Welcome back! We just passed a calendar milestone: Labor Day. Labor Day brings an extended weekend AND marks the passing of summer. For those of us still slogging through the triple digits, I recognize this as a theoretical passing of summer. Hold on, my sun-burnt Arizona brethren, November is right around the corner.
September has also traditionally been recognized as Back-to-School month. I experienced a tinge of nostalgia this year when I dropped into Walmart and found myself dodging excited students clutching TikTok-approved school supplies and arguing their case for $40 Stanley tumblers.
I have to admit, the nostalgia was quickly replaced by relief that my school-supply scavenger-hunt days are behind me, now that my kids are grown. But there is something exciting and new about the back-to-school season. It brings hints of a fresh start and whiffs of new opportunities.
While I can’t do anything to help you lock down that box of glue sticks or find a dozen fuchsia-colored plastic-pronged folders for your child, I can help you fill your own digital backpack with some library supplies to start (or resume) your academic journey.
Let’s paw through our school memories to pay homage to school supply essentials of the past and offer up their digital library equivalent. For you seasoned KUWL readers, I’ve added some lesser-known tips or features to each resource, so don’t click out just yet.
A Backpack (think Hello Kitty to Jansport). From cartoon themes to Jansport designs to wheels, the backpack (or satchel or bag) has been the starting point for every school day. It contained all your essentials. The University of Phoenix Library homepage serves as the gateway to all the library's resources. Like your backpack, the homepage can only hold so much. But we have tucked away a few more essentials in the drop-down menu at the top of the page. Use these dropdowns to access videos that walk you through researching in the library and the toolkits, which provide instructions and library hacks for using our databases. These drop-downs will appear at the top of our pages as you navigate the website, allowing you to take most of the homepage content with you as you delve deeper into the library.
The TI-83 Calculator. Ah the TI-83 (or any 80 series) calculator. Sure, they were great for math problems, but if you had the skill and knowledge, you could hack them to create a hand-held game. I had neither, but I’m sure the kid who sat behind me in trig, clicking away on his calculator, did. And I’m pretty sure he's probably making more money than I am today. Think of the library toolkits as a similar hack. The toolkits are there to provide you with tips and tutorials on using the databases. Each toolkit can help you streamline your research and save you time, and we think, make research more fun. We've also added the APA toolkit and Back-to-School toolkit, which go a little beyond the databases toolkits (Check out our APA escape rooms; nothing says APA fun like a good zombie apocalypse). These collect resources that are not featured together elsewhere in the library, making them a one-stop page for help.
Gel Pens. Gel pens were more than just a writing implement. They were social currency (and the glitter or neon colors were the bitcoin of gel pens). You could trade them or lend them to indicate your level of friendship. If nothing else, it made learning a little more fun. We think the library videos bring a little glitter to improving your research skills. Some instructions are just better in an audio/visual format. Even better, we have a new series of videos called Work With Me. These short videos take on a research task, such as finding the pros and cons of a topic, and walk you through the steps of selecting the best databases and demonstrating how to search them. We add to the channel each month, so please check back often.
Highlighter Pack. I’m of an age where I can distinctly remember highlighters being thick, yellow markers. It was a breakthrough when thin, yellow markers were introduced. After that, the floodgates opened to all colors and thicknesses, or even digital. Regardless of your preference, highlighters are the ultimate timesaver in that you can flip through a book and, with a few swipes, know what to come back to later. Lean Library does that with your research. Instead of wasting time (and money) on articles hidden behind paywalls, Lean Library highlights what’s already available to you through the University Library. Better, Lean Library Workspace is a multi-pack of highlighters. The Workspace lets you save articles into organized folders, add your own notes and highlights, collaborate with classmates, and even drop citations directly into your papers.
Post-it Notes (in Neon colors). Post-it Notes were the workhorse of school supplies. They marked textbook passages, served as bathroom mirror reminders, and could be used as vocabulary word study aids. One enterprising young man even used them to cover my daughter's car with tiny invites to a school dance. Neon and printed versions made the work a little more fun.
The library’s How Do I guides are today's digital Post-its. The guides are short, simple, and easy to use, whether you need help developing a search strategy, finding statistics, or locating a company. We know you have questions about using AI to do research, and we are adding more How Do I guides to answer your questions. Check out the How Do I Verify Citations from Generative AI (with a new video!) and check back to see new guides about AI in the library.
The Trapper Keeper. It was more than just a binder; the Trapper Keeper was an academic lifestyle. Introduced by Mead in the late 70s, it was a binder and a folder, and a notebook system designed to keep you organized. I’m going to make the argument that RefWorks is the library’s trapper keeper. RefWorks is a tool you can use to consolidate all of your citations (no more drifting from database to database to find saved references and articles). You can organize them into folders and share them with instructors or team members. It also features one of the better citation generators and can create a bibliography in a snap. One of its more useful features is its option to highlight and add notes within a PDF that you upload into your account.
Lunch Boxes. Long before there were backpacks, there was the lunch box. Today, children’s metal lunch boxes are collector’s items, but in the 1970s (and before), they were an identity statement. The character or design on your lunch box gave a little insight into your personality (or my kids’ case, was an indicator of how organized your mom was to secure the coolest, most popular boxes before you were stuck with Barney the Dinosaur or the 7th Heaven cast). The lunch box kept your PBJ safe from becoming a mushy, crushed mess. The library’s databases offer folders to help you organize and store your searches and selected results safely. Use the database toolkits to get instructions on how to create folders in your favorite databases.
So, whether you are a returning student or new to the university, use the library for your digital school supplies. Click around, explore, and let us help make your research journey a little smoother (and maybe even a little fun). Let us know: What’s in your digital backpack?
Nicole Tassinari is an associate university librarian and oversees content development. She's the proud mom of three almost-grown children who love to tell her to "just Google it!"