Daily Archives: August 14, 2009

What is the Copyright Clearance Center License?

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The University of Texas System campuses have adopted the Copyright Clearance Center’s Annual Academic License (CCC Annual) for the academic year 2009-2010.
Each campus currently relies on a combination of library-licensed materials, materials whose owners make them available freely over the Internet, and fair use.
The CCC Annual adds to that body of materials (and the rights to use them) the ability to copy and distribute materials owned by the Annual’s publisher participants, through online course management systems such as Blackboard, through electronic reserve systems in campus libraries, and through electronic and paper coursepacks, created both on and off campus.
This agreement covers the rights to make copies for distribution to students through course management systems, e-reserves, and coursepacks, for which permissions would normally be required. It does not cover Interlibrary Loan, or emailing an article to a colleague or client off campus. Those rights will continue to be addressed in the license agreements we sign with each of our publishers.
The University of Texas Office of General Council has created a Web site that addresses the Copyright Clearance Center Annual License, including a copy of their formal presentation, the most recent publishers list, an FAQ section, and a copy of the license itself.

Google Scholar vs. Library Web site

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You have probably used the Google Scholar search engine to find information on a variety of topics, because it is a convenient tool to locate and use. Google Scholar and your Library’s Web site both have access to scholarly materials such as peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, and abstracts. Which resource should you use for the next major research project?
Round 1: Newest Articles
First up is your Library’s home page against Google Scholar for the newest articles available. The algorithm in Google Scholar does not necessarily retrieve the latest articles first, while the electronic resources located on the Library’s home page usually retrieve the latest articles first. Many of the electronic resources available through the Library’s Web site are updated on a systematic basis and reviewed for quality. Your Library’s Web site won Round 1 by having the newest articles available!
Round 2: Search Assistance
For the second round, your Library’s home page won by a knockout. The Library has trained librarians available to help affiliated clients in searches of the Library’s electronic resources. These research librarians have taken classes in how to search a variety of databases and keep current in the latest searching trends. They deliver a powerful punch to Google Scholar, which only offers virtual assistance. To contact one of these expert searchers, page them at 214.648.2003.
Round 3: Accessibility
This is a close round; it seems both Google Scholar and your Library’s home page offer accessibility. Google Scholar is available on any computer with internet connection…but oh wait! Your Library’s home page is available on any computer with internet connection too! To access the electronic resources located on the Library’s home page, an affiliated client will need to use either EZ Proxy or VPN. Google Scholar won this round, but it was a close one.
Round 4: Links to full texts and articles
Another close round for Google Scholar and your Library. Depending on the publisher, some articles found using Google Scholar will be full text and freely available for anyone. Your Library has purchased and licensed professional information sources (with free full text articles available in several of them) that Google Scholar does not offer. For being able to have more variety in locating free full text, your Library wins.
Round 5: Targeted Searching
When you perform a search in Google Scholar, your results may vary and may not always be the most accurate. By using the high quality electronic resources on your Library’s Web site, you will retrieve more results focused on your search. Your Library wins with another knockout!
And the winner is…YOUR LIBRARY WEB SITE!

New EndNote version released!

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Millions of researchers, students, and scholarly writers save time by using EndNote software to:

  • Download bibliographic information from online database searches automatically
  • Organize references, images, and PDF files
  • Create and modify bibliographies in recommended publication formats without retyping
  • Collaborate with colleagues by exporting and importing selected references

The recently released Windows version, EndNote X3, and current Macintosh EndNote X2, can be downloaded from the Information Resources’ (IR) EndNote Download Page. New EndNote X3 features include bibliographic style functionality for creating multiple bibliographies and for chemistry composite references that group citations.
This software is available at no charge to UT Southwestern affiliates. Licenses are purchased annually by the UT Southwestern Graduate School Student Computing Committee.
The Library offers an “Organizing Citations with EndNote” class. To register, go to the Library’s Class Registration page. For individual assistance or advanced instruction, contact Therona Ramos by phone at 214-648-5073 or by email.
For more information about EndNote, including instruction sheets and other resources, see the Library’s EndNote and Reference Manager UT Southwestern Resources Web page.
Important reminders for EndNote users:

  • Keep your EndNote version current. If the version in which you created EndNote libraries is more than three versions older than the current version, conversion issues may arise. The latest version is EndNote X3.
  • Remove previous versions before installing the latest version. The license key is built into the installation.
  • Be sure to save a backup copy of your “library” files (.enl) and the associated “EndNote library name.Data” folder.