Archive for October, 2013

An exciting day at the Library!

Materials are moving in to the new University Archives and Special Collections space at Cowles Library. The new, 6,000 sq. ft. area includes a large climate-controlled storage unit for archival preservation. Special Collections materials — which include artifacts from Drake’s history and many rare and unique documents and items — have been scattered throughout the Library in file cabinets, boxes and “piles o’ stuff.” The new area will also hold the papers of Senator Tom Harkin and be the site of a mass digitization project for the papers of Iowa Governor Robert Ray. Not everything will move today, but it’s an important milestone for the Library and Drake University. Here’s a few pictures:

Workmen from Siddall Moving are handling the heavy work of moving fully loaded file cabinets.

Many archival materials are stored in special, acid-free boxes.

Archives/Special Collections staff members Claudia Frazer and Kathy Lincoln evaluate some of the many ‘non-print’ items in the Archives.

Kathy Lincoln, Digital Metadata Specialist and Kevin Protzmann, student assistant and a senior majoring in History & Politics, examine some of the archival materials newly moved into University Archives and Special Collections.

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Last year Interlibrary Loan ordered over 8600 requests for its users. Of those requests 40% were for graduate students, 45% for undergraduate students, and 27% for faculty and staff.

We want to help you find what you need in your research through Interlibrary Loan or GET IT NOW. To help us make improvements, we have a 5 minute survey.

Open Access Week 2013

October 21-25 is Open Access Week!

What is Open Access? It is a movement to provide some academic materials to users with no fee. It applies to all subject areas, all types and formats of publications. Materials acquired (usually online) for free may be freely shared with other people.

Why? Because distributing materials as Open Access allows more scholars to use the materials (and cite them) and then go on to create more well-informed projects. Often, a writer may use content from an Open Access source in a new publication, without paying hefty copyright fees. Currently, subscriptions to non-open academic journals and online database cost universities many thousands of dollars.

What about copyright? An Open Access publication is still protected by copyright. The author chooses what level of enforcement they prefer. For example, some authors approve of allowing strangers to duplicate their document or video for use in a class or in corporate training. Others request that their permission is granted for such activities. Some authors dedicate their new creations to the public domain. The level of access granted is often found in the “fine print” associated with the publication.

What about licensing? Many Open Access publications are licensed through Creative Commons. Creative Commons provides free, legally binding licenses for people wishing to share their materials freely online, but with a few restrictions. Their motto is “Some Rights Reserved”. Creators may choose to allow duplication, derivative works, or commercial use – or not. Several variations are possible. See their web site at creativecommons.org.

Where do I find Open Access materials? There are several ways to find Open Access materials. First, search Google with the words “Open Access” and your subject area. Next, search for journals at the Database of Open Access Journals, www.doaj.org. Another source is the Creative Commons searcher, which allows you to select what level of permitted use you prefer with the documents you find. search.creativecommons.org/. For Open Access scholarship from Drake University, go to collections.library.drake.edu/escholarshare-2/ EscholarShare always welcomes new contributions from Drake University faculty, staff, and students.

October 2013 Newsletter

Cowles Library’s October/November 2013 Newsletter is now available at http://newsletter.library.drake.edu

SuperSearch Changes Coming

EBSCO will be making a number of interface enhancements to SuperSearch and EBSCOhost databases at the end of October (on or after Oct. 29th), and they’ve given us a preview. Many of these changes were driven by users asking EBSCO to simplify the results display and make more results available on the first screen.

Click on the image to the right for a larger view of the following:

“Add a Row” has been replaced with +/-.
Number of records returned by the search appears directly above the Results List; page navigation relocated to the bottom below the results.
The “Preview” and “Folder” icons move to align together to the right side of the column, maintaining a consistent location. Publication type icons now appear below the title.
Expand/Collapse controls move to the outside corners (includes right column).
Catalog and institutional repository links now appear in the Full Text link area.
Publisher names will be displayed, in lieu of Source.

In addition, and not necessarily shown in the preview image:

Updated styling, including the font, allows for additional display space.
Selecting a Limiter, such as Full Text, will immediately update the Results List without the need to click an “Update” button.
Preview hover is now centered inside the screen.
Addition of access to relevant eBook pages from the Search Results list for titles in your collection.

Access to SuperSearch and EBSCOhost databases will not be interrupted during the upgrade.

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Survey

The Interlibrary Loan (ILL) office is conducting a survey of its users. We want to know how to better serve you. Please click on the link below and answer a few questions to give us feedback.

The survey is at: http://drake.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_9AocrMJFtq1lcBn