Announcements
Announcements
Many university libraries suspend their Interlibrary Loan (ILL) services during the holidays, making it difficult for us to fill our patrons’ requests.
- Details
- Category: Announcements
Blazers who need a laptop to complete coursework or take online exams can check one out from new kiosks located near the HUB Desks at Sterne Library and Lister Hill Library. Portable power banks also are available for on-the-go studying around each library if other power sources are unavailable.
In Sterne, six 13-in. Macbook Pro laptops and six 13-in. Dell Lattitude 5440 laptops are available, along with 12 portable battery chargers. An additional six 13-in. Dell Lattitude 5440 machines and 12 battery banks are available in Lister Hill.
“We hope these kiosks make it even easier for students to hunker down and focus on their homework or exams while in one of our libraries,” said Patricia West, assistant dean for Public Services in UAB Libraries.
Any UAB student or employee with a current ONE Card can check out devices for a four-hour period on a first-come, first-served basis; one laptop and one battery pack can be checked out simultaneously. All laptops are compatible with Proctor Testing software for online exams, and students can print from the laptops using UAB Libraries’ WEPA printers in both Sterne and Lister Hill. Each machine resets and clears all personal information and data when returned to the kiosk; laptops and battery packs should be returned to the kiosk from which they were borrowed.
There is a $25 late fee per item per day, and borrowers are responsible for a $1,500 replacement cost if not returned.
In addition to the laptop and battery kiosks, UAB Libraries’ has a robust collection of circulating technology available for checkout from the Sterne and Lister Hill HUB Desks, the LibLab at Sterne, and the Lister Hill Library Virtual Reality Studio — including additional laptops, headphones, webcams, iPads and creative tablets, portable projectors, charging cables, and more. See the full collection online.
- Details
- Category: Announcements
Three displays from UAB Archives on the third floor of Lister Hill Library exhibit a curated selection of materials highlighting both the history of UAB and the Birmingham community.
One case features unique items from Birmingham’s history, including materials on arts and entertainment, tourism, society and culture, and business — and a selection of items spotlighting the city’s Mardi Gras festivities from the past 130 plus years.
The second case holds materials related to Martha E. Pugh, one of just three women in a class of 67 to graduate from UAB’s medical school in 1965. Pugh donated materials from her time at UAB to the UAB Archives in 2007.
The third case features material related to Charles McCallum Jr., D.M.D, M.D., UAB’s third president and former dean of the School of Dentistry and vice president of Health Affairs. The selections highlight McCallum’s decades-long service to the university — including the establishment of both UAB Football and the UAB Archives.
Displays are viewable by appointment only 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; email uabarchives@uab.edu to schedule.
See a selection of featured items below.
“Mardi Gras Souvenir March,” by Phil Memoli, 1899.
This rare sheet music was printed in Birmingham and was dedicated to the grand marshall of the Birmingham Carnival Society, which held annual carnival celebrations beginning in 1896. The first Mardi Gras parade in BHM was held in March 1886 and was sponsored by the German Society of Birmingham.
UAB President McCallum takes the field at a Blazer football game, circa 1991
Football at UAB was established during McCallum’s presidency. He authorized the creation of a club-level football program in 1989, and in 1991 announced that the university would field a NCAA Division III team. In 1993, the team was moved into competition at the Division I-AA level, again under the leadership of McCallum. In 2013, McCallum was inducted in the UAB Athletics Hall of Fame in honor of his long devotion to Blazer Athletics.
Sterne Library Director Dr. Jerry W. Stephens shows Dr. Charles A. McCallum Jr., the new computer terminal at Sterne Library.
When Mervyn H. Sterne Library acquired a new computerized cataloging system in 1994, the system was named “Scotty” in honor of McCallum, a long-time library supporter. The former university president helped fund the acquisition of the system during his presidency from 1987-1993.
UAB selected as a top university, 1992.
In the Sept. 28, 1992, issue of “U.S. News & World Report,” UAB was selected in the magazine's annual best colleges collection as the No. 1 Up and Coming University in the nation. To celebrate, UAB staff placed a banner on the 13th Street pedestrian bridge over University Boulevard.
- Details
- Category: Announcements
Social media posts, viral videos, emails, news articles — the incoming tide of seemingly limitless information can seem overwhelming at any time, but especially during an election season, says Brooke Becker, media literacy librarian for UAB Libraries.
