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The last time we reported on Scholars Portal was back in the Fall 2005 issue of News You Can Use. We thought it was high time for a refresher! Exactly what do we mean when we refer to “Scholars Portal”? Established in 2002, it originally served as a huge database of full-text electronic journals (for more details, see 1. SEARCH below). Six years later, it has evolved to become the prime gateway to an ever-expanding range of online resources and services for the York University community as well as for the other 19 Ontario Council of University Libraries across the province. The Scholars Portal mandate is to provide for long-term secure archiving of resources, to ensure rapid and reliable response time for information services and resources, to provide an environment that fosters innovation and to create a network of intellectual resources by linking ideas, materials, documents and resources. Scholars Portal offers a suite of content and services that allow you to search, connect, manage and initiate interlibrary loan requests. 1. SEARCH: via Scholars Portal Search or E-Journals @ Scholars Portal Back in 2005, Scholars Portal boasted over 8,000,000 articles from over 7,000 journals. In the intervening period, those numbers have ballooned to over 13.5 Million articles from over 8,400 journals! And new content is continually being added. You have a variety of choices to search that content, either via Scholars Portal Search (two versions which offer different ways of browsing or searching) and E-Journals at Scholars Portal. Scholars Portal search (original): http://www.library.yorku.ca/eresolver/?id=61497
2. CONNECT with Find It @ York using SFX.
Look for this icon whenever you are searching Scholars Portal content (and also content from other providers). Click on it to determine whether the Libraries have the corresponding full text in either electronic or print form. If the material is not available at York, you can then go on to … 3. INITIATE an INTERLIBRARY LOAN request using RACER.
If York University Libraries does not own the item for which you are searching, try RACER (Rapid Access to Collections by Electronic Requesting) which allows you to search multiple library catalogues at once and submit an interlibrary loan request. Registration for first time users is required and can be found at http://link.library.utoronto.ca/ocul/registration_york.cfm Once registered, you can find the RACER homepage at http://racer.scholarsportal.info/zportal/zengine?VDXaction=LoginPage If you are already a RACER user, be sure to read the Update on the right. 4. MANAGE: via RefWorks
Once you’ve collected all of those references, you need something to help manage them. RefWorks is a nifty tool that will allow you to do just that. It will also facilitate the insertion of citations within a research paper as in-text references, footnotes, or endnotes, and the creation of a formatted bibliography using a citation style of choice. All major citation styles are supported (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.). For more information, see http://www.library.yorku.ca/ccm/Home/ResearchAndInstruction/citationmgmt/refworks.en NEW to Scholars Portal! ODESI: Ontario Data Documentation, Extraction Service and Infrastructure ODESI, a jointly funded project between the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) and OntarioBuys will provide university researchers with unprecedented access to a significant number of datasets in a web-based data extraction system which will be delivered through the highly successful Scholars Portal model.
Want to find out more about ODESI? Please contact: Deena Yanofsky at datalib@yorku.ca. What's Next? E-books are coming! Look for more information in the next issue of YULibrary News.
— Catherine Davidson, Associate University Librarian (Collections) |
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RACER, the Ontario interlibrary loan system, was upgraded in August. Some of the features of this recent upgrade include: » in Advanced Search, more search options such as language and format » additional searchable collections such as the Library of Congress and the National Library of Medicine (under Current Profile, select USA catalogs) » the ability to cancel a request if no longer needed » the ability to edit your account information, including changing your password (If you cannot remember your password, contact the Resource Sharing office and a staff member will reset it for you.) Faculty members who have research assistants should arrange for them to obtain a Research Assistant Library Card. This card can be used by a graduate assistant to borrow books on your behalf as well as to order material on RACER interlibrary loan. After obtaining the card from Library Circulation Services, your assistant should register on RACER using the research assistant card number. In addition, your budget number can be included in the registration to cover charges for any photocopies ordered. Information about interlibrary loan policies and procedures can be found on the Resource Sharing Department web site. |
