RESEARCH SUPPORT @ USM LIB

RESEARCH SUPPORT @ USM LIB

Sunday, October 30, 2011

ScienceDirect - November 2011

30 October 2011 :



ScienceDirect already covers around one quarter of the world’s full-text scientific, technical and medical (STM) literature published in 24 fields of science, and continues to deliver new programs of high-quality online content that researchers need for their work. ‘Articles in Press’ are available to give researchers the advantage of access to articles on average 15 days after they are accepted for publication, before appearance in the print journal.

At this moment in time, ScienceDirect offers over eight million full-text articles from over 2,000 peer-reviewed journals, as well as a growing range of authoritative books, including reference works, handbooks and book series. There are over 50 reference works, over 150 book series titles and over 164 handbooks volumes now online, with at least 10 reference works added each year. In 2007 4,000 ebooks will be added to ScienceDirect. The ScienceDirect books collection covers the core disciplines of life, physical and social sciences and are fully linked with journal articles, giving scientists a broader perspective of their area of study.

For some background information on the database, please go to the USM Library Website at:

(1)               www.lib.usm.my
(2)               Databases (e-Resources)
(3)               ScienceDirect

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Databases Information


22 October 2011 :




ezproxy is a web proxy server program extensively used by libraries to give access from outside the library's computer network to restricted-access websites that authenticate users by IP address. This allows library patrons at home or elsewhere to log in through their library's ezproxy server and gain access to bibliographic databases and the like to which their library subscribes.

 
Please use your Library Username & your New IC No. for password to gain access USM databases. Example:
Username    :   98258 
IC No            :   562320015556

2. Any enquiries, please email (Titled: Databases) your full name and matrix card no. to  adminlib@notes.usm.my



Thursday, October 20, 2011

Role of Libraries and Librarians in Managing Digital Information

20 October 2011 :

Prepared by Husriati Hussain (Librarian, Reference & Research Division) 



Today my turn to give my point of view and the topic is the role of libraries and librarians in managing digital information. First, what is digital information, digital library and digital librarian? There are several definitions on them. For my simple understanding, I can conclude that:

Digital information – are resources which deal with born-digital materials and digitized materials which can be either accessible from library’s in-house database or from the world-wide-web. The digital information collection may include digital books, digital scanned images, graphics, textual and numeric data, digitized films, audio-video clips, etc.

Digital libraries – are electronic libraries in which large numbers of geographically distributed users can access the contents of large and diverse repositories of electronic objects – networked text, images, maps, sounds, videos, catalogues of merchandise, scientific, business and government data sets – they also include hypertext, hypermedia and multimedia compositions. Meanwhile, according to Online Dictionary for Library and Information Science, digital library is a library in which a significant proportion of the resources are available in machine-readable format (as opposed to print or microform), accessible by means of computers. The digital content may be locally held or accessed remotely via computer networks.

Digital librarian – a type of specialist information professional who manages and organizes the digital library, combines the functionality for information, elicitation, planning, data mining, knowledge mining, digital reference services, electronic information services, representation of information, extraction, and distribution of information, co-ordination, searching notably CD-ROMs, online, Internet-based WWW, multimedia access and retrieval.

With regards to the above definitions, I can say that the roles of digital librarians are:
        manage the digital libraries;
        organize digital knowledge and information;
        disseminate digital information from the computer-held digital information;
        provide digital reference services and electronic information services;
        provide knowledge mining from the emerging knowledge warehouses;
        handle the tasks of massive digitization, digital storage process, and digital preservation;
        provide universal access and retrieval of digital knowledge, ultimately access to all;
        catalogue and classify digital documents and digital knowledge;
        acts as guardian of the information superhighway/the universal digital library or the global digital library; and
        acts as a symbiotic human-machine guru

While, the roles of digital libraries are:
         hosting digital information;
         making digital information visible and accessible via search and browsing;
         supporting certain kinds of collaboration, i.e., feedback about digital resources, in support of re-use;
         using the Web as an end-user interface for these capabilities; and
         supporting teaching, learning and research activities

My conclusion is the digital library is expected to provide access to the digital information collections and the digital librarian need to take care of digital libraries and to manage the digital information system. This situation can improve intellectual access to knowledge sources in a digitized world.


References

Digital library. (2010). In Joan M. Reitz, Online Dictionary for Library and Information Science.
Retrieved October 20, 2011, from http://www.abc-clio.com/ODLIS/searchODLIS.aspx
Ingwersen, P. (1999). The role of libraries and librarians in organising digital information.
Libri, 49, 11-15. Retrieved October 20, 2011,
V. Sreenivasulu. (2000). The role of a digital librarian in the management of digital information
systems (DIS). The Electronic Library, 18(1), 12-20. Retrieved October 20, 2011,
from Emerald Database.


Monday, October 17, 2011

Book Review: The Craft of Research (3rd. ed.)

17 October 2011 :

Prepared/Reviewed by Husriati Hussain (Librarian, Reference and Research Division) 



Title
:
The craft of research (3rd. ed.)
Author
:
Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb and Joseph M. Williams
Call Number
:
Q180.55.M4 B725 2009
 Year
 2009






Although there are many books on writing research or term papers, I have not found anything else which brings together material on planning, reasoning and writing the research paper as well as this book. Ignore any reviewers who make this book out to be a simplistic text. It is an excellent work on well reasoned writing that even most graduate students can benefit greatly from reading. As a professor of a graduate class on Research and Writing, I have recommended and required this book for several years. The book guides the reader from an idea of a topic, to defining a question, to formulating the conceptually signifcant research problem. It briefly covers finding, evaluating and using primary, secondary, and tertiary sources. Then a major portion of the book is devoted to understanding effective reasoning in the writing process. This is based quite a bit on professor Stephen Toulmin's practical approach to effective reasoning and argumentation. The Craft of Research diagrams and explains claims, reasons, evidence and warrants. It has detailed illustrations of warrants and when to use them, as well as how to challenge them. The book has other sections on organizing, drafting, and revising a paper. It also has a chapter on communicating information visually using tables, graphs and charts. Rather than focusing on the simple mechanics or obvious steps in writing a serious research paper, this book concentrates on the more difficult tasks of clearly defining the conceptual problem and addressing it with in depth, effective reasoning.


Wednesday, October 12, 2011

ASM Workshop on Technical Writing for Research & Publication 2011

12 October 2011 :



ASM Workshop on Technical Writing for Research & Publication 
6-8 December 2011 
Seminar Hall, ASM  

Objectives
Program's Schedule
Registration Form

Further information: http://www.akademisains.gov.my/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=409&Itemid=9


Welcome to Our World!

12 October 2011 :

This blog has been created by USM Library to be a medium for us to communicate and distribute information to our users. We welcome all of you to join our world. Let’s embark on  a journey with USM Library on blogosphere.


This blog aims to disseminate  latest news regarding  the library activities and enable users to give feedback either suggestion, comment or participate in Library surveys. It is also a platform for USM Library to interact with our customers, to show them what’s been happening or what are we up to.


USM Library is really looking forward to be connected to you and once again, welcome to our world!

Twitter Delicious Facebook Digg Stumbleupon Favorites More

 
Design by Free WordPress Themes | Bloggerized by Lasantha - Premium Blogger Themes | Premium Wordpress Themes