UHD Library Blog

Back to Normal, well almost

The library's catalog is back up and running, if you experience problems, please let us know by calling the reference desk at 713-221-818.

Our new doors have been installed on the 5th floor as well, they are much more attractive than the temporary sheetrock doors were.  Come by and take a look.

Meanwhile the renovation of the 5th floor continues and is making progress.  We are looking forward to seeing the end results of this project and thank everyone for their patience. 

5th Floor Library Detour

Tomorrow (Friday, May 18,2012) the 5^th floor front entry way will be under construction (New front doors!) and no one will be able to enter this way for the entire day.  All staff and patrons wanting to get to the 5th floor of the library should use the stairway through the 4^th floor Lab. 

 

May Term Has Come

Will the library be open during the May Term?

The library will have shortened operating hours May 13 - June 3.  The library will be closed on Monday, May 28.  May/Intersession hours are as follows:

Monday - Friday 8am - 5pm
Saturday & Sunday - Closed

The Library will monitor the email Ask a Librarian service after hours for the evenings of Monday - Thursday, as well as the afternoon and evening on Saturday and Sunday.

Email reference questions can be submitted by filling out this form:
http://www.uhd.edu/library/ask.html

 
Your class may have online resources with the library specifically for your class and/or assignments.

You can check to see if your class has materials on Course Reserves here:
http://uhd.docutek.com/eres/

You can also take a look at our research guides for further help in your area.
http://library.uhd.edu/

 
Please contact the library with any questions you may have about library service during the May Term.

Have a great May Term!

Experts To Go - apps for smartphones or tablets

Wiley publishers now has a line of apps you can use.  They have a wide range of topics, including:

Test preparation, News, vocabulary, learning languages, health and medicine, stack trading, Science, Cooking, Business, Sports and more.

If you want to learn more or browse through the apps that are offered take a look at Wiley's Webpage.  

(Note, not all apps are available on all platforms and some may have a cost of purchase.)

How to stay stress free!

The Library has teamed up with the UHD Sports and Fitness Center to do a presentation on how to stay stress free. With finals around the corner, I’m sure some students may be feeling a little stressed.  You may be one of them.  If so, feel free to join us in Library Event Room (N420) from 9:00-10:00 or from 3:00-4:00, while Rhonda Scherer Director of UHD Sports and Fitness Center shares some insightful tips for a stress free life.

Stress has been associated with 99% of all illnesses.  This workshop will focus on dealing with stressful situations, how stress affects energy levels, stress-relief techniques, and the role a regular fitness regimen plays in managing stress and maintaining a healthy body.  Participants will walk away with an understanding of how to identify stressors in their life and how to manage stress using various stress-relief techniques.

ANNUAL STUDENT SURVEY

Please take a moment to take the student survey anytime between April 20 and April 30 using this link:  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YNJ7PFD

Your input will be used to improve library collections, facilities, and services.  This survey is anonymous and confidential.

Students who complete this survey and provide valid contact information will be eligible to win one of four $50 Barnes and Noble gift cards!

Peer-Reviewed or Scholarly Journals, what is that anyway?

Your professor wants you to write a paper using sources from scholarly journals. What does that mean? Why does it matter? And how do you find such things?

Scholarly journals are specialized publications that feature original research or analysis written by experts. Most scholarly journals are peer-reviewed or refereed -- that means every article is reviewed by a panel of experts before it is accepted for publication. Your professor wants you to use scholarly journals because they are considered the most accurate and reliable sources for university-level work.  

How do you find scholarly journals?  Start with the Databases & Articles section of the library website. When choosing a database, read the description to find out if the database covers journals. Once you choose a database, look for a "scholarly journals" option on the search page. Most databases have this option. Choose the "scholarly journals" option to limit your search. 

To find out more about scholarly or peer reviewed journals and how they differ from popular magazines or trade journals, check out the Peer-Review or Scholarly Journals page. 

Plagiarism - Avoid it.

When writing a research paper, you will need to incorporate other people’s statements and ideas into your writing, in order to provide expert support for your ideas.  When you do this, you will need to make it clear to a reader where you found these statements and ideas, whether in a book, an article, on the internet, in a film, by talking to someone personally, or through any other means.  This shows a reader that you did your research, and also allows her to find that same information if it interests her.

Plagiarism is when you use the work or ideas of someone else in your own work without giving credit to the original source. Sometimes people intentionally cheat by trying to pass a paper as their own work, but, very often, plagiarism happens by accident.

Regardless of the intention, plagiarism can have serious consequences. The UHD Student Handbook includes an Academic Honesty Policy (PS 03.A.19) with a definition of plagiarism and procedures for faculty to follow when they suspect a student may have plagiarized or cheated on a paper. Penalties for plagiarism can include a failing grade (F) for a course.

The UHD library has a research guide all about plagiarism, understanding it and avoiding it.  Take a look at it for more information or help.  You can also take a look at the Academic Honesty web page. 

 

Films on Demand: Digital Educational Video

UHD library users have instant access to over 5000 streaming educational videos with Films on Demand: Digital Educational Video.

This web-based video delivery system provides a wide range of streaming video titles in four collections: Business and Economics; Health; Humanities and Social Sciences; and Science, from companies such as Films for the Humanities and Sciences, Cambridge Educational, Shopware, Meridian Education, and several major television networks. New films are added periodically.

With Films on Demand, you can:

• View videos from any computer with a high-speed Internet connection
• Search for videos by keyword, subject, producer, territory, textbook or K-12 standards
• Create a customized playlist with a stable URL for easy sharing
• Incorporate film segments into presentations, lesson plans, blackbaord, etc., etc.

Any UHD student, faculty or staff member can access Films on Demand, along with other streaming media resources, on our Audio & Video page.

In addition, faculty can embed links to specific films or film segments in Blackboard Vista.

Trouble with Library Forms Online

Students, Faculty, and Staff - Please be aware that we are having some intermittent problems with some of the library form on our web page. 

If you have requested an instruction class, a research consultation, or applied for a TexShare card and do not hear back from someone in the library in a couple days, we may not have received your request.

Library staff and IT are working hard to quickly resolve this issue.  In the mean time, if you feel you have been overlooked please contact the library either through the Ask-A-Librarian service, or calling the reference desk at 713-221-8187.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.