Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition

The Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition is currently on display in Gallery 204.  The exhibition will run through Friday, December 7, 2012.  Gallery 204 is part of the Len G. Everett Galleries located on the Upper Level of Hewes Library.  Stop by to view these amazing pieces!

Database Highlight: Biographical Research, Part 2

Current Biography Illustrated 

As mentioned in Part 1 of this article, if you are looking for information on an historical person, American National Biography is a good place to start.  But many people are seeking information on individuals currently in the news like Barack Obama, Taylor Swift or Lady Gaga.  If you need information on people currently in the news, Current Biography Illustrated is a good place to start your research.

The format of this database will look familiar to those of you who have used any EBSCO database such as Academic Search Premier as its search screen and features are similar to other EBSCO databases.  Unlike American National Biography, this database allows you to put in a person’s name in any format (last name first or first name first) and you will get the same results.  When you want to view the results be sure to click on the links where the words “Biography” and “HTML Full Text” are found as these will take you directly to information on the person.  (These are usually the results without the photo of the person).

The database has some unusual features including: a listen feature which will read the article aloud at either a slow, medium or fast rate using a computer-generated voice.  If you are used to listening to your Garmin or other devices that “talk” to you, you will be familiar with that type of voice.  It also has a translate feature which will translate the article into a number of languages.  So, if you are more comfortable reading in Spanish, Chinese or any number of other languages, you can use this feature to translate the biographical articles.  Use of this feature may not result in a grammatically correct article, as it is done on the fly using software.

As the word Illustrated indicates, there are photos for nearly all of the people whose biographies are found in the database.  The will be a main image illustrating the biographical articles, but found on the right hand side of the page are other images you can use.  The right hand column also offers a number of options for dealing with an article once you’ve found one including printing, emailing, saving and exporting.

When should I use this database? Start here when you need information on people who are still alive and are or were in the current news.  It is a good place to obtain a starting biography of a person, but for the latest information on someone in the news, Academic Search Premier can be used to update information on the latest film, album or election involving the person you are researching.

On Display: US Elections

Currently on display in the East Lobby display cases is a collection of books relating to the history of US elections, historical voter statistics, and background material on how campaigns are run.  To check out these titles, please see a staff member at the Circulation Desk.

Late Minute Election Information

Less than a week before the 2012 Presidential Election!  Are you prepared?

Looking for last minute election information assist you in making an informed choice?  Have you checked the validity of the candidate's statements? Do you know about their campaigns?

Check out the library's Election 2012 Research Guide which contains access to the latest news, fact checking resources, and candidate information.  Use the guide to learn more about the candidates, their speeches, and current campaigns. 

Research Tip: Stable URLs

Have you ever been interrupted while researching and copied the search URL in an email with the intent to return to your search at a later time?  If so, you have learned that in most cases, it does not work when you return to it.

Why?  Each time you start a session in one of the library's databases, a unique session ID is attached to that search.  When the window is closed, the database considers your research session over and the URL is no longer valid.

The fix: enter stable URLs.  A stable URL is a short URL listed somewhere in the record for the article or periodical that you are interested in.  It can also be called a permanent URL.  If you bookmark, save, or copy a stable URL, you will be able to directly return to the article you selected.  Look for stable and permanent URLs in our library's databases.

New Database: Mango Languages

Hewes Library purchased access to a new database, Mango Languages.  Mango is an online language-learning system that can help you learn languages like Spanish, French, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, German, Mandarin Chinese, Greek, Italian and more.  They describe their product:

"Mango uses common, everyday conversations as the basis of each lesson, so your patrons will be able to start using and appreciating what they learn right away. Our comprehensive methodology includes all four key-language components (vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar and culture) and integrates strategically placed memory building and critical-thinking exercises to help users remember and adapt what they learn."

Access Mango Languages from the Databases: Find Articles web page of the library's website.

Database access is limited to the current students, staff, and faculty of Monmouth College.

Database Highlight: Biographical Research: Part 1 - American National Biography

Biographical Research-Part 1- American National Biography

Need to find out information on an historical person for a paper or presentation?  If you are in need of detailed information about a person, then finding a book in our library catalog is your best option.  But if you only need general information or are just curious and want to find out more information about someone, then try one of Hewes’ biography databases.  American National Biography contains information and photos on a wide variety of people who contributed to the fabric of America.  Some were born here, others were not, but all either lived most of their lives here or made their most significant contributions here. 

If using this database, it is best to use the “search by name” feature if you know the name of the person for whom you are seeking information.  Using the “search full text” box will not always bring up the correct person first.   Use the “Last name, First name” way of typing in the name to quickly get to the entry for that person. 

