Congratulations to the winners of the 2018 University Libraries Undergraduate Research Project Contest!
Beckie Jaeckels won first prize and a $500 scholarship for her paper “Written in Stone: A Critical Look at the Nation’s Dealings with Racial Discussion in 2017.” Her paper is structured around her work with Dr. Berkley Hudson as a Discovery Fellow. Dr. Berkley describes the paper as an exploration of “the twists and turns that have led to today’s debate about the role and the legitimacy of monuments dedicated to the Confederacy and its Lost Cause and those connections with enslavement and with contemporary racial strife and brutality.” Beckie cites a wide variety of 38 primary and secondary sources, from traditional print sources to tweets.
Autumn McLain won second prize and a $250 scholarship for her research paper “Jonathan Swift, Misanthropy, and ‘The Voyage to The Land of The Houyhnhnms’.” Autumn began her research with primary documents, Swift’s correspondence around the time when he was drafting Gulliver’s Travels, before delving into secondary sources. Her course professor Dr. Stephen Karian says that this strategy “allowed her to foreground her own words and ideas and to prevent them from being subsumed by those of other scholars–something that many undergraduates struggle with when writing research papers.”
The winners’ papers are archived in MOspace, MU’s digital repository, and linked above.
Thanks to the Friends of the University of Missouri Libraries for sponsoring these awards.
Are you an undergrad interested in furthering your education? Have you thought about medical, law, or graduate school?
Mizzou Libraries have many resources for your use, including this guide featuring information on entrance exams.
We also offer links to practice tests and how to locate test prep books within the library.
Lastly, you can visit the LearningExpress Library database for practice exams and eBooks on exams such as the GMAT, GRE, LSAT, MAT, MCAT, PCAT, and more. Be sure to register with a username and password to gain complete access.
Plagiarism: What Is It & How to Avoid It April 4 3:15-4:15 pm
Ellis Library Room 4D11
Your class syllabus has a statement about “academic dishonesty” and “academic integrity.” What does this mean at MU? Plagiarism is an important—but sometimes confusing—issue for domestic and international students alike. Many people unknowingly commit plagiarism when writing their papers. Join us to learn how to identify and avoid plagiarism in your academic writing. We will look at common errors in citing resources, paraphrasing, and summarizing research as well as how to correct those errors and prevent plagiarism in your academic work.
The Antiquities from the Ancient Mediterranean exhibit continues with new pieces on display in the Ellis Library Colonnade.
The Museum of Art and Archaeology shares with us a selection of glass, stone, and pottery vessels that served various functions, dating from the Bronze Age to the 8th century CE. These objects represent the ancient cultures of Anatolia, Egypt, and Greece, in addition to those encompassed by the Roman and Islamic world.
This year’s MU Remembers ceremony, commemorating students who have passed away since last April, will be held on April 6 at 2 p.m. in Stotler Lounge, Memorial Union. A book in honor of each student will be added to the University of Missouri Libraries’ collection. Commemorative bookplates are placed inside the books, and students are listed as honorees on the books’ library catalog records.
Family and friends are invited to visit Ellis Library to view the books. They will be on display following the ceremony near the Research and Information Desk.
The students’ names and the books selected in their memory are listed below.
The University of Missouri Libraries will never send you an email asking you to click on a link to activate your library account. Your library account is activated automatically based on your status with either the Registrar (as a student) or in myHR (as an employee).
Unfortunately, phishing scams sometimes target university email accounts with false claims and links to gather users’ account information. If you receive such a message about your library account, DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK. If you have questions about your library account, you can contact a librarian at http://libraryanswers.missouri.edu
The Division of IT provides additional information on keeping your account safe from such attacks at MakeITSafe: https://www.umsystem.edu/makeitsafe/
Everyone knows you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, and everyone knows we all do it anyway. But it’s a lot easier not to do in academic libraries because many of our books don’t have illustrated book jackets.
One alternative is to judge a book by its opening line. Does that line make us feel curious, perplexed, sad, anxious? If it engages us, we keep reading.
Maybe one of these will encourage you to take the book home and find out what happens next.
Debbie Parker, instructor at the Center for English Language Learning, pinpoints a key challenge for international students: “Avoiding plagiarism is a daunting task for all students, but it is complicated by the fact that international students have different ideas about what is expected when using support in papers or presentations.”
