The UVU Library Serves Up Information Fast

Even though it's the second week of classes, we're already seeing students hard at work on their first research papers and projects. To help them, we wanted to share a few services and collections that can make the task easier and faster.

EBooks

The UVU Library has been collecting eBooks for years now. We have hundreds of reference and academic titles waiting to be read. Due to publisher restrictions, some books cannot be downloaded--but they can be accessed from any computer with an Internet connection, even late at night. The eBook collections page includes collections the Library subscribes to as well as free collections from around the world.

If you have any questions about using the eBooks, please call us at (801) 863-8840.

EBSCO eBook Collection

EBSCO's eBook Collection is one of our newest. We purchased a subscription to their academic package last fall, which gives us access to thousands of new titles in a wide variety of disciplines.

Interlibrary Loan

If you run across a book or article in our databases or in a citation and the UVU Library doesn't have a copy, we can get one for you through our interlibrary loan service. All you need to do is create an account, tell us what you need, and we take care of the rest. Unlike some other universities, we don't charge anything for this service. Articles take only two business days to arrive; books about a week to 10 days, depending on the mail.

Welcome back!

After two weeks of holidays and closures, we are back on normal hours. We are open:

Monday - Friday

7:00 AM to 12:00 AM

Saturday

8:00 AM to 7:00 PM

Reference services are available every Monday through Thursday until 10:00 PM, until 6:00 PM on Friday, and from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM every Saturday. Please don't be afraid to ask us questions! We're always happy to help. 

If you'd like a quick refresher on research skills and online library services, try LibraryCraft! This game takes on an adventure on the Library's website. If you finish, stop by the first floor Circulation Desk to pick up your official UVU Library Dragonslayer button. 

The UVU Library Gets in Shape

One of the most common New Year's resolutions is getting back into shape after weeks of holiday indulgence. If starting an exercise program is on your list of resolutions, we can help! We've ordered several new DVDs for our collection on Pilates, yoga, and other programs. We also have a great consumer health database that can help you find out which kind of exercises are the most effective.

Exercise Videos

Exercise videos can be found in section RA in the media collection on the second floor. Other videos about exercise for athletes or yoga can be found in other sections. Stop by the Reference Desk on the first floor and we'll be happy to help you find what you're interested in.

Because our videos are so popular, we've had to limit checkouts to five videos at a time for three days. If you need a video for longer than that, please call us at (801) 863-8886 so that we can renew them for you.

Health Source: Consumer Edition

Unlike some of our other health databases, Health Source: Consumer Edition is designed for researchers who don't have a medical background. While the articles cover the latest research, they are easier to read and comprehend because they use less jargon. Not only can this database be used to locate information about exercise and exercise programs, it can also find articles about nutrition, sleep, stress, and other related topics.

Happy Holidays from the UVU Library!

Over the next few weeks, our hours change a lot due to holidays and campus closures. Here's a handy guide to when we're open and when we're closed:

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
15	16	17	18	19	20 7:00 AM  to  10:00 PM	21 CLOSED
22 CLOSED	23 8:00 AM  to  5:00 PM	24 CLOSED	25 CLOSED	26 CLOSED	27 CLOSED	28 CLOSED
29 CLOSED	30 8:00 AM  to  5:00 PM	31 8:00 AM  to  5:00 PM	1 CLOSED	2 8:00 AM  to  5:00 PM	3 8:00 AM to  5:00 PM	4 CLOSED

Normal hours will resume Monday, January 6.

The UVU Library Encourages Reading

Finals are upon us and, in those moments when we're not helping students find those last resources they need or answering questions about citations, etc., our thoughts have turned to reading for fun instead of information. Our last displays of the semester will feature novels and books about Christmas so that you can take something interesting home over the holidays. Feel free to take any book off the display and check it out. There's always more where they came from. 

Remember, books check out for three weeks. If you need more time to finish them, call us at (801) 863-8886 to renew them for another three weeks. 

The UVU Library Raises a Glass

This week sees the anniversary of the end of Prohibition. On December 5, 1933, Utah passed the deciding vote to repeal the 18th Amendment. This event inspired us to take a look at our resources about food and drink and their intersection with American History.

