Library News for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences

2008-10-02T09:02:00.003+13:00

Serials Review 2008

At the Library's recent Serials Review meeting two new journal packages were approved and will be available from 2009 onwards

Taylor and Francis package, providing online access to 1000+ titles across all disciplines but especially stong in the areas of social sciences and humanities.

Berg package, providing access to 16 journals in the areas of culture, art, fashion and design.

The following titles were also approved for purchase, and will be available from 2009 onwards (via the Library catalogue).

Annales Historiques de la Revolution Francaise

Development

Jazz Improv (additional print subscription - Auckland)

Photography and Culture*

International Journal of Comic Art

Serif: The Magazine of Type and Typography

Art World

Financial Markets, Institutions and Instruments

Information, Communication and Society

Our Japan

Noise Control Engineering

* Will be included as part of the Berg package of 16 art, culture, fashion and design journals.

Further information about obtaining journal subscriptions is on the Library web site's Journals page. Please feel free to contact your local liaison librarian to discuss journals and other resources.

2008-10-02T08:43:00.003+13:00

Services for Extramural Students

Borrowing books from other NZ University Libraries

Massey University Library is a member of the ULANZ reciprocal borrowing agreement among 7 of the 8 New Zealand Universities. This gives registered Massey University Library borrowers (i.e. staff and students) the right to enrol for limited borrowing privileges at those university libraries.

The other universities offering this service are AUT (Auckland), Waikato (Hamilton), Victoria (Wellington), Lincoln (Christchurch), Canterbury (Christchurch) and Otago (Dunedin). This may well be a service that is useful for extramural students living in these regions, so please publicise it to them.

Full details are available on the Library web site under the heading Borrowing Information - ULANZ Reciprocal Borrowing Scheme

Library Classes for Semester 2, 2008

2008-06-25T15:21:00.002+12:00

Hello there Teaching Staff!

Well another semester is almost upon us and here in the library we're gearing up for another round of information literacy classes for undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

If you would like a library class for any paper that you teach, please contact us at humsslib@massey.ac.nz

We'd love to hear from you!

All the best for a great Semester Two,

Amanda Curnow

2008-06-10T09:07:00.000+12:00

Database Trial - Scopus

The Library is currently trialling Elsevier's Scopus database (through until the end of June 2008). Scopus is a multidiscplinary database - with greater breadth than Web of Science (about 4000 more titles) and with some of the equivalent citation searching features. Its coverage of "regional" journals is also broader than Web of Science currently provides. Universities and research institutions in the United Kingdom are using Scopus as a way of tracking citations, and several of the New Zealand university libraries also subscribe.We would welcome your feedback on Scopus - both for citation tracking and topic searching.The Library is not planning to subscribe to Scopus instead of Web of Science, rather it be would be complementary to our current database holdings (should funding permit).Access the Scopus trial via the Library web site's "What's on Trial" page. Feedback can be submitted via the Trials page, or by emailing your comments to libcol@massey.ac.nz.

Masseylink- have your say

2008-05-06T09:18:00.005+12:00

Back in February we told you about MasseyLink, the little icon that appears next to records on your database searches - by clicking on it you will often achieve a much more direct link to the article than by searching the library catalogue and even if you don't MasseyLink will automatically open the catalogue for you with details for the appropriate journal.Our staff have been monitoring and fixing problems as they occur and so far progress has been pretty smooth. At the library we generally hear from you only when things don't work as they should, which is as it should be, but this time we would really like to hear from you if you have found MasseyLink useful or if you have suggestions of how it could be improved. If you have used MasseyLink please take a moment to email us with your reaction and ideas.

MasseyLink: Why is it appearing in my searches and what does it mean?

2008-02-01T15:43:00.001+13:00

Some of you will have noticed when doing database searches that the little icon above is appearing on results lists and alongside records. As the name suggests, it is a link between the database and Massey’s holdings. The advantage it gives over the current system of linking is that in the best case scenario it will take you directly to the article in a couple of clicks. From the results screen:

To the MasseyLink screen:

Ta Da!

Yes, the full article with none of that dull scribbling down of volume and issue numbers. And if a link to the item is not provided, click on "Search the catalogue". MasseyLink will automatically populate a catalogue search for you, so you can see immediately if Massey University Library has the item. If not, you could use MasseyLink to request an Interloan. All of your options for obtaining the item you need are available in one convenient location.

However, you will have noted that this is the best case scenario: there are a few hiccups at present, as the system is still being implemented. If you come across something strange when trying to follow a MasseyLink, please use the "Report a problem" link to let us know.

Feel free to ask us questions about this. We're very excited about MasseyLink's potential. Even at this stage MasseyLink can be a useful tool and should be a great help to searchers once it is fully up and running.

Amanda Curnow

Library Update 2007

2008-01-08T13:02:00.000+13:00

LIBRARY UPDATE 2007

Library skills classes

We're teaching more than ever at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. Book for 2008 as soon as you can.

