Check, and be sure

Congratulations to those of you who have successfully completed the Library Skills course. You can have your assignments back to take home and cherish. If you are chugging merrily along with the course, keep up with it! You still have time, OK?

Remember, though, that it is your responsibility to check and make sure you have no corrections or mistakes on those assignments you have turned in. How? Just ask the person at the Reference Desk to check the Library Skills folder for you.

We usually go over your assignments the day you turn them in, so check after finishing one or the day after. You don't want to be cranking out assignments only to find out that you made mistakes on the last 10, do you?

Memo Cordova

When books go wild

Books sometimes take extended leave and go missing for a couple of hours (remember The Dictionary of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics?) but eventually they find their way back to the shelves. In order to avoid the confusion of misplaced items, please keep in mind the following: if and when you are done using a book to complete your Library Skills assignments, remember to leave the book on the nearest table, or on one of our lovely red book carts, or by the Reference Desk. We will shelve the book for you.

So, be kind to your fellow students and don’t take assignment books away from their natural nesting grounds. Leave the book on a table or red cart somewhere in the first floor so we can put it back where it belongs. It will save time and energy for everyone concerned.

Thanks!

Memo Cordova

October 14th, 2005

Another round of "Due Dates" is looming, but these dates are merely benchmarks for gauging how many assignments you should have completed by now. This is important for two reasons. First, it will give you plenty of time to finish the rest of the assignments.

Second, you will learn to use the library's resources at a measured and unhurried pace. So, keep October 14th in mind, for that's when you should have completed assignments 8 through 13. If you are somewhere in between, you are doing all right.

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me at memocordova [at] boisestate [dot] edu, or stop by my office in room 107D, first floor of Albertsons Library.

Cheers,

Memo Cordova

Need help?

It’s great to see most of you are completing the assignments in a copasetic manner. For those of you who run into snags with a question or two, I want to remind you there’s always someone at the reference desk to help you out the following hours:

Mon – Thu: 7:30 am to 10:00 pm (library closes at 11:00 pm)
Fridays: 7:30 am to 6:00 pm
Saturdays: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Sundays: 10:00 am to 10:00 pm (library closes at 11:00pm)

We are here to help you answer those pesky Univ 106 questions, but with your scholarly research as well. Hopefully, the knowledge you gain from Univ 106 will strengthen your understanding of how Albertsons Library brings order to the massive world of information resources; and if you need help, there are experienced library folk who will help you guide the way.

Memo Cordova

Assignment 13

A quick note to let you know that the book A Dictionary of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics (ref QH540.4 .L56 1998), which was missing these past few days, has been found and put back where it belongs in the reference stacks. This book is one of the required resources necessary to complete assignment 13.

<<< The book is a reddish/plum colored hardback and it looks exactly like the picture on the left.

For future reference, if for some reason the book you need is not on the shelf, please check with a librarian as they can help you find the copy you need. Don’t ignore the assignment question just because the book is not on the shelf. We also have dedicated library staff that sort and shelve reference books on a timely basis, so don't worry about reshelving the books you do use.

When in doubt…ask!

Cheers,

Memo Cordova

Due dates? Nah...

Hi everyone,

Fall semester is chugging along. I want you to take a deep breath to clear your head and consider how far you have come in completing the Univ 106 Library Skills assignments. If you have finished assignments 1-7, you are doing great. If you haven't started, I encourage you to do so. If you are done, congratulations!

Use the Due Dates listed on the Univ 106 website as guidelines to help you determine how many assignments you should complete by what date.

Pace yourself. Here are the dates to keep in mind:

Assignments 1-7 by September 16
Assignments 8-13 by October 14
Assignments 14-18 by November 11
Assignments 19-22 by December 9

Let me know if you have any questions. And remember to take a deep breath--always a good thing.

Memo

The same answer varies!

I’d like to address an issue with Univ 106 and collaboration. While I applaud group research in completing the assignments, I would like to stress that the answers you submit should differ from somebody else’s in that same group. Why? Because we use a java script to mix up the chapter assignments between 10 sets, so when you print your assignment sheet for, say chapter 4, it should be different than someone else’s for the same chapter.

We want you to know about the library and its many resources, but you will not learn by simply copying someone else’s answers. If you do this, you run the risk of errors that were made by someone else. Besides, that’s cheating and on the road to student misconduct—and we don’t want to go that way, right? Working in groups is fine, but please don’t copy the same answers.

As always, please let someone at the reference desk know if you get stuck, don’t understand something, or would like help in clarifying something.

Memo Cordova

Univ 106 tidbits

I would like to clarify some things from e-mails that you’ve sent in about Univ 106. First, the folders we set up at the reference desk with your name on it are for our purposes only. You can, however, have your assignments back after you successfully finish the course (all 21 chapters and the final project) and get the magic "Pass" grade in our class register.

Second, make sure you "check in" at the reference desk. We would like to make sure you’re registered for the course and get credit for it, and also so we can explain the Univ 106 course website and how to use it, as well as answer any questions you may have about the course or the library.

Third, there’s some confusion about Assignment 9 where you’re asked to locate volume 4 of the Social Sciences Index on index row 101A. The Social Sciences Index is a drab, darkish, greenish brown, smallish multi-volume set like the picture here. Don’t confuse it with the taller and more colorful Social Sciences Citation Index, which is shelved unfortunately close to the Social Sciences Index.

Let me know if you have any questions. Happy research!

Memo Cordova

Library Skills aka Univ 106

Hello everyone,

Welcome to the Univ 106 weblog, the library skills course taught at Albertsons Library. I hope this blog will enable you to keep connected with class-related issues and library information. This is an experimental feature but one I believe will help you stay connected.

I'll frequently post class updates, library closures and news, and relevant Univ 106 content. I will also inform you of class developments via e-mail and through the Library Skills website. Feel free to post or comment on any entry. If you have any questions or concerns, please e-mail me or visit the course website for additional information.

Cheers,

Memo Cordova, Instructor
Reference Librarian/Assistant Professor
Albertsons Library
Boise State University
1910 University Drive
Boise, ID 83725
(208) 426-1270

http://library.boisestate.edu/