News Updates and Briefs

New Year Brings New "Goods and Services" to Library

New Library Catalog

A new and improved online catalog—catalogUSMAI—
became available January 6, 2003, offering University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions (USMAI) library users better search features and access to information than the previous online catalog system. Currently, catalogUSMAI offers access to the library catalogs available in VICTORWeb. Access to the library catalogs of the University of Maryland Health Sciences and Human Services Library and St. Mary's College of Maryland Library will be added to catalogUSMAI later in 2003.

TURNITIN.COM Helps Teachers Combat Plagiarism

UMUC now provides teachers and staff in supporting positions with access to a Web-based service with a database of over 1 million academic papers, a digitized version of the Gutenberg Collection of Literary Classics, and other papers pulled from the Internet and various "paper mills," (i.e., services that sell term papers). When a teacher or student submits a paper to TurnItIn.com, the service compares the paper to its database and issues an originality report. To find out more, including how to apply for a TurnItIn.com account, visit www.umuc.edu/library/turnitin.html.

ILS at a Glance

A new brochure is available that provides a concise introduction to all Information and Library Services (ILS) resources, services, and instruction. Go to www.umuc.edu/library and click on "Library Brochure (PDF)" to view a .pdf version of the file. (You will need a copy of Adobe Acrobat to view the file.)

New Subject Guides and Search Tips

Subject guides help narrow library searches within specific disciplines. The library Web page now offers 35 guides, including new areas of biotechnology, business ethics, communications, human resources, and women's studies. Go to www.umuc.edu/library and click on "Subject Guides."

A new set of short search guides are also available for some of the most frequently used databases. Go to www.umuc.edu/library and click on "Database Descriptions and Search Tips."

UMUC choir members help spread holiday cheer (From left) Isabel Smith, Kartinia Morton, Bridget Meggett, and Sue Daisey, with Quentin Jones hiding in the background.

		Happy Birthday On January 15, 2003, UMUC employees and friends gathered in the Inn and Conference Center to sing "Happy Birthday" to President Gerald Heeger, to wish him well on his 60th birthday, and, of course, to sample the cake.