Research consultations using Connect software

In semester 2, 2007 we trialled Connect software for students who don't live within easy reach of a campus. It was very successful; the students really appreciated the fact that we could share our computer screens with them and demonstrate database searching using their own topics. And they didn't even have to leave home to do it! Please let your students know that we can provide this service. They need to have broadband to use it.

Endnote

We continue to teach introductory Endnote tutorials regularly. Drop- in classes are scheduled throughout the year including during contact courses. We are constantly adding new facts to our Endnote FAQ page. We have started offering Endnote tutorials at intermediate level. We also give assistance and advice to students and staff on a one-to-one basis.

New resources for 2008

Sage online journals package- this includes 300 additional journal titles, many of which are humanities and social sciences titles. 1999 to date available now through the Library Catalogue!
Oxford University Press online journals package- this includes 60 additional titles. Available soon!
Library Press Display - provides online full text access to 500 newspapers and magazines worldwide. Unlike our current newspaper databases the full text of the newspaper can be viewed just as it looks in the hardcopy version. It has a 60 day rolling archive and includes most major New Zealand and international dailies. Available now!
ATLA religion database. Available soon!
New Zealand Woman’s Weekly index (1932-1951) is now incorporated into New Zealand Index. This is an index of people mentioned in this magazine over that period.

New Look Library Catalogue

In 2007 the Library purchased a new version of our online public access catalogue (OPAC) and over the last couple of months we have started to upgrade its look and feel. New features include book jackets, reader ratings, reader history, preferred searches and email alerts.

MUIR -Massey University Institutional Repository (formerly Digital Commons)

This is a small full text collection of Massey theses and research publications so far but will grow quite quickly over the next few years.

Enhancements to databases
Web of Science – now searches back to 1900
Web of Science – new platform in 2008
New platform for Medline and PsycInfo in 2008

HUMSS blog
We’ve just launched a library information blog for Humanities and Social Sciences staff. Each posting , including this one, comes to you as an email which includes a link to the complete blog archive.

(This Library Update for 2007 was presented to Undergraduate and Graduate Studies Committees in November 2007).

Time to Book Library Skills Classes for 2008

2007-10-31T09:58:00.000+13:00

TIME TO BOOK LIBRARY SKILLS CLASSES FOR 2008

For 2008 we'll be offering the following library skills sessions for undergraduate and postgraduate students. These can be modified to suit your students' needs.

It's our experience that students appear confident about their searching skills. However there are so many changes to our online databases and journals each year that we strongly advise your students to attend a session once a year so as to make the best use of library resources.

Please book as soon as you can as our Training Room booking slots fill up fast.

For undergraduate classes (50 minutes) please contact Ann Cox or Amanda Curnow in Information Services.

For postgraduate classes (1.5 hours) please contact Nicola McCarthy or Di Barnard in College Liaison Services.

Database searching skills

· principles of database searching

· scope and range of relevant journal article databases

· hands-on searching using a defined topic

Endnote referencing software

· what it is and how to use it

· hands-on training

Changes to Requesting in the Library catalogue

2007-10-30T14:29:00.000+13:00

Changes to Requesting in the Library catalogue

Upgrade Period:

From 5 pm Tuesday 30th October to noon Wednesday 31st October you will be unable to make requests via the Library catalogue. During this time you will still be able to request items. Please contact us http://library.massey.ac.nz/learnit/needhelp/needhelp.htm

New Request Features

Your requests will instantly appear on your patron record.

You will have the ability to enter a “Cancel if not filled by” date. Your request will automatically expire after the date that you have entered. We recommend you enter a date that will allow sufficient time for the request to arrive.

With the majority of requests you will no longer be asked to choose a specific copy unless the title has more than one volume separate components e.g. CDs, tapes, booklets, etc.

If you need more help, or have questions or comments, please contact us.

Study Guides Policy Refresher

2007-10-26T15:05:00.000+13:00

We’ve had some queries recently about putting study guides on Reserve and would like to take this opportunity to clarify our policy.

The Distance Library Service holds a full set of study guides to enable them to assist extramural students. These are for Library staff use only and cannot be put on Reserve. However, individual study guides are occasionally made available to internal students on request.

If you do wish to place study guides on Reserve for internal students please supply a copy of the study guide and send it to the Reserve Collection, Library together with the completed Temporary Material section of the Reserve Material Placement Form.

New Newspaper Resource - Library.PressDisplay

2007-10-26T11:29:00.000+13:00

This is a fabulous new resource! Online fulltext access to over 500 newspapers and magazines worldwide. You can view the full-text of the newspaper just as it looks in the hardcopy version. I would have overlooked it, but it was pointed out to me.

It has many of those NZ community newspapers as well as most of the major NZ dailies (except the Otago Daily times).

You can search by keyword, country and language.

It has a 60-day rolling archive, 3 concurrent users and with a listing of papers and magazines from over 65 countries including New Zealand, Australia, China, Germany, India, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, United Kingdom, and United States there's bound to be something for everyone.

For access, go to the Massey Library Homepage -> Article Databases -> choose J-M from the alphabetical list then look under 'L' for Library.PressDisplay

OR do a title search on the Massey's Library Catalogue for 'Library.PressDisplay'

Enjoy!