Off The Shelf

When you look at Databases A-Z you may think to yourself: there are so many databases, how do I know which one to pick?  At this moment there are 31 databases and tools linked on the list.  That’s a lot to look at.

So, do you just pick one and use it for every assignment, or do you start at the top and keep going until you’ve found what you need?  Of course not.  Each database has a unique collection of resources.  Knowing which databases to use for your particular research needs is something you’ll learn as you go through your program. 

Here are some tips to help you select a database:

• Look at the Audience and Description areas on the list.  This will help you decide if the database has the types of resources you want.

  

• Keep track of which databases worked well for past topics.  If you know what worked well in the past, you can use that information to choose a database for similar topics in the future. 
• Pick based on your Topic, not your degree program.  In Human Services but looking for information about non-profit management?  That’s actually a business topic.  You’ll want to use ABI/INFORM, a business database.
• Try multiple databases.  You may need to try two or three databases to find all the articles you need. 
• Ask A Librarian.  The Librarians selected these databases and search in them every day.  We can help you choose the best one based on your exact research needs.

–Erin

Are you trying to find your way around the new iGuide like we are? One thing that happened as part of the change was a totally updated Online Writing Center.

New resources include:

• Annotated Bibliography Guide
• Grammar
• Business and Technical Writing

And the old favorite are still there:

• APA Style and Formatting
• Undergraduate Writing Resources
• How to get your work published
• Academic Integrity and more

Also check out Writer’s Relief when you have done a little too much writing.

-KateP

Ebooks @ the Capella Library 

I know when I first heard about electronic books (ebooks) I thought why would I want to read a book on a computer screen? Yuck!

Well I have really “come around” in regards to ebooks, especially for academic work and here is why:

1. Immediate access to the book, it does not need to be checked out or returned and it is never overdue! 
2. You can search the entire text of a book for the words or concepts you want to find. In a print book you need to rely on the table of contents or index to find the part of the book that has the information on your topic.
3. Just  like print books you can electronically mark and highlight passages for later recall.
4. You can even create your own “bookshelf” with all of your favorite books.            

So how do you get to the over 65,000 ebooks in the Capella Library?

You start at the Databases A-Z link from the Library Web site. Our four electronic book databases are called ebrary, NetLibrary, PsycBOOKS and Credo Reference. Both ebrary and NetLibrary have books on many different subjects. PsycBOOKS has books that focus in the area of psychology, including the Encyclopedia of Psychology. Credo Reference has reference books such as encyclopedias and specialized dictionaries.

Again, we have about 65,000 ebooks, however remember if we don’t have a book in our ebook databases we can also get the print book for you through Interlibrary Loan.

So take a minute and check your topic of  interest in our one of our ebook collections! Of course as always if you have further questions on ebooks or any other library resource call 1-888-375-8221 or Ask A Librarian!

Robin

A new study from the National Endowment for the Arts called To Read or Not to Read: A Question of National Consequence was recently released.

Overall the report discusses the changes in reading over time both for teens and adults. The report also points out the strong evidence that the amount of reading (any reading, even for pleasure) increases academic progress.

I was specifically interested in a section titled, Why More Than Reading Is At Risk. Here are a few points from that section:

• Employers now rank reading and writing as top deficiencies in new hires.
• Good readers generally have more financially rewarding jobs
• Less advanced readers report fewer opportunities for career growth.

How much time do you spend reading? Do you find at your job that reading and writing are a major part?

-KateP

Reading on the go has been increasing in popularity. Mobile devices have become our communication and information portals as we bus to work and wait in line at the dry cleaners. I’ve met learners who download course readings and articles to their mobile devices for reading on the go. Well now Amazon.com has introduced a new e-reading product called Kindle.

The Amazon sale page for Kindle includes interviews with famous authors, such as Toni Morrison, Neil Gaiman, and James Patterson praising Kindle and it’s ease of use. Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO, stated at a news conference, “An interesting question is why are books the last bastion of analog” (source). Interesting question indeed as we’re facing the end of analog television, and cassette & VCR tapes are a distant memory.

But what kind of librarian would I be if I only provided one side of the story?! Check out what others are saying about the Kindle product with the linked news stories and blogs below.

CNET News Blog: Amazon debuts Kindle e-book reader

ZDNET Between the Lines blog – Hands on with the Kindle: This ugly duckling has potential

Levy, Steven (2007). The Future Of Reading :Amazon’s Jeff Bezos already built a better bookstore. Now he believes he can improve upon one of humankind’s most divine creations: the book itself.. Newsweek, 150(22), 54. Online for free (if this free link expires use Journal Locator to find the article in our library databases).

Forbes.com – Kindle Versus The iPhone

BoingBoing Gadgets – 15 Things I Just Learned About the Amazon Kindle

What do you think this means for reading on the go? Audiobooks have been immensely popular for years, but could mobile reading be the next big thing? Are ebooks the new MP3? If you have an opinion, chime in and comment!

~Sommer

PsycBOOKS added the following titles to its coverage list in October 2007. Of the titles added, 4 were APA books and 11 were designated classic books. Classic books are landmark titles in psychology and are selected by APA experts. (PsycBOOKS is available on the library’s Databases A-Z page.)

