Archive for March, 2012

How do I find information about nonprofits?

Tuesday, March 27th, 2012

Penrose Library has a database called Foundation Directory that can be used to find the Form 990s that this type of organization must submit to the IRS. Data that is asked for in the 990 include an analysis of revenue and expenses and balance sheet data (such as cash and savings). To access this database take the steps below:

1. Go to the library homepage at library.du.edu.

2. Click on the “Databases” tab and then click on the letter “F.”

3. You will get a list of databases that begin with “F.” Scroll down and click on Foundation Directory.

4. Once in the database click on the 990 tab and begin your search.

The library also has a Nonprofit Resources Guide that identifies a wide range of sources, including databases to find articles about these entities and websites such as that of the National Center for Charitable Statistics that provide statistics. Click on the following URL to retrieve this guide: libguides.du.edu/nonprofits.

How do I cite an ebook with unnumbered pages?

Friday, March 23rd, 2012

E-book readers are growing in popularity. But with the popularity comes increased confusion for the scholar on how to cite information accessed with these tools. For example, older Kindle models do not use page numbers, but have “location numbers” instead. These numbers are useful for other Kindle users, but are useless for others. The Nook uses page numbers, but other readers may not.

Here are some basic principles for citing electronic book content.
1) Give a Digital Object Indentifier (DOI) if there is one. A DOI is not universal at this time, but is helpful when it exists.

Liu, Zonglin Lewis, ed. Microbial stress tolerance for biofuels: systems biology. New York : Springer, 2012. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-21467-7.

2) Give a URL to the ebook, if the URL is brief.
Meernik, James David. U.S. foreign policy and regime instability. Carlisle, PA: Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College. http://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015075622731.

3) If using an e-reader, cite the version you are using.
Gladwell, M. (2008). Outliers: The story of success [Kindle DX version].
Retrieved from Amazon.com

Oleszek, Walter J. (2010) Congressional procedures and the policy process. 8th ed. [Kindle DX version].

4) If citing a direct quote, cite to a page number if available. If not available, cite to a chapter or section so that the user can more easily get to the place.

As always, if you have questions, please feel free to contact our Research Center.

Where can I pick up my books?

Tuesday, March 13th, 2012

When making a “Request It” request for delivery of items from the Hampden Center, you may now choose to pick up your books and materials either at the Penrose Library Access Services Desk or at the Westminster Law Library Circulation Desk.

  • Please note that items requested for pick-up at the Westminster Law Library are delivered once a day, Monday – Friday. The Westminster Law Library is generally open from Monday-Thursday 7:30 a.m.- Midnight; Friday 7:30 a.m.-10:00 p.m.; Saturday 8:00 a.m.- 8:00 p.m. and Sunday 8:00 a.m.- Midnight. Please visit the Westminster Law Library website for more information about hour.

The Pickup Location you choose will be verified in the “success” message you receive after making the request.  The Pickup Location may also be viewed in your library online account and will be displayed in the email notice you receive when the item has arrived at the selected Pickup Location.

What are your policies for visitor access to online resources?

Monday, March 5th, 2012

Penrose Library subscribes to a wide variety of electronic resources, and many of these are available onsite to visitors. Only currently enrolled students, faculty, and staff may access these resources from offsite.

For access to specific online databases, electronic books, and electronic journals of interest, contact the Research Center (research-help@du.edu or 303-871-2905) to see if visitor access to the online resource you wish to use is permitted.  If so, visitors must request a temporary guest account.

To obtain a visitor account, you must present a picture ID at the Access Services Desk and be from one of the following groups: