As we all know, every student is typically occupied with either conducting research or making daily life decisions. We are often unsure if our work is legitimate or not and always require someone’s opinion or review. We conduct extensive research before making decisions, whether it is choosing a major for our course of study, watching a movie, or selecting a restaurant for dinner. We frequently rely on the reviews section to gain knowledge or opinions. Through the internet, it is effortless to grasp the opinions of millions of people. This text, generated by opinions, has created a new area in the field of data science known as sentiment analysis. Many organizations and businesses rely on the extracted sentiment from these texts to enhance their performance by understanding the impact and launches of their products and services through public opinion.
A picture representing positive and negative emotions. Image by Arthi Reddy Annadi
Sentiment analysis, also known as opinion mining, subjectivity analysis, and appraisal extraction, is associated with computational linguistics, natural language processing, and text mining. It is a field that studies emotions ranging from psychology to judgment using data mining and computational linguistic tools (Mejova, 2009).
Application of sentiment analysis
Sentiment analysis is a key component in a wide range of applications. The area where consumer goods and services are evaluated is part of the most used application (Feldman, 2013). The two main platforms for sentiment analysis apps are Twitter and Facebook. Usage by businesses to track their brand on various social media sites is its most common application.
When locating pertinent resources:
Students can choose pertinent sources with the use of sentiment analysis. Choosing which sources to use is one of the biggest problems that students run across when conducting research. Sentiment analysis can be quite useful in this situation. Students can type in their area of interest to find reviews, social media posts, or survey results including their keywords. By acting sentimentally, they can choose which sources to use based on their sentiment by conducting sentiment analysis on this data.
The process of “summarizing the data.”
Data summary is aided by sentiment analysis. Students can summarize their findings without losing the core idea thanks to sentiment analysis’s “summary generation” capability. They can do their task more effectively and more neatly while also saving time. Additionally, summarization aids in message delivery. The “Google Product Search” is a famous illustration of this (Feldman, 2013). Sentiment analysis can assist students in locating attitudes and opinions expressed in huge collections of text data. Students may use sentiment analysis to learn how others feel about a certain subject, good, or service, for example. For instance, a student researching consumer behavior can examine internet reviews of a good or service using sentiment analysis to learn more.
Similarly, a student studying social issues can use sentiment analysis to examine tweets and Facebook postings to learn about people’s thoughts and feelings regarding the topic. “Tweetfeel.com” is an application that analyzes tweets in real time (Feldman, 2013). To effectively identify the problems and make data-driven decisions, a student can use these tools and approaches in their study or data analysis.
I hope this information is helpful and that you find it relevant to your potential use of sentiment analysis in future research endeavors. If you have any questions or feedback, please do not hesitate to contact Ask Us at askus@unt.edu.
References
Feldman, R. (2013, Apr 1,). Techniques and applications for sentiment analysis. Communications of the ACM, 56, 82-89. 10.1145/2436256.2436274 http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=2436274
Mejova, Y. (2009). Sentiment analysis: An overview. University of Iowa, Computer Science Department.
The University of North Texas contains an abundance of databases, which assists students in browsing through the best library databases for research. These databases provide access to many useful research materials ranging from articles, full text journals, abstracts, and e-books. UNT libraries has 644 databases available covering various topics, 38 of which are designed for information science students. Students may not be aware, but they have full access to all these resources.
Out of the 38 databases available for information science, a few of the most prominently used ones are mentioned below:
It is an online research platform utilized by millions of users and thousands of institutions. This interface provides access to e-journals and e-books. It is one of the most useful databases as it assists in identifying publications and journals based on the subject area. It is freely accessible to students through their institution if they subscribe to it.
It is a catalog of books and plethora of materials worldwide available through FirstSearch. It does not contain individual articles, newspapers, magazines, journals, stand-alone articles, but consists of over 179 million records which cover around 400 languages. It is operated by OCLC.INC, the WorldCat is the world’s largest bibliographic database and is maintained by the OCLC member libraries (Oswald, 2017). As research becomes more specific, WorldCat comes in the picture when you need to look or resources beyond UNT.
Science Direct is a peer reviewed database of scientific and medical publications, which includes thousands of open access articles. It supports the research and educational missions of academic institutions through access to peer reviewed literature. The database helps students discover new insights with greater efficiency and effectiveness. “ScienceDirect offers content from four major subject areas: physical sciences and engineering, life sciences, health sciences, and social sciences and humanities” (University Libraries). Several open-access journals are also published on ScienceDirect.
