All posts by Sanna Elizabeth Herwald

Library, November 2015, On the Shelf

On the Shelf (November 2015)

For work…

Electronic Resource: Knovel

Location: Search for ‘Knovel’ in E-Resources Finder (http://www.library.tufts.edu/hsl/CentralDatabase/centraldatabase.html)

Collection of engineering and applied science reference books and databases. While this collection is designed for engineers, it does cover biochemistry, biotechnology and pharmaceutical topics. A unique search feature of Knovel allows you to find data within tables, graphics and equations. Two particularly useful resources in this collection are Knovel Critical Tables and the Biology Data Book. Knovel Critical Tables are a set of interactive tables of constants and physical, electrical and thermodynamic properties. The Biology Data Book is an old, but indispensable resource that provides basic biomedical data for biological substances and hundreds of organisms, including humans and common laboratory species.

And leisure…

Room cover

Room, by Emma Donoghue

Location: HHSL Leisure Reading Fiction D687

This 2010 novel, told from the perspective of a 5-year boy, tells the story of a woman and her son held captive in a single room. This riveting and thought-provoking book has recently been made into a movie.

-Laura Pavlech

Events for Students, Library, Library Events, November 2015

Upcoming Library Events (November 2015)

Open Workshop: Using Images

Wednesday, November 4th & Thursday, November 5th, 12-1 PM

Sackler 510

Registration: http://www.library.tufts.edu/hsl/education/workshops.html

This workshop will survey image collections licensed by Tufts and show you how to find images available in the public domain. Options for storing, displaying and citing images will also be discussed.

 

Open Workshop: Basic PubMed

Wednesday, November 18th & Thursday, November 19th, 12-1 PM

Sackler 510

Registration: http://www.library.tufts.edu/hsl/education/workshops.html

This workshop will review: the structure of PubMed; planning and executing a search; narrowing search results; finding full text and exporting citations into citation management programs, such as EndNote and RefWorks.

 

Fun Fridays: Elementary School Throwback

Friday, November 20th, Time TBD

Library Service Desk, Sackler 4

Come make hand turkeys and other crafts that will remind you of your younger days!

-Laura Pavlech

Library, November 2015, PubMed Tip of the Month

PubMed Tip of the Month: Clipboard (November 2015)

The Clipboard feature in PubMed allows you to temporarily store citations for review; items are deleted after 8 hours of inactivity. To place citations on the Clipboard, check the box to the left of an article title on the results page. Choose Clipboard from the Send to menu at the top of the page. Click Add to Clipboard. An icon will appear at the top of the page with a link showing the number of items on your Clipboard. I use this feature in a two-step review process. When I am satisfied that I have a good search, I do a first pass through the results, quickly scanning the title of each article and checking the box for any citation that may be relevant. I send these items to the Clipboard. Once I have completed the initial review, I go to the Clipboard, change the view from Summary to Abstract (menu at the top of the page) and read the abstract of each article to decide whether or not it is truly relevant.

-Laura Pavlech

Library, November 2015

Notes from the Library…Finding Journal Articles (November 2015)

How do I find journal articles about…?

The best place to search for journal articles is a bibliographic database, such as PubMed or Web of Science. Bibliographic databases index and organize citations to published literature, such as journal, newspaper and magazine articles or books and book chapters. Databases are often devoted to specific subjects, such as life sciences or engineering, and have sophisticated search features that allow you to retrieve relevant results.

How do I choose which database to search?

Tufts subscribes, or otherwise provides access to, hundreds of databases. When choosing a database, consider the subjects, dates and types of material (journal articles, books, conference proceedings, patents, etc.) that the database covers. The Find Articles page of the Biomedical Sciences Resource Guide (http://researchguides.library.tufts.edu/biomedical_research) provides a brief list of databases. A complete list of biomedical databases available at Tufts can be found here: http://www.library.tufts.edu/hsl/resources/dbases.html. Depending on your topic and purpose, you many need to search more than one database. When in doubt, just ask!

What about Google Scholar?

