Wolfram Alpha (and iPhone 4S!)

If you wanted an answer to a question the old model was: look it up in a book.
The newer model says: Google it.
An even newer model directs you to Wolfram Alpha, a computational knowledge engine.

What is the difference? A search engine such as Google or Bing scans web pages and returns links to those pages matching the search query. Wolfram Alpha returns answers from its “own internal knowledge base.” For example, say you want to know the route an airplane would travel between Chicago and Tokyo rather that what the airfare is between Chicago and Tokyo? If you are looking for facts like the five longest rivers or the population of Jordan, try WolframAlpha.

For more information try this demo of answers given by WolframAlpha. And if some of those answers seem familiar you must be iPhone 4S user. Your digital assistant, Siri, got some of her information from WolframAlpha.

Mobile App for Research

If you're like many students, mobile technology has become increasingly prevalent in your daily routine. And as a student, class research undoubtedly factors into your academic routine as well.

Smartphone users are in luck- Gale (one of our largest research database providers) has recently launched a mobile app for their databases called AccessMyLibrary, College Editon, available for Apple or Android phones and tablets! It provides a mobile interface for several of the Gale databases, arranged by subjects including literature, science, history and more.

First, you'll need to download it from the app store/market. When you initially open Access My Library, you will need to enter your Seminole State e-mail address only. A confirmation e-mail will be sent you with a password to use for logging in. Once you've received the e-mail, you can reopen the app and enter the password to gain access to the mobile databases.

Try it out and report back on how well it works- it might be the future of research...a library available everywhere!

Help Us- Take Our Library Survey!

We're promoting our library survey to collect feedback on what our users want and need, and to determine what we can do to improve the overall library experience. It's important to us to know what is working well and what can be expanded or altered to provide the best possible service.

Please take a few minutes to respond to the survey. There are several ways to access it: 1) Click the image above and to the left. 2) Click the survey link here. 3) From the library home page, you'll see the link on the top left corner of the screen.

If you would, please pass this along to your fellow students. Everyone's input is very much appreciated!

What are "scholarly journals"?

Your teachers will often ask you to use scholarly sources for your papers and projects. Many of the Library's databases consist entirely of scholarly articles, for instance, JSTOR, PsycArticles, and Medline. Nearly all the other databases have an option on the search screen to limit your search to all scholarly (all peer reviewed) results.

But what is it about a book or an article that makes it scholarly?"Scholarly research" boils down to a system for verifying facts and logic. It's a set of checks and balances to prevent errors, nonsense, and lies, from being passed off as good information. A scholarly researcher first learns the ideas and findings of others in the field. The researcher then develops a hypothesis and designs and implements a methodology to prove or disprove that hypothesis.

Scholarly also means "by scholars and intended to be read by other scholars." Popular sources have articles that are intended to be interesting and comprehensible for as many people as possible. They have to leave out some details and simplify others. Scholarly sources have more detailed, advanced, sophisticated information. And it's closer to the source, not translated for you by another non-expert.

In the peer review process, an article being considered for publication is inspected by two or more other subject area experts. They question whether the author did enough background research, used a solid methodology, collected data properly, and interpreted statistics accurately. They look for logic flaws, signs of bias or agenda, outdated or discredited information, and more. The article may be rejected; if it is accepted, the author must fix all the problems before it can be published.

New Nursing E-Book Collection!

The Seminole State Library today added a collection of 55 electronic nursing books to our library databases. When you log into the databases, look at the alphabetical listing and open the link titled Books@Ovid. The books range from study guides to basic overviews of select topics- ideal for nursing students reviewing material for practicals and exams! Remember, all e-books can be accessed from home, so take a look for yourself.