Are you confused about Egypt, Libya and Bahrain?

There is a lot happening in the world right now and it can be difficult to get a good grasp of international news and politics. There are some great web resources that provide a balanced explanation of the country and region so that you can better understand what is happening right now.

BBC Country Profiles

CIA World Fact Book


For even more in depth information check out the Country Studies page on the library main page> Select a Course Subject> Country Studies.

Two great databases are Global Researcher, which gives you updated information on current events and CultureGrams, which gives you a cultural overview of a country. If you are off campus, you will need to sign in with your Pipeline info when prompted.


If you need help finding more resources, come visit a librarian at the Reference desk on the 1st floor.

Scholars Week submissions due March 1

Showcase your outstanding class project or research paper at this year's Scholars Week, taking place April 4-8, 2011.

The deadline for project submissions is Tuesday, March 1, so don't delay! We at the library have heard you talk about many fascinating projects in library instruction classes and at the reference desk, so don't tell us you don't have anything worth sharing.

Academic Integrity Workshop

The Academic Success Series continues, this Tuesday in Walker Library 264A at 4:30pm.

February 22nd - Academic Integrity & YOU: The Role All Students Play in Upholding MTSU's Values

Presenter: Amanda Newman Samsel, Coordinator, Judicial Affairs & Mediation Services

• Doing what's right, even when no one is watching is often much harder for students than they realize. This presentation covers the four different parts of MTSU's Academic Misconduct policy. Each rule will be highlighted and ways to avoid committing plagiarism will be discussed. The session also focuses on WHY Academic Integrity is so important and the ways all students contribute to MTSU's reputation, knowingly or not.

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March 15th - Captivate and Educate: Essential Presentation Skills

Presenter: Brian Walsh, Admissions Counselor, Undergraduate Admissions

• From book reports in first grade to the executive retreat at work, we will never outgrow presentations. Regardless of the setting or audience, following a few guidelines can guarantee an effective session. If you truly want to “Spring Into Academic Success”, start by learning these essential presentation skills.

March 22nd - Advising showers bring Registration flowers!

Presenter: Travis Tipton, College Advisor, College of Basic and Applied Sciences

• Academic advising is a very important part of each and every student’s experience at MTSU. This workshop will discuss advisor and student responsibilities and the nature of the student-advisor relationship as well as discussing key resources available to students via their academic advisors. Registration goes beyond adding and dropping courses. This session will highlight important dates and how student can be proactive in regards to Priority Registration.
  

March 29th - Spring Break Career Party
Presenters: Bill Fletcher, Director, Career Development CenterKaty Francisco Riddle, Publicity & Outreach Coordinator, Career Development Center

• Does combining career information and a Spring Break party sound too good to be true? Discover how your personality relates to majors and possible career fields during this fun and interactive party that will help lead the way to choosing your career path.
  

April 5th - Academic Integrity & YOU: The Role All Students Play in Upholding MTSU's Values
Presenter: Amanda Newman Samsel, Coordinator, Judicial Affairs & Mediation Services

• Doing what's right, even when no one is watching is often much harder for students than they realize. This presentation covers the four different parts of MTSU's Academic Misconduct policy. Each rule will be highlighted and ways to avoid committing plagiarism will be discussed. The session also focuses on WHY Academic Integrity is so important and the ways all students contribute to MTSU's reputation, knowingly or not.

April 19th & April 26th - Put a Spring in Your Final Exam Preparation
Presenter: Laura Clippard, Academic Advisor, University Honors College

• This session will provide a helpful guide to students who are not sure how to study for final exams. A brief review of test taking tips will also be included.
  

Safety Video

The Department of Public Safety will be showing a video titled “Shots Fired,” in the KUC Theater several times during the week of Feb. 21. It would be worth every student, staff and faculty member’s time to view it.


Showings will be twice a day, 9 to 10 a.m., and 1 to 2 p.m. , Feb. 21-24 (Monday through Thursday).