“To find stable footing in that flood, it’s important to cultivate skills to determine if what you’re consuming is accurate,” she explained.
The intent of political advertising is to rally votes, generate enthusiasm for a candidate or issue, define (or redefine) a candidate’s image, and provide general information. Each of these enables constituents to make informed decisions — a crucial aspect of democracy, Becker says.
“The ability to make decisions, communicate and govern effectively is on the line without access to political communication,” Becker said. “We need to be able to understand what information is meant to inform, to influence, and to interfere.”
Consuming inaccurate information can negatively impact one’s ability to make important decisions around issues such as health, finances, business, and education — in all aspects of life, Becker explains, not just during an election season. Understanding how to determine a reliable source from an unreliable one enables consumers to make informed decisions.
Becker stresses that one of the key factors to remember in the era of social media and email is that “clear and effective communication isn’t just about exchanging information quickly.” The most important factor is the quality of a piece of information.
“Great communication requires making valid points while providing accurate examples that others can easily follow and understand,” she said.
Positivity, negativity and neutrality
“Great communication requires making valid points while providing accurate examples that others can easily follow and understand.” |
Understanding the basic intent behind a political advertisement is crucial, Booker explains. A key component is understanding whether an ad is positive (presenting the candidate, campaign or policy in the best light), negative (emphasizing deficiencies), or neutral (presented without clear bias for or against). Here are a few questions she recommends asking when viewing an ad:
- What is the ad about?
- Is it positive, negative or neutral?
- What do you learn from it?
- Who do you think created it?
- Who do you think is the target audience?
Remember regulatory rules
The regulations on political advertisements also are necessary to keep in mind, Becker says. According to the American Bar Association, lying in political advertisements is legal — political ads are considered political speech, which is protected by the First Amendment: “The rationale behind this is that voters have a right to uncensored information from candidates, which they can then evaluate themselves before making their decisions at the ballot box,” according to the ABA website.
There are some caveats: Certain advertisements in newspapers and broadcast media require disclaimers, per the Federal Election Commission. Search engines have their own sets of specific policies (see Google’s online), and social media is governed by the terms of each platform’s specific usage agreements.
“Being familiar with the regulations around political ads and the channels you see them on is crucial to being able to separate fact from fiction,” Becker said.
The CRAAP Test
The humorously named CRAAP Test is an easy and unique way to evaluate the media one consumes, Becker says: Be sure to note an advertisement’s Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose of Sources.
- Currency: Is the source up to date? Time-sensitive topics need current information; pay attention to words like “today” or “Tuesday” and be sure to connect them to a specific date.
- Relevance: Sources should address the intended audience’s needs.
- Authority: Consider whether the author or publisher is considered trustworthy in their field and evaluate credibility by validating their expertise or reputation in a specific industry.
- Accuracy: Check that the information is supported by evidence and cited correctly; look for documented sources with specific facts and precise details.
- Purpose: Ask the question, “Why does this information exist?” Consider the motive behind publishing; the most reliable sources explain or pass along information, rather than work to persuade or sway.
Bonus tip: Remember the SIFT Method
Using the SIFT Method is another way to ensure you can differentiate between the good, the bad and the ugly when evaluating media sources, Becker explains. Developed by Mike Caufield at Washington State University, Vancouver, the method encourages consumers to Stop, Investigate, Find and Trace information when reviewing for mis- or disinformation.
- Details
- Category: Announcements
Three agreements made between UAB Libraries and top journal publishers have saved authors more than $1.1 million in costs associated with publishing in open access journals since 2021.
Read-and-publish agreements with publishers Wiley and Springer Nature have saved UAB authors more than $718,000 and $311,000, respectively. They enable lead or corresponding authors affiliated with the university to publish open access in any fully open access or hybrid open access Wiley or Springer Nature journal at no cost to the author — nearly 4,000 journals in total. An additional smaller, yet significant read-and-publish agreement with Cambridge Publishing has saved more than $76,000.
The cost-saving mechanism in these agreements waives the article processing fee (APC) for UAB authors. Unlike traditional publishing systems, open access journals do not require a subscription to access paywalled resources, so to offset that loss of revenue, most collect a charge in order to publish. The average APC cost is just over $1,600, according to an article published earlier this year in Sci Ed. Through UAB Libraries’ agreements, 197 APCs have been funded for Wiley publications since Jan. 1, 2023, with 73 funded for Springer Nature publications since Jan. 1 of this year and 26 funded for Cambridge since January 2021.
