Talking in the Library

Short Cuts: Who You Gonna Ask? A Librarian!

One of the best things about being a student at K-State is that you have an enormous support network. K-State has an army of people whose main focus is answering your questions, giving you advice, and helping you find solutions to tricky problems. Now matter what you need --- whether legal advice, financial aid assistance, tutoring help, career guidance, counseling, medical help, computer help, or help with a zillion other things --- there is a place to contact for assistance at K-State (for a partial list, see K-State's Find Help website).

K-State Libraries is a vital component of this army of helpers. Our role is to help you learn how to find whatever information you need or desire, whether it be for your papers, presentations, projects, personal life, or just for your enjoyment. If you need to find sources for a paper on the causes of homelessness and have no idea where to start - ask us. If you need to find peer-reviewed articles but have no idea where to start - ask us. If you are trying to track down a particular video - ask us. While we specialize in helping students and researchers find high quality articles, government documents, data, images, videos, sound recordings, websites, and archives, we will gladly do our best to help you no matter what question you have.

We provide live assistance 82 hours per week (see our schedule) during the Fall and Spring semesters and give you five different ways to reach us: in-person, online chat, phone, text message, or e-mail. All of these options are listed on K-State Libraries' Ask a Librarian page, which is linked from our homepage. In addition, we have created a frequently asked questions knowledge base that you can search anytime. It can be found on the left side of the Ask a Librarian page. Even with this nuimber of hours and that many ways to reach us, it may come as a surprise to you that we answered more than 34,000 questions last year.

Why is that number so high? Part of the reason is that the information universe can be tricky to navigate. Another part though, is that we strive to provide friendly, high-quality assistance. We take helping you seriously. It is what we are all about. So, if you have a question and don't know who to call, call us --- even if it is about fighting ghosts!

 
retrieved from Flickr Creative Commons by Thoth, God of Knowledge

Jason Coleman

Do I need a library card?

All K-State students, faculty, and staff automatically have a library card that you can use in any library at K-State--your K-State ID!

Yes, the same handy bit of plastic that will let you pay for a coffee in the Union, launder your clothes in the residence halls, define your lats at the Rec, print in the computer labs, and a few dozen other handy tasks, is your ticket to borrowing materials from the over 2 million items in the K-State Libraries collections.

With your K-State ID in hand, you can check out materials your instructor placed on Reserve for your class. You can check out films like When the Levees Broke, a documentary about Hurricane Katrina. And don't forget the other 2 million items in our collection. Whether for classes, research, or fun, we're guaranteed to have something that will interest you!

After you've checked out something at least once from a help desk in any of our libraries, you can use the self-checkout machines in Hale Library. There are two located on 2nd floor, one by the entrance/exit gates and one by Library Help. Both make cool "Bing!" noises like Bejewelled. And I'll be honest, I use the self-checkout machines for the noises. With your K-State ID and the self-checkout machines, you don't have to wait in line and you can checkout materials at 3:00 a.m., when all the library staff is tucked away, asleep in our beds.

Short Cuts: Your Top Ten Questions, Answered!

Welcome to K-State! And, for our returners: Welcome back to K-State!

You may not know this, but at K-State Libraries, we're psychic. Here, I'll prove it. I bet during these first days of class you've wondered:

Does the library have my textbook?

How do I print in Hale so I can get my syllabus for class?

Was I right? I was? Sweet!

Ok, true confession, everyone at K-State Libraries is probably not psychic. But, we have noticed a similarity in the questions students ask at the beginning of the semester. Those were two of the top ten questions we answer in August. Click on them, and you'll be taken to the answer.

The other eight questions? Here you go:

I have this call number. Where do I find the book?

How late is the building open?

Can I check out laptops here?

Where are the restrooms in Hale?

Why can't I print with my eID?

The printer says that there are two users on my ID card. What do I do?

How can I check out reserves items?

Do you have quiet study floors?

Didn't see your question here? Don't worry, you can always search for your specific question using our Ask a Librarian page to see if your question has already been answered. And if not, simply ask us --- we have five ways you can do that --- IM us, call us, text us, email us, or visit us for more personalized assistance.

We may not be psychic, but at least with our Ask a Librarian tool and our years of experiencing the first week of the semester over and over again, we can more easily anticipate your questions!

Short Cuts: Welcome Students! K-State Libraries Look Forward to a Great Semester!

Welcome back, or, welcome newcomers! Like you, the folks at K-State Libraries have pretty much had our fill of summer projects, summer heat, and summer slowdown. We're ready for the seasonal shift that begins here in late August, with an uptake in activities, traffic, and --- best of all --- interactions with students, staff, and faculty getting ready for the new academic year.

