Monday, March 31, 2014

Starting to think about the summer holidays?

Did you know the library's travel books are located on level 1?  In the shelves near Kopikat 1 and 2!  Read about places near and far...


Visit the Gaujas National Park ?

The Gauja River carves its way through about 40km of hills of Devonian sandstone, as it winds its way from Valmiera to Sigulda, leaving behind a surrealistic tangle of carved hills and forest-covered banks. Established in 1973 specifically to protect the indigenous flora and fauna , this park is simply the most beautiful in all of Latvia.

See:
Riga by A. Burgess & T. Burgess
Shelved in the Travel Section on Level 1 : 914.796


Where is Stone Town?

Stone Town is the most common name for the old heart of Zanzibar Town, a small triangular peninsula first settled by the Portuguese in 1560. Make sure you are there for sunset. As the sea turns to gold and billowing dhows creep back to the shore... select your food – anything from crab to kebab and salad – from one of the many stalls and settle down to watch the world go by...

See:
Tanzania & Zanzibar (Insight Guides)
Shelved in the Travel section on level 1: 916.78



Shopping at Feira de San Telmo?

Tourists and locals flock alike to this wonderful feira.  You’ll find antique glass soda bottles, jewelry, guacho items, artwork of all sorts and old money. Around the edges of the plaza are sidewalk cafés full of basking portenos and porteno wannabes. Buskers, mimes and tango dancers keep the fun going all day long.

See:
Buenos Aires (Lonely Planet)
Shelved in the Travel section on level 1: 918.2110464


Visit Wieliczka?

The ancient salt mine of Wieliczka predates the Polish state itself and opened as a museum in 1950. Approximately 200km of tunnels and corridors stretch out in a vast web underneath the town. The highlights, as you wander the long galleries, are the chambers containing underground chapels. Everything is made of salt – the altars, candlesticks, columns and pulpits, even the figures of the saints.
See:
Kraków (Blue Guide)
Shelved in the Travel section on level 1: 914.3860457

Friday, March 28, 2014

Are you writing reference lists for your assignments?

Don't forget about the Library's Moodle resources!


Look at the page for your department to see:
  • an introduction to plagiarism
  • an introduction to referencing
  • a PDF of the referencing style guide for your department
  • two tutorials showing how to use RefWorks with your referencing style

If you have referencing questions, we will try to point you in the right direction!  


Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Need to perfect your search strategy?

Finding information for your assignments can be challenging.  IT Sligo's Library have developed an information literacy tutorial that can help you to search effectively.  Have a look!



Monday, March 24, 2014

Do you have questions about referencing, RefWorks or searching the databases?


It's great to see so many of you using the library databases and RefWorks, but it's natural to have questions!  You can contact us via this closed Facebook group with your questions (see a sample question above).

Closed Facebook groups mean that your question should not appear in your Facebook timeline, but it will be visible to other members of the group (i.e. other ITB students).

Don't get stuck or confused - ask us your referencing questions today in the FB Group: ITB Library: ask us your referencing questions here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/404865482983303/

You can also email us at LibraryInfo@itb.ie

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Today is World Storytelling Day!

An excellent day to have a look at (and listen to!) storymap.ie: a charming vision of Dublin through its stories and storytellers...



Look out for:

... and many many more... 


Wednesday, March 19, 2014

What is critical thinking?

Critical thinking is a vital skill for college students, employees, citizens and everyone!  College life helps us to develop strong critical thinking skills; we consider many theories and ideas as we study, and thinking about those theories and ideas critically allows us to decide which ones we agree with and the degree to which we accept them.  This helps us to become independent thinkers!


Having strong critical thinking skills help us:
  • to find links between different pieces of information so we can better understand topics
  • to find faults or inconsistencies in the information we read
  • to create arguments of our own that we can back up with evidence
  • to approach problem-solving systematically and effectively
  • to identify the most important and relevant ideas when reading a piece of text

Have a look at this tutorial to learn how to go about thinking about a topic critically:
 
http://moodle.itb.ie/mod/scorm/view.php?id=54832
 
 
 

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Writing a literature review



Students are usually asked to write literature reviews for two reasons:

(a) as a standalone review of the current state of research on a particular topic

or

(b) as part of a research project where you need to put your research in the context of the research that has previously been done on the topic


Sometimes people think that a literature review is just a list of all the information sources that relate to a particular topic.  But it's not a list!  A literature review includes a description of the scholarly works that relate to a topic, an evaluation and analysis of those works and an overview of the topic in light of those works. 


