Infobite: Database Citation Feature

This is part of the Infobite Series: Bites of Information from the MCC Library:

Many of the library subscription databases have a citation feature that will cite in MLA, APA, and, frequently, other styles. While these citations are not always perfect, they’re pretty good and quite a time saver.

In the EBSCO databases, you can find a citation through several functions in the right hand frame: the Print, E-mail, and Cite functions. In ProQuest, click on Cite above the article. Look around in other databases to find their citation features!

For more info on citing, see our Citing Sources page that is attached to all of our Research Guides.

Are you interested in having an MCC librarian talk to your class about information literacy? Contact them now!

The McHenry County College Library--Visit Us Today!

A Bite of Information from the MCC Library

Contributed by the McHenry County College librarians:

Did you know that the Library has an Information Literacy Program to help our students learn college-level and career research skills? The core of this program is taught by library faculty in MCC 101 (basic navigation of the physical library and library web page), ENG 151 (evaluating information), and ENG 152 (selecting and searching databases). 

We can also come into any other class (face-to-face or online!) and teach to a specific research assignment you have.

This is particularly important in Career/Tech programs whose students might not take ENG 151/152. Instead, these students may need some instruction in information literacy skills needed in their fields. Contact us at refdesk@mchenry.edu to discuss/schedule info lit instruction. It’s not too early to plan for next semester. 

And don’ forget . . . information literacy is one of the five general education goals for all of our students.

Excellence In Teaching Showcase, Part 2

At the end of the Fall 2013 semester, we had an Excellence In Teaching Showcase during one of our Fifth Tuesday meetings. We collected your note cards, which detailed an activity, assignment, project, or approach you use in your classroom that mapped back to one of the E.T. tenants of subject matter, pedagogy, assessment, and professionalism.

We promised to share those note cards with you, and here's the second of what we hope to be many posts!

Contributed by the MCC reference librarians and edited by Kate Kramer:

Got a research project or paper for your class? The librarians would LOVE to help!! They can create a research guide in support of your discipline, course or specific project. Check out this research guide that was competed for a research project in GEL 110 (Geology of the National Parks). Contact the library at 815-455-8762 or refdesk@mchenry.edu to discuss your options.

So,  take advantage of the time you have this summer and work with our terrific reference team on a Lib Guide for your class!

Customize Your Professional Development

Contributed by Janet Scott, Reference Librarian

A new concept in professional development was suggested recently by English instructor Robert McCord with the blessings of Faculty Development and Professional Development.

Robert’s idea was to allow classroom faculty to earn one clock hour advanced placement credit for spending an hour or so one-on-one with a librarian to collaborate and/or learn something information-literacy related.
This resulted in the librarians creating a workshop titled Librarian/Instructor Consultation, the description of which is:

A one-on-one workshop/consultation to discuss information literacy in your course(s), including such topics as integrating and assessing this general education objective in your discipline, discussing available resources on a class topic, designing research assignments and any needed scaffolding, etc.

Each of these “workshops” will be custom-designed to meet the instructor’s needs. So if you want to collaborate with a librarian on a project, create or revise a research assignment, learn more about resources in a particular topic area, integrate information literacy into your curriculum/course, learn a new research skill, or if you have another information literacy-related idea, pitch it to Janet or Cynthia and we’ll go from there.

Contact Janet or Cynthia for a one-on-one information literacy collaboration!

A New Look for the MCC Library!

Contributed by Cynthia Letteri, Instructor of Information Literacy and Research

The MCC Library web pages have a new look! In an effort to streamline and reduce links on the homepage, the library now sports a cleaner, meaner access page. The inspiration for this new look is not only the College’s current branding efforts, but also the library’s adoption of a new hosted platform for creating research guides.

The MCC Library's Cleaner, Meaner Access Page!

On the library’s homepage you will notice the simplified tab features with drop-down menus. The Research Guidance tab will lead to the new Research Guides created for various disciplines, subjects, and courses. The Research Guides are an excellent starting point for independent research and will be featured in our Information Literacy instruction, as well as in our one-on-one interactions in the library.

As before, off-campus access to our subscription databases requires a myMCC username and password. For questions or help with this, please contact the library.

See what you can discover on your own through the library website, but always feel free to contact a reference librarian for your instruction, research, and information needs. We're here to help!

Do You Know Boolean Searching?

The wonderful librarians here at MCC are always improving upon their already terrific Information Literacy workshop series for our students. Their workshops are informative and always entertaining, though this semester they've outdone themselves by bringing in a terrific video from a librarian at the Hunter Library, Western Carolina University. If you've ever wanted to know what the heck Boolean searching is, then check it out. And even if you know what the heck it is, watch this five minute video for five minutes of faculty development fun.

Enjoy!