Friday, October 9, 2015

New Items at Hewes Library

New items are added to the Hewes Library Collection on a continual basis. Recent titles
 have included:


  • Guns at Last Light by Rick Atkinson
  • Wilson by A. Scott Berg
  • Just Call me Superhero by Alina Bronsky
  • Founders' Son: A Life of Abraham Lincoln by Richard Brookhiser
  • Road to Tara by  Anne Edwards
  • Subcultures: The Basics by Ross Haenfler
  • Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction by Damien Keown
  • Key Concepts in Race and Ethnicity by Nasar Meer
  • Making Waves by Scott M. Peters
  • Stage Kiss by Sarah Puhl

Monday, October 5, 2015

Research Tip: Off Campus Database Access

All of the databases provided by Hewes Library can be accessed from off campus. To do so, follow these directions:
  • Select the database you wish to use off campus. (You must select it from the library's web page instead of doing a web search for it.)
  • You will be prompted at a MC log in screen to enter a user name and password. Enter your MC user name and password - which is the same one you use to access your MC email.
  • Once logged in, you can use the resource as if you were on campus.

Friday, October 2, 2015

Database of the Month: JSTOR

The Database of the Month for October is JSTOR.  JSTOR is an archival collection of hundred of journals encompassing the humanities, social sciences, and sciences disciplines.  The collections include Arts & Sciences, Life Sciences, and e-book collections that are all searchable from a single interface.  Searching with the Advanced Search screen option allows you to filter results by source - articles, reviews, pamplets, etc - and by subject discipline allowing the user to create powerful and specific searches.

The best part?  JSTOR is completely full text - meaning that you will always be able to get the .PDF copy of the article that you are looking for.  It also contains plenty of books reviews, so if you ever find yourself looking for a review to see what an author's peers said about a work you can often find a review in the collection.

Within JSTOR, users can choose to create personal accounts.  A personal account will allow you to save articles and citations as you continue your research.

Find JSTOR on the library's Databases: Find Articles page.

Access to library databases is limited to the current students, staff, and faculty of Monmouth College.

Monday, September 28, 2015

Research Tip: The Research Process Guide

The Research Process guide, which is accessible from the Research Process tab on the library's homepage, will walk students through the steps required to complete a successful research project or paper.

You will find information on:
  • Developing a Topic
    • Selecting a Topic
    • Develop Research Questions
    • Identify Keywords
    • Find Background Information
    • Refine a Topic
  • Locating Information
    • Find Books
    • Find Videos
    • Find Articles
    • Find Websites
    • Search Strategies
  • Evaluating Information
    • Evaluate Sources
    • Primary v Secondary Sources
    • Types of Periodicals
  • Using Information Correctly
    • Notetaking
    • Paraphrasing
  • Legal/Ethical Information Issues
    • Plagiarism
    • Citation Styles
    • Works Cited Examples
    • Copyright

Monday, September 21, 2015

Research Tip: Course Reserves

What are they? Where are they? 

Course Reserves are library materials that check out for two hours and can only be used within the library building. They are available at the Circulation Desk and you'll need your student ID card to check out materials.

How can I find them? Does my professor have any course reserves?

You can find course reserves using the syllabus provided to you by your professors, or you can view the Searchable Course Reserves List in the Hewes Library Catalog. You can search by class, professor, or department.

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

New ScotsRead Titles

Take a break from academic reading and try a ScotsRead book.  New titles include:
  • Hand That feeds You by A. J. Rich
  • Go set a watchman by Harper Lee
  • Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman
  • Pirate Humters by Robert Kurson
  • A Thousand Miles to Freedom by Eunsun Kim
  • Silver Linings by Debbie Macomber

Monday, September 14, 2015

Research Tip: Learn About your 2 Library Accounts

Each MC affiliated patron has two accounts.  The accounts manage the resources you borrow from Hewes Library and those throughout the country.
Your Library account is accessible through the library catalog and will allow you to:
  • See what you have checked out
  • Renew items online
  • Place I-Share requests (books & media) from other academic libraries in Illinois
Your ILLiad account will allow you to:
  • Place requests for journal articles
  • Download filled article requests
  • If a book is not available though I-Share, place a book request
If you haven't set up your Library Account, see last week's instructions.  Your ILLiad account is already set up for you - all you need to do is verify some personal information when you log in for the first time.

Friday, September 11, 2015

New Items at Hewes Library

New items are added to the Hewes Library collection on a continual basis. Recent titles have included:


  • Good Stuff by  Salman Akhtar
  • Stone Mattress: Nine Tales by Margaret Atwood
  • In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume
  • Glass Cage: Automation and Us by Nicholas Carr
  • Queen's Necklace by Alexandre Dumas
  • Women in Religion by Mary Pat Fisher
  • Chief Executive to Chief Justice by Lewis L. Gould
  • Rethinking the Other in Antiquity by Erich S. Gruen
  • Subcultures: The Basics by Ross Haenfler
  • Gabriel: A Poem by Edward Hirsch

Monday, September 7, 2015

Research Tip: Setting up your Library Account

First-Time Users will have to create your Library Account before you can view items you have checked out or place a request in the I-Share Catalog. To create your Hewes Library Account, please follow the steps outlined below. You will only need to do this once.


  • Visit the Create New Account page on the Login Screen of the Hewes Library Catalog.
  • Enter your personal information:
    • First Name
    • Last Name
    • Monmouth College Email Address
    • Desired Username: We recommend using your Monmouth College Network ID.
    • Password: We recommend using your Monmouth College Network Password.
    • Borrower ID: This is your 7-digit barcode number located on your Monmouth College ID Card.
    • Last Name on your Library Account
    • I-Share Library that you are affiliated with: Monmouth College
Once you have created your account, you will be able to view your personal information, including which items are checked out on your library account or you can renew items online.

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Database of the Month: Academic Search Complete

The Database of the Month for September is Academic Search Complete.  Provided by EBSCO, Academic Search Complete (ASC), is a wonderful multi-disciplinary database that features a large variety of academic and popular articles - many of which are available in full text.

According to EBSCO, ASC contains:
  • More than 13,800 indexed and abstracted journals
  • More than 9,000 full-text journals
  • Full text for more than 7,800 peer-reviewed journals
  • PDF content dating back as far as 1887
  • Searchable cited references provided for more than 1,400 journals
At Monmouth College, we recommend Academic Search Complete for students just getting started with their research and those wishing to make a complete review of the literature on their topic.  Recognizable to some already, we regularly use this database with all of our first year students since the interface is very user friendly and it contains a wide array of sources - including media items.

Find Academic Search Complete on the library's Databases: Find Articles page.

Access to library databases is limited to the current students, staff, and faculty of Monmouth College.