We are pleased to announce that the Pollak Library, along with the Academic Technology Office and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, is hosting the 2012 Southern California Humanities and Technology Camp (aka THATCamp SoCal 2012)!

The event will be held at the Titan Student Union on Friday and Saturday, September 14-15, 2012.  Registration, breakfast, and lunch are all FREE — thanks to sponsorship from:

• Academic Technology Officer Chris Manriquez
• H&SS Dean Angela Della Volpe
• University Librarian Richard Pollard
• Occidental College Center for Digital Learning and Research
• UCLA Center for Digital Humanities.

What is THATCamp?

THATCamp is an unconference movement that started at the George Mason University Center for History and New Media, but has spread globally over the last few years.  Its motto of “More hack, less yack” pretty much sums up what THATCamp is about: no formal presentations, and no pre-set schedule (read more at http://thatcamp.org/about).

The focus of THATCamp is on innovation, emerging technology, collaboration, active learning, and evolving pedagogy.

Who Should Attend?

Anyone with energy and an interest in the humanities and technology!

Specific examples might include: professors, teachers, grad and undergrad students, librarians, archivists, programmers and web developers, public historians, and heritage professionals.

How Do You Register?

Hop on to the THATCamp SoCal 2012 website, at http://socal2012.thatcamp.org, and click on the “Register” link. Register soon, because the event is capped at 100 Campers, and we do expect to have to wait-list some people.

Want to Learn More?

Learn more about the philosophy behind, and the activities at, the THATCamp movement. Photos, video, Tweets, and testimonials tell it best.

As the semester draws to a close–slowly for some, at break-neck speed for others–the due dates for those massive writing projects you’ve been working on loom large.  While you will still be able to make appointments at the University Learning Center (ULC) for one-to-one coaching, maybe you don’t feel you need a whole half hour or hour. Or maybe no appointment slots are left. Or maybe you won’t realize you could really do with a second pair eyes until it’s too late!

Fear not! A Graduate Learning Specialist, along with a fellow ULC writing tutor for undergraduates, will be part of the All Night Study festivities at the TSU on Monday and Tuesday of Finals Week. Feel free to drop by between 6 and 10 p.m. the 14th and 15th for some last minute help on your paper(s) or just for some reassurance that soon and very soon, the semester will be safely over.

Coming up with sources for research papers isn’t as difficult as it once was, thanks to the nearly magical properties of the Library’s 200 some-odd databases. You can find hundreds of articles and e-books on your topic while you sit at home in your pjs eating ice cream–an activity definitely frowned upon in the library.

Once you have all those resources, though, how do you winnow them down to the 10 or 20 needed for your paper? The best approach is always to have a clear idea of your paper’s purpose and focus and then choose the sources that fit best, but what if you’re writing a more exploratory paper? The sources themselves in this type of inductive adventure give rise to the paper’s focus and even structure–once you’ve determined what’s worthwhile and what’s not.

Before we talk about using sources, then, let’s talk about consuming them. One of the skills every grad student should develop and hone throughout the educational career is the ability to read just about anything and be able to take away the salient or significant information. The ability to read well should be coupled with the ability to read quickly.

The difficulty lies in the variety of ways you can read: every field of study has its own rules for encoding textual information for its particular audience. That means the way you read will change based on context, your purpose, the field’s conventions, and so on. There is hope, however. While ferreting out the important information from differently organized sources might sound daunting, chances are you’ve already mastered some of the techniques that help you decide when to read the first paragraph, when to read the first sentence, and when to skip to the end. The more aware you are of what you do when you shift reading strategies, the more quickly you can get what you want from a particular reading. So to help you get that metacognitive awareness (thinking about your thinking), question what you’re reading for its type, and not just its content (The questions to ask yourself as you read to improve comprehension, speed, and  discernment also help shape what you incorporate when you write).

