Tag Archives: research

UGL Fall Services

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Welcome back students!  This Fall has brought many changes to student life, but the UGL is still here to help you be successful.  Libraries across campus have updated their services and facilities to address the COVID-19 pandemic, and provide resources to help on- and off-campus students access our collections and instructional services.  In this blog post, we’ll provide details on some of our physical building access updates, as well as ways to connect with us for students who will not be able to visit in person.

Most library services and resources will be offered primarily online.  Research help and many of our collections can be accessed through our website, for both on- and off-campus students (see below).  The Undergraduate Library will also be offering select in-person services on a limited basis in Fall 2020, including individual study space (starting September 14th), media production studios, and loanable technology access. All services are for single individuals; we will have no spaces in the building which can be accessed by groups.

Health and safety for students and staff are prioritized in the delivery of all of our services.  Please see the Library COVID-19 FAQ for information on mandated face coverings, space usage, social distancing, cleaning, and other requirements for access to any UGL spaces and services. 

All in person services require prior booking; there will be no same-day or walk-up services available.

Building Hours:

The UGL begin opening for services August 24th.  The library will be open Sunday thru Friday, and closed on Saturdays.  Building hours are:

  • Monday-Thursday 11am-9pm 
  • Friday 11am-5pm 
  • Saturday – Closed 
  • Sunday 3pm-9pm 

Building Guidelines:

  • No one will be admitted without face coverings which meet campus requirements.
  • An Approved status on the Safer Illinois App is required for building entry
  • There will be no same-day services offered.  All services must be booked in advance.  Entrance doors will be locked at all times, and there will be no access to the building without a prior appointment.
  • All appointments require adherence to campus health and safety protocols for face coverings and social distancing.  Please see the Library COVID-19 FAQ for information on requirements. 
  • Please contact us at undergrad@library.illinois.edu or call (217)333-3477 with any questions about access to UGL resources. 

Services available: 

Collections 

  • Books, Journals, and Media Items – The Library is pursuing a digital-first access strategy for most collections, particularly books and journal articles.  The Media collection of DVDs and Video Games can be requested through the library catalog. Students can start with the Easy Search tool on our homepage to identify materials which are in our collections., and then place a request to get a digital copy.   Please see the Library COVID-19 FAQ for more details on access to books and the media collection. 
  • Loanable Technology – This collection can be reserved online for pick-up in the lobby entrance of the UGL.  We have extended the loan time for all items to help patrons meet their media creation needs.  Details on what is available, and how to make a booking, are available on the Media Commons Website.

Audio and Video Studios 

  • The Media Commons is providing individuals with media creation studio access, with limited booking times available.  Details on what is available, and how to make a booking, are available on the Media Commons Website. 

Study Spaces 

  • The UGL will provide access to individual study spaces beginning September 14th.  Following campus health and safety guidelines, 36 study spaces are available. 
  • Study spaces must be booked online.  There is no walk-up access to study spaces; all study spaces must be booked at least one day in advance. 
  • There is no group study space available in any Library space, including the UGL. 

Research and Writing Consultations 

  • Ask-a-Librarian online chat is available online for most research questions. 
  • Beginning September 20th, Research and Writing consultations conducted with the Writers Workshop will be available for either chat or Zoom appointments.  See our Research and Writing Consultations page for more details and to sign up for a consultation. 

We wish you all the best with your semester, and please don’t hesitate to reach out to the UGL if you have questions about services this semester.  Email us at undergrad@library.illinois.edu

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DON’T DISTRESS, DE-STRESS AT THE UGL DE-STRESS FEST!

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As the semester winds down, the intensity always ramps up. Don’t worry, the UGL has you covered. On Reading Day, Thursday December 13th, we have programming to help curb your stress with our semesterly De-Stress Fest! Choose your own adventure by looking at the categories of programming we have below. For a concise hourly schedule, see the image at the bottom, but be sure you stick around for 8:00p.m.…because you never know what Uggles has up her sleeves—er, paws.

Flyer for Destress Fest. Image shows a very distressed student.

It’s time to Destress!

Tackling that Final Research Paper or Project?

