Library resources for activists

Library E2 classroom, March 7 12:30-1:30

Knowledge is Power: Library Resources for Activists
Social structures hide points of resistance and rupture, and libraries are no different. This research workshop with Emily will discuss strategies for cracking the library code find the range of information necessary for political work, from activist theory to relevant data.

Research consultation request glitch

We have just heard word that there may have been a glitch in our research consultation processing system during the early part of last week. If you submitted a request using our online form the week of February 12th and haven't heard from one of us, please re-submit your request.

You should receive a response regarding your consultation request within 24 hours (48 hours on the weekends). If you don't hear from us, please let us know at x2225 or via email at reference@slc.edu.

Doing it Write: Library Resources for Creative Writers

Writers often have the toughest research problems, from avoiding anachronism to getting the science right. Maria will introduce time-tested tools for quickly solving the kinds of research problems that confront the creative writer.

The workshop will be held on Wednesday, February 28 in the library classroom E2 from 3-4 PM. If you have any questions, or if you can't make it but would like some information about this topic, please contact Maria at x2225 or at maccardi@slc.edu. Hope to see you there!

It's not too late to take the SLC Library survey!

We've gotten a great response so far, but we would like to hear from even more of you. The last day to respond to the survey is March 2, 2007. Please take a few moments in the next week to tell us what you think about the library and its services.

Thanks very much for your time!

Please click here to take the survey.

Annual Library Survey--Let Your Voice Be Heard!

Let your voice be heard! Please take the annual Sarah Lawrence College Library survey. Your comments and feedback are important to us. We will carefully consider your input and make improvements and changes wherever possible. All survey responses are anonymous. Please click this link to take the survey. The survey will be active from February 16 through March 2, so please take a moment during the next two weeks to tell us what you think. Thanks!

Granger's World of Poetry Online

Have you ever been frustrated by trying to track down the text of a poem, but all you can remember are a few words from it, and you don't have a clue who the poet is or what the title is? Are you wondering where you could look to find the full text of a poem?

Here is the solution to your poetry searching needs. I am so excited to announce the addition of a new database to our collection of electronic resources. We now subscribe to Granger's World of Poetry Online, a searchable index of poetry. You can access Granger's from the link in the previous sentence; you can also get to it through our Databases A-Z page if you coming in from off-campus.

Granger's is a tool that will help you track down where poems appear in print. For example, if I want to know where I could find Harryette Mullen's poem "Drinking Mojitos in Cuba Libre," I can search that poem title in Granger's, and it will tell me that it appears in a book called Rainbow Darkness: An Anthology of African American Poetry. I then do a search in the library catalog for that anthology title to see if we have it--and we do!--so this means that I can grab the book of the shelf and find that poem.

You can also use Granger's to find the title of a poem if all you can remember are a few words from it. If I wanted to figure out what poem it is that contains the phrase "imaginary gardens with real toads in them," I could do a search for those words and learn that this is from the poem "Poetry" by Marianne Moore, and I can even read the full text of the poem linked right there.

Granger's also provide the electronic full-text for 210,000 poems right there within the database. Granger's includes other helpful features, such a glossary of poetic terminology, critical contexts to help you understand the context in which the poem is situated, and biographical information about the poet.

Granger's is a great resource for anyone studying literature or creative writing. If you have any questions about using Granger's, please give us a call at x2225, or email Maria, or request a research consultation.

Reminder: Primary Source Workshop

Drag yourself up that icy hill for today's research workshop focused on using primary resources!

12:30 p.m. -- Library E2 classroom
First Things First: Finding Primary Sources -- Looking for primary sources can be the heart and heartbreak of serious research. How do we even begin? Emily will introduce basic primary source research strategies using a variety of print and electronic tools. Come with questions, frustrations, and confusions and leave with answers! Contact edrabinski@slc.edu with any questions.

Research consultation reminder

Last semester, Emily, Carl, and Maria worked with over 150 of you on research projects ranging from the economics of oil in Venezuela to the representation of drug use in popular film. It's the best part of our jobs, and we hope you'll stop by and take advantage of us!

Would you like to set up a consultation with a reference librarian? Call us at x2225, email us at reference@slc.edu, stop by the office and say hello (we're just behind the circulation desk--come on back!), or fill out a research consultation form. We can't wait to meet you!

ScienceDirect Trial!

Attention all science students! We are running a one-month trial of Elsevier's ScienceDirect database, starting today. Get full-text access to 1800 titles in Elsevier's collections. This database would represent an enormous enhancement of the library's full-text collections in the sciences. We would love to hear your feedback. The librarians are thrilling at the prospect of giving the campus access to this product, and hope our excitement is catching!

You'll find a link to ScienceDirect on the Databases A-Z page. We hope you'll give the database a go between now and the start of March, and share your comments either here on the library news blog, or by email to reference@slc.edu.

Finding Primary Sources

First Things First: Finding Primary Sources

Looking for primary sources can be the heart and heartbreak of serious research. How do we even begin? Emily will introduce basic primary source research strategies using a variety of print and electronic tools. Come with questions, frustrations, and confusions and leave with answers! Wednesday February 14th at 12:30 in the E2 classroom. Contact Emily at edrabinski@slc.edu or x2225 with any questions.

Why Libraries Matter

In this age of advancing technology and digitization, librarians often find themselves defending and justifying their existence and the existence of the library itself. A common myth that we battle against is the belief that the library and librarians are obsolete because we have the internet, and everything is on the internet, right?

Wrong!

Here is a great list of 33 reasons why librarians and libraries are important and necessary. I think points #3, #23, #24, #30, #31, and #32 are among the most compelling. What do you think of this list? Do you agree or disagree with any of these arguments?

Turn Out the Lights

The UN releases a report on the status of climate change today in Paris. Environmental groups are asking people all over the world to turn off their lights and other appliances for five minutes to signal the importance of changing course. In New York, the turn-off time is 1:55pm to 2:00pm. We in the library will be turning off our lights, and encourage others to do the same.