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CITATION GENERATORS: CHECK AND REVISE!

27 Wednesday May 2020

Posted by suemiller2020 in Uncategorized

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APA Citation System, Citations, Kirkwood Community College, Kirkwood Community College Library, Kirkwood Library

Struggling with citations? One of the very helpful features, when using the library’ catalog and databases, as opposed to Google, is that they all provide help in creating your citation. You even get to choose the style you want – MLA, APA, Chicago, and various other styles peculiar to their disciplines. However, as with most things, there is always a caveat to proceed with caution. A computer generated citation will NEVER be as precise as what you can create. ALWAYS check and revise!

To complicate the accuracy of database citations, in October 2019, the American Psychological Association (APA), released an update, the 7th edition, of their citation format. This is the citation style used by nursing, allied health and the social sciences. So for the last few months, online libraries have been playing catch-up.  APA 7th edition updates have just begun.

What this means for you, as a student, is to pay close attention to the edition listed when using the catalog and database citation tools. Right now, for example, you will see EBSCOhost using 7th edition APA, while the Gale products, like Opposing Viewpoints, are still using 6th edition.

Of course, if you take your librarians’ and instructors’ advice, you, the savvy Kirkwood student, already know that when it comes to citation helpers ALWAYS – Check and Revise!

Memorial Day Weekend 2017

25 Thursday May 2017

Posted by Sarah Uthoff - Trundlebed Tales in Uncategorized

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Kirkwood Community College Library, Kirkwood Community College Library Hours, Kirkwood Library, Library Hours

The staff of both locations of Kirkwood Library Services wish you and yours the best this Memorial Day Weekend, whether it entails fun in the sun, a community Memorial Day service, or both.

Sat., May 27th

Closed

Sun., May 28th

Closed

Mon., May 29th

Closed

Tues., May 30th

Library Resumes

Normal Summer Hours

We’ll see you back here Tuesday, May 30th  at our normal summer time to help you with all your informational and pleasure reading needs.

Normal Summer Hours for Cedar Rapids:

Mon. – Thurs.: 7:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Fri: 7:30 a.m. – Noon
Sat & Sun: CLOSED

Normal Summer Hours for Iowa City:

Mon.-Thurs.: 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Fri: 8 a.m. – Noon
Sat & Sun: CLOSED

Do You Know How to Get A Specialized LibGuide to Help Your Students Find Stuff?

30 Wednesday Nov 2016

Posted by Sarah Uthoff - Trundlebed Tales in Uncategorized

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Kirkwood Community College Library, Kirkwood Library, LibGuide

libguidecap

What is a LibGuide?

A LibGuide is a brand of a company that makes interactive research tools that give students a leg up by gathering resources. Each LibGuide focuses on a particular topic and each one can have different types of resources as needed. So each LibGuide can have suggested book titles, links to ebooks, links to database articles, links to websites, contacts for organizations, embedded videos, etc. It can also include subject headings or alternative terms they might want to search. You may have already dealt with our LibGuides for MLA and APA citation.

Why Is It Valuable?

A LibGuide is useful for students new to the research process or new to a field of interest. It can save them time by steering them towards material the library owns in collections they may not have thought of searching or books that are related and can be applied, but aren’t EXACTLY on their topic. It can also get them to websites that have been prescreened by you or library staff to get them off the top couple of Google results.

Want a LibGuide?

If you have a particular subject or assignment you want a LibGuide for?

  1. Decide exactly what topic and what formats you want your LibGuide to cover.
  2. Make a list of resources you know you want included.
  3. Contact a reference librarian. – We’ll talk to you about the project and get a feel for what you are looking for and what kind of resources we might be able to add.
  4. We’ll send you a draft to preview and approve.
  5. We’ll publish it on the open web and you can link to it or tell your students where to find it online.
  6. It can be updated in the future. If you find additional resources or want some pulled or just want us to run a check for broken links, possible additions etc. let us know before you want to use it again and we’ll keep it fresh for you.
  7. NOTE: Please request AT LEAST 3 weeks before you want to use it with your class to give us a chance to commit time to your project.

Find a LibGuide

To find any of our LibGuides

  1. Go to the Library website.
  2. Click on the Explore Our Help Guide button (under the chat with a librarian box).
  3. Use the search box to find your topic or click on the hyperlink word LibGuides just above the title Library Help to get an A to Z list.

If you are doing research, you may also want to do a Google search with your topic and the word LibGuide to search for such guides made by libraries all over the world that might point you in the direction of new resources.

