U N T Established 1890 U N T
University Libraries

Scholar Speak

Are you applying for an academic librarian position?

Posted by & filed under Careers in Librarianship.

Written by: Madan Mohan

Two gray steel chair
Two Gray Steel Chair photo by Steve Halama licensed under Unsplash 

Here are few tips that might help you understand the interview process a little better. 

While everyone is excited about graduating, our job is not done quite yet, but instead takes us to the next important aspect of finding a job that matches our skill sets. This can be a daunting task given the various job titles and detailed job descriptions in academic libraries. There are many steps one needs to go through before being offered a position. The hiring process for an academic job can be time-consuming and can vary from one institution to another. Librarian positions can either be tenure-track or non-tenure-track faculty, academic appointees, administrative staff, or professional staff positions, stated by ACRL Guidelines for Recruiting Academic Librarians (2017).  

Finding an academic librarian job generally involves searching for a suitable posting online, applying, and going through two rounds of interviews with a search committee and others who work at the library. ACRL Standards, Guidelines, and Framework can be a helpful resource that can help you become familiar with the search committee’s specific processes and roles. They explain how various institutions follow these guidelines during the interview process and several other interview procedures, from telephone to on-site campus interviews. These guidelines can help you understand how candidates are evaluated. How is a recommendation made for hiring a candidate by the search committees, hiring authority, and senior administrators? This varies from one institution to another.  

After finding job postings you are interested in, apply only to the positions for which you meet the required qualifications (Davis, 2015, p. 138). Applying for a position requires three essential components: a resume or curriculum vitae, a cover letter, and a minimum of three references. A few excellent places to start looking for job postings online are ALA JobList, HigherEdJobs, LibGig Jobs, etc. Being an active LinkedIn user can also help you network and connect with librarians and professionals in the academic field. 

Some common steps involved when applying:  

  1. Use a professional email address that includes your full name when applying for positions online.   
  1. Proofread your resume and cover letter and make sure all attached documents have a standard naming convention. Asking a friend to proofread your resume and cover letter can be helpful.   
  1. Practice interviewing with some of the common questions like a.) Tell me something about yourself, strengths, weaknesses, b.) Explain how you have the required qualifications and meet all skills and experience mentioned in the job description. In addition to your required qualifications explain how you meet any preferred or desired qualifications listed in the posting.    
  1. Always prepare a few questions specific to the job posting to ask the search committee at the end of the interview.   
  1. Send a thank you letter expressing your gratitude by email after the interview. 

The interview process typically consists of two phases, a phone or Zoom interview and an on-site interview. These days, video interviews are becoming more common than phone interviews, though practice varies by institution. Professional dress code applies for both virtual and on-site interviews. These are some of the expected norms when applying for an academic position. In general, up to ten qualified candidates are interviewed by phone or Zoom, and the committee will then select one to five candidates for an on-site interview (Davis, 2015, p. 139). Also, have a backup plan if you have any technical difficulties connecting over the phone or virtually. Emailing the search committee or the hiring administrator about the technical difficulties can help them understand your preparedness and professionalism.   

As stated by Davis, on-site interviews for academic libraries can typically last for a full day or longer. Prior to the on-site interview, the search committee will send an information packet about the position and the library. This packet will have the contact person with whom you will coordinate during your interview. Presentations are another important aspect and a requirement for most academic library on-site interviews (Davis, 2015 p.140 – 141).   

It is a standard process to provide references when applying for a job posting. Most importantly, check with your references in advance that they are willing to be your reference and give them a heads-up if you are called for an interview by sharing the job posting, resume, and cover letter that you submitted. This way, when contacted, your references can highlight the skills that best fit the job you are applying for.   

During our GSA meeting with Kevin Hawkins, the UNT Libraries’ Assistant Dean for Scholarly Communication, he shared many valuable tips from resumes to the hiring process, and I want to share few things I found particularly helpful:  

  1. Highlighting the required qualifications in your resume/CV is essential, and telling a story about meeting those required and desired qualifications in a cover letter can help the search committee select candidates for the next stage.  
  1. Some libraries, such as UNT, evaluate candidates against the job qualification based on a point-based rubric system.      
  1. Addressing Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion and describing your personal experience working with diverse groups can be very helpful when applying for an academic or a teaching position.  
  1. Applications are reviewed manually by members of the search committee, though in some cases an HR employee will do a first pass to remove any obviously unqualified candidates. 

