UC Davis Information & Educational Technology

Bits & Bytes

Library Time and the Studyin' is Easy

Posted on May 24, 2005

Have you ever worked weeks on a research paper only to discover that your roommate�who spent a single day writing his�still managed to get a higher grade than you? Well, my friend, it�s time for you to learn a great college lesson: it�s not always about working hard; sometimes it�s about working smart. To get you started, let�s look at the smart art of acquiring and keeping track of books electronically.

Save Yourself a Bike Trip

  • Situation: You wake up at eleven in the morning and realize your library books are due in less than an hour, but you still need them for a research paper.
  • The Hard Way: You rush out the front door, running red lights all the way across town on your broken-down bike, just to renew your books for a few more precious days. Total time: one hour and thirty minutes.
  • The Smart Way: You open up your Web browser and visit lib.ucdavis.edu, click on �My Account,� and log in with your Library Card number and PIN. After entering your identification, you renew your books with a few clicks of the mouse. Total time: four minutes.
  • The Scoop: It�s easy to renew online. Library materials that have loan periods of one day, one week, two weeks, or four weeks can be renewed from the Web as long as there are no holds or recalls on them, though materials with loan periods of one day can only be renewed once.

Getting What You Want Without Stealing It

  • Situation: After searching the online Harvest Library Catalog, you realize the book you need is already checked out.
  • The Hard Way: You secretly break into the library computers and figure out who checked out the book you need. You then trace that person via Google and sneak into his house to grab the book. Total time: Six hours plus four weeks jail time.
  • The Smart Way: You simply click the �Request� link from the Harvest Online Catalog to place a recall on the desired book. Total time: five minutes, and the book is yours within a week.
  • The Scoop: Any UC student may recall material checked out to another borrower, who will then be required to return the material within a week. If you don�t need the book right away, you can go to the library circulation desk to place a hold on it instead of a recall, which will prevent the book from being renewed. Once the borrower returns the book, the library will keep it at the Hold Shelf for one week.

Where to Find The Secret Class Goodies

  • Situation: You recall your teacher mentioning additional reading material that will guarantee you an �A� on the test, but you can�t remember what it was, let alone where to find it.
  • The Hard Way: You find your professor�s old doctoral thesis and read the full text of every single research citation, guessing at which ones might be on reserve for you. Total time: six months.
  • The Smart Way: You visit the online UCD Course Reserve Catalog by going to lib.ucdavis.edu, clicking �Reserves,� and then clicking �RESERVES COURSE CATALOG.� Total time: two minutes.
  • The Scoop: The Course Reserve Catalog lists class-specific books, journal articles, exams, and more. You can search by keyword, instructor�s name, or even the class number.

Books From Far Off & Mysterious Lands, like UCLA

  • Situation: You discover that the book you need to study for your upcoming LSAT is only available at UCLA.
  • The Hard Way: You hitch-hike from Davis to Los Angeles and back, hoping you�ll have time to read the book while a gruff truck driver, a busload of hippies, and an elderly couple bring you home. Total time: four weeks.
  • The Smart Way: You visit the MELVYL Catalog (which allows you to search all libraries in the UC system) at melvyl.cdlib.org and request that the book be delivered directly to Shields Library. Total time: about five days.
  • The Scoop: Any time another UC campus has a book that isn�t available at Davis, all you have to do is submit a book request to have it sent to Davis. In addition, some journal articles, conference papers, and book chapters are available for direct delivery in PDF format via Web Delivery service. If you find an article in an electronic database whose full text isn�t available online, look for a yellow UC-eLink button to go directly to the Request screen. For more information, go the library site, point to �Library Services,� and then click �Request a Book/Article.�

Make Your Computer Write Your Bibliography

  • Situation: You�ve been researching all day, but don�t want to bother formatting all your bibliographic citations.
  • The Hard Way: You find a research paper and copy all of the sources instead of writing out your own. Then you find each of the sources and copy down their sources until you�ve acquired hundreds of fake�but properly formatted�citations. Total time: seven hours for the process, two days with Student Judicial Affairs, one year suspension.
  • The Smart Way: Using bibliographic management software such as EndNote, ProCite, or Reference Manager, you create bibliographies and manage in-text references within your documents. This software can be set to conform to Chicago or MLA guidelines, or those of major journals, and is available at a discount from the UC Davis Bookstore.
  • The Scoop: For more information on bibliographic management software (BMS) and to acquire free trial versions, visit lib.ucdavis.edu/dept/instruc/ and click �Using Bibliographic Management Software at UC Davis.� You might also consider taking a free BMS class offered by the library. For a list of classes, visit libcf.ucdavis.edu/instruction/classes.

Feel proud, my friend. Today you have learned the intricacies of working smart, not hard. Don�t go around gloating that you spent five weeks on a research project; instead, brag that you�re smart enough to fit five weeks of research into one measly week without leaving out a single academic detail. Now that�s skill.

This column is provided to you by the student writers of Information and Educational Technology. For questions and comments, please contact ietpubsjr@ucdavis.edu.

Bits & Bytes Archives

2006-2007

2005-2006

2004-2005

2003-2004