From the Library to the Lab

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

(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.

Just the basics today: use the NEIU Libraries catalog to search for a book at the Main Library by keyword

Highlights:

• Use the search box on the NEIU Libraries homepage to start your catalog search, or go directly to the catalog basic search screen
• The “Everything” search finds items at NEIU Libraries, I-Share libraries, and a smattering of articles.
• Stay broad with your catalog searches – just one or two keywords or phrases
• Search only the NEIU Libraries to find what we have in our collection, and use filters to narrow the search even more.

Feel free to leave comments or questions below.

If you remember just one thing about doing research using the NEIU Libraries resources, it's this: always start at the NEIU Libraries homepage. The links from that page will identify you as an NEIU user, streamlining your access to our catalog and online resources.

Highlights from the video:

• The NEIU Libraries offer a live (not AI!) chat service, perfect for quick questions, anytime the library is open.
• The Databases & Articles link will lead to the 300+ subscription search resources available for finding peer-reviewed articles and more.
• All of the subject librarians offer Google calendar links for scheduling in-person or online research consultations.
• Research Guides direct you to curated lists of resources for your specific subject area.