Having attended many workshops, I have often heard that resumes need to have specific keywords mentioned in the job posting to pass the automated system that reviews resumes and cover letters. However, reviewing applications through an automated system is common in private sector companies but not in academic settings (Hawkins, 2021). This is especially comforting to know that our effort and time invested in applying for academic positions hasn’t gone unnoticed because of an automated system.  

Our subject librarian Greg Hardin has valuable Career Development resources, including guides that help prepare resumes and cover letters. Also, several links to job sites, professional organizations, and more can be found on UNT’s Information Science: Career Resources guides page.   

We hope these tips helped you understand the process of applying for academic librarian jobs a little better. Feel free to share comments about your experience with these resources or contact Ask Us for any research assistance! 

Laptop on a table next to a coffee, phone and notepad
Occupational stress measures of tenure-track librarians photo by Andrew Neel licensed under Unsplash 

References  

Davis, A. R. (2015). Searching for an Academic Librarian Job: Techniques to Maximize Success. Pennsylvania Libraries, 3(2), 136-143. http://dx.doi.org/10.5195/palrap.2015.107  

Guidelines for recruiting academic librarians. (2017, June 29). American Library Association. http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/recruitingguide 

Hawkins, K. (2021, March 19). GSA meeting. University of North Texas. 

Finding datasets

Posted by & filed under Research Help.

Written By: Utsav Ranjit

 
Dashboard showing page usage statistics by Luke Chesser, licensed under Unsplash

The nature of research has transformed in the past decade or so. Research nowadays tends to be data-intensive. Koltay (2019) describes this data-driven nature of research as Research 2.0, where research is increasingly based on large datasets and digital artifacts, involving open, networked systems. A major step towards data-driven research is finding relevant and credible datasets for analysis. If you are trying to look for datasets for your class assignments, research, or just to brush up on your data analysis skills, the UNT Libraries have some useful sources that might help fulfill your dataset needs. 

So, where to find datasets? The UNT Libraries’ Finding Datasets guide lists many credible sources where you can find datasets. You can find datasets from open sources that do not require any subscription, like U.S. Census data, a platform to access data and digital content from the U.S. Census Bureau; Texas Open Data Portal, a source to access administrative data reported by various departments in the state of Texas; U.S. Government open data, a federal open government data site and other sources listed on the public data sources page or you can look for datasets on subscription-based data sources like IBIS World, a collection of U.S. and global industry market research and U.S. risk ratings; Cross-National Time-Series Data Archive, a longitudinal national data series that provides annual data on categories like demographic data, social, political and economic topics for all countries; Social Explorer, an online research tool designed to provide quick and easy access to current and historical census data and demographic information and so forth. Accessing subscription-based sources off-campus will require you to authenticate using your EUID and password. The guide does a great job of providing a brief description of almost all the sources it lists so you get an overview of the type of datasets you can expect when you go into the sources. 

You can also find datasets using search engines for datasets. Dataset search engines host varieties of datasets, so it is recommended to check the quality and credibility of data before using them. Two popular search engines for datasets are: 

  • Kaggle dataset: It is an open data-sharing platform. It is popular among data analysts because of the data analysis notebook feature, where users can upload their analysis on the dataset. 
  • Google dataset: It is like an aggregator website that enables users to find datasets stored across the Web through a simple keyword search. 

Hopefully, these resources make your quest of finding datasets more of a guided adventure than an endless exploration on Google. If you have any questions about searching for datasets or need help with your research, feel free to Ask US. 

References

Koltay, T. (2019). Accepted and emerging roles of academic libraries in supporting research 2.0. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 45(2), 75-80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2019.01.001 

Library Hacks: Google Scholar

Posted by & filed under Research Help.

Google Scholar can be a helpful tool for discovering scholarly resources, but what happens when they’re behind a paywall? No need to worry; you can link your library account to Google Scholar and gain access to anything available through the UNT Libraries. Check out our Library Hacks video below to learn how: 

Do you have an idea for a video you would like to see? Feel free to share it in the comments! As always, if you have any questions or need help with your research, contact Ask Us.  

Useful Tips for Finding Government Information

Posted by & filed under Library Resources, Research Help.

