New
electronic resources join library’s
lot
By
Shayla Warren
Daily Forty-Niner
Contributing Writer
Students and faculty can now access thousands of journals, articles, abstracts
and citations relating to just about any and every major with just a few clicks
of a mouse.
This semester the University Library has introduced seven new and upgraded
electronic resources, now available to students and faculty for research. Among
the new resources are PsycArticles and Mental Measurements Yearbook.
These additional resources were introduced by the library administration to
enhance the service of the University Library’s resources available online.
PsycArticles, provided by the American Psychological Association has full text
articles from 42 of its journals and articles from eight Canadian Psychological
Association journals.
Prior to the electronic upgrades, these articles were only available in print
in the University Library.
Psychology librarian Joseph Aubele said having access to these articles adds
an enhanced utility to students and faculty because more people can view the
same articles at the same time and it is easier to find articles by using a
database that allows for broader search categories.
Mental Measurements Yearbook provides information on over 2,000 testing instruments
in the areas of psychology, education, business and leadership. This database
gives details on which courses require specific tests.
Aubele said the Mental Measurements Yearbook, is similar to PyscArticles in
that it was once only accessible in print on campus. With the online version
now available through the University Library’s Web site, students have
a better chance of becoming aware of tests.
Sociological Abstracts, another new resource addition, is the primary index
to research in the areas of sociology and related various subjects including
anthropology, criminology, demography and urban studies.
Sociological Abstracts does not provide full text articles, however the database
does access information from an international selection of over 2,600 journals,
conference papers, books and dissertations. The search engine also has abstracts
available online for citations dating back to 1963.
Amber Thomas, a liberal studies major, said, “I can take advantage of
the new resources for my research paper in my Sociology 142 class.”
She said she usually uses Google to access research information but will begin
to use Sociological Abstracts because it will be easier for her to do research
when she knows her sources are credible. Research material from her classes
can now be accessed from her home computer as well as the library.
A black studies major, Tamisha Tyler, said she was aware of the upgrades last
semester. In her African American folklore class she was first introduced to
the library’s electronic resources when her professor had the class search
articles.
Now that more material is available in full text online, it is more convenient
for her to access information from her dorm room rather than take a trip to
the library, which she described as “too quiet.”
Aubele, Thomas, and Tyler agree that the new and upgraded electronic resources
are more convient and easier to access and gather information than the university’s
older system. |
