Library News

CBU's subscription to RefWorks will end on June 30, 2024.

If you have references in RefWorks that you wish to save, you will need to transfer your sources out of RefWorks by June 30, 2024.  It is easy to export collections into any other citation manager. Free citation managers include Zotero and Mendeley.  Zotero is the citation manager that Plough Library will use going forward.

Using Zotero: This page from Plough Library's Citing Sources guide has more details on how Zotero works.

If you have questions about transferring sources out of RefWorks into another citation manager, please contact Kay Cunningham, Library Director, at kay.cunningham@cbu.edu.

One of the most important skills to learn in college is how to collect and properly cite references to sources used in one's academic work. Plough Library offers help to aid students and faculty in managing citations, through the Citing Sources guide and RefWorks.

Citing Sources Guide

Plough Library's Citing Sources guide explains the why and how of citation creation and management. It covers MLA, APA, and Turabian styles, including links to tutorials, videos and quizzes for each style, as well as examples of citations for commonly cited item types.

Refworks

RefWorks is a powerful citation management tool available to all CBU faculty, staff, and students. You can use it to organize your research and generate bibliographies in APA, MLA, Turabian, and hundreds of other citation styles. RefWorks also offers add-ons for Microsoft Word and Google Docs that allow you to insert references as you write a document! Students have life-long access and may continue to use it as alumni.

The librarians at Plough Library are here to help CBU students, faculty, and staff. Here are two resources you can use from anywhere. We look forward to hearing from you!
1. Chat with a Librarian

Look for the Ask A Librarian chat on a variety of our library webpages. When you see it, just click on it to start a chat and ask a question. A librarian from Plough Library will answer your question!

• Library Homepage: look for the Ask a Librarian chat box on the lower right.
• Subject Guides & A-Z Databases pages: look for a floating chat icon on the bottom right of your screen.

2. Check out our Library FAQ, where you can:

• Search for answers to common library-related questions
• Submit a Question via an online form
• Chat with a librarian (click on the floating chat icon)
• See our contact information to call or email the library.

Welcome back to a new semester! The library has created some new tutorial videos that show how to use the library catalog, how to conduct library searches, information about citations, and how to use some of our services. Some videos also highlight how to use some of our databases.

Also new are the YouTube playlists that categorize the videos by topic area. Check them out on the Plough Library YouTube page!

All CBU 101 Students should have received emails inviting them to schedule an appointment with their Personal Librarian. 

Need help? Find your Personal Librarian and their Starfish scheduling link here.

Meeting with your Personal Librarian is one of the assignments required to complete CBU 101. It's easy! The meetings are short (15-30 minutes) and are designed to give you an introduction to library resources that you'll be able to use in all your classes here at CBU. Check your email, and be sure to complete your meeting by November 22.

This month's featured database is Credo Reference. It is a great place to start when you need background information on topics for research papers or presentations.

What is Credo Reference?

Credo Reference is a vast, online reference library where you can find speedy, simple answers and authoritative, in-depth articles. With regular updates, it includes over 3 million entries from dictionaries, bilingual dictionaries, thesauri, encyclopedias, quotations, and atlases, plus a wide range of subject-specific titles covering everything from accounting to zoology. In addition, you have access to more than 1,000 videos and animations, as well as 500,000 contextual visual aids, images, photographs and maps.

Mind Maps Feature

Search results often include an interactive Mind Map. The Mind Map dynamically displays related subjects that you can click on to help brainstorm topics for your research.

Where can I find Credo Reference?

Click on the Articles & Databases box on the library's homepage and find it in the A-Z Databases list. In addition, many of the library's Subject Guides link to Credo Reference topic pages.

Try out Credo Reference today!

Hi everyone!

I am Mark Duncan, your new Instruction and Outreach Librarian at CBU, and I am excited to help you with your library needs. I also serve as the library liaison for the Gadomski School of Engineering. I received my MS in Library and Information Science from Syracuse University in 2021 and my BA in Political Science and Religious Studies from Grinnell College in 2019. I can help with any library instruction needs, whether it be preparing a research guide for your class, referring you to your subject librarian, doing individual research consultations, or conducting library instruction sessions for your classes. I will also be coordinating some of the outreach at the library, so look forward to some exciting events! In my free time, I enjoy listening to music, playing the piano, and reading. I am excited to help the CBU community get the library resources everyone needs to succeed in their endeavors at CBU!

Plough Library has an online Information Literacy Course with dozens of short tutorials, videos, and quizzes covering all aspects of the research process. Students can browse the course activities and get quick help on any topic of interest, from choosing a research topic to citing sources in APA style. In addition, CBU faculty can easily incorporate an activity into a Canvas course.

The Information Literacy course is broken down into six categories:

1. Getting Started with Research
2. Sources of Information
3. Searching for Information
4. Evaluating Information
5. Presenting Research and Data
6. Citations and Academic Integrity

Plough Library recently added three new Critical Thinking modules, as well:

• Visual and Quantitative Literacy
• Using Critical Thinking and Logic
• Culture and Citizenship