EBSCO host is a provider of academic search complete. It is one of the leading resources for scholarly research, which provides a collection of scholarly texts with full coverage for over 10,500 journals for all subject areas which include humanities, social sciences, computer sciences, education etc (University Libraries). It supports students with diverse projects or papers. This database helps students develop analytical abilities and critical thinking through practical learning by increasing their knowledge and comprehension on a certain subject or field.
It is a global abstracting and indexing tool made for information specialists. It was originally published by the Library Association, Bowker-Saur began publishing it in 1991. Subject coverage covers all aspects given below: Knowledge management,
librarianship, information technology, information management, library technology and online information retrieval.
To access the above databases users must visit the UNT libraries page.They will find multiple options available on the left-hand side of the page under “Start your research.” Students must select the menu item “Databases” which leads them to either browse by subject or search for their own. They would then need to click on browse subjects and enter “Information sciences” to get access to the information science databases.
One lesser-known fact on the University Libraries homepage is that a plethora of databases are tucked under the left sidebar on the Discover site. The University of North Texas is paying for these databases for student and faculty perusal—free of charge! There are over 600 databases in total, all packed to the brim with various types of information. Out of all the databases offered by UNT Libraries, we contain a repository of 30 online video databases.
To access the video databases, a user must click on the Databases sidebar on the Discover page at library.unt.eduand press enter in the blank search bar. From there, the user will locate the “All Database Types” drop-down menu towards the top-left of the database directory page and click on “Online Video” so that only the video databases will be available. There is a wide variety to choose from for the user’s browsing perusal. From here, the user can click on the “all subjects” drop-down menu to narrow the pool into a particular topic of interest, or simply skim through the descriptions beside each to locate one that piques their curiosity.
As this selection may still feel overwhelming, here follows a quick tour of just a few delightful offerings from these video resources:
Screenshot of the Kanopy Database as provided by UNT Libraries. Search bar is on the topmost-left side of the screen. Accessed from https://www.kanopy.com/en/unt/
KANOPY
Are subscriptions to streaming services becoming too pricey for your liking? Kanopy hosts a vast array of documentaries, animations, and other films for your perusal. Between many subject options, such as Anthropology, Medicine, and Art, there are also Award-Winning categories to choose from. If there’s a specific movie in mind that you can’t locate, you can even fill out a request form on Kanopy’s website. Find new favorites and expand your learning with Kanopy’s streaming platform.
Screenshot of Ambrose Video 2.0 licensed videos for the University of North Texas. The search bar is in the top-left corner of the screen. Accessed from https://www.ambrosevideo.com/institutional-access
AMBROSE VIDEO
Ambrose Video 2.0 serves as a hub for multiple historical documentaries on a variety of subjects, but it most notably contains the entire BBC produced collection of Shakespearean plays, broken up by acts and including closed captioning. From the comfort of your own home, you can watch any of these high-quality Shakespearean productions for free with access to this database. Other subjects include classic European musical composers, American author documentaries from 1650, a history of Western artworks, and a series of nature documentaries. All these resources come included with student and/or faculty access to the University Libraries.
Screenshot of the Psychotherapy.net database as provided by the University of North Texas. The search bar is in the top-right corner of the screen. Accessed from https://www.psychotherapy.net/stream/unt
PSYCHOTHERAPY
Psychotherapy.netfeatures a multitude of therapy video resources, such as lecture topics, interviews, and other examples and strategies. One prominent source is the “Mastery in Minutes” section, wherein quick bite-sized videos packed with instructions help ease a viewer into honing some of these therapeutic techniques, backed by interviews with real people. Other instructional videos include trauma deep-dives, suicidal client interventions, and emotional assessments. These topics would be of high interest to students in the counseling field, but they are also available for the curious layperson who may like to pick up a few psychological skills.
Screenshot of the HistoryMakers database, access granted by the University of North Texas. Search bar is located on upper-middle-left side of screen. Accessed from https://da.thehistorymakers.org/home
THE HISTORYMAKERS
The HistoryMakers Digital Archive functions as both a cataloged site of interviews and a source of biographic information covering thousands of African Americans from a wide variety of life circumstances. A user can search via category if interested in reading about and listening to interviews with people under a certain topical interest, such as historical values (food, neighborhood), biographical themes (spirituality, hopes and dreams, personal identity), and interview qualities (passion, type of narrative). A user can select any and as many of these filters as they desire in order to curate the best viewing experience for themselves. The interviews are cut into under-five-minute segments, easy to watch in quick bursts. This website stands as a monument to Black history and identity for a people whose voices have historically and systemically been silenced; HistoryMakers is rich with powerful and moving personal experiences.
