Evansdale Library’s new Digital Photography Studio is now open in Room G19. The studio is available for students, faculty and staff to take professional studio-quality photos. Individuals or groups can shoot group, portrait, portfolio documenting photography, product photography, and video.
The photography studio can be reserved through the Libraries’ study room reservation system for sessions of up to four hours. Equipment is available to checkout at the public services desk located on the main floor of the library or you can bring personal equipment to use. Learn more by watching this video.
WVU faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends are invited to celebrate the 42nd anniversary of Evansdale Library at an open house on Friday, August 19, from 2:30-4:30 p.m., with remarks at 3 p.m.
Designed to support the students and faculty on the then-growing Evansdale Campus, the new library provided the campus with much-needed resources. An exhibit of 1980s library service, contrasted with library service today, will be available for viewing during the open house, and during Evansdale Library’s open hours from August 10-24.
The Libraries are testing a new electronic resource this fall. The Vanderbilt Television Archives – available on a trial basis through December 25th – provides a searchable index of television news broadcasts back to 1968. Researchers can use this resource identify television news programs and segments that document important world events.
Video from CNN is available online through the Archives web site. All other broadcasts (ABC, CBS, etc.) can be borrowed – either in customized compilation of video clips or entire broadcasts. Lending is direct to individuals, who must pay the associated fees for the service.
RefWorks, available from the WVU Libraries web site, will help you format bibliographies, store and organize research, and share references with colleagues or classmates. RefWorks is free to all WVU faculty, students, and staff. Begin by clicking on the RefWorks button at: www.libraries.wvu.edu/.
RefWorks is the leading citation management software on the Internet. It is used by hundreds of thousands of researchers to organize their references and to prepare bibliographies and in-text citations when submitting articles to academic publications. It is accessible – 24/7 – from any computer with Internet access.
When you use RefWorks, you will find preparing the bibliography for the next paper or article you write to be fast and easy. And, if you are collaborating with colleagues at other institutions or with classmates, RefWorks makes it simple to share your references.
Easy-to-follow tutorials and a quick start guide are available on the RefWorks home page. If you need more help, you can always Ask A Librarian— by phone, email, or IM chat.
Your next trip to the library might be a little quicker. New self-checkout stations at the Downtown Campus and Evansdale libraries allow users to avoid long lines when checking out materials.
This new option, 3M’s SelfCheck, is similar to using a self-checkout at the grocery store. Simply touch the screen and animated instructions guide you through the process.
“It’s a nice alternative for those days when the lines are two or three people deep and you just need to check out a book,” said Mary Strife, Evansdale Library Director and circulation policy committee chair. “This is a fast way to get it done and go.”
Students on the Evansdale Campus will get a helping hand from the staff of the Evansdale Library when classes start on Monday. A welcome tent in front of the library will offer assistance to students who need help finding the right building as they make their way to classes on the Evansdale Campus. Directions, information about the library and a refreshing cup of water will be available in front of the library on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from
8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Norma Whitaker possesses the most important attribute for book collecting, according to Jack Walsdorf, antiquarian book collector and appraiser. She loves books.
She joined a crowd of more than 60 people standing in line at the Charles C. Wise Library to have their books appraised by Walsdorf, who returned to Morgantown on Sunday with his Book Lovers’ Road Show.
Whitaker enjoyed the afternoon, even though Walsdorf failed to assess either of her books as unearthed treasures.
“I just thought it would be interesting to see what really constitutes the value of a book and what detracts from making one valuable,” Whitaker said. “Maybe I can get some knowledge in case I want to try my hand at it.”
Students and faculty will start using new user names and passwords to sign on to computers at the WVU Libraries on Friday, July 1. This change comes as the University makes the switch to the new Mountaineer card.
For students, the user name is the first portion of their MIX account address. For example: If an address is jjones4@mix.wvu.edu, the user name is jjones4.
The password is a person’s birthday plus the last four digits of his WVU ID number. For example: If someone’s birthday is July 4 and WVU ID number is 700-12-3456, his password would be 043456.
Students needing help finding their WVU ID number can ask for assistance at the reference desk or access services desk in the library.
For faculty and staff, the user name is their WVU employee number. The number can be found at the Human Resources web site. As with students, they will use a combination of birthday and the last four digits of their WVU ID number for a password.
To prepare for the change, the Downtown Campus, Evansdale and Health Sciences libraries will open at 9 a.m. July 1.
June is Dairy Month – a perfect time to announce the acquisition of a new reference book at the Evansdale Library related to Dairy Science. The Encyclopedia of Dairy Sciences is a four volume set containing 427 articles addressing topics related to milk production and dairy technology. In addition to covering all species that supply milk for human consumption, there is also coverage of a wide range of topics beyond production and processing, including nutritional and public health issues and dairy industry economics and trade.