A Q&A session will follow the video. You are urged to attend.

Creative Writing Group

At the Creative Writing Group, we meet to discuss and workshop all different types of writing, from short stories to novels, from poetry to screenplays.

We meet Tuesdays from 4:30 to 5:30 pm, and attendance each week is optional. We hope you’ll stop by!

The university Writing Center is located in the Walker Library, room 362. We are on the 3rd floor on the right side of the balcony.

Writing Center Open Mic Night

The University Writing Center will be holding two open mic nights at 9:00 pm on February 22nd and April 21st in Library 362. Everyone is welcome to attend and share poetry, short stories, or excerpts from longer works. Participation is not mandatory, so feel free to come and enjoy the arts!

Library and Research Skills Workshop, Feb 15

Term papers got you down? Learn some research shortcuts at the next workshop in the Academic Success Series, taking place next Tuesday at 4:30 pm in room 264A, Walker Library.

February 15th - Library BINGO

Presenter: Kristen West, Instruction Librarian, Walker Library

• Spend a fun hour playing BINGO and learning what successful MTSU students know about the library. This session will cover information on timesaving online research sites and citation tools, getting the most out of Google Scholar, 10 foods to sneak bring into the library to improve your productivity, tips for finding an open computer in the library, and how to save money on textbooks.

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February 22nd - Academic Integrity & YOU: The Role All Students Play in Upholding MTSU's Values

Presenter: Amanda Newman Samsel, Coordinator, Judicial Affairs & Mediation Services

• Doing what's right, even when no one is watching is often much harder for students than they realize. This presentation covers the four different parts of MTSU's Academic Misconduct policy. Each rule will be highlighted and ways to avoid committing plagiarism will be discussed. The session also focuses on WHY Academic Integrity is so important and the ways all students contribute to MTSU's reputation, knowingly or not.
  

March 15th - Captivate and Educate: Essential Presentation Skills

Presenter: Brian Walsh, Admissions Counselor, Undergraduate Admissions

• From book reports in first grade to the executive retreat at work, we will never outgrow presentations. Regardless of the setting or audience, following a few guidelines can guarantee an effective session. If you truly want to “Spring Into Academic Success”, start by learning these essential presentation skills.

March 22nd - Advising showers bring Registration flowers!

Presenter: Travis Tipton, College Advisor, College of Basic and Applied Sciences

• Academic advising is a very important part of each and every student’s experience at MTSU. This workshop will discuss advisor and student responsibilities and the nature of the student-advisor relationship as well as discussing key resources available to students via their academic advisors. Registration goes beyond adding and dropping courses. This session will highlight important dates and how student can be proactive in regards to Priority Registration.
  

March 29th - Spring Break Career Party
Presenters: Bill Fletcher, Director, Career Development CenterKaty Francisco Riddle, Publicity & Outreach Coordinator, Career Development Center

• Does combining career information and a Spring Break party sound too good to be true? Discover how your personality relates to majors and possible career fields during this fun and interactive party that will help lead the way to choosing your career path.
  

April 19th & April 26th - Put a Spring in Your Final Exam Preparation
Presenter: Laura Clippard, Academic Advisor, University Honors College

• This session will provide a helpful guide to students who are not sure how to study for final exams. A brief review of test taking tips will also be included.
  

Interlibrary Loan Alert

We are pleased to report that Interlibrary Loan is once again able to accept and process requests. If you experience any problems logging in to ILLiad, or if you have any questions, please contact us.

Thank you for your patience.

Citation Tools and Help

The paper is all finished and you're so relieved, but wait! You still have to cite all of those sources. What a drag. Luckily, there are several tools to help you.

Article database tools.

If you found your sources in a library database such as Academic Search Premier (EBSCO) or Omnifile (Wilson Web), you can click a very handy link in the article record to see it formatted in MLA, APA, and several other styles. The tool is located in different spots for each database, so just look around for a link or icon that says Cite. When the formatted citation appears, copy and paste it into your own document. You may need to make minor changes such as indenting or removing all caps from titles.



