WVU Libraries

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.”

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Worth not necessarily related to tome’s age

By Mary Helen Hinchliffe
The Dominion Post

Cliff Bishop waited anxiously in the WVU Downtown Library Complex with several books in hand to determine if he was holding a collector’s treasure.

Bishop, along with his wife, Sara, and son, Caldwell, 17, were among more than 60 collectors who attended the Book Lovers’ Roadshow on Sunday at the Charles C. Wise, Jr. Library, featuring Jack Walsdorf, an antiquarian book appraiser and collector.

The family, which has several hundred books in their collection, hoped to find out more information about and the value of their books from Walsdorf.

“The main reason for coming is to find out about the books, but also for (Jack’s) views on what condition they’re in and whether or not they would be worth restoring,” Bishop said. “For me it’s intriguing to read the books and wonder about the individuals that have previously owned them.”

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The WVU Libraries are in the process of upgrading all 180 desktop computers in the Downtown campus Library with new models boasting faster processors, larger monitors, but no disk drives – diskette or zip. Instead, users will save their work on CDs, DVDs, and thumb drives.

~ Mountaineer Spirit July 28, 2005

Why aren’t there disk drives in the new library computers?

Floppy disks are obsolete. Diskette drives don’t come standard on computers anymore. This change is for the better, since these computers are new, they reflect this market/technology change. The libraries would not want to waste the students’ technology money on purchasing obsolete equipment (floppy drives).

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Congress-watchers, political junkies, and researchers will find 4 new library resources to satisfy their need for current, unbiased information.

CQ Weekly, a non-partisan news magazine, provides comprehensive legislative news and analysis.

Two special collections, CQ Supreme Court Collection and CQ Public Affairs Collection, provide access to primary source documents, reports and analysis.

The CQ Researcher is an excellent starting point for undergraduate research papers or debate topics. It provides analysis and background information on current social and political issues.

All 4 CQ resources are available via the Web to WVU students, faculty and staff.
Access them on our web site at http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/databases/

-Penny Pugh

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.

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At the Downtown Campus Library, we are happy to offer the Term Paper Clinic this summer for students in undergraduate research-writing courses.

The objectives of this service are to help students:
— choose a focused research topic that fulfills the scope of the assignment
— formulate a research strategy, focusing on the selection, use, and evaluation of appropriate research materials and resources
— organize gathered information into a structured research paper
— document and cite sources properly.

The Term Paper Clinic will be held during Summer I (May 23rd – June 30th) and Summer II (July 5th – August 11th) Sessions. We will be open Monday through Thursday from 2:00 – 3:00 PM.

At this time, we are accepting students on a drop-in basis. Please note that we are not able to provide proofreading.

If you have any questions, please contact Kelly Diamond – kdiamond@wvu.edu .

-Kelly Diamond

“Women’s Studies Research in the Information Age” is being offered in Summer 1. The course addresses the interlocking topics of women and information. It is designed to help you be an active member of the information society.

You will learn theory and develop applications to solve your information needs. You will acquire knowledge about the scope of the information environment by and about women and its components including: proprietary databases, libraries and their contents, people resources, the Internet, the invisible web, and how to harness your own curiosity.

Upon completion of this course (which will include a mixture of active learning assignments, readings, lectures, oral presentations, class discussions, and guided hands on activities) you will find yourself equipped to make decisions about the selection and application of information now and in the future.

Registration Information:

Register: WMST SPTS 493G, CRN 50955; or MDS 493P 51005

Time: M,T,W,Th 3-4:15pm Summer 1, 2005

Instructor: Carroll Wetzel Wilkinson, Women’s Studies Bibliographer
and Access Services Librarian at the Downtown Campus Library

Where: Room 136, Downtown Campus Library (Instruction Classroom) near
Media Services, lower level

-Carroll Wilkinson

The WVU Libraries continually add new titles to the electronic journals delivered to your desk top. Just this year, we added 141 new titles to the existing collection of over 15,000 e-journals. Some examples of titles added include: American Journal of Sports, Behavior Modification, Comparative Political Studies, Economic Development Quarterly, Gender and Society, International Journal of Music Education, Journal of Composite Materials, Semiotica, and Written Communication.

The journals come from a variety of sources. For example, journals published by Sage Publications were purchased in electronic format for 2005, and all ACM and IEEE journals be added to the electronic journals list in 2004. The Health Sciences Library is making good progress on an ambitious plan to convert all of its journal titles to electronic format, either as collections or on a title by title basis.

Researchers can access all WVU Libraries electronic journals through the Full Text Electronic Journals List .

-Linda Blake

The Morgantown WVU Health Sciences Library is pleased to announcement the implementation of the LinkOut feature of PubMed. PubMed is a database of citations and abstracts to health sciences journal articles developed by the National Library of Medicine.

LinkOut provides direct access from article descriptions in PubMed to full-text articles owned by WVU Libraries Morgantown. LinkOut also shows which articles are available in print journals at the WVU Health Sciences Library in the Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center. To utilize the LinkOut feature, connect to PubMed through the the Health Sciences Library, SOLE, or WVU Libraries websites.

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STUDENTS – NEED A COURSE THIS SUMMER?

Sign up for MDS 103 (Introduction To Library Research); it’s entirely online!
Read Lecture Notes at the Pool!
Do Assignments in a Hammock!
Take a Quiz at the Beach!

What you need to know to register:
Course: MDS 103
Name: Introduction to Library Research
Session: Summer I (Begins May 23rd and lasts 3 weeks)
Section: 7D1
CRN: 51044
Credit Hours: 1

Also available in Summer II!
What you need to know to register:
Course: MDS 103
Name: Introduction to Library Research
Session: Summer II (Begins July 5th and lasts 6 weeks)
Section: WEB 001
CRN: 71330
Credit Hours: 1
Instructor: M. Yancey

-Kelly Diamond

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.

The survey closes April 29.

To celebrate National Library Week, take advantage of one of the many services and collections available through your campus libraries. We’re not just for studying! The Libraries offer millions of books and journal articles to support research, but many other treasures await you@your library.

Here are some things you may want to try:

1. Leisure reading collections – latest suspense, science fiction, and more…
2. Music to go – blues, jazz, classical – check out a CD from the Evansdale Library
3. Surf the Web – on library computers or your own – wireless or ethernet
4. Expert assistance from reference librarians – for all your research questions
5. Study late – till 2 AM in the Downtown Campus Library
6. Free DVD loans – from our extensive collection of international and classic films
7. Quiet study nooks, desks, comfy chairs, or group study rooms
8. Online help – with email and chat reference services – we’re virtual!
9. Digital senders – scan journal articles and send them by email – it’s free!
10. Term paper help – a clinic for those last minute term paper woes
11. Win $1,500 – imagine the future and win the contest!

The April edition of National Geographic Traveler magazine includes a folded map of Appalachia displaying 356 locations of cultural and historic significance narrowed from a field of 1000 sites nominated by state and local partners.

An interactive map, entitled “Discovering Appalachia,” contains pop-up windows with descriptions and links to Web pages with more information: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/appalachia/. Printed maps are available by calling 1-800-CALLWVA.

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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.

Link to report

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.

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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.

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