Links to Some of The Books Recently Added to the Collection:

Odds and Ends 29

Odds and Ends 30

Paranormal

Our Special Display This Month

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Popular Books

Harry Potter

Kirkwood Library’s 50th Anniversary

Scheduling

Student Scheduling Our Group Study Rooms

Writing Center Scheduling

EVENT – SPECIAL HOURS

Exam Cram – Get Geared Up for Finals

Tech Tips

How To Print in Color

Our Database of the Month

We want to make sure that everyone knows both our Films on Demand  and Kanopy database videos come with Public Performance Rights on campus. So they can be used at events as well as in class.

Want to schedule time in the library or for us to come into your class?

Click Here

What if the library doesn’t have a book you want?

Click Here

And remember you contact us at the library any time by phone, e-mail, chat, or stop on by! We’re always glad to see you! Look for the next issue of our newsletter. And remember you contact us at the library any time by phone, e-mail, chat, or stop on by! We’re always glad to see you! Look for the next issue of our newsletter.

EXAM CRAM, Fall 2016

15 Tuesday Nov 2016

Posted by suemiller2020 in Uncategorized

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Exam Cram, Exam Cram Fall 2016, final exams, Kirkwood Community College, Kirkwood Community College Library, Kirkwood Library, Kirkwood Library Services, Kirkwood tutoring services, Therapy dogs, Tutoring Services

On Thursday, December 1st, your Cedar Rapids Kirkwood Library and Tutoring Services  (2071 Cedar Hall) will hold its semi-annual “Exam Cram” event from 8AM until 9PM. This is the kick-off for that intense semester period of paper writing and exam taking! Tutoring Services will provide math, science and computer skills help throughout the day. While the library 1st floor will host a variety of special activities for stress relief and fun, including a special table hosted by Kirkwood’s counselors from Student Services. Oh, and let’s not forget the library’s coffee, hot chocolate, cookies and popcorn! Attend both locations for a chance to win one of many student door prizes being given away (provided by the Café, Campus Bookstore, Student Life and Eagle Tech).

Now for more of the fun. The library will have adult coloring, puzzles, holiday crafts and electric massage chairs when you need to take a break. Kristi Murdock, Animal Health Technology, will provide a therapy dog visit during activity hour (11:15AM ) outside the library classroom. (And as a bonus, there are plans for a second visit during finals week on Monday, December 12th around 10AM.)

Need more relaxation? On December 8th, Kirkwood’s very own nursing instructor, Nicoleta Nica, will be providing a workshop on essential oils in the library classroom during activity hour (11:15AM). This will be open to students, faculty and staff.

Then once exams begin on December 9th, the library will be providing coffee, hot chocolate and tea to get you through those late nights! There will be extended library hours beginning Sunday, December 4th through Wednesday, December 14th. What more could a student ask for? But if you have other ideas or suggestions, email us: library@kirkwood.edu

We’re here to serve you!

Updates to the day’s activities will be posted here and on the library’s Facebook page, so check back often and plan to visit your Kirkwood Library and Tutoring Services on Thursday, December 1st!

Meet your Librarians, your Biggest Fans!

14 Friday Aug 2015

Posted by suemiller2020 in Uncategorized

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Kirkwood Community College, Kirkwood Community College Library, Kirkwood Library, Kirkwood Library Services, Movin' and Shakin'

Movin’ and Shakin’, Kirkwood’s annual carnival of campus information, returns on Monday, August 24th (noon – 3PM), the very first day of fall semester. Come and greet your librarians at our very popular “wheel of fortune” booth, set up at the center of Kirkwood’s main campus .

Why is it popular? First of all, we are one of the few booths to have a canopy to provide you much needed shade on a hot summer afternoon. Secondly, you will have a chance to spin our wheel and win prizes like much needed school supplies and yummy candy. But most importantly, it gives you a chance to get to know us, your librarians, who are your biggest supporters in making your fall semester successful.

What more could you ask for?

 

National Women’s History Month 2015

02 Monday Mar 2015

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Kirkwood Community College, Kirkwood Community College Library, Kirkwood Library, National Women's History Month, National Women's History Month 2015

weaving the story of women's lives   If you watched the Academy Awards recently, you heard Patricia Arquette, winner of the 2015 Best Supporting Actress Oscar, give a shout-out for equal pay and rights for women during her acceptance speech. Arquette said, “The truth is: even though we sort of feel like we have equal rights in America, right under the surface, there are huge issues that are applied that really do affect women.”

So if you are a female college student (or a male student with a sister, wife or daughter), how does this issue affect you? Well, did you know that among full-time workers one year after college graduation, women were paid just 82 percent of what their male counterparts were paid? It’s hard to believe, but “at every level of academic achievement, women’s median earnings are less than men’s earnings, and in some cases, the gender pay gap is larger at higher levels of education (aauw.org)!

