WVU Libraries

Beginning Tuesday, September 25, the Evansdale Library will hold a Term Paper Clinic on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 1pm-3pm in Study Room 212. The Term Paper Clinic provides help to undergraduate students at any stage of the research process. At the term paper clinic, students can get help from a librarian and former college writing instructor with any of the following:

–Finding a research topic or a focus that fits their assignments
–Learning how to begin looking for information
–Figuring how best to find the information they need
–Organizing that information into a structured paper
–Explaining documentation and citation formats

Signs will be posted directing students to Study Room 212, which is on the 2nd floor of Evansdale Library. Students can also ask directions at the circulation or reference desk.

If you have any questions about the Term Paper Clinic, or would like a librarian to come to your class to give a 10-minute presentation on the Term Paper Clinic at Evansdale Library, please contact Noel Kopriva, Agriculture, Forestry, & Consumer Sciences Librarian, at 293-4696, ext. 5114, or email her at Noel.Kopriva@mail.wvu.edu.

Do you use images in your teaching? Are you interesting in knowing more about the visual resources provided through the WVU Libraries? Come learn about the libraries’ online image collections, copyright essentials, fair use, and citation styles at this WVU Faculty Development Session.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2007
3:00 – 4:30 p.m.
DOWNTOWN CAMPUS LIBRARY, ROOM 136

WITH SESSION LEADERS:
Beth Royall, Creative Arts Librarian, Evansdale Library
Beth Toren, Web Services Librarian, Downtown Campus Library

To register, contact Wendy Spaw by e-mail.

WVU Today, September 12, 2007

Science fiction fans will be delighted to know the West Virginia University Libraries features a nationally recognized Isaac Asimov Collection.

The American Library Association (ALA) recently named the WVU Libraries’ ensemble of Asimov books and items its Digital Collection of the Week. The ALA spotlights the collection in the current issue of AL Direct, its online newsletter.

An exciting exhibit of the collection, put together by Libraries staff, is available at http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/exhibits/asimov/

Rare Books curator Harold M. Forbes and Web Services librarian Beth Toren show some of the more than 600 books, games, audio recordings, videos and wall charts included in the WVU Libraries’ Isaac Asimov Collection. The collection and its digital exhibit was recently recognized by the American Library Association.

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The Daily Athenaeum, August 21, 2007

By Tricia Fulks, News Editor

West Virginia University Libraries are undergoing major changes for the fall semester.

Student government representatives met with Dean of WVU Libraries Frances O’Brien in June to discuss further improving campus libraries. One change SGA Governor Leslie Saunders wanted to see was 24-hour access to libraries during the last two weeks of the semester.

O’Brien said that 24-hour access during those weeks are now in place at the Downtown Campus and Evansdale libraries. She said that now there is adequate staffing during the extended hours. However, not all library services will be available for students during the period.

“What students tell us they want is a place to study,” O’Brien said about the extension of hours.

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The WVU Libraries want to help students and faculty to get off to a good start this fall. The Libraries have unveiled multiple changes that will enhance your library work.

First, you don’t even have to physically visit any of the libraries to benefit from one addition, IM Chat Reference. You can simply go online and Instant Message your question to a reference librarian.  Contact us using the following screen names: AIM, wvulibraries; Yahoo, wvulibraries; Google Talk, wvulibraries@gmail.com; and MSN, wvulibraries@hotmail.com.

Feel free to “Ask a Librarian” whenever a question arises while you study for a class, write a paper, or work on a project.  IM reference service is the newest component of “Ask a Librarian” services, which include telephone, email and in-person research assistance. You can find all the details at: http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/ask/.

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The Dominion Post, August 6, 2007

By J. Miles Layton

Attention Civil War buffs.

An exhibit in the West Virginia and Regional History Collection at WVU offers visitors an engaging glimpse of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War era in which he lived.

“For people looking for a historical experience in Morgantown, we have a great deal to offer here at the West Virginia Collection,” said John Cuthbert, the collection’s curator.

The exhibit, “Abraham Lincoln and West Virginia: Selections from the West Virginia and Regional History Collection,” will be open for the next several months at WVU. The exhibit is located in the James Horner Davis Family Gallery (No. 1) on the sixth floor of the Wise Library on the Downtown Campus.  It is free and open to the public from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues-Saturday, and until 9 p.m. Tuesdays, according to the WVU Web site.