Starting at 12:00p.m. you can join the Writers Workshop in their “Long Night Against Procrastination” to fight the monsters that are your final writing projects. Research consultations will also have extended hours starting at 2:00p.m. until 10:00p.m. in the consultation corner. The Writers Workshop will close at 11:00p.m..

The Writers Workshop will also host several activities throughout the day in the UGL lobby for you word-nerds and grammar geeks (don’t worry, everyone at the library is one too!)

Need to take a break?

The graduate assistants hear you and we want to get crafty! Come procraftinate with us all day long from 12:00p.m. to 4:00p.m. and 5:00p.m. to 8:00p.m. in the new books section of the UGL. We will have coloring pages, pet rock painting, and button making.  If you don’t have time to craft, pick up a de-stress bag full of word puzzles and brain teasers that you can use to take a break between flash cards, math problems, or book chapters!

Feeling competitive?

Come to room 289 to participate in a variety of board games, party games, and an Illini trivia session. If you can pin the tail on Uggles or beat a team of friends/strangers at trivia, you can win a small piece of sugary motivation. (Candy, the motivation is candy.) You can also play one of the board games out of the UGL board game collection!

If you’re into video games, we have that too. From 8:00p.m. to 10:00p.m. in the gaming center, come test your gamer skills on vintage games with classics like Mario Kart, Dr. Mario-Tetris, Street Fighter, and more!

Need to vent or manage your stress?

The Integrative Health and Wellness Team will be in the UGL front lobby from 12:00p.m. to 2:00p.m. and the McKinley Stress Management Peers will have stress balls available for free from 2:00p.m. to 4:00p.m.

Want to escape the real world for a while?

We hear you, and we have just the people to help! Several members of the Pathfinder Society who know how to play the popular Dungeons & Dragons Pathfinder game will be around to answer your Pathfinder related questions from 4:00p.m. to 5:00p.m. in the UGL front lobby. Then you have a chance to use your new knowledge to play a beginners scenario in UGL Group Room 11 from 6:00p.m. to 8:00p.m.

See our full schedule below!

The Destress Fest Full Schedule. The schedule in the image is the following. From noon to ten p.m., Trivia and Board Games in Room 289. From Noon until two p.m., Integrative Health and Wellness Team will be at the Front Tables. From Noon to four p.m. and five p.m. to eight p.m., Pet Rocks, Button Making, and Crafts in the new books area. From two p.m. to ten p.m., Research and Writing Consultations outside the Writer's Workshop. From two p.m. to four p.m., McKinley Stress Management Peers at the Front Tables. From four p.m. to six p.m., Creating your own revision vision board at the front tables. From six p.m. to eight p.m., Pathfinder Beginners Scenario in Group Room eleven and Word Games and Writing Handouts at the Front tables. At eight p.m. there is a surprise, and from eight p.m. to ten p.m. there is vintage video gaming in the Gaming Center.

The Schedule of events

Written by Paige

Edited by Zander

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De-Stress Fest Spring 2018!

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Feeling the pressure of finals? We sure are! Come spend Reading Day on May 3rd at the UGL and blow off some steam. Check out our schedule of the day’s events!

All Day

An orange UGL lanyard with homemade buttons of an avocado, tatiana maslany, a dog in a field, Uggles, BB-8, and tina fey

Make buttons of the things you love like avocados and Tatiana Maslany!

What: Crafts, origami, and button-making
Where: Upper level, front of the library
Spend your day making crafts with paper, pipecleaners, and pet rocks! Make a button for your backpack, lanyard, or jean jacket with the UGL’s button-maker!

What: Long Night Against Procrastination
Where: Writers Workshop
Join the Writers Workshop in the Long Night Against Procrastination. Get help from writing tutors all day long until midnight!

12:00 pm – 4:00 pm

A photo of Altgeld hall with the text "Illinois - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign counseling center" overlaid in white text

The Counseling Center is here to help!

What: Counseling Center
Where: Upper Level, front of the library
Feeling the stress of finals season? The counseling center is there for you! Get help and resources from the Counseling Center all afternoon!

