New Test Preparation Guide

Are you or someone you know studying for the GRE, PRAXIS, LSAT, MCAT, or another standardized test?  Then take a look at Andruss Library's new Test Prep Guide.  This guide provides information on free test resources, practice tests, BU services for test preparation, and study guides available in the library.  Good luck!

Welcome back!

Welcome to campus, one and all.  Whether you are new to campus or returning, I hope you have a good semester.

You might have noticed that things look a little different in Andruss Library.  We've been busy over the summer.  Here are the highlights:

• Charlotte Droll has joined us as our new Library Director.  When you see her on campus, please feel free to introduce yourself.
• We've consolidated all of our bound periodicals on the 4th floor.  So, there is now one-stop-shopping for older articles in paper.
• The Curriculum Collection and Juvenile Collections have moved to the other side of the 2nd floor.  These collections have been growing, and their new place will give them more room to expand.  
• We've added lots of chairs and tables to the area by the stained glass windows where the Curriculum and Juvenile Collections used to be. 

The library will continue to offer later hours on Fridays, starting September 7, when the library will close at 7pm.  For more on the library's hours, see our hours page.  And remember, you can always drop us a comment or ask us anything.

New ornithology database!

The Library now provides access to Birds of North America Online, a database from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the American Ornithologists' Union. The database provides comprehensive life histories for each of the 716+ species of birds breeding in the USA (including Hawaii) and Canada. For a list of FAQ on how to use, click here.

The database may be found on the Library's Articles/databases page > Databases A-Z and other appropriate pages.As always if you have any questions, please contact your liaison librarian or the Database Coordinator, Linda Neyer.

General Library Research Tutorial and Quiz

If you use the Library's online General Library Research Tutorial (GLRT), please note the librarians have modified the GLRT and the GLRT Quiz this year. While many things remain the same, some things have changed.

• The General Library Research Tutorial(GLRT), a 2-3 hour modular tutorial, is still available online from the Library’s home page under Subject Guides > GLRT or at this address: http://guides.library.bloomu.edu/genedtutorial. 
• The accompanying 25-item GLRT Final Quiz is still available online here: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s/619331/glrtquiz and via a link on the last page of the GLRT. You may use the GLRT and the GLRT Quiz as a ‘co-requisite’ for your class(es) and request a list of students who have passed the quiz. A score of 70% is passing.
• The 25-question “self-assessment” is no longer available at the end of the GLRT. Faculty who previously required students to take the entire self-assessment and print out their results to hand in as evidence will no longer be able to do so. The questions have been integrated throughout the tutorial as “Self-Check” questions to improve retention. 

How can I use the GLRT and GLRT Quiz in my class?
You can assign the GLRT and its Quiz as a prerequisite for your course to be completed by a certain due date, most likely before students begin an information research assignment. After the due date, you can request a list of students who passed the Quiz from your liaison librarian. You'll receive the names of students who passed the Quiz with a score of 70% or greater, but not their actual scores.

Students can take the Quiz twice (questions are randomized) to achieve a passing score of 70%. If they do NOT pass after two attempts, they must make an appointment with a Research Librarian to reschedule a 3rd attempt. We recommend that faculty use some kind of incentive to make sure their students complete the GLRT and the Quiz by their assigned due date.

Why the changes?
The librarians are developing a proposal to offer a General Education Point in Information Literacy that will use students’ Quiz scores. This is why we don’t want the Quiz scores to also be used in classes towards a grade. Therefore, we are asking faculty to use the GLRT and the Quiz as a ‘co-requisite’ or 'prerequisite' for their classes.

As always, please contact your liaison librarian with any questions. Liaison librarians are also available to provide information literacy instruction or develop learning aids for your students for specific assignments.  Not sure who your liaison librarian is? Consult this list.

New foreign language library database!

The Library now provides online access to Powerspeak, an online foreign language learning program that supplements the study of Spanish, French, German, Mandarin, and Inglés (ESL). As noted by Choice:

"Powerspeak Languages is not a substitute for classroom learning, but it provides an excellent opportunity to dive into a language to prepare for a summer experience or a trip abroad. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-level undergraduates, graduate students, professionals, and general audience." --CHOICE, January 2012

Powerspeak is available to anyone in the University Community via the Library's Databases A - Z page and related pages, or it can be accessed directly via this link: http://navigator-bloomu.passhe.edu/login?url=http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/pl1928?db=PWSP . For a tutorial on how to use, click here. If you have any questions, please contact your librarian liaison, the Database Coordinator, or the Research Center once the semester begins.

Meet Charlotte Droll, new Director of Library Services!

There is a new face in the Library--our new director, Charlotte Droll.  Charlotte comes to us from Colgate University where she served as the Chair of the Reference and Instruction Department.  Prior to that, she served for nine years as the Humanities Librarian at Wright State. She received her MA in Germanic Languages and Literatures and her MS in Library and Information Services from The University of Michigan.  She completed her undergraduate degree in History and German at Shippensburg University. Please stop by to welcome her when you get the chance!

Research Center closed during Intersession

The Research Center is closed during the Intersession and will reopen on Monday, August 27th.
If you need assistance, you may submit a question through the Need Help? box on our website.
If you need immediate assistance, call the Circulation Desk at 389-4205.