Access 60 Minutes: 1997-2014to immerse yourself in a brief historical news section. These saved recording clips are quick and easy to jump in and out of for the aspiring journalist or other curious viewer. For a more in-depth look at a piece of history, whether it is a startling spring storm in Japan from 2011 or a striking interview with an everyday person, 60 Minutes contains troves of fact-backed news segments to learn from. Keep in mind that the specific time period UNT has access to is between 1997 and 2014, so you will not find very recent information here, but it is great for a jump to the relative past.
There’s lots more to uncover when you delve through the video databases of UNT Libraries. Search for topics of your own interest and learn to your heart’s content with the resources provided by your tuition. If you encounter any further questions while perusing the databases or come up with another query entirely, don’t hesitate to Ask Usabout it!
Academic libraries have been a target of the national book ban crisis. There has been a proliferation of books that have been subjected to censorship in the last few years, especially books that deal with imperative topics such as gender identity, race, abortion, and sexuality. Books authored by individuals who are BIPOC (black, Indigenous, and people of color) are heavily under attack and face unfair, unjust scrutiny. Particularly, in the state of Texas, school libraries have faced many challenges regarding the works within their institutions: “Texas banned more books from school libraries this past year than any other state in the nation, targeting titles centering on race, racism, abortion, and LGBTQ representation and issues, according to a new analysis by PEN America, a nonprofit organization advocating for free speech” (Lopez, 2022).
So, what is the big deal? Students are losing access to literature that grapples with topics they may be struggling with in their own lives. Having a piece of literature that allows students to explore and navigate the thoughts, feelings, and emotions they are experiencing, through characters and authors, gives them comfort and a safe space. Libraries are supposed to be the home of information; a place that demolishes barriers and welcomes knowledge. Academic libraries are the embodiment of intellectual freedom. Questioning why things are the way they are is at the heart of education.
Books face removal because they are considered potentially dangerous by individuals who feel a misguided sense of moral obligation, as we have seen especially here in Texas. However, lawmakers seem to disagree. “[Rep. Matt] Krause, a member of the hardline conservative Texas House Freedom Caucus who is also running for state attorney general, included in his inquiry a roughly 850-book list that included novels about racism and sexuality and asked the districts to identify which of those books were available on school campuses” (Pollock, 2021). It is important to note, that many of the lawmakers who are trying to restrict access to books, and moreover, restrict freedom of thought, have never worked with the education system or academia.
The American Library Association released the “Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2021.” These ten titles “are only a snapshot of book challenges,” meaning that these are only a handful of the works that the Office for Intellectual Freedom have deemed “the most challenged.” (ALA, 2021). According to the ALA (2021), these titles included:
UNT Libraries has made it a priority to not shy away from titles that are challenged. Having each of these ten titles in the catalog demonstrates that academic libraries, like UNT, are making a stand for books. By having these books in UNT Libraries’ collections allows the precedent to be set that student’s rights are important, and censorship does not belong in the library space.
The University of North Texas celebrates the freedom to read. Each year, the American Library Association holds “Banned Book Week,” which UNT Libraries has participated in hosting. UNT Libraries has a Banned Book Guide, which explores what Banned Book Week is and its history. It also offers trivia and videos about the most challenged books and why they are challenged.
Conclusively, it is obvious that representation matters. Representation that is found within the stories of books promotes learning, inclusivity, and growth. Consider checking out a banned, or censored, book from UNT Libraries.
It is a new semester, and with it comes a new season of events held at the UNT Libraries. This is not an exhaustive list- the libraries add new events to its calendar on a regular basis- but the following are events which may be of particular interest to graduate students here at UNT.
The Eagle Thesis & Dissertation Boot Camp is continuing this semester; these boot camps are intended to be distraction-free and provide uninterrupted writing time for students working on their thesis or dissertation. Later boot camps scheduled for this semester will be held on March 31st from 8:00AM to 6PM and a third one on May 3 from 8:00AM to 6PM. The boot camp is held Willis 250H.
