The Andersen Library Blog

Notable Government Documents 2009

Posted on July 15, 2010 by Barbara

Every year the best government publications (federal, state and international) are honored in Library Journal as the “notable government documents” of that year, and the 2009 list reflects the variety of topics on which the government publishes each year–history, government policy (duh!), mental and physical health, biology, global warming, environmental protection, and more.

So take a look at the list! You’re almost sure to find something of interest, and a couple are even Wisconsin agency publications.

Some are available online (links are given on the list) and some are available in Andersen Library if you prefer print, such as American Place: The Historic American buildings survey at seventy-five years, Approaching storm: Conflict in Asia, 1945-1965, and The Sun, the Earth, and Near-Earth Space: A Guide to the Sun-Earth System. Search the HALCat online catalog for locations and call numbers for those available here.

Ask a librarian for assistance with finding materials, if desired.

Government Printing Office logo

UWW’s Andersen Library is a federal depository with many federal, state, local, and international documents on a variety of current and relevant issues available to you in print, microfiche, CD-ROM, and online. Come check out your government at Andersen Library!

Posted in info.gov | Tagged federal government, government info, wisconsin | Comments Off

Ctrl+X → Ctrl+V

Posted on July 14, 2010 by kyle

Technology is great, isn’t it? Back in the day (not that long ago), doing research for a paper meant pulling a book off the shelf, photocopying pages from a journal, breaking out a highlighter, all in the name of referencing sources for the term paper. The digital age has enabled not only access to greater amounts of information, but to also greater amounts of plagiarism.

As I shared last week with scientists behaving badly, the trend of cutting and pasting isn’t just of concern for the professional researchers, but students as well. An editorial published Monday on the New York Times website points out this cultural shift and its effect on higher education. I’d recommend taking a look at the article, which goes beyond the act of “borrowing” and speaks more to a lack of individuals coming up with their own thoughts and ideas.

Read the full editorial:
Cutting and Pasting: A Senior Thesis by (Insert Name), Brent Staples, New York Times

Posted in around the world | Tagged cutting, papers, pasting, plagiarism, research | Comments Off

Politics: There’s No More Deniability

Posted on July 13, 2010 by Martha

If you’re a typical UW-W undergraduate, every congressional session that occured during your entire life time is available gratis online. What a bargain!

C-Span has put their archives on the web for free. The three C-SPAN cable channels, which cover every Congressional session, for both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and also committee hearings, press briefings, conferences, and more, have put their archives on the Web. All the way back to 1987. Another 10,000 hours of coverage will be loaded for earlier recordings, but a lot of what was produced between 1979 and 1986 has not been saved.

For the full article in the New York Times, see C-Span Puts Full Archives on the Web.

To visit the Archives, go to C-SPAN Video Library.

For newer recordings, visit C-SPAN.org.

Posted in around the world | Tagged C-SPAN politics cable_television | Comments Off

New Stuff Tuesday – July 13

Posted on July 13, 2010 by kyle

A Traveller's History of Spain

A Traveller’s History of Spain
Fifth Edition
by Juan Lalaguna
DP66 .L25 2001
New Book Island, 2nd floor

If you have been reading the New Stuff Tuesdays column for a while, you’ll know that I’m a big fan of Spain and studied there in college. Well, as a shout-out to their first victory in the World Cup, this week’s featured title gives you the full scoop on the country that is known for more than just their championship fútbol team.

Lalaguna, professor at the University of North London and native of Navarra (an autonomous community in the northern part of the country), present the long history of the Spanish people. Starting with the Iberian Peninsula, the author explores its initial influences from Islamic, Greek and Roman cultures. He then concentrates on the rise and fall of the Spanish Colonial Empire and the Bourbon monarchy. Lalaguna also brings the reader up to speed with Spain’s internal struggles and subsequent dictatorship under Franco in the twentieth century. Finishing up with contemporary Spain, he covers the reigning monarch, Don Juan Carlos I, and the state of the country today.

Also of note: this book is part of a series – be sure to check out the others available at the Andersen Library.

