Monthly Archives: August 2018

Ames Library’s Stephanie Davis-Kahl Makes Reading List

Posted by on August 30, 2018 1 comment

Earlier this month, Credo profiled “4 Essential Summer Reads for Librarians” on their blog. Second on the list? The Ames Library’s own Scholarly Communications librarian Stephanie Davis-Kahl with her co-edited book Undergraduate Research and the Academic Librarian: Case Studies and Best Practices. Says Credo:

This edited volume contains over 50 contributions on how academic libraries can plan new services and resources, and collaborate across departments to support new modes of research including the creation of undergraduate journals, managing data services, or organizing undergraduate research conferences. These activities can be considered high-impact practices to support student success and retention as well.

Whether you’re a librarian or an undergraduate research yourself, you’re sure to find this book helpful. To read it, drop by Archives and Special Collections on the 4th Floor and ask for call number Z682.4.C63 U534 2017!

Exploring Ames: Center for Resource Libraries

Posted by on August 22, 2018 No comments

As a Titan, one of the many electronic resources that you have free access to is the Center for Research Libraries. This international consortium of libraries makes available “approximately five million newspapers, journals, books, pamphlets, dissertations, archives, government publications, and other resources” from areas which include “Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, Central, South and Southeast Asia, North America, and Europe.” (Source.) You also have access to physical CRL collections through interlibrary loan.

If you’re not quite sure where to start, CRL provides topic guides to give you a boost. For example, if your research area is South Asian studies, you can find complete runs of Indian, Sri Lankan, and Nepalese newspapers on microfilm. CRL’s digital resources include periodicals and pamphlets from the 1848 French Revolution and Chinese “street literature” from the earliest days of Mao Zedong’s newly formed republic.

Still feeling overwhelmed by this amazing resource? Ask a librarian! We’re always happy to help guide you to the materials that you need to get started on your research, whether you’re a first-year student or longstanding faculty member.

Calling All Poli-Sci and Pre-Law Enthusiasts: HeinOnline

Posted by on August 20, 2018 No comments

One of the things that we do periodically at The Ames Library is test out new resources to see whether they’re good fits for our collection. And you have a part to play in this! Yes, you. We need your opinion before we commit to databases like HeinOnline, which we have a trial subscription to until October 31st this year.

So what’s HeinOnline? We’re glad you asked.

HeinOnline is the world’s largest fully searchable, image-based government document and legal research database. It contains comprehensive coverage from inception of both U.S. statutory materials, U.S. Congressional Documents and more than 2,500 scholarly journals, all of the world’s constitutions, all U.S. treaties, collections of classic treatises and presidential documents, and access to the full text of state and federal case law powered by Fastcase. This Government, Politics & Law HeinOnline’s database package offers special collections on Criminal Justice, Religion and the Law and Women and the Law among others.

Their discrete databases include Gun Regulation and Legislation in America, John F. Kennedy Assassination Collection, Pentagon Papers, and Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture & Law.

If you’re majoring in Political Science or Pre-Law, or if your research is centered on politics or law, you’ll definitely want to check HeinOnline out. Please help us out by taking ten minutes to explore HeinOnline to see if you’re interested in having the library subscribe to it on a more permanent basis. If so, leave a comment or email us at askames@iwu.edu!