The Libraries are continuing our Family Study Hour events; the Family Study Hour events are intended to provide students who have families the opportunity to have direct research and resource assistance and the ability to focus on their studies their children use our new family kits, kid-sized bean bags, and kid-sized desks. The remaining Family Study Hours for the semester will be held in Willis 250H on March 25 at 9:30AM and then April 26 at 2PM.
The Access Services department GSAs has two Spring semester workshops; the first on March 2nd was Google Like a Scholar, where workshop participants learned how to effectively use Google and Google Scholar for more effective searches for not just research but everyday usage. If you are interested in the PowerPoint or Zoom recording for Google Like a Scholar, reach out to AskUs@unt.edu to request a copy. The second workshop, Know Your News, will run on March 23rd, from 2:00PM to 3:00PM. This workshop is intended to teach participants how to recognize what information resources are reliable and which ones are suspect and provide strategies on recognizing bias and how to think critically about news and information sources.
The UNT Libraries will be hosting several events for Campus Pride Week, which runs from March 27 to March 31st. Tabling will be held inside Willis Library’s first floor lobby on Monday from 11AM to 1PM. On Tuesday, a Queers and Allies Zine Making workshop will be held from 2PM to 4PM in Willis 250H. On Wednesday, there will be multiple events: “But I’m a Cheerleader” will be screened at the Media Library in Chilton Hall from 12PM to 1:30PM. In Willis Library the Queer it Yourself! Button Making @ the Spark event will be held from 2PM to 4PM on the first floor by the Spark desk. LGBTQ+ Bingo will be held from 6PM to 7PM both in person in Willis 250H and online. On Thursday, Sycamore Library will have Pride Storytime from 4PM to 5PM.
As a different activity that will be held the same week as Campus Pride Week, Willis Library’s Access Services is planning to host a Make Your own Bookmark event on March 28th, from 12-2PM on the Library Mall outside of Willis Library, weather permitting. During this event, participants are welcome to create their own bookmarks for personal use and can ask any questions they might have about various library services.
On the 14th of April, the UNT Libraries will be sponsoring the 2023 Open Access Symposium with the Texas State University Libraries. This is an all-day virtual event, from 9AM to 4PM, with a focus on new federal initiatives that support Open Science and public access to research that is federally funded. It will include an afternoon panel of faculty who create and use Open Educational Resources or open textbook in their courses.
On April 18th, the UNT Libraries will be hosting its own student symposium: the Student Snapshots Library Conference. This will be in Willis Library in 250H. The student symposium will feature and showcase services, technologies, projects, and unique resources in different UNT Library departments that student workers have worked on and will present on in a variety of formats. This is not just a unique opportunity for student workers to present in, but for graduate students and students interested in graduate school to attend and explore to learn not just about library resources and what the library does, but also gain experience in how symposiums are ran and what they look like.
Finally, there are the Spark workshops. The Spark has its own various workshops that cover different technological resources and software available through the Spark, UNT’s computer labs as well as free online resources; their main workshop series for Spring 2023 is Creating Comics, and as of the writing of this blog post they have a variety of introductory courses for March scheduled at Discovery Park, Willis Library, and Frisco Landing.
Did this blog help you learn about events and workshops you might be interested in at the library for Spring 2023? Let us know in the comments! Please contact AskUs if you have questions about library services and events.
Writing a thesis or dissertation can seem like a daunting task. Regardless of your area of study, taking on a major project can feel overwhelming and intense. However, UNT Libraries has a variety of resources graduate students can use when writing these papers.
LibGuides
If you are wondering where to even start, UNT Libraries has a thesis and dissertation LibGuide available for students to reference. This guide serves as an introduction to theses and dissertations and can connect you to library and on campus resources that can be of assistance. In addition, there are also guides related to finding tests and assessments to support your research. UNT Libraries has a multitude of articles, databases, and books where these assessments can be found, and the guides help to navigate these resources and find what you are looking for.
Knowing what library resources are related to your academic field can also help set you up to be successful. UNT Libraries provides LibGuides for different fields of study to help you navigate the variety of resources found in the catalog. Not only do these guides pertain to specific courses, but they also include relevant information related to academic sub-fields that can advance your research. Within each guide, you can find different kinds of content and formats of materials.
Finding Theses & Dissertations
UNT Libraries also enables access to online collections of theses and dissertations. One of these includes the UNT Theses and Dissertations Collection through the UNT Digital Library. This collection has a variety of publications created by UNT students and currently sits at nearly 21,000 items. You can search this collection by time period, area of the world, degree discipline, and academic department. This can help you get connected to student research within your field, and help you identify research gaps.
