Day: June 24, 2009

UC Accountability Report tells how libraries contribute

Posted on by UC Berkeley Library

The University of California System has issued its 2009 Accountability Report, "provid[ing] the first comprehensive assessment of the University’s progress in meeting key teaching, research and public service goals across its 10 campuses."

This report describes how the UC libraries rate on a variety of performance measures.   It concludes that:

The University of California libraries provide access to the world’s knowledge for the UC campuses and the communities they serve. In so doing, they directly support UC’s missions of teaching, research and public service. …

These indicators measure library size, impact and vitality. They demonstrate that the University of California has an information resource collection that is truly unmatched in the United States. UC students and faculty are able to take advantage of these resources from any campus in the system, and they do so in larger numbers every year.

» Libraries section of report

» UC Berkeley Accountability Profile (PDF)

Undergraduate Research Prize winners

Posted on by UC Berkeley Library

Looking for some inspiration and hope for the future of academia?

Look no further than the projects that won the 2009 UC Berkeley Library Prize for Undergraduate Research.  The winning entries were described by one reviewer as "mind-blowing."  These included:

  • Christine Russell, "’We Don’t Scare Easily’: The Gary Case and Housing Discrimination in Richmond, Ca, 1952"
  • Jaimee Comstock-Skipp, "Whose Painted Reality? Redefining Orientalism in British Representations of the Sultan Hasan Mosque in Cairo"
  • Jesse Hoffman, "A Family of Prophets in 2nd Century Roman Egypt"
  • Mark Mallery, "Marijuana National Forest: Encroachment on California Lands for Cannabbis Cultivation"
  • Kelly Fabian, "Dissecting Andreas Vesalius’s Epitome"

 »  Contest details and project descriptions

 

July 8th Richmond Instruction Session: EndNote X2 Basics Hands on

Posted on by UC Berkeley Library

* Do you have the EndNote program but are not sure what it can do for you?

* Do you write journal articles or reports where you need to cite literature you’ve read or referenced?

* Are you already using EndNote and have some burning questions?

* Are you interested in a hands-on session so you can learn and practice using EndNote?

If you’ve answered "Yes" to any of these questions, then please come to the Sheldon Margen Public Health Library’s EndNote X2 Basics Hands-On class! This class will be held at the Richmond campus in the Computer Training Room, P-1246.

Topics covered will include:
1. Basics of using EndNote X2: display, navigation, etc.
2. How to get PubMed and other citations into EndNote
3. How to use "Cite While You Write" with Microsoft Word
4. How to get help

Class: EndNote X2 Basics Hands On
When: Wednesday, July 8, 2009, 10:30-12 pm
Where: CDPH Richmond Campus, Building P, Room 1246
           (Computer Training Room)

Audience:
This class is intended for CDPH staff who have a basic understanding of the EndNote X2 software program but don’t know how to use its features. Users of other versions of EndNote are welcome to attend. The EndNote X2 software will not be distributed at this class; in order for you to use this software for your work, your CDPH unit must purchase or already own a copy.  

Please note: This class is limited to 16 participants. A waiting list will be created if necessary for an additional class.

If you wish to attend, please RSVP by Monday, July 6th to Judy Bolstad at jbolstad@library.berkeley.edu or (510) 642-2510.

NON-BUILDING P OCCUPANTS: Please make sure to register so your name will be on the class participant list given to the Building P Security Desk for entry into Building P.

These hands on training sessions are free to CDPH employees. Please obtain your supervisor’s approval to attend.

July 22nd Sacramento Instruction Session: PubMed Advanced Hands on

Posted on by UC Berkeley Library

* Want to learn more about finding and using Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)?

* Want to know how to effectively use MeSH subheadings?

* Want to learn how to use “evidence-based medicine” filters?

* Need to know if a specific journal is indexed in PubMed?

* Want to learn how to set up a My NCBI account to save your PubMed searches and have updates automatically e-mailed to you?

* Want to save your PubMed search results to create a permanent citation list?

