Category: general news

Top 10 Most Utilized Library Research Guides

Kimberly

The library building may be closed but Research Guides are open for business. Our 87 research guides were viewed 9,541 times in the last 30 days.

Most popular 10 guides by views:

Views Guide Name
2336 Citing Online Business Resources using APA Style
1214 Expository Writing Research Guide
736 Bentley Library Coronavirus Updates & Remote Services
546 Online Micro-Volunteering & Crowdsourced Projects
452 Pro/Con, Position Papers or Debates
352 GB214 Team Project Library Research Guide
335 Current News
286 Copyright Information & Guidelines
182 Film & Television Research
172 PS388: Abnormal Psychology (Nash)

There are guides for specific topics (American Political Elections), programs (GB112), and courses (HI200: Researching a Person). Some guides support specific assignments (Pro/Con, Position Papers or Debates) and some provide excellent information about special collections, such as Archives and Scholars @ Bentley. We’ve also built a guide to support our patrons’ need for remote access.  

Search by keyword or browse the complete list. Need more support for your project than the guide provides? Just open the chat box to get connected with a reference librarian for more personalized assistance.

Don’t forget, you can Ask a Librarian for help!

Faculty please take note! The library team will be happy to collaborate with you to create a guide or point you to an existing one that will meet your needs. Please reach out to your Library Liaison for assistance.

Faculty: Share Your Work with Scholars @ Bentley

Jaimie

At a time when most academic work is moving online, it is important to ensure that quality research and resources are digitally available to the global scholarly community. To that end, the Bentley Library would like to remind faculty members that Scholars @ Bentley, the university’s institutional repository, is available to those who wish to share their work in an open-access, searchable database.

Items uploaded to Scholars @ Bentley become part of the Digital Commons research network, with persistent links and usage statistics available for each discrete work. Nearly 3.5 million items from over 500 institutions have been added to Digital Commons, creating a robust network of scholarship that is available to all.

Here are just a few examples of work that can be uploaded to Scholars @ Bentley:

  • Journal articles (Note: Many paywalled articles are eligible for posting in an open-access database if authors submit their manuscript version. Doing so has the potential to greatly increase the reach of your work and provide helpful resources for the growing online learning community.)
  • Presentations, lectures, or conference proceedings
  • Open educational resources such as lesson plans, workbooks, problem sets, digital models, etc.
  • Blog posts, academic essays or other unpublished work that you wish to share digitally
  • Datasets, A/V materials, and other research components in a variety of formats

Please email scholars@bentley.edu for more information about submitting your work. Library staff are available to assist you with each step of the process including copyright permission checks, ensuring that you are quickly & easily able to share your research online. 

Libraries in the time of COVID-19

Hope Houston
Image courtesy of St. Charles Public Library, Charles, IL

Libraries across America are caring for their patrons in so many ways. We are still very much a part of teaching, learning, scholarship and service during the COVID-19 pandemic, but we are just doing it remotely. Bentley librarians are providing research instruction to classes through Zoom, answering reference questions via chat, email and text services, and having virtual meetings with students and faculty. Staff are scanning book chapters and articles to put in Blackboard course sites, purchasing streaming films, and continuing to order journal articles through interlibrary loan. Our technical services department staff continue to catalog and process electronic books, communicate with vendors, pay invoices, and order print materials. We are doing what libraries have always done in times of crisis … adapting.

Bentley library staff are here to support you and continue to provide you with the best service. As Ramiro Salazar, president of the Public Library Association said, “We cannot create a sense of normalcy for [library users], but [libraries] can use this new reality to offer something different.” Bentley Library is proud to be doing just that.       

Library Building Closed, Online Services & Resources Are Open!

Lisa

Effective at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17, the Bentley Library is closed until further notice.

Library staff will continue to support online teaching and research to Bentley students, faculty, and staff. Below is a brief summary of how the Library will continue to deliver library services and resources remotely.

You can find detailed information on how to access these services and resources online—including special services for faculty—on the Bentley Library Coronavirus Updates & Remote Services page. This page will be updated as needed.

The following resources and services will be available:

  • Electronic resources including databases, ebooks, and streaming films
  • Research help via email, text and live chat
  • Research consultations via Zoom
  • Interlibrary Loan for articles and book chapters. Please note that due to COVID-19 service disruptions at libraries across the country we cannot guarantee that ILL requests will be fulfilled. 
  • Due to the exceptional circumstances we face, we are temporarily instituting Student Scan on Demand. We will try our best to ensure that students have access to portions of books or articles in our physical collections for classwork and research by making digital copies.

Due dates and late fees:

  • Overdue fines will be suspended for all items, including interlibrary loan materials. 
  • Due dates for all items will be extended to the end of the semester.

The following services will be unavailable:

  • Borrowing of physical materials including books, DVDs, and ILL requested items
  • Museum passes 
  • All library and RSM Art Gallery events have been canceled

We also encourage you to check our website and this blog for updates, and to follow @BentleyLibrary on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

The safety and well-being of the Bentley community and our staff remain our highest priorities and we thank you in advance for your flexibility and cooperation during this time.