America: History & Life

This is our feature database for American history. The articles available in America: History and Life cover social, military, and political history in the United States.

Cookbook Collection

Our cookbooks range the entire world. If you'd like to try and put something new and exotic on your holiday table, check one (or two) out. They're located on the fourth floor, in section TX.

Prohibition Display

Our law librarian has pulled a number of books about Prohibition and put them on display on the first floor of the Library. Books on display are available for check out.

Speaking of food, our Food for Fines program continues through the end of the semester. If you have fines, pay them off the easy way by donating food at the first floor Circulation Desk.

The UVU Library Prepares for a Long Holiday Weekend

As many of you may be heading home for the Thanksgiving holiday, we at the UVU Library would like to send you on your way with something fun to read. You've survived midterms. You're well on your way to finals. You deserve it!

This week's first floor book display is packed (at least for now) with some of our favorite graphic novels and comic books. They're perfect for reading in between turkey and football and visiting. Just like books from our Regular Collection, graphic novels and comic books can be checked out for three weeks.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

The UVU Library May Cause a Chemical Reaction

Paracelsus

This month sees the 520th birthday of legendary doctor and early scientist, Paracelsus. Because Paracelsus was a Renaissance man in the more outre sciences, we wanted to highlight not just our history of science and chemistry collections but also our books about alchemy.

Applied Science and Technology Full Text

We've highlighted this database before, but this is such a useful source of practical information for technology and physical sciences. We also selected it because, like the alchemists, it supports experimentation and unconventional problem-solving.

Book Display

Every week, one of the librarians creates a display of books around a theme. This week, the display features books about the history of chemistry and alchemy. Some of the books on alchemy contain reproductions of the work of the medieval alchemists. Feel free to check out any of these books.

Chemistry Collection

Our collection of books doesn't just include the latest on molecular, organic and inorganic, quantum, and analytical chemistry. You can also find interesting (and highly entertaining) books about the history of chemistry from the ancient Greeks, through the alchemists, to the Scientific Revolution.

The UVU Library Puts the Word Out

Communication and rhetoric are popular subjects here at Utah Valley University. Every week we help students research interpersonal communication, technology and communication, gender differences in communication, and so many other related topics that we wanted to post something that will help give you a leg up the next time you need articles in this area.

Communication Collection

Many of our books about public speaking, communication, and rhetoric can be found on the fourth floor of the Library at section PE. Any books we don't have, we can request for you from another library through our Interlibrary Loan service. Our books can be checked out for three weeks at a time.

Communication and Mass Media Complete

This database is the best place to start for most communications and rhetoric topics. It contains a mix of popular and scholarly literature written by experts in the field and professional writers on a wide range of topics, including language and grammar, public relations, rhetoric in advertising and mass media, and many more.

Communication Research Guide

This research guide does double duty. It points to many resources for communication and rhetoric research as well as resources to help speech writers get started. The guide lists helpful reference books, article databases, and vetted websites.

If you have questions about researching communication, please talk to Kim Rollins, our communications subject librarian. You are also more than welcome to ask at the Reference Desk.

The UVU Library Helps Future Legal Eagles

This week, with the 125th anniversary of the last unsolved Jack the Ripper murder, the UVU Library is taking a look at our legal and forensics resources. Law and law enforcement have come a long way over the past century, and we hope our students will help pave the way over the next century.

Forensics Collection

We have been busily collecting books about forensic science for as long as UVU has had a program. The books are located throughout our Regular Collection as they deal with topics as diverse as chemistry, toxicology, physics, social sciences, and more.

NCJRS Abstracts

The National Criminal Justice Reference Service Abstracts Database contains summaries of 170,000 publications including federal, state, and local government reports, books, research reports, journal articles, and unpublished research from the 1960s to the present. Subject areas include corrections, courts, drugs and crime, law enforcement, juvenile justice, crime statistics, and victimology. Some content may be peer-reviewed.

As always, you can ask us for help with your research at the Library's Reference Desk. If you need help with our legal databases, feel free to ask our legal subject librarian, Ben Wilson.