Notes From The Library, Issue No. 77

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Open Forum on the Learning Commons and Construction Plans

Orientation for New Faculty & Students

Special Exhibition - Library: Your New Learning Hub Information Literacy Rubrics

Brand New Interfaces Come in a Row Securing Your Personal Belongings

Book Talk - The DNA of English and the Art of Writing Building Extension Issues - Fall Term 2010 Construction and Disruption

Facilities Enhancements

Issue No. 77 September 2010 http://library.ust.hk/

Open Forum on the Learning

Commons and Construction Plans

n 27 September the Library will be holding an Open Forum on Library construction and development plans -focusing mostly on the upcoming Learning Commons. The Forum is a place where all members of the HKUST Community are welcome to join and learn more about what is coming and contribute your ideas for consideration and inclusion.

Now that the Library Extension is almost complete, the focus is turning to the plans for the Learning Commons. Come and review the plans and expectations for this space. And see how the design firm's proposals have developed.

Please come and participate in this Library Open Forum. This is another chance for you to influence the process. We're interested in what you think of the plans - from the major layout arrangement to the wall and carpet coloring!

The Forum will be on Monday, 27 September, at 3:00 pm in the Library Gallery. More details of the Library Open Forum will be announced on the Library Blog (http://library.ust.hk/blog/), by e-mail, and through other channels.

Watch for the details and please plan to attend. We look forward to seeing you there.

Orientation for New Faculty & Students

his summer, the Library will continue to participate in the orientation programs run by the University for new faculty and undergraduates. The Library orientation session for new faculty, entitled Library Support for Teaching and

Research, is scheduled for 2:00-3:15 pm on 16 August. New faculty members will be grouped by school or department.

They will be introduced by subject librarians to the Library's major resources and services that support their teaching and research, such as e-journals, e-books, databases, course reserve, interlibrary loan, course and subject specific library classes, research consultation, citation search certification, institutional repository and HKUST scholarly publications harvesting project.

The Library orientation for new undergraduates is scheduled for 23 August to 1 September. The orientation will consist of a one hour class and a 45 minute tour. The hands-on class will teach students how to use the Library catalog and other electronic resources effectively. The walking tour will introduce students to the resources, facilities and services available on each floor of the Library. There will be altogether 22 class sessions and the same number of tour sessions. 14 class sessions will be conducted in Cantonese, the others in English or Putonghua. The University has released the 2010 undergraduate orientation website. Students can sign up for the Library sessions as well as the talks and workshops offered by other University units via the page at http://www.ust.hk/orientation/program/talks_workshops.html.

Special Exhibition - Library: Your New Learning Hub

special exhibition, highlighting efforts made by the Library on the behalf of its constituents, will be held from 13-19 October in the Academic Concourse and 21 October to 16 November in the Library Gallery. This exhibition underscores and helps illustrate the value that the Library, as a new learning hub, brings to the faculty, students and other members of the University.

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The Library effectively supports information needs in learning, teaching and research and actively contributes to positive changes in these important activities, e.g. intensive data-based research, interdisciplinary scholarship, collaborative learning. The range of services provided by the HKUST Library is now much broader than a traditional academic library. For instance, Library staff members are involved in various activities which substantially contribute to students' whole person development and their skill sets for life-long learning. When the Information Commons (IC) was established several years ago, the Library once again focused on the links between IC and learning and made choices that help ensure the space best supports academic learning and creativity.

The Learning Commons being created in the Library will offer environments that address fast changing learning needs, bringing together innovative technology, information content and learning support services in a physical space that results in

a welcoming learning hub on our campus. The learning support in LC is intentionally more pervasive than in conventional learning spaces by providing useful connections between students and multiple learning support services and dynamic group learning spaces, among other essential elements.

Information Literacy Rubrics

nformation literacy is the ability to identify what information is needed as well as to search, locate, evaluate, and use information effectively in solving problems.

Because of the increasing complexity of information formats, dissemination channels and collaborative ways of creating information, information literacy is becoming a highly sought after attributes of university graduates.

