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Now Available! BrowZine Journal Browsing App

By: Laura Hansen

Published on: Tuesday, June 11th, 2013

BrowZineLogo-FINAL COLORBrowZine is a tablet application that allows you to browse, read and monitor  content from the library’s academic journals just as you would any other ejournal.

browsable-newsstand-librarys-journals

UST’s subscription currently includes over 3,000 UST-owned titles, browsable by general subject area.  BrowZine is a free app — by Third Iron — for accessing and reading content from academic journals on the iPad (with versions for other tablets being developed). The app allows users to

  • select academic journals from a “shelf” display
  • browse complete journal issues,
  • read individual articles,
  • collect favorite journals on a shelf of one’s own,
  • save favorite articles,
  • and perform additional tasks with journal content.

browse-and-share-content-browzine-ipad-app-screenshot

To get started, search for “BrowZine” in the App Store and download the app for free; when initially launching BrowZine, select the University of St Thomas from the drop-down list, use your UST credentials to log in, and start browsing.

BrowZine is growing fast and will continue to expand, adding new titles and features as time goes on. Work is progressing to include RefWorks integration, as well as content from many more publishers.  If a favorite title isn’t available now, it is very possible it might become available in the near future!

More information about the UST libraries’ subscription is available on the library website. You can find more information about BrowZine in general – along with an introductory video – on the Third Iron website.

Please let us know what you think!  Send any comments or questions to Laura Hansen.

Posted in Database Highlights & Trials, New Materials | No Comments »

New Trial: International Historical Statistics Online

By: John Heintz

Published on: Wednesday, April 17th, 2013

Locating data as part of your research can be a real pain.  Add an international dimension to your research, and the problem can get worse.  We are trialing a new online resource that could help with your search, the International Historical Statistics Online database.  (We currently have print versions of different regional versions of this title; details here).  Obviously, if folks like this version and we can swing the dough ($), having this data available online would be nice.

To use this work, hit the link and use the table of contents on the left-hand side of the page to drill into the various sections to browse the available data tables.  The tables display in-page as PDFs, and can be downloaded in PDF or Excel workbook format. It’s organized in three regional groupings: Africa, Asia, Oceania; the Americas; Europe.  Within each region, it breaks into chapters on population & vital statistics, labour force, agriculture, industry, external trade, transport & communications, finance, prices, education, and national accounts.

This online version covers from 1750-2010 (five more years than the last print version).  It appears that this source will not be updated, so you’ll need to consider this truly a historical resource.  As with all statistical sources, the frequency and completeness of the data will vary by country and source.

The trial is available through May 16; please send any comments you have to John Heintz, jpheintz@stthomas.edu.

Posted in Database Highlights & Trials, New Materials, News & Events | No Comments »

Seeing Symmetry and the Beauty of Math – O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library hosts exhibit beginning March 18

By: Julie Kimlinger

Published on: Thursday, March 14th, 2013

symmetry

 Math has never been so beautiful

Please join the Department of Mathematics and the O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library at the University of St. Thomas for a special mathematical art exhibit.

“Seeing Symmetry”  (Exhibit Dates: March 18 through mid-April, 2013)

Exhibit Opening and Public Lecture, Monday, March 18, 2013 -

4:00 p.m.—Exhibit Opening and Reception – free and open to all

     O’Shaughnessy Frey Library, Room 108 (the O’Shaughnessy Room)

7:00 p.m.—Lecture by the Artist – free and open to all

     3M Auditorium, OWS 150

     Light refreshments will be served after the lecture.

About the exhibit:

The word symmetry may evoke bilateral symmetry, as in an idealized human face or the two wings of a butterfly.

For mathematicians, the concept is richer, ranging from the patterns of wallpaper to the symmetries of a molecule or crystal.

Indeed, the concept of symmetry is central to students’ first experiences in the field of abstract algebra, where symmetry is used to illustrate the idea of a group. For mathematicians, group is a technical notion that may be best approached through examples, like the ones offered here.

The images in this exhibition offer a way to learn more about symmetry and the group concept. Of course, some visitors will prefer simply to look and enjoy a workout of the visual cortex.

About the artists:

Frank A. Farris is a 2012 visiting professor at the University of Minnesota. He is an associate professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Santa Clara University. He edited Mathematics Magazine from 2001 through 2005, and again in 2009. He remains active in the Mathematical Association of America and is currently chair of the organization’s Council on Publications and Communications. In 2011, Farris was a visiting professor at Carleton College where this exhibit originated.

Posted in Libraries, New Materials, O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library | No Comments »

UST Libraries Embarks on New Ebook Initiative

By: Linda Hulbert

Published on: Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013

Demand Driven Acquisition/Patron Driven Acquisition pilot project has started at the University of St. Thomas.