There are other ways to search the database without knowing the name of a person.  For instance if you are looking for a scientist, military person or government officer to write about, you can use the “occupations” list to narrow the search by category such as Military and Intelligence Operations, Government and Politics, and Science and Technology.  Clicking on this will give you a listing of all the people in the database who fall into that category.

You can also search Special Collections on American Indian Heritage, Asian Pacific American Heritage, Black History, Hispanic Heritage and Women’s History.  Just clicking on one of the boxes will bring up a listing of people who fall under that category or you can use it to limit your search.  The database lists people by their popular name, for instance search for “Babe Ruth” not “George Herman Ruth”.

When should I use this database?  Use this database to find information for papers on historical individuals who have contributed to America in some way.  It also is a useful place to go if you are looking for ideas for a paper topic.  The “research ideas” button found at the top of the page links to a “jump-start your research” with articles and lists of important individuals on topics like the Civil War, Gilded Age, Women’s History and other topics.

NOTE:  This database does not have information on current individuals like Barack Obama or Taylor Swift.  If you need information on current people, use the database Current Biography Illustrated which has pictures and short biographies of people currently in the news.  This database will be described in Part 2 of this article.

Treasures of the Collection: Railroad books.

Treasures of the Collection: Railroad books.

Last time this column talked about one of the more unusual items found in Hewes library, the Canopus stone.  This time the column will talk about one of the large book donations received by the college, a collection of over 300 books about railroads and trains.

In 2005 an anonymous alumni donated a collection of railroad books to Monmouth College.  Because the city of Monmouth, although not a rail hub (that is the nearby town of Galesburg), has many trains passing through the city every day on one of the main routes belonging to the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad and there was a faculty member who was active in researching the history of American railroads, the collection was gladly accepted.

Railroads and railroading is an area of great interest to many people, with many clubs, societies and groups dedicated to collecting and sharing information about trains.  Many of the books in Hewes are unusual, detailed accounts of trains, their engines and railroad companies.  The books also contain memories of people who worked or travelled on the railroads.  Large percentages of them are labors of love, prepared in great detail by people absorbed in the topic of trains and railroads.  Nearly all of the books include large amounts of photographs and drawings, for example, the book American Locomotives consists almost entirely of schematic drawings and photographs of American locomotives made between the years 1830-1880.  There are numerous books that focus on individual types of train such as steam, superliners and electric and even more specialized titles that give great detail about some of the many rail lines that once operated in the United States such as B & O Power a history of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad between the years 1829-64 and Pennsy Power, a description of the steam and electric locomotives of the Pennsylvania Railroad 1900-1957.

Among the more interesting titles is The Collector’s book of the locomotive, which talks about the many forms of collectible involving locomotives such as photographs, post cards, glass and china, advertising and toys.  The toys covered by this book include trackless, clockwork, steam, electric and small and large scale models. 

Another unusual title is Fifty years on the tracks, a book written to commemorate 50 years of the Caterpillar Tractor Company of Peoria, Illinois which originally was the Best and Holt companies that made steam engines for farm use in the late 19^{th and} early 20^th centuries.  Some of the books are quite rare.  The book A long look at steam, a collection of the author’s photographs of steam engines, is one of only two copies available in Illinois.  The titles Lines East is the only copy of this book in Illinois and one of only 9 copies available in libraries nation-wide.  The collection can be searched in the library catalog.  For those interested in browsing the collection, many of the books can be found in the first floor OVERSIZE collection at call numbers TF23 and TJ 603 and others can be found by browsing the call number TF23 in the main collection.  All of the railroading books are available for loan.

ScotsRead Books Arriving

New ScotsRead Titles have arrived and been added to the collection.  You can find them on the Main Level of the library near the study tables.  Check out:

• The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
• The Vanishing Point by Val McDermid
• America Again: Re-Becoming the Greatness We Never Weren't by Stephen Colbert
• Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
• NYPD Red by James Patterson
• Sleep No More by Iris Johansen

Research Help

Are you struggling with a research paper? Are you unsure where to find scholarly journal articles on your topic? Stop by the Reference Desk or email the Reference staff to step up an appointment.

The Hewes Library librarians can help you locate scholarly articles for your paper, statistics for your speeches, and more! Librarians are available at the following times or by appointment:

• Monday - Thursday: 9am - noon, 1:30pm - 4:30pm, and 6pm-9pm
• Friday: 9am - noon and 1:30pm - 4:30pm
• Saturday: No librarians are available
• Sunday: 1:30pm - 4:30pm and 6pm-9pm