Posted in new stuff tuesdays | Tagged books, history, new stuff, spain | Comments Off

New Google Scholar Feature

Posted on July 9, 2010 by kyle

One of the ways of judging the impact of an article/author is to look at the numbers of times that article/author has been cited by others. If you’ve used Google Scholar before, you may have noticed that part of the results list contains a ‘Cited by’ in the lower left of the search result description. By clicking on that link, you would retrieve the articles listed as references. Nifty, right? Well, they’ve made it even better by allowing you to search within those citations. In their blog post about the new feature, they mention this guy named Einstein [you may have heard of him] and how his revolutionary work has been cited by the thousands. The ability to search within those citing Einstein makes life a little easier for researchers.

Try it out for yourself: Google Scholar

PS: Not to steal Google’s thunder, but you can already do this same thing in Web of Science, one of the library’s many licensed resources.

Thanks to Ronna for the link!

Posted in around the world, tips for research | Tagged google, google scholar | Comments Off

Scientists Behaving Badly

Posted on July 8, 2010 by kyle

When you think of plagiarism, you tend to think of students frantically trying to finish a paper at the last minute, choosing to ‘borrow’ a paragraph or two from some of the research that they found. But scientists? Professional researchers that risk losing their reputations, all for the sake of a publication?

Well, it’s true. Nature News reports that journal publishers are now much more aware of the potential widespread plagiarism in academic writing these days. With today’s technology, it’s not only easier to plagiarize, but even easier to detect already-publication material. Using the same software developed for use with student work (Turnitin – used here on campus), editors are armed with a powerful means to uncover repurposed works.

Why is checking important? In the past several years, there have been some high-profile cases of journals having to retract articles, damaging reputations of the publishers and authors. Furthermore, depending on the discipline, such as the medical field, there are other dangers as well.

Check out the full story: Journals Step Up Plagiarism Policing – Nature News

Thanks to Barb for the link!

Posted in around the world | Tagged academic misconduct, plagiarism, science | 1 Comment

New Stuff Tuesday – July 6

Posted on July 7, 2010 by kyle

The Other Brain

The Other Brain:
From Dementia to Schizophrenia,
How New Discoveries about the Brain Are
Revolutionizing Medicine & Science
by R. Douglas Fields
QP376 .F46 2010
New Book Island, 2nd floor

I know that sometimes when debating with people that pull out random facts and knowledge that it seems like they have a second brain. Well, this week’s featured title makes the argument that everyone, not just the really smart ones, has more brain that previously thought.

Fields, Chief of the Section on Nervous System Development and Plasticity at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (National Institutes of Health), details the glia, different from neurons and make up more than three quarters of the cells in the brain. In the past, these cells were regarded as nothing more than packaging for the neurons. However, the neuroscientist explains the current research findings indicate that these powerful cells do so much more than cushion. In fact, these cells have been linked to neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s and psychiatric illnesses like schizophrenia and depression. Furthermore, Fields provides the background of the study of these cells, current research and implications for future generations of scientists.

Posted in new stuff tuesdays | Tagged books, medicine, neuroscience, new stuff, science | Comments Off

Recent potpourri of U.S. documents

Posted on July 2, 2010 by Barbara

People usually think publications from the U.S. Government are boring and unattractive. Not so (not always, anyway)! Here are some recent arrivals you might find very informative and possibly even enjoyable. All are available in Andersen Library’s 2nd-floor U.S. Documents collection at the classification numbers provided:

Enduring Voices cover Enduring voices: Oral histories of the U.S. Army experience in Afghanistan 2003-2005 (D 114.2:AF 3/2)

2009, The FBI story (J 1.14/2:F 31/6)

Overview of the Privacy Act of 1974 – 2010 edition. (J 1.2:P 93/16)

Human health and performance risks of space exploration missions (NAS 1.21:2009-3405)

Mud, muscle, and miracles: Marine salvage in the United States Navy (D 211.2:SA 3/2/2009)

Investigation of failure of the SEC to uncover Bernard Madoff’s ponzi scheme – public version (SE 1.2:M 26)

Government Printing Office logo

Posted in info.gov | Tagged books, federal government, government info | Comments Off

Free Books Offered this Month

Posted on July 1, 2010 by Susan

During the month of July, the book sale carts near the Library’s main entrance will be filled with donated books that were previously offered for sale, but are now FREE! Check out the carts this month for free books that interest you!

Posted in around the library | Tagged book sale | Comments Off