Dear Faculty Colleagues,
We are nearing the end of our year-long review of the journals, magazines, newspapers, and databases to which the Libraries subscribe.
Periodic reviews are extremely useful to ensure that we are spending our money in a way that makes the greatest impact. In addition, the recent economic downturn that has caused reductions in the College budget gives this review even greater significance.
Over the past several months, your consulting librarian has worked with you and your colleagues to review the journal and database subscriptions associated with your department. Most departments have now recommended a list of journal and/or database subscriptions that could be canceled. In addition, departments have recommended journal titles that could move from print format to online-only. These savings will be used to initiate some new subscriptions (based on the recommendations you have made) and/or address a budget reduction for FY2010-2011, if there is one.
Departmental recommendations have been collated into two lists:
* Recommended journal and database subscription cancellations: http://www.lib.grinnell.edu/services/2010JournalandDatabaseCancellationsupdateMay10.pdf.
* Recommended changes to online-only: http://www.lib.grinnell.edu/services/2010journalsmovingonlineonlyupdateMay10.pdf. These titles would remain available as online subscriptions or through a pay-per-view service with the publisher (Elsevier or Wiley). Only the print portion of the subscription would end.
Please review these lists. We understand that many journals and databases are used by multiple departments, and we may have missed a key constituency for one of the titles proposed for cancellation. If you believe, based on your use of a journal or database, that a title should be removed from one of the lists, please send a note to your department's consulting librarian (http://www.lib.grinnell.edu/research/consultinglibs/). You may contact me or your consulting librarian with any questions about the process.
As feedback comes in, we will post updated lists on approximately a weekly basis.
The deadline for your recommendations is Wednesday, May 5.
I want to thank you for your patience, care, and hard work during this process. Our goal is to create a collection of subscriptions that uses our budget to best match your interests and your students’.
-- Richard Fyffe
Monday, April 19, 2010
Update on Library Subscription Review (lists updated May 10)
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
What's New at the Libraries Spring 2010
When you search the Grinnell College Libraries catalog, you will now see a button that says “Send via Text Message.” Clicking on that button will allow you to text the book’s call number to your cellphone – no more scribbling call numbers on scraps of paper! Standard text messaging rates apply.
Google Scholar
Previously, when clicking on "Search for full text" and finding that a copy of an article was not available locally either online or in print, you were given the option to request the article via Interlibrary Loan. In addition, you are now given an option to search Google Scholar to see if an open access/free copy of the article is available. If not, you can still obtain the article through Interlibrary Loan (at no cost to you).
Increased loan period for video material to faculty
By popular demand, the faculty check-out period for video materials is increased from 1 week to 4 weeks.
Academic Resource Centers (ARC) Workshops
The Libraries, Writing Lab, and Reading Lab have teamed up to offer a number of on-demand workshops intended to provide students, faculty, and staff with focused help to improve and deepen academic skills and work. ARC Workshops are available by request or referral for either individuals or small groups. For more information and a brochure of this service, contact Rebecca Stuhr via phone 3674 or email [stuhr].
Selected New Resources
Facsimiles of Mozart’s Operas
We have added seven facsimiles editions of Mozart’s operas including Così Fan Tutte, the Marriage of Figaro, the Magic Flute, and others.
Music Reference Online from Alexander Street Press
Smithsonian Collections Search Center
The Smithsonian recently unveiled its Collections Search Center http://collections.si.edu/search. This tool provides one-stop searching of the Smithsonian’s in- house and web-based collections.
EconLit, formerly available through the OCLC FirstSearch interface, is now available through EBSCOhost. The content is the same and you can still find EconLit via the Databases A-Z link on the Libraries homepage or through a number of Subject Guides.
Extended Reference Hours
During the Fall semester, we implemented a new approach to reference service. We involved students in providing reference and information services. Students at the circulation desk (Peer Information Advisors or PIAs) received intensified training in basic assistance with the catalog, databases, etc., and student Reference Assistants began working at the reference desk during certain afternoon and evening hours, allowing us to expand those hours.
We found the experiment successful and will continue offering these services this Spring. If you have any questions or comments about the service, please let us know. You'll find our complete Reference schedule at http://www.lib.grinnell.edu/general/libhours.html.
And remember, students and faculty can always contact http://www.grinnell.edu/academic/librarylab/ or query@grinnell.edu to schedule an individual or group reference consultation with a librarian!