So, these are the main steps involved in compiling a literature review:

(1) Identify the topic of your literature review: don't pick a topic that is too broad or you might not be able to review all of the relevant literature!

(2) Search for literature: scholarly literature includes books, journal articles, conference papers, theses, reports etc.  A good place to start searching in One Search on the Library Catalogue.  See this tutorial if you need help getting started.

(3) Evaluate the information you find: consider your sources.  Are there sources which support your argument?  Which oppose it?  Do the sources offer an objective viewpoint on the topic or are they biased?  Are they persuasive?  Is the author an expert in the subject area?  Is the source an important addition to the research on the topic?

(4) Analysise your findings: having reviewed your sources individually, what are the common themes?  How do the sources relate to one another?  Can you identify gaps in the literature?  If your literature review is part of a research project, how does your study fit into the existing research?  Prepare an overview of the topic using individual sources of information as evidence. 

Your literature review will be a story of the research on your topic - the history, the current status and the future opportunities.

 

Friday, March 14, 2014

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Wishing you a very happy St Patrick's Weekend from all in the Library and SID!




We will be closed from 5.00pm on Friday 14th to 9.15am on Tuesday 18th March.

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Word 2013: adding a table of contents

Last week we looked at how to add headers, footers and page numbers to your Word documents.  This short Robert McMillan tutorial shows you how to add an automatic table of contents!

)


Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Happy World Maths Day!

Books for maths teachers...


And books for everyone else (browse the library shelves at 510)!


Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Sharing references with RefWorks

It's great to see so many of you using RefWorks to collect your references and create reference lists.  There was a big increase in usage in February!

Did you know that you can share your references with other people?

There are two ways:

(1) Privately: you can share your references with specific ITB students / staff

http://moodle.itb.ie/mod/scorm/view.php?id=54681




(2) Publicly (within ITB): you can share your references with everyone in ITB


http://moodle.itb.ie/mod/scorm/view.php?id=54682


Learn more about RefWorks and referencing for your department here! Any questions, let us know: LibraryInfo@itb.ie.

Monday, March 10, 2014

Need scholarly information for your assignments?

There is a great resource available to all ITB students called One Search. 



One Search can:
  • search all of the library databases simultaneously
  • find scholarly information (the kind of information your lecturers want!)
  • import your references into RefWorks (to help create reference lists)
You can access One Search from the main library webpage (2nd search box).  You will need a library PIN (or password) to access the online articles.  If you don't know your PIN, email us at LibraryInfo@itb.ie

Have a look at this tutorial to learn more:  http://moodle.itb.ie/mod/scorm/view.php?id=54626 

Friday, March 7, 2014

Lots of new books in February!

We received lots of new books last month.  Have a look!



