Author: Kimberly

Schedule a Research Consultation with a Bentley Librarian!

Kimberly

Reference Librarians are, first and foremost, researchers, and the Bentley Librarians have a particular expertise with the content, collections and scope of the resources available at Bentley University.

We are here to help you achieve the goal of an excellent paper or project.

We assist with:

  • Planning a research strategy.
  • Database selection & searching.
  • Locating specific materials.

Many of these activities can be done directly with a librarian at the Reference Desk, but booking an appointment can help save you time and will help you get the most out of the resources available to you.

Assistance is available for all skill levels and interests! Examples of these might include:

  • First year student working on a pro/con paper.
  • Upperclassman working on an honors capstone thesis.
  • Student researching a company in preparation for a job interview.
  • Graduate student team working on a strategic marketing plan.
  • PhD student working on a dissertation.
  • Professor working on her/his own research or curricular design.
  • And many more…

Click here to schedule a one-on-one research consultation with a Bentley Reference Librarian! Consultations last about 30 minutes to an hour depending on the needs of the user and take place during normal Reference Librarian hours. Consultations need to be booked with at least 24 hours advanced notice for users to make the most of these sessions.

For more immediate assistance, help is also available at the Reference Desk.

Learn to Use RefWorks in 20 Minutes

Kimberly


Want to learn how to use Refworks and missed our workshop? These video clips are available to help.

RefWorks is a tool that creates bibliographies and formats research papers in the citation style of your choice (e.g. APA, MLA). Learn to export citations, create bibliographies, and organize sources for all your research papers and projects – all in one place.

If you decide you’d like to use Refworks, just visit RefWorks and look for the link to “Sign up for a New Account”. It is important to use your Bentley University e-mail address when creating this account. Help using RefWorks is also available at the Bentley Library. Just ask a librarian.

Database of the Month: World News Digest

Kimberly

WND

World News Digest is a domestic and international news database covering major political, social, and economic events since November 1940. On top of getting quick updates about topics in the news, this database gives the ability to search for news by topic, decade or country and to find facts and statistics by exploring the tabs across the top of the page. Researchers can create a chronology of a specific issue and follow a story back in time to understand its importance.

The Infobase Learning section at the bottom of the page provides:

  • Presidential Elections information from 1940 to 2012.
  • Historical Documents
  • Editorial Cartoons
  • Featured Biographies
  • Obituaries
  • Newspaper Editorials
  • Facts & Statistics
  • Country studies

World News Digest is updated twice weekly and includes a searchable hourly news feed. All documents have a how to cite area and also a record URL which can be linked to for classroom presentations or course assignments.

Learn RefWorks Now!

Kimberly

refworks
The Bentley Library is offering a workshop for students about RefWorks.
RefWorks is a tool that creates bibliographies and formats research papers in the citation style of your choice (e.g. APA, MLA).
Learn to export citations, create bibliographies, and save and organize sources for all your research papers and projects – all in one place.
Have sources you’re not sure how to cite? Bring them with you and we’ll help you get them right.

When:

Wednesday, October 14, 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Where:

Research Instruction Center (RIC), Room 11, on the lower level of the library.

How to sign up:

Register by sending an e-mail to library@bentley.edu (Since seating is limited, you must register.)

If you don’t already have an RefWorks account, we strongly recommend that you “Sign up for a New Account” before coming to the workshop – you can do so at the RefWorks’ website.

Quality Sources Workshop

Kimberly

EvalImageHaving trouble finding quality sources? Come to a workshop developed specifically with you in mind!

The Bentley Library is offering a workshop to help students find and identify quality sources.

Highlighted tools and resources include:

  • The Library’s “Journal Finder”
  • Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory
  • Browzine

You have two opportunities to attend:

Tuesday, October 6th, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.

Wednesday, October 7th, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.

Both workshops take place in the library’s Research Instruction Center (RIC), Room 11, on the lower level of the library.

Since seating is limited, please register by sending an e-mail to library@bentley.edu indicating which day you prefer.

Try Our New Ask Us Service.

Kimberly

askus

One of our tasks this summer was to build a database of frequently asked questions and answers. The result is a new service that we are calling Ask Us.

Knowing that others have asked the same question is a comfort, but more than that, seeing questions you might not have intended to ask but wanted to know can help you to learn new things.

