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 EdLib Report
The Tapestry of American Public Education: How Can We Create a System of Schools Worth Choosing for All?
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.
How Students Engage with News: Five Takeaways for Educators, Journalists and Librarians
Project Information Literacy produced a research report about how students access and consume current news stories and events. The report identifies the many pathways for students to obtain news information, the influence of social media, the role of news and media in student lives, why students share news items, and more
InterLibrary Loan Services Over the Holidays
Often the holidays are the time when many faculty members catch up on their research activities. This is just a reminder that many libraries close their services at that time of year,. Thus, if you need to use Interlibrary Loan services from USF Libraries to obtain materials for research, be aware that those services will be suspended from December 20th until January 2nd.
Changing the Citation Conversation
This piece by Alexandra Gold discusses ways to rethink how faculty talk to students about the issue of plagiarism. Also, keep in mind that the library can offer extra credit workshops on plagiarism for your courses, along with embedded modules we can place into Canvas.
Identifying Fact vs. Fiction: Pew Study Results
A new analysis from the Pew Research Center indicates that younger Americans are better than their elders at separating factual from opinion statements in the news. In a recent survey from Spring of 2018 adults were asked to categorize five factual statements and five opinion statements. Results showed that overall, 44% of the population from 18-49 got all five correct, while the above age 50 group managed only 26% correct.
Citation: What is it and Why Does it Matter?
Students often get confused about citing their sources and where to get help with APA, MLA and other citation formats. This video overview about citing sources might help. Please encourage students to talk to the writing center tutors or a librarian if they need assistance!
Visual Archive of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”: Race and Visuality in American Literature, Arts, Crafts, and Objects
From Monday, October 15th until January 31st, USF Libraries, Humanities Institute, and English Department present Dr. R. Ellis’s rich collection of visual art and other objects related to the 19C American abolitionist novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” by Harriet Beecher Stowe. The exhibit features surprising and unusual competing interpretations of race and ethnicity, and prompts viewers to explore the diverse understanding of race relations, the abolitionist movement, and later civil-rights movements in the United States. This historical and literary exhibit is the largest collection of objects related to Stowe’s novel. Visit the Grace Allen Room, 4th Floor, USF Library, Tampa Campus. 4202 E. Fowler Ave, Tampa, FL
Cabell’s Blacklist is Here
There currently exists a black market economy of publishing scams, typically referred to as “predatory journals.” These are journals designed to look like genuine scholarly sources, but they publish whatever an author submits in return for payment of an article processing charge (APC). The purpose of a predatory journal blacklist is to identify and call attention to such scam operations so that unsuspecting authors are not fooled into publishing in these journals. Cabell’s has been a well regarded journal directory and now offers a blacklist which the USF Libraries has purchased. It is a welcome development for scholars. Criteria for inclusion on this list are clearly set out and publicly available. Blacklist ratings are given at the journal level with indicators about violations of Cabell’s criteria. This resource should help USF Scholars in avoiding predatory, questionable, or low-quality journals.
World Inequality Database
The World Inequality Database (WID) is an open-access database of the world’s historical and current distribution of wealth and incomes within and between countries. It’s goal is to offer high quality data on issues of economic inequality and at the same time promote democratic transparency. More than 100 researchers from 70 countries contribute to this resource which is coordinated by an executive committee of five codirectors from the Paris School of Economics and the University of California Berkeley. Academics in many disciplines will find this useful because it offers visual representation of data on key indicators regarding inequality.