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The Dominion Post, July 5, 2007

Looking for a hard-to-find photograph from West Virginia’s past – a picture of basketball legend Jerry West, the last game at the Field House or perhaps construction of the old Mountaineer Stadium?

Try the WVU Libraries online database, West Virginia History OnView (go to the WVU Libraries home page at www.libraries.wvu.edu, and click on the West Virginia History OnView link at the bottom right of the page).

OnView, which provides Web-based access to digital versions of historical photos housed in the West Virginia and Regional History Collection, recently topped 21,000 digital images.  The database continues to grow in popularity, WVU Libraries officials said. It’s even caught the attention of bloggers.

“People are finding out about us because we’ve been discovered by the blogs,” said Dennis Newborn, head of systems for the WVU Libraries.

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It has been a familiar scenario for many. You return a stack of books to the library and discover they are all a week overdue. You try to quickly calculate the fine in your head and then realize you have no cash in your pockets.

That frustrating situation is a thing of the past. A new WVU Libraries’ policy, which begins July 1, provides a 30-day grace period for library users to renew or return overdue books without incurring fines.

“We expect the rule change to be good news to those who return or renew their books within the allowed time,” said Hilary Fredette Head of Access Services for the Downtown Campus Library.

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The Daily Athenaeum, June 20, 2007 

By Tricia Fulks, Staff Writer

Student Government representatives met with Dean of Libraries Frances O’Brien on June 15 to discuss improvements to campus libraries.

Leslie Saunders, SGA governor, said in an e-mail interview that since the meeting the SGA has sent a formal request for the libraries to stay open 24 hours during the last two weeks of the semester.

“I think this is a monumental step toward the advancement of student academic performances at West Virginia University,” Saunders said in the interview.

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WVU Today, June 7, 2007

West Virginia University’s Library Faculty Assembly has named Penny Lee Pugh and Carroll Wetzel Wilkinson as co-recipients of the 2007 Outstanding Librarian Award.

The award is given every three years to a current or retired library faculty member who has exemplified extraordinary leadership, initiative, creativity and dedication in supporting the mission and goals of WVU Libraries.

“The selection process was especially difficult this year,” said Susan Arnold, chair of the awards committee. “We had several outstanding nominees. Penny and Carroll both have long careers with the WVU Libraries and have been impressive role models and innovators both on campus and in our field.”

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Getting expert research assistance is easier than ever this summer.  The Libraries are now providing real-time help through instant messaging.  Chat with our reference librarians via AIM, Yahoo! or MSN.  You may contact us using the following screen names:

•  AIM = wvulibraries 
•  Yahoo! =  wvulibraries
•  MSN = wvulibraries@hotmail.com

Summer hours for the service are Monday through Thursday, from 1 PM until 9 PM.   

The new IM service is added to traditional reference and research services, which continue to be available in all campus libraries, and by email and telephone.  Complete information for all types of reference service is available on the Libraries’ Ask a Librarian web site at www.libraries.wvu.edu/ask.

Wanted: WVU students who love movies, like online courses, and are spending part of their summer in Morgantown.

We have the class for you.

There’s a new course called Film and Media Literacy (ULIB493 CRN50964) taught online and in the Downtown Campus Library. The course is an eCampus course and does not meet in a classroom. Students watch films independently in the private viewing rooms in the Media Services Department of the Downtown Campus Library. These rooms have 42” plasma screens and high quality sound systems to deliver an optimal atmosphere for viewing films.

This summer is only the second time the course is being offered. Here are some quotes from students that took the course last fall:

“This was also one of my first web classes and I felt it was better than other web classes I have taken this semester.”

“I really enjoyed this course and would like to take more classes like this.”

“This was my favorite class throughout all of college.”

The entire class will watch one movie from four different genres: Blaxploitation, Slasher, Gangster, and Westerns. Movies include the gangster classic The Godfather Part II (1974) and the grandmother of slasher films, Psycho (1960). You select two of the fours genres to focus on and watch five more films that capture the development of those genres. Finally, you will research and choose a film from lists in your selected genres to critique for your final assignment. You will also study media literacy, film criticism and vocabulary, and film databases.

For more information visit the course web page at http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/instruction/film/.