If you’ve answered "Yes" to any of these questions, then please come to the Sheldon Margen Public Health Library’s PubMed Advanced Hands-On class!

Topics covered will include:
   1. More on MeSH
   2. Using MeSH Subheadings effectively
   3. Clinical Queries and Special Queries
   4. The Journals Database
   5. My NCBI: saving searches/search results, sharing collections, creating filters

Class: PubMed Advanced Hands-On
When: Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Where: CDPH Sacramento, 1500 Capitol Ave, Room 72.169
    (Computer Training Room)

Audience:
This class is intended for CDPH staff who are already using PubMed and wish to learn some advanced features.  It is highly recommended that staff have already attended the PubMed Basics Hands On class as material in that class will not be covered.

If you wish to attend, please RSVP by Monday, July 20th to Judy Bolstad at
jbolstad@library.berkeley.edu, or (510) 642-2510.

Please note: This class is limited to 12 participants. A waiting list will be created if necessary for an additional class.

These hands on training sessions are free to CDPH employees.  Please obtain your supervisor’s approval to attend.

What is the “Secure Web Portal”?

Posted on by UC Berkeley Library

When you go to our home page of services for CDPH (http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/PUBL/cdph/), the first link that you see on the right-hand side under "Quick Links" takes you to the "Secure Web Portal". But, what is it? Is it necessary to have a web portal account to use the Public Health Library’s services for CDPH?

Below are some common FAQ’s that you should check out:

1. Why do I need a web portal account?

– A web portal account allows you to have your own personalized portal to: access online request forms with your contact information already pre-filled in, track the status of your document delivery requests, access passwords to electronic journals, and more.

2. Do I absolutely need a web portal account to use any of the Public Health Library’s services?

-No. If you do not wish to obtain a web portal account, you are free to access services directly from our generic home page for CDPH at http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/PUBL/cdph/. An account is not necessary for using any of our services on this web page. The web portal is an additional feature that allows you to access the services for CDPH web page with a more personalized view.

3. How can I get a web portal account?

-To obtain a web portal account (username/password), send an e-mail to Anca Giurgiulescu at agiurgiu@library.berkeley.edu with your name, unit, phone/fax numbers, and e-mail address.

New Toxicology/Occupational Health Resources

Posted on by UC Berkeley Library

The Public Health Library has added the following new resources to its Toxicology/Occupational Health Resources web page at:

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/PUBL/tox.html

           Machine Safety: Prevention of Mechanical Hazards
    
This guide presents ways in which fixed guards and safety distances can be used to make working around most machines in the workplace safer. It was published jointly by the IRSST and the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CSST).

           Best Practices Guide to Synthetic Nanoparticle Risk Management
    
This guide was published jointly by the IRSST, the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CSST) and NanoQuébec. It lays out out a prevention strategy for those who work with nanoparticles.

          ALTBIB: Bibliography on Alternatives to Animal Testing
    
This bibliography by the National Library of Medicine allows searches of the ALTBIB database up to the year 2000 and assists with PubMed searches on this topic from 2000 to the present. The site provides links to live PubMed searches on a variety of related topics including dermal toxicity, reproductive and developmental toxicity, carcinogenesis and animal welfare. It also provides links to other related websites as well.

ProQuest and CSA database downtime, June 27-28

Posted on by UC Berkeley Library

Research databases branded ProQuest and CSA will be down for maintenance from 7pm Saturday, June 27 until 7am Sunday, June 28.

This outage will affect an unusually large number of our databases. The following is only a partial list:

  • AltPress Watch
  • American Periodicals Series
  • Digital Sanborn Maps
  • Dissertations and Theses (Dissertation Abstracts)
  • ERIC via CSA
  • Ethnic NewsWatch
  • GenderWatch
  • Historical Annual Reports
  • Historical Newspapers
  • MLA International Bibliography
  • NTIS
  • PAIS International
  • ProQuest Newspapers
  • PsycInfo
  • Research Library

For a more complete list, search on proquest or csa here. For alternative databases to use during that time, see our Electronic Resource Finder.