Reference Notes
Newsletter of the Reference Department - Number 1, April 1999
In an effort to keep you abreast of the many changes in the
Reference Department, this newsletter will highlight new additions to our
print collection and electronic offerings. It will include new reference
works, databases, CD-ROMs, courses, policies and procedures, and changes
to the Reference Homepage. Let us know how you like it.
Jackie Elsas, Head of Reference
Contact us at: x2305 or x2306 or via
email
Database Discoveries
We'd like to share some of our findings about the web databases we now access.
If you'd like to do the same, call us and we'll include yours.
FirstSearch: You can now reach the 63 FirstSearch
databases on
Library computers without the authorization code and password. The password is
still required to print full-text, since in some cases the cost is
considerable. A list of periodicals covered by each database is at:
www2.oclc.org/oclc/fs/fstitle/index.asp.
For updates on FirstSearch
try the LILRC newsletter at:
www.lilrc.org/newsletter.
Download Adobe Acrobat to view it.
Lexis-Nexis Universe: Newsday is no longer indexed, but now
the Chronicle of Higher Education is.
WebSPIRS Weirdness:
We've noticed the display defaults set by the Waldo Consortium change from time to time in the various databases.
In ERIC, the document type code has changed from DTN to DTC. Journal field code is now SO, not JN.
To retrieve abstracts in A Matter of Fact, you must request "complete record". Choosing "citation and abstract"
will not work because abstracts are called "extracts" in
A Matter of Fact.
Trial Databases
For Cambridge Scientific Abstracts go to Campuswide Databases on our Homepage.
We will also be able to access Grove Dictionary of Art Online (the 34 volume print set is in Reference).
We've arranged for a trial of three Gale databases through May 5th. To use Literature Resource Center,
Associations Unlimited, and Gale Ready Reference, the URL is: galenet.gale.com/a/acp/name.
Homepage Hints
Our website is at:
www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/ref/refhome.htm
- In addition to the alphabetical, subject and full-text lists of
databases, we've also added links to each FirstSearch database by
name and category. Scroll down to Reference Services for the FirstSearch
link.
- Gale Literary Index (under Internet Links) is a guide to the Gale print publications in Reference such as the
Literary Criticism sets (CLC, etc.), Contemporary Authors, and Dictionary of Literary Biography (DLB).
It will give you set, volume and page references for authors or titles.
- The Virtual Reference Collection has new links for Language, Science, Social Sciences and Subject Directories.
- Under Campuswide Databases, take a look at the Index to Music Periodicals.
- Click on Research Process under Reference Services for online style manuals such as MLA and APA.
Now formatting research papers is possible at all hours--even the few we are closed.
- Lists of periodical titles indexed in ProQuest and Infotrac are online. Print copies are in CBR and Reference.
LIUCAT Logic
To look up Los Angeles or El Salvador as a subject, use hyphens (e.g., Los-Angeles). Otherwise, LIUCAT
will treat words like "los" or "el" as articles and ignore them.
User Guides
Some of our latest handouts and user guides are
listed below. To get them from our homepage, scroll down to Reference
Resources, or go directly to Department Publications
Books
Some great print sources have been added to the Reference collection. A few are listed below:
- American National Biography - Ref. CT213.A68 1999 - 24 volumes
- Consumer Health USA - Ref. RC81.C725 1995 - 2 volumes
- Dictionary of Art - Ref. N31.D5 1996 - 34 volumes
- Encyclopedia of Indo-European Cultures - Ref. CB201.E53 1997
- Encyclopedia of the Essay - Ref. PN4500.E63 1997
- Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East - Ref. DS43.E53 1996 - 4 volumes
- Encyclopedia of U.S. Foreign Relations - Ref. E183.7.E53 1997 - 4 volumes
- Handbook of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry - Ref. RJ499.3.H356 1997 - 7 volumes
- International Encyclopedia of Dance - Ref. GV1585.1586 1998 - 6 volumes
- West's Encyclopedia of American Law - Ref. KF154.W47 1998 - 12 volumes
- Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life - Ref. GN333.W67 1998 - 4 volumes
Quirky Queries
We often get intriguing reference questions. A few examples follow:
- A student wanted the pros and cons of high tension power lines.
- A faculty member was looking for the meaning of a "Boston Marriage".
- An alumnus needed offshore ocean maps of eastern Long Island.
- A community member was researching medical malpractice resulting from vas deferens surgery.
- An LIU administrator needed a picture of a famous but not very photographed journalist for an upcoming event.
Reference Notes was created by Jackie Elsas,
Marilyn Rosenthal, and Robert Delaney
Reference Department Personnel
- Jackie Elsas, Head
- Louis Pisha, Interlibrary Loan
- Wendy Roberts, Network Systems/Publications
- Marilyn Rosenthal, Electronic Instruction/Newsletter
- Laura Manzari, Bibliographic Instruction
- Kelly Lusak, Vertical File/Information Technology/Publications
- Terri Hores, Reference Clerk
- Lisa Cotton, Interlibrary Loan Clerk
Reference Department Hours
- Monday-Thursday 8am-11pm
- Friday-Saturday 8am-5pm
- Sunday 12 noon-8pm
- Extended hours begin soon. Call x2305 for schedule and summer hours.
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