Library News

Struggling with a research project in Biology?

The General Biology Research Guide contains links to a huge variety of biology-related databases as well as online reference books and other materials.

The Guide now also contains video tutorials for PubMed and Biological Abstracts.

There are also many other Research Guides in Biology including Human Anatomy and Graduate Biology pages.

See them all at the Course and Topic Guides page, which contains course guides covering a range of subject areas.

For more help in Biology contact the Biology librarian Robin Bowles or 610-519-8129. You can also use this form to make a personal research appointment with Robin.

For Biology updates, please refer to the SweetPea blog.

For help at any time, on any subject, contact the information desk (610.519.4270) or  ask a research librarian.

By Robin Bowles

Learn how to organize your research and never type a bibliography again with RefWorks.  MLA, APA and other styles supported. Open to faculty, staff, and students in all disciplines.

When? Nov. 5 & 12

4:00-5:00pm

Where: Driscoll Hall, Room 221

MUST BRING YOUR OWN LAPTOP!

Contact: Barbara Quintiliano, Instructional Design Librarian (telephone: ext.95207)

ENROLLMENT LIMITED TO 20 PERSONS.  PLEASE CONTACT BARBARA IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND.

Using the Lifestyle Market Analyst was de rigueur for every single student that took Management Essentials, a core course in the previous Villanova School of Business curriculum.  Because this reference book was in such great demand, it was held at the front desk of the library, so we knew VSB students were visiting Falvey, and often. With the advent of the new VSB curriculum, Management Essentials is no longer offered. Would this mean demand for the Lifestyle Market Analyst would evaporate and, with it, VSB students at Falvey?

The new VSB curriculum is as rigorous as the previous one.  Students taking VSB 2020, Competitive Effectiveness, have an even greater need for a reference work providing market, lifestyle and consumer profiles, but they no longer need to check out the print Lifestyle Market Analyst. Now  this essential source is online SRDS, renamed Local Market Audience Analyst. (more…)

There are corrections already to the 6th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. The corrections may be found on the APA site 

It’s the week before midterms and you have to find a book for a paper that is due in a few days. You’ve always liked Jack Kerouac and were hoping to find The Subterraneans on the shelf. You like the way Kerouac weaves together reality and fiction and this has inspired you to write your paper in the same fashion. Unfortunately, you find that the library’s print copy is checked out.

You approach the desk to ask the librarian for help. She checks the catalog, but isn’t able to find another print copy. Suddenly, she has an idea! She suggests downloading Kerouac’s book to the library’s Kindle e-reader for you. Having never used a Kindle, you’re not sure how it works, but in the spirit of Kerouac, your adventurous nature urges you to give it a try.

The above story is true, based on a student’s real need that led to his discovery of the Kindle. Similar stories have been reported by Bartley patrons. The 14-day loan period gives patrons time to read the books and incorporate their findings into a research project or paper. The device is light (about the weight of a Kerouac paperback novel).

Be adventurous! Use the Bartley Kindle request form or the Kindle@Falvey request form to book a Kindle.

By Luisa Cywinski and Laura Hutelmyer

Falvey recently acquired the digital edition of the Papers of Thomas Jefferson from the University of Virginia Press. The Jefferson papers are part of the American Founding Era Collection, which includes the papers of other major figures of the early Republic, such as John Adams and George Washington. The digital collection encompasses volumes 1-33 (1760-1801) of the projected 60-volume print edition published by Princeton University Press. The Library has volumes 1-35 of the print edition. Volume 36 is forthcoming in February 2010. The Papers of Thomas Jefferson Digital Edition includes the copious correspondence written and received by Jefferson, as well as his private notes and documents of historical significance, in a fully searchable online environment.

For more information, see Jutta Seibert’s History and Sociology blog entry.

Dr. Suzanne Zamerowski (l.) and Barbara Quintiliano at the NLN Education Summit (Not pictured: Dr. Marcia Costello)

Barbara Quintiliano, M.L.S., M.A., instructional design librarian, presented the poster session “A Collaborative Approach to Population Assessment,” with College of Nursing faculty colleagues Marcia Costello, Ph.D., R.D., L.D., and Suzanne Zamerowski, Ph.D., R.N., at the National League for Nursing Education Summit, held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, on Sept. 24 and 25.

The poster illustrated the collaboration between the instructional librarian and the course faculty that led to the creation of a matrix with hypertext links to important data sources.  The population assessment matrix enabled students in the capstone Nursing 4102 course, “Nursing and Health Promotion,” to locate online international, national, state and local health data quickly and efficiently, affording these students more time to interact directly with the populations being assessed.

The data collected for the population assessment projects helped to guide the students’ clinical experience as they developed and implemented public health education strategies for national and international communities.

On October 27, Falvey Memorial Library will host the inaugural lecture in the “Alfred F. Mannella and Rose T. Lauria-Mannella Distinguished Speakers Series.” Richard Juliani, Ph.D., sociology department, will describe his four decades of research on the Italian experience in Philadelphia, highlighting both challenges and future opportunities. His talk will begin at 7 p.m.

Alfred S. Mannella

In 1996, Falvey Memorial Library’s friend and supporter Alfred S. Mannella, ‘58 VSB, established two endowed library funds to support the purchase of books and other research materials as memorials to family members.

Now one of those funds will also support a lecture series.

The Speakers series honors Mr. Mannella’s parents, Alfred F. and Rose T. Lauria-Mannella. His father, the son of immigrants, was born in Philadelphia in 1904 and established himself as a tailor. An avid sports fan, he developed an interest in Villanova football starting in the 1930s when Maurice J. “Clipper” Smith was the coach.

His mother was the grandchild of immigrants and grew up in south Philadelphia. (more…)

Now available via the library Web site: The writings of Swiss-born Christian Karl Barth (1886-1968) had an enormous impact on the development of systematic theology in the twentieth century and have left a lasting effect on ways to think about God and the world. A theologian from the Reform tradition, Barth transcended Calvinism and was a significant contributor to the Protestant “neo-orthodoxy” and anti-Nazi confessing church movements.

In more than 600 written works, he touches on many aspects of faith and life, particularly the tension between the absolute transcendence of God and an engaged Christo-centric life. The concept of revelation, especially in relationship to Jesus Christ and the Christian scriptures, was also a major focus for Barth.

Access to the online compilation of the works of Barth including The Church Dogmatics in English with the original Die kirchliche Dogmatik; the 43 volumes of Barth’s Gesamtausgabe; additional works in German; and English translations of specific texts, with new content added quarterly.

by Darren Poley

Two glass cases of botanical prints, next to the first floor elevator, provide a tempting introduction to this visually rich exhibit. Go to the second floor to see the full display of large colorful botanical prints from Flora de Filipinas. Written by Rev. Manuel Blanco, O.S.A., “the premier botanist of the Philippines,” Flora de Filipinas is the culmination of his study of the 1200 plants he collected during his forty years in that country.

The bulk of the exhibit - twelve cases - is on the second floor in front of Special Collections. Here you will find numerous large color prints featuring plants identified by their botanical names; in some, there are also small line drawings of details.

Flora de Filipinas was first published in 1837 and, because of its popularity, a second edition was published in 1845, followed by a third, deluxe seven volume posthumous edition, published between 1877 and 1883. (more…)