Welcome to “Healey Library Hacks: Unlocking Hidden Treasures”! If you’ve been curious about what Healey Library offers students, faculty, and staff, you’ve come to the right place. In this blog post, we’ll discuss three notable resources, the Info for Faculty Page, Google Scholar, and the Lean Library browser extension which are designed to enrich your teaching, studies, and research journeys.
Found on the library website, the Info for Faculty Page is useful for those looking to maximize their use of library resources. While intended for faculty, please note that some of the resources are open to everyone.
By selecting UMass Boston as your institution under “Library Links” in the Google Scholar Settings, you can get access to library-subscribed content for free.
Healey Library offers a wealth of tools, applications, and curated content that can greatly benefit UMass Boston students, faculty and staff:
The Info for Faculty page serves as a helpful resources guide for new faculty navigating library resources while also assisting current faculty in maximizing their use of library resources.
Google Scholar provides access to a wide range of scholarly material. By selecting UMass Boston as your institution under “Library Links” in Settings, you can get full access to library-subscribed content for free when you search on Google Scholar.
The Lean Library browser extension provides instant access to library-subscribed research articles, journals, and books, facilitating efficient and up-to-date research for students and faculty without having to go onto the library website.
By exploring these free resources recommended by our library staff, you can enhance your teaching, deepen your studies, and advance your research. We hope this guide has provided valuable insights and inspired you to make the most of the resources available at Healey Library. Happy exploring!
Lean Library is a browser extension that provides quick and simple access to any library-subscribed content. When you are on a website that contains library-subscribed content, your browser will notify you that library access exists. You will be provided with a “Get Access” button to authenticate your UMass Boston login. If Healey Library does not have full access, the extension will provide a link to interlibrary loan to request that item from another library. For more information, see Healey Library’s Lean Library Research Guide: https://umb.libguides.com/leanlibrary.
How it Works
The best way to learn how to navigate Lean Library is to install it and go about your research. For an authentic experience of the ways Lean Library works through Healey Library, I am providing my own research as an example. I am currently in the process of submitting a proposal for my final project, and these are some ways Lean Library has assisted me in the process.
Get access to content we have licensed access to
If you land on content licensed by Healey Library, you will get a pop-up prompting you to authenticate to access the material.
For example, I tried visiting jstor.org. (Note that I also used my Boston Public Library eCard that I obtained as a student attending school in the state of Massachusetts!)
Find alternative access to articles and ebooks
If there is no access to the article or book through the current site, Lean Library will find alternative access in another Healey Library-licensed resource or through open access channels. For books, Lean Library will take the IBSN on a page and match it up to our holdings. This will also work with Amazon, Google, and Outlook (web)!
Here is an example of my Google search for a journal article by Nancy Bentley, “Clannishness: Jewett and Zitkala-Sa.” I copied and pasted from an annotation in a book I’m using for research into Google, and the article popped up. Though not accessible through this site, you can see that Lean Library will search in other places to find the article!
Improve your Google Scholar experience
You will notice our “Find It@UMBrella links appearing beside some full text. Run a search in Google Scholar to test it out. Here is a Google Scholar search for Religion, the Secular, and the Politics of Sexual Difference.
After clicking “Find It@UMBrella,” I received direct access to the book I was searching for.
A Convenient Link to Interlibrary Loan
If Lean Library finds the full-text version of your article isn’t available, a Request-Article pop-up will appear that will guide to make an Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Request. The ILL form will automatically assign all necessary article details, no need to copy and paste!
I tested this out by trying to find full access to a plethora of articles, however it seems that the sources I am searching for are easily accessible through Healey Library. However, for an example of what it would look like, I will include an example from our LibGuide on Lean Library. They searched, A Systematic Review of Seizure-Freedom Rates in Patients with Benign Epilepsy of Childhood with Centrotemporal Spikes Receiving Antiepileptic Drugs.
Highlight & Search in UMBrella
With Lean Library, you can highlight any text on a webpage and search it in UMBrella. Do this by using the context menu of your browser, i.e., by right-clicking on a webpage. Select the Search UMBrella @ Healey Library from the option menu.
Bonus- Improved PubMed experience
Though I do not use PubMed as an English major, Lean Library provides convenient access to the article you’re wanting to access. Lean Library will look up full-text access for the article you’re interested in. Healey Library’s “Find It” links will appear on the records for the articles. Test this out by going to pubmed.gov and looking up an article. For example, try searching for the article Mass coral bleaching causes biotic homogenization of reef fish assemblages.
I am an English MA student at UMass Boston, and Lean Library has cut my research time back immensely. While the resources I have been directed to as a student have been crucial to my research process, I’ve learned that Lean Library is supplemental to it and finds articles in places I didn’t even think to check.