Easybib.com

Sadly, not every database has a citation tool, and you may also have sources that you find elsewhere. This is where Easybib.com comes in handy. MLA citation formatting is free for over 58 citation types such as articles, books, websites, newspapers, speeches, images, and many more. Simply type in the source title to see if Easybib can locate the information for you. If not, you can manually enter the information and have it formatted for you. If you need a style other than MLA, it does require a paid subscription, but the rates are pretty reasonable.




Online Style Guides


There are several very good online guides that show examples and give written instructions for each source type. The library has compiled some of the best on its Citation and Style Guides page.


Personal assistance

Still have questions or just prefer talking to a human being? Come see us at the Reference Desk on the 1st floor. We'll help you! And don't forget about the Writing Center on the 3rd floor (room 362) of the library. They know quite a bit about this topic, as well.

Study Skills and Test Taking -- Tues, Feb 8.

Midterms are just around the corner! Make the best grade with tips from this workshop, the next in the Academic Success Series, held in Room 264A on the 2nd floor of the Walker Library at 4:30 pm.

February 8th - Study Skills & Test Taking

Presenter: Gia Jones, Advisor, University College Advising Center

• Fall is gone…time to Spring along! What an easy journey you can make if you apply simple study skills for test taking. Don’t know where to start? Join me and I will guide you from beginning to end.

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Also plan to attend these upcoming workshops.

February 15th - Library BINGO

Presenter: Kristen West, Instruction Librarian, Walker Library

• Spend a fun hour playing BINGO and learning what successful MTSU students know about the library. This session will cover information on timesaving online research sites and citation tools, getting the most out of Google Scholar, 10 foods to sneak bring into the library to improve your productivity, tips for finding an open computer in the library, and how to save money on textbooks.

February 22nd - Academic Integrity & YOU: The Role All Students Play in Upholding MTSU's Values

Presenter: Amanda Newman Samsel, Coordinator, Judicial Affairs & Mediation Services

• Doing what's right, even when no one is watching is often much harder for students than they realize. This presentation covers the four different parts of MTSU's Academic Misconduct policy. Each rule will be highlighted and ways to avoid committing plagiarism will be discussed. The session also focuses on WHY Academic Integrity is so important and the ways all students contribute to MTSU's reputation, knowingly or not.
  

March 15th - Captivate and Educate: Essential Presentation Skills

Presenter: Brian Walsh, Admissions Counselor, Undergraduate Admissions

• From book reports in first grade to the executive retreat at work, we will never outgrow presentations. Regardless of the setting or audience, following a few guidelines can guarantee an effective session. If you truly want to “Spring Into Academic Success”, start by learning these essential presentation skills.

March 22nd - Advising showers bring Registration flowers!

Presenter: Travis Tipton, College Advisor, College of Basic and Applied Sciences

• Academic advising is a very important part of each and every student’s experience at MTSU. This workshop will discuss advisor and student responsibilities and the nature of the student-advisor relationship as well as discussing key resources available to students via their academic advisors. Registration goes beyond adding and dropping courses. This session will highlight important dates and how student can be proactive in regards to Priority Registration.
  

March 29th - Spring Break Career Party
Presenters: Bill Fletcher, Director, Career Development CenterKaty Francisco Riddle, Publicity & Outreach Coordinator, Career Development Center

• Does combining career information and a Spring Break party sound too good to be true? Discover how your personality relates to majors and possible career fields during this fun and interactive party that will help lead the way to choosing your career path.
  

April 19th & April 26th - Put a Spring in Your Final Exam Preparation
Presenter: Laura Clippard, Academic Advisor, University Honors College

• This session will provide a helpful guide to students who are not sure how to study for final exams. A brief review of test taking tips will also be included.