Films on Demand Trial: 11/6/2013 to 11/21/2013

By patron request, we have set up a database trial for Films on Demand. They are an academic streaming video database provider. The trial includes unlimited usage. Interested Sofia community members may contact us for logins at refdesk@sofia.edu

 

Films On Demand: Humanities & Social Sciences Video Collection
Start Date: 11/6/2013
Expiration Date: 11/21/2013
http://digital.films.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?aid=36783

Films On Demand: Philosophy & Religion Video Collection
Start Date: 11/6/2013
Expiration Date: 11/21/2013
http://digital.films.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?aid=36783

Films On Demand: Psychology Video Collection
Start Date: 11/6/2013
Expiration Date: 11/21/2013
http://digital.films.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?aid=36783

Enjoy! We appreciate your feedback about these trials as it helps to give us information about what our patrons find useful and we can possibly plan to subscribe to one or more of these databases in the future.

Ebrary Basics

Ebrary is one of our favorite library ebook collections.  With over 80,000 full text ebooks on thousands of subjects, you can explore, read, and enjoy for hours.

If you want to get started with ebrary, you might want to watch the following video to get an overview.

APA PsycNet Trial

Occasionally the library arranges a free trial of a resource we are considering as an addition to the library collection.

From now until November 22, 2012, we will be trialling PsycNet, APA's platform for all of their databases. While we have most of the APA databases already, we wanted to check out the newest ones on their platform: PsycTherapy and PsycTests.

http://ezproxy.sofia.edu:2048/login?url=http://psycnet.apa.org

 

You will need your library database logins to access this resource from off campus.

From the site:

APA PsycNET^® is the only search platform designed specifically to deliver APA content. Search and discover vital behavioral science content efficiently with APA PsycNET's uniquely engineered cross-database searching. Benefit from the full integration of APA's precise indexing with the controlled vocabulary of the Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms^®.

Creating Free Accounts in Library Databases

If you have never tried it before, now is the perfect time to try signing up for free accounts in library databases.

What does this mean? Some of the ITP Library databases offer a free account which enables you to save searches, alerts, and sometimes documents. In other words, it saves you time and work in the future and it only takes a few minutes.

How to Start

First, go to the Access Online Databases page and link to ProQuest.

• In ProQuest, the free account is called MyResearch.
• Click on the Sign In link in the upper right corner.
• Click on the Create a My Research account link and fill out the appropriate information
• Now add some searches: go back to the search by clicking on the Search link at the upper left and try a search.
• You can now save a search, a search alert, or checkmark documents to save them to your account.

The next time you go to ProQuest, you can go back, log in and use those searches and documents again. If you set up alerts, you will get email updates on these searches. We find that students in dissertation phase and faculty who love to stay aware of their research areas love these features.

 

If you want to learn more, stop by and talk to a librarian or email a librarian at refdesk@itp.edu. Happy searching!

 

Lucid Dreaming Database

Chris Olsen, doctoral student at ITP, created the Lucid Dreaming Database as a part of his doctoral research. The site includes over 800 articles on topics related to lucid dreaming. A clip of the documentary,Wake Up! Exploring the Potential of Lucid Dreaming, is also hosted on the site. Both projects are rich contributions to the field.

ITP Library Adds More Resources

Three terrific resources have been added to our Access Online Database page.

CAMIO--Catalog of Art Museum Images Online--is an image collection that contains about 95,000 works of fine and decorative art from leading museums around the world. The collection ranges from 3000 BCE to the present, representing examples of Asian, African, Latin American and Western art. All content is rights-cleared for educational use.

The Chronicle of Higher Education is a leading newspaper from the world of academia. Its reputation as a source of job listings for college and university faculty and administrators is well-known but it is also heralded as a center of fresh discussion of politics, art, and ideas.

SpringerLink ebooks is a collection of electronic books (e-books) on the behavioral sciences. E-books can be conveniently accessed day or night and just like physical books, can be browsed and searched for applicability and relevance to one's subject.

