Tag Archives: Research & Instruction

Hey Students! Try Our WT Workshop on Research & Zotero

Are you working on a senior thesis or starting a big research project? Drowning in journal articles and books, but not sure how to keep track of them all? Let us help you with the next stage of your journey as a power researcher in our Winter Term workshop “Zotero and Beyond: Power Research Tips for Student Researchers.” You’ll see how the research process is itself a way of synthesizing your findings and mapping out next steps. By the time you leave, you’ll be an expert in Zotero, the citation management tool that can help you save, organize, and cite your sources, and you’ll encounter a variety of note-taking strategies and see the ways that developing personalized research routines can jump-start you into the writing process.

Wednesday, Jan 7, 2015 from 4:15pm-6:45pm
Non-credit workshop, $5
Pizza provided!
Register at go/wtw/

Webinar on “Strategies for Pizazz”

On Monday afternoon Richard Jenkins and Hans attended a one hour webinar on “Strategies for Pizazz: Rebuilding One-Shots into Engaging Instruction Sessions” and here is the link to the 28 slides in the PowerPoint presentation that were used during the webinar: http://www.slideshare.net/trishaprevett/prevett-rusa-strategies-for-pizazz

The webinar is built on the success of the presenter’s article in C&RL  News, “Razzle and dazzle’em,” which  is available free on the ALA website and can be found on the internet at   http://crln.acrl.org/content/74/6/317.full .    Prevett’s LibGuides webpage on The Successful Research Process is available online at http://nova.campusguides.com/researchsteps and includes some useful and interesting content that might be worth emulating.

Let Hans know if you are interested in a summary of the audio portion of the webinar.

New Citation & Style Research Guide

Librarians at Middlebury have been creating research guides for many years, originally publishing them in print and then migrating to online platforms. Online guides have also changed format as new software has been developed. (see go/guides)

go_guides

This summer we began a subscription to LibGuides by Springshare, which is used by many libraries throughout the world. This robust interface will allow us to be more flexible, and it enables us to create guides that are more user-friendly through the use of tabs and other navigational elements.

go_citation_cropped

 

Though it will take us most of Fall semester to migrate all of our current guides, here’s one available right now: the Citation & Style Guide (go/citation), which helps students correctly cite sources and create bibliographies. It also contains a section on writing and plagiarism, including a link to the new Academic Honesty Tutorial recently developed by the College’s Honor Code Review Committee.

Check it out, and feel free to give us feedback!

Reference (or, Research!) Desk Revived

Based on the findings of an assessment we did last spring (thanks to all students who answered our survey questions!), we’ve decided to use the Reference Desk again. This is the tall desk on the main level of the Davis Family Library, near the walk-up computers. Don’t get used to the name though. We’re changing it! We’re also stretching to increase our hours of coverage. When students work with us, they come back. But some students don’t think of us in the first place. We’re trying to make it easier for all students to ask us for help. (Note: We often have candy!)

Librarians are now available at the Research Desk. Please bring your research questions to us! Does the library have any movies in Spanish? How should I cite this web page? I’m writing a paper on [insert your topic here]… We know what to do!

Hours:
Monday-Wednesday: 11-5 and 7-10 pm
Thursday: 11-5 pm
Friday: 11-4 pm
Sunday: 1-5 and 7-10 pm

At any time you can always Ask a Librarian! (go/askus)

Ask a Librarian

Two New Civil War Collections Won for Special Collections

Erastus Hibbard Phelps Collection

The winning bid on the Archive of Civil War paymaster Erastus Hibbard Phelps, Middlebury Class of 1861, was made at auction by Andy Wentink, Curator of Special Collections & Archives. The archive was one among nearly 350 lots of American History, including Civil War, materials offered by Cowan’s Auctions in Cincinnati, OH, last Friday morning, December 2. The Phelps Archive comprises 334 letters, 4 diaries (3 from Civil War years), 2 bound volumes including a photo album containing portraits of graduates of the Middlebury Class of 1861, many of which are inscribed to Phelps. The archive also includes two photos of Phelps previous to his years at Middlebury, his paymaster sidearm (a Colt 1851 Navy 36 caliber pistol), what is believed to be his sheepskin winter jacket worn on duty, and a leather documents trunk carried during his service.

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“Behind the Scenes: A Window into History” features Special Collections

Behind the Scenes: A Window into History created by Sara Marshall, Stephen Diehl, and Brendan Mahoney ’11, of College Communications for the online edition of Middlebury Magazine.  We’re very pleased with and honored by the film.