Written by: Madan Mohan

Photo by Amanda Bartel licensed under Unsplash

Did you know that government documents are a great resource that can be used for your research? The Government Publishing Office (GPO), generally known as GovPubs, has a plethora of information that produces, distributes, and provides free access to documents from the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the federal government. UNT is one of the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) institutions that hold documents published by GPO, which are free for public access. FDLP is a national library consortium that archives, catalogs, and stores information for public use. GPO uses a separate system to organize these documents called the Superintendent of Documents Classification system, generally referred to as the SuDoc. Like the Library of Congress, GovPubs covers a wide range of topics such as legal research, health, government and politics, financial assistance, agriculture, science & technology, education, and much more. These documents can be accessed in various formats including print, electronic, monographs, serials, maps, CDs, DVDs, microfilm & and microfiche. In the present-day, government documents are mostly published digitally and are archived through several resources like FDLP.    

Where can we find government documents? There are a few ways that we can access or request Government Documents for free. Metalib is a search engine that looks for articles, reports, and citations in various federal government databases. This website has an A-to-Z list of 72 resources available that cover a wide range of subjects. Another useful resource that is important for finding government documents is the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP); this website could help the user find government information, including the various formats available for public use. Furthermore, UNT holds access to electronic resources and information that are archived through multiple databases and can be searched by subject under “Government Information.” Access to these documents and databases are readily available for UNT students. Moreover, the public can gain free access to different monographs, serials, articles, etc., through Interlibrary Loan.

Small judge gavel placed on table

Our UNT LibGuides have a list of comprehensive directories and guides that link to government resources that patrons can access to research at https://guides.library.unt.edu/government-information. UNT library Government Agencies: U.S. Federal guide has a list of the legislative branch, executive branch, judicial branch, and independent agencies links. Another useful resource that’s free for public use is The United States Government Manual. This website holds the Federal Government’s official handbook by National Archives, which stores all electronic editions digitally, and is readily available for viewing and downloading as pdf at Govinfo.gov (United States Government Manual). 

Small judge gavel photo by Sora Shimazaki licensed under Pexels

UNT also has a Citations & Style Guide for legal and government documents that give specific information on citing legal documents.

Please leave a comment letting us know about your experience with these resources.

Feel free to contact Ask Us if you need help with your research, or contact our Government Information experts Bobby Griffith and Robbie Sittel.

Library Hacks

Posted by & filed under Research Help.

The Scholar Speak team has created several brief “Library Hacks” videos. You can learn a helpful skill in just two minutes, like searching for articles by title, using Boolean operators, or linking Google Scholar to your library account. 

Check out our video on Boolean operators here: 

All our Library Hacks videos can be found on Microsoft Stream. You will need to log in with your UNT email and password. 

What topics would you like to see videos on? 
Please feel free to leave a comment letting us know, and as always, contact Ask Us with your research and library questions. 

6 (Legal) Ways to Find Free Textbooks

Posted by & filed under Research Help.

Green plant in a clear glass vase filled with coins
Green plant in clear glass vase by Micheile Henderson licensed under Unsplash

Written By: Madison Brents

Welcome back for the Spring semester!  

While everything feels different this semester, one thing has stayed the same: the beginning of the semester search for cheap textbooks. While the library does not purchase textbooks, we have ways of helping students find textbooks online while respecting copyright. Although not always guaranteed, we have managed to help some students find books for their classes in these six places. 

  • Course Reserves 
     In case you don’t already know, the library does have some textbooks. While we don’t purchase them, some professors loan a copy of their books for students to use. While the library’s physical collection of textbooks is limited, there are also e-reserves. Check out Listen out Loud! Electronic Reserves that Read Themselves by Emily Akers if you want to learn more.
  • Hathi Trust  
     In collaboration with many research libraries, including UNT, Hathi Trust provides access to millions of free resources. You can search for books by titles, or even browse their interesting collections like their Women Composers Collection or Library Science Journals.  
  • Google Books
    I have been able to find a few textbooks in Google Books, which claims to be the most comprehensive index of full-text books. While many times only a short preview is available, the option to find the same book in a library near you makes it worth a try. 
  • Open Library  
    Part of the Internet Archive, Open Library offers more than 3 million books, 18,000 of which are just textbooks. You will need to create an account to borrow many of the books, but the website features videos, free music and images as well.  
  • Project Gutenberg   
     I never had to buy a book in undergraduate thanks to Project Gutenberg, which focuses on older works with expired copyrights. If you are studying English, or just like to read the classics, then Project Gutenberg most likely has you covered. 
  • Interlibrary Loan   
    Just need a chapter while you wait for your textbook to arrive? While Interlibrary Loan cannot get you a textbook for a class, they might be able to get you a chapter while you wait. ILL is a free service that can get UNT students access to books that the library doesn’t already own. This service is especially useful if you just need one article, or a chapter from a book, and the electronic delivery makes it convenient for virtual learners.  