Last year, when I wrote this blog, Iowa ranked 29th in the United States in the gender pay gap. Iowa has now slipped to 33rd. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 was supposed to correct this, but it didn’t. So in 1987 Congress declared March as National Women’s History Month to recognize, honor, and celebrate the achievements of American women.

This year’s theme is “Weaving the Stories of Women’s Lives.” The theme presents the opportunity to weave women’s stories – individually and collectively – into the essential fabric of our nation’s history. The National Women’s History Project, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary, has chosen to honor 9 very diverse women who contributed to writing women back into history. The honorees include a Native American, Hispanic American, African Americans, and Asian American women. They are historians, educators, singer/songwriters, journalists and even a medicine woman.

Come learn about these 9 fascinating women @ your Kirkwood Cedar Rapids library this month. Posters with their pictures and bios will be displayed on the library tables during the month of March. Women’s history books will be prominently displayed on the library’s bookshelves by the reference desk and available for check-out. An online guide with poignant and funny videos, articles and photos about women is available through the library’s website at: http://guides.kirkwood.edu/womenstudies

Also, be sure to check the Kirkwood library’s Facebook page where each day you will learn some very surprising facts about the lives of American women!

New Database Trials – October 2014

01 Wednesday Oct 2014

Posted by suemiller2020 in Uncategorized

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Alexander Street Press, Films on Demand, journals, JSTOR, Kirkwood Community College, Kirkwood Library, Project Muse, trial databases, videos

October is Information Literacy Month! To celebrate, your Kirkwood Community College library is doing a trial of 4 databases from October 1st through October 31st. Two of the databases, JSTOR and Project Muse, will add to our online journal collection in the areas of English, Social Science, general Humanities, and general Science. The other two, Alexander Street Press and Films on Demand, contain videos and films, which would be a new service for our library. To read more about these databases and the segments we are trialing; please check out our library guide.

Unfortunately, adding databases to our collection can be quite expensive, so the library wants to make sure that we use our funds wisely. Therefore, the addition of these is completely dependent on you, our customer. So after you check these out, please complete the survey to let us know what you think. Your responses will tell us whether to purchase a database and more specifically which components to purchase.

project muse    films on demand2   Alexander street press       jstor

So Happy Information Literacy Month and Happy Searching!

New Books: Improving your Community College

17 Thursday Apr 2014

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Community college success, improving community colleges, Kirkwood Community College, Kirkwood Community College Library, Kirkwood Library, New Books

As the newest librarian at Kirkwood, I have been so impressed by the dedication and innovation of the faculty and staff. There is an exciting culture of “can do” that permeates our institution. No idea is ridiculed and support for the Kirkwood student is primary in everything we do. To facilitate this process, your library tries to purchase books supporting the latest research on excellence in community colleges.

Two of our newest acquisitions, available for check-out are:

 What_Excellent_Community_Colleges_Do_Wyner_cover1. What excellent Community Colleges do: Preparing all students for success, by Joshua S. Wyner (378.052 W985w).  Wyner realizes how underfunded and underappreciated the community colleges are, but identifies what high-quality community colleges, both urban and rural, have done to increase degree completion, equity, student learning, and labor market success. Wyner is the founder and executive director of The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program. Check out the video book talk as well.

2. Understanding Community Colleges, by John S. Levin and Susan T. Kater is available in print (378.154 U55) and as an electronic book . This book offers a series of essays by various scholars on such pertinent issues as teaching academically underprepared college students, adult and international students, vocational education and workforce development.

So come to the library and check them out. AND if there are other great books you’ve read or heard about, please let us know through the library’s purchase request form.

Don’t judge a book by its cover: Do judge a website by its ending!

04 Monday Nov 2013

Posted by suemiller2020 in Uncategorized

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information bias, Kirkwood Community College Library, Kirkwood Library, Tech Tip, url, website address, website bias

url endingWhat’s in an ending? Well, when it comes to a website, the three little letters at the end of its address tell the reader a lot. I am talking about the .com, .org, .edu and .gov that come at the end of a website’s location. As a student, which sites should you use and how do you decide?

A dot com is a commercial site. Sometimes you might see .biz for business or .net for network providers. If you are a business student, you might find some very useful information on company websites such as their annual reports, history and goals, or their products. However, if you are a nursing student, you would want to carefully evaluate these sites as their purpose may be to convince you to take their drug or have the latest and greatest cosmetic surgery.

