2022 Issue

The fall semester is quickly approaching, and instructors working on finalizing content for hybrid or online courses can find useful resources and support at HSLS. Before you begin creating additional slides and presentations, check out the high-quality, well-produced material available from Henry Stewart Talks (HSTalks).

The Biomedical and Life Sciences Collection: Lectures by leading world experts, from HSTalks, contains valuable resources for personal or classroom education in basic sciences and medical topics. The database is primarily known for providing animated, online, audio-visual lectures, seminar-style talks, and case studies. Content is labeled with a level, so it is easy to identify which talks are suitable for undergraduates versus which might be better for advanced researchers. Over 3,000 talks are currently indexed on the site and new talks are published monthly. Any of these talks can easily be linked to or embedded within a Canvas course as a supplement to your current course. In addition, complete courses, including lectures, exam questions, and supplemental materials, are available to link or embed.

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As a part of HSLS’s commitment to fostering an inclusive library environment, we are pleased to introduce Falk Library’s new PEARL Reading Camera equipped with OpenBook scanning software. The PEARL Reading Camera helps blind and partially sighted users access printed materials. When a book or document is placed in the camera’s field of view, the PEARL Reading Camera will automatically recognize and capture the page and convert the scan into an accessible electronic file using optical character recognition. Once this digital file is generated, the user can continue to scan and add additional pages to the file, reformat or edit the text, and/or have the file read aloud via a screen reader.

In addition to the capabilities described above, the PEARL Reading Camera with OpenBook also includes the features below: Continue reading →

When you’re publishing a paper, how carefully do you read the publishing agreement? A publishing agreement, also known as a publishing contract or copyright transfer agreement, is a legal document between the publisher and author that explains who will own the rights of the work being published. If you envision sharing your article or creating derivative works from it, take time to review what’s stated in your publishing agreement. If copyright is transferred to the publisher, it may limit what you can do with your article without getting permission first. This may limit the reach and impact of your work.

By default, you are the copyright owner as soon as your work is fixed in a tangible form of expression, whether it’s written on a piece of paper or saved on a computer. Unless you’re publishing in an open access journal, publishers will often request that you transfer your copyright ownership to them. If you don’t agree with their publishing agreement or parts of it, you can use an addendum to negotiate the rights that are important to you.

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HSLS offers classes in a wide array of subjects — data services, citation management, literature searching, and more! You can quickly view all upcoming classes and events or sign up to receive the weekly “Upcoming HSLS Classes and Workshops” email.

Featured workshop of the month: Introduction to Research Data Management

Thursday, August 11, 2022, 1–2 p.m.

Register for this virtual workshop*

Research data management is the process in which reusable quality research data is created, organized, documented, and made accessible. Managing your research data helps to prevent errors, increases the quality of your analyses, and saves time and resources in the long run.

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Looking for a good book to ease into the fall semester? HSLS has over 200 print books to choose from in the Leisure Reading Collection. There is a wonderful variety of fiction and non-fiction in a wide range of genres, which is sure to please. Check out the selection of new titles available on the library’s main floor.

Below are several popular new books HSLS has to offer:

Sparring Partners by John Grisham

We Had to Remove This Post by Hanna Bervoets

Portrait of a Thief: A Novel by Grace D. Li

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There’s still time to participate in the Class Categories Survey for a chance to win a $50 money gift card. By helping us sort class names into categories, we can provide a streamlined educational experience, including new self-paced learning content, for members of the Pitt Health Sciences community as well as UPMC residents and fellows.

At the completion of the survey, you’ll receive a code that can be submitted with your contact information to be entered into a drawing for a $50 money gift card through Pitt’s approved Vincent card program. Only one submission per person with a valid Pitt or UPMC email address will be accepted.

The survey will close on August 8, 2022. Only entries received before August 9, 2022, 12 PM EST, will be eligible for the drawing.

The HSLS Staff News section includes recent HSLS presentations, publications, staff changes, staff promotions, degrees earned, and more.

News

Misti Kane, Metadata and Access Librarian, joined the Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC), through which she completed the Library of Congress Name Authority Cooperative Program (NACO) training. By going through the specialized NACO training, she is able to independently create authority records for personal, corporate, and jurisdictional names, which are contributed to OCLC and the Library of Congress/NACO authority file.

Rebekah Miller, Research and Instruction Librarian, has received a secondary faculty appointment with the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). Continue reading →