eBooks

I read an insightful post recently on one of my favourite library blogs- In The Library with the Lead Pipe on eBooks, and this idea that if librarians are fed up with all of the different platforms used in the eBook world, we should create an “aggregated eBook reading app”.  A wonderful idea, to be sure.  Do you read eBooks? Do you use RDC Library’s eBook collection? Our eBooks can be found using the library catalogue (limit to eBooks if that’s all you want to see!). Let us know what you think- and feel free to ask us if you have any questions of comments.  

Mendeley makes a Deal

Currently open bibliographic management tool and all-around scientific community fave Mendeley is likely to be purchased by publishing heavy weight Elsevier, according to this article from TechCrunch.  Everyone has a price, right? Apparently Mendeley’s is around 100 million.

JSTOR Offering (limited) Free Access to Journal Archive

JSTOR’s Register & Read program launched this week, in an effort to make JSTOR’s archive of scholarly material more open to researchers without (expensive) institutional or personal access. The program gives those who register the opportunity to access 3 articles every 2 weeks at no charge, from 1200 participating journals. Could this be the first step to a policy re-think by the Information Gatekeepers of scholarly publishing? To learn more, see the article from Inside Higher Ed. No longer an RDC student, faculty, or staff member? There are still many scholarly resources available online for you to use for your research. Check out RDC’s Open Access LibGuide for images, media, and scholarly material, available freely online.  

A Question of Space

Earlier this month, we used our whiteboard to ask RDC students, staff, and faculty to tell us what they like best about our Library space, and what they would like to change. We were overwhelmed with the number and variety of responses we received! THANK YOU!

In the “like” column, we heard how much you liked our couches, our space, our art, and our helpful staff (THANKS!). You like that this is a place you can have a nap or a study before class, our BYOD stations, and that there’s a lot of great people watching. You like all the great stuff you can sign out- especially our skeleton and bones.

There are things you aren’t crazy about, either.  You’d like to see more computers (and you want them to work), and the quiet study area to be quiet.  You would like to see printers and a fountain upstairs, and a microwave close by.  You would like to see more areas to do group work, and more room for art. 

 Feedback like this helps inform plans about how Library space is designed and renovated.

We thank you for all your comments and suggestions, and stay tuned for more opportunities to provide feedback to RDC Library!

Text-to-Speech feature for articles in EBSCO databases

Text-to-Speech functionality benefits users in multiple ways, particularly those who are blind or with low vision. And, let’s face it – it’s just fun! Who wouldn’t like listening to an Australian accent reading the article aloud?

“Database aggregator EBSCO Publishing…has built in a text-to-speech option for all of its EBSCOhost databases. A toolbar, created by software company Texthelp Systems, allows full-text articles available in HTML on EBSCOhost databases to be read aloud to users at variable speeds.” (Library Journal, Sept 1, 2010) 

The ‘Listen’ Text-to-Speech button is set up with standard defaults, but these can be modified by individual users:

EBSCO’s Support Site – To use Text-To-Speech:

1. Locate an EBSCOhost article in HTML format which you would like read to you.
2. From the Accent drop-down menu, select an accent in which you would like the article to be read.
3. Click the Settings icon to set your Reading Speed and Highlighting Options.
4. Click the Listen button to hear the article read outloud.

 -OR-

Click the Download button to download an MP3 file of the article being read to your computer.

 Use Text-To-Speech to Hear a Section of an Article

• You may also choose to have only a section of an article read to you.
• Highlight the passage of text you would like to be read outloud. A new mini-toolbar appears. Click the Listen button on the mini-toolbar.

 Downloading Text-to-Speech MP3s

You may also download audio files of HTML articles being read aloud to your computer in MP3 format.

 To download Text-to-Speech MP3 files:

1. On the Text-to-Speech toolbar, click the Download button.
2. Select to Open or Save the file to your computer.
3. If saving the file, browse to a location in the Save As dialog box and click Save.

The MP3 file is saved to your computer.

 Minimum requirements for using Text-To-Speech on EBSCOhost – must have Adobe Flash Player 10 installed.

Infographic: ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology 2012

Check out this infographic that visually summarizes some of the 2012 ECAR study results:

http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERS1208/EIG1208.pdf

Key Findings

See the 2012 report for a full list key messages, findings, and supporting data.