1:00 pm – 5:00 pm

What: Research and Writing Consultations
Where: Outside patio tables
If you’re still powering through those final research papers, the UGL is here to help! Bask in the sun and spend some time with a one-on-one research consultation at one of our outdoor research consultations.

What: Bubbles, games, and sidewalk chalk
Where: Outside the UGL
If you just need a break from the library, come outside and play games! Sidewalk chalk, board games, and bubbles will be outside the UGL on the patio all afternoon!

4:00 pm – 8:00 pm

What: Word Games with the Writers Workshop
Where: Writers Workshop
Exercise your brain and have fun with Bananagrams and other word games at the Writers Workshop!

6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Roll for Initiative!

What: Pathfinder Character Creation
Where: Undergrad Library, Group Room 11
Take your RPG playing to the next level and create your own custom character with the help of the UGL’s Game Masters in Residence!

6:00 pm – 10:00 pm

What: Research and Writing Consultations
Where: Consultation Corner

Cram in some last minute research and writing help at the Consultation Corner!

8:00 pm

SURPRISE! Show up at the UGL at 8 pm for a sweet surprise!

8:00 pm – Midnight

Yes, you can still play Street Fighter 2

What: Vintage Video Games
Where: UGL Gaming Center
Missing your old school video games? Come play with the UGL’s RetroN, a 10-system console capable of running SEGA, Game Boy, NES, Genesis, SNES and more!

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De-Stress Fest 2017

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Dogged by a high-stakes final exam?

Donut know what to do to prepare for an essay test?

Tasked with a term paper and still wondering: “Button what should I write?”

Mitigate your distress and de-stress at the UGL’s Destress Fest! This Thursday, December 14th from 12p.m. to 11p.m. the Undergraduate Library is providing resources to help you relax amidst the calamity of finals week.

Highlights

Therapy dogs are back! They don’t judge, guilt, or grade you–PLUS they have fur and love to be petted.

Library staff will be running campaigns for the fantasy role-playing game, Pathfinder. Stomp out some goblins, cast a few spells, maybe even take a stab at fighting the fearsome Gelatinous Cube.

Come use the UGL’s new button maker! Bring in a favorite photo, inspirational saying, or other (paper) totem of good luck and punch out something you can wear around as you study and destress.

Here is the full list of events

12 to 2p.m. and 6 to 8p.m. Paper Hats, and Origami workshop in the New Books area

12 to 2p.m. Consultants from the Writers Workshop will be at the front of the Upper Level to offer tips and tricks on those daunting final papers

1:45 to 3:45p.m. Therapy dogs will visit the Upper Level!

2 to 4p.m. Stress Management Peers will be at the Front Table to talk about dealing with finals pressure

3 to 5p.m. and 7 to 9p.m. Button making in the New Books Area of the Upper Level.

4 to 6p.m. Representatives from the counseling center’s Integrative Health and Wellness Team at the Front Table on the Upper Level

4 to 11p.m. Writers Workshop Midnight Madness drop-in hours

4 to 5p.m. Breathe, Relax, Focus at the Writers Workshop conference room

6 to 8p.m. Pathfinder Campaigns in dungeon-ized Group Room 11

At 8p.m. there is a a surprise that will make its way around the UGL!

9 to 11p.m. Research and Writing drop-in hours with librarians in the Consultation Corner (back of Upper Level, by the Writers Workshop)

We’ll see you there.

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UGL 101: Welcome Back!

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Welcome back to campus! Whether it’s your first time visiting the Undergraduate Library or you consider the UGL your second home, we’re glad to have you here. We know this is a busy time for students, so to help ease the stress of a new school year, we’re putting together some helpful UGL information to get you started on the right foot.