This semester will be busy enough, don’t do it alone. Questions about how to do academic research, library hours, or services? Want to know how to get a laptop? Ask Us! We are happy to help by chat, text, email, phone, and in-person. 

Using Virtual Private Network (VPN) to access UNT electronic resources from Off-campus

Posted by & filed under Research Help.

An image of a laptop using VPN.
Grey and black macbook showing VPN by Stefan Coders licensed under Pexels.

Written by: Anima Bajracharya

Whether you are writing a thesis, dissertation, or research paper, it is crucial to access prior literature and research findings. Academic research databases make it easy to locate the literature you are looking for, and UNT Libraries is an excellent start for your research. UNT Libraries have great subscription-based databases and other online resources that are fully accessible to all current UNT students, faculty and staff members from virtually anywhere in the world. Subscription-based databases consist of published journals, reports, newspapers, magazines, documents, books, image collections, and many more. Libraries subscribe to and provide these resources for their patrons. 

Due to the pandemic sticking around, many students, faculty, and staff members are trying to access electronic resources from off-campus for their research assignments. When working on your research off-campus you might encounter an article or other resources that are of your research interest, but when you try to access it, the resource is behind a paywall. If you are faculty, staff or a currently enrolled student, then you will be asked to log in using your EUID and EUID password to access most of the subscription-based electronic databases. But if you need many electronic resources from the UNT libraries databases for your research assignments, then UNT has various proxy access tools that may help access those materials from off-campus. 

When I need to access electronic resources, one method that I find convenient is connecting through UNT’s Virtual Private Network (VPN). UNT’s VPN is very beneficial and reliable if you need to access electronic resources that are only available on the UNT Network. You can simply download and install the AnyConnect VPN client on your personal device and log in using your EUID and EUID password. You can find information on the installation of AnyConnect VPN: https://it.unt.edu/installing-vpn-client. It is easy to use, and once you are connected to VPN, you can access the library’s electronic resources just like you would using UNT library computers. Some other options for Proxy access tools that UNT provides are Bookmarklet, EZProxy redirect extension (Chrome), and link builder. You may find more information on these library proxy tools:  https://library.unt.edu/proxy-tools/.

You may also find more information about on and off-campus access to Electronic Resources: https://library.unt.edu/services/on-off-campus-access/. 

While accessing the electronic resources from off-campus, if you encounter any troubleshooting issues you can always contact Ask Us or leave a comment below. 

Information Literacy in a World of Fake News!

Posted by & filed under Library Resources, Research Help.

Written by: Frances Chung

As most of us are well-aware, fake news and unsupported claims are common throughout the internet and our social media feeds. Many fake news websites have been identified and consistently debunked, as listed on Wikipedia, but still, attract regular readers. At the same time, social media platforms are experimenting with methods for creating “friction,” so users take more time to consider a story before sharing (Bond, 2020). For example, Twitter labels misleading or disputed claims and in extreme cases, hides them behind warnings and requires users to add their own comments before sharing or replying. 

So what does media and information literacy (MIL) have to do with fake news? According to UNESCO (2017), MIL “empowers citizens to understand the functions of media and other information providers, to critically evaluate their content, and to make informed decisions.” Therefore, an information literate person can better assess how credible a piece of information is and recognize its emotional appeals. As access to information increases, more schools and libraries are offering MIL education. Through the UNT Libraries, students have access to this Information Literacy Tutorial, which also covers how to get started with a research project.  

When you come across a questionable piece of news, there are simple ways to determine if it is fake, from researching the source and author to looking further into the article and its sources. Satire is commonly published alongside real news or based on actual events, so if something seems unreal, it could be a joke. If you are unsure, ask experts such as librarians to help you find background information or suggest research strategies. Additionally, many websites specialize in fact-checking by cross-referencing sources and then rating statements on how true they are. Some popular ones are: 

  • Snopes – “The oldest and largest fact-checking site online” 
  • PolitiFact – A Pulitzer Prize-winning site run by journalists and editors. 
  • Reporters’ Lab from Duke University keeps a database of over 300 global fact-checking sites.  

Don’t forget about Wikipedia, which has up-to-date information on publishers and authors. 