Last November, the University designated the Library to design an information literacy assessment plan. Part of the plan is to develop a set of information literacy rubrics to:

Offer guidelines for faculty to assess student's information literacy competency level. These rubrics can be adapted to support different types of assignments.

Assist faculty in designing assessment tasks and learning activities to facilitate the development of information literacy

This set of rubrics is designed in compliance with the ACRL (Association of College and Research Libraries) Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education (http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency.cfm#stan) and the HKUST Library Intended Information Literacy Learning Outcomes. It aims to assess five aspects of information literacy at the course level:

1. Define Information Needs

Determine the extent of information needed

Corresponds to ACRL standard 1

2. Collect Information

Identify and select appropriate resources

3. Evaluate Information Sources

4. Utilize Information

Effective use of information to accomplish the assessment objectives

Ethical use of information by acknowledging sources

We would like to invite faculty members to join in the process of formulating the information literacy assessment by pilot testing this set of rubrics, interested faculty members please contact the Subject Librarians (link to

http://library.ust.hk/serv/contact.html) for discussion and information.

[More details and examples on faculty-library collaboration on information literacy assessment can be found at "Outcome-Based Library Instruction" (link to http://library.ust.hk/serv/obe/obe.html)]

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Brand New Interfaces Come in a Row

esponding to user feedback and changing behavior in online research, vendors have been working to transform their database interface with new look and functionalities. Lately, LexisNexis Academic, Ovid databases, and

SourceOECD have worn new faces.

LexisNexis Academic

The new home page uses a three-tiered approach.

Easy Search allows access to the most popular sources via multiple search widgets;

Specialized search forms provide a guided search in focused sources such as News, International Case

Law, and Companies; and

Power Search supports both Terms & Connectors (Boolean) and Natural language (Google-like) search.

Online help is in the form of a wiki. Watch the YouTube tutorials at

http://www.youtube.com/user/LexisNexisAcademic. More videos are underway.

Ovid Databases

New search filters, citation management options, and a "widget" approach to results management that allow users to better manipulate results.

My Workspace - where you can store and organize your research materials: individual articles, search

strategies or images in My Projects.

Ovid Toolbar - a downloadable tool that lets you quickly and easily save critical research material to My

Workspace while working outside Ovid.

Visit the OvidSP Resource Center (http://www.ovid.com/site/resources/prodinfo_ovidsp.jsp) for online documentation such as the FAQs and Quick Reference Cards and Guides.

OECDiLibrary

The old interface of SourceOECD may put you off, even though the database is in fact a treasure trove of OECD statistics and publications. The good news is SourceOECD is now completely revamped and is renamed to

OECDiLibrary. The change is from head to toe. Searching and browsing are now made much easier. The

OECD.Stat cross-database browser is worth special mention. You can: Search and discover data in new thematic views;

View default tables and customize them in your preferred format;

Mix and merge data from various databases and create customized tables; and Access metadata to find out the sources and definitions of the figures.

Log in to explore the new platforms and see for yourselves. As always, our Reference staff ([email protected] or 2358-6760) are more than happy to answer any queries you may have.

Securing Your Personal Belongings

ue to some cases of theft that occurred in the Library in June and July, a free-standing warning sign has been put on many reading tables as you may notice. In the mean while, some new security measures and procedures have been taken by the Library and the Security Office.

We would like to cordially remind you once again that you should never, even for a brief moment, leave your belongings, such as laptop, cell phone, camera, wallet, purse, bag, etc., unattended; it is courteous to other users, as well as for your own good, not to take up seats with personal belongings; and make it a good habit to bring your belongings, especially those important and high-value items, with you when you go to lunch, washroom or make a phone call away from your seat.

The Library is a public place, and thefts do occur here. We hope that this reminder will help to raise your awareness of suspicious persons and activities, and the need to protect yourself against intentional theft. Let us work together to make the Library an even safer place.

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Book Talk - The DNA of English and the Art of Writing

n Thursday, 16 September at 5:30 pm in the Library Gallery, Mr Philip Yeung will talk about his forthcoming book,

The DNA of English and the Art of Writing.

