Category Archives: Electronic Resources

TWO new articles featuring Milligan College Library!

Posted on by

The May 1 issue of Library Journal features an article by Barbara Fister on the future of academic libraries entitled “Academic libraries, a view from the administration building.”  The article features input from  Mark Matson, Milligan’s Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean, who is an enthusiastic supporter of our library and its approach to information literacy  and the digital environment.  From the article:

“When asked about how their libraries support teaching and learning, administrators seemed knowledgeable about the library’s role. ‘There is a total focus on information literacy—in classes, helping faculty, teaching students,’ according to Mark Matson, VP for academic affairs at Milligan College in northeastern Tennessee. ‘This focus has had a radical change across campus. And the use of our library has simply skyrocketed the last three years.'”

“While I agree that over time print collections might decrease, […] the digital collections will continue to increase at phenomenal rates. And with this shift, the role of librarians to help other patrons negotiate this world will be critical. In fact, I see skilled modern librarians as being even more important in the future, provided they are partners with faculty in designing courses.”

The article is an excellent read, and anyone concerned about the future of academic libraries should take a look!

The Milligan College Library in general, and our Million Pennies Campaign in particular, is also the subject of an editorial entitled “Wii don’t need no education” in the Milligan Stampede, the college’s student newspaper.  Check out the article and let us know what you think.

And of course, keep those pennies coming!

Search EBSCOhost journal databases from your mobile phone!

Posted on by

EBSCO Mobile access

Milligan College Library patrons with Internet-capable smartphones (e.g., iPhone, BlackBerry, Palm) and wireless handheld devices (e.g., iPod touch) can now search our EBSCOhost online journal databases on the go!

Point your device web browser to http://m.ebscohost.com/. This will take you to EBSCO’s service selection page for Milligan College. (The following screenshots were taken from an Apple iPod touch.) Select “mobile access” from the services list. If you are off-campus, you will be prompted by our proxy server to fill in the fields with your Name and Barcode Number from your Milligan College ID card.  Click the “Submit” button to enter the EBSCOhost databases page. This page includes a complete list (with descriptions) of our EBSCOhost journal databases. Scroll through the list and place a check mark next to the database or databases you want to search and then click “Continue.”

I selected the ATLA Religion Database. Notice the search screen is very similar to the standard computer web interface, only it is formatted for easier viewing on your mobile device. The “Search Options” link allows you to set the kind of search you want to perform (Boolean, phrase, etc.), or any search limits (date ranges, full-text, peer-reviewed only, etc). The “Preferences” link allows you to control how search results are displayed (results per page, title with or without citation/description, etc.). Type in your search term(s) and click “Search.”

The search results are displayed in a list. Titles are hyperlinked to article records just like in the standard interface. Full-text, if available (in either html or pdf format), can be launched and viewed directly on your device (if supported), or emailed for later viewing.

The tools for gaining access to scholarly information resources are increasingly migrating to the mobile environment. This is an exciting development. It is another way in which the Library is reaching out to serve you, wherever you happen to be!

I tested the EBSCOhost mobile interface wirelessly on my iPod touch. Although it is not always convenient reading pdf articles on the device (I can enlarge the view in landscape mode, or zoom-in), I’m really happy with this experience overall. I especially liked being able to attach and email articles to my computer. I would be interested hearing about your experience using this service on other mobile devices. Did you run into any difficulties? Please report with your comments below. We will also share news of other mobile tools as they become available.

New and recently added electronic resources

Posted on by

The Library is very excited to announce the addition of several new and recently added electronic resources to support research for Milligan College students and faculty.

acm logo

bioone logoproject muse logo

ACM Digital Library is a premier resource of citations, full text journals, conference proceedings, transactions and newletters covering all aspects of computing hardware and software, research, and the computer and information technology industry.

BioOne is an extensive collection of high quality peer-reviewed full text journals in botany, zoology, ecology and conservation biology, and human biology.

Project MUSE is an interdisciplinary collection of high quality peer-reviewed full text journals in the humanities and social sciences.

Be sure to check out these and many other journal databases, e-reference and e-book collections, and online searchable book and media catalogs available 24/7 from the Milligan College Library website. We welcome and value your feedback on these resources or any other Library service. Feel free to drop in or send us your comments at any time!

Meet our new Librarian Assistant!

Posted on by

JACK

Please join us in welcoming Jack Weinbender, our new Librarian Assistant, who began work with us on June 15th.