Information Oasis (retrieved from the K-State Libraries Flickr)

Watch for our outdoor Information Oasis, where you can ask our library staff directions, quick questions, and during certain hours, grab a bottle of water. Find us on the sidewalk west of Hale August 20 to 23. If you're new to campus, come inside and have a look around during the first week of classes. No matter where you are located on campus, there is probably a K-State Library nearby.

In addition to Hale Library, the main library, there are also four other K-State Libraries on the Manhattan campus --- Paul Weigel Library of Architecture, Planning & Design in Seaton Hall in the southern part of campus near the Student Union, Veterinary Medical Library in Trotter Hall at the north end, and Fiedler Engineering Library and Math/Physics Library stretching across the middle.

Even without walking in the doors of any of our Libraries, you can still get acquainted with our Ask a Librarian service using the online chat window, or by emailing, phoning, or texting us. No question is too great or too small to launch an inquiry.

Movies on the Grass (photo attributed to Ellen Urton, K-State Libraries)

K-State Libraries are rolling out the welcome also with the annual Movies on the Grass film and discussion series, beginning this Sunday August 28 at sundown (shortly after 8pm) on Coffman Commons, the lawn just south of Hale Library. Those of you who read Zeitoun by Dave Eggers, the K-State Book Network's 2011-2012 common reading book, won't want to miss this first film, "Trouble the Water" about another family's experiences of Hurricane Katrina. Even if you haven't read it, come see the film and meet new people!

Even if you've been at K-State before, join a short tour of Hale Library --- our calendar lists them for you. You'll find locations of some of the collections have changed, new resources are available, and you can start your plan of attack in researching information long before deadlines loom.

Are you ready? So are we!

Donna Schenck-Hamlin

Short Cuts: Ready? Set? The School Year is Almost Here!

In only a few short days, Kansas State University will welcome thousands of students back to campus for another thrilling school year.

Here at K-State Libraries, we can’t be more excited! Students, K-State Libraries sincerely missed your questions, animated group work, and quiet study this past summer. We hope you had a relaxing vacation, because ours sure was busy! We’re ready to answer your questions and help you delve into research and homework assignments. But we’re not running headlong toward the semester without a gameplan. We’re armed with new gadgets, geared with innovative ideas, and waiting for you in a building that’s had a little work done and is looking good. Stay tuned this semester to take advantage of all of our new improvements at K-State Libraries!

So now you know that K-State Libraries are excited to see all you students again, but what are you excited about? Whether you are brand new to K-State or a seasoned veteran, leave a comment at the bottom of this article and let us know what you are looking forward to. Taking an interesting class? Joining a new student group, sorority, or fraternity? Studying abroad? Or finally decided that this will be the year you conquer an all-night study session in the library with pizza and friends? Leave a comment and let us know!

Introducing RefWorks 2.0

RefWorks users may notice something a little different when logging into RefWorks starting today. The colors are bright and shiny. Buttons and links are slightly reorganized. You can see your folder listed at the right side of the screen (and hide them if you want!).

The vast majority of changes are simply to the interface. You should notice:

• A new orange and blue color scheme.
• When you edit a ciation, add a new references, create folders and such a new, small window will appear in front of your original screen. Do your work, save it, X out of the small window and you're back to where you started.
• You can see a list of your folders on the right hand side of the screen. There are also links to tutorials and your account statistics in the same bar. If you want more working space on your screen, you can click an arrow and "close" the bar

One new function you may love: subfolders! Use the Create Folder button to create folders and subfolders. It's fun for the whole family.

You can revert to RefWorks Classic by clicking on the link in the upper right corner of the screen. RefWorks Classic will be available through 2011.

Write-N-Cite remains the same, although we've heard that they're working on new versions for Windows and Macs!

If you have about 5 minutes, here's a quick introduction to the new interface.

We will be offereing RefWorks classes this semester if you're looking for a refresher or are new to RefWorks.

Short Cuts: Prepare for the fall semester with these free apps for your mobile device!

The fall semester is fall approaching. But it's not time to hide under your bed in fear of lectures, tests, and research papers. It's time to arm yourself with an arsenal of the best educational tools out there to guarantee you a successful semester!

EasyBib (iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad)

Remember that awesome easy citation maker, easybib.com, that we librarians always mention in Expos and Public Speaking Library Days because it creates free MLA style citations? Well, hold on to your hat because EasyBib just got easier when you need the citation for a book thanks to an app for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. Use this app to scan the barcode of a book and it automatically creates and imports the citation --- no typing necessary! If all the caffeine you're hyped up on from a night of paper-writing won't let you keep your hand still long enough to scan the book, then simply use the app to search for the book title. Choose the correct one---and voila!---you have an automatic citation in MLA, APA, or Chicago style. Easily manage your citations from your mobile device or use the email option to send them to yourself. So, for those iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad users out there, take advantage of this easier EasyBib product. Unfortunately, there is not yet a version for the Android phone, so you'll have to settle for just plain easy EasyBib.