Healey Library is pleased to announce a three-year transformative agreement with Wiley, a well-established global publisher of journals with a focus on the sciences. While the new agreement continues to provide traditional read access to all 1,500+ Wiley journals, as of January 1, 2024, it also allows open access publication in Wiley journals for University of Massachusetts Boston authors at no cost to the authors.
UMB faculty who are interested in learning about the Wiley OA process are invited to register for a Wiley UMB author workshop on April 2, 2024. After registering, you will receive an email with information about the session and a join link for that day. Those who register and attend will receive a certificate of attendance and a link to a recording of the session after the training. Those who register but are unable to join will receive a link to the recording as well.
Authors whose articles are accepted in Wiley’s Gold Open Access or Hybrid Open Access journals will be given an option to make their article open access during their submission process. This option is available for current faculty and graduate students who are the corresponding authors on an article. A current University of Massachusetts Boston email address must be used for the submission. This agreement also covers some Hindawi journals; please check before submitting your article.
How many articles are covered in the agreement?
We have an allotment of 24 open access articles per year for 2024. The allotment will go up to 25 per year for 2025 and 2026. This number is based on our average annual Wiley article output for the campus. The number of open access articles, however, has been a much smaller subset of this total—over the last two years, we have averaged 7 open access articles. There is a possibility that the number of articles submitted for the open access option could surpass our allotment near the end of the calendar year. Corresponding authors would be notified that we have reached our limit for the year; in that case, please reach out to the library to discuss the next allotment cycle start date.
The open access model makes research available to a larger audience, since open articles do not require a subscription and are not hidden behind paywalls. A recent study in the journal Scientometrics argues that open access articles receive more citations and also reach a wider range of researchers from less homogenous locations https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11192-023-04894-0.
One example of an an open access article that has positively impacted download rates can be seen below. This letter titled “Thermodynamic speed limits for mechanical work” by UMB authors Erez Aghion and Jason R. Green in the Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical has 809 downloads since February 2023.
We can also see that the article has been cited 3 times, which is considered an above average amount for the length of time since publication.
The authors took advantage of a two-year transformative agreement that Healey Library has with the Institute of Physics that allows UMB corresponding authors to publish open access with no fee. The article can be found in the Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical online : https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1751-8121/acb5d6.
Another example comes from UMB author Mine Ertugrul. Dr. Etrugrul was the corresponding author for the article “Corporate Patenting, Customer Capital, and Financial Market Outcomes”, published in the Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis. Any UMB faculty, staff or student who is the corresponding author can publish open access in Cambridge University Press journals without paying an APC. The article has 614 downloads and 2 citations since publication.
Dr. Ertugrul said “(O)pen access has been a great opportunity to increase access to our research and the publication process with Cambridge University Press was very smooth. Thank you to everyone involved in creating this opportunity for UMass Boston researchers”.
It’s true, sometimes we tend to over-romanticize college and forget about our academic obligations. But suddenly, it is midterm season, and it is time to “lock in” on your five-page essay or naively try to cram-study your professor’s biology slides the day before an exam. Which now puts us here, regretting choosing our “mental health” over attending our 8 a.m. class.
The Healey Library respects your endeavors and struggles as a student. We want the best for your scholarly intentions and goals at UMass Boston. Often, a loud dormitory or your pestering parents’ house is not the best setting to conquer your coursework. Sometimes, we crave the quiet and gratifying environment of a library to motivate our productivity. That, along with an iced coffee, a pair of noise-canceling headphones, chill-music, aaand we’re back to romanticizing.
However, the Boston Public Library has more than an attractive environment. It is filled with bountiful resources, benefits, events, and opportunities to help you be more confident in a classroom. Here are a few things I appreciate about the BPL.
NOTE! Its important to note that the eCard is available to only those who live, reside part-time to attend school, own property, or work in Massachusetts.
For physical cards, you would need to apply at the circulation desk in any BPL location. You also need to come with picture ID and proof of Massachusetts residency. For more information visit https://www.bpl.org/get-a-library-card
1) Long-term Free Loan of Chromebook Laptops
The library provides free Wi-Fi access for all and runs a short-term and long-term laptop loaning service! Going to college without a personal computer can be impossible. However, thanks to the Emergency Connectivity Fund, the library allows for the personal and academic use of a Chromebook and home Internet via home Wi-Fi routers.
Additionally, the BPL also provides free computer and technology classes to make the setup process a bit easier!
If English is not your first language, take advantage of the free English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) programs for adult learners! The program offers online, and in-person facilitated classes.