With a click of a button or swipe of a phone, UAB employees and students can access millions of online resources with just their BlazerID and password — but those same resources would come at a high cost to unaffiliated individual scholars, clinicians, patients, consumers, policymakers and others who could benefit from accessing resources. When scholarship is published as open access — such as in well-known and highly cited journals like ones published by Wiley and Springer Nature — it removes that financial barrier and better facilitates the sharing of important information.
“We are committed to furthering our campus culture of collaboration and innovation through collaborations with external partners — and the significant financial impact of these read-and-publish agreements is a clear demonstration of that.” |
Continuing to prioritize a commitment to open access publishing is crucial for UAB’s mission to drive research and innovation across the enterprise, as outlined in UAB’s strategic plan, Forging Ahead, said Jeff Graveline, J.D., associate dean for Research and Scholarly Communication and director of the Office of Scholarly Communication in UAB Libraries.
“These agreements help ensure that UAB’s scholarly research is available at no cost on a global scale,” Graveline explained. “We are committed to furthering our campus culture of collaboration and innovation through collaborations with external partners — and the significant financial impact of these read-and-publish agreements is a clear demonstration of that.”
Authors from across disciplines have utilized these agreements to publish their work open access — from the schools of Nursing and Education to the Collat School of Business and Heersink School of Medicine. Read testimonials from five faculty researchers who have had one or more APCs waived — and why they feel OA publishing is so important.
Got questions? UAB Libraries can help
Do you have questions about making your work more accessible through Open Access publishing? The Office of Scholarly Communication can help. And that’s not all they do — the OSC can answer questions from Blazers working to establish publishing agreements and understand copyright guidelines, plus provide guidance on incorporating affordable instructional materials into courses.
During the last year, the OSC expanded to include research data management services, offering consultations with researchers to prepare data management plans or select repositories for data. The office also provides instruction on how to organize, document and properly safeguard research data to benefit both research teams and the wider research community long-term.
Learn more about the OSC online.
- Details
- Category: Announcements
Selections from a new-to-UAB collection of flyers, pamphlets, brochures and leaflets from presidential primaries and general elections now are on view through December on the first floor of Sterne Library in the main group study area.
“Spot the Spin: Politics and Public Relations” features items from the Presidential Campaign Collection of William L. Benoit, which was donated by Benoit, now-retired Distinguished Professor in the Department of Communication Studies, to UAB Libraries in 2022. The materials span dozens of elections, from the 1936 campaign of Alf Landon to the 2000 campaigns of George W. Bush and Al Gore. The UAB Archives and Digital Services teams have made the items available for online viewing, and the physical items are held in the UAB Archives and are available for viewing by appointment.
Examining campaign materials from elections gone by can encourage viewers to reflect on how they and others consume media relating to current elections, said Brooke Becker, media literacy librarian in UAB Libraries.
“Using print media to share messaging has always been a part of candidates campaigns,” Becker said. “The biggest difference in today’s world is that it’s not just print media: The world of electronic communications opens up even more opportunities for engaging with disinformation and misinformation.”
To combat mis- and disinformation and empower Blazers to identify fact from fiction — both during and outside of election cycles — Becker has created a “Spot the Spin: Politics and Public Relations” research guide, which includes relevant information from the nonpartisan, nonprofit organization News Literacy Project, voting information for Alabama residents, topical books and databases from UAB Libraries’ collections, and best practices and policies for the practical design of political campaign materials.
“It’s really a one-stop shop for high-level info useful to being discerning when you encounter information online and out in the world,” Becker explained. “There’s seemingly endless information out there to sort through, and we wanted to make it easy.”
Click through the slideshow below to see some examples from the collection.