Similarly, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global has millions of publications, with the oldest in their collection being dated 1637. This database can expand your access to available research coming from graduate students across the globe.
Know Your Subject Librarian
Subject librarians are experts in their field and have extensive knowledge pertaining to what resources the library has for their academic department. In addition, subject librarians are here to meet with you to discuss your research options and answer any questions you may have about your studies. UNT Libraries provides a directory for subject librarians, and you can search for them by your college or department. They are always here to help, so never hesitate to connect with yours!
UNT Libraries has many resources pertaining to writing and conducting research and is here to help you be successful. If you have any research questions for your thesis or dissertation, please contact AskUs or your subject librarian.
References
Barham, R. (2023, February 10). Dissertations and theses. UNT Libraries.
Being a student, one has needs to pursue knowledge at greater depth and in all aspects. They are owed to utilize benefits and resources provided by their college. Taking advantage of the resources given can help students become successful. Students currently enrolled in the University of North Texas have free access to many knowledge resources you might not be aware of. These knowledge resources can be extremely beneficial if you are looking to develop your skills and knowledge base in various domains of your interest ranging from professional and technical skills on demand to personality development skills. Below is the list of free knowledge resources.
NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTIONS
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ):The Wall Street Journal is an American business-focused international newspaper based in New York. WSJ is a leading source of information and news in business, economics, and finance known for providing facts, data, and information (The WSJ, 2021). As a UNT student, you are eligible for a one-year free online subscription. Use your free subscription to keep yourself updated with market trends, curated articles, podcasts, and news. Along with unlimited free access to WSJ.com, students can utilize the Student Hub a place to find students’ content on professional development, personal finance, and work-life balance (Wall Street Journal – Career Development Resources, 2022).
The New York Times: The American daily newspaper based in New York City is a dedicated resource for people to understand the world through deep and expertized independent journalism (NYTCO, 2022). UNT students can create a free account for New York Times using their UNT email address to view the daily articles online through their basic subscription.
WEBSITES FOR ONLINE LEARNING
LinkedIn Learning: LinkedIn Learning offers numerous instructional videos covering topics such as business, technology, and creative skills (LinkedIn learning, 2022). Each course duration typically ranges from a few minutes to hours. A professional certificate will be received from LinkedIn Learning after completing the course. The professional certificates can then be added to your LinkedIn profile to show your qualifications to potential employers. Create your account using your UNT student email address to get started with the learning.
Coursera MOOC: UNT has partnered with Coursera, one of the leading online platforms for higher education (dmw0285, 2022). Through this partnership, students can take a wide variety of noncredit massive open online courses (MOOCs), specializations, and degree programs. This opportunity helps you to develop skills and earn certificates that you can add to your professional profiles such as LinkedIn. Create a free Coursera MOOC account using your student email address to get started.
Coursera Career Academy: UNT, Google, and Coursera have teamed up to launch Career Academy, which offers a wide range of professional certification programs from companies including Google, IBM, and Meta (dmw0285, 2022). All UNT students, staff, and faculty are welcome to participate in this program. These specialized programs are self-paced. If you want to enhance your resume and earn credit from top industry programs, take advantage of this opportunity.
TEXTBOOKS
There are many ways to access textbooks for free on the internet. Some of which include Course reserves from UNT Libraries, Haithi Trust, Google books, Open Library, Project Gutenberg, and Interlibrary Loan (Madison, 2021). You can find more information on legal way of accessing the free textbooks at https://blogs.library.unt.edu/scholar-speak/2021/01/31/6-legal-ways-to-find-free-textbooks/
OTHER STUDENT SUBSCRIPTIONS
Amazon Prime: For the first six months, Amazon Prime offers two-day free shipping and later at a large discount when you sign up as a Prime student. Amazon Prime Student membership includes access to over 500,000 free eBooks (Amazon Prime Student, 2022).
LinkedIn Premium: The first six months of LinkedIn Premium membership is free with the Student Prime Membership (Amazon Prime Student, 2022). Later, you can continue receiving services at a large discount. Having a LinkedIn Premium account allows one to connect and network with the top recruiters and people of other interests, one can get the advantage of personally reaching out to the members in their network for professional endeavors.
