D2L

A question that has already been asked at the Reference Desk on more than one occasion relates to using the D2L dropbox for document submission. In order for a student to submit a document through the use of the dropbox, the professor must have created assignment folders for the course. If there are no folders, then an assignment cannot be placed in the dropbox. If this is the case, the student must use e-mail for electronic submission.

Desire2Learn Student Guide

The D2Learn Student Guide is in the flip folder on the desk. We can anticipate a fair number of questions from the students as the new system goes live, so I printed out a copy for all to peruse.

New: North American Indian Thought and Culture

North American Indian Thought and Culture is now available on the Social Sciences page and the Databases A-Z list.

NAITC integrates writings, images, and oral histories to cover the entire history of North America; from 17th century accounts of the first encounters involving Indians and European colonists to the stories of aboriginals living in a 21st century world. The database is dedicated to telling the life stories of both the well-known historical figures such as Pocahontas and Sitting Bull, and also the lesser-known men and women whose day-to-day experiences give an equally valuable portrayal of Indian culture.

Detailed information about NAITC is available on the publisher's web site.

Updated resource: Cochrane Collection Plus replaces Cochrane Library

The Cochrane Library databases on the Pharmacy page and the Nursing and Allied Health page have been replaced by the Cochrane Collection Plus (CCP). CCP contains the databases found in the original Cochrane Library, plus the NHS Economic Evaluation Database (NHS EED) and Health Technology Assessments (HTA). I've created links that allow patrons to search the entire CCP collection at once or to search each CCP database individually.

For detailed information about CCP see this EBSCO page.

Jing screen recorder installed on Ref Desk

Jing is now installed on the Reference Desk PC. Jing is a small program that lets you capture screen images and record simple tutorials. You activate Jing by clicking on the yellow ball at the top of the screen. Jing recordings can be uploaded to Screencast.com and shared with anyone by using the link provided by Screencast.

For a quick guide to using Jing, watch Jing's video tour.

The Screencast.com username and password are the same as Meebo.

Color laser printer: What to do when it won't print

The color laser printer will sometimes lose its connection to the PC and fail to print. To fix this unplug the USB cable from the right side of the printer, wait a couple of seconds, and then plug the cable back in.

HP has released a printer firmware update that may fix the problem. The procedure for installing the new firmware is, umm ... convoluted (to say the least), but I'll get it done ASAP.

Jon W.

Update (4/25/08): I've installed the firmware update. Let me know if the printer continues to lose its connection to the PC.

Jon W.

Periodicals List

There have been a few differences found between the periodicals list and the library's actual holdings (either location, format or whether we have it at all). If you find any of these errors, please report it on the Reference Desk Statistics sheet so that it can be corrected. Thanks!

Ebsco 2.0

Ebsco will be undergoing a major makeover this summer: Please follow the link and familiarize yourself with its new functions. Ebscohost 2.0 is also to be found on the firefox toolbar. This training can be done while you are working the desk.


http://support.ebsco.com/ebscohost2/training.php

Heater at the Ref Desk

Update: The new heater is here.

Dr. Sparks has ordered a new space heater to replace the old one at the Reference Desk. In the meantime, please do not plug in another heater at the Reference Desk. The old heater drew too much power to be on the same circuit as the color laser printer and the PC.

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Sparks.


Jon W.

Color printer at the Ref Desk

To print to the new color laser printer select "HP Color Laser" from the pull-down printer selection menu.

If you have any problems with the printer please let me know at 7074.

Jon W.