Official university updates and communications related to COVID-19 are available at https://www.bentley.edu/coronavirus.

Bentley Library Coronavirus Updates & Remote Services [updated 3/17/20]

Lisa

Information about off-campus access to library services and resources, including databases, e-resources, research help, and Interlibrary Loan, can be found on the Bentley Library Coronavirus Updates & Remote Services page. This page will be updated as needed.

March 17, 2020

Effective at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17, the Bentley Library is closed until further notice.

Library staff will continue to support online teaching and research to Bentley students, faculty, and staff. Below is a brief summary of how the Library will continue to deliver library services and resources remotely. You can find detailed information on how to access these services and resources online—including special services for faculty—on the Bentley Library Coronavirus Updates & Remote Services page. This page will be updated as needed.

The following resources and services will be available:

  • Electronic resources including databases, ebooks, and streaming films
  • Research help via email, text and live chat
  • Research consultations via Zoom
  • Interlibrary Loan for articles and book chapters. Please note that due to COVID-19 service disruptions at libraries across the country we cannot guarantee that ILL requests will be fulfilled. 
  • Due to the exceptional circumstances we face, we are temporarily instituting Student Scan on Demand. We will try our best to ensure that students have access to portions of books or articles in our physical collections for classwork and research by making digital copies.

Due dates and late fees:

  • Overdue fines will be suspended for all items, including interlibrary loan materials. 
  • Due dates for all items will be extended to the end of the semester.

The following services will be unavailable:

  • Borrowing of physical materials including books, DVDs, and ILL requested items
  • Museum passes 
  • All library and RSM Art Gallery events have been canceled

Official university updates and communications related to COVID-19 are available at https://www.bentley.edu/coronavirus.

March 13, 2020:

Library staff are making plans for providing services, resources, research assistance, and instruction when online classes begin on March 23. Currently, the library plans to be open next week as listed below, but this schedule may change at any time in accordance with university policies. Official university updates and communications related to COVID-19 are available at https://www.bentley.edu/coronavirus.

Library Hours March 15-21, 2020

Sunday, March 15:
1:00–9:00 p.m.

Monday, March 16–Friday, March 20:
8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 21
closed

Please continue to visit the library’s website for library news updates and check the library’s hours calendar online before visiting.

The safety and well-being of the Bentley community and our staff remain our highest priorities and we thank you in advance for your flexibility and cooperation during this time. Please contact Library Services at libraryservices@bentley.edu or 781-891-2168 if you have questions or need assistance.

Special Library Hours: Sunday, March 15 - Saturday, March 21

Lisa

Bentley University has announced that classes will not be held March 16–20 as the university and students prepare to move to remote, online classes beginning Monday, March 23.

The Bentley Library will be open Sunday, March 15–Saturday, March 21 to accommodate faculty, staff and students who need access to our physical collections and resources.

Currently, the library plans to be open as listed below, but this schedule may change at any time in accordance with university policies. Please visit https://www.bentley.edu/coronavirus for university updates and communications related to COVID-19. 

Library Hours March 15-21, 2020

Sunday, March 15
1:00–9:00 p.m.

Monday, March 16 – Friday, March 20
8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 21
closed

Library staff are making plans for providing services, resources, research assistance and instruction when online classes begin on March 23. We will continue to update the community as information becomes available. Please visit the library’s website for library news updates and check the library’s hours calendar online before visiting.

Bentley users can connect to databases and e-resources from any location with internet access. Information about off-campus access to library services and resources can be found on the Bentley Library Coronavirus Updates & Remote Services page.

The safety and well-being of the Bentley community and our staff remain our highest priorities and we thank you in advance for your flexibility and cooperation during this time. Please contact Library Services at libraryservices@bentley.edu or 781-891-2168 if you have questions or need assistance.

Bentley University's Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates

Lisa

The Bentley Library adheres to Bentley University’s policies regarding the coronavirus outbreak. Please follow the university’s official updates and communications related to COVID-19 at https://www.bentley.edu/coronavirus.

New Year - New Databases A-Z page!

Katie 1 Comment

The Bentley Library will have a new Databases A-Z page starting in January 2020. The new Databases A-Z page will offer increased functionality and some additional features. Here are some of the highlights:

  • It’s mobile friendly so it can be accessed on any device type.
  • Database descriptions are displayed by default and searchable!
  • See Popular, Trial, or New databases at a glance.
  • Take advantage of the additional filtering options available. Not only can you filter by subject, but you can also filter by database type or by vendor.
Screenshot of Databases A-Z page.

Additionally, when you filter by subject you can also get a list of Research Guides created for that subject area!

Screenshot of Databases A-Z subject filter page for Company Research with Research Guides highlighted.

Start exploring our new Databases A-Z page now!

If you have any questions, please contact a librarian at the Reference Desk.