What does that mean? Liaisons in Business, Education and Psychology have hand-crafted profiles with Coutts/Ingram for the purposes of identifying and adding ebook records to CLICnet in those 3 disciplines. We won’t own these – AND they are available for use. We will own them once the third user goes into the book itself or the index (not the cover page or table of contents).  The books should all be able to be used by more than one person at a time, but we could not limit our profile to only downloadable – until more publishers are on board. The sample size would have been too small.

These should all work and act like all other MyiLibrary books.

Questions?

Ask Linda Hulbert (lahulbert@stthomas.edu) or 651-962-5016 if she doesn’t know the answer, she’ll make a good one up! On the spot!

Posted in Archbishop Ireland Library, Charles J. Keffer Library, Libraries, New Materials, O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Did you know… we have a Leisure Reading Collection!?

By: Laura Hansen

Published on: Monday, October 24th, 2011

Midterm Break!  Doesn’t that sound great right about now?  As you head off campus, remember the UST library has your back for helping you to relax and rest over the break.  The library has several Kindles to check out and a rather deep selection of fiction books in our Leisure Reading Books.

kindle

The new Leisure Reading section is conveniently located right near the Coffee Bene!  See what the Leisure Reading section has right here: http://clicnet.clic.edu/search~S1?/ftlist%5Ebib195%2C51%2C0%2C259/mode=2.  Fancy a movie?  The Media Resources collection also has some fantastic movies for your viewing.  Come in and see the collection or take a look at what you can stream: http://www.stthomas.edu/libraries/collections/media/default.html .

lotsa books

Still have some research to do?  Well, once again the library has you covered.  The library will be open this weekend.

Here are the hours: http://www.stthomas.edu/libraries/about/hours/default.html.

The reference desk will be staffed over the long weekend. You can start you research here by looking at one of the terrific research guides: http://libguides.stthomas.edu/ .

Take time to enjoy some relaxation this midterm break and visit the library.

Posted in Libraries, New Materials, O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library | No Comments »

New Books!

By: Laura Hansen

Published on: Saturday, October 8th, 2011

Business librarians have been busily buying new books!

That’s certainly a tongue-twister, if I ever heard one.  The results are some great brain gymnastics, as well.

Here are a few recent arrivals:

Book Cover

The Accountant’s Guide to the Universe: Heaven and Hell by the Numbers

Dilbert meets Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy in this hilariously quirky book  about God “outsourcing Heaven and Hell” to an accounting firm.  A quick and fun read –  by the end, you’ll be amazed how much you’ve learned about finance and accounting.

Fixing the Game : Bubbles, Crashes, and what Capitalism can Learn from the NFL

What better way to learn than combining your favorite Sunday afternoon activity with your study of corporate management?  Author Roger Martin discusses how and what corporate leaders can learn from the NFL’s success, including everything from finance to customer loyalty.

Brand Champions: How Superheroes Bring Brands to Life

This is chock-full of great case studies showcasing the individuals within organizations who nurture and sustain brands, bringing them to lifethrough their everyday, superhero performances.

World 3.0 : Global Prosperity and How to Achieve It

“In World 3.0, Pankaj Ghemawat provides a fresh look at cross-border integration and its implications. He demonstrates why integration and regulation must be seen as complementary. And he offers great recommendations that should inspire all stakeholders in times of major global challenges. A must-read.”
–Pascal Lamy, Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Interested in seeing more?  A list of this month’s newest business books is always available on the library homepage, or you can subscribe to it as an RSS feed.

Purchase recommendations are always welcome, as well – simply fill out this form!

Posted in Business & Economics, New Materials | No Comments »

The National Jukebox

By: John Heintz

Published on: Thursday, May 12th, 2011

jukebox2Hey, this is pretty cool: the Library of Congress has released the National Jukebox, which provides free access to some vintage music from the LOC and other collections.  Users can browse or search by genre and artist, access, create, and submit playlists, etc.  The “Jukebox Day by Day” feature lets you see what was recorded each day of the year. 

Listen to a Sample Playlist.

 

About the National Jukebox
The Library of Congress presents the National Jukebox, which makes historical sound recordings available to the public free of charge. The Jukebox includes recordings from the extraordinary collections of the Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation and other contributing libraries and archives.

jukebox

Posted in Music, New Materials, News & Events | 1 Comment »

Places & Spaces: Mapping Science

By: John Heintz

Published on: Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011

Places & Spaces: Mapping Science is a cool set of physical exhibits featuring infographics and maps that are also browseable online.  From the website: “Places & Spaces: Mapping Science is meant to inspire cross-disciplinary discussion on how to best track and communicate human activity and scientific progress on a global scale. It has two components: the physical part supports the close inspection of high quality reproductions of maps for display at conferences and education centers; the online counterpart provides links to a selected series of maps and their makers along with detailed explanations of how these maps work. The exhibit is a 10-year effort. Each year, 10 new maps are added resulting in 100 maps total in 2014.”science_exhibit

See the exhibits/maps organized around their annual themes (listed below) or browse them all.