- Goldwater For President Widget 1964
- Blood Blunders Billions Widget 1952
- Why Generals Are Scared Widget 1956
- Eisenhower Nixon Widget 1956
- Gop Victory Wheel Widget 1960
- 100 Million Lives Widget 1964
- The Extremists Widget 1964
- Lets Compare Widget 1964
- Shirley Chilsolm Widget 1972
- Reagan For Pres Widget 1980
- Mondale And Ferraro Widget 1984
- The Shadow Lingers On Widget 1976
- Keys 2000 Widget 2000
- W Stands For Women Widget 2000
-
"Sanity! Solvency! Security! Goldwater for President", 1965
-
"Blood! Blunders! Billions!", 1952
-
"Why the Generals are Scared!", 1956
-
"Forward with Eisenhower-Nixon Comic", 1956
-
GOP Victory Wheel, Interactive Campaign Tool, 1960
-
"100 Million Lives in One Hour", 1964
-
Extremists, AFL-CIO, 1964
-
Let's Compare, Wheel Campaign Material, 1964
-
"I am Running for the Office of President to Represent All Americans", 1972
-
"Let's Make America Great Again, Reagan for President", 1980
-
"9 Good Reasons to Vote for Mondale & Ferraro", 1984
-
"Shadow Lingers on... Watergate, Pennsylvania", 1976
-
"Alan Keyes 2000", 2000
-
"W. Stands for Women and Family", 2000
Hands-on experience for students
To provide students a chance to learn by doing, Becker, along with Marliese Thomas, fine arts librarian and liaison to the Department of Art and Art History, have designed an exercise and contest designed to combine student creativity and media literacy while utilizing the unique resource of the Presidential Campaign Collection.
Participants will redesign for a modern audience one of three specifically chosen poster advertisements (shown below) from the collection using a design platform such as Adobe Creative Cloud (which is available at no cost to all UAB students), and should consider whether they intend their advertisement to be an “acclaim,” or a positive message about the candidate; an “attack,” or a negative message about the candidate; or a “defense,” a response to an attack.
Students can choose from one of these three posters:
Posters can be designed for any medium — print, social media, email distribution, etc. — but must be printable in its final form at 8 in. by 10 in. The use of generative AI is allowed, but in moderation and only with permission from a student’s instructor; students also must acknowledge the prompt(s) used and the percentages of work self-created and created by AI. (For more information on AI in education, see Becker’s additional research guide.)
Becker and Thomas recommend thinking on several questions before and during the design process:
- What is the message you intend?
- Who is your audience, and does this affect the message you intend to send?
- What elements work best to get your intention across? What would your audience engage with more, visual or text? Flashy or subdued? Pulling on heartstrings or straight facts?
- Do you want to control your message or open it up for wider sharing/distribution?
Students also are encouraged to peruse the “Best Practices and Policy for Design” tab in the Political Advertising section of Becker’s “Spot the Spin: Politics and Public Relations” research guide.
Submissions are due by Nov. 5; submit using this form. (The original submission deadline was Oct. 25.)
Submitted designs will be voted on by a three-member jury panel of College of Arts and Sciences faculty, and winners will be printed, framed and displayed alongside the official memorabilia from the Presidential Campaign Collection in Sterne. All submitters will have the option to allow their work to be shared on the UAB Libraries Instagram @uablibraries, as well as permanently stored in the UAB Digital Commons, the repository for research and scholarly output submitted by members of the UAB campus.
“We want to enable students to exercise their media literacy knowledge in a creative and tangible way,” Becker explains. “These concepts are things we all, student or otherwise, encounter on a daily basis and in real time. Stretching the mental muscle that asks questions about the meanings behind messaging is more important now than ever.”
For more information about the “Spot the Spin” student exercise, visit the research guide.
- Details
- Category: Announcements
Did you know that UAB Libraries is home to more than 30 collections of materials digitized by the libraries’ Digital Services team, including photographs, illustrations, books, videos, and audio recordings? UAB Libraries’ Digital Collections are a collaboration between several library departments, including the Alabama Museum of the Health Sciences, the Reynolds-Finley Historical Library and the UAB Archives — each of whom house much of the digitized materials in their physical collections — and the Digital Services Team, whose technical expertise on digitization and digital preservation continues to keep the Digital Collections online and available for browsing. Collections also have been contributed by other UAB units, departments and divisions, as well as by members of the wider Birmingham community.
Collections span a wide variety of topics, from UAB-specific history, such as a collection documenting the COVID-19 pandemic at UAB, to large-scale, culturally significant information, such as a large collection of letters by Florence Nightingale.
Recently added collections include the Presidential Campaign Collection of William L. Benoit, the Entrepreneurship Oral History Collection, and the UAB Town and Gown Theatre Programs and Playbills collection.
Exploring these collections is now more user-friendly than ever following a switch to Alma Digital, which integrated the digital collections into UAB Libraries’ existing platform.
