Newton Gresham Library will implement various workshops throughout the spring semester to help students and faculty gain a better understanding of the library and what it has to offer, as well as enhance research skills.
The workshops will consist of nine subjects that Ann Holder, acting director of the library, hopes will help students and faculty become more organized and able to use data more efficiently to get information faster.
“The workshops fit very special needs and show students and teachers resources that will expand beyond a classroom setting,” Holder said.
Workshops that will be offered include how to research databases, which is a hands-on introduction to electronic indexes and a full text source for research.
Each session will focus on a particular subject including humanities, business, science and social science. Topics that will be covered include database selection criteria, construction of search strategies, interpretation of search results and locating information that is found.
A workshop in basic research skills will also be offered. This class will be an introduction to basic research skills and will include an orientation to how materials are organized at NGL. It will also explain how to quickly and efficiently use the information resources in the library.
Other workshops that will be presented are the SamCat clinic, Laptop clinic, Turnitin and the tour of the library.
The Samcat clinic will be offered to explain how to use SamCat to find what the library owns, how to check user information and how to set up an account.
The Laptop clinic will explain how to configure a laptop to access electronic reserves, the library catalog, research databases and other resources throughout the campus network. The library also offers laptops that can be checked out at the reserve desk.
Turnitin is a workshop only offered to faculty. It is an introduction to the plagiarism detection tool offered at the Web site http://www.turnitin.com. The workshop will provide information on how to create a Turnitin account and how to use the program.
Turnitin is a tool that Holder said can help teach students not to plagiarize and can help faculty keep papers from being recycled every year.
“This program is not a way to catch people. It is more of a teaching tool,” Holder said. “Students are not taught what plagiarism is and this software is useful in determining places in papers where you think it’s your own words. It will help students and show faculty what part of a paper is theirs or someone else’s.”
The workshops offered in the library have limited availability, therefore Holder is requesting interested students and faculty call or send an e-mail to request a spot. However, walk-ins are welcome and requests for other available times are also accepted.
Information on the workshops and who to contact can be found in the library or on the SHSU Web site.
“There is a need for programs like these,” Holder said. “This is part of what librarians do.”