From the Library to the Lab

This video provides a brief overview of how to create citation alerts for new articles in various databases, including EBSCO databases, Biological Abstracts, and PubMed.

• Nearly every library database has the feature that allows you to set up alerts for topics and authors – let new research come to you.
• The EBSCO databases are integrated with our usual sign-in procedure
• Other databases may require you to set up a separate account using your NEIU or personal email address.

The video provides guidance on the best ways to share links in D2L for easy access to articles. It focuses on three vendors: EBSCO, JSTOR, and ProQuest, and explains how to locate permalinks in each.

• In EBSCO databases, look for the share icon then choose “Create link”
• In JSTOR, look for the REMOTE ACCESS URL under “Item details”
• In ProQuest databases, click the “Copy URL” button

For help linking to databases from other vendors, please don't hesitate to reach out to me at eadmin@neiu.edu for assistance! I'm happy to help provide correct links for all of your course materials.

Questions? Leave a comment below.

Learn about a resource that can supplement your course content and provide students extra support

Highlights:

• Contains supplemental learning objects in writing, math, science, and more
• Some objects are interactive, such as games, flashcards, and quizzes
• Students can track their progress and provide a certificate of completion

Use the Journal Finder feature in the NEIU Libraries catalog to browse the latest issues of your favorite journals

Highlights

• Use Journal Finder in the NEIU Libraries catalog to find a complete listing of online journals.
• Remember to scroll down if the journal is hosted in EBSCO. It looks like you land on a blank search screen.
• This is especially useful for single-word journal titles like Science or Nature, words which have thousands of results in the regular full catalog.

Take a break from midterms to enjoy some of the NEIU Libraries' less “scholarly” databases.

Highlights:

• The Just for Fun database list is available at https://neiulibraries.libguides.com/az/fun
• It includes databases more often available at public libraries.
• Find your next read, listen to some music, or explore a new hobby!

Learn how to identify yourself as someone who is affiliated with NEIU and make linking from Google Scholar to the full text much easier.

Highlights:

• Use Google Scholar's Settings to identify yourself as an NEIU user
• The “Find It @ NEIU” link will show up on each result
• The link will take you to the NEIU Libraries catalog where you can link to the resource, if online, or place an ILL request

Here's a handout

What library resource could make your research and teaching easier? Do you have a question you would like me to answer? If you have the question, chances are someone else does, too!

Please add your questions to the comments below, and I will address them in a future post. Ask me anything about using our spaces, services, or resources--in person or online.

You can add your comments to any post on the blog, if you have questions about a specific topic. I'll keep an eye out for them and try to answer them quickly.

Also, be sure to check out these resources we have created for helping you use the NEIU Libraries:

• Faculty Guide to the Library
• Introduction to Research at the NEIU Libraries
• Subject-specific research guides

(or, D'Oh! A DOI Dead-end!)

Much as we would like to, the NEIU Libraries cannot subscribe to every journal you want to read. But, don't despair! Our WorldShare Interlibrary Loan service will get articles for you for free, often in only 2-3 days.

Highlights:

• Search the NEIU Libraries catalog to find out whether or not we own (or subscribe to) the item you want.
• The librarians are happy to take collection suggestions from faculty.
• The catalog will link you directly to a subscribed online article, if available, or link you to the request form in WorldShare Interlibrary Loan.

[Apologies for the audio cutting out a couple of times!]

Artificial Intelligence is being discussed everywhere on campus. One of the most popular AI tools in use right now is ChatGPT, a generative AI. Its abilities are pretty amazing, but you should be aware of how your input might be used and decide whether you want more restrictive privacy settings on your account.

Highlights:

• ChatGPT's free version allows you to customize your settings. Even if you don't pay for the full features, you have some choice.
• The Personalization option lets you decide whether you want ChatGPT to build its Memory about you--who who are and the types of answers you want.
• Data controls settings allow you to contribute your input and answers to the larger training model…or not.

Sometimes you'll be browsing the web, come across that perfect article…and hit a paywall. Always check the NEIU Libraries catalog to see if we have a subscription to the content. (In a future video, I'll explain what to do if we don't.)

Highlights:

• Don't pay for an article on the web – the library may already have a subscription.
• Digital Object Identifiers are a quick and easy way to search our catalog.
• Library subscriptions are priced differently than individual subscriptions, so we often get our content through aggregator databases.