Full Text Database: PsycArticles

PsycArticles (located in the CSA collection of databases) is an APA journal database which has full text for 63 highly respected journals published by the American Psychological Association, the APA Educational Publishing Foundation, the Canadian Psychological Association, and Hogrefe Publishing Group. The full text goes back to the very first issue for most of the journals and for Psychological Review goes all the way back to 1894.
The current journal coverage list consists of currently published journals that are full text in the database. The PsycArticles Journal History page lists full text journals with issue and date ranges which may have changed names or were previously produced by other publishers

Alcohol Studies Database

A newly-improved alcohol studies database is now available online. The database contains approximately 80,000 bibliographic citations indexed by the Rutgers University Center for Alcohol Studies. The scope of the database is research and professional materials that focus on alcohol use and related consequences.

In addition to research documents, the database also includes what the creators call "some educational and prevention materials, including audiovisuals, suitable for students and educators K-12, parents, community workers, and the general public."

The Alcohol Studies Database web address is: http://www2.scc.rutgers.edu/alcohol_studies/alcohol/index.htm

Following the Citation Trail

Finding who has cited a particular article has always been useful in the process of research. We have two database collections that do just that: CSA and now ProQuest. If an article has been cited in other articles, a "Cited By" link will appear, allowing you to link to the other articles.
ProQuest recently added this feature and there are two reasons why this feature is so useful.
-A heavily cited article in a given field is proven to be influential and important.
-The "cited by" link gives you access to more articles which may be related to your topic.

Art Therapy Books in Ebrary

A quick search of ebrary yielded five fascinating art therapy titles (plus 29 more!):

Artful Therapy by Judith Aron Rubin

Arts and Health by Stephen Clift

Process in the Arts Therapies by Ann Cattanach

Group Analytic Art Therapy by Gerry McNeilly

Spirituality & Art Therapy : Living the Connection by Mimi Farrelly-Hansen ; Deborah Bowman

Explore ebrary by visiting the Access Databases page and link to ebrary. What is your favorite ebrary book? We would love to hear from patrons who have found some gems in ebrary.

Author Searching in CSA

When you are searching for works by a particular author in CSA, keep in mind that there are often variants on names.
For example, if you are looking for the works by Elizabeth Targ, you might need to look under Targ, E. and Targ, Elizabeth. Some names have more variants.
In CSA, you can search the Author Index for more name variants, so that you don't miss any.
To get to the Author Index, once you are on the CSA search page, click on Search Tools, then click on the Indexes Tab. From the pull-down menu, click on the Author Index for the database you want to search. Type in the name variants - last name, first name - and check each one you want to include. Then click on the search button at the left. This will create a search that accomodate all the variants you have found.

Psychoanalytic Literature Database

Feeling Freudian? The American Psychoanalytic Association has their own citation and abstract database called PEP. Check it out if you want to explore the psychoanalytic realm. If you find a citation you like, remember to visit our A to Z List of Journal Titles in the Access Databases page.
NOTE: There is definitely going to be overlap between PEP and PsycInfo. The advantage of searching PEP is that it is more focused at the outset.

Rehabilitation Research Database

The National Rehabilitation Information Center manages its own research databases including REHABDATA.

REHABDATA contains approximately 69,000 abstracts of books, reports, articles, and audiovisual materials relating to disability and rehabilitation research. Each abstract includes bibliographic information, a 250-word abstract, and, when appropriate, information regarding the project that produced the document. The index spans research from 1956 to the present.REHABDATA advanced search options.

Remember to check the A to Z List on the Access Online Databases page to see if we own a particular journal issue.

PILOTS - PTSD Research Database

PILOTS is a citation/abstract database of research on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It currently includes well over 28,000 citations. You can take advantage of the Pilots Thesaurus to narrow your search. Beyond the basic Keyword, Author, Title, and Descriptor Searching. You can also search by Author Affiliation, Instrument, URL and more.


Remember to check the A to Z list on the Access Online Databases page to see if we own the journal issue you need, and the library's book holdings (electronic- ebrary or EBSCO Host or print-Library Catalog) for any books.