"As an extension of our existing library services platform, Alma Digital enables us to seamlessly integrate digitized materials into our user's search results, enhancing the user experience and improving the overall discoverability of UAB Libraries' digital collections," said Kevin Hebert, associate dean for Technology and Technical Services in UAB Libraries.
See a selection of some of the new digital collections’ unique items and learn more about each collection below.
Presidential Campaign Collection of William L. Benoit
The newest addition to UAB Digital Collections, the Presidential Campaign Collection of William L. Benoit was donated to UAB Libraries in 2022 by William L. Benoit, Ph.D., now-retired Distinguished Professor in the Department of Communication Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences.
The collection consists of flyers, pamphlets, brochures and leaflets from presidential primaries and general elections, with materials spanning from the 1936 campaign of Alf Landon to the 2000 campaigns of George W. Bush and Al Gore. The UAB Archives and Digital Services teams have made the items available for online viewing, and the physical items are held in the UAB Archives and are available for viewing by appointment.
A selection of items also is on display through December on the first floor of Sterne Library; look for the “Spot the Spin: Politics and Public Relations” display case in the main group study area.
-
"Abe & Ike in Deed Alike," 1952
-
"I Run for the Presidency Because I want the United States to Stand for Hope," 1968
-
"Shirley Chisholm Speaks Out, Presidential Campaign Position paper, No. 1," 1972
-
"Can You Afford Richard Nixon?," 1972
-
"Bill Clinton and Bob Torricelli, Meeting Our Challenges," 1996
Entrepreneurship Oral History Collection
The Entrepreneurship Oral History Collection is a collaborative oral histories project between UAB’s J. Frank Barefield Jr. Entrepreneurship Program, UAB Libraries, and the Academy of Management’s (AOM) Entrepreneurship Division. AOM is the preeminent professional association for management and organization scholars, and its Entrepreneurship Division (ENT) is nearing 40 years of formal history. In 2022-2023, Patrick J. Murphy, Ph.D., Goodrich Endowed Chair for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, professor in and founding director of the J. Frank Barefield Jr. Entrepreneurship Program, and ENT historian, initiated the oral history collection project to capture primary source historical accounts of ENT’s formations and the development of the entrepreneurship field — all directly from professors who have made foundational contributions. While the project is projected to take several years to complete, it is intended to offer insight into the entrepreneurship field’s early history and development for present and future academics and researchers.
-
Oral history interview conducted with Barbara J. Bird by Ellen Brooks for the Academy of Management, 2024; Bird is a professor emerita of management in the Kogod School of Business at American University.
UAB Town and Gown Theatre Programs and Playbills
Established in Birmingham in 1950 by the University of Alabama and led by founding director James F. Hatcher, the Town and Gown Theatre gained a reputation for its excellent production quality and combination of local community talent and veteran Broadway and Hollywood stars. This collection contains programs and playbills from Theatre productions, including both local and some traveling performances. The UAB Archives and Digital Services teams have made the items available for online viewing, and the physical items are held in the UAB Archives and are available for viewing by appointment.
Want to learn more about Town and Gown’s extensive history? University Archivist Tim Pennycuff has compiled the rest of the story online.
-
“Born Yesterday,” 1950, the program from Town and Gown Theatre’s first-ever production
-
“Anything Goes,” October 1960
-
“Peter Pan,” 1966
-
“Follies,” 1978
-
“On Golden Pond,” 1997
-
“Cabaret,” May 1999, the program from the group’s final production
See a complete list of all UAB Libraries’ digital collections online. Digital Services welcomes new collections and projects from UAB departments and the wider Birmingham community to expand UAB Libraries’ digital offerings and ensure the preservation of valuable resources; email digital-collections@uab.edu to inquire about adding additional items.
- Details
- Category: Announcements
Two new shelves on the first floor of Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences — one by the University Boulevard entrance, and one at the entrance from the courtyard between Volker Hall and the library — are home to the Relax and Read Collection, curated by Christy Hogan, collection development librarian for the health sciences. The recreational reading collection aims to provide patrons easy access to in-demand, noteworthy and new items available through UAB Libraries.
“From nonfiction books on topics like diversity in medicine, medical biographies, and graphic medicine to novels that can help you take a break from studying for a bit, the Relax and Read Collection has something for everyone,” Hogan said.
Relax and Read Collection books rotate every four weeks and have a loan period of 28 days with the option for one renewal; they are not a part of UAB Libraries’ permanent collection.