1. Glance over the format. What does this LOOK LIKE it could be (report, journal article, newspaper article, magazine article, trade article, advertisement, book review, critique)?
2. Based on the format, what information should be present, and where should it be, or where would it USUALLY be?
3. What ideas does the title reflect? How many contexts can this be taken in? What should be the main idea of the whole text  according to this title?
4. How deeply must this article be explored? Can I just scan for the elements identified for the title, or should I reflect on HOW the author expresses himself/proves his point?
5. What reasoning type(s) is used, and how valid is it for this format, information, purpose, field, so forth?
6. What information needs to be recorded for later? How can I best do that (margins, annotated bibliography, Endnote, abstracts, etc)?
7. How do I alter my reading according to the text? How can I continue to develop my reading skills according to the needs of my field, my own background knowledge and experience, and my opportunities?

Using these questions to approach your academic reading in a systematic and analytical way can take a lot of the frustration out of the activity, and help you build background knowledge about what writing conventions work well in your field. You’ll soon begin to recognize patterns in the sources you consume, and these patterns will inform your own writing as you move from lit consumer to lit producer.

The Pollak Library is pleased to announce that, starting Monday, May7th, we are temporarily extending our study space and computer access hours to better assist students preparing for final exams, providing them with longer hours in a safe and quiet place to work.

The first floor of Library North will remain open for extended hours.

Update as of 5/08/12: ALL floors of Library North will remain open for extended hours. This includes group study rooms and computers!

Week Before Finals (5/07 – 5/12/12):

• Monday (7:45am to midnight)
• Tuesday (7:45am to midnight)
• Wednesday (7:45am to midnight)
• Thursday (7:45am to midnight)
• Friday (7:45am to 8:00pm)
• Saturday (10:00am to 10:00pm)

Finals Week (5/13 –5/18/12):

• Sunday (noon to 10:00pm) — normally closed
• Monday (7:45am to midnight)
• Tuesday (7:45am to midnight)
• Wednesday (7:45am to midnight)
• Thursday (7:45am to midnight)
• Friday (7:45am to 5:00pm) — normal hours

The Pollak Library will be closed on Saturday, May 19th, and on Sunday, May 20th.

Normal hours will remain in effect at our Irvine Campus Library.

If you require research assistance any time after the reference desk is closed, you can take advantage of Live Help 24/7 research service.

This week’s Tech Tuesdays column is running a day late, due to attending the Faculty Development Center’s excellent “Teaching With Technology” program yesterday.

A couple of weeks ago, Facebook announced a new platform — Groups for Schools.  This new platform allows Facebook users from the same college or university to create an entire network of Groups specific to that particular institution, and these new Groups for Schools are ONLY accessible to members of that institution who have an active campus email address associated with their personal Facebook Profile.

In Cal State Fullerton’s case, only Facebook users with a valid @fullerton.edu or @csu.fullerton.edu email address may join the “Groups at CSU Fullerton” network.

Search for your college or university from the Groups for Schools site. (Click on this image to view it in a larger size).

The “Groups at CSU Fullerton” network can be accessed several ways. You can try finding it via the Facebook search bar, you can search for it from the Groups for Schools site, the home page of your personal Profile should display a notice and link at the top of your left sidebar if you already have your campus email attached to your Profile, or you can access the Groups at CSU Fullerton home page directly at: http://www.facebook.com/groups/groupsatcsufullerton/.

The Groups at CSU Fullerton home page. (Click on the image to view a larger size).

It is important to note that Groups at CSU Fullerton is not actually affiliated with, or endorsed by, the university. That is true as well of every other campus group in this new Groups for Schools platform. The main campus group for each college or university is created and administered by Facebook. It is not possible for a campus employee to be attached as a group administrator.  This is not the case with the sub-groups that reside under the main campus group — those groups need to manually be created, and then are administered by the person who created the group.

What is different from regular Facebook Groups?