• Blended-learning environments are the norm; students say that these environments best support how they learn.
• Students want to access academic progress information and course material via their mobile devices, and institutions deliver.
• Technology training and skill development for students is more important than new, more, or “better” technology.
• Students use social networks for interacting with friends more than for academic communication.

ECAR Recommends

See the 2012 report for a full list of actionable results.

• Look to emerging or established leaders (other institutions, other countries, other industries) for strategies to deliver instruction and curricular content to tablets and smartphones. Learn from their exemplary strategies for IT support and security with student devices as well as planning, funding, deploying, and managing instructional technologies, services, and support.

• Prioritize the development of mobile-friendly resources and activities that students say are important: access to course websites and syllabi, course and learning management systems, and academic progress reports (i.e., grades).
• Bridge the gap between the technologies that have seen the greatest growth (e-portfolios, e-books/e-textbooks, and web-based citation/bibliographic tools) and students’ attitudes about their importance. Focus training/skill-building opportunities for students, professional development opportunities for faculty, and support service opportunities on these emerging technologies.
• Use e-mail and the course and learning management system for formal communication with students. Experiment with text messaging and instant messaging/online chatting, and don’t focus efforts on using social networks and telephone conversations to interact with students.

Micromedex 2.0 for Pharmacy & Nursing Programs

 

Red Deer College has participated in the Micromedex® Solutions Academic Program for several years now. This has been provided by Thomson Reuters to faculty and students of Healthcare educational programs. This excellent resource can be found on both the Pharmacy and Nursing guides.

Check it out:

On behalf of the Micromedex® Solutions Academic Program from Truven Health, I would like to formally welcome your new and returning students back to school for another wonderful and exciting year as they work toward the significant goal of becoming practicing clinicians. In support of this goal, we would like to remind you that your students and faculty have FREE and unlimited access for teaching purposes to the industry-leading evidence-based clinical content in Micromedex 2.0.

Our Academic Subscription provides summary and in-depth information for:

•          drug
•          disease
•          toxicology
•          alternative medicine
•          lab content

Key tools include:

•          patient counseling for medications, procedures, and conditions
•          Trissel’s 2^TM IV Compatibility
•           Clinical Calculators
•          Drug Interactions screening

Free Mobile Apps for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and Android devices:

•          Micromedex Drug Information
•          Micromedex Drug Interactions
•          Micromedex IV Compatibility

(See mobileMicromedex® link located at the top of the Micromedex 2.0 page)

Please help your students make the most of their learning experience by sharing this information with them.

Updates to the ARTstor Digital Library

After the sceduled update to ARTstor Digital Library, users will see some upper-level enhancements to this resource. New changes  include:

1. Password-protected folders that have been unlocked by a user will now be easily found in their own upper-level category, Unlocked Folders, instead of in the list of Institutional Folders.
2. Another new upper-level category has been introduced: Global Folders, which currently contains Featured Groups, including Art History Topics, Interdisciplinary Topics, and Travel Awards.
3. The Help button has been moved to the main navigation bar.

After this update, some users may find that they cannot see their folders or image groups; clearing the browser cache should resolve the issue. You can find detailed instructions on how to do this on our help wiki.

Community Access Program Funding Cut in Recent Budget

The library world has been buzzing over the last couple of weeks because of the recently announced cut to the Community Access Program, a federal program that provided funding for public internet access.  Because much of the public internet access takes place in public libraries, this cut directly affects programming in public libraries across the country.

To get a sense of the conversation, here are a couple of reactions to the cuts, including an official statement from the Canadian Library Association:

• Canadian Library Association Dismayed at Cancellation of Community Access Program
• Michael Geist: Feds’ Quiet Cut to Community Web Access Program

The federal government has been fairly quiet in response to the reaction from libraries, but this 2009 report from Industry Canada, Final Evaluation of the Community Access Program, provides some sense of their thinking behind the cuts.

Take a look at the links above, and then let us know what you think about this budget cut.

Human Learning Library

Real Educators. Real Conversations. Real Learning.

On Thursday, April 5, 2012 check out a book from the
Human Learning Library.

This unique event, hosted by RDC Library, features a collection of “human books” that are experts in the Red Deer educational community.

Be a “reader” and check them out to learn about different approaches to teaching and learning.

Learn More!