ETBU Library Blog

“It is worse still to be ignorant of your own ignorance.” – Saint Jerome Last year I was given a daily desk calendar (you know, those calendars you forget to tear off daily and so you end up ripping out a chunk every few weeks) that featured humorous answers given by students on tests. Mixed in with the often hilarious exam answers were quotes related to education. The entry from Wednesday, June 26 has been taped to my computer monitor in my office ever since. “It is worse still to be ignorant of your own ignorance.” This is a quote is taken from Saint Jerome’s (who is also the Patron Saint of Libraries ) Letter 53 is a daily reminder and warning that yes, even as a librarian, I am constantly in danger of being ignorant of my own ignorance. I see this play out in real time often when I visit classes to instruct students in the ways of becoming more information literate individuals. Recently, I listened as a student told her classmates that this class (meaning the one...

Starting a research paper can appear to be a daunting task to many students, especially when you don’t know what to write about! Here are two databases that may help you pick topics that will interest you and, in turn, help you earn the grade you desire -- CQ Researcher and Credo Reference both offer considerable support to students in search of an excellent research topic.    “ Credo promotes knowledge building, problem solving and critical thinking to give people the information skills necessary for success throughout their academic, professional and personal lives.”  Credo Reference , found by under the   “C” tab in Databases A-Z , is not only an excellent database for basic informative searches but also for picking a research topic . Credo’s "Mind Map" and " Find Topic" Pages tabs are great tools to use when finding a topic is becoming a chore and a headache. By using the "Mind Map" tab students are able to connect concept...

Welcome back to another semester at ETBU and another semester of information seeking in Jarrett Library. There are a few new things to be watching for in the Library. Last semester we introduced LibGuides, and many of the old static web pages have been converted over to LibGuides because they're easier to use and have a lot of bells and whistles we can add to your research experience. Some LibGuides are being developed for specific classes and we're also adding pathfinders and guides to assist you with basic research skills such as searching databases effectively or evaluating the sources that you use for your papers or presentations. We're even developing a few video tutorials that will help you learn how to use specific sources in a more efficient way - TigerCat will be one of the first ones completed. This semester we'll be introducing LibAnswers which will allow you to type in a question you have about the library - anything about the library is fair game - polic...

Welcome back to our returning students and a special welcome to all new students to ETBU! This year in the library you'll find a few changes and we hope that you will like them. First of all - one extra hour added to Sundays! Yes, the library will now stay open on Sunday nights until 11 PM instead of closing at 10 PM. The library will still continue to open at 4 PM on those days. Second - for the first month of school the Heritage Room will be closed as we clear out all the shelves and bells! This room is being prepared for use during President Oliver's inaugural festivities and after that this area will be converted into a group study area. It will also double as library instruction classroom when necessary, and also as a meeting place for library meetings such as the Mary K. Armstrong Society or meetings of librarians. For instance - in November of 2010 we will host the other Baptist Academic Librarians for a day of meetings. For the time being all computers have been m...

This week we've had two University chapels devoted to the subject of illegal immigration. On Monday we heard from our U.S. Representative regarding the government position and on Wednesday we heard from a Baptist General Convention of Texas representative and how to minister to illegal immigrants within the law. The library has many resources on this and related topics and for good basic pro-con information we suggest you look at CQResearcher , Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center , and TOPICsearch . Additional information will be found in almost all of the other electronic resources listed on the library's web site. From CQResearcher you'll find several reports, including the recent "Immigration Debate" (2/1/2008). You can also track this and related topics back to 1992 including "Real ID" (5/4/2007); "Illegal Immigration" (5/6/2005); "Debate Over Immigration" (7/14/2000); "The New Immigrants" (1/24/1997); "Cracking...

If you are a student working on an Honors Project don't forget to come by the library and get set up for research assistance with one of the three librarians. We can assign one of the librarians (or you can choose either Ms. Peterson, Mrs. Ravenell, or Mr. Horton yourself) to assist you throughout the work on your Project - they'll help you get started on your research, assist you in finding materials that aren't available in Jarrett Library, and be a listening post if you need it! We'll be there from the beginning until the day you turn in the Project - as long as you need assistance. Honors students can also request a change in their patron status and we also suggest a TexShare card, which will allow you to check out materials from other Texas libraries (academic and public) that also participate in the TexShare card program. For more information contact Ms. Cynthia Peterson at 2257 or at cpeterson@etbu.edu .