Google Scholar uses an algorithm to search scholarly literature available on the web. Like Google, results in Google Scholar are ranked and displayed according to relevance, with few options to filter the results. The careful selection of materials, indexing, and search capabilities of databases mean that you will usually get more precise results than a search in Google Scholar. I use Google Scholar to: supplement searches that I have done in databases; find grey literature (literature produced by government, academia, business or organizations and made available by means other than commercial publishers, for example, reports or white papers); find the full text of an article.

How do I find the full text of an article?

If you have found the article in a database, then look for the blue ‘Find It@Tufts’ button, which should take you directly to the full text if it is available through Tufts. Remember, you must access PubMed via the library homepage to see this button.

If you access Google Scholar from the library homepage, then you will see a ‘Get This Item at Tufts’ link if the article is available electronically through Tufts Libraries.

If you have the title of a journal article and want to know whether or not the full text is available through Tufts, simply copy and paste the title into JumboSearch (http://tufts.summon.serialssolutions.com/#!/; also accessible from the library homepage).

An article that I want is only available in print at a Tufts library. Does this mean that I have to go to the library to retrieve it?

No! If an article is available in print at any Tufts library (including Hirsh Health Sciences Library), then you can request that it be scanned and delivered to you electronically. This service is free and there is no limit to the number of requests that you may submit. Submit requests via ILLiad (https://illiad.library.tufts.edu/illiad/TFH/logon.html).

What if the full text of an article that I need is not available either in print or electronically at Tufts?

If an article is not available at Tufts, then you can submit a request for the article to be retrieved from another library and delivered to you electronically. Students have 20 free requests per academic year for items from non-Tufts libraries. A $4 fee per request will be charged once the 20 request limit has been surpassed (for more information, see: http://www.library.tufts.edu/hsl/services/docDelPolProc.html). Submit requests via ILLiad (https://illiad.library.tufts.edu/illiad/TFH/logon.html).

What if I want to browse the contents of specific journals?

The easiest way to browse and read journals available through Tufts is to use BrowZine, a mobile app that provides direct access to (most) of the journals that Tufts receives electronically. Available for free for both Apple and Android devices, this app allows you to: view current and past journal issues; create a bookshelf of journals of interest to you; and save articles for later reading. BrowZine recently released a web version of their service (http://www.browzine.com/). If you access this site from on campus, then you will be brought directly to the Tufts BrowZine Library. If you access the site from off campus, then select Tufts University and log in with your Tufts username and password. Eventually, you will be able to sync your bookshelf and reading lists between the web version and app. The library does receive some journals in print; current print issues can be found on the 4th floor of Sackler, older issues on the 7th floor.

-Laura Pavlech

Library, October 2015, On the Shelf

On the Shelf (October 2015)

For work…

Advances in Applied Microbiology
Advances in Applied Microbiology
Advances in Genetics
Advances in Genetics
Advances in Cancer Research
Advances in Cancer Research

Book Series: Advances in…

Location: Electronic

Released on a quarterly basis, the Advances in… series publish comprehensive reviews on current topics in various fields. The library currently receives several titles, including: Advances in Applied Microbiology, Advances in Cancer Research, Advances in Drug Research, and Advances in Genetics. Browse the ScienceDirect e-book series for available titles: https://login.ezproxy.library.tufts.edu/login?url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/bookseries/all/full-text-access.

And leisure…

Go Set a Watchman, by Harper Lee
Go Set a Watchman, by Harper Lee

Go Set a Watchman, by Harper Lee

Location: HHSL Leisure Reading Fiction L477g

This companion novel to To Kill a Mockingbird was published this past summer amidst controversy surrounding its discovery and contrary reviews. Now you can read it for yourself. Two copies available in the leisure reading section located on Sackler 4.

-Laura Pavlech

Library, October 2015, PubMed Tip of the Month

PubMed Tip of the Month: Using MeSH Headings (October 2015)

Including MeSH terms in a PubMed search can help you get more precise results.

What is MeSH? Most of the more than 25 million citations in PubMed come from MEDLINE, the National Library of Medicine’s (NLM) journal citation database. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) is a controlled vocabulary of standardized terms that indexers (actual humans!) apply to each article in MEDLINE to describe the publication type and topics covered in the article.

