January Bright Lights
Seminars from the St. Olaf Libraries

Primary sources, full-text and SFX, wikis and blogs, Big Brother data, EndNote and more – the St. Olaf Libraries invite you to a series of workshops during January on all aspects of their electronic resources. Come to one or to all, as your interest and time permit. It would be helpful if you let Kris MacPherson know you’re coming (macphers@stolaf.edu) but spur-of-the-moment works as well.

**** All seminars begin at 3:45 ****

St. Olaf’s Electronic Library: An Overview
Thursday, January 5 3:45-4:45 Library Instruction Room (Rolvaag 355)
Kasia Gonnerman and Kris MacPherson

Come discover the gems buried within the Libraries home page. Learn how to browse the stacks from your office, find statistical web sites, tap library collections around the world, scan multiple databases, access electronic versions of style manuals and more!

Wikis and Blogs in the Classroom
Tuesday, January 10 3:45-4:45 Library Instruction Room (Rolvaag 355)
Natalie Wall and Sarah Johnston

Wikipedia, Blogster, Open Source Britannica: Do you know where your students have been? Learn about the cutting edge in collaborative software and find out how this technology is being used in the class setting and research process. We’ll look at the question of accuracy and discuss the pros and cons of using “social software.”

All About Databases
Wednesday, January 11 3:45-4:45 Rolvaag 250
Kasia Gonnerman and Kris MacPherson

Dab into the plethora of journal and newspaper databases available through library subscriptions. Discover new electronic resources, including Academic Search Premier, Philosopher’s Index, Middle English Compendium, or MLA on its new platform – all while learning search tips and efficient ways to navigate the databases. Explore our new Interlibrary Loan system, ILLiad, and ask our ILL experts about obtaining resources from other institutions.

Uncle Sam, Big Brother and You
Thursday, January 12 3:45-4:45 Rolvaag 250
Mary Sue Lovett, Ken Johnson, Natalie Wall

Government websites are amazing resources. You can file your taxes; find a law; trace a bill through Congress; map out your next national park hike; read about an FDA recall; renew your license tabs. We’ll even show you how to access the Core Documents of U.S. Democracy. We’ll also look at your privacy on the web – government website or elsewhere.

Primary Sources on the Web: Historical and Musical and…
Wednesday, January 18 3:45-4:45 Rolvaag 250
Kris MacPherson and Beth Christensen

Manuscripts, letters, documents, visual images, sound recordings, and scores ... things that used to require letters of introduction, plane fares, and overnight lodging are now immediately accessible (and often free of charge) in your home or office. Find out more about exciting collections of primary source materials. Bring some of your favorite sites to share with the group!

GIS Showcase
Thursday, January 19 3:45-4:45 Library Instruction Room (Rolvaag 355)
Natalie Wall and faculty colleagues

GIS (Geographic Information System) is playing an ever-expanding role in the liberal arts curriculum. Come see how this visual analysis technology is being used by some St. Olaf faculty members, and find out more about the GIS learning opportunities and resources available both on- and off-campus.

EndNote Bibliographic Software: Building Your Own Electronic Library – An Introduction to EndNote,
Tuesday, January 24 3:45-4:45 Rolvaag 250
Charles Priore, Kris MacPherson and Ken Johnson

With this bibliographic management tool, you can create your own electronic list of references from copies in hand or by downloading from the major databases the Libraries provide. Use in concert with Word to Cite-While-You-Write in any of the standard scholarly styles. Want to switch from APA to MLA? No problem! Compile your Works Cited list automatically.

“Advanced” EndNote/What’s new in EndNote 9
Wednesday, January 25 3:45-4:45 Rolvaag 250
Charles Priore, Kris MacPherson and Ken Johnson

See what EndNote can really do – we'll introduce the use of manuscript templates from different scholarly journals, show you how to link pdf files and urls and how to save figures and then incorporate them into documents. Bring on your questions!