A dot org is a non-profit organization. However, like a .com, anyone can be a .org. In other words, there is no screening process. There are some very reputable .orgs such as the American Cancer Society and the famous Mayo Clinic. Would I trust information I found on these sites? Yes, absolutely, but remember that most .orgs have a point of view and they are trying to convince you of it. For example, if you are a gun supporter, you might like the National Rifle Association (nra.org), but if you believe in gun control, you might prefer Pat Brady’s campaign to prevent gun violence (bradycampaign.org).

A dot edu refers to an educational institution of higher learning such as a college or university and yes, they must go through a screening process. These are often excellent sites to find information for college research papers. However, watch the web address for a tilde (~) before a person’s name. This indicates that the site is authored by that one person. This might be good if the person is a scholar at Harvard University, but it could also indicate that it is an undergraduate student posting their class assignment.

Finally, the dot gov indicates a government website. You can always be assured that if the web address ends in .gov, it is a legitimate department of the government. Therefore, the sites provide reputable information that often cannot be found anywhere else. For example, the U.S. Census Bureau (census.gov) can provide you with the best statistics as they have the money and power to make everyone comply. However, does the government also have a point of view? Think back to the BP Gulf oil spill in April 2010. Three months later, the government told the American people that it was safe to eat fish from the gulf. Most of us would not knowingly want to do this, but the government felt the risk was outweighed by the economic suffering of the fishermen in the area.

So what is a student to do? They should realize that almost all information has a bias, but that the .edu and .gov sites are probably the least opinionated. AND when in doubt, check with your instructor or friendly, helpful Kirkwood librarian.

“Wikipedia is Not Wicked” says the Daring Librarian (and so does your newest Kirkwood librarian)

18 Wednesday Sep 2013

Posted by suemiller2020 in Uncategorized

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Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopedia, Google, history, keyword search, Kirkwood Community College, Kirkwood Community College Library, Kirkwood Library, Open content, Open source, Sue Miller, Wikipedia

wikipedia-logoHow many of you use Wikipedia? This is a question I pose when doing library instruction with new college students. At first, only a few hesitant hands go up, but then after students see me raise my hand, a few more will inevitably go up. Well, if the teacher admits to it, it must be OK!

Yes, it is OK and yes, anyone who surfs the net will, without a doubt, use Wikipedia. A study in Nature magazine found that ”Wikipedia comes close to Britannica in terms of accuracy of its science entries” (Giles, 2005, p. 900). In fact, a surprising number of errors were found to occur in Encyclopedia Britannica. One of the reasons is that Wikipedia can be updated instantly with new scientific data, while the Britannica cannot. And of course the best part of Wikipedia is that it is free and one of the first hits when you do any Internet search.

Does this mean that you should use Wikipedia as a source in your next research paper? No, absolutely not. But neither would I recommend a college level paper citing a general encyclopedia.

So how should you use it? I like to tell students that Wikipedia is a good place to start, but not where you want to end up!

Here is what the Daring Librarian recommends:

  1. “Use it as background information.” I often use Wikipedia when I am watching a television program that refers to something I want to know more about. For example, I wanted to know more about the Hatfields and McCoys as I was watching the series on the History channel. I googled it and read more about the two families on Wikipedia.
  2. “Use it for technology terms.” This is a great place to find definitions of hashtags and QR codes. Library databases are often not very good at this.
  3. “Use it for current pop cultural literacy.” Where else would you get the latest scoop on the next superhero movie that’s coming out next week?
  4. “Use it for the Keywords.” When searching Google or the library databases, it is sometimes hard to come up with the right words to find the information you need, reading Wikipedia can provide you with many more ideas.
  5. “Use it for the REFERENCES at the bottom of the page!” Many of Wikipedia’s references are links to other scholarly articles. Check these out and of course be sure to evaluate their reliability.

So don’t be afraid to admit that you use Wikipedia. Just be sure to use it wisely and with a discerning eye, as you should any other resource. After all, as the Daring Librarian says, “Wikipedia is not a dirty word” (Jones, 2010).

References

Giles, J. (2005). Internet encyclopedias go head to head. Nature 438(7070), 900-901. DOI:

10.1038/438900a

Jones, G. A. (2010, November 6). The daring librarian: Wikipedia is not wicked. Retrieved from

http://www.thedaringlibrarian.com/2010/11/wikpedia-is-not-wicked.html

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Kirkwood Community College Libraries

Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, IA
319-398-5696 or Toll Free: 866-452-8504
Cedar Rapids Main Campus Library Hours -During Fall Semester 2020

Mon-Thurs: 7:30 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Fri: 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sat: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. (Online help, building closed)
Sun: 3 - 8 p.m.

Iowa City Campus Library Hours
Mon-Thurs: 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Fri: 8 - 5 p.m.
Sat: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. (Online help only, physical building is closed)

Visit www.kirkwood.edu/library for non-semester hours

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