Try BrowZine!

Have you yet tried your hand at "BrowZine"?!   No need to knit your brow over efforts to stay current with your favorite research journals.  Download the Browzine app for iPad or Android tablet. 

When you download the BrowZine application from the AppStore or Google Play, you will see a list of schools.  Select UW-Madison then enter your NetID and password.  Once installed, you can create a bookshelf of your favorite journals, browse and read articles, and export citation records to compatible citation management tools. 

Brought to you by UW-Madison Libraries, BrowZine is available to all UW-Madison faculty, staff and students. 

Poll Everywhere, including Madison!

 

Looking for something to give a creative boost to your end of semester presentations? Poll Everywhere offers a great resource for anyone looking to stand out with a unique way of engaging audiences. Poll Everywhere is an online application that allows you to create poll questions for students or audiences and display responses in real time. It has many great editing features so you can customize visual appearances, display themes, font and color options. It is totally free for up to 40 responses at a time, which makes it a perfect resource for class presentations, discussions, and group meetings. Poll Everywhere allows for multiple methods of response, from texting, to on the web, and even twitter. This helps make Poll Everywhere very accessible and feasible in most educational settings.  

Poll Everywhere can be utilized in many different capacities, such as opinion questions, tests of knowledge, and determining an audience’s wants or preferences. It is a great way to incorporate technology into a classroom because it can be fun, entertaining, and even help encourage a lively debate. Because responses are recorded immediately, there is a tangible result to actions taken in the classroom, helping it to be a good tool for grabbing and keeping the attention of participants. Poll Everywhere can incorporate pictures, and even has the capability of being integrated directly into a PowerPoint presentation, making its use easy and seamless. It even has a fantastic Poll Everywhere User Guide to help you along the process. 

Poll Everywhere offers a great way for students to improve their class presentations, instructors to engage their students, and is a great alternative to costly clickers. It is truly a versatile resource that allows creativity to open the door to almost limitless possibilities. 

Steenbock Library is offering a Poll Everywhere Tech Talk on February 20 at 12 pm. Poll Everywhere is the perfect way to enhance your presentations and teaching opportunities. Tech Talks are completely free and take just 30 minutes, so it’s the perfect time to stop on by and learn something between classes. Steenbock offers many instruction opportunities and we encourage you to check out the Steenbock Workshop Schedule. We hope to see you at one soon!

A special thank you to Information Specialist Internship Program student Lucas Nicholson, for writing this guest post and designing the PollEverywhere workshop! 

New E-Resources

Campus librarians are actively assessing and adding new online resources to our campus library collections.  While these resources are linked within our database library menus by subject or by type, you can browse the list chronologically or subscribe to its feed.  These online (e-resources) include subscription databases and data-sets, openly-accessible publications and digital collections, reference tools, research guides, and more.

BrowZine

Would you like to follow your favorite research journals using your iPad or Android tablet?  If so, try the BrowZine App today!  When you download the BrowZine application from the App Store or Google Play, you will see a list of schools.  Select UW-Madison then enter your NetID and password.  Once installed, you can create a bookshelf of your favorite journals, browse and read articles, and export citation records to compatible citation management tools. 

While not every journal to which UW-Madison Libraries has access will be available, BrowZine does maintain a relationship with many academic publishers (see the list here).  

Brought to you by UW-Madison Libraries, BrowZine is available to all UW-Madison faculty, staff and students.  Enjoy!

By Jove!

Campus Libraries enjoy access to selected sections from the Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE). 
JoVE is a peer reviewed journal that publishes its biological research in a video format so that reproducibility and transparency are enhanced.
It is this video format that enables the user to examine a lab technique and to understand some of the intricacies of the experiments utilized by the research.

Our access includes the following sections:

JoVE General
JoVE Clinical & Translational Medicine
JoVE Neuroscience
JoVE Immunology & Infection

Access JoVE via the E-Journals List (browse A-Z list for complete title--Journal of Visualized Experiments) or by running a journal title search using the Journals tab from the Libraries home page (search by abbreviated or full title).

Share Steenbock on Instagram

If a picture is worth a thousand words, I guess an Instagram photo is worth at least a couple of likes. 

At Steenbock Library, we have just created an account on the filter-friendly mobile app, and we're very excited for what its potential can be. Whether you first heard about the newest social media craze being referenced in a rap song, an article in the Huffington Post, or seen a photo on Facebook, it sure looks like Instagram is here to stay.

Now here at the library, not only is the account going to be used to connect students to the library, I believe that it can show the university and the world, that there are more to libraries than we think. Before joining the ISIP Program (Information Specialist Internship Program) which is part of the UW Library System, I was truly unaware of how much work goes into the library.  After being in the program for two semesters now, I can attest to the interesting and important work the librarians at this school do and hopefully our Instagram will shed some light on this.

So if you have any suggestions for photos or just want to follow someone new on Instagram, remember to look up ASK_Steenbock, give us a like, and talk about what you want to see from us next.