Photo courtesy of UGL Flickr

Photo courtesy of UGL Flickr

The UGL will have some abbreviated hours during the first two weeks of school before returning to the normal hours. Here is a breakdown of the following two weeks:

Monday 8/23 through Thursday 8/27: 8:00am to 12:00am
Friday 8/28: 8:00am to 9:00pm
Saturday 8/29: 10:00am to 9:00pm
Sunday 8/30: 10:00am to 12:00am
Monday 8/31 through Thursday 9/3: 8:00am to 12:00am
Friday 9/1: 10:00am to 9:00pm
Saturday 9/2: 10:00am to 9:00pm
Sunday 9/3: 10:00am to 12:00am
Monday 9/4 (Labor Day): Closed

The library will open back up at 8:00am on Tuesday, September 5, and the UGL’s regular 24 hour (Monday through Friday) schedule will resume.

For more information on library hours, check out the library homepage: http://www.library.illinois.edu/

Upper Level of the UGL. Photo courtesy of the UGL Media Commons

Upper Level of the UGL. Photo courtesy of the UGL Media Commons

The UGL has a little something for everyone. If you’re looking for a place to meet for a group project, need some help getting started with research, a space to play video games, or want to check out a GoPro to document your bike ride through campus, our Upper Level is the place to go. The Lower Level of the UGL is perfect for studying quietly, discovering a new graphic novel, or finding a video game or television series to check out.

Media Commons. Photo courtesy of the UGL Media Commons

Media Commons. Photo courtesy of the UGL Media Commons

The Media Commons, located on the north and east side of the upper level of the Undergraduate Library, provides students with the opportunity to experiment with emerging technologies. The Media Commons offers students a chance to create and use digital media. With an audio booth, green screen room, editing software, and loanable technology at your fingertips, you’ll be able to create nearly anything.

Learn more about the Media Commons here: http://www.library.illinois.edu/ugl/mc/index.html

What’s your favorite part of the UGL? Tweet at us at @askundergrad and let us know!

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Research and Writing Cram Night

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The countdown until finals is T-minus 19 days until the first day of finals. We can do this and you can do it. As we are working hard to get our projects going and our papers finished, there are 2 places on campus that can help. The Undergraduate Library and the Writers Workshop. On Tuesday, April 21st from 7-10 PM (Room 291), the Writer’s Workshop and the UGL will have a research/writing cram night. Do you have a paper that you need someone to look over? Are you having trouble with finding scholarly articles? Then this cram night is the place for you!

Come to our research/writing cram session! Photo courtesy of the Media Commons

Come to our research/writing cram session! Photo courtesy of the Media Commons

Our friends, Michael and McCall at the Writers Workshop, were kind enough to grant us a small interview to talk more about this event.

How long will the appointments be?

Michael: 15 minutes, which is the same as our drop-in hours

Location?

Michael: Room 291 (which is a computer lab)

What can students bring?

McCall: Any type of writing that they want to have looked at (yes, that includes cover letters and resumes)

Michael: Typically what we’re looking for when we do our cram sessions or midnight madness, are people who are coming in with papers. Undergraduate course papers are what we see the most. These hours are more for last minute citation issues and last minute questions about content or organization.

What’s your favorite library resource?

Michael: I usually use the Purdue OWL, because it’s such an incredible compendium of resources and also teaching people how to do a nuance search of a database is really helpful.

McCall: I have to agree, freshman year, I had no idea how to use the library and I really wasn’t that familiar. From my high school experience on how to do research on this scale and using a university library, being able to help people with that is really useful.

What can students do to get the most out of this appointment?

Michael: Come prepared with specific questions. It’s 15 minutes and those 15 minutes will go fast. They know their writing, so when they’re coming to this, have an idea of what their major concerns are and what other specific anxieties about this specific question for this particular assignment.

McCall: If it’s a longer paper just come in for getting help on one or two things.15 minutes goes fast! Maybe help on working on a thesis statement, introduction, or specific paragraph.

What are you waiting for? Come join us on Tuesday night (April 21st) from 7-10 PM in room 291 on the upper level of the UGL! Remember, librarians will also be there to help with your research needs. We hope to see you there.

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UGL 101: Subject Guides

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As the year comes to an end, we have projects, papers, and all sorts of things going on. It can be a bit overwhelming, but if you know the resources available and where to find them, it doesn’t have to be that bad. Our UGL 101 for this week is the library’s subject guides.