PsycInfo - Searching by Methodology

Searching for empirical studies, literature reviews, or meta-analyses in PsycInfo is easier than you think.
In CSA, select PsycInfo and click on Continue to Search. Click on the Search Tools tab at the top, then click on the Indexes Tab. Use the Indexes pull-down menu to select the Methodology Index. Click on Go.
A list of the various types of article methods will be listed below.

Checkmark the types of studies you are interested in and click on Search at the left. This will generate a search by methodology. Click on the Quick Search or Advanced Search tab and generate a search on your topic. To combine your topic search with the methodology search, click on Search Tools tab and click on Combine Searches. At the bottom of the screen you will see your searches with their assigned search number. Combine your searches in the search box using their search numbers including # (for example #1 and #2) and click on the green search button.

Full Text Encyclopedias in ebrary

Sometimes you need a reference source to give you context for your topic. ebrary has an array of interesting, useful, and full text encyclopedias to help you get the basics.

The encyclopedias in ebrary include:

• Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy
• Encyclopedia of Relationships across the Lifespan
• Encyclopedia of Adult Development

Your access to ebrary is located on the Access Online Databases page.

To find encyclopedias once you are in ebrary is easy:

1. Click on the Advanced Tab at the left.
2. Type encyclopedias in the search box.
3. In the pull down menu beneath the search box, select Subject.
4. Click on Search.

PsycInfo - Harnessing the Power of Subject Searching

Nothing saves time and energy like really effective database searching. The key is to find the right words. PsycInfo (located on the Access Online Databases page in CSA) has amazing indexing which allows you to search for Descriptors (assigned subject terms) in a number of ways.
-"Find a good article then find more like it" - The easiest approach is to do a keyword search on your topic in PsycInfo. Once the results list comes up, find the perfect article. Click on the title to look at the full record. Scroll down to the Descriptors section. Checkmark all the Descriptors that are meaningful to your topic, then click on Go. This will automatically combine those descriptors, generating a new search that closely matches your topic.
- Thesaurus - With some topics, there is just so much out there. The good news is that PsycInfo has a thesaurus built in that allows you to understand what Descriptor terms are used, what they mean, and the relationships between terms. To use the PsycInfo Thesaurus once you are in CSA, click on Search Tools and then click on Thesaurus. After typing in your term to the thesaurus, you can checkmark terms and click Search at left to generate a new search based on the perfect term(s).
There is much more to learn about using thesauri in database searching, please contact the librarians at refdesk@itp.edu if you have further questions.

Visual Searching in Ebsco Host

Visual searching can be fun! Ebsco Host offers a search option that visualizes your results.
For example, searching on the term spirituality, the results formed several clusters including Spiritual Wellness, African American, and Meaning of Spirituality. Clicking on clusters and subclusters leads you to results like articles and book chapters.
It is an interesting alternative to traditional database searching. Try it out and let us know what you think.
Ebsco Host is located on the Access Online Databases page. To access visual searching, click on Research Databases. Checkbox the databases you want to search, then click on Continue. Click on the Visual Search Tab at the top.

Comparison of PubMed and CSA's Medline

PubMed is the free version of Medline, the premier citation/abstract index for medical (including Psychiatry and Psychology) articles and other information. You may have noticed that our CSA database includes Medline too. What are the differences?

Access to Full Text: Medline in CSA will have links to full text for some articles because we have purchased access, PubMed will only have access to full text if it is freely available on the Web.

Coverage: PubMed goes much further back in time--back to 1966 and sometimes earlier. Medline in CSA goes back to 1996.

Each has its own search interface so try each one to see which works for you.

To link to PubMed, go to http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/
To visit Medline in CSA, go to the Access Online Databases page and log in. Click on the CSA link.

ebrary - For New Users

ebrary has put together their own audio/video instructional module at:
http://ebrary.com/corp/collateral/flash/QuickStart/
(Note: Please allow a few seconds for it to load).
If you are new to using ebrary, it should provide you with the basics for getting started.
After visiting this instructional module, you should go for some hands-on practice. The link to our ebrary subscription is on the Access Online Databases page.