Relax and Read joins three additional specialized book collections, each housed on the first floor of Sterne Library: The Café Collection showcases popular literature from well-known authors, while the Stem Café Collection houses books about coding, data analysis, ecology and more. The New Releases collection showcases new acquisitions to UAB Libraries’ permanent collections.
Not affiliated with UAB professionally or academically? No problem! With an Alabama driver’s license or other proof of residency, anyone can now receive a courtesy card to check out printed materials from UAB Libraries. Learn more.
- Details
- Category: Announcements
Learn to craft systematic reviews during a four-part training series in October from UAB Libraries’ Clinical, Academic and Research Engagement team; each session is available at no cost to faculty, staff and student researchers.
Systematic reviews are a type of literature review that involve a detailed and comprehensive plan and search strategy with the goal of reducing bias by identifying, appraising and synthesizing all relevant studies on a particular topic.
In addition to the October workshop series, UAB Libraries offers comprehensive systematic review services to faculty, residents, fellows, staff and graduate students. Both “Consultation” and “Collaboration” service levels are provided; read more online.
All workshops are virtual and take place noon-1 p.m.
Oct. 9 — Navigating Review Types: A Beginner's Guide for Graduate Students & New Faculty
Tailored for graduate students and new faculty, this workshop will help attendees learn the eight major types of reviews and their distinct purposes. Register online.
Oct. 16 — Getting Started with Covidence: A Beginner’s Guide to Streamlining Your Review
Participants can learn to use the world’s leading software for managing and streamlining systematic reviews and explore how it can simplify reviews and assignments. Register online.
Oct. 23 — Risk of Bias vs. Quality Assessment: Selecting the Right Tools for Systematic Reviews
Learn the differences between risk of bias and quality assessment in systematic reviews and discover the tools that can help streamline these processes. Register online.
Oct. 30 — Don't Be Spooked! Librarians to the Rescue: Preparing for Scoping & Systematic Reviews
Learn to demystify scoping and systematic reviews in biomedical research during this workshop; expert librarians will share tips on streamlining the review process and avoiding common pitfalls. Register online.
- Details
- Category: Announcements
Join librarians from UAB Libraries’ Clinical, Academic and Research Engagement team to learn how to use four key tools available at no cost to faculty, staff and student researchers.
Curious what else is available to bolster your research skills? Researchers also can access nearly 650 more research tools and information databases online at no cost through UAB Libraries.
SimplyAnalytics
Explore demographic, business and geographic data with SimplyAnalytics. Though marketed as a business research tool, this platform can be used for research in any discipline that examines population data, including the social sciences and public health.
By the end of a workshop, you’ll be able to:
- Create a Simply Analytics project
- Identify information sources that meet your needs
- Create interactive maps and data comparison tables
Open workshops (all online):
- Sept. 18, noon-1 p.m. — Introduction to Simply Analytics
EndNote
EndNote is a bibliographic management platform designed to help users collect citations in one place and update them easily and quickly from one style to another.
By the end of a workshop, you’ll be able to:
- Create and organize a library of citations
- Send citations from various databases to EndNote
- Use EndNote to find PDFs of your citations
- Insert and edit EndNote citations in a Word document
Open workshops (all online):
- Sept. 24, noon-1 p.m. — Introduction to EndNote
- Oct. 17, noon-1 p.m. — Introduction to EndNote
- Nov. 13, noon-1 p.m. — Introduction to EndNote
- Dec. 5, noon-1 p.m. — Introduction to EndNote
PubMed
PubMed is one of the most robust medical literature databases, comprising more than 37 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals and online books.
By the end of a workshop, you’ll be able to:
- Build a basic search by developing search concepts
- Use Boolean Operators to connect search concepts
Open workshops (all online):
- Sept. 26, noon-1 p.m. — Introduction to PubMed
- Dec. 3, noon-1 p.m. — Introduction to PubMed
Completed the introductory workshop and want more training? Sign up for the advanced training to learn about automatic term mapping, medical subject headings and how to use field codes.
- Nov. 19, noon-1 p.m. — Advanced Searching in PubMed
CINAHL
CINAHL is an index of English-language and selected other-language journal articles about nursing, allied health, biomedicine and health care.