The WVU Libraries are participating in a nationwide survey of library service quality. Beginning April 16, a random sample of 5,000 faculty and students will receive e-mail invitations to participate in LibQual 2007.

LibQual is a multiple choice online survey to help librarians get a better understanding of what library users think. It is an excellent way to tell the WVU Libraries where improvements are needed. Eliza’s coffee shop is one example of a library service that happened because of LibQual responses.  Three iPod nano’s will be awarded in a random drawing from survey participants.  For more about LibQual see http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/libqual/faq2007.html

Have you ever wondered how the Libraries select electronic resources to support research and teaching?  Faculty members are invited to attend an upcoming faculty development session, “New Options in eResources,” to discuss the process used to select, test, and adopt new library resources. 

The session will include a conversation about the important role of faculty in decision-making, examples of incorporating eResources in teaching, and demonstrations of some of the Libraries’ newest eResources.

“New Options in eResources” will be held on Wednesday, April 11, from 3:00-4:30, in Room 136 of the Downtown Campus Library. It is offered as part of the WVU Faculty Development Program. 

To register, please contact Wendy Spaw, Office of the Provost, by fax at 293-7554 or email at wjpsaw@mail.wvu.edu.

If you have questions, please contact one of the session leaders, Linda Blake (linda.blake@mail.wvu.edu), Barbara LaGodna (barbara.lagodna@mail.wvu.edu), or Penny Pugh (penny.pugh@mail.wvu.edu).

WVU Intranet, March 23, 2007

The West Virginia and Regional History Collection (WVRHC) of the West Virginia University Libraries has teamed with the Department of History in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences to add two new internships to their longstanding instructional partnership.

The internships are being offered through the Department of History’s Public History and Cultural Resource Management (CRM) programs. Graduate students will have the opportunity to intern with the WVRHC’s printed ephemera and archives and manuscripts collections.

“I am delighted we have this new partnership with the West Virginia and Regional History Collection,” said Barbara Rasmussen, director of the Public History and CRM programs. “It allows for training in library and archive management and practices.”

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WVU Intranet, March 16, 2007

Susan Arnold, interim director of West Virginia University’s Health Sciences Library, was recently named to the Medical Library Association’s prestigious Academy of Health Information Professionals (AHIP).

The honor recognizes medical librarians based on their involvement in the field and in professional organizations, as well as their efforts in continuing education.

“It’s a sense of accomplishment,” Arnold said of the recognition. “I think it lends a sense of credibility to my work as a medical librarian.”

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WVU Intranet, March 5, 2007

The West Virginia and Regional History Collection at West Virginia University Libraries recently received some unique memorabilia from a famous alumnus – the late actor and Morgantown native Don Knotts.

The Collection, housed on the sixth floor of the Wise Library on WVU’s Downtown Campus, is now home to television scripts, awards, an original poem and the manuscript and cassette recordings from the actor’s autobiography — from his wife of many years, Francey Yarborough.

Photo by: Ted Webb Read the rest of this entry »

The Daily Athenaeum, February 28, 2007
Angela Moscaritolo Staff Writer

Mike Spinello, a sophomore political science major, entered the downtown library around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday in hopes of quickly printing out a paper before class. He slowly walked around the main level looking to his left and right. No luck. Then he circled the reference desk, still no luck. After a few minutes, Spinello hit the jackpot — a computer opened up. 

KENDAL MONTGOMERY/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM

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Yarborough plans to send all “the stuff” from Don’s career—including radio, movies and some of his TV work, to Morgantown.

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The WVU Libraries are committed to providing access to information resources and services to all WVU students, staff, and faculty on an equal basis. In cooperation with WVU Disability Services and Academic Computing, the WVU Libraries provide users with adaptive and assistive technology workstations to give patrons with various disabilities access to the library and its resources. Students registered with the Office of Disability Services are allowed to use the workstations.

These include three workstations at the Downtown Campus, Evansdale, and Health Sciences Libraries. There are several types of adaptive and assistive technology available at these workstations. Equipment includes a text enlargement reader, a computer with software for users with visual impairment or learning disabilities, a color flatbed scanner, large monitor, and a laser printer. A closed caption television magnifies text and images in black and white or color (users may also adjust brightness and choose between many colors of text and background for their individual needs). The tables are adjustable to suit users with different needs for physical access. The equipment helps the Libraries to comply with ADA and campus wide standards.
 

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