Jobscan: The process of revising a resume for every job application is crucial. Resume scanners provide a quick and effortless way to do so. You can revise your resume according to the job description by using Jobscan. Students can use the regular version of this website for free up to a certain limit of revisions.
Brents, M. (2022, January 31). 6(Legal) Ways to Find Free Textbooks. Scholar Speak. https://blogs.library.unt.edu/scholar-speak/2021/01/31/6-legal-ways-to-find-free-textbooks/
dmw0285. (2022, November 14). Coursera MOOC. UNT Online. https://online.unt.edu/coursera/coursera#coursera_career_academy
Dow Jones & Company. (2021, October 22). WSJ Students. The Wall Street Journal. https://education.wsj.com/students/
The New York Times Company. (n.d.). The NYTCO. https://www.nytco.com/company/
University of North Texas Career Center. (2022, February 22). Wall Street Journal – Career development resources. https://careercenter.unt.edu/resources/wall-street-journal-career-development-resources
Today’s post is concerning first-generation university students in graduate school and goes into resources and opportunities that are available to them from the UNT Libraries.
First-generation students experience new challenges upon entering university, and many universities, including UNT, recognize this, and attempt to provide resource centers that are meant for their needs. Even with resources, first-generation students tend to experience less on-campus participation, use fewer university services, and graduate at lower rates compared to their peers from families with parents that already possess a bachelor’s degree (Tobolowsky et al., 2017). Continuing higher education beyond a bachelor’s can be especially challenging with many first-generation students coming from families that often expect them to “continue to live at home and carry out family duties,” while in school and then enter the workforce after finishing their bachelor’s (Martinez, 2018, p. 5).
Students coming from first-generation backgrounds frequently meet situations that are outside of what they are used to or expect, which can lead to a loss of opportunities and academic challenges (Smolarek, 2019). Many of these resources are not intended for graduate students, who find themselves dealing with greater differences in socialization and dealing with the “hidden curriculum” and differing expectations that become issues at the graduate school level (Collins & Jehangir, 2021, p. 61). Combined, these aspects impact graduate school entrances and these rates drop significantly for first-generation students from lower income backgrounds (Willison & Gibson, 2011).
While the UNT Libraries cannot stop those hurdles from existing, many of the resources it has for assisting graduate students can be especially useful for first-generation students, who may still be learning how to navigate academia and graduate school by offering connections to library staff, other peers, events, and resources that can help.
The UNT Libraries are a regular host to many events, and one of those events is the Eagle Thesis & Dissertation Boot Camp, which is run by the Toulouse Graduate School. This boot camp is meant to provide graduate students with a place and ability to focus on their thesis or dissertation without any external distractions. For graduate students desiring a less intense writing group for working on it, as of Fall 2022 the library is excited to host a weekly writing group that is likely to continue in Spring 2023.
One useful resource the libraries provide is a variety of workshops every semester; some are specifically directed towards graduate-level students, such as the workshops the libraries held in October 2022: “What the Libraries Can Do for You” and “Academic Integrity”. The Spark hosts technology workshops throughout the year not just the equipment they provide— such as their 3D printers and cameras— but software such as Photoshop and InDesign.
A valuable resource offered by the libraries is the research services offered not just through Ask us, but the libraries’ Subject Librarians. As we develop as students and progress through our education, we increasingly find ourselves met by different roadblocks: time, how to find specific materials, the required knowledge for using library resources or pursuing scholarly writing and achieving communication at a deeper level. While many of these things are possible to learn on our own, our Subject Librarians are here to help with these issues, especially at the graduate student level.
The Interlibrary Loan system (ILL) offers many ways to gain access to books and articles needed as graduate students, whether the resource is located at another library or in Denton while you are working on your program online or finishing your thesis elsewhere. While the UNT Libraries do not have access to everything you might need, ILL is able to request many of those resources for you. ILL can additionally provide digital copies of journal articles and book chapters the library physically possesses if you only require specific portions of a journal or book.
Through our Distance Learning services, ILL is additionally able to ship materials out to students at no charge. This can be especially useful for us as graduate students if you are doing your program remotely but need a physical book the library has or are working on your thesis or dissertation.
The libraries additionally offer research fellowships; these fellowships are meant for faculty, graduate students, and independent researchers and are intended to assist in research with a preference for research that will lead to publication. These fellowships are related to items found in Special Collections or as part of the Portal to Texas History. The knowledge that these options exist is important, even if the specific form it takes is not necessarily something applicable to you at the time.