A major assessment of the Intensive English Program’s students’ mastery of academic English is a formal speech using PowerPoint. This speech must incorporate research and requires students to produce a bibliography. Debbie took her colleague Mary Browning’s advice and contacted Cindy Cotner, the librarian for international students, to set up an instruction session about avoiding plagiarism.
Cindy immediately thought of LibWIS, a series of library workshops for international students. Two of Ellis Library’s Graduate Reference Assistants, Haley Gillilan and Victoria Knight, had recently taught a workshop on just this topic. Planning and teaching workshops is just part of the professional-level training and experience Haley and Victoria receive as GRAs while they complete their degrees in library science. They also provide research assistance in person at the Research Help and Information Desk as well as online through our chat service and assist librarians with other projects.
Cindy suggested that Haley and Victoria teach the session since they had already prepared a lesson on plagiarism specifically for international students. She says, “I am grateful that Debbie granted permission for our graduate students to teach in her classroom. Her students were engaged and asked good questions, and I think this activity was a learning experience for all!”
The instruction session went beyond a dry summary of “how to cite sources in academic classes without plagiarizing.” As part of Haley and Victoria’s presentation, they assessed students’ understanding using example citations. Debbie explains, “They asked the students to guess which ones were correct. If it wasn’t acceptable, the students needed to explain what was wrong with it.”
Learning about plagiarism and potential consequences from current students beholden to the same university standards of academic integrity helped reinforce the message in a unique way. Debbie says, “It also made it easier for me to reinforce the importance of citing their sources because I could refer back to the visit and remind them about the presentation that they heard.”
Victoria and Haley benefited from the opportunity to modify a workshop they’d taught before for use in an individual classroom. Victoria says, “Plagiarism is such a big topic and can differ so greatly from country to country. It was an amazing opportunity to get to take one of our library sessions out into the actual classroom. I think it was really beneficial, and it was a fun class to teach.” Haley sums it up well: “I hope that the class helped them with their academic success at Mizzou!”
Debbie wants all students, especially international students, to know that “the library offers so much more than just books.” A former student worker in Ellis Library, she says, “Librarians are an under-tapped resource which can save faculty, staff and students time and energy. The resources and the workshops can make the students’ learning experience much fuller.”
Cycle of Success is the idea that libraries, faculty, and students are linked; for one to truly succeed, we must all succeed. The path to success is formed by the connections between University of Missouri Libraries and faculty members, between faculty members and students, and between students and the libraries that serve them. More than just success, this is also a connection of mutual respect, support, and commitment to forward-thinking research.
If you would like tosubmityour own success story about how the libraries have helped your research and/or work, please use the Cycle of Success form.
Are you prepared to participate in the Mizzou Giving Day 2018 social media challenges?? Get ready to tweet…
March 14
NOON Challenge 1: Hide-and-Seek
Five Truman the Tiger stuffed animals will be hiding throughout the Mizzou campus on Mizzou Giving Day. Find one and post a selfie using #MizzouGivingDay. You could win bonus money for your favorite Mizzou school, college or program.
2pm Challenge 2: Draw the Logo
Let’s see what kind of artists we have in the Mizzou family. Draw the Mizzou logo, and tag it with #MizzouGivingDay to win bonus money for the school, college or program of your choice.
5pm Challenge 3: Mizzou Abroad
From the Eiffel Tower to the Great Wall of China, Tigers represent. Tag your best selfie wearing Mizzou gear around the world with #MizzouGivingDay, and win bonus money to support a Mizzou school, college or program.
March 15
9am Challenge 4: Campus Close-Up
How well do you know some of Mizzou’s iconic landmarks? We’ll zoom in on a photo of something or someplace you’ve walked past every day on campus. Identify it, and bonus money is yours to donate to the Mizzou school, college or program that means the most to you.
11am Challenge 5: Show Your Stripes
Share a photo or video of you wearing your best black and gold. Use the #MizzouGivingDay tag, and win bonus money to support the Mizzou school, college or program of your choice.
NEVER FORGET that awesome moment last year when Mizzou undergraduate Taylor Tutin won $900 for Mizzou Libraries during a social media challenge!! THANK YOU, TAYLOR!