Why should you care about MeSH? Biomedical topics are often expressed in different ways. For example, chronic kidney disease may also be called end-stage renal disease, chronic renal failure, or abbreviated as ESRD. The MeSH term for this condition is kidney failure, chronic. Using MeSH terms in a PubMed search helps you find articles regardless of how an author referred to that topic. MeSH terms also allow you to search on all concepts in a broad category without having to enter every term. MeSH headings are arranged in a hierarchy of broader and narrower terms; when you search a broader term, all the narrower terms are automatically included in your search. For example, the MeSH term for cancer, neoplasms, can be used to search for all types of cancer.

How do I find MeSH terms? When you conduct a search in PubMed, the database will try to match your terms to MeSH headings in a process called automatic term mapping. To see how the PubMed translated your search, look for a box labeled ‘Search Details’ in the right column on the results page (you will need to scroll down the page). You can also search the MeSH database directly by choosing ‘MeSH’ from the dropdown menu to the left of the PubMed search box. See this example of the term meningitis in the MeSH database: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/68008581.

Need help with MeSH? Contact me at laura.pavlech@tufts.edu or 617-636-0385.

-Laura Pavlech

Library, Notes from the library, October 2015

Notes from the Library… (October 2015)

Whether orientation is a recent or distant memory, here are a few tips on the resources and spaces available at the library:

Finding Books at Tufts: We have a lot of books, both in print and electronically. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to find these books. When you want to know whether or not the library has a specific book, search the library catalog (http://library.tufts.edu/) by title, author or course reserves (a few books are on reserve for Sackler courses). If a book is located at another Tufts library, then you can request that it be delivered to the Hirsh Health Sciences Library by clicking the ‘Request Item’ button at the top of the catalog record. You will be notified when the book is ready for you retrieve at our library. While e-books will appear in the library catalog, you can also browse our e-book collections (http://www.library.tufts.edu/hsl/resources/ebalpha.html).

Book not Available at Tufts? Search WorldCat (http://tufts.worldcat.org/), a global catalog of library collections. You can request that books available at Boston Library Consortium libraries be delivered to our library at no charge. For more information on requesting books, book chapters and journal articles from non-Tufts libraries, see: http://www.library.tufts.edu/hsl/services/docDelPolProc.html.

Study Rooms: Study rooms are located on the 5th, 6th and 7th floors of the Sackler building. Study rooms on the 5th floor may be reserved for groups of two or more people. Study rooms on the other two floors are available on a first come, first served basis with precedence given to groups. To make a reservation for the 5th floor study room, see: http://tufts.libcal.com/booking/hhsl.

Computers: Public computers are located on the 4th and 5th floors of Sackler. In addition, two computer labs, also located on the 5th floor, are available for use when not occupied by a class. Laptops, both Macs and PCs, are available for check out at the Library Service Desk. Software installed on library computers includes: Adobe products (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, etc.), MatLab, SAS, SPSS and Stata. Complete list of software on library computers: http://www.library.tufts.edu/hsl/computing/softinlibrary.html.

Software: Visit the Tufts Technology Services Help Desk on the 5th floor of Sackler to get software installed on your personal computer. Complete list of available software: https://it.tufts.edu/soft. Unfortunately, Adobe software is not available for installation on students’ personal computers, and Adobe only offers a student discount on their Creative Cloud Complete package.

Lynda.com: Online library of video tutorials that teach software, creative and business skills, including beginner to advanced Illustrator, R, Tableau, SPSS. Tufts Technology Services recently acquired a license that allows Tufts students, faculty and staff unlimited access to Lynda.com. Free apps for iOS and Android devices allow you to watch videos on your mobile device. To access, go to: https://it.tufts.edu/lyndacampus, click the ‘Login’ button and sign in with your Tufts username and password.

-Laura Pavlech

Library, On the Shelf

On the Shelf (August 2015)

For work…

qualitybydesign_cover_aug2015newsletterQuality by Design for Biopharmaceutical Drug Product Development, Jameel Feroz, Susan Hershenson, Mansoor A. Khan, Sheryl Martin-Moe (editors)

Location: Electronic (http://library.tufts.edu:80/record=b2783299~S1)

From the publisher: “Provides an authoritative, detailed and clear explanation of QbD [Quality by Design] principles and its applications/implications for the development and commercialization of biopharmaceutical drug product for the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. Demonstrates how QbD is used for formulation development ranging from screening of formulations, to developability assessment, to development of lyophilized and liquid formats.”