APA Books

1. Contributions toward evidence-based psychocardiology: A systematic review of the literature, by Jordan, Jochen (Ed); Bardé, Benjamin (Ed); Zeiher, Andreas Michael (Ed), © 2007

2. Educating the human brain, by Posner, Michael I.; Rothbart, Mary K., © 2007

3. Insight in psychotherapy, by Castonguay, Louis G. (Ed); Hill, Clara (Ed), © 2007

4. Shy children, phobic adults: Nature and treatment of social anxiety disorders 2nd ed.), by Beidel, Deborah C.; Turner, Samuel M., © 2007

Classic Books

1. Contemporary issues in comparative psychology, by Dewsbury, Donald A. (Ed), © 1990

2. Handbook of applied psychology (Vol 1), by Fryer, Douglas H. (Ed); Henry, Edwin R. (Ed), © 1950

3. Handbook of applied psychology (Vol 2), by Fryer, Douglas H. (Ed); Henry, Edwin R. (Ed), © 1950

4. A history of the association psychology, by Warren, Howard C., © 1921

5. Laboratory instrumentation in psychology, by Grings, William W., © 1954

6. Modern clinical psychology (5th ed.), by Richards, T. W., © 1946

7. Outlines for psychiatric examinations (3rd ed.), by Lewis, Nolan D. C., © 1943

8. The prediction of personal adjustment: A survey of logical problems and research techniques, with illustrative application to problems of vocational selection, school success, marriage, and crime, by Horst, Paul; Wallin, Paul (Col); Guttman, Louis (Col); Wallin, Frieda Brim (Col); Clausen, John A. (Col); Reed, Robert (Col); Rosenthal, Erich (Col), © 1941

9. Problems of installation in museums of art, by Melton, Arthur W., © 1935

10. Psychotherapy and the modification of abnormal behavior: An introduction to theory and research, by Strupp, Hans H., © 1971

11. Psychotherapy: Clinical, research, and theoretical issues, Strupp, Hans H., © 1973

– Erika

Of course!  We now have Business Source Complete, which has even more full text than the Premier version.  There are author profiles, country reports, company profiles, SWOT analyses, and thousands of peer-reviewed articles for you to access.  I’ll let Ebsco toot its own horn here for a moment:

“Journal ranking studies reveal that Business Source Complete is the overwhelmingly superior database for full text journals in all disciplines of business, including marketing, management, MIS, POM, accounting, finance and economics. ”
– Ebsco Publishing

Whew!  

How about a little Thanksgiving example of the extensive resources available at the click of a mouse . . .

There’s so much there that the biggest search problem you may face is narrowing your results to a manageable number.   But that’s why you can Ask a Librarian, of course.

–Erin

When learners get to the point in the dissertation stage where they have to pick their research methodology, we often get a flurry of tests and measures questions.

The biggest misconception I hear is that people think they can just find the survey questions, get IRB approval and start handing the tests out to their study subjects.  They don’t realize that tests and surveys fall under intellectual property protections, so getting to the “using” surveys stage is a much longer process than they thought.

There are actually three stages before you can use a test or measure for your dissertation:

1)      IDENTIFY the test/survey.  That’s where our Mental Measurements database comes in handy.  If you type in a simple subject like “stress” it will offer you the names, reviews and contact information for a variety of tests on that topic.

2)      LOCATE the complete test/survey.  The next step, after you find out the name of potential items, is to locate the full-text of the questions.  This can be difficult, since tests might be only published in one obscure book or remain unpublished entirely.  Ideally, Mental Measurements should have publisher contact information.  However, if it doesn’t, our library guide to Finding Tests and Survey Instruments might help.  Inside, the University of Texas link works especially well.  Note: if nothing else pans out, you might have to contact the author directly.

3)      GET PERMISSION to use or else PURCHASE the tests.  This is the step that is most often overlooked, yet can get you in the most trouble if you ignore.  If the test/survey you want is formally published, you simply need to work with the publisher to purchase or license the number of items necessary to your study.  (Warning: This can add up $ fast.)  Otherwise, you need to find out who owns the work, in order to get written permission.  See your mentor if you have additional questions.  The APA has an excellent website on the proper use of psychological tests.  We also have e-books on the same topics, so feel free to ask a librarian for specific resources.
 

With all of that dry material, I feel like I should include something fun.  This was from the PsycGRAD listserv today, so if you know anybody like this, pass along the alert:

gradPSYCH magazine is looking for newlywed students and early career psychologists who pulled off the tremendous feat of planning their  wedding/commitment ceremony and managing their graduate school work simultaneously! We want to hear how you did it and whether you would do it again. Or maybe you considered it and decided to wait. Also, how did you deal with name changes on your degree and licensure documentation?

E-mail gradPSYCH reporter Amy Cynkar at acynkar@apa.org if you’re willing to share your story.

 – Erika

The Capella Library has just recently added the CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature) database. This database is the definitive research tool for individuals doing research in the nursing and allied health information fields. The allied health information fields includes such areas as emergency services, health information management, occupational and physical therapy. You can access this new database through the Databases A-Z link on the Library web site.

This database has the familiar EBSCOhost search interface that many of our databases share. Like most of our databases, it allows you to click a box to limit your results to only peer-reviewed journals. It also will do most of the APA formatting for you when you  print, email, save or export your citation and article.

In addition to the index you have access to 520 full text journals. Many articles will have the full text of the article available. If it is not available, you can place an Interlibrary Loan request and we will get the article for you from another library. Just click the Interlibrary Loan link from the Library web site.

If you need help using CINAHL or any of the library databases please click the Ask-A-Librarian link on the Library  web site or call us at 1-888-375-8221. Let us know what you think of this new resource!

Robin

Have you tried CQ Researcher yet? CQ Researcher is one of our newly added Library databases and it contains comprehensive, unbiased reports on important issues. The reports have a bunch of cool components, such as a timeline outlining the history of the issue, a pro/con section arguing both sides of the issue, citations to additional resources for further research, and much more. It also will link to other related reports.

CQ Researcher has several searching options. You can do a quick search with keywords or phrases or you can try the “browse topics” or “issue tracker” to drill down to reports on a particular topic.

All you need to do to access CQ Researcher is head over to Databases A-Z, which features the complete list of subscribed databases.

~Sommer