Located in the Evansdale Library Reference Collection: REF SF229 .E52 2003
Thursday, June 23 from 2 – 4 p.m. at the Evansdale Library (Room 130)
Marian Armour-Gemmen, Patent & Trademark Reference Librarian, will present an introductory workshop on the patenting process on Thursday, June 23 at the Evansdale Library. Marian will cover the basics of preliminary patent searching including classification and Public PAIR. There will be an opportunity for hands-on instruction in using the U.S. Patent Office’s online database of patents from 1790 to the present. Please bring your WVU ID to be able to log on to computers.
For more information contact Marian Armour-Gemmen at 293-4696 x5106 or at marmour@wvu.edu.
Forget the old adage. Jack Walsdorf regularly judges books by their cover, and the practice often brings broad smiles to those listening to his judgments.
He’s quick to point out if The Old Man and the Sea is a little weathered and dog-eared or if Huck Finn is dirty and looks like he’s taken a few knocks. Such flaws could be costly, Walsdorf is sure to comment. But he is just as quick to declare when The Great Gatsby appears clean and well-kept. The result could mean a fortune.
Walsdorf will share his opinions on books this summer when he returns the WVU Libraries with his Book Lovers’ Road Show. The WVU Libraries will host the book appraiser and collector at 2 p.m. July 31 in the Robinson Reading Room of Wise Library.
The WVU Libraries are participating again in a national research project that measures student and faculty perceptions of library service. LibQual is a survey tool developed by the Association of Research Libraries to measure how satisfied users are with library resources and services.
Almost 5,000 students and faculty selected at random from MIX and GroupWise e-mail accounts will receive an e-mail inviting their participation in the online survey.
“The goal of LibQual is to help us understand how our users see our services. The feedback we received from the 2003 LibQual survey was extremely useful,” Libraries Dean Frances O’Brien said.
O’Brien encourages everyone who receives the e-mail invitation to complete the survey. This year, two people who complete the survey will be chosen in a random drawing to receive an iPod.
The online survey consists of 45 questions, and includes a section for comments. Participants are asked about their desired, perceived, and minimum expectations of service from the WVU Libraries.
Two years ago nearly 4,700 students and faculty participated in the campus’s first LibQual survey. The feedback guided the WVU Libraries in enhancements to their electronic journal web pages and other services. More information about LibQual will be available this week in the Downtown, Evansdale, and Health Sciences Libraries. Promotional materials for WVU LibQual were designed by Eryck Webb, a graphic design student.
A landmark study released today reveals that approximately 60 percent of the ecosystem services that support life on Earth – such as fresh water, capture fisheries, air and water regulation, and the regulation of regional climate, natural hazards and pests – are being degraded or used unsustainably. Scientists warn that the harmful consequences of this degradation could grow significantly worse in the next 50 years.
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) Synthesis Report is the first in a series of seven synthesis and summary reports and four technical volumes that assess the state of global ecosystems and their impact on human well-being.
Library records included in Patriot Act provisions; librarians respond with systematic purging
Civil liberties have become an issue of much debate and concern in recent years due to the passing of the USA Patriot Act in 2001. Library records are an important topic in that debate.
Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act reads, “The director for the FBI, or a designee of the director, may make an application for an order requiring the production of any tangible things (such as books, records, papers, documents and other items) for an investigation to protect against international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities.”
Frances O’Brien, dean of West Virginia University Libraries, said libraries should be a place where students can come and find information on any subject they want and not be questioned about it.
WVU Libraries are among 31 institutions across the nation participating in a pilot program to provide virtual reference services to people seeking government information.
The Government Information Online service allows researchers to go online and ask questions or seek information about state and federal government. Patrons access the service through a link on the WVU Libraries webpage http://www.libraries.wvu.edu or directly at http://govtinfo.org. From this site, users can e-mail a question or engage in a real-time chat session with a librarian.
Research may be a few steps faster and net greater results for many WVU Libraries users. Mountainlynx, the libraries’ online catalog, now includes electronic journals in its listings.
Until now, someone searching for a mix of resources to research a topic had to check Mountainlynx to find books, films and microfilm, then look elsewhere on the Libraries’ Web site to find available electronic journals.
It’s now one-stop shopping.
“If students and faculty know to go to Mountainlynx, then they can find the electronic journals they need,” said Linda Blake, electronic journals coordinator and science librarian.
The WVU Libraries are seeking input from students, faculty and staff on the services they currently provide and what they should provide.
In a few days, about 4,000 randomly selected individuals will each receive an email requesting they participate in LibQUAL+, an online library service quality survey that takes place during the first two weeks of April.