Earlier Opening during the Week
Starting soon, date to be announced, the Libraries will open at 7:45am Monday-Friday in order to help accommodate faculty, students, and staff who need to check-out or return materials before 8am classes.
The Grinnell College Libraries are now on Facebook! Become a Fan of our Page to receive news and announcements via Facebook as well as view photos from events such as Wednesday Nights @ Burling and semester-end study breaks, and more.
Upcoming Events at Burling
The Libraries will once again present Wednesday Nights @ Burling featuring Grinnell College writers Will Freeman and Harley McIlrath, Grinnell College student writers, Molly Rideout, Lawrence Sumulong, Lucy Schiller, and Paul Bellora. In collaboration with Faulconer Gallery, the libraries will be hosting two open mic nights to be held at Faulconer. Look for posters advertising dates and times or contact [stuhrr].
Repeat, Reveal, React and Influence: Student and Faculty Selections from Grinnell College Collections (January 29, 2010- March 21, 2010)
In Repeat, Reveal, React: Identities in Flux, student curators examine the ways in which art contributes to the construction of identities and the role that repetition plays in this process. Influence, curated by four Grinnell College faculty members, explores the concept of influence as it is expressed historically, genetically, culturally, artistically, technically, contextually, and genealogically.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
What's New at the Libraries Fall 2009
Library Resources in Pioneer Web
Library resources are now better integrated into P-Web course pages. When you log into a course page, you will find:
- the e-reserve password for that course
- contact information for your consulting librarian
- a message box for instant messaging with a librarian
- a link to any course-specific web pages that your consulting librarian has created, with links to recommended databases, Web sites, and other important resources, or
- a link to a subject Web page, which will have a broader array of library resources in the course's discipline.
We hope this gives you more convenient access to the library resources you will need for learning and teaching.
Changes in Burling Reference
We will experiment this fall with a new reference schedule in Burling Library and a new approach to reference service. Beginning about mid-semester, we will expand desk coverage to midnight Sunday through Wednesday, but we have dropped it for Saturday afternoon (a very slow period, according to our statistics). On Fridays (another slow period at the reference desk) a librarian will be on call but not at the reference desk.
We will also be involving students in providing reference and information services—partly to give librarians more time for individual consultations and for liaison work with their departments, and partly because research suggests that student-to-student advising can be an effective complement to professional reference service. Students at the circulation desk are receiving intensified training in basic assistance with the catalog, databases, etc., and, as the fall progresses, you'll find students working at the reference desk during certain afternoon and evening hours. We'll be working very closely with these students and monitoring the service carefully. Please let us know what you think.
You'll find our complete Reference schedule at http://www.lib.grinnell.edu/general/libhours.html.
And remember that students and faculty can always contact http://www.grinnell.edu/academic/librarylab/ or query@grinnell.edu to schedule an individual or group reference consultation with a librarian!
New Face in the Libraries!
Amy Roberson has joined us as a one-year term Reference & Instruction Librarian, filling in for Gail Bonath, who is on sabbatical leave this year. Amy is a recent graduate of the School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her professional interests include reference services, information literacy, and Web usability. When not at work, Amy enjoys cooking, playing music, knitting, and hiking.
Middle East Studies: New Videos
With funding from the Mellon Foundation through the Mellon 23 Consortium, we have purchased 24 documentary and feature films on the Middle East and North Africa. The films are available for loan to any of the Mellon 23 member institutions. The borrowing period is 4 weeks. For a list of films, please see http://www.barnard.edu/provost/mellon23/GrinnellCollege08.pdf. For a description of the Mellon 23 Faculty Development program, please see http://www.barnard.edu/provost/mellon23.html.
New Video Players in Burling
New video players have been installed in Burling Library’s Listening Room. Six high-definition players allow patrons to directly control their DVD and VHS playing experience. Four of those are combination VCR/DVD devices for United States/Canadian region videos, and two players are set to play multi-region (international) DVDs.
Two other stations are directly connected to the Listening Room bus control system to allow small group viewing and to provide access to video formats not available on the free-standing players.
All of the video stations are also equipped with 22-inch high-definition monitors.
Visitors are welcome to use this equipment during the Listening Room’s regular hours. For more information, please call x3365.
