Featured Resources in Training and Development: Infoline

Training and Development covers multiple disciplines including business, e-learning, performance improvement, and organizational development.  One of the library's reference resources, Infoline, is a monthly publication "known throughout the training and performance field as the tool that trains the trainer. Each 16-page issue is a concise and practical resource that can help you gain immediate proficiency in a wide variety of topics."

Most recent issues of Infoline include:

January 2012

Twitter for Trianers

February 2012

Critical Competencies for 21st Century Leaders

March 2012

Designing for Informal Learning

These booklets are issued every month, and you can find them in the Reference section in the AUD or SCH libraries and going to the call number REF. HF5549.A2 I5.  The booklets are kept in a binder and updated as soon as new issues come in.  

If you have any questions, ask a librarian!

 

Featured Research Guide: Accounting

What are Research Guides?

You may have noticed "Research Guides by Subject" on the library's home page...  But have you ever wondered what these research guides ARE?

Research guides are special subject guides that pull together a lot of different library resources in one place...  based on specific subjects being taugh on campus.  You will have a "one-stop-shop" for your research needs, and a way to get in touch with the librarian who works with those materials. 

About the Accounting Guide

The Accounting guide provides you with resources for all types of research in Accounting.  There is a list of new books, a suggested list of databases where you can search for articles and company financial reports, and also a large collection of reference materials (encyclopedias, dictionaries, bibliographies, etc.) both in print and available electronically. 

The Accounting guide also directs you to books that provide auditing case studies, accounting fraud and research methods in Accounting.

To visit the Accounting guide, click the image below:

Featured Resources in Accounting: Income Tax Resources

As we enter tax season, here are is just a small selection of resources that the RU Library has about income taxes and taxation policies.  For more books on income taxes, click HERE.

Taxation, tax policies and income taxes

From the publisher:  Using empirical methods, this volume examines a broad range of subjects including tax evasion, tax policies' effect on the dispersion of wages, and property and corporate taxation. Articles vary between specific case studies and consideration of larger issues, but mainly focus on the issues of fiscal policies and tax administration. Not confined to issues in the United States, there are chapters on the effects of income tax systems on homeowner mobility in Japan and on labor supply decisions in Italy.

Warren J. Berube and Camron N. Pinto, editors

Call Number: AUD HJ192.5 .T39 2010 

Tax policy lessons from the 2000s

 

From the publisher:  Viard, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, has edited this analysis of the American tax system and how it holds up against the latest global financial crises. Expert commentators discuss such topics as the implementation of environmental taxes as a response to climate change, the impact on taxation on entries and exits in the labor market and how the "elasticity" of taxable income influences tax policy design in a profound way. Designed for policymakers who must confront issues of taxation, this book uses theoretical models and statistics to support its recommendations for the future of tax codes in the United States.

editor, Alan D. Viard

Call Number: AUD HJ2381 .T378 2009

Federal income tax : a student's guide to the Internal Revenue Code

From the publisher: A concise, single-volume work which explains the technical workings, Code provisions and common law tax rules and principles that apply to individual taxpayers. The text suggests rationales and underlying policies for many of the tax areas covered in a basic tax course. Designed for students taking a basic course in income taxation and those taking advanced tax courses who desire an accessible explanation of a personal income tax doctrine relating to their studies.

Call Number: SCH KF6369 .K3 2005

Featured Resources in Accounting: Reference Books

Accounting Reference Books

Reference books are essential to your research needs.  Reference books can provide you with qualitative data, as well as working definitions and terms as they are used in the context of your specific discipline.  This month, we are featuring resources useful for Accounting majors, and research in accounting.  Here are a few of our resources, come to the library to search for more.

Accountants' Handbook

From the publisher:  "this highly regarded reference is relied on by a considerable part of the accounting profession in their day-to-day work. This handbook is the first place many accountants look to find answers to practice questions. Its comprehensive scope is widely recognized and relied on. It is designed as a single reference source that provides answers to all reasonable questions on accounting and financial reporting asked by accountants, auditors, bankers, lawyers, financial analysts, and other preparers and users of accounting information."

