Meeting with the Subject Librarian

In all honesty, my meeting with the subject librarian was useless. Not to say that it's a bad thing to do it---The librarian came up to me and asked me what I needed help with, so I proceeded to show her my EndNote materials and what I'm doing my project on. She said, "You know what you're doing, I have nothing to teach you." Which is fine, lots of people don't know what they're doing and need the help. I've had several years now of reading and doing scientific research, so I'm getting pretty good at it.

I have a lot of work left to do on my review. The material is very dense, which I'm accustomed to. But I admit that I haven't had to read literature in this kind of volume before, so my brain is getting stretched a little. Since each of the articles are very dense, I'm getting quite good at skimming the article for the information that is worthy of spending more time on.

My topic involves the roles and interactions of what are known as the shelterin proteins that protect and regulate telomeres in chromosomal DNA. I originally had an idea for how to organize my review, but I came across a review of a similar subject that had an organization that I like even better. Since there's so many connections between each of the parts, I've decided I can group ideas or relationships of the different proteins into categories of similarity.

Subject Librarian

The best part of my experience with the subject librarian was learning to use RefWorks. Where has RefWorks been all my life? I love reading cool articles about things, and now I know how I can store them online so I can access them later. It was also useful to know that there is a librarian who can give me direction in any aspect of research. My librarian was very willing to help.

For my literature review I am researching password security. Many people have very weak passwords that can be hacked in a short amount of time. I am researching methods people have proposed for creating stronger password policies to force users to create better passwords. I am also researching ways administrators can store passwords in a safer way to make password security greater without users changing a thing. There are a lot of interesting alternatives to traditional passwords that people have proposed, including graphical passwords, fingerprint authentication, smart card authentication, and iris authentication. As hacking techniques become more sophisticated, we will need to develop better tools to provide secure user authentication.

Subject Librarian

I thought meeting with the subject librarian was ok. It wasn't an amazing experience or anything but he did show me how to us Engineering Village. So that was good. I knew I wanted to do something to do with rockets, but I left feeling like I still didn't gain any new insights. I have now figured out what I want to do.  I will be writing about going to Mars and the rockets that get us there. I will include different things about the space program and the new SLS booster that has been created to get us to Mars.

Librarian of Subjects

Meeting with the subject librarian was actually really resourceful and beneficial in multiple ways. She gave a great general description of the library research page and demonstrated a few techniques for knowing which databases to use for our particular topics. Her and her friendly assistant went around to each individual person and talked to them about their topic and where they were at in their research process. The librarian helped me to use better search terms in order to find useful sources and to filter through the "subtopics" line for each article in order to find MORE sources about my topic. This resulted in several found sources! Overall, the librarian is a useful tool that I will continue using for future classes/writing assignments.

Subject Librarian

I gained from this meaning a better understanding of how to navigate the library resources especially on subjects pertaining to my major. I am currently researching the connection between diet and exercise in weight loss. I have found review articles, experiments and journals.I have learned so far that diet and exercise need to be hand in hand for there to be any significant effect.

I learned that there are ways to find out if an article is credible. For example, I can find out if it has been peer reviewed. That is something I need to start doing.

Subject Librarian

My subject librarian was helpful in reminding me how to make proper inquiries to refine my search results. He reminded me to use words like "AND","OR" and finishing words of with an asterisk (*) to include multiple word variations in my searches. He also went through some of the likely databases to search. for my topic and and area of studies Web of Science is one of my best resources. We also discussed how to effectively used EndNote as a reference manager that can directly plug in to Word to quickly bring in my references. I currently have many papers and references to look at. I just need to take the time now to read and learn about my subject.

Lovely Librarian

Meeting with the subject librarian was very beneficial. When I went into the meeting I had one idea for my paper and by the time I left my idea had changed because of the assistance of the librarian. As I researched my original topic I found it very difficult to find my topic but as I was researching and looking through the provided databases I stumbled on to a subject that I was even more passionate about. My topic is yoga and chronic disease. There is lots of articles and studies on how yoga has shown to be beneficial to reducing chronic disease. These databases are very helpful and her suggestions to refine my search were very helpful. I feel like I could still fine tune my topic more and make it more specific.

Subject Librarian Meeting

I got a little insight on where to look and a little better feel for the website. I also found several more sources to search through that are also reputable and how to see if an article was reviewed or just published. I am currently looking at Machine Learning and the techniques used to iterate over the data and the best ways to make a computer ‘think’ with certain types of data. I still need to figure out exactly what I will be researching and I don’t know if Machine Learning is a narrow enough topic or if it is too broad either so I hope I can narrow or widen my research depending on what the requirements are. I found several large papers that seem to discuss my topic that describe different methods and algorithms for different types of data.

