The GAAs, along with Kimberley and Ellen, had a review session on Thursday to go over any questions or concerns regarding journals and microforms. We thought it would be useful to post the main points of the discussion here for anyone who didn’t make it, and also with the idea that other Koerner staff might like to throw in a suggestion or make a comment.
First up, we discussed the need for GAAs to be trained on using the microform scanners. Some of us working at
night have been asked to help with the scanners, and we’re not always comfortable turning people away, particulary if it’s not very busy on the desk. This may change as we get further into the term and discover how busy it can get! We talked about the pros and cons of providing this service (scanning being complicated and time-consuming). We left it that Kimberley would raise the question with Margaret and Dorothy.
Next, we talked in brief about the microlog collection. These are the microfiche produced by the Canadian Research Index, and contain research, reports, etc from all levels of government. Thankfully, they are ALL individually catalogued. Ellen made the point that many of these same reports are available online, from 1999 to present. She suggested searching the catalogue for the title of a report, then using Google to locate it online in a PDF. Patrons usually LOVE this.
We then briefly looked at locating dissertations and theses. A good starting point is of course the Quick Start Guide off the branch homepage (Theses and Dissertations- FAQs). All UBC dissertations (but NOT theses) from 1997 are indexed in Proquest Dissertations and Theses- Full text. This is perhaps the best place to start looking. Canadian theses and dissertations from 1998-2002 are also available from the Theses Canada Portal. Most UBC theses and dissertations are in the library catalogue, and available in microfiche in their respective branch library. Print versions (pre-1991) are housed in both Rare Books and Special Collections, and their respective branch librrary.
Next we turned to some specific questions regarding ejournals/journals, with Ellen re-capping what we talked about in training. Most of us are finding the information maintained by Serials Solution to be current and helpful; we looked at a couple of specifice instances where there were glitches, particularly with E-link. One important note: the information page for an ejournal also contains a link to the print holdings, something that is sometimes confusing to users, and we looked at examples of where there were two or three links to print holdings. Best to check these as they specify a particular format (ie, micoform) or location. Also, be aware of the useful subject search from the ejournals page; users can now browse ejournals by subject area.
There have been some requests for “RG10” materials. These are government publications from the department of Indian and Northern Affairs. Some of this material is is tricky to find, and Ellen encouraged us to refer these questions to Mary or Patrick.
Lastly, Ellen reminded us of the Ulrich’s link on the ejournal’s page- useful for verifying whether that particular journal is peer-reviewed or not. This is a good tip to pass on to students.
That’s all we had time for. Bring your questions to the next session, scheduled for next Thursday October 19th, 12:15 to 1:15.