Module 2, Session 1: Library resources and support

[Patrick Onyango]

#2420

A lot has been said about the other issues. What I can add is on the question How do you keep up with the latest research in your field?

I have Mendeley and Scopus accounts and so I get regular updates on newly published research in my field. In addition, I also have Google Scholar and Researchgate accounts that I make an attempt of visiting as much as I can, which is to say not as often as I think I should. When I do, I get recommendations on recently published research.

[Paul]

#2432

@ Patrick,there are many avenues of keeping up with the latest as you mentioned including PubMed, DOAJ, Jstor,Science Direct among others. Again the question here is, when you are a peer reviewer of a ‘reputable’ journal, are you not exposed first hand to the latest research even before the manuscripts/works are published or rejected even though reviews can be biased and messy at times?

[Paul]

#2433

@ Patrick,there are many avenues of keeping up with the latest as you mentioned including PubMed, DOAJ, Jstor,Science Direct among others. Again the question here is, when you are a peer reviewer of a ‘reputable’ journal, are you not exposed first hand to the latest research even before the manuscripts/works are published or rejected even though reviews can be biased and messy at times?

[Paul]

#2454

Summary of my reflection:
1.Relationship-average.
2.Support with space,internet, acquisition of new books through request, short loans,e-books, journals. 3. Access online or physical on registration.
4. Alerts -Science Direct, PubMed.
5. Online database JSTOR, AGORA, DOAJ.
6.No software for referencing provided. P/g aquire on their own.
7. Interlibrary services – not available. Still toying with the idea.
8.APA or Havard
9. Freely available to the public.
10. Yes

[Nwabisa]

#2460

This session made me realise that there is still a lot I need to learn about using library resources efficiently and how it can assist my students. Our library offers a lot of support for staff and postgraduates, that much I know.

What relationship do you and your students have with the library?
My relationship with the library is through the online platform and through our faculty librarian. I occasionally visit the library physically. I have not established how my students relate with the library.
What kinds of library support services are there for your postgraduate students? Provide details.
-Library offers a separate section for Masters and Doctoral scholars. It comes with enough computers, unlimited access to wifi, a mini boardroom which can be booked for discussions and there is a kettle for those who want to make coffee. You can read some books online.
-You can login to your library account at any time
-Request an interlibrary loan
-Access google scholar
How do you access your own library’s holdings?
I make an online or phone request and collect physically.
How do you keep up with the latest research in your field?
I subscribe to research gate and academia.com.
What online databases does your institution use?
I only know that there is a multidisciplinary database which can be accessed for free during the lockdown.
Which referencing software does your institution provide? (For example: Endnote, Refworks, Zotero, Mandeley and Paperpile)
The commonly used referencing software is Mandeley, I am not sure if others are provided.
What are the procedures that you need to follow to use your institution’s interlibrary loan system?
What referencing and style guides are available to you online at your institution?
Harvard and APA are the most preferred but there is no specific guide for the whole institution. It depends on each department. Emphasis is mostly on consistency.
What is an open-access site?
The open-access site is where you don’t have to pay for a journal.
Do you know how to create a search alert?
Yes.

[Amos]

#2464

Library Resources include:
a) Library catalogue
b) SEKU Repository
c) E- books and Journals
d) Open Access database
e) Google Scholar

Library Support
a) Open campus access to library resources
b) Antiplagiarism
c) Trainings on Library resources use

[Scholastica]

#2472

1. What relationship do you and your students have with the library?
My relationship with library is good and I do refer my students to postgraduate library to familiarize with theses structure and how to go about their writing. I have had challenges referring students to library as most them are on part time study plans.
2. What kinds of library support services are there for your postgraduate students? Provide details.
The library support available include induction and orientation when students have been enrolled in their various postgraduate programs. Other services include access o subscription journals such EBSCOhost, J-Stor etc. and reference books.
3. How do you access your own library’s holdings?
Physical and online access when on-campus intra-network.
4. How do you keep up with the latest research in your field?
I have Google-scholar account , Research Gate account and I do browse on relevant publishers networks.
5. What online databases does your institution use?
Access to Global Online Research (AGORA), Acoustical Society of America, Africa Journals Online (AJOL), American Institute of Physics, American Physical Society, Beech Tree Publications, British Psychological Society, Cambridge University Press, The Cochrane Library, EBSCOhost, Emerald Access, Gale Databases, Geological Society- The Lyell Collection, Henry Stewart Talks, Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers (IEEE), IMF eLibrary, IOPscience, JSTOR, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. Publishers, OECD, OSA- Optical Society of America, OUP E-Books Oxford English Dictionary Online, Palgrave Macmillan Journals, Pediatric Neurology Briefs, Project MUSE, Royal College of Physicians, Royal Society Journals Online, Royal Society of Chemistry: RSC Journals Archive, Sage Journals online, SAGE Knowledge, Springer, Symposium journals, Taylor and Francis Online Journals, University of Chicago Press, Wiley Online Library, World Bank e-Library and Digital repository for project and theses,
6. Which referencing software does your institution provide? (For example: Endnote, Refworks, Zotero, Mandeley and Paperpile)
Endnote
7. What are the procedures that you need to follow to use your institution’s interlibrary loan system?
They use card system for borrowing.
8. What referencing and style guides are available to you online at your institution?
APA
9. What is an open access site?
This is a site of a journal or an institution that allows access articles or e-books without subscription or payment.
10. Do you know how to create a search alert?
Yes through Google search engine.

So far our University Library has strived to provide good opportunities for the supervisors and postgraduate students to access information both from physical and online facilities.

[Scholastica]

#2473

The important lesson I have learnt is recognizing information landscape of my student, myself and the institution that I am working at.
Knowledge how to access and use the resources from library are integral to both supervision process and students efforts in their postgraduate journey.
I will aspire to interact with my library more and fully interact with what they have to offer.