• All group members must have an active CSUF email address affiliated with their Facebook Profile.
• Only Facebook users with a valid CSUF email address may join any of these new groups.
• Unlike regular Facebook Groups, members of Groups for Schools can upload a broader range of files (i.e., Word or Excel files, PowerPoints, PDFs, etc.) than just the photos or videos allowed in regular Groups.  This is particularly useful for course documents.
• Unlike regular Facebook Groups, members of the same “Schools” group can chat privately (not just do a group chat) with each other right within the Group page, using the Message feature — even if those members are not Facebook Friends. This is again very helpful for instruction courses.
• By default, email notifications for group activity are sent to your campus email account, and to the primary email account associated with your Facebook Profile (if that is a personal email account, rather than your campus email account). This means two email notifications if you’re like me. If you only want notifications sent to your personal email address, you can toggle off the campus email notification from the Notifications settings for your groups.

Why might one want to create a group within Groups at CSU Fullerton?

• One might want to share content or updates only among the CSUF community, instead of the regular Facebook community.
• One might want to take advantage of the new File uploading feature or the more flexible Chat avialable in Groups for Schools.

What types of groups has the CSUF community already created?

• Campus community groups, such as the CSUF Faculty group.
• Graduating class groups, such as the Class of 2012 group.
• Special interest groups, such as the Christian Students group.
• Major or discipline focused groups, such as the American Studies group or the Biochemistry group.
• Student clubs and organizations, such as the Adventure Club or the Accounting Society.
• Course groups, such as the Comm 497T group.

The CSUF Faculty group is open to any current CSUF faculty member. (Click on the image to view a larger copy).

How can a CSUF member create a new CSUF-related group?

1. Go to the home page for the main Groups at CSU Fullerton site.
2. Click on the “Create Group” button located under the header (cover) photo, at the far right.
3. The rest of the process is identical to creating a regular Facebook Group, however, you can only add members that have a valid CSUF email attached to their Profile.

How can I learn more?

• Follow the Pollak Library’s Facebook Page and The Pollak Library Blog for updates, tips, and use cases.
• If you are a CSUF faculty member who is interested in sharing or learning more about using social media for instruction and research, join the CSUF Faculty Social Media User Group on Facebook.
• Refer to the Facebook Help Center.

Graduate school is often a great sacrifice not only on your part as the student, but on the part of your family. When you miss family functions to work on papers, lock yourself in a room away from everyone to study, or are just down-right irritable because your professors or coursework is driving you nuts, your family will usually be understanding, give you space, and might even listen to the 25th rant about professor So-and-So without eye-rolling. However, there is only so far your family will go–and sadly, not all families are sympathetic about what you are trying to accomplish in obtaining your post-bac degree. GETting them involved might help you GET it done.

Get some BALANCE.
a. You’ve got family, friends, and a job. Obligations come at you from all sides. Make time for the things that matter outside your studies, and remember: you can’t study without food and fresh air to keep the oxygen flowing to your brain. A routine can help you maintain your health and well-being, especially when the unexpected happens. And don’t let the break up of your family over academic stress ever even be a possibility.

Build some accountability into your family time. Very few of us are masters of self-regulation. Create a network of nags with your friends and family that will help you be more focused during work time, and even more fun during fun time. Whenever possible, make this essential support network a part of your study plan: get your brother to quiz you before going out to a movie; explain a key concept to your child as you push her in the stroller. And remember: years from now when you look back, rarely will it be going to class that you regret; it will be the hours or minutes you could have spent with your loved ones that you didn’t.

Good news! The Pollak Library has purchased campus-wide access to the Chronicle app, which allows you to download issues to your iPad. Here’s a step by step tutorial to get you started.

Step 1:
Create a free account using your university email address at the Chronicle of Higher Education website. You will need to confirm creation of the account by clicking on the link they send in an email.

Create a free Chronicle account

Step 2:
Download the free Chronicle app from the App Store on your iPad.

Download the free Chronicle app

Step 3:
Log in to the app with your account details.

Sign In to the Chronicle

Step 4:
You’re done! Now you can download issues of the CHE to your iPad!

Download Chronicle issues

If you have any questions, please email me at jbedoya@fullerton.edu, or Ask a Librarian.

Grad school, just like any other large institution, uses paperwork to ensure that all criteria are met and all the standards are maintained. Sadly, all too often this safeguard against delayed graduation is either ignored until the last minute, or is not well-explained from the beginning. The end result can cost you a great deal of time, and even money. GET the paperwork early, and check it often!

