New Video Tutorial: Using the Find It Button

One of the most frequent questions we receive at the library is how to use the Find It button. We have developed a short video that explains what Find It does and does not do, how it works and its three main uses. A basic explanation of Find It is included below; if you would like a more thorough version, check out the video tutorial.

Important Qualities of Find It

• Automatically checks from the databases to see if an online access point is available to an article in your library.
• Offers to check the library catalog for a print copy of the journal.
• Simplifies Interlibrary Loan requests by filling in the article information for you.
• Does not ever link to directly to the full text of an article, rather it shows you places where you can access the full text.
• Does not show up in full text databases. Using the Find It Button

You can view this video, along with many other library service videos at the Video Tutorial page available from the USF Library Homepage.

Fill your Halloween Horror Fix at USF Library.

Scary books and movies are available to borrow from USF Library to help set the scene for a fright-filled Halloween. Many horror movies are on display by the reference desk; to check for others, pick an option from this listing of horror theme materials at USF Library.

Library Closed Friday, Oct. 23

The USF Library will be closed Friday October 23 to honor the Feast of St. Francis.  Hours will remain the same for the rest of the week. If you have any questions, please contact the reference desk.

National Information Literacy Awareness Month

A campaign to have the White House declare an official Information Literacy Month has recently met success with Pres. Obama proclaiming October to the National Information Literacy Month. The statement notes how the overwhelming abundance of information requires citizens to have an increased ability to evaluate and understand information that was not required by previous generations.

Every day, we are inundated with vast amounts of information. A 24-hour news cycle and thousands of global television and radio networks, coupled with an immense array of online resources, have challenged our long-held perceptions of information management. Rather than merely possessing data, we must also learn the skills necessary to acquire, collate, and evaluate information for any situation. This new type of literacy also requires competency with communication technologies, including computers and mobile devices that can help in our day-to-day decisionmaking. National Information Literacy Awareness Month highlights the need for all Americans to be adept in the skills necessary to effectively navigate the Information Age.

See the full statement.