One last resource from the library is this blog; Scholar Speak is an academics-oriented blog written and run by graduate students with an intended audience of other graduate students. While this entry is only able to cover a portion of the resources available, Scholar Speak has entries dating back to Spring 2019 that explain Interlibrary Loan in detail, locate free textbooks, how to understand the Library of Congress Call Number system or utilize TexShare, along with plenty of other resources and information regarding the libraries.
As first-generation students, it is easy to feel disconnected from campus, and as a result, fall through the cracks; we are less likely to seek aid or use campus resources in our undergraduate studies, and much of this follows us through to our years as graduate students. Even if we succeed independently, this can still result in us encountering things we are not prepared for or know how to handle, especially at the master’s or doctoral level and changes in expectations. Though these are things we can usually struggle through or self-teach, the most vital lesson for us at the graduate level is learning when and how to seek assistance from not just our current peers, but our future colleagues.
Did this blog help you learn about the resources available to you as a graduate student? Let us know your comments! Please contact Ask Us if you have any questions about library services.
References:
Ames, A. (2021, October 20). Understanding the library of congress call number system. Scholar Speak. Retrieved November 13, 2022, from https://blogs.library.unt.edu/scholar-speak/2021/10/15/understanding-the-library-of-congress-call-number-system/
Collins, K., & Jehangir, R. (2021). Mapping a new frontier: Graduate student socialization for first-generation students. The Good Society, 30(1-2), 48–70. https://doi.org/10.5325/goodsociety.30.1-2.0048
Dahl, S. (2022, April 29). Using TexShare to the fullest. Scholar Speak. Retrieved November 13, 2022, from https://blogs.library.unt.edu/scholar-speak/2022/04/29/using-texshare-to-the-fullest/
Martinez, A. (2018). Pathways to the professoriate: The experiences of first-generation Latino undergraduate students at Hispanic serving institutions applying to doctoral programs. Education Sciences, 8(1), 32. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci8010032
Tobolowsky, B. F., Cox, B. E., & Chunoo, V. S. (2017). Bridging the cultural gap: Relationships between programmatic offerings and first-generation student benchmarks. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 22(2), 273–297. https://doi.org/10.1177/1521025117742377
Willison, S., & Gibson, E. (2011). Graduate School Learning Curves: Mcnair scholars’ postbaccalaureate transitions. Equity & Excellence in Education, 44(2), 153–168. https://doi.org/10.1080/10665684.2011.558416
Academic libraries, such as the UNT Library system, are renowned for their provision of access to millions of resources. The plethora of scholarly articles and other research materials serve to promote student success in the classroom and in their fields of study. However, maybe academic library collections are undeveloped in one clear area, leisure reading materials. Given the purpose that academic libraries serve, it might be odd to consider these institutions serving students in a way that’s not “scholarly.” Libraries at colleges and universities spend millions of dollars on their collections already, so why devote resources to recreational reading materials that students are not referencing in their research papers?
Scholars have suggested that academic libraries can see different kinds of benefits upon the acquisition of a developed leisure book collection. Investment in these materials can serve as an asset to both university libraries and their patrons. Holistically, it is beneficial to academics, and it is popular. Some academic libraries, like the library of St. Francis Xavier University, have partnered up with local public libraries to test the success of incorporating leisure materials into their collection without cutting into the acquisition budget. This study subsequently revealed the popularity of these books, with the circulation rate of the leisure section tripling that of scholarly print materials (van den Hoogan & Fleuren-Hunter, 2017). In essence, these potential collection items are still useful among students even if they cannot be used as reference materials in research papers.
In considering the patrons of academic libraries, college is a very stressful period for young people and finding positive methods of relaxation is key in ensuring academic and personal success. Academic libraries thus can serve students in a more holistic manner. Leisure reading, when promoted as a form of a study break within academic libraries, has been suggested to be a popular way to advertise to college students (Hurst et al., 2017). Students want to use these resources to relieve stress, and they ultimately reap the associated benefits. Literature surrounding reading behavior concludes that recreational reading has cognitive benefits (van den Hoogan & Fleuren-Hunter, 2017). As a result, the potential impact of this on the performance of college students should be considered. Some scholars suggest the direct correlation between higher recreational reading and higher grades at the collegiate level (Elche et al., 2019). Therefore, the common policy limiting acquisitions to only include materials serving academia could be expanded to include leisure reading materials. Given the potential benefits for college students, academic libraries should seize opportunities to acquire recreational reading resources.