Subject Librarian Meeting

My meeting with the subject librarian was enlightening, and I learned about the resources available to students courtesy of the library's various subscriptions to journals and periodicals and the like. I am doing my research on how machine learning helps drive the technologies used in autonomous vehicles, and after searching for relevant studies in this field, I decided to go through with it. One of the more useful features of I was shown in the librarian meeting was the use of databases to create refined searches on huge amounts of published works, and how I can integrate the studies I found in those databases into an easy to manage medium like Refworks.

Library Blog: Anne Fitzgerald

This was definitely a good experience for me because I was completely unaware of the fact that subject librarians exist and they are extremely helpful in developing ideas on how to do research. I would say that the most important thing that I learned about from the meeting that I had with Megan and her assistant was how to better my search for research. We focused a lot on entering key words to narrow the topic: the most useful skill I learned was to include words like "AND" and "OR" to define the search a little more.

I would say that I am struggling to find a way to efficiently look through research, meaning that I spend a lot of time looking through research that I don't end up using. Another problem that I have is that I often come across an article that seems really interesting, but it has nothing to do with the topic that I am researching and thus skews my ideas or distracts me from my original research. I hope to improve my searching skills so that I will only come across articles that are relevant to the topic that I am researching.

I am currently researching the relationship between functional training and ACL joint stability in female athletes. There is a lot of research that has been done on this topic because female athletes often tear their ACL because of the angle between the hip and the knee: wider hips means more stress put on the knee. A lot of research has been done to prove that functional training will decrease the likelihood that a female athlete will tear their ACL in a non-contact setting.

Library Funness

So, I think that the thing that I learned the most from the librarian is that I still need to do alot of work on my paper. I like to coast through assignments and then get super busy right before it is do, but this time I'm going to try and be better.

I think that I still need to figure out how to narrow down my search. Its not because I dont know how to do it on the computer, but its more because I don't know the words to ask. I need to narrow/specify my search topics.

The thing that I've learned is to utilize the similar articles tab that is a link to other relevant articles. Almost any search site has an option to view other pages.  I've found some really good articles related to the pros and cons of the ketogenic diet and had some really good success finding things that interest me.

Adventures With The Librarian

I thoroughly enjoyed meeting with the subject librarian. I had the opportunity to meet with him one-on-one and he gave me some great pointers of how to research for my topic. He showed me about a search website called Web of Science which is a database that allows for specific searches within a scientific sphere. I still need to figure out how to narrow down my topic to a realm where I can adequately present the data that is available. I am currently researching papers using a search that he and I created, and then using that website to find related sources that were connected in the citations. I have also learned how to store my citations on refworks to keep track of them. I have learned that this paper will not be easy, but it will be a lot easier now that I have more weapons added to my arsenal.

Meeting with the Subject Librarian

The most important thing I gained from my meeting with the subject librarian was how to narrow my search and find sources that dealt directly with my topic. It was very useful to go because by learning all the tips and tricks of how the websites run it makes research a breeze. The thing I still struggle with in my research most is supporting my topic and letting the reader know what my purpose is. A lot of the time I can present the research and scientific studies and write a paper about it but often I lack the ‘why this is important’ factor. Through meeting with the subject librarian I think I have found a good way to channel my ideas based upon the research I have found.

For the literature review I am researching the spread of a disease called white pine blister rust that affects pine tree species. A lot of the sources that I have found are scientific studies that have been conducted to better understand how this disease is affecting trees and what the best solutions are for controlling and preventing it. One thing that has surprised me is that there has been a lot of research done on this subject. I personally didn’t know that blister rust was such a big deal, it was something I had only heard very little about, so it was quite surprising to find that it’s a problem and people are trying to stop it before it destroys all our forests. 

Beth Jenkins-- Subject Librarian Review

On Thursday, October 20th, at 3 pm, I met with the subject Librarian. In the class I attended, he went through the library website and showed us how to look up relevant information related to our topic. I did not learn a ton of new things that I had not already learned from previous classes and prior research, however, it was a good refresher and brought me up to date with the REF WORKS web page. 

I discovered that I still need to narrow my topic in more. So far, I am researching phishing attacks through mobile devices and ways to successfully avoid those attacks in the future. I found one article from Scopus in specific that addresses that concern. The article mentions how individuals fall victim to phishing attacks because of the influence of email habits and cognitive heuristics. More often than not, people do not consciously note their surroundings and what may seem to be a little "fishy". Due to this lack of awareness, the majority of people today have fallen prey to some sort of phishing attack. This article specifically talked about the number of phishing attacks in mobile device usage. 

Vishwanath, Arun. "Mobile Device Affordance: Explicating how Smartphones Influence the Outcome of Phishing Attacks." Computers in Human Behavior 63 (2016): 198-207. CrossRef. Web.