iTranslate (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, and Android)

Planning to study abroad in Spain, Greece, or Sweden for a semester? Or do you call Germany, Japan, or Korea home, and are studying abroad here at K-State? Wherever you are or where ever you're from, iTranslate is a free app that can help you with an language barrier you encounter. This app will translate difficult words, phrases, and sentences in more than 50 languages at the moment you need help. You will not only see the translated word or phrase, but you can also hear it using the app's speaker feature. Having trouble communicating something to a speaker of another language? Just type the original phrase in, click translate, and show the other person the translate version if you're not comfortable speaking it yourself. From Arabic to Hindi and from Polish to Romanian, explore a new language as you explore new cultures.

Evernote (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, and Android)

Are you a learner that doodles on their notes, making diagrams and flowcharts to visualize your professor's lecture? If so, then this app is for you. You are not only able to collect notes for your classes, but you can also add and create photo and audio notes. All text within photos is automatically searchable. You can also create notebooks, and attach descriptions, tags, and geo-location information to notes for easy searching. Sign up for a free account with www.evernote.com to automatically sync your notes with another computer or any online location. Evernote gives you the potential to create more in-depth and interactive notes for your courses, as well as the ability to augment your physical world with your personal thoughts and ideas.

Flashcardlet (iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad)

Tired of carrying stacks of index cards to learn the names of the elements on the periodic table? With this free app, Flashcardlet, you don't have to! Customize, save, and manage your personal flashcards, as well as download and store up to three flashcard decks from free access and pre-existing flashcard decks on Quizlet.com and more. An alternative for an Android phone would be AnkiDroid flashcards or StudyDroid Flashcards 2.0.

SimpleMind+ (iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad)

Have a million thoughts running through your head for that research paper or class project? Sometimes it helps to just put it all down on paper... or your mobile device. SimpleMind+ is a mind mapping app that helps you create a visual web of ideas. Extremely simple to use and visually appealing with options to use different styles and add color to your diagram, this free app is not only fun to use, but may actually be useful for organizing your research paper, taking notes during a lecture, or arranging a presentation.

And if these apps don't give you the help you're looking for, just bookmark the K-State Libraries mobile website --- http://m.lib.k-state.edu/ --- to search our catalog, peruse our databases, and use Ask-A-Librarian for personalized services.

Try these out and let us know what you think by leaving a comment below. Is there a cool free app out there that we missed? We'd love to hear what free app you can't survive the school semester without!

Short Cuts: Share the Last Days of Summer with K-State Libraries

Even though most students may be away from K-State over the summer, K-State Libraries and its staff and student workers are still roaming the floors. We’ve been here all summer and we’re happy to help those who have also stuck around the area for summer classes, summer jobs, or summer fun.

Here’s what some of our staff think about spending the summer days in K-State Libraries.

"I love the summer construction. This remodeling is like plastic surgery, botox, and liposuction all rolled into one. By fall, I’m going to look 50 years younger!" - Hale Library

"I love the relative calm and lack of crowds during the summer in Hale. It is easy to find computers and study spaces or to just gather at a table to catch up with friends." - Jason Coleman

"People coming to the help desk are often much less hurried and willing to stop and chat, which can help us on staff get good information and insights.  In fact, one person was talking with me about updates to a community calendar, and thanks to her, I went to a workshop I would not have even learned about otherwise!" - Donna Schenck-Hamlin

"Hale is always an oasis of sanity in a see of chaos. In the summer it also becomes a shelter from the unrelenting heat and humidity." - Jason Coleman

"Actually what I enjoy about the summer is the preparation for the fall semester. We librarians spend time redesigning our library instruction courses to help the students and we also have opportunities to collaborate with the teaching faculty on campus. I’m a huge fan of organization and the summer is full of organization and preparation for me!" - Melia Erin Fritch

Summer in the Libraries reminds me of a duck on a pond--on the surface, it’s calm as there’s space for everyone who wants it and the students appear less frenetic preparing for classes, but underneath we’re paddling fast because we have so many  projects to roll out for the fall semester. That’s one of the best parts of summer for me, is having time to focus on ways to make research and finding information easier for everyone. I also love all of the undergraduate research projects that happen over the summer and enjoy observing groups set up throughout Hale puzzling out things like alternative fuel sources.  --Sara K. Kearns

"I enjoy working at the reference desk and learning all about the personal research projects that students and community members have time to work on during the summer --- like investigating a family's genealogy or looking for topographical maps of a family farm." - Stephanie Schiefelbein

Do you have a favorite reason why you love to visit K-State Libraries in the summer? We want to hear your thoughts as we coast through these final days of summer together!

