Hilda C. Landers Library & Archives

Find The Numbers You Need

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CQ Press State Stats

What’s the average travel time to work in Florida?
How many people in Colorado are registered to vote?
What’s the average science score for public school 4th graders in Nevada?

A good statistical information question is like librarian catnip. We love ’em. We know that somewhere in the vast infoverse some organization is collecting the data you need and we will try our hardest to find it. We have our usual go-to sources in print and online (I <3 the Statistical Abstract), and now we have yet another great source of numbers: CQ Press’ State Stats.

In State Stats you can find data on questions related to agriculture, the economy, education, government, health, population, transportation, crime, employment, the environment, and social welfare. It’s an easy to use collection of statistical information from a wide variety of sources, perfect for students in any discipline who need to support their arguments with hard data.

Oh, and if you’re curious about the answers to the questions above, they are:

  • 25.5 minutes
  • 2,299,000 people
  • 141 out of 300 (from the National Assessment of Educational Progress)

 

 

Research Databases Anytime, Anywhere

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Recent changes on the library’s website may have left more than a few people puzzled about how to access our online research databases and journals when off-campus. This is my best attempt at clearing up any confusion and hopefully getting people back on track with their research.

On our OLD site, you always went through Research Port to access databases while off-campus.

On our NEW site, you can use the Database and Journal Search right on the homepage to access online databases and journals whether you are on campus or off campus. This new search puts the search functionality of ResearchPort front-and-center, saving you time and clicks.

Online now, the Point News (etc.)

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When was the Point News not the Point News?

For most of the 1940s and ’50s the St. Mary’s student newspaper was called “The Signal News.”

Signal News 1953

Tom Barrett plans orientation

It first became “The Point News” in 1959.

Point News 1961

A recurring theme

Then for most of the 1970s and into the ’80s it was “The Empath.”

Empath 1973

Another recurring theme

Empath 1979

Uncharted territory

Empath 1984

Not to be confused with the mac lab

Much to the dismay of some 1970s and early ’80s alumni, the name “The Point News” returned in 1985.

Point News 1989

Witnesses to history

Point News 1998

First report on the storied Riot of ’98

Point News 2000

Going green in 2000

Whatever the name, St. Mary’s student newspapers  from 1952 through 2002 have been digitized and are now available online, fully word-searchable, via the Archives web site!

And because we take our duty to preserve our historical record seriously, physical copies of all these papers (as well as those from the 1940s and from 2002 to date) are safely tucked away in the College Archives.  Hard copies of issues from 2002 to date are also available in the Library.

Happy reading!

Making the Quest for Tests & Measures a Little Easier

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APALife just got a little easier for students searching for psychological tests and measures. The library now has a subscription to the American Psychological Association’s PsycTESTS online database.

What PsycTESTS does NOT contain: Every psychological test, measure, scale, survey instrument or assessment tool ever written. Sorry, folks.

What PsycTESTS DOES contain:

  • Over 5,000 actual tests or test items
  • Primarily unpublished tests (tests developed by researchers but not commercially available as stand-alone testing kits)
  • Summaries of some commercially available tests along with their purpose, some history of their development, and publisher contact information.
  • Links to articles describing the development, review, and/or use of the test.

Not bad, huh?

Yes, many of the tests are relevant to psychological research, but there are measures that cover quite a few different subject areas, including education, sociology and health. If you’re working on your SMP or just a research paper and need a test, measure or assessment tool, try searching PsycTESTS.

But don’t forget! If you can’t find what you need in PsycTESTS, we have plenty of excellent print resources for locating tests and measures. Take a look at the Psychology Research Guide for a quick refresher.

No More Excuses for the Uninformed

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You now have enhanced access to the Chronicle of Higher Education. The domain smcm.edu has been added to the CHE authentication database so that anyone with a college email address can create a free account and access the CHE from anywhere, anytime, without using Research Port!

Ways to access the Chronicle online:

 

I'z up heer...soakin up yur smartz...

You don’t want this kitten to know more about higher education than you do. Trust me.

New Online Resources from Gale

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Three new archival collections from Gale are now available to St. Mary’s students, faculty and staff:

Picture PostPicture Post Historical Archive, 1938-1957
This collection is a searchable archive of the British photojournalism newspaper (think England’s version of Life magazine). If you’re looking for photos or stories to give you a sense of British culture and popular sentiment from the pre-WWII years to first years of the Cold War, this is a great resource for you.

19th Century U.S. Newspapers19th Century U.S. Newspapers
This online resource contains over 1.7 million pages of U.S. newspapers from the 19th century. Major newspapers along with regional and special interest papers are all represented. Take a break from the microfilm reader and click on over to this collection.

The Times The Times of London Digital Archive, 1785-1985
The access provided by this online collection is amazing! I think the product description from the Gale site says it best: “Every complete page of every issue of The Times (London) from 1785 to 1985. Every headline, article and image. Every front page, editorial, birth and death notice, advertisement and classified ad”

Victorian Popular Culture

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Victorian Popular Culture

There’s a new archival collection in town, and its name is Victorian Popular Culture by Adam Matthew. This online resource is full of primary source documents perfect for History, English, or Women and Gender Studies students and faculty interested in this time period.

Major topics covered in this collection:

  • Spiritualism, Sensation & Magic
  • Circuses, Sideshows & Freaks
  • Music Hall, Theatre & Popular Entertainment

Documents include posters, playbills, postcards, photos, illustrations, rare books, periodicals and so much more! Take a few minutes and explore Victorian Popular Culture. For more information, visit the Adam Matthew site or talk to a reference librarian about how to use and incorporate this resource into your class or research.

New Database Trial

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CQ Press State StatsThe library is running a trial of the CQ Press State Stats database from now until June 11, 2012. Faculty who would like to trial this database from home can email viarellano [at] smcm [dot] edu for a username and password or call the library’s reference desk at 240-895-4272.

Access CQ Press State Stats

Leave your Feedback for CQ Press State Stats

According to the CQ website, State Stats includes data from more than 80 government and non-government sources on measures dating back more than 15 years for the 50 states and District of Columbia. Topics covered in this database include the following:

  • Agriculture
  • Crime & Law Enforcement
  • Defense
  • Demographics
  • Economics
  • Education
  • Employment & Labor
  • Geography, Energy & the Environment
  • Health & Medicine
  • Social Welfare
  • Taxes & Government Finance
  • Teaching & Education
  • Transportation

For more information about State Stats, visit the CQ Press website.

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(240) 895-4264

ask@smcm.libanswers.com
47645 College Drive
St. Mary's City, MD, 20686-3001

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