Math Library News

News and links - useful I hope - April 2013

The problem of fraud in publishing is not new and not limited to open access journals, but the internet and open access publishing make way for a whole new wave of scams, sham journals and conferences, etc. We have a new library guide on the subject: Author Beware. I welcome your comments and suggestions.

April 21-27 was Preservation Week. Several new guides are now available includes General Collections Care for Users. Check it out!

You may be interested to read this Wall Street Journal article Great Scientist ≠ Good at Math, by Harvard biologist E. O. Wilson. Here are some blog responses: What E. O. Wilson got right, what confused him, and what he disrespected, E. O. Wilson vs. math , Don’t Listen to E.O. Wilson. A simple Google search will find a lot more discussion.

How little math American’s actually use on the job, The original The Atlantic article will be available at WU soon.

Fields medallists’ open-access track, news article about the Episcience Math project.

The establishment of a Foundation for Open Access Statistics was announced this month. This blog post, from R-Bloggers, gives a little more information.

Two planning meetings in May about Public Access to Federally-Supported Research and Development Data and Publications :
Publications: May 14 (9-5 edt)-15(9-noon edt), 2013
Data : May 16 (9-5 edt)-17 (9-noon edt) , 2013
I don't really expect any of us to spent 3 days monitoring this discussion but these meetings will be webcast and archived if you want to sample the events. The webcast will be accessible from this site on the day of the meeting and thereafter. Also 2-page written statements are accepted through the registration sites. The deadline for registration and/or submitting written comments in May 7th.

Library news: textbooks, senior projects, BB mobile, GIS, classes

-- When you use books from the Math Textbook Collection, please return them to the Textbook Collection in the Math Dept. They will eventually get back if you return them to Olin Library but it's not a good idea. Thank you.

-- Download the free Blackboard Mobile Learn app today!

-- When you work with students doing senior projects, please let them know they can share their work in WU's repository Open Scholarship, either open access or restricted to WU. More info.

-- GIS program moves to University Libraries

-- Upcoming classes: workshops on Zotero, Mendeley and Evernote resume in February and March. For more information see http://wulibraries.doattend.com/.

Olin Library paper journals to Level A

Before Jan. 14, 2013, unbound paper journals, previously shelved on Level 1, will be moved to Level A, where VHS tapes were shelved. [VHS tapes will be moved to Level B.] Locations in the catalog will be updated. Many math and statistics journals are available online, but please ask if you have trouble finding the new location.

Neureuther Book Collection Essay Competition

Washington University undergraduate and graduate students may enter. Entry deadline is Feb.28, 2013. More info about the 26th annual Neureuther Student Book Collection Essay Competition.

Miscellaneous links fyi

-- You may now check out Mac laptop chargers at Olin Library! More info.

-- ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) has been in the news a lot this month; ORCID has launched. What’s next?. Becker Medical Library has a helpful guide on Establishing Your Author Name; please look there for more information about ORCID, Scopus Author Identifier and ResearcherID. I'd love to hear from you about your experiences with these tools. I will try to have this information on our site soon, probably on the Research Impact and Evaluation pages.

-- Mathematics and What It Means to Be Human, Part 1, By Michele Osherow and Manil Suri with links to pt.2 and 3 of the series

-- Upcoming classes:Topics include Twitter, Research management series featuring Zotero, Mendeley, Ipad productivity, Evernote. For more information see http://wulibraries.doattend.com/.

Calling all students: focus groups for student feedback about the library in early October

How do you use the Libraries? What do you need that we don’t currently provide? These are just some of the questions we’d like to know. Based on past student feedback, we’ve made changes and launched new initiatives--what should we do next?

Any currently enrolled WU student is invited to join us for a one-hour session including pizza, drinks and conversation. Please find a session you can attend and preregister. Thank you!

Graduate student discussions and preregistration links:
Wed., Oct. 3, 12-1 pm, at Olin Library, meet in lobby
Wed., Oct. 10, 12-1 pm, at Liberman Graduate Center, DUC room 300
Thurs., Oct. 11, 4-5 pm, at Olin Library, meet in lobby
Please RSVP online using a preregistration link, by phone 314-935-7277 (Charmaine) or email cgscott@wustl.edu

More info and undergraduate students session info: Discussion/Focus Group-- Students: What do you need from your Libraries?

Upcoming classes

Class topics include Twitter, Research management series featuring Zotero, Mendeley, Ipad productivity, Evernote. For more information see http://wulibraries.doattend.com/. Also we have begun to plan some classes and events for Open Access Week, October 22-28, 2012. Information will be posted at Open Access at Washington University guide.

URGENT : What new journal subscriptions do we need for math & statistics?

Recently I got some money to spend on new journal subscriptions. We've canceled a lot of titles in the last decade. What access do you miss a lot? Are there new journals you wish we had? What is really important to your research and teaching? I'd love to have your recommendations quickly; comments would be helpful but I'm more interested in a fast response. My deadline to spend the money is Sept. 10th!! Please send me your suggestions or questions within the next day or two. I will work with Professor Brian Blank to prioritize suggestions. Email Ruth Lewis. Thank you for your help.

Olin Library Extended Hours Trial Period

During Fall 2012 and Spring 2013, Olin Library will be open 24/4, (24/7 during Reading/Exam Weeks). Circulation/Help Desk services end at 2 am; security guards will staff the library from 2 am-7:30 am. Fall 2012: 24/4 hours begin Sun., Sept. 9. | Spring 2013: 24/4 hours begin Sun., Jan. 27.
Open Sun. 10 am through Thurs.night/Fri. morning 2 am. Reopen Fri. 7:30 am - 8 pm; Open Sat. 9 am - 10 pm.
24/7 Reading Exam weeks: Fall: Sat., Dec. 8 9 am - Wed., Dec. 19 8 pm. Spring: Sat., Apr. 27 9 am - Wed., May 8 10 pm.
This is a trial in response to student requests. We will be tracking overnight use to help determine future hours.
Current hours are posted at http://library.wustl.edu/about/hours.html and on the library home page.

Library services and contacts

As the fall semester approaches, I thought it would be good to remind you about a few library services.

The New Faculty/New Graduate Student Reception will be August 27, 3-5 at Olin Library. More details TBA. Please contact Ruth if you would like to arrange an individual or group orientation at some other time. The reception is fun, but a personal or small group orientation at a less busy time is probably the best opportunity to get your questions answered. Or check out this Orientation guide for tips for new graduate students and email your additional questions to me: rlewis@wustl.edu.

We are always happy to work with you to put materials on reserve for your students. Our eReserves systems works well with Blackboard or you may use it alone, without a Blackboard link. We can also put paper books on short-term loan so that many students can share one copy. More information at http://library.wustl.edu/units/reserve/faculty.html.

I am eager to work with faculty and students. Here are a few services I can provide:

• tailor library research guides for a particular assignment or class
• present workshops on particular databases or library search challenges
• add myself to your class in Blackboard in order to monitor a discussion
• meet with students in groups or individually (drop-ins or appointments)

I'm happy to discuss other ideas! Please let me know how I can help. Contact Ruth Lewia at email rlewis@wustl.edu, phone: 935-4819 or chat from http://libguides.wustl.edu/math.

I need to hear from you about new book and journal needs and suggestions you have. You may send an email to Ruth, contact the math library liaison person Brian Blank, or use the request forms: Recommend a book for purchase or Recommend a journal purchase or cancellation. I can't always orders new journals without finding funds to pay for them by canceling an existing subscription but I need to know what's needed to begin that process.

Please contact Ruth when you have questions, concerns or ideas about library services or resources. Thank you.