4.      Get a PLAN.

Your official Study Plan is the key to success. Use it to help you think through each semester, as well as through the program. Take into account any prerequisites or requirements that must be met that are outside the scope of your course content.  It’s very easy to forget about the details, but these details can delay your graduation.

Remember as well that you are beholden for your degree not only to your own department, but to the Grad Studies office, the university, and possibly other entities therein: the Library, Parking & Police, and the Testing Center spring to mind (Did you return all your library books? Pay off your parking fines? Take the EWP?). Go in person (if you can) whenever you receive any notifications about forms to be signed or fees to be paid. A face-to-face conversation is more likely to get you all the answers you need in one sitting than a game of phone tag is.

Sometimes degree-bearing obligations fall outside the curriculum or classroom, or even outside the school entirely (Does your department require a publication or conference presentation before graduation? Certification by a state or nationally recognized body?). Find out about all of these extra-curricular criteria, and start planning how to complete them from the get go.

Finally, be sure to read the fine print carefully, fill out your Study Plan with your adviser, and be well-versed in your options for both classes you can take, and alternatives available. Don’t trust your adviser to know it all, or to keep you abreast of changes. You’re the one getting the degree, so you are the best person to stay on top of knowing what you need to do.

Common Chemistry is a free and easy-to-use web resource that contains Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) Registry Numbers for common chemical substances. This resource is maintained by CAS, a division of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

• This resource is particularly useful for students and faculty who need to identify the CAS Registry Number of a particular chemical substance.
• Users can search by chemical name (including synonyms) or CAS Registry Number.
• Each record for a particular chemical substance contains: the CAS Registry Number, synonyms, and chemical structure.

Didn’t find the substance you were looking for using Common Chemistry? If so, be sure to check out SciFinder, a database that includes the largest collection of substance information. SciFinder can be accessed from Pollak Library’s website.

With the cancellation of Blackboard scheduled for June, the Library would like to remind instructors that they can continue to make supplementary materials available to their students electronically by linking to articles and uploading PDFs or other electronic documents using the university’s new learning-management system (TITANium). These procedures replace the methods used for adding “electronic reserves” to Blackboard courses and are regularly taught in the TITANium workshops offered by the Faculty Development Center. They may also be reviewed in this video tutorial: Adding Content Part 1.

These instructions are also posted on the Library’s website and in our faculty guide. They are summarized below for quick reference.

How do I link to an article in the Library’s databases?

A persistent link to an article can be made available directly to your students under the content section of TITANium. We recommend linking to articles in the Library’s databases whenever possible to ensure quicker access for your students and to maintain copyright compliance.

How to add a persistent link to TITANium:

(From the Topic Outline page, turn on editing.)

1. Use the “Add a Resource” drop down menu
2. Drop down to URL
3. Name and describe the URL
4. Paste the URL into the “Content” section
5. Click on SAVE AND DISPLAY

If you do not have a persistent link, you can create one with Citation Finder.

1. Find the article by clicking on FIND JOURNALS on the Library’s homepage
2. Click on CITATION FINDER
3. Enter the information, click GO
4. Select your article and click on MORE OPTIONS
5. Click CREATE LINK FOR THIS ITEM
6. Use drop down menu to format citation and click GO
7. Copy and paste the link into TITANium

How do I upload electronic files?

Most electronic documents can be uploaded directly to TITANium and made available to your students under the content section. If you have a print article that you wish to convert to a PDF file, the Academic Technology Center can provide hands-on assistance in creating versions compliant with ADA 508 standards.

(From the Topic Outline page, turn on editing.)

1. Use the “Add a resource” drop down menu
2. Drop down to FILE or FOLDER
3. Name and describe the file or folder
4. Click ADD under content
5. Click UPLOAD A FILE, CHOOSE FILE and browse PC for saved file, then click UPLOAD THIS FILE
6. Click SAVE AND DISPLAY

New procedures for managing print/physical course reserves will be announced at a later date, but this service will continue without interruption during the transition to TITANium.