Libraries Workshop for Faculty & Staff
 


Spring 2024

 

Research & Instruction Librarians

Friends Historical Library

Peace Collection

 

Agenda

  • Off-campus access
  • VPN and beyond
  • Search tips
    • Tripod
    • Google
  • ​Creating resource lists
  • Archival research

But first

Introductions

Name, pronouns, department, research project and/or

any fun summer plans

Accessing resources off-campus

Proxy server + VPN

Most* library resources automatically recognize Swarthmore IP addresses, so if you're using a Swarthmore internet connection, you'll get access.
 

*Some news sites like Wall Street Journal require an individual login

Applies to: Most licensed online resources such as JSTOR, Web of Science, ProQuest databases and ebooks, Cambridge University Press journals and ebooks

On-Campus

Off-Campus

You'll need to use either the proxy server or Swarthmore's VPN to access resources from off-campus.

 

If you use links in Tripod or Research Guides, you'll be prompted to sign into the proxy server if needed.

Accessing resources off-campus

Proxy Server (EZProxy)

  • If you use links in Tripod or Research Guides, you'll be prompted to sign into the proxy server if needed.
     
  • Or, start your session by going to proxy.swarthmore.edu and signing in. You'll get temporary access in that browser window.
screenshot of page "you are now logged into ezproxy"

Accessing resources off-campus

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

  • Why? Gives you more consistent access to licensed resources while off-campus. Lets you use multiple browsers and windows without needing to sign in multiple times.
     
  • One-time setup  Download Cisco AnyConnect
    from VPN and Off-Campus Access 
    (ITS Knowledgebase). Follow instructions to install.
     
  • Connect to VPN  Open Cisco AnyConnect. Enter your Swarthmore credentials and preferred Duo authentication method. Once you're connected, you can access resources without needing proxy links.
screenshot AnyConnect VPN login window

Accessing resources off-campus

Tip: Add Proxy to a Link

Scenario: You're off-campus, searching in Google, and find a book you want to read from Cambridge. We don't seem to have access.
 

Fix: You can create a link that will send your request through the proxy server.
To do this, add the proxy prefix to the main link.

Proxy prefix is navy and bold, and the main link is brown:

https://proxy.swarthmore.edu/login?url=https://www.jstor.org

https://proxy.swarthmore.edu/login?url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/origins-of-european-integration/F20C8A9D0BB65730A8127A814A40CF41


This will work on most licensed resources, including new acquisitions that aren't listed in Tripod yet (e.g. new ebooks from Cambridge, Springer-Palgrave, Oxford).

(There's an easier option than doing this manually. See our Off-Campus Access guide to create a bookmark that will add proxy to links.)

Tripod Search Tips

Creating alerts

 

Advanced

search

tips

'site:' - searches within specified site

'-site' - excludes specified site

'type:' - searches file type

'site:{country code top level domain}' - get results with specified country domain

advanced image search for creative commons results

'site:{.edu}' - get results with specific site type

SEO

Overmonitized

AIternatives

Resources & Research

Curated Lists

Subject librarians can curate lists of resources such as databases and books, as well as subject headings and search terms.

Instruction for Student Assistants

If you have research assistants, they can meet with a librarian to learn where and how to search, how to access resources, and how to use tools like Zotero to organize findings.

Librarians can also provide day-to-day support for your RAs, helping them get past minor blocks more quickly.

Google Doc "Philadelphia History," with links to resources like the Philadelphia Inquirer and Vanderbilt TV News Archive

Resources & Research

Zotero

Librarians can help you get set up to use Zotero to organize your research materials, including annotating PDFs and take notes inside Zotero.
See our Zotero Research Guide.
 

Free Storage

The libraries provide faculty, students, and staff with unlimited free storage in Zotero. To use this, add your Swarthmore.edu email to your Zotero account. (More details on the Zotero guide.)

 

Zotero Groups

With paid storage, you can setup a Zotero Group to share materials with multiple participants. This works particularly well when you have research assistants. You can ask your librarian for help setting up a group.

Swarthmore Special Collections

Archives Catalogs

TriCo:

archives.tricolib.brynmawr.edu/ 

Philadelphia:

findingaids.library.upenn.edu/ 

Beyond:

researchworks.oclc.org/archivegrid/

Preview of what's to come

  • Ask us about

    • Copyright tips for working with images

    • Accessible templates for creating public documents

    • Research assignment design

    • Multimodal scholarship

Subject Librarians

Science, Math, Engineering

Educational Studies, Black Studies, Psychology

 

Art & Art History, Classics, Latin American & Latino Studies, Linguistics, Philosophy, Religion,  Spanish, English

 

Economics, Gender & Sexuality Studies, Peace & Conflict Studies, Political Science, Sociology & Anthropology

 

Dance, Music, Theater

Modern Languages & Literatures

Digital Scholarship

What questions do you have?

Contact Us

Simon Elichko (selichk1)

Roberto Vargas (rvargas1)

Abbie Weil (aweil1)

Celia Caust-Ellenbogen (ccauste1)

Sahr Conway-Lanz (sconway1)

Amanda Licastro (alicast1)

Library Staff


Chat help is also available. Look for red button on
the Libraries site and Tripod.