Beat the Heat -- Enjoy a Good Story from the Leisure Reading Collection

The Leisure Reading Collection, located to the right as you enter the 2nd floor of Hale Library, has both popular fiction and non-fiction in print or as audio books.  Take a few minutes and check out what is available.

Quite a few titles have been added this summer.  Below is a list of what has arrived in the last 2 weeks.

Title: Now you see her [sound recording] / James Patterson [& Michael Ledwidge].
Author: Patterson, James, 1947-
Callno: COMPACT DISC PS3566.A822 N68 2011b

Title: I'm feeling lucky : the confessions of Google employee number 59 / Douglas Edwards.
Author: Edwards, Douglas, 1958-
Callno: HD9696.8.U64 G56 2011

Title: What a wonderful world : the magic of Louis Armstrong's later years / Ricky Riccardi.
Author: Riccardi, Ricky, 1980-
Callno: ML419.A75 R47 2011

Title: Blood work : an Original Hollows graphic novel / Kim Harrison ; illustrations by Pedro Maia and Gemma Magno.
Author: Harrison, Kim.
Callno: PN6727.H376 B57 2011

Title: American vampire. Volume two / Scott Snyder, writer ; Rafael Albuquerque, Mateus Santolouco, artist ; Dave McCaig, colorist ; Steve Wands, letterer.
Author: Snyder, Scott.
Callno: PN6728.A482 S692 2011

Title: Green Lantern. Brightest day / Geoff Johns, writer ; Doug Mahnke, Shawn Davis, art ; Christian Alamy ... [et al.], inks ; Randy Mayor ... [et al.], colors ; Nick J. Napolitano, Steve Wands, letters.
Author: Johns, Geoff, 1973-
Callno: PN6728.G74 J635 2011

Title: Carte blanche : the new James Bond novel / Jeffery Deaver.
Author: Deaver, Jeffery.
Callno: PS3554.E1755 C37 2011

Title: Escape / Barbara Delinsky.
Author: Delinsky, Barbara.
Callno: PS3554.E4427 E83 2011

Title: Buried secrets / Joseph Finder.
Author: Finder, Joseph.
Callno: PS3556.I458 B84 2011

Title: Silent girl : a Rizzoli & Isles novel / Tess Gerritsen.
Author: Gerritsen, Tess.
Callno: PS3557.E687 S55 2011

Title: Quinn / Iris Johansen.
Author: Johansen, Iris.
Callno: PS3560.O275 Q56 2011

Title: Quinn [sound recording] / Iris Johansen.
Author: Johansen, Iris.
Callno: COMPACT DISC PS3560.O275 Q56 2011b

Title: Dick Francis's gamble / Felix Francis.
Author: Francis, Felix.
Callno: PR6056.R273 D53 2011

Title: Spell bound / Kelley Armstrong.
Author: Armstrong, Kelley.
Callno: PS3551.R4678 S64 2011

Title: Hotwire : a Maggie O'Dell novel / Alex Kava.
Author: Kava, Alex.
Callno: PS3561.A8682 H68 2011

Title: Robert Ludlum's The Bourne dominion : a new Jason Bourne novel / by Eric Van Lustbader.
Author: Lustbader, Eric.
Callno: PS3562.U752 R643 2011

Title: Dance with dragons / George R.R. Martin.
Author: Martin, George R. R.
Callno: PS3563.A7239 D36 2011

Title: Dance with dragons [sound recording] / George R.R. Martin.
Author: Martin, George R. R.
Callno: COMPACT DISC PS3563.A7239 D36 2011b

Title: Ghost story / Jim Butcher.
Author: Butcher, Jim, 1971-
Callno: PS3602.U85 G48 2011

Title: Stay / by Deb Caletti.
Author: Caletti, Deb.
Callno: PZ7.C127437 St 2011

Title: Price of freedom / by A.C. Crispin.
Author: Crispin, A. C.
Callno: PZ7.C86936 Pr 2011

Preview the New Directory of Databases

Starting today, August 1, you can get a preview of the new directory of databases you'll start using when the Fall 2011 semester begins. Just look for the New Databases Directory link on the Libraries’ home page. You can also get to it by following this link.

Right away, you'll see some new features that make it easier to find the right databases for the research you’re doing. In the new directory, you can:

• Search for one or more databases by name or an important word.
• Use an improved list of subjects to see what we recommend for your area of study.
• Check out tags our librarians have created to help you find resources for grants, statistical data, and more. New tags are being added all the time.

Got an idea for a new tag, see something we missed, or just want to speak your mind about the new directory? Use the Submit Feedback or Contact Us links at the bottom of the new directory to let us know what you think.

Miss the classic directory of databases? It’s still available. For a few weeks you’ll be able to use the Databases link at the top of every Libraries web page to get to it. Once classes start you’ll need to go through the new directory to get to the classic version. The classic directory won’t stay around for forever but we’ll give you plenty of warning before it retires.