 
Textbooks
005.1 MEI
Professional Android 4 application development / Reto Meier.
005.133 C++/S
Programming : principles and practice using C++ / Bjarne Stroustrup.
005.133 C/K
C programming : a modern approach / K.N. King.
005.268 HAR
Android programming : the big nerd ranch guide / Brian Hardy and Bill Phillips.
005.268 LEE
Android application development cookbook : 93 recipes for building winning apps / Wei-Meng Lee.
006.5 BOU
The audio programming book / edited by Richard Boulanger and Victor Lazzarini   foreword by Max V. Mathews.
006.6 PAR
Microsoft Visio 2013 business process diagramming and validation / David J. Parker.
174.4 FER
Business ethics : ethical decision making and cases / O.C. Ferrell, John Fraedrich, Linda Ferrell.
300.722 YIN
Case study research : design and methods / Robert K. Yin.
302.2 SOL
Interpersonal communication : putting theory into practice / Denise Solomon and Jennifer Theiss.
306.43 BAL
The sociology of education : a systematic analysis / Jeanne H. Ballantine, Floyd M. Hammack.
306.432 BAL
The RoutledgeFalmer reader in sociology of education / edited by Stephen J. Ball.
330.150922 SKO
The big three in economics : Adam Smith, Karl Marx, and John Maynard Keynes / Mark Skousen.
330.9 SEL
The global development crisis / Benjamin Selwyn.
362.712 MEL
Early childhood care and education : international perspectives / edited by Edward Melhuish and Konstantinos Petrogiannis.
370.7 WAL
A guide to teaching practice in Ireland / Brendan Walsh and Rose Dolan.
371.393 KAI
Challenging behavior in young children : understanding, preventing, and responding effectively / Barbara Kaiser, Judy Sklar Rasminsky   foreword by Sue Bredekamp.Bredekamp.
382.1 BRO
The international business environment : challenges and changes / Ian Brooks, Jamie Weatherston and Graham Wilkinson.
468.2421 CON
Sigue!. 2, Curso avanzado segunda parte. [book & CDs] / John Connor, Helena Jiménez and David Mort.
501 HEN
A short history of scientific thought / John Henry.
510 GRO
Discrete mathematics for computing / Peter Grossman.
510 JOR
Maths for science / Sally Jordan, Shelagh Ross and Pat Murphy.
510.922 NAH
The logician and the engineer : how George Boole and Claude Shannon created the information age / Paul J. Nahin.
519.5 BOS
Statistics in a nutshell / Sarah Boslaugh and Paul Andrew Watters.
612 BIE
Trail guide to the body : a hands-on guide to locating muscles, bones, and more / Andrew Biel   illustrations by Robin Dorn.
613.2024796 MUE
The athlete's guide to sports supplements / Kimberly Mueller, Josh Hingst.
613.711 BOM
Periodization : theory and methodology of training / Tudor O. Bompa, G. Gregory Haff.
616.831 DRA
Understanding alzheimer's disease and other dementias / Brian Draper.
616.85 FEI
Maintaining recovery from eating disorders : avoiding relapse and recovering life / Naomi Feigenbaum   foreword by Rebekah Bardwell Doweyko.
618.97 WEL
Can I tell you about dementia? : a guide for family, friends and carers / Jude Welton   illustrated by Jane Telford.
620.00452 PET
To forgive design : understanding failure / Henry Petroski.
621.31924 KIT
Practical guide to inspection, testing and certification of electrical installations : conforms to IEE Wiring Regulations/BS 7671/Part P of building regulations / Christopher Kitcher.
621.31924 SCA
Electrical installation work / Brian Scaddan.
621.3815 SAN
Circuit analysis for dummies / John Santiago.
629.89 BOL
Mechatronics : a multidisciplinary approach / William Bolton.
631.4 ASH
Essential soil science : a clear and concise introduction to soil science / M.R. Ashman and G. Puri.
632.58 ZIM
Fundamentals of weed science / Robert L. Zimdahl.
634.711 FUN
Raspberries / edited by Richard C. Funt and Harvey K. Hall.
634.75 HAN
Strawberries / James F. Hancock.
635.25 BRE
Onions and other vegetable alliums / James L. Brewster.
635.9 LOE
Sustainable landscaping : principles and practices / Marietta Loehrlein.
658.26 HAR
A guide to energy management in buildings / Douglas Harris.
658.3 DEN
HR 2.0 / Angelo S. DeNisi, Ricky W. Griffin.
658.3 PHI
Human resource management / Jean M. Phillips and Stanley M. Gully.
658.802 FIL
Marketing communications : brands, experiences and participation / Chris Fill, University of Plymouth.
658.84 KEE
Global marketing / Warren J. Keegan, Mark C. Green.
741.58 BLA
Cartoon animation / by Preston Blair.
741.58 THO
The illusion of life : Disney animation / Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston.
778.5347 WIL
The animator's survival kit / Richard Williams.
794.8151 FOR
Scratch programming for teens / Jerry Lee Ford, Jr.
794.8151 FOR
Scratch 2.0 programming for teens / Jerry Lee Ford, Jr.
794.8151 LEA
Super Scratch programming adventure! : learn to program by making cool games! / the LEAD Project.
914.18 MCC
An illustrated history of Phoenix Park : landscape and management to 1880 / John A. McCullen   [edited by Elizabeth Mayes].
 
 
Fiction
F
The testament of Mary / Colm Toibín.
F
And the mountains echoed / Khaled Hosseini.
F
The luminaries / Eleanor Catton.

 
Online journals
Journal of operations management [computer file].
International journal of operations and production management [computer file].
European journal of operations research [computer file].
Journal of management studies  [computer file].
Journal of the operations research society of America  [computer file].
Journal of service research  [computer file].
Production and operations management  [computer file].
Technovation  [computer file].
 
 
(Image: "Book Sale 006" by Penn State via Flickr)