Kristen Jones-- Meeting with the Subject Librarian

For my research,  I met with Mike Goates in a small group setting. His presentation was tailored towards the basics of  research and included some good suggestions on where to start our research. However, I already knew about the major databases such  as Pubmed and Web of Science but he suggested a few others that have been helpful as well. The TA and Mike Goates then went around and met with each of us individually and gave us some more suggestions about our research. During that meeting, I was able to find a couple of articles that will be good for my literature review.

 I am researching the correlation of childhood vaccination exemptions and lost of herd immunity. It is a very interesting and controversial topic. As I was researching, I found many articles that included opinions of different radical groups but were not based on any scientific evidence. Although these articles were interesting, I had to learn how to narrow my search terms so that only relevant scientific based articles came up.  I have found several sources that have studied incidence rates of different vaccine preventable diseases and its correlation to areas with high levels of childhood vaccine exemptions. Interestingly enough, many of the maps that show high concentrations of childhood vaccine exemptions also show high incidence levels of children with vaccine preventable diseases.

Meeting with the Librarian

Two weeks ago, I had an opportunity to meet with BYU subject librarian, Greg Nelson. One of his subject specialties is chemical engineering and chemistry.

At the beginning of meeting, he directed us to the BYU library homepage, then we headed to the research guide. In our group, all the students are chemical engineers, so we choose chemical engineering as the subject guide. As we open the research guide, chemical engineering databases appear. There are several databases includes Compendex, SciFinder,  Web of Science, and etc. Our subject librarian decided to focus on the Scifinder and Compendex.

Those databases as Greg mentioned are great resource for my research. They have tons of literature review on the previous researches. I still tried to narrow down my topic that I could find the correct resource for my literature review.

After Greg Nelson’s introduction to the databases, he met with us individually.  For this literature review, I explained to him that my literature research will be on the exhaust emission difference between using diesel fuel and bio diesel. And how does EPA change the regulation over the years.

One of the most important thing that I learn is to use the Refworks function to save the resource we found. Every time, we find an articles that match our research. We can get it or we can get it BYU library loan. 

An adventure in the Library

I had the opportunity to meet with Peter Zuber, the engineering and technology subject librarian. We spent most of the time discussing ways to narrow our search results, in order to find the most relevant articles to our topic of study. One of the sites we spent the most time on was engineeringvillage.com. I was impressed by how helpful the thesaurus tool is when doing searches. It basically tells you which key words will be helpful in finding related material to the topic.

The topic of my research is medical devices. I still may change the theme of my paper a bit, but as of now, my purpose is to research and discuss different types of medical devices that are needed, but unavailable to those who need them. I specifically want to look at why they are unavailable, and what could potentially done to change that.

So far I have found research about making certain medial equipment more cost efficient, and what the process was like. This is helpful, but not exactly what I need. I need to spend much more time locating articles that are relevant to what I need. I know that the articles are out there, I just haven't found them yet.

Library Blog experience

My experience with the subject librarian was alright. I felt like the TA and herself didn't really see where the group was at and then teach them from there but instead taught the same lesson as they do no matter who the group is. Since I have already written a few short research papers, I already knew the basics and was hoping to learn more than was presented. I did find out about the different databases besides PubMED and how to better search the databases. I kept getting a large number of results, but with the suggestion of a few word changes and additions I was able to narrow my search down quite significantly. I am still trying to see the exact direction I want to go with the vast amount of sources and research I have already found, but the time with the librarian was a push in the right direction. I am currently researching the correlation between Fibromyalgia and migraines. Using PyscINFO, I have been able to find many studies that talk about that exact thing. I learned that having both Fibromyalgia and migraines is mainly in females. Males with Fibromyalgia do not have an increased chance of getting migraines unlike females that do. I have also learned about various treatments such as: rTMS and increasing neurotrophin levels in CSF that have been thought to help with either Fibromyalgia or migraines.

My Date with the Librarian

For my project I am researching the best techniques and tools broadcast journalists use to humanize the news to impact their viewers. The subject librarian I met with, Elizabeth Smart, helped me find different ways to phrase what I wanted to research. For example, we found that typing "compassion fatigue" into the search engine as opposed to "humanize the news" produced academic journals and research more tailored to the information I want to find. She also taught me how to search multiple databases at one time, making the research process quicker and less confusing. 

I still need to research the psychology of consumers and why they respond they way they do. This will allow me to project which techniques can be used to hook them and cause them to feel something, which is the a big part of telling a news story. The project has been incredibly interesting thus far because it is reaching into other fields of research I was not expecting to be looking in, such as psychology. It is teaching me that there is way more to telling a story than I thought. For example, I found articles about what makes people more likely to help a victim. If a news story about the individual victim as opposed to a mass of victims, people are more likely to help that person. If a story is written, but the only information given is the statistics or percentages, people will not respond. I also found that focusing on one person as a way to tell a bigger story has it obstacles, and that a story has to be local and apply to the consumer's life directly in order for the person to feel like they can help or make a difference. 