[Lucas]

#2474

The presentation has opened up my mind regarding the importance of information literacy and how best to access and utilize such information. As Faculty, some of us have in the past assumed that we know all that we need to help us direct students on where to get relevant information and how to manage it. This is not the case. I think we as supervisors have underutilized our libraries, the custodians of sources of information. What I have been reminded of through the presentation is that libraries are not just for students alone. Now I can honestly state that I have not been using our university library effectively. Perhaps this is not my fault per se. When I joined the university as a Lecturer, I compared the library with the one I used where I did my PhD. Honestly, I found the library lacking in terms of resources, both human and material. This made me have a negative perception about the library. My feeling was “There is nothing there for me”.

We have recently put up a new state of the art library which has been commissioned but is yet to become fully functional. I am sure it will go a long way towards providing requisite services to postgraduate faculty and students.

Presently, the university has a library fully dedicated to postgraduate students. However, my feeling has been that it is not fully equipped and space is lacking, but it helps. The university subscribes to various online databases which students (and staff I hope) find useful. The Library staff are qualified and helpful. The major drawback, however, is that we do not have an organized and rigorous orientation for our postgraduate students compared to what we do with our undergraduate freshers. To put this into perspective, some of our postgraduate students get to learn of the existence of the Postgraduate Library and what it offers too late when they ought to have made use of it. Sounds like the African proverb, which I have struggled to translate: “You live in a sugarcane plantation, but you do not know how sweet the cane is!”.

[Joyce]

#2475

The self exploration questions make me realize that I need to make my students engage more with the library so that they are able to locate and use information more effectively during their studies. Usually they rely more on the internet and creating a search alert would be an added advantage.
Our library, apart from providing the usual reference books and reading space, offers access to online search databases. Materials not available in the library may be requested for through an Inter-Library Loan Scheme. It also provides e-journals via the internet through the Programme for Enhancement of Research Information (PERI).

[Titus]

#2477

Key Lesson from this session:
I have leanrt that my role as a supervisor extends beyond just pointing postgraduate students to the library! I must make effort and invest quality time in working together with the students to understand and profile each student’s information landscape & needs by; understanding the background of the student, identify information needs (When, Why, Where), evaluate available information resources and tools (within the institution) and provide guidance, direction and support to the student(s)on where, why and when to get relevant information..

[Titus]

#2481

Relationship with Library
The relationship of postgraduate community (student & lecturers) with the library is fairly good but given the resources currently available on the internet in form of books, journal articles and conference proceedings etc & the fact that most postgraduate students are fulltime employees, with families, the visits to the physical library are limited to extreme cases e.g. when preparing for written examinations.

Support Services
The institution provides a separate physical library for exclusive use by the postgraduate community (Lecturers, supervisors and students) within the university. The library stocks hard copy textbooks, journals and a collection of conference proceedings. Support services include guidance of how to access books from the selves, borrow books and information on available accessible online repositories. The university has also subscribed to several journal databases that are accessible through the “eCampus”.

Accessing Library Holdings
To access the resources, one the postgraduate community member must but be registered as either a staff or student of the university and is issued with library cards that allow them to borrow books.

Keeping Up with Latest Research in the Field
In the field of Computer Science, Information Technology and Information Systems, there are a number of popular avenues/forums for monitoring current cutting-edge research that we encourage our staff and students to take advantage of. Most of these forums/avenues send weekly bulletins on areas being explored, latest breakthroughs/outcomes of studies/trials, promising developments on emerging challenges in current technology research or proposed research issues/areas.
•Professional bodies that include Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) & Association of Computing Machinery (ACM), that publish (weekly) the latest cutting-edge technology research from universities, technology vendors and technology labs across America, Europe, Asia and Australia.
•Technology standardizing bodies; Telecommunication Industry Association (TIA), Electronic Industry Alliance (EIA), Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) etc they periodically point out issues/challenges that need to be explored
•Journal and technology repository alerts (e.g. Research gate)
•Mainstream vendor research/technology alerts; Cisco, IBM, Intel, AMD etc

[Sioux McKenna]

#2482

Thanks for all the comments on the library. I try to ensure that my postgraduate students get to meet their subject librarian in person and chat about their research. Librarians can be enormously helpful people in making sure we access current materials. They are also important in helping students to set up good alerts to make sure they get the latest studies related to their research right in their email boxes.

I’m enjoying reading all the comments and hope you are too!
Keep going
Sioux

[Paul]

#2488

Lessons from the ppt presentation in addition to ones already identified above:
1. There is a powerful informidable nexus between supervisor, student and library.
2. Supervisors (me being culprit here) are not always aware of institutional training support available for them and their students.
3. The need to be upto date on IL.
4. Supervisors do not recognise the overall concept of IL.
5. Information is the lifeblood of academic research.
6. That definition of IL should be redefined as it include – research data, data management, preservation and ministration of one’s own information and data.

[Kefa S]

#2492

At my institution, the Library is active in supporting my activities as a postgraduate supervisor of students. Apart from there being a specific library staff assigned to postgraduate students for Education, students and staff also enjoy access to e-resources. Most publishers are accessible via the e-resources platform. To be honest I have never missed any of the e-resources, particularly the journal articles I have wanted to access for purposes of my own research as well as that of my students.
On the part of references management software, to be honest, though the library offers Zotero, I am yet to venture! The take home from this course, though, is very clear! I have to get Zotero so that my time on task especially for referencing will be reduced! In addition, I have also appreciated the role of the librarian and will activate his/her role in the triad of supervision so that what I have been ‘slaving’ over with my students, on our own will be reduced, if not shared!

[Author]

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