The librarian is: BLOGGING | Journalism Library, Columbia University

Need assistance collecting, managing, and citing your online research? Try Zotero or EndNote at the Library Tools & Widgets page. Plus come enjoy one of the many free workshops that the library offers - EndNote workshops are offered at the Digital Social Science Center (DSSC). Sign up today!

What’s happening at our local Morningside Heights branch of the New York Public Library? Check out their main page for events, hours, and a link to sign up for the NYPL newsletter - http://www.nypl.org/branch/local/man/cl.cfm

The Digital Social Science Center (DSSC) is located in Lehman Library in the School of International and Public Affairs on Amsterdam and 118th St.

It’s a great new space featuring computer workstations with 30 inch monitors, scanners, color printers, collaborative study areas, and presentation practice rooms.

Subject specialist librarians in the Social Sciences (including Journalism!) will be available to assist with software and equipment as well as reference and research. Check out DSSC hours and come join us!

Welcome, Summer 2009 Part-Timers! Please check out the following links to help you get started with your research!

• jump-start your electronic research with these databases
• scope out your beat with these resources
• don’t leave home without your Lexis Nexis and Factiva cheat sheet
• and a good place to start is always at the Journalism Library web page

If you need help with your research, please send email to journalism@libraries.cul.columbia.edu or stop by the library for assistance.

Columbia University Libraries has recently rolled out the Columbia University Edition of LibX - a Firefox extension which provides direct access to Columbia’s resources. The LibX tool is a browser plugin, which allows you to conveniently search the Columbia University Libraries online catalog, CLIO, and follow embedded visual cues from Google Scholar, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and The New York Times Book Review.

If you haven’t tried LibX, it’s a great time to start! This is a fantastic tool and will save you lots of time in searching. And if you have any questions, please feel free to drop by the Journalism Library or send email to widget-help@libraries.cul.columbia.edu.

Installation instructions:
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/services/tools/libx_tool/install.html

User guide:
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/services/tools/libx_tool/guide.html

After installation, look for the crown at sites like Amazon.com to make CLIO-searching a breeze!

Where can you find transcripts of City Council proceedings? Go to the Office of the City Clerk; transcripts are available for a fee.

The Empire Center for New York State Policy now provides a database tool through the SeeThroughNY network where you can look up salary information for New York City Government, State Government, and Public Authority payrolls.

Click on SeeThroughNY to use the tool; database is searchable by name Title, Branch or Entity, Agency and Subagency. Data can also be exported to Excel.

Library resources for MA students, handouts from Evidence and Inference course, Fall 2008 -

• Columbia
• Beyond Columbia

World Wide Web is a composite collection of content created and hosted on the internet by millions of organizations and individuals. In order to effectively evaluate information that you find on the internet, consider the following criteria:

Authorship -

• Who wrote this? As Peter Steiner said, “On the Internet,
  Nobody Knows You’re a Dog”
• Is the author an expert in the field?
• What are author’s affiliations?
• Who is the sponsor or publishing body of the site?

Currency -

• Is the information provided timely? This is particularly important in areas of science, technology, health, and politics.
• Is publication date or “last updated” date included with the information?
• If the information is dated or historical, does the document refer to the source and year, e.g. “Based on 1990 U.S. Census data”?

Objectivity -

• Does the author or web page sponsor have a bias?
• Is more than one viewpoint expressed on the topic?
• Does the author or publishing body have a particular agenda?

Coverage -

• Is the information freely available?
• Is the site complete or under construction?
• Does the information have a print equivalent?

Accuracy/Verifiability -

• Does the information include references to experts in the field or rely on other sources?
• Does the information include a bibliography?
• Was an explanation offered on how the data was gathered and interpreted?

If you need help in evaluating a particular internet resource, please stop by the Journalism Library or contact any of the libraries on campus for assistance!

Did you miss the Bloomberg training in Journalism? Fear not! The Business & Economics Librarians offer Bloomberg training throughout the year, and there are 2 trainings left for the fall semester -

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/business/training.html

The trainings are free, but reservations are required. See the web site for details.

Remember to check back periodically at the Library Classes and Instructional Workshops web site for additional training in a variety of topics in research and technology.