February - March 2020
FEBRUARY - MARCH 2020
DID YOU KNOW...
...that there are free books online that you can use for research? "Open Access" resources are available for free online, often published by entities like universities or nonprofit organizations (it is always important to consider the source, whether the publisher is traditional or Open Access). Open Access is more than just getting free content; it also means that the content has less rigid copyright restrictions than traditional publishing. These kinds of books have already been integrated into the Mercyhurst University Libraries website. Links to some websites that carry them have been placed in our A-Z Databases List and eBooks page, and Open Access titles are included in our "Search Everything" tool.
JSTOR includes open access books in its collection, and they are even viewable off the campus network without a subscription. You can find more Open Access eBooks on these websites as well:
- CIA Publications
- DOAB: Directory of Open Access Books
- Internet Archive
- OpenStax
- Project Gutenberg
- WorldCat
If you're a faculty member looking to publish a book, Open Access has benefits for authors as well. Open Access allows you as an author to retain ownership and usage rights of your work that you might normally have to sign away when working with a traditional publishing model. The removal of paywall barriers also means that your work can be viewed by more people in your academic and professional communities. Publishing still has costs, like web hosting and labor, but funding can be procured through other means instead of reader subscriptions, like grants or sponsorship by an organization.
You can learn more about Open Access resources and policies with this guide from the Association of College and Research Libraries.
— Karen Niemla
Search libraries worldwide on oclc WorldCat
If you've searched the Mercyhurst library collections but still want to find more, OCLC WorldCat is one of the best places to look. It searches library catalogs from all over the world, including records of myriad media types like books, eBooks, journals, movies, video and more. There's also an "Open Access" feature that limits your search results to Open Access resources. With thousands of libraries in WorldCat, you never know what you'll find.
—video by Karen Niemla
Finding journals and periodicals by name
If you are looking for a particular journal or newspaper, you don't have to go searching in every database we have trying to find it. The Full Text Finder, listed as "Journals" under "Find" in our main top menu, is the fastest way to search our journal and periodical collections. It lists all the periodical subscriptions we have access to, showing where to find the item and the years or volumes available.
—video by Karen Niemla
New library guide on Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)
To keep the campus community informed on the health risks posed by the emergence and spread of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), the library has published a guide on our website at https://library.mercyhurst.edu/coronavirus. It has links to official statements and news media on the outbreak. Do let us know if you have any suggestions for improvements.
WORK STUDY OF THE MONTH: Skylar Ferguson
Skylar Ferguson, a sophomore majoring in Psychology, is the Work Study of the Month for February. He is an Erie native and is a member of Sigma Tau Delta, the international English honor society. His favorite aspect of working at the Hammermill Library is the consistent environment it provides. Devoted to academia, Skylar plans to continue his education with post-doctoral research and to pursue advanced degrees.
— Angela Okey and Karen Niemla
Mercy Cross Reinstalled
Something that has been missing from the Hammermill Library since the renovation of the main floor last summer has been restored: The Mercy Cross was recently re-installed near the East entryway. Now the renovation is truly complete! According to the Fall 1998 issue of the Mercyhurst Magazine (available on the Mercyhurst University Archives website here), it was sculpted by artist Archie Held and was originally gifted to Mercyhurst in 1998 by the Class of 1947. Held's sculpture is based on the Contemporary Mercy Cross, which was designed by Sister Maria Josephine D'Angelo in 1972. The Mercy Cross can also be seen within the current Mercyhurst shield logo.
STACKS CRACKS
—Karen Niemla
