Wozworld's Weblog

Something for Everyone at Cook Library

wozworld — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:06:14 +0000

Yes, Spring is just around the corner, and with it comes a whole slew of new library programs to sample. From book discussions to video contests to jazz programs, there is something for everyone at Cook Library in the upcoming months. Click on this link below to see a current listing of upcoming programs. As always, there are no fees or reservations needed to attend any of our events. To see more visit http://cooklibrary.towson.edu/calendar/#events

Looking for a Few Good Plays or Playwrights

wozworld — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:00:56 +0000

In my quest to always improve library collections, I have created a survey to gather feedback on contemporary plays and playwrights. This is your big chance to add your input and see the playscripts collection at the library grow. Click on the link below and take the quick survey. If for some reason the link does not work, please email me for assistance. Use this link to get started: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/G59GCTV

Off Campus Log In for Electronic Resources Simplified – Goodbye 14 Digit ID Number

wozworld — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:03:30 +0000

With the new year, comes new procedures, and hopefully this one will make your life easier. As of today, when accessing library electronic resources from off campus (this includes e-books, all databases, and the library catalog), you now need to sign in using your Net ID and password – you will no longer need to input your 14 digit TU OneCard ID number . Once you have logged to any electronic resource as a TU affiliated person, as long as you remain in that browsing session, any subscription based product you select should open for you. You no longer need to first log in from off campus as a TU user; access to any subscription based product through password authentification provides you with universal online access. The only product not covered in this log in procedure is the ILLiad Interlibrary Loan system which is an account created by individual users and has a unique username and password that is separate from your TU library account.

As a result, by the end of this week, the prompt on the Cook Library web page (inside the Quick Tools box) that has prompted you to log in as an off campus user, will disappear. Instead, just remember to click on the product you wish to see from off campus, and log in using your NetID and password. This is the same username and password that you use to open your TU email and log in to PeopleSoft. If you have forgotten your NetID information, there is a prompt on the log in screen to help you recover it. You will no longer need to have that cumbersome 14 digit number handy. Start off the new year with one less password to have to remember along with your pets’ birthdays, your mother-in-law’s phone number, and your locker combination at the gym .

RISM (Repertoire Internationale des Sources Musicales) Now Offered on Subject Gateways to Music

wozworld — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:15:18 +0000

Once a costly subscription based resource, the RISM (Series A/II) database is now freely available on the web and is linked under both the MUSA and MUSC Subject Gateways. While the bulk of the details for each entry are in German, there is a toggle link to read the descriptions about the project and other features in English. Search by composer name and find out the location of a manuscript by your favorite composer (after the year 1600 AD), then look at an incipit (or beginning musical motive) to help you identify the work you are researching. Click on the link for the owning library and jump to their website to see if ordering scans of the original manuscripts are a possibility. Use the facets on the left side of the result screen to limit results by composer, date, and other options.

Onstage Newsletters for Dance, Music, and Theatre Arts Departments Now Published

wozworld — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 18:53:21 +0000

Better late than never, my fall 2011 editions of my Onstage newsletter are now posted and available for viewing from my web page. Use the link below and choose your department, then year of edition to read the PDF newsletter. If for some reason you cannot open the link, please let me know, and I will email you a personal copy of the newsletter. All editions of the newsletter are linked here from my website: http://pages.towson.edu/lwoznick/faculty.html. From this page, click on the link for “Onstage Newsletters” to see a drop down menu of choices.

RILM opens subscription for unlimited simultaneous users

wozworld — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 18:46:18 +0000

As of this morning, I am very happy to announce that the library’s access to the RILM database for music research now includes unlimited simultaneous user access for both on and off campus. Previously, our subscription was limited to four simultaneous users, but RILM is abolishing this pricing system. I am not sure how much our subscription will cost us when it is renewal time, but I am prepared to have to host bake sales and karioke nights if needed to pay for it. Off campus access requires authentification with TU ID information. Now there is no excuse not to have that perfect article ready for use with your MUSC 302 paper.

Library Software for Music Upgraded to 2011

wozworld — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 18:36:38 +0000

Just a quick note out there to all the library users who visit our MRS lab on the second floor to use the music notation software we have. At this point, Finale 2011 is now on two of the machines in the lab for student use. There was a question about incompatability with machines in the Music Department lab, but the problem has now been cleared up. Please spread the word as your projects can now be accessed in either location with this version of Finale.

Encyclopedia of Popular Music now Available Electronically

wozworld — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 18:52:54 +0000

Just in time for the mad rush in assembling resources for those rock and popular music papers, Cook Library is happy to announce that we now offer electronic access to the Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Colin Larkin’s classic reference work on popular music performers, composers, genres, and movements is now available electronically for use both on and off campus. Access is available through two points: visit the Subject Gateway for Music (or Music Education, or Applied Music) and in the “Electronic Encyclopedias and Dictionaries” box, scroll down to the title and click directly to open. If you are already searching in Oxford Music Online, The Encyclopedia of Popular Music will now appear as a selected title in the basic search mode, and results found from the general search will be shown. Access through the Subject Gateway links includes unlimited simultaneous users, so whenever possible, please open the title by that route. The interface is easy to use and the set appears here as part of the Oxford Digital Reference Shelf collection. Searching the title as part of an Oxford Music Online search will take up one of the four simultaneous user limits provided by the database, so be sure to exit as soon as you are finished searching.

Electronic Edition of the Chicago Manual of Style now Available through Cook Library Website

wozworld — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 12:36:26 +0000

Attention all CMS fanatics: Cook Library has now purchased electronic access to the Chicago Manual of Style. This electronic version is fully accessible from both on and off campus and has unlimited simultaneous users. Visit the Cook Library web site and click on “Citing Sources” in the Quick Tools box, then scroll down to the links for Chicago Manual of Style and click on those exact words to open the ebook. Both the current 16th edition and the previous 15rh edition are available for searching. Use the query box and type in a term and the result list will bring back any text that includes your term. The Q and A section alone is worth its weight in gold and provides answers to nitty gritty questions often not found in the manual. Users can also submit their own questions to the editors of CMS and look for a response in this column. Also linked is the CMS Quick Guide which is a brief, concise cheat sheet for basic citation examples. The ebook is also linked directly in the library catalog – just open the entry noted as an “electronic resource” and click on the Find it button for access.

New Semester, New Office Hours in Center for the Arts

wozworld — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 12:25:20 +0000

Welcome back to a new and exciting semester. Is it possible that it is almost October? Time flies, and I find myself starting my office hours in Center for the Arts. I will next be in CFA on Tuesday, October 11 at 11:30 AM until 1 PM. You can find me sitting in the cafe/atrium area armed with my trusty laptop and tabletop signs. I will be visiting on alternating Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, and no appointments are needed. Just swing by and say hi or sit and bring your sandwich, and we can chat about library related stuff or really anything that is on your mind. If this time does not fit your schedule, please let me know, and I will set up a personal appointment for you.