Drop in School Librarians Nationwide

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Forbes has reported that U.S. public schools have lost nearly 20% of their librarians since 2000.  The shortage, which showed the most dramatic drop following the Great Recession of 2008 has hit districts serving minorities the hardest. Some states have suffered more …Continue Reading

2019 Dissertation Forum in February

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This year’s Dissertation Forum is scheduled for February 22, 2019 and is sponsored by the Writing Studio, the USF Libraries, and the Office of Graduate Studies. This 1 day mini-conference will inform your students of the resources and services available to doctoral candidates who are currently working on prospectuses or dissertations. Sessions include information about conducting research, writing strategies, research tools, stress management, IRB, and advice from recently hired assistant professors.

The event will be located in the Grace Allen Room, Library 4th floor and the cost is $10.00. The registration fee includes a light breakfast, refreshments and snacks.

Registration Link:

https://secure.touchnet.com:443/C20235_ustores/web/store_main.jsp?STOREID=157&FROMQRCODE=true

Featured E-book–Teaching Race

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Teaching Race, How to Help Students Unmask and Challenge Racism by Stephen Brookfield (2019), addresses the need to educate students about race and racism in higher education. This book addresses some of the most common questions teachers raise about how to teach students racial awareness, particularly at predominantly White institutions. The book includes practical tips, tools and techniques shared by teachers in various disciplines.

Copyright, Canvas Class Readings, and E-Reserves

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Faculty frequently ask if sharing a scan of a chapter or article via Canvas is an acceptable use of copyrighted material. USF Policy (0-105) states that all faculty, staff, and students are responsible for their appropriate use of copyrighted materials, and provides a few guidelines to make it easy for faculty to evaluate their use of materials. It reminds us that a copy must only represent a small amount of the original work, that faculty should consider the four part fair use test if providing course readings under the fair use provision, copying should not be a substitution for the purchase of a book, should not include workbooks or test booklets, should include a copyright notice, and it recommends obtaining permissions if a reading is to be used over multiple semesters. As examples of what constitutes a small amount it elaborates: “a single chapter of a book, an article, or a few photos from a larger collection.” The USF Libraries’ Course Reserves service uses a system that automatically checks the length of requested readings for amounts in excess of one chapter/article or ten percent of a total work.

APA Style Central Name Change

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APA Style Central, the product from the library that includes the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association full text, is now called Academic Writer. For instructions on how to access the Manual from Academic Writer, click here.

ATLE Spring 2019 Book Club

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ATLE Book Club: James Lang’s Small Teaching Thursdays from 11:30 am-1:00pm Meeting dates:  1/24, 2/7, 2/21, 3/21, 4/4 ATLE provides the books – you just read and come to the meetings to discuss implementation! Limited to ten faculty. Registration will be conducted …Continue Reading

Changes in the USF Libraries’ eBook Program

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On November 1st the library sent out a message to the university about unpurchased titles being removed from our catalog. Many titles in the catalog are books that are leased titles, but not yet purchased from the vendors. When our patrons click on those items and use them more than 2 or 3 times, we purchase them and they become a permanent part of the collection. This is a new trend called “patron driven acquisitions” and has pretty much replaced traditional methods of adding to the collection. This has allowed libraries to move from a “just in case” method of purchase to a “just in time” model. With the expiration of Tech Fee money, the materials in the catalog that have not been purchased or used by patrons are going to be removed, so some things that have been in the catalog will no longer be there. However, items that have been used by patrons or for classes will be purchased before the expiration date. The librarians in Collections & Discovery are doing that analysis and selection now. We are hopeful that new Tech Fee money will be awarded so that we can continue to enhance our monograph selection. That being said, items that are e-books needed for courses and part of the textbook affordability program will continue to get high priority and will be purchased, along with requests from faculty and students that support research. If there are books that you need that you are worried could disappear, please send us a list of titles, and we will ensure that they are or have been purchased so that you do not lose access. Thank you for your support. If you have any questions, please contact Laura Pascual at lcpascua@usf.edu.

Library Hours During Winter Break

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From December 10-14th the library will be open 7:30 AM to 6 PM. On Saturday the 15th hours will be 10 AM-6 PM. On Sunday December 16th hours are 12 PM-6 PM. From December 17-21st the library will be open 7:30 AM-6PM. The library will be closed over the winter break from December 22nd until January 2nd. The calendar for library hours is located here.

The Tapestry of American Public Education: How Can We Create a System of Schools Worth Choosing for All?

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A recent report published by Peter W. Crookson Jr., Linda Darling-Hamond, Robert Rothman and Patrick Shields from the Learning Policy Institute discusses school choice — the movement to find alternatives to publicly funded and publicly operated school districts — is not an end in itself but rather a means to an end. In the words of the authors, it exists to “create a system in which all children choose and are chosen by a good school that serves them well and is easily accessible. “ It has been the subject of debate, particularly as seen by the post by Carol Burris and Diane Ravitch. They look at the issue of governance and why it matters who is in charge. This is a very interesting discussion for all those interested in policy that affects public schools and choice.