| Q | How do I submit hint/question to this FAQ? |
| A | eMail your hint or problem to the VitalSource trainers eMail list: dent-vitalsource@lists.dal.ca or contact Blaine Cleghorn or phone 494-2448. |
| Q | How can I best utilize Vital Source in my course? (Faculty). (suggestion submitted by Dr. B. Cleghorn) |
| A | There are a number of methods for taking advantage of the VitalBook electronic library and the other software packaged on the students' computers. These can include using the library in a classroom setting or providing exercises for students to complete outside of class. Some of the methods are listed below. Please contact Blaine Cleghorn if a more detailed orientation is required.
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| Q | How do I make a Custom Folder? (Faculty and students) (suggestion submitted by Dr. R. Loney) |
| A | Make Custom Folders before you begin using the VitalBook LIbrary. Making folders that contain specific texts will allow you to narrow your searches to fewer texts, making searches quicker and more relevant. To make custom folders: Add a folder by clicking the "+" button on the lower left corner of Bookshelf. The new folder will appear in the pane above the button you just clicked.Type a name for your folder. Click on the "All Titles" icon at the top of the left column of Bookshelf. Drag any of the book titles in the library to the new folder. Be selective for folders you want tight searches, more general for those. You're not actually moving the text, just creating an alias of it. You can put the same book into as many folders as you want. Deleting a folder you have created or a book within one of these folders only deletes the alias and not the actual book. For searches, use your custom folder to limit searches to only those texts in the folder. Sample Custom Folders for Prosthodontics: Prosthodontics folder This folder should include medical and dental dictionaries and texts on dental anatomy, occlusion, fixed and removable prosthodontics, dental materials, implants, operative dentistry, endodontics. This is the folder to search if I have an area of broad interest related to Prosthodontics. If the question is broader, I search the whole library. The other folders are much more focused. Removable Prosthodontics folder - includes dental dictionary and texts on removable prosthodontics. Fixed Prosthodontics folder - includes dental dictionary and texts on fixed prosthodontics.Implants - includes dental dictionary and texts on implants and fixed and removable prosthodontics. Dental Materials folder - includes dental dictionary and texts on dental materials. Occlusion/TMD folder- includes medical and dental dictionaries and texts on dental anatomy, occlusion, oral medicine, oral and maxillofacial surgery. Remember that all of these folders are just creating an alias of the actual book. You can put the same book into as many folders as you want. Deleting a folder you have created or a book within one of these folders only deletes the alias and not the actual book in the VitalBook library. |
| Q | What are some search strategies that I can use in the VitalBook Library? (suggestion submitted by Dr. R. Loney) |
| A | Enlarge the Bookshelf window to occupy the whole screen. Use the three column mode, by clicking the 3 column icon in the upper left hand corner. Using lots of the screen and the 3 columns allows you to search results more quickly. Keep search criteria more general, less specific at beginning of search. If you get too many hits, narrow your query before looking through the list of hits. Look for text or figure results, depending on what you need. Use Exact Phrase Matching to narrow a search by enclosing your phrase in quotation marks ("implant overdenture") The query returns will include any text block containing that phrase. If you do not use quotation marks, the query will look for any paragraph, caption, figure, or title containing all of your words. Term Search Double click a book to open it. Click on the "Terms" button below the search window on the left pane. Type in the term you are looking for in the search window, or scroll and double click on a term. While holding down the ctrl key, click on the term and select which of the reference books you wish to select (dictionaries and drug reference) |
| Q | How do you reference texts when using the VitalBook LIbrary? (suggestion submitted by Dr. R. Loney) |
| A | At present, you can't use Bookshelf references, as is, for writing manuscripts. They are too general, and often missing information. We see this as a problem requiring a fix. Here is an example of referencing of a text: The VitalSource Bookshelf Reference: (Rosenstiel, Stephen F.. Contemporary Fixed Prosthodontics, 3rd Edition. Elsevier, 2000. 4.1.1). <vbk:0-8151-5559-X#outline(4.1.1)> The University Catalogue Reference: Rosenstiel SF, Land MF, Fujimoto J. Contemporary fixed prosthodontics (3rd ed.). St. Louis: Mosby, 2001: 83. Standard format for the electronic version should be: #. Author A, Author B. Title of e-book [format]. Place: Publisher; Date of original publication [cited year abbreviated month day]. Available from: Source. URL. Above reference for the Vital Source version should be: Rosenstiel SF, Land MF, Fujimoto J. Contemporary Fixed Prosthodontics [e-book]. 3rd ed. St. Louis: Mosby; 2001:83 [cited 2006, Feb 28]. Available from: VitalSource Technologies. http://www.vitalsource.com/ Article in an electronic reference book: Widdicombe J. Respiration. In: Blakemore C, Jennett S, editors. The Oxfordcompanion to the body [e-book]. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2001 [cited 2005 Jun 30]. Available from: Oxford Reference Online. http://www.oxfordreference.com |
| Q | How do you copy images, figures and tables into PowerPoint or Keynote? (suggestion submitted by Dr. B. Cleghorn) |
| A | The same method should be used regardless of whether the platform is Macintosh or PC. The PC instructions when different from the Macintosh are in brackets.
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| Q | How do you make a link directly to a particular section of a Vital Source textbook from other documents? (suggestion submitted by Craig Sheppard) |
| A | In Vital Source:
To use the link from your document:
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