Edited by D.R. Carmichael, O. Ray Whittington, Lynford Graham.

Call Number:  REF. HF5621 .A22 2007

Dictionary of Accounting Terms

From the publisher: "this reference explains 2,500 terms used in financial accounting, managerial and cost accounting, auditing, financial statement analysis, tax preparation, and economics. Appropriate for college students and business professionals, the topics include capitalization, deferred charge, gross domestic product, hedge fund, market value method, stock option, and value added tax."

Edited by Joel G. Siegel, Jae K. Shim.

Call Number:  REF. HF5621 .S54 2005

The ultimate accountants' reference : including GAAP, IRS & SEC regulations, leases, and more

From the publisher: "The Ultimate Accountants’ Reference Including GAAP, IRS & SEC Regulations, Leases, and More, Second Edition updates you on the latest accounting regulations for all aspects of the financial statements, accounting management reports, and management of the accounting department including best practices, control systems, and the fast close. This is the perfect daily answer book for the practicing accountant."

Edited by Steven M. Bragg

Call Number: REF. HF5616.U5 B713 2006 

Featured Research Guide: Women's and Gender Studies

What are Research Guides?

You may have noticed "Research Guides by Subject" on the library's home page...  But have you ever wondered what these research guides ARE?

Research guides are special subject guides that pull together a lot of different library resources in one place...  based on specific subjects being taugh on campus.  You will have a "one-stop-shop" for your research needs, and a way to get in touch with the librarian who works with those materials. 

About the Women's and Gender Studies Guide

The Women's and Gender Studies research guide is your portal to all elements of research in WGS.  There is a list of new books, a suggested list of databases where you can conduct your WGS scholarly article searches, and an indispensible collection of reference books (encyclopedias, dictionaries, bibliographies, etc.) both in print and available electronically. 

The Women's and Gender Studies Guide provides you access to writing and research on feminist theory, gender, women and social conditions, and much more.  Also included in the WGS research guide is a page dedicated to upcoming conferences and calls for WGS papers.

To visit the Women's and Gender Studies research guide, click the image below:

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.

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.

Cabell's Directory of Publishing Opportunities

Faculty: Browse Cabell’s Directory of Publishing Opportunities

RU faculty interested in learning about the submission criteria for quality journals in their scholarly discipline may search in the electronic Cabell’s Directories of Publishing Opportunities database.  These directories feature the following academic categories:  Accounting, Economics & Finance, Management, Marketing, Educational Curriculum & Methods, Educational Psychology & Administration, Educational Technology & Library Science, and Psychology & Psychiatry.

 

To search, just go to the library homepage, and click the ‘Faculty Resources’ link under ‘Library Services’.  Click on the ‘Publishing’ tab, then click on the ‘Cabell’s Publishing Directories’ link.  This will bring you to the webpage for the RU Library’s Cabell’s subscription.  You will see links for the various different Directories.  Select one, using its corresponding radio button, and click the ‘Access, Selected Directory’ button.

You will now see a Directory Search page, where you can choose a specific topic using a drop-down menu.  Scroll through the list until you’ve identified the name of the journal that you’d like to see more information about, and click on “Review” to the left of the title.  A 3- to 4- page PDF document will be displayed.  Information provided is pretty straightforward – a first page shows a table summarizing the journal’s submission process, followed by a set of manuscript guidelines regarding audience, style, article preparation, etc.As a case in point, use the ‘Education Curriculum & Methods’ directory.  Choose the ‘Specific Topic’ of “Foreign Language”.  Now click on ‘Review’ for the “Journal of Second Language Writing”.  Scrolling down, we see a 10% acceptance rate, a 26-30 page manuscript length, and a ‘Submission of Articles’ section.