There are multiple course levels and styles including Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, small group tutoring, and volunteer-led Conversation Groups.
Need help studying? Through the LearningExpress Library, you can have FREE access to thousands of test preparation materials and practice exams! These resources include college courses and career certification tests.
4) Adaptive Computer Station Software and Accessories for Disability Awareness
The BPL cares about inclusivity and is aware of the obstacles that may come across individuals with certain disabilities. That’s why several of their program rooms are equipped with adaptive computer accessories and software! The list of tools includes; Windows Ease of Access capabilities, Duxbury Braille, Translator Braille Printer Juliet, and Kurzweil 3000.
Got a job? Busy running errands? Or simply, no available commute? No problem! Recently, the BPL launched their new To-Go mobile app that allows access to their collection without stepping foot into the library. Like the “To Go Program,” which allows patrons to place holds, pick up, and return items such as books, CDs, and DVDs, the app makes ordering items for pick-up even easier!
We’re not quite done yet! You also have the ability to download available e-books and audio-books for leisure reading using Libby! This is another app the BPL offers and allows its patrons a quick and easier way to virtually read from the library! Convenience is the key to a students heart after all! Check it out now on the App Store and Google Play.
This is more of a fun benefit of having a BPL card. But, it deserves to be on this list! If you are in the mood to read but not sure what books to choose from, the library will do it for you! All you need to do is fill out a short form regarding your reading preferences and habits. Librarians will have 3-5 books ready just for you. The more you tell, the better the recommendations, so don’t be shy!
Whether the resources you are looking for are available elsewhere, or, maybe you just want to immerse yourself in art or science, either way, the BPL hears you. So, that’s why they provide FREE or discounted access to a variety of museums! With an active physical library card, you can reserve 1 pass per museum per thirty-day period (Note you can not reserve a pass with an eCard, you need a physical card). The list of participating museums includes the Boston Children’s Museum, Harvard Museums of Science & Cultures, Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Science, New England Aquarium, and the USS Constitution Museum.
Sound like fun? For further information and eligibility requirements go to www.bpl.org/museum-passes
8) Housing, Health, & Hunger Help
Aside from supporting individuals with scholarly advancements, the BPL also cares about the financial and physical well-being of its patrons. Homelessness is often a misunderstood phenomenon that does get the recognition and compassion it deserves. That’s why the BPL provides online guides containing information useful for families and individuals who are housing and food insecure. Not only does the guide act as an educational resource but the entire Housing, Health & Hunger Help page provides outside resources and opportunities to access such as “Area Shelters”, “Housing Assistance”, “Food and Free Meal Kits”, “Healthcare”, and more!
Hopefully, you made it to the end of this list and appreciate the Boston Public Library a bit more! The Healey Library is letting all of you know that any resident, student, or worker in Massachusetts is eligible for a BPL library card and BPL eCard. So don’t hesitate and fill out the forms now, see you at the library!
Healey Library is thrilled to announce that 2 wonderful librarians will be joining our staff.
J Troy is joining us on August 21st as our new Liaison Librarian, in our Reference, Outreach, & Instruction unit. J comes to us with over 10 years of experience as a Teacher/Librarian at Milton High School, where he taught information literacy classes to students, so that they learned to search, evaluate, synthesize, and share information effectively and appropriately. He collaborated with other teachers and staff to provide resources and create new curricula, and handled collection development for the library. He also advised students in various clubs and activities, and hired, trained, and supervised the Student Technology Assistance Team. J holds a Certificate in Public Policy from U Mass Dartmouth (2020), an MS in Library & Information Science from Drexel University (2012), and a BA in Religious Studies from Stonehill College (2007). With J joining us, we are planning to revive our liaison librarian program and to include more librarians in collection development activities.
Christine Moynihan is joining us on September 11th as our new Scholarly Communications, Data, & Affordable Learning Librarian. She is currently the Open Educational Resources and Technology Librarian at Salem State University, and previously, she worked as a Project Coordinator in Instructional Design at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health and at the University of Massachusetts T.H. Chan Medical School. She also has prior experience as a grant-funded OER Coordinator at Salem State University, and in administrative and technology roles at Boston University, Labouré College, and the Informed Medical Decisions Foundation. She has also undertaken private consulting roles in archival digitization and historical research. Christine holds a Master of Library & Information Science from the University of Alabama (2018) and 2 degrees from U Mass Boston (hooray!) – a MA in History & Archives (2013) and a BA in English (1999). Christine will be helping us to grow our work in Open Educational Resources, support for Open Access publishing, Research Data Management, ScholarWorks management, and more.
We’re very excited, and hope you will join us in welcoming J and Christine to Healey Library!