Here are a few examples:

Access is available in a number of ways:

If you have a question that is not answered, you can submit your question and your email address to get an answer. If the question is asked a few times, we’ll add it to the knowledge base. Of course, you can still visit our reference librarians in person at the library and we encourage you to do so, but try this service out. Give it a spin and see what questions others are asking and what the answers are.

How (and Why) to Enjoy Audiobooks

Kimberly 3 Comments

As June is Audiobook Month, I’ve been pondering why I enjoy them so much.

They save time. I can listen to them in the car [commuting or on road trips]; walking my 10,000 steps; waiting around for music lessons and the other kid’s activities to be over; de-cluttering the house; folding laundry and the ever popular, Yard Work. These are all activities that I really don’t like and listening to a book can makes the task less odious.

I listen to all kinds of content: fiction & nonfiction; short stories & full length novels; all types of genres. I try to mix it up. Here are some recommendations from our CD Audiobook Collection:

Fiction:

NonFiction:

You’ll note that when I recommend an audiobook, I’ve included the reader in this blog write up. A good audiobook is all about the reader. A good reader makes the book a great listening experience. Sometimes I’ll explore a book just because I enjoy listening to the reader. Who knew that cholera could be so fascinating! Alan Sklar makes it so in Steven Johnson’s The Ghost Map.

CD audiobooks are wonderful in the car and in the house [I play mine on my son’s Xbox] but there are times you just want the tale on something a little more portable so why not try the audiobook content the Bentley Library provides through OverDrive. OverDrive adds hundreds of titles for you to choose from. Just download the free app or stream audiobooks online via OverDrive Listen and away you go on your own device [I use my iPhone, but the files play on many different devices.]

There currently are 403 fiction & 268 nonfiction audiobooks available through OverDrive. Here are a few to start with:

Audiobooks are a great way of refreshing your memory in anticipation of the next book in the series or the next movie release. I can’t wait for the next book in the Lisbeth Salander series called The Girl in the Spider’s Web which will be out in September 2015, so I’m listening to the earlier novels now. The movie, A Walk in the Woods, is also coming out in September, so it might be fun to listen to the book first.

[Audiobook tip: Depending on the content, you might want to pause before going through the drive through. Some clerks can give you interesting looks when certain words or phrases travel to their ears.]

Listening can be a fun family activity especially on a road trip. I wouldn’t recommend all the titles in this blog post as examples of stories to listen to with your kids, but I have listened with my 10 year old to the Rick Riordan’s Heroes of Olympus series [Read by Joshua Swanson] and the Harry Potter series [Read by Jim Dale] which are available through most public libraries and the following titles from the Bentley Library: Gregory Maguire’s Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West [Performed by John McDonough], The Graveyard Book and Watership Down, both listed above. The choice really depends on the interest and maturity of your kids, but an audiobook can make a road trip much more enjoyable especially when the charge for their electronics fade…

[OverDrive tip: Check with your local public library for additional OverDrive content.]

Well, if you’ve never tried an audiobook, I hope that this post has encouraged you take a chance on one. If you already are an audiobook fan, I hope you enjoy these suggestions. If you have any suggestions of titles you’d like the Bentley Library to consider purchasing, please let us know. Your recommendations and feedback are always welcome. As I am always looking for the next great reader and stories to follow, feel free to drop me a line when you find one. Happy summer listening.

–Kim

kmorin@bentley.edu

Want more audiobook title recommendations? Check out the Bentley Library’s Top 10 listings.

Popular Drop-in Workshop This Week

Kimberly

Have a paper or project due soon, and need information to complete it?  Due to the overwhelming popularity last week, we are offering this opportunity again.ResearchHelpDrop in to:

“I just need three sources by tomorrow” – a research workshop.

Bring whatever you are working on and get immediate expert assistance in finding the information you need, whether it be articles, statistics, company information, or books. You will walk away with the source or two (or three) that you need!

You have two opportunities to attend this week:

  • Monday, April 6th – 2pm-3pm
  • Wednesday, April 8th – 1pm-2pm

(No RSVP necessary; come in anytime during the hour)

These sessions will take place in the Research Instruction Center (Room 11) located on the library’s lower level. (Coffee, Tea & Snacks are available).