Jack is a first-year student at Emmanuel School of Religion.  He recently graduated from Johnson Bible College in Knoxville with a B.A. in Biblical Studies and a minor in Audio & Radio Production.  Following his junior year at JBC he married his high-school sweetheart— the former Tiffany Mathews—and, in his words,  “dragged her from her home in Salem, Oregon to the hills of Tennessee.”  Tiffany is enrolled in the Milligan College nursing program.

Jack hopes to earn his M.A. in Religion within the next few years, then earn a Ph.D. in order to teach.  According to Jack, he loves his “wife, the Greek langauge, J.R.R. Tolkien, Apple computers, bluegrass music, anything by Larry Hurtado or James Dunn, the X-Files, and barbeque sauce—in that order.”

He notes, “I hope to help in analyzing statistical data to aid in understanding the present state of the Library to foster an informed decision-making atmosphere.”  In addition to working with library statistics and reports, Jack will staff the library reference desk one night per week once the Fall semester begins.  He will also organize and maintain library invoicing and communication with the Business Office.

Library Director Gary Daught notes, “I am very excited by the complexion of the Library Staff. I feel like we have been able to construct something of a ‘dream team’ as I consider the skills, professional dispositions, and high level of engagement [staff] bring to the Library and its mission among the Milligan College learning community. I cannot wait for us all to get started working together. It’s going to be fun!”

Our new Information Services Librarian/College Archivist, Meredith Sommers, joined us July 13th, completing our library staff.  We’ll post a profile on her next week!

What we did on your summer vacation, Part 1

Posted on by

“So, what do you, like, DO at the library all summer?” is one the most frequent questions students and faculty ask library staff as one school year ends and another begins.  I mean, it’s only reasonable to expect that library staff  play Scrabulous and Minesweeper in an empty library all summer while kindergartener-sized tumbleweeds roll past the periodicals racks.

Well, it may surprise you to learn that we do quite a bit!  Though we still have plenty of summer students, faculty and staff, and camp kids to keep us company, we still find time both to carry out our normal duties and to work on bigger projects and initiatives.  Here’s a taste of what we’ve done between graduation and today…

  • Our biggest news first…we completed our library staff by hiring two new library staff members:  Jack Weinbender, our new Library Assistant whose first day with us was June 17, and Meredith Sommers, our new Information Resources Librarian/College Archivist, who will begin  July 13.  We’ll post profiles of both of them soon on this blog so you can get to know them better!
  • Mary Jackson tagged dozens of new web resources for the library’s del.icio.us page
  • Ordered, cataloged, processed, and shelved hundreds of new books, DVDs, and CDs
  • Gary Daught, Mary Jackson, and Jeff Harbin attended BCLA Shared Catalog Committee meetings at Maryville College at the end of May
  • Jeff cleaned up and shifted photography lending shelves
  • Jeff shifted S-Z section of lending books
  • Gary presented on the peer review process to two Scholarly Communication classes in Milligan’s M.Ed. program
  • Jeff refreshed new book display with over 150 new books, not one of them published before 2008
  • Jeff attended two online Interlibrary Loan tutorials and exponentially expanded pool of potential DVD and CD lenders
  • Gary attended a webinar on WorldCat Local, and implemented Milligan’s “quick start” WorldCat Local environment
  • Readied reserve shelves for next year, removing many outdated items and adding course-relevant materials, and moved out empty shelving unit to create more space in reserves area
  • Gary closed out the fiscal year, reconstructed acquisitions fund code hierarchies, and reallocated funds in the library management system
  • Gary initiated a review of current periodical/journal subscriptions with faculty
  • Added extra shelving unit to provide more room for growing DVD collection, shifted current items and moved furniture to create more space in DVD room
  • Jeff cleaned up and organized both the circulation desk and the Interlibrary Loans area
  • Gary and Jeff wrote a grant proposal for the library’s “Librarians Bearing Gifts” faculty outreach project
  • Worked with faculty to improve our lending collection of music books
  • Gary and Jack organized receipt of and binding requests for M.Ed. theses
  • Gary and Jack eliminated backlog of periodical check-ins
  • Obtained ten additional circulating student-use laptops, bringing our total to twenty.

Whew!  And though the days of summer are quickly sifting through our fingers like so many grains of Myrtle Beach sand, the library staff has much more to accomplish in the 5 1/2 weeks (!) before the fall semester begins.  Be sure to check out Part 2 of this update as the new school year draws closer.