One suggested alternative for college students to access leisure reading materials is through interlibrary loan, instead of through their university library’s collection. Thus, some might anticipate that the addition of recreational books would reduce the amount of those requests through interlibrary loan. However, the acquisition of these materials in academic library collections should not undermine the services of interlibrary loan but should advance both the academic library and interlibrary loan. Requests made through interlibrary loan can further determine materials that are in demand among students and can then assist academic libraries in keeping their collections reflective of patrons’ current interests and needs. Consequently, the existence of interlibrary loan should not enable collections to remain underdeveloped. Especially when it comes to recreational reading materials, academic libraries can serve their students in more ways than through facilitating the research process and in traditionally academic manners. The addition of these resources would enable library services to be more well-rounded while still promoting academic success.
Have you checked out UNT Library’s recreational reading materials? Let us know in the comments! Please contact AskUs if you have questions about UNT Library’s collections.
References:
Elche, M., Sánchez-García, S., & Yubero, S. (2019). Reading, leisure and academic performance in university students of the socioeducational area. Educación XX1, 22(1), 215-237. https://doi.org/10.5944/educxx1.21548
Hurst, S., Marsh, D., Brown, D., & Forbes, S. (2017). Cats, comics, and Knausgård: Promoting student reading at a U.K. academic library with a leisure reading collection. The New Review of Academic Librarianship, 23(4), 442-452. https://doi.org/10.1080/13614533.2017.1371612
van den Hoogen, S., & Fleuren-Hunter, K. (2017). At your leisure pilot project: Providing leisure reading materials to a university community through an academic and public library initiative. Partnership: The Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Research, 12(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.21083/partnership.v12i1.3919
Willis Library has recently undergone some changes to make the library better equipped to serve students. These improvements include renovations to the building, modern furniture, new reservable spaces, and additional borrowable equipment and materials.
New Reservable Spaces
The first addition to Willis Library is study pods, reservable spaces designed for individual study or studying in pairs. These pods are soundproof, include furniture such as chairs and tables, and have electrical outlets. The pods are located on the lower, second, and fourth levels.
These spaces are convenient for students who prefer more silence when studying. In addition to the pods, on the first floor, there are One Button Studio Spaces, three rooms designed to record video or audio. Pods and One Button Studio Spaces can be booked on the Space Reservations page and the spaces can be reserved for up to two hours each day by currently enrolled students.
Pods located on the second floor of Willis Library Image by UNT Libraries
New Accessibility Equipment and Materials
There are new offerings of equipment and materials that can be checked out at the Willis Library Service Desk. This collection is called the Willis Library Services Desk Equipment Collection and can be browsed on the Willis Library Services Desk Equipment webpage (UNT Libraries, 2022c). The accessibility portion of this collection includes sensory items and other items that may be of particular interest to those with accommodation needs (UNT Libraries, 2022a). Specific items include C-Pen Readers, magnifiers, assistive listening devices, sensory items, and calculators. Items in this collection are available to any individual with an unblocked UNT Library account.
LED Page Magnifier Image by UNT Libraries
New Curriculum Equipment and Materials
The curriculum portion of the Willis Library Services Desk Equipment Collection includes items that support learning and study (UNT Libraries, 2022b). Specific items in this collection include supply kits, calculators, language flashcards, an electronic translator, a desk light, and a book stand.
Japanese Kanji Flash Card Image by UNT Libraries
Digitization of General Course Reserves
Course reserves are also being made accessible online to allow better availability to all students. Physical materials in general reserves, which are offered every semester, have been replaced whenever possible by online copies. This change helps to increase access to materials by no longer requiring students to come to Willis Library in person to borrow the course reserves they need.
Space Renovations and New Furniture
Additionally, there have been building updates such as bathroom renovations and the addition of modern furniture. This new furniture includes more individual study furniture and height-adjustable desks located on every floor. The desks can easily be converted from seated to standing desks by pressing the red lever located on each desk’s right side.
Height-adjustable table in lowered and raised positions Image by Sierra Dahl
Did this blog help you learn about the recent improvements to Willis Library? Let us know your comments! Please contact Ask Us if you have any questions about library services.
Run by graduate student employees, Scholar Speak hopes to bridge the gap between the library and its students through instruction on the use of library services and resources.