For those who have taken a rhetoric or communications class, you have class guides available. These guides were made specifically for your class and have great resources for your speech or research needs. Class pages include CMN 101, CMN 111, ESL 112/115, LAS 100, Rhetoric, and Rhetoric 233-Ricketts.

CMN 101 Subject Guide

CMN 101 Subject Guide

We have more subject guides available that cover a wide variety of topics. If you go to the UGL website and click on “subject guides”, below the search bar, you can browse or search the subject guides.

Now, there are hundreds of subject guides, but that doesn’t mean that it has to be overwhelming. If you’d like to browse to see what we have, no problem! Click on a subject, which are organized alphabetically. You can also browse by keyword.

Once you have selected your guide, there are a couple of resources available in them. For example, let’s say we’re looking at the “Natural Disasters” subject guide. In this guide, we will find an infographic on the first page of links to starting research points. These resources include government websites, statistics, and subject databases. The tabs for this subject guide are background information, ways of finding articles and books, and credible websites related to this topic.

Natural Disasters Subject Guide.

Natural Disasters Subject Guide.

The UIUC Library has subject guides for tons of topics. Chances are, we have a subject guide for your research paper! If not, we’re always here to help. Come get help at Office Hours from Sunday to Friday 1-5, at a desk in front of the Writer’s Workshop.

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Your UGL guide to Surviving Finals

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To quote the popular “Poltergeist” movie, “They’re here….” Yes, finals have arrived. This is the time of year where stress levels are at an all time high and it’s a struggle to get a hold of your emotions. Have no fear, grab your laptop and textbooks and sit down, because the UGL is here to help.

Before we get to the study tips, here are a couple of things to keep in mind. Starting on December 11th (this Thursday), the UGL will be open 24 hours, until December 19th (we’ll close at 7 PM on this day). Take advantage of this time to come on over and get all your studying done in a quiet environment.

Finals Week. We've all been there. Photo courtesy of Geoffrey Fairchild via Flickr Commons

Finals Week. We’ve all been there. Photo courtesy of Geoffrey Fairchild via Flickr Commons

Be on the lookout for Midnight Madness. What is Midnight Madness you might ask? The Writer’s Workshop (located on the upper level of the UGL) will have people to help you with all your citations needs, essay revisions, graduate school statements, and tidying up that resume. This will take place on December 11th, from 8 PM to midnight. All consultations will take place in room 251 of the UGL.

Now, here are your tips for surviving finals 2014:

1. Create a study guide. This study guide should have an outline of all the projects that need to get done, all the papers that you need to finish, and all the classes you need to study for. Outline all the important points that you need to focus on and anything that might be helpful.

2. Ask for help! Remember, if you need help understanding a concept or have questions, ask your professor or TA. It’s better to ask than to wonder if something is correct. Be sure to go to office hours and any review sessions.

3. Create a schedule. There’s a lot of ground to cover, so be sure to manage your time. Write down a schedule and what classes you’ll study for those dates.

4. Practice by quizzing yourself. Are you learning the material? Is there anything you need work on? Doing your own mini quizzes will help you find out.

5. Get plenty of sleep and stay hydrated. What good is all this studying if you’re not taking care of yourself? If you’re tired, take a study break, drink some water, or go do an activity you enjoy. This will help you keep focused on your goals and the exams.

Are there any tips you use during finals? Let us know in the comments below. Finally, the folks here at the UGL wish you the best of luck. Remember, we’re here to help, so if you have any questions, be sure to ask.

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A Day in the Life: Angeline

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Have you ever wondered what a librarian’s job looks like? Or what exactly the staff members, faculty, and graduate assistants do at the Undergraduate Library during the day? Here’s your chance to find out! Meet Angeline, a graduate assistant at the UGL.

"A Day in the Life."

Q: So, Angeline, what do you do here?
A: Well, I’m a graduate assistant, so I get to do a lot of different things! Most often, I work at the research desk on the upper level of the UGL, and I also answer your questions through the Ask A Librarian chat. I teach library instruction classes for CMN 101/111, Rhet 105, and ESL 115 classes, so you may have had me as your instructor in one of those sessions. I’m here early to open the UGL on Saturday mornings, so if you really want to make my day, feel free to bring me tea! One of the projects I get to work on that I’m really excited about is digitizing video games.

