By Allyson Mower, Librarian, allyson.mower@utah.edu

Life can get busy, so it can be hard to keep up with the latest literature in your favorite field of study. Luckily, Librarian Allyson Mower has come up with 5 great ways to stay current.

1. Join a journal club

There’s plenty of journal clubs on campus. Here’s a few to get you started:

• Reading for Research in LIS 
• Preprint journal club with Public Library of Science 
• University of Utah School of Medicine
• Ask the professor or lab you’re working with.
• Start your own club!

2. Listen to podcasts

The library added PhilosophyTalk to the our collection last year. Science has a good one and so does Nature. Allyson Mower created a guide with a fuller listing of academic podcasts. Here’s a few recommends:

• Science
• Nature
• Poetry Magazine
• PhilosophyTalk

3. Find your favorite journal & scholarly society

Allyson Mower’s favorite journal is called Evidence-Based Library & Information Practice because it’s online and open-access and the research is solid. Also, the editors are excellent.

It takes time to find your favorite journal. This basic listing of journals at the library is a great place to start browsing.

Like journal clubs, ask the professor or lab you’re working with or get personalized recommendations from Allyson Mower as a scholarly communication librarian.

4. Setup topic alerts via discipline databases

Each discipline has its own relevant databases; each database has its own approach. Find your subject on this guide, then go with the top recommended database. Start a search and then save that search as a regular alert (be prepared to create an account).

Get more info on alerts on this guide created by associate librarian Donna Ziegenfuss

5. Get journal suggestions from your librarian

Find your subject (degree, major, or format) here and contact your librarian. Or use Allyson Mower’s guide on reading recommendations as a place to start.