Author: Patti Avellanet

Screenshot from tutorial How (and Why) to Search the APA Thesaurus in PsycINFO

Tutorial Thursday: Top Tutorials of 2015

Posted on by Patti Avellanet in For Faculty, For Librarians, For Students

It’s Tutorial Thursday! In this series, we explore APA’s extensive library of video tutorials, available on YouTube. Please feel free to link or embed videos or playlists in library websites or LibGuides, course management systems, or other locations where students, faculty, and researchers will find them.

Our video tutorials are a popular resource for people trying to quickly learn how to search APA Databases. But they’re also a rich source of material for librarians and instructors who are teaching students how to efficiently search PsycINFO® and other databases.

For many of our tutorials, we create a version for each of the major vendor platforms: APA PsycNET®, EBSCOhost, Ovid, and ProQuest. When looking at the most-viewed tutorials for each platform in 2015, we noticed that three tutorials appeared on each list. Continue reading →

From the Deck of . . . the ALA Midwinter 2016 Lunch & Learn

Posted on by Patti Avellanet in For Faculty, For Individual Subscribers, For Librarians, For Students

Welcome to “From the Deck of . . .” an irregular series in which we highlight search demos and other information from the slide decks we create for our live training sessions. You can view and download these materials from our SlideShare account.

One of the items we discussed during our presentation at the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting was how to find book reviews in PsycINFO. We performed this search demonstration live using ProQuest, and have recreated it below with screenshots. You can take similar steps to complete this search on APA PsycNET, EBSCOhost, or Ovid. If you need assistance, talk to a librarian, or contact us at psycinfo@apa.org.

Before we get started, remember that PsycINFO is not a full text database, so the full text of the reviews you find may not be displayed. If you’re searching PsycINFO through your college or university’s subscription, ask a librarian for help finding the full text. If you’re searching through an individual subscription to APA PsycNET, this brief tutorial may be of assistance. Continue reading →

Slides from the ALA Midwinter Lunch & Learn Now Available

Posted on by Patti Avellanet in For Librarians

The slides from our Lunch & Learn presentation at ALA Midwinter 2016 are now available on our Slideshare account. We recommend downloading the slides and viewing them in PowerPoint, as the presenter notes area includes additional information for each slide. The session included:

  • Brief updates on PsycARTICLES, PsycBOOKS, PsycTESTS, and PsycTHERAPY
  • Information on a recent update to the Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms
  • A section on the growth of PsycINFO, which recently surpassed 4 million records
  • A review of updates made to the APA PsycNET platform over the last several months
  • An overview of training and support materials

During the session, we presented four live search demos. Screenshots for these are included in slides:

  • EBSCOhost: Using the Thesaurus
  • APA PsycNET: Sort search results by Times Cited
  • OvidSP: Using the Author Affiliation field
  • ProQuest: Searching for items that have been reviewed in journals indexed in PsycINFO

Travel Award Accepting Applications Through March 31

Posted on by Patti Avellanet in For Librarians

Now through March 31, 2016, APA Librarian Conference Travel Award will be accepting applications for conferences taking place from May to August 2016.

The award is intended to help defray conference-related expenses for librarians with less than 15 years of experience after receiving their MLS. Three cash awards are distributed three times each calendar year, and the application cycle opens and closes on a rolling basis. At this time, we are not limiting the conferences that are eligible for travel award funding. Applicants should identify the conference that best meets their professional needs, and explain how attendance will support their current duties and future goals.

Please see the website for more details on eligibility, deadlines, and application materials. Questions about the APA Librarian Conference Travel Award should be directed to librariantravel@apa.org. Please help us spread the word by sharing this information with colleagues and friends who may be eligible!