Q: That sounds awesome. What’s your favorite part about your job?
A: Definitely the people I work with. Between having a lot of classes together and working together, all the graduate assistants here are pretty close. I really like how we all support each other, both in this job and as we have started looking for full-time employment after graduation.

Q: What’s your favorite part of the UGL?
A: Hmmm…the staff area! If you haven’t been back there–and, of course you haven’t, you’re probably not staff–it’s like Narnia. I mean, literally, I have to wear a jacket because it’s so cold.

Q: Besides working at the UGL, what do you do for fun?
A: I enjoy reading comics, mostly from the UGL because we have a really great collection. I’m a big Captain America fan, so I requested the comics we don’t have here from other libraries through I-Share so I could read them ALL.

Q: Nice! Now, let’s talk about something really important. Where is your favorite place to eat in town?
A: Black Dog! I love me some BBQ.

Q: Yum. What’s your favorite part of working with students?
A: Helping students find the information they need. There’s nothing better than having a student ask you for help, then being able to work with them to find what they’re looking for. It makes me feel like a superhero…but with less explosions. Although I did have to call an ambulance once.

Q: What do you wish students knew about the UGL?
A: That so many people who work at the UGL are here to answer your questions and help you with whatever you might need. So, come visit me on the research desk, I’d love to help!

Photo of Angeline

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Spotlight On…CQ Researcher

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You’ve got a paper coming up, and you don’t have a topic yet. The paper has to be about a current issue that’s controversial, or maybe you have to debate the pros and cons of something – but there are so many issues in the world! How do you know what to choose and where to start? If you come to the UGL’s website, we have a resource that can help you solve all these problems. It’s called CQ Researcher.

What and where is CQ Researcher?

CQ Researcher is one of the many databases that the library provides for you to use. It’s a little different from other databases you may have used, because it’s designed to make it easy for you to browse articles by topic. The topics that articles in CQ Researcher cover range from education issues (like homeschooling) to disputes over international law (like the ethics of war), but all have been topics of intense discussion and debate in the recent past or present.

To get to CQ Researcher, start at the UGL homepage and click the Find Articles button that you see under the Easy Search box. That will take you to the Find Articles guide, where we list some of our databases by type. CQ Researcher is a general database, so you can find a link to it in the first section that’s labelled “Starting Points (Multi-Subject Databases).”

CQ Researcher should be the third database listed under Starting Points.

What can I find in CQ Researcher?

Every topic covered in CQ Researcher will be explained in a report – a long article that provides an overview of the topic,  including background information, current controversies or problems, and potential outcomes. An editorial piece from each side of the argument – a “pro” and a “con” position – are also provided by an expert on the topic. Other helpful features include timelines of major events, and lists of suggested sources for further research. This information could be used to help you figure out what specific aspects of a general topic you’re most interested in, where you should look for more information, or how a specific issue fits into a larger issue or trend.

You can navigate through the different kinds of information provided using the menu on the left side, or explore related issues using the Issue Tracker menu on the right.

How can I use CQ Researcher?

If you already have an idea of what you’re interested in, the main page of CQ Researcher has a search feature in the upper-right hand corner of the screen. If you don’t have an idea yet, don’t worry – it also has options to browse through information by what’s been added most recently, or by general area of interest (like the ‘education’ and ‘international law’ areas we mentioned above). As you browse or search, CQ Researcher will offer suggestions for related topic in a menu on the right-hand side of the screen.

The search box is in the top-right corner, and the Browse options are in the main navigation menu under the heading.

So, if you’re trying to find an interesting, contemporary debate to explore for an assignment, or you’ve already got one and need ideas for how to approach it, find your way to the UGL homepage and try CQ Researcher. There’s also that helpful Ask-A-Librarian chat box on the UGL page, so if you should get stuck, a librarian is only a click away! We’ll be happy to help you use this or any other library resource.

Find other posts in the Spotlight On… series here.

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