With thanks to ISIP Intern, Matthew J, for this blog post.

Winter Break Hours and Online Access

As you enjoy your winter break, be sure to also satisfy your need for information with a visit to the Libraries’ Website.

Even when you’re off campus, simply select the resource you need to use from the site. Resources requiring authentication will prompt you to log in with your NetID. (In some instances, apart from NetID, you may still be asked to submit your University ID number and last name as login and password). Once you have entered either of these two pieces of identifying information, you will be able to use the resource as if you were here on campus.

Should you plan to visit campus, do note that the libraries will be open during the winter recess, but the hours will vary. Plan ahead and visit the list of library locations to see "Who’s Open".

In a nutshell:
Winter Break Hours at Steenbock (December 23, 2012 - January 21, 2013)
Monday - Friday 8:00AM - 6:00PM
Saturday - Sunday  CLOSED

Note exceptions--the library will be closed the following days:

Monday-Tuesday, December 24-25 (Christmas Holidays)
Monday-Tuesday, December 31-January 1 (New Year's Holiday)  
Monday, January, 21 (MLK Day Holiday)  

Electronic Lab Notebooks (Nov 14)

Save the date for this new drop-in workshop!  UW-Madison Chemistry alumna Kristin Briney will discuss your options for electronic lab notebooks, the pros and cons of switching to an electronic notebook, and the important features to consider when choosing a product. The workshop will include demonstrations of available notebook software.

What:  Electronic Lab Notebooks Workshop
When: Wednesday, November 14, 2012, (12:00 - 1:00 PM)
Where: Chemistry Building Room 9341 (9th Floor Lounge)

With thanks to the Chemistry Library for the content of this blog post.

Live Coverage, President visits Campus

Should you not be able to join the crowd on Bascom Hill for President Obama’s address, we invite you to join us at Steenbock Library where a live stream of the event will be shown in Room 340.

Library staff will open the room at 2:00 PM with coverage to begin shortly thereafter.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Catch the CreativeBug!

DIY Crafters never fear--there are how-to videos for all of us!  The CreativeBug site has brought together a variety of craft artisans who share their inspiration, tips and tricks in video format so that you, at your own pace, may similarly craft a project.  While introductory chapter content can be viewed for free, subscribers to the site ($25.00 per month) enjoy unlimited access to all site workshops.  A percentage of monthly subscriptions are donated to a variety of non-profit arts programs.

But, if you are given to crafting among like-minded individuals, there are many venues in the Madison area (and some quite near to campus) where you can find supplies, take a workshop, or simply spark your creativity by browsing some fine examples.  See what these spaces have to offer:

Anthology

Glitter Workshop

LakeSide Fibers | Sow’s Ear (Verona)

Sewcial Lounge

What will you make today?  Reply to this post with your suggestions about other favorite crafting spots.

P. S. There are any number of titles from campus library collections (many to be found in Steenbock stacks) that can inform your creative endeavors. Run a search of the Library Catalog (try a "Words Anywhere" search) on your craft or hobby-of-interest or speak with your librarians for assistance. Should titles from our campus collections be out to other users, do consider searching the UW System or Madison Public Library.

Found in the Archives!

The University Archives is full of fascinating collections, stories, photos, artifacts and more. A few times each month, the staff will share its intriguing discoveries with you online.

Visit their site this week to view an example of ROTC uniforms from 1921-1925 and scrapbook photos commemorating Armistice Day in Madison, 1918.

Feel free to link or to share Found in the Archives! with friends and colleagues. The site is also accessible from the UW-Madison Archives Website.

The University Archives recognizes volunteer and library school grad, Molly Temple, for creating the site, and generating its content.

With thanks to Vicki T., Images/Media Archivist, for this blog post.

Social Media Steenbock

Like us on Facebook; follow us on Twitter!

Steenbock Library has launched its new presence on Facebook and Twitter. Keep up-to-date on what’s happening at your library.

We look forward to seeing you there!

What to Read Next

One of the interesting--and sometimes challenging--activities in librarianship is matching a library user to the texts that he/she will most like to read, be it for research or entertainment.

If you intend to read for entertainment this summer, you may wish to speak with your librarian or try some of the resources, below. Each resource enables you to explore a genre or factor a recommendation based upon authors or books you already enjoy.

• Fiction Connection

• Which Book?

• Reader’s Robot
  

Locate available copies of books on campus or within the UW-System by using the MadCat catalog and its UW System search feature (or try the Forward catalog interface) . The Madison Public Library, as part of the South Central Library System, is also an amazing resource for satisfying popular reading interests--search its LINKcat catalog to locate items of interest.

Zotero Development Workshop (April 11)

Do you need to make Zotero work for you? And, as a Zotero user, would you like to contribute to the development community?
If so, campus libraries are sponsoring a Zotero Development Workshop, in several sessions, on Monday, April 11, 2011. (More information about Zotero).

