Freebie Friday Series Roundup
EBSCO Information Services Sub-Saharan Africa
At EBSCO Information Services, we're working every day to transform lives.
The Freebie Friday series has been a remarkable journey, offering a variety of insightful sessions that catered to the diverse needs of our library community. It all started with our Special Training Webinar: Reporting & Analytics hosted by Senior Training Specialist for Sub-Saharan Africa, Mandisa Lakheni , in December 2023. Mandisa invited colleagues to discuss the importance of accurate reporting, especially at year-end when library budgets are under consideration.
We realised how much our customers enjoyed the less formal, conversational style session where it was possible to discuss topics that weren’t covered in the scheduled training sessions that Mandisa offers. And so, Freebie Fridays was born as an opportunity to connect with our customers on issues relevant to their libraries and the greater LIS community.
Here’s a review of the individual sessions that made this series a success:
Freebie Friday: Mastering Database Searching with Advanced Strategies for Information Literacy
Date: 5 April 2024
Special Guest: Kedibone Moagi | Information Librarian, University of Johannesburg
This session engaged a guest librarian from an academic library to advance database searching skills. The focus was on enhancing information literacy, employing different search modes, field codes, Boolean operators, and search history. Participants learned to navigate various database types and content, specifically for literature and systematic reviews, and manage bulk citations efficiently.
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Freebie Friday: EBSCO Database Access and Personalise Your EBSCO Experience with MyEBSCO
Date: 19 April 2024
Special Guest: Kobela Boshomane | Account Executive, EBSCO SSA
Open to researchers and library staff, this session highlighted the importance of the MyEBSCO folder for Selective Dissemination of Information (SDI), search/journal alerts, and managing e-book circulation. It emphasized the advantages of personalising the research experience to meet individual needs.
For more information in this session, please contact Mandisa Lakheni.
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Freebie Friday: Language Options on the EBSCOhost Interface
Date: 3 May 2024
Special Guest: Kelebogile Mosimane | Account Executive, EBSCO SSA
This session addressed the need for non-English resources and highlighted interface language options. It catered to the global nature of libraries, teaching participants how to accommodate different language preferences, including local African languages.
For more information in this session, please contact Mandisa Lakheni.
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Freebie Friday: Export Manager Integration and Setup - for Scoping, Systematic, or Literature Reviews
Date: 31 May 2024
Focused on researchers needing scoping, systematic, or literature reviews, this session taught how to set up EBSCOhost for bulk export into reference managers. It also covered ensuring consistency and accuracy in citations from EBSCOhost resources.
For more information in this session, please contact Mandisa Lakheni.
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Freebie Friday: Best Practices on How to Increase Your EBSCOhost Databases and eBook Usage
Date: 14 June 2024
Special Guests:
This session shared ideas to promote and increase EBSCOhost database and e-book usage. It covered vital administrative settings, end-user behaviour, user experience (UX), and more, making it an engaging conversation for all librarians.
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Freebie Friday: Academic Libraries Landscape with Library Directors
Date: 26 July 2024
Special Guests:
The series concluded with an enlightening conversation with library directors from top academic libraries. The session provided unique insights into the evolving academic libraries landscape, the impact of AI on libraries, discussions on Open Access, transformative agreements, and managing article processing costs (APC).
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The Freebie Friday series has been an invaluable platform for learning, sharing, and connecting with the library community. We look forward to continuing this journey with more engaging and informative sessions in the future.