An informative image on "How to spot Fake News"
How to spot Fake News by International Federation of Library Assoications (IFLA) licensed under Wikimedia Commons

The UNT Libraries are here to help you find credible resources and analyze information. Resources on library.unt.edu have been evaluated by librarians, so your search results will not include fake news or satire. Furthermore, databases such as Nexis Uni allow you to search and compare multiple news sources at once. For more tips on evaluating sources, check out the libraries’ Media Literacy guide or contact Ask Us for research help! 

References 

Bond, S. (2020, November 12). Twitter keeps some measures it says slowed election misinformation. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2020/11/12/934280798/twitter-says-steps-to-curb-election-misinformation-worked  

UNESCO. (2017). MIL as Composite Concept. http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/media-development/media-literacy/mil-as-composite-concept/  

Know Your News: Evaluating Fake, Bias, and Fair Media Sources

Posted by & filed under Events, Research Help.

Join the GSAs of Access Services on November 18th at 2pm US Central for our Virtual Workshop, “Know Your News: Evaluating Fake, Bias, and Fair Media Sources”.

In an era of Fake News, it can be difficult as an academic researcher to know which resources to trust. Join us for a workshop on how the library can not only connect you with reliable articles, newspapers, and magazines but also learn life-long strategies on how to determine trustworthy resources from the bad. Special guest is Journalism Subject Librarian Doug Campbell, who will be there to answer questions and discuss the role libraries play in teaching media literacy.

It’s sure to be an interesting discussion, so please register for the event here- https://unt.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bklc8RcSS4Jxsfr

Choosing a Research Topic

Posted by & filed under Research Help.

Written by: Sarah Diaz

An image of a light bulb on a sticky note

Photo of bulb by AbsolutVision, licensed under Unsplash

The first step to writing a research paper is deciding what topic to focus on. If your professor has assigned a topic, you already know what you are going to research, but if the choice is up to you, you may be wondering where to begin. This can be a challenging process, but don’t panic! Here are some tips that can help you pick a great research topic:

A good way to get started is by brainstorming ideas. The Purdue OWL (n.d.) guide to choosing a topic describes the brainstorming process: start thinking about the research project, set a timer, and write down all ideas that occur to you. Then, examine the list to look for patterns or trends among the topic ideas. Not all ideas that come up in brainstorming will be viable, but it is a good first step to start generating possibilities.

When brainstorming ideas for a class project such as a research paper, I often start by thinking about why I chose to take the class and what I was hoping to learn. Is there something I still have questions about or would like to explore further? It’s also helpful to think about what issues you are aware of in the subjects you are studying. Research is described by the ACRL (2016) as a process of “inquiry” driven by “problems or questions” in the researcher’s field; current problems, trends, issues, or unresolved questions often make excellent topics. Finally, it can help to think about what topics you find most interesting. A topic you are genuinely curious to learn more about will be easier to stay engaged with throughout the research process.

Once you have done some brainstorming, the next step is to evaluate each potential topic. The Purdue OWL (n.d.) recommends looking for trends or repeated ideas that suggest a strong interest in a particular area. It is also important to pay close attention to any guidelines given by your instructor, and to think about the scope of the paper. A long paper assigned as a final project will likely need a broader topic than a short paper to be completed in a few weeks.

The library has resources that can help! Be sure to check out the subject and course guides. If there is a guide for your course, it may include more guidance about choosing a topic, locating sources, or other helpful information. Once you have a couple of ideas for research topics, a good next step is to start searching for potential sources on the library website. Find out what books or articles are available, and reach out to Ask Us or your Subject Librarian if you have questions or need help with this process.

Finally, be prepared to keep developing your topic as you do your research. As the Purdue OWL (n.d.) explains, “an initial topic that you come up with may not be the exact topic about which you end up writing”. The ACRL (2016) likewise encourages students to “value persistence, adaptability, and flexibility” in the research process. As you learn more about your topic, you may discover new ideas or questions you were not previously aware of, which will take your paper in a new direction. You may also discover that your topic needs to be narrowed down or broadened because there is too much or too little information available. This is not a bad thing! However, it is a good reason to start your research early. That way, if you need to modify your topic, you can do so well before the due date.

What are your favorite strategies for choosing a research topic? Let us know in the comments, and feel free to contact Ask Us if you need help with your research.

References:
ACRL. (2016). Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. American Library Association. http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework
Purdue OWL. (n.d.) Choosing a Research Topic. Purdue University. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/common_writing_assignments/research_papers/choosing_a_topic.html
top