Database Demonstrations from Greenwood Publishing

MLNC and Greenwood publishing are excited to offer our members demonstrations of two of Greenwood’s database suites on Thursday April 3rd.   

Join us at 10:00am for a demonstration of The American Mosaic.  Greenwood’s American Mosaic suite of databases, including The African American Experience and The Latino American Experience, celebrates America’s multiethnic heritage and provides new perspectives and a clearer understanding of the challenges and triumphs of America’s minorities. Whether used as individual modules or as a cross-searchable collection, The American Mosaic is an in-depth tool for students, patrons, and researchers. With over 100 lesson plans, it is also a unique resource for teachers. Built upon an unparalleled library of scholarly and reference titles, The American Mosaic also offers a wealth of primary sources that allow multiethnic Americans to speak for themselves.  The African American Experience and The Latino American Experience will soon be followed by rich modules on Asian and Native Americans, among others. All modules are available for purchase individually, or may be combined into a fully cross-searchable integrated resource. Volume discounts are available. 

At 11:00am we will look at the Daily Life Online.  Greenwood Daily Life Online explores everyday life past and present. What did people eat, wear, use? What did they hope, invent, sing? We spend most of our lives preoccupied with mundane but essential things. Our activities rarely rise to the level of greatness, and that was true in the past as well. If we are to understand history, we must look at people’s everyday lives. Greenwood Daily Life Online brings history up close by providing award-winning content in an authoritative and accessible database. 

For more information and to sign up for either demonstration visit http://www.mlnc.org/workshops. MLNC will be offering more database demonstrations throughout the spring.  If you have any questions or suggestions please email us at asia@mlnc.org or call 1-800-969-6562 x814.

Licensing agreements: what you need to know-workshop

Missouri Library Network Corporation is pleased to announce an exciting addition to our workshop calendar.  We hope that you will join us in St. Louis on July 23, 2008 for “Licensing Agreements: What You Need to Know”As research collections move more and more completely into the online environment, where access to them is governed by license agreements, it’s becoming more and more essential for librarians to understand those agreements and to be both willing and able to negotiate their terms. Among other topics and experiences, attendees at this workshop will be introduced to the basics of contract law and the special characteristics of license agreements; will examine specific examples of “good” and “bad” licenses; will learn how to recognize potential problems in licenses; and will practice applying negotiation techniques.

The focus will be on acquiring practical, real-world skills that will help prepare attendees to protect their libraries’ (and patrons’) interests by dealing professionally and effectively with publishers and vendors.

This workshop is presented by Rick Anderson. Anderson is an expert on license agreements and currently the Associate Director for Scholarly Resources and Collections, Marriott Library, University of Utah. He is the author of several journal articles and the book “Buying and Contracting for Resources and Services: A How-to-Do-It Manual for Librarians.”

To find out more and to register for this workshop go to http://www.mlnc.org/workshops

Reference databases at MLNC-survey

As a past or current member of the Missouri Library Network Corporation we are interested in getting your opinion on Reference Databases. If you have a few minutes (really, it’s very short) please complete the survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=odRqZZ6InPQ63hhZHRSXRw_3d_3d. We look forward to hearing your opinions and appreciate your input.All participants are eligible to win a free Playaway.Thank you for your time and consideration.

February issue of QuickFlash now available

The February issue of QuickFlash is available. Highlights include:

• MLNC has a new blog! Visit us at http://pipeup.mlnc.org or subscribe to the RSS feed at http://feeds.feedburner.com/MLNCPipesUp.
• MLNC and Thieme Medical Publishers are pleased to offer our members a 5% discount on Thieme ElectronicBook Library. A full title list as well as forthcoming titles are available at http://www.thieme.com/dyn/ebooklibrary/index.php. MLNC will run a free trial of these resources in the early spring, more details will be forthcoming. For more information about Thieme ElectronicBook Library, visit http://www.mlnc.org/electronic/thieme.
• OCLC is presenting an online Local Holdings user group meeting on February 7, 2008 at 2 p.m. EST. This virtual meeting will present special guest speakers to discuss the many aspects of Local Holdings and how it can benefit you and your library. An update on OCLC Local Holdings will also be presented. Register at http://www.oclc.org/info/localholdings/.
• OCLC Custom Cataloging can increase the visibility of your scholarly documents. They are offering a 15% discount on the cataloging of theses and dissertations ordered by March 31, 2008. For more details, visit http://www.oclc.org/info/theses/.
• WorldCat Resource Sharing introduced a new print layout for one- and two-per-page printing in January. This layout will allow library staff an easier-to-read format for printed requests and will resolve issues with reading barcodes printed using Netscape and Firefox. Instructions for customizing your browser settings are in this issue of QuickFlash.

Also in this issue: new McGraw-Hill databases; new Springer WorldCat Collection Sets; updates on QuestionPoint; ALA presentations online; and more!