reference databases

reference databases

One Stop Searching

One Stop Searching

, Library Resources, Matt Dilworth, Research
Last week, we showed you the incredible new interlibrary loan system we’re rolling out. But that isn’t the only change we’re implementing this summer. Now, looking for any library resource will be a lot easier. We’re debuting the EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) – a type of meta-search engine that looks through every library database at once. EBSCO is the maker of about a third of our databases, including ones you’ve probably used like Academic Search Premier, Business Source Complete, and CINAHL. The format and layout of the new EDS tool matches those databases, so if you’ve used one, you already know what you’re doing. And we’ve placed it prominently, so it’s easy to find. There’s a search box right on … Continued
Looking for Your MUSE?

Looking for Your MUSE?

, Library Resources, Matt Dilworth
In the study of humanities and literature, there are a lot of standout databases. MLA International Bibliography, ProQuest Language and Literature, and JSTOR are all great databases that any English or humanities student is likely to have used. But there’s one newcomer amongst them that might be particularly useful to you as final papers and projects come due this semester. The Project MUSE Humanities Collection – provided jointly by the School of Humanities and Social Science and the Library – offers hundreds of thousands of articles and ebooks in topic areas across the humanities, from Creative Writing to History to Literature. There’s a strong international focus, too. And unlike most databases, it focuses on journals published by university presses and … Continued
INSPIRE-ational

INSPIRE-ational

, , Library Resources, Matt Dilworth
At IU East, we advocate strongly for using the best, most trustworthy sources for your scholarship. And we have loads of great academic databases designed to do just that, linking you to reliable, vetted content that hasn’t been twisted by the vacuous, editor-free and repetitive fluff that makes up the bulk of the free web. But after you graduate, where will get the same trustworthy and authoritative information? If you live in the state of Indiana (as most of our graduates do), the answer is INSPIRE. Provided by the Indiana State Library, anyone with an Indiana IP address can access dozens of databases freely. This deeply benefits public and school libraries across the state, and the ISL’s negotiations help subsidize … Continued
Digging up Great Things

Digging up Great Things

, Library Resources, Matt Dilworth, Programs
Retired anthropology professor Rob Tolley and his wife Nancy have long been dedicated to IU East, creating many opportunities for students in the decades he spent teaching. His field trips to Utah to give firsthand experience in surface surveying and classes in prehistory and Southwestern literature are still fondly remembered. But they have been active in supporting IU East since his retirement, as well, and are donating $50,000 to help fund an archaeological methodology lab. To be located in the woods east of campus, it will allow students the hands-on opportunity to perform their own digs. The artifacts will be simulated – pig skeletons, burned and buried structures, and ceramics crafted by IU East art students – but the experience … Continued
Mergers

Mergers

, Library Resources, Matt Dilworth
In late June, ProQuest, one of our largest suppliers of scholarly databases, purchased Alexander Street Press, which is particularly strong on primary sources, music, and video. Some of the many ASP databases IU East uses include VAST, a multidisciplinary video collection, Black Thought and Culture, North American Immigrant Letters and Diaries, Women and Social Movements, Underground and Independent Comics, American Film Scripts, Oral History Online, and Twentieth Century North American Drama. So, there is a lot that we use that will probably look a bit different by next year. In fact, the vast majority of academic library resources at IU East come from one of two vendors – the EBSCO corporation or ProQuest. In many ways, this is great news. … Continued