Finally, for my literature review I am going through sources to see what else needs to be researched as far as the best techniques reporters can use to engage their audience. There is no research (maybe there is and I just haven't found it) on what broadcast reporters do to reach their audience and make them feel connected to the story being told. It is super specific research, but the research would allow reporters to know the best practices to convey the stories their audience wants/needs to hear in a way that will engage the consumers and make them feel an emotion. 

Nicole Naatjes--Subject Librarian Review

Meeting with the subject librarian was helpful because it made me start researching and helped me to narrow down what I wanted to write my literature review about. I didn't learn too much that I hadn't already learned from previous research, etc., but it was a nice review. I still need to find a lot of articles for my research and read them. 

Currently I'm researching the energy transfer and it's impact in maximizing performance in the pole vault. I was surprised at the number of articles that showed up when I searched "the biomechanics of pole vault." 

So far I have found a really good source called "Mechanics of Pole Vaulting: a review" that discusses each phase in the vault and mentions in each the transfer of energy. This is a lot like how I want to format my paper, so I'm excited about the information I found there. I learned that energy is built in each part of the vault, including after the pole vaulter leaves the ground. The article mentioned kinetic energy, gravitational potential energy, and potential strain energy. I'm excited to read the article in greater depths as well as the articles that are referenced by the author of this article including, "Run-up velocity of female and male pole vaulting and some technical aspects of women's pole vault" in the journal, New Studies of Athletics  and "Biomechanical analysis of the pole vault event" in the Journal of Applied Biomechanics. 

Jessica Naatjes Subject Librarian Review

I have met with a subject librarian before but never have I had a one-on-one talk with him about what I wanted to research. Meeting with him was helpful in learning about what is new on the web, including the new RefWorks website. However, I was not on my own computer and neither of us could figure out how to get the new RefWorks page working.
My research topic is about KCl (a salt substitute in food) and its off flavors and what has been done to counteract those off flavors. When I went into the meeting with the subject librarian I didn't know what about KCl I wanted to study, but he helped me to narrow down my research topic. I still need to research what has been done so far on the subject to see if I really want to research that or if I should focus more on the limitations it has in processing as compared to NaCl. He showed me one website that is more directed toward a less educated audience. This would be a good place to start when researching a topic to see the most recent developments on a subject.
I found one article about a sensory pannel one university did with the off flavors of KCl. They mixed KCl and NaCl together at different quantities and saw at what levels people detected characteristic off flavors of KCl.
Overall this experience helped me narrow down my topic and gave me a good starting place for my research paper.

The Jedi Masters of Research

I met with my subject librarian yesterday, in a medium-sized group. She gave a brief introduction about the different databases, and what each one was useful for. I already knew what database (pubmed, or PMC) to use for my topic, but I didn't know a whole lot about the differences for other databases, so that was mildly interesting. In all, I didn't learn all that much from her basic presentation, but I can see how it would have been very helpful for student who is new to this type of research and writing. However, this class is basically a repeat for me (same thing as Eng 2020 which I took at another school, but BYU doesn't accept it), so I've done all these assignments before.

On a more useful note, though I didn't have a lot to ask her about finding sources, she was VERY helpful in getting me started with EndNote, and showing me how to pull sources in and organize them. I had just downloaded EndNote on my research professor's recommendation, but didn't really know how to use it. Now I have my sources all cleanly put together in one place, and I love it.

Yesterday in about an hour I found nearly 20 sources. Now I just need to read them all and make sure they're as promising as their titles and abstracts made them out to be. I also need to sort my data based on good research, and most recent. I'm researching what we currently know about migraines, and what causes them. Most of my sources use MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) to study brain activity during migraines. This is a non-invasive and useful technique, but I wonder if we won't really understand the neural mechanisms (etiology) behind migraines until we can study brains of migraine patients. This might be better done if we could somehow make a strain of mice or apes that have migraines. The hard part is that it would be difficult to tell whether or not they have migraines...but if we could, then the etiology could be better deduced, and we could more easily find a treatment or cure for migraines. So far, the MRI studies have shown that the thickness of the cortical (outermost) layer of the brain might affect prevalence of migraines, and that the connections between the cortex and the thalamus have abnormal activity during migraines. I've also found a bunch of information that basically explores people's experiences with migraines, so I can better understand what is actually happening, and the complexities of migraines. One interesting study is looking at differences between CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) between migraine and non-migraine patients, and they found some differences. In all, I need to read through my sources more, but I have a good nest from which to start my work.