The exhibit is a 10-year effort. Each year, 10 new maps are added resulting in 100 maps total in 2014.
1st Iteration (2005): The Power of Maps
2nd Iteration (2006): The Power of Reference Systems
3rd Iteration (2007): The Power of Forecasts
4th Iteration (2008): Science Maps for Economic Decision Makers
5th Iteration (2009): Science Maps for Science Policy Makers
6th Iteration (2010): Science Maps for Scholars
7th Iteration (2011): Science Maps as Visual Interfaces to Digital Libraries
8th Iteration (2012): Science Maps for Kids
9th Iteration (2013): Science Maps for Daily Science Forecasts
10th Iteration (2014): Telling Lies with Science Maps

Listen to a podcast about the project or see a short YouTube video clip :
YouTube Preview Image

Posted in New Materials, News & Events | No Comments »

Try media:scape at the Library

By: Dan Gjelten

Published on: Wednesday, October 20th, 2010

One of the goals for the UST Libraries is to introduce students to the kinds of technology that they may encounter as they graduate to the workplace (and the world) of the 21st century – an information and technology rich environment that requires a high level of “literacy” in the use of information as employees, parents, citizens and consumers.  As we evolve into a largely digital library, we are also creating spaces in our buildings for group work and collaboration, hallmarks of both learning and working in the new century.

mediascapeOur latest effort in this area is to provide a new kind of workspace for the UST community.  We’ve undertaken a trial installation of the “media:scape” product from Steelcase.  media:scape is a combination of furniture and technology that allows easy sharing of information in a small group.  Room 110 in the O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library is now (and for the next month) equipped to accommodate at least four users with laptops that can be linked to a large flat screen monitor.  Users can easily plug in their computers and view what is on their monitor on the large screen.  It is very easy to go from computer to computer, making the sharing of ideas very convenient.

 

If UST users (we invite students, faculty and staff to use the room) find this an effective solution for collaborative teaching, learning and working, we will consider equipping more group study spaces in the library in this way.

walkstationIn addition, we’ve installed a “Walkstation” in the OSF Library.  The Walkstation allows users to walk as they work – on a slow moving (2 mph) treadmill that allows the use of a computer at the same time.  There is research (most notably from the Mayo Clinic) that suggests that movement improves brain function, ease of learning and reduces anxiety and depression in addition to providing the physical benefits associated with physical activity.  Since scholarly work can be highly sedentary, we are curious to know whether providing this option in the library would be welcome as well as beneficial, both intellectually and physically.  The Walkstation will be in the library for the next few weeks and we invite anyone to give it a try. 

In both cases, we’ll be asking users to provide us with feedback on these new products.  Thank you for helping us as we re-imagine the library of the 21st century! 
(take the feedback survey if you’ve tried the product)

–Dan Gjelten, Director, UST Libraries

Posted in New Materials, News & Events, O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library | No Comments »

Research Guides Re-imagined

By: John Heintz

Published on: Monday, September 13th, 2010

Not sure how you can find those “peer-reviewed” articles your prof wants you to use in that research paper?  Don’t know where to find the definition of “heteroscedasticity” for that econometrics assignment? Trying to trace the first usage of ’Google’ as a verb? Wondering how the heck you’re supposed to find books on ‘Cosmopolitanism and the geopolitics of feminist rhetoric’?

Try the Libraries’ Research Guides!!

The Research Guides, accessible from the library home page or via this direct link are authored by our liaison librarians and will give you specific suggestions of appropriate sources (e.g. scholarly library subscription databases, book catalogs, vetted free web sites, etc.) by format, subtopic, etc. This summer, we completely rebuilt this portion of our website, using a new software product called Libguides.  The new system offers a number of advantages over the old web pages, including:

  • Tabbed layout for understandable organization and easy navigation (see screen shot below)
  • More engaging visual layout, easier integration of images, audio and video content
  • More dynamic content with automatically updated lists of new books, feeds of relevant news and article content, etc.
  • Easy access to your librarian’s contact info for follow-up, plus integrated chat reference service
  • Ability for users to comment on and rate the resources
  • Ability to be notified if changes are made to a guide

libguides_screenshot

 

Note to faculty members:

Many professors have linked to our old web pages on their Blackboard or other course web sites: if you have done so, please update them by finding the appropriate links from the subject listings.  You may also want to review our web page that demonstrates how to link a Research Guide to a Blackboard course.

Instructors wishing to have a new guide created to address research assignments in their specific courses, or who would like resources added to an existing guide should contact their Liaison Librarian for assistance.

Posted in Libraries, New Materials, News & Events | No Comments »

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