There are thousands of books on writing, yet this is the first to explore how "cracking the DNA of English" opens up many possibilities to write creatively. This is a book beyond grammar. It redirects our attention to the primary purpose of language learning: to write and to speak with impact.

Sharing his writer's point of view, Mr Yeung will explain his revolutionary method that encourages you to look for the functions and patterns of language and discover what makes a piece of writing attractive.

He will consider issues like:

What are the functional implications of English being an alphabetical language? Why do we need nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs and prepositions?

How do sounds generated alphabetically offer possibilities for memorable writing? What areas cause non-native writers to stumble, and why?

He will also discuss how studying presidential speech writers helped him develop a formula for powerful writing. Whether for a new writer or an experienced one, Mr Yeung's talk has something to offer everyone.

This is the fifth in an occasional series of BookTalks (http://library.ust.hk/info/booktalk/) given at HKUST. At each

BookTalk, we invite an author to share with us on the book he or she has written, and sometimes their experiences

and beliefs about books and reading in general.

Building Extension Issues - Fall Term 2010 Construction and

Disruption

s part of the building extension works, the contractor will be doing some work on the North end of LG1, LG3 and LG4. Hoarding will be erected in these affected areas. In order to do this, part of the Library's collection and study furniture will be moved to temporary locations.

What's moving?

- Part of the bound journals collection on LG1 & part of the book collection on LG3 - The study carrels against the north walls of LG1, LG3, & LG4

- Other study furniture, chairs, and sofas

It may be hard for you to find some of the re-located books during this time, so please do not hesitate to ask Library staff to help you find what you need.

Finding a good spot for study and learning during this semester may also become more difficult. Please, be patient and also remember to not leave your books, bags, or other belongings to try and "save" a space. It is unfair to your fellow students.

We are sorry to report that there will be some demolition noise throughout the semester. Please help yourself to the free disposable ear-plugs at the G/F Circulation and Reserve Counter.

The Library will become especially noisy after final examinations (during the Winter Break). And in the Spring, there will be new disruptions as the new LG1 Learning Commons renovations commence. You can learn more about the Learning Commons plans from the Library's Learning Commons category on the Library Blog.

We apologize for the extreme inconvenience caused by this construction, but it is necessary as part of our efforts to improve the Library and prepare it for the 3-3-4 changes. Please be understanding during this difficult period.

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Facilities Enhancements

ver the past few months, the Library has made a number of enhancements to the learning and study facilities available.

Whiteboards in All Study Rooms - Every group study room in the Library is now equipped with a whiteboard.

Whiteboard pens can be borrowed from the service counters on the ground floor.

Larger-screen Media TVs Added to Media & Discussion Rooms - All 4 of the

Viewing Rooms in Media Resources have had their televisions upgraded significantly. The small room now has a 32" LCD, while the 3 larger rooms have enormous 55" LCDs!

PC Workstations Added to All Media & Discussion Rooms - All 4 of the

Viewing & Discussion Rooms in Media Resources are now also equipped with a networked PC connected to the TV, along with a switchbox for connecting your own laptop.

22" LCD Monitors in 8 Group Study Rooms - In addition to the projectors in the Seminar

Rooms, and the TVs in the Viewing Rooms, 22" LCD monitors have been added to 8 of the group study rooms. Please let us know if you find these useful, or if they just get in your way.

Information E-Board on G/F - The old journals display poster board next to the large lift on

G/F has been replaced with a large-screen E-Board providing information on Library services and programs. Check it out when you are waiting for the lift.

A3 Printing from Microforms - Just before the Summer, the 2 microform printers in Media

Resources were upgraded to networked scanners, and an A3 printer was added to the mix. If you need to print from microforms of old newspapers, A3 paper is the size for you!

Hot Water at the Ground Floor Fountain - At the request of our students, the G/F

drinking fountain was replaced with a model also equipped with a hot water dispenser. Use it to stay warm in the coming cold winter months.

If you have suggestions for more useful changes, please send them to us at [email protected].