And leisure…

wrongplace_rich_cover_aug2015newsletterWrong Place, Wrong Time: Trauma and Violence in the Lives of Young Black Men, by John A. Rich

Location: On order for Hirsh Health Sciences Library

Each year, Tufts University School of Medicine and Tisch College choose a Common Book for incoming medical students. This year’s selection, Wrong Place, Wrong Time: Trauma and Violence in the Lives of Young Black Men, is authored by John Rich, Professor at the Drexel University School of Public Health and former medical director of the Boston Public Health Commission. Dr. Rich also worked as a primary care physician at Boston Medical Center, where he created and directed the Young Men’s Health Clinic. An author presentation and discussion is scheduled for Wednesday, October 7th from 1-2 PM in the Sackler Auditorium. Multiple copies of this book are on order for the Hirsh Health Sciences Library, so check the library catalog.

actsoffaith_patel_cover_aug2015newsletterActs of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation, by Eboo Patel

Location: HHSL Book Stacks E 184 M88 P38 2010

A Common Book is also selected for the incoming undergraduate students. Multiple copies of this year’s selection are currently available at the library.

-Laura Pavlech

Library, PubMed Tip of the Month

PubMed Tip of the Month (August 2015)

http---library.tufts.edu-screens-finditattufts Use the ‘PubMed@Tufts’ link to access PubMed from either on or off campus. This will enable you to easily access full text articles available through Tufts Libraries. When you wish to access the full text of an article in PubMed, click on the title of the article and look for the blue ‘Find It@Tufts’ button at the top of the column on the right side of the page. This will either bring you directly to the article or to a page where you can search for the journal in our library catalog.

-Laura Pavlech

Library, Notes from the library

Notes from the Library… (August 2015)

lauraPavlech-253x300Hello! I am the new liaison librarian to the Sackler School, Laura Pavlech. I joined Hirsh Health Sciences Library in May of this year. I am excited to return to Tufts, where I attended veterinary school, and work with the health sciences students, faculty and staff. You may be wondering what a librarian can do for you. I think of my job as helping people find, organize and use the resources available to them at Tufts and beyond… here are a few examples of the types of questions that I can answer:

  • Find journal articles: Whether you are investigating a new topic or preparing to write the introduction section of your thesis, I can help you choose which databases to use, and construct a good search strategy.
  • Find protocols & methods: Have you been asked to use a technique about which you know nothing? I can show you where to find books, journals and videos devoted to in-depth descriptions of scientific protocols and methods.
  • Find chemical & drug information: Want to find property data, similar molecules or patents for a chemical compound? I can direct you to the best resources for chemical and drug information, and teach you how to search these resources.
  • Find data & health statistics: Do you need to find a data set to utilize in your research, or health statistics to support a grant proposal? I can assist you in locating publicly available data sets and health statistics.
  • Organize your citations: Learn how to use a citation manager, such as EndNote or RefWorks, to store references and journal articles, and insert formatted citations into Word documents.
  • Establish your research identity: I can show you how to find journal Impact Factors, citation counts, and other metrics that can help you demonstrate the impact of your work to funders and prospective employers.
  • Maintain compliance with funder public access policies: What are public access policies, does my funder have a public access policy, and when I publish, what do I need to do to comply with these policies?

There is a lot of information out there and more is being created every day. Part of becoming a good scientist is learning how to find and use the information that you need in an efficient and effective manner. I (hopefully!) can help you do that:

  • Office hours: Beginning August 31st, I will have weekly office hours for which you can either schedule an appointment or just drop by. My office is located on 6th floor of the Sackler building.
  • Scheduled consultations: You can contact me via phone (617-636-0385) or email (pavlech@tufts.edu) to schedule an appointment at a time that is convenient for you.
  • Research guides: The library has several research guides that can direct you to the resources that you need, and may also help you answer some of the questions I described above. Check out the Biomedical Sciences Research Guide (http://researchguides.library.tufts.edu/biomedical_research), or the complete list of guides (http://researchguides.library.tufts.edu/hhsl).