Ball State University students now have the opportunity to find several documents in one search thanks to the addition of Multisearch and Multilink to the University Libraries' database.
University Libraries is offering workshops Sept. 10 and Sept. 16 for students to learn how to use these new programs and get familiar with them.
The Multisearch software was enabled last semester and allows students to search multiple databases at one time, Lisa Jarrell, a University Libraries instructional services librarian, said.
"It is a good place to start if you are not sure which databases to use," she said. "We only have about 200 choices, so if you're not sure of which one to use, Multisearch could be a good idea to start with."
Multisearch extracts documents from 50 different databases that University Libraries chose based on how frequently each database is used and which databases have the most useful information, Jarrell said.
Multilink, formerly known as "Find It," has new options for finding full-text that its predecessor did not.
University Libraries will have more Multisearch and Multilink workshops depending on how many students show up for the first two.
"We had a hard time deciding when the workshops should be offered," Jarrell said. "There is also going to be eventually some things online to help students navigate. So if students missed some information they could find something to help them online."
Students are also encouraged to make appointments or ask for information at the reference desk, Jarrell said.
"We do have a lot of students who come in and we do have a lot of students who make appointments to see us individually too," she said. "It makes me happy and it makes me feel like I'm helping when someone's stuck."
In addition to its database upgrades, she said University Libraries has purchased new electronic books and individual titles.
"We try to keep current with different things that are coming online and different things that make it easier for students to access our information," Jarrell said. "So we are adding databases relatively frequently when new technology comes around and there's money available to purchase it."
According to Dean of University Libraries Arthur Hafner, Ball State has more than 30,000 e-journals and other full-text materials this year.
Hafner said in the 2009 fiscal year, University Libraries spent about $435,000 on electronic databases, 20 percent of the state materials budget. However, some library resources had to be removed due to recent budget cuts.
Sharon Roberts, assistant dean for collection resources management, said Indiana pays for popular databases with the Indiana Virtual Library Program.
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