Join Zotero community developer, Avram Lyon, to learn more about Translator Creation, Citation Style Language, the Zotero API, and using Zotero for your own scholarly endeavors.

Session times and locations:

Translator Creation, 10:00 - 11:30 AM
Room 126, Memorial Library

Translators allow Zotero to detect and pull in citation information from web sites, including library catalogs, databases...you name it. The great thing is that if you create a new translator or make changes to an existing one, these updates can be bundled with subsequent Zotero releases to help others with their scholarly endeavors. You can also use the translators you create locally on your computer.

Citation Style Language, 1:00 - 2:30 PM
Room 126, Memorial Library

CSL is an XML language that allows you to create new citation and bibliographic styles. Many of the styles you know and use now within Zotero are created by community developers. If you need one that is not currently present in Zotero's CSL library, you can create your own - and this portion of the workshop will show you how to do that.

Mashups using Zotero's API and Leveraging Zotero for new scholarly endeavors, 3:00 - 4:30 PM
Room 126, Memorial Library

This session will show talk about manipulating parameters to feed various items and collections into other applications like Omeka, Wordpress, Googlereader, or one you create yourself! Some neat possibilities with Zotero include the crowdsourcing of transcription, metadata creation or the cleaning up of "bad" metadata as a group project.

Prerequisites
In order to fully participate in these workshops, we ask that participants are comfortable with HTML.

Registration
Please email Anne (aerauh@engr.wisc.edu) if you plan to attend.

With thanks to Anne R for the content of this blog post.

Acta Horticulturae, Now Online!

Steenbock Library is pleased to announce that campus libraries now supply access to the online edition of Acta Horticulturae. With deep archival access to 1963 (Volume I), Acta Horticulturae online supplies full-text to the proceedings from ISHS symposia (International Society for Horticultural Science) and the International Horticultural Congress.

Access the online editions by running a Journal Title search (Acta Horticulturae) from the Journals tab on the Libraries home page or follow this link.

Tax Time, Forms and More

While campus libraries do not distribute pre-printed forms and instructions; the IRS Website supplies most federal forms and guides required.

Similarly, the state of Wisconsin Department of Revenue makes forms and instructions available online.

Federal and Wisconsin state tax forms can be picked up at Madison Public Library branches. See branch hours and locations.

The Madison Public Library also hosts tax information and assistance opportunities; see its Tax Help page for details.

Forward Thinking Redux

Earlier this fall, library staff from UW-Madison and the UW System launched a beta edition of "Forward"--a reinvention of our library catalogs and a fresh approach to resource discovery.

Find links to Forward from the Websites to UW-Madison Libraries and Steenbock. Set your search for UW-Madison or for the UW System and UW Digital Collections.

While you give it a try, be sure to send your thoughts and suggestions to the development team by clicking on the Feedback button links.

View the flyer and instructional video clips to learn more about how to use Forward effectively or speak with your campus librarians.

• Choosing a Campus in Forward
• Searching Forward
• Item Records in Forward
• Placing a Request in Forward
• Toolbar in Forward
• Your Account in Forward
• Digital Collections in Forward
• Browsing Forward

Christmas Bird Count

Beginning December 14 and running through January 5, bird enthusiasts will take to the fields and woodlands to record their sightings of particular bird species--a brilliant example of citizen science in action where engaged volunteers partner with researchers to document particular phenomena.

If you are interested in getting involved with this year’s count, see the Audubon Society’s information for participants.

For more information about bird species, do consult the online edition of Birds of North America. This comprehensive reference tool details the life histories of more than 716 North American species. The online edition, a product of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the American Ornithologist’s Union supplies descriptive text, image collections, audio and video to reveal aspects of behavior and habitat. For locating additional library resources devoted to ornithology, see the Ornithology Research Guide.

Should you wish to document your bird sightings year-round, consider registering with the eBird community--a project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society to record bird abundance and distribution.

Forward Thinking

On November 1, library staff from UW-Madison and the UW System launched a beta edition of "Forward" –a reinvention of our library catalogs and a fresh approach to resource discovery.
Find links to Forward from the Websites to campus libraries and Steenbock. Set your search for UW-Madison or for the UW System and UW Digital Collections.

As of the November 1st date, two campuses (Madison and Whitewater) can already place requests for UW System items directly within Forward. The development team anticipates that more campuses will be able to do so soon during Forward’s public beta period which runs through December.

While you give it a try, be sure to send your thoughts and suggestions to the development team by clicking on the Feedback button links.

Laboratory Methods and Protocols, Guide

Campus librarians create Research Guides to assist library users with finding recommended databases to the research literature and to other useful information available online in a particular discipline or topic. The guide to "Laboratory Protocols and Methods" is designed to assist UW-Madison researchers with locating the protocols they need from within the variety of resources available from campus library collections and the free Web.

Steenbock librarians have created other guides to reflect the academic areas that the library serves with its collections--including such disciplines as animal science, consumer science, food science and nutrition, and veterinary medicine, among others.