By the end of a workshop, you’ll be able to:
- Build a basic search by developing search concepts
- Use Boolean Operators to connect search concepts
Open workshops (all online):
- Oct. 22, noon-1 p.m. — Introduction to CINAHL
- Details
- Category: Announcements
Employees and students interested in learning how to use UAB’s 3D printers can sign up for one of 10 upcoming training sessions offered by UAB Libraries this fall. Completing a training session is required before users can begin printing their own projects — but at just 1.5 hours long and offered both online and in-person, the rewards far outweigh the relatively small time investment, said Technology Labs Manager Patrick Boggs, who leads the training session.
“3D printing lets users be creative in so many ways,” Boggs said. “Lots of people print for fun — they make game figurines or intricate pots for plants, things like that — but what’s special about printing at UAB is that we’re uniquely placed to help with research and other campus initiatives.
“Folks at UAB have discovered really unique ways to incorporate 3D-printed items into their projects, like making molds for silicone tools used in heart research, or cases for GPS units the football team uses. The options really are endless.”
Get started with 3 easy projects
Want to start 3D printing but not sure what to do first? These projects can help capture your Blazer spirit while giving you practice using the printers.
Bookmark
These small bookmarks are perfect for marking your place in a textbook, magazine or novel.
Keychain & smartphone holder
This keychain does two jobs: Shows off your Blazer spirit while also serving as a phone holder.
Dragon figurine
This dragon figurine makes the perfect desk or shelf décor.
Sign up for a training that works for you
During the training, Blazers are given access to printer queues for both Sterne Library and Lister Hill Library 3D printing via 3DPrinterOS. 3DPrinterOS is a cloud-based system that lets users monitor the ongoing print queue to see when printers are available and check the progress of their jobs; several of the 3D printers managed in 3DPrinterOS have cameras attached so users can watch how their prints are coming along. Users also automatically receive a time-lapse video of their items being printed via email once the objects are complete.
Sessions continue through Nov. 21. Check the Campus Calendar for the rest.
- Details
- Category: Announcements
Academic integrity is a fundamental principle that ensures the credibility and value of educational institutions such as UAB — and the degrees they award. Maintaining academic integrity helps build trust between students, instructors and the larger UAB community, all while ensuring a level playing field for all students.
UAB Libraries’ Academic Integrity research guide, created by Kara Van Abel, academic integrity coordinator, reference librarian and liaison to the Collat School of Business, is a one-stop-shop for all things academic integrity at UAB — including a new Canvas assignment on the subject, available now for embedding into any Canvas shell.
“At its core, academic integrity encourages authentic learning,” Van Abel explained. “True engagement with coursework encourages development of critical-thinking skills and a sense of responsibility, accountability and respect for others’ work — all of which are useful beyond their time at UAB.”
Here are 5 academic integrity resources available through UAB Libraries — you can find each of them in the research guide.
1. Supplemental Academic Integrity Review Assignment, available through Canvas
Accessible in the UAB Canvas Commons, this interactive assignment is available for embedding in any Canvas shell. The assignment guides students in answering questions like, “What is academic integrity, why is it important, and how does academic misconduct affect me?” It also includes interactive scenarios and a quick check for understanding and is intended for instructors looking for more student practice in this area.
2. Discussion guide and questionnaire
This downloadable PDF includes questions for students to discuss as a class or in smaller groups to explore situations and concepts related to academic integrity.
3. Discussion sessions facilitated by UAB Libraries’ academic integrity coordinator
Instructors can request Van Abel to facilitate a 60-minute discussion session with students for any course using this form.
4. AI and Ethics research guide
Supplement discussions of AI and academic integrity using this research guide created by Brooke Becker, media literacy librarian, reference librarian and liaison to the departments of Communication and Political Science and Public Administration.
5. Additional help available for students
UAB offers a variety of resources that can help students avoid academic misconduct, including a comprehensive research guide on citations from UAB Libraries and the University Writing Center, which is located in Sterne Library and is available to help students with any kind of writing at any stage of the writing process. FAQs on academic integrity also are available.
The Academic Integrity research guide also includes a link to the Alleged Academic Misconduct Referral form, available through UAB’s Office of Community Standards and Student Accountability.
- Details
- Category: Announcements
Register for the fall 2024 Business Research Toolkit course to learn business research skills and discover no-cost online resources and subscription databases available through UAB Libraries. Available to all UAB students and employees, the asynchronous Canvas course is self-paced, enabling enrollees to fit it into any busy schedule, and those who complete it will earn a digital badge for use on resumes and LinkedIn. Registration is open now; the course runs Sept. 9-Oct. 27.
- Details
- Category: Announcements