ILLiad, Drexel Libraries’ new Interlibrary Loan system, will make it faster and easier for members of the Drexel community to submit and track their loan requests.

With ILLiad:

• You can check the status of your request any time, anywhere without having to contact the ILL Department.
• All journal article requests are available electronically in PDF format. (Articles are housed on our server for 30 days during which time they can be viewed and printed.)
• Journal article forms are pre-populated if accessed thru SFX.
• You can renew your items online.
• You can view your borrowing history.
• You only have to enter your name, address, and other personal information into the system once, upon registration.

Many of you scan electronic bookstores such as Amazon, Borders, Barnes & Noble and publishers’ web sites for new books and forward book suggestions to your librarian. Now there is a quick way to check whether we own a book you’re considering, without opening our catalog and retyping the book information. A small Java bookmarklet, residing in your browser’s tool bar will automatically search our catalog for the book displayed on your screen, with a single click of the LookUp button.

Go to: http://weblog.infoworld.com/udell/stories/2002/12/11/librarylookup.html
Here you will find instructions and videos explaining installation. The instructions on this page will work for the FireFox browser, but not IE. For IE browser, go to: http://weblog.infoworld.com/udell/2006/03/20.html, where you can watch a video for installation instructions.

The Java bookmarklet is based on the type of catalog system used by a library. Drexel University libraries’ system is Innovative. Just go to the Innovative list, scroll down to USA – Pennsylvania – Philadelphia – Drexel University – W.W. Hagerty Library and follow the installation instructions for your browser. (FYI: the catalog system for the Free Library of Philadelphia is DRA)

TIP: When you click on the Library LookUp button in your browser’s tool bar, it will invoke a popup window. If you have a popup blocker, you will want to adjust or pause it so as to view the search results.

Enjoy! And keep those book suggestions coming!

When the first fossil human finds were recognised over 150 years ago, ideas about human evolution were still in their infancy. Now, our knowledge of how humans evolved has increased considerably but, despite all the recent advances, there are still many fascinating puzzles. Chris Stringer will discuss some of these mysteries; from how we eventually came to replace other humans such as the Neanderthals, to the discovery of Homo floresiensis (The Hobbit) and what such discoveries can tell us about human evolution in a global context. This event took place on June 2nd 2005.

Go to view: http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/page.asp?tip=1&id=3105

The streaming video quality is excellent with a separate slide presentation to the lecture.

Ok it’s now 2006, but this streaming video from Science is really neat!

Go to: http://www.biocompare.com/e.asp?e=25861

Each year, the editors and news staff of Science look back at the big science stories of the past 12 months, and dub one of them the Breakthrough of the Year. Equipped with genome data and field observations of organisms from microbes to mammals, biologists made huge strides toward understanding the mechanisms by which living creatures evolve.

The big breakthrough, of course, was the one Charles Darwin made a century and a half ago. By recognizing how natural selection shapes the diversity of life, he transformed how biologists view the world. But like all pivotal discoveries, Darwin’s was a beginning. In the years since the 1859 publication of The Origin of Species, thousands of researchers have sketched life’s transitions and explored aspects of evolution Darwin never knew.

Be sure to check it out. This and other web links and papers on evolution will appear in an upcoming research guide. Stay tuned.

A paper coauthored by Dr Anandan and colleagues from Mexico and USDA, titled Effect of storage temperature on the growth of Listeria monocytogenes on Queso Blanco slices was recently published in the JOURNAL OF FOOD SAFETY 26 (3): 202-214 AUG 2006

An excerpt from the abstract:
A five-strain cocktail of Listeria monocytogenes (10(4) cfu/mL) was inoculated onto individual vacuum-packaged slices (ca. 50 g each) of a commercial, Hispanic-style cheese, that being Queso Blanco.

Congratulations Dr Anandan!

We’ve added some new features to our Library Catalog system that you’ll see when you login to see your library record:

Preferred (Saved) Searches: Save catalog searches; re-run them to see updated lists of library materials that match your search strategy. Mark your Preferred Searches for email alert — at the beginning of every week, you’ll receive any email message alerting you to any new materials that match your strategy.

Persistent login: Login once to “My Library Record”; until you logout, or close your browser window, you won’t be required to login again to request library items, or to view electronic reserves. A real time-saver when you are accessing our site from off-campus.

Try it out: My Library Record, or download step-by-step info about saving searches (pdf).

Just recently launched, the Drexel E-repository and Archives (iDEA) is now available. iDEA (formerly DSpace) is a centralized virtual space to access unique digital resources produced by the Drexel community. Administered by the Drexel Libraries, iDEA is commited to providing permanent open access to the digital works of Drexel University.

Check it out at: http://idea.library.drexel.edu/