Selected New Library Resources
(Print, Digital, Video, and Audio)
AP Images provides access to the photo archives of the Associated Press with over 4.9 million primary-source photographs and other images from 1825 to the present documenting significant moments in history, news, sports and entertainment.
Early English Books Online contains digital facsimile page images of 100,000 works printed in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and British North America, as well as works in English printed elsewhere, between 1473 and 1700. It complements Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO).
Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture (6 vols).
James Bond Collection (the entire series of 21 films).
Oxford Reference Online provides online access to 200 specialized encyclopedias and dictionaries useful to both student and faculty research.
Play Along Jazz Recordings series. Music scores with accompanying CDs by noted jazz musicians.
Russian language encyclopedias: The new edition of The Great Russian Encyclopedia and The New Russian Encyclopedia.
Roper Center Public Opinion Data: Grinnell’s subscription to the Roper Archives provides access to over 60 years of polling data from surveys conducted around the world. Roper’s iPoll Database allows users to search for results for over 400,000 questions asked in the United States; RoperExpress allows users to download over 15,000 full datasets, including over 6,000 datasets from outside the United States, for analysis.
Times Digital Archive: Access to the complete backfile of the London Times, 1785-1985, including text, images, editorials and advertisements.
Trade Analysis and Information System (TRAINS), produced by the UN Conference on Trade and Development, provides comprehensive tariff and trade information for over 140 countries. Grinnell users have access to TRAINS through the WITS (World Integrated Trade Solutions) software client.
Viva Pedro: the collected works (on video) of Pedro Almodóvar.
Friday, January 16, 2009
What's New in the Grinnell College Libraries: Spring 2009
Lots of Databases, Just One Search: Research Pro is a tool for searching several databases at the same time. Rather than searching each database individually, you will be able to search and view all results from a single page. This type of search is known as “federated searching” or “meta-searching” and is an efficient way to explore unfamiliar databases to see which ones might be worth searching in greater depth. Look for Research Pro on our home page.
This is our first offering of a meta-search tool. Please send us your questions and comments!
Subject Guides: A New Look and New Features. Locate sources for your next research project quickly using our new subject guides. From each subject guide page, you can now browse a list of databases and reference books directly related to your subject; search for books in the Library catalog, WorldCat, and Google Books; search for a journal; and chat with a librarian using IM. Look for Get Help With Research -- Subject Guides on the library home page.
Put the Library in Your Web Browser with LibX: LibX is a toolbar for Firefox and Internet Explorer that gives you direct access to library resources without going to the library Web site. You can search the library catalog, WorldCat, Journal Finder, and CRL right from the toolbar; drag and drop article citations onto the toolbar to locate a full-text copy automatically; go from a book’s page on Amazon.com to searching the library catalog for that book with just one click; and much more. Look for LibX on our home page.
Favorite Films Festival: The 2009 Favorite Films Festival is scheduled for January 23-25. Watch for announcements of locations and times. The festival is sponsored by the Grinnell College Libraries and the Student Government Association Film Committee. We'll have films in the following categories, including top vote-getters based on votes from 274 participants:
* Film Noir (first place selection: The Maltese Falcon)
* Foreign Film (first place: Amelie)
* Animated Film (first place: Beauty and the Beast)
See the complete list of films in Burling Library's Listening Room and on the festival blog at PioneerWeb.
New Furnishings in Burling: We continue the modest renewal to Burling's interior that started in the summer of 2007. Look for some new lamps in the center "living room" and in the Current Periodicals reading area, which are modeled after original designs created by the architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill for the Forum in 1964. Skidmore was also the architect for Burling Library in 1959.
We continue to offer complimentary hot water and tea, now located on an attractive "tea cart" in Current Periodicals. And don't forget about the vending machine for cold drinks (basement level), white boards (level 1), and laptop tables (level 2).
Looking Ahead: Self-study. The Libraries are engaged in a self study to identify our strengths, our weaknesses, and our key directions for the next several years. We'll release our report to the campus community early this semester for your comments, and host a team of external reviewers who will meet with students, faculty, and staff to prepare their own report of assessment and recommendations. We look forward to hearing from you!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
What's New Fall 2008
Summer is a busy time in the Grinnell College Libraries as we work on projects to create new services for the fall semester. Look for these improvements in Burling Library and Kistle Science Library as you start the new year!
"The Living Room" and West Lounge: We have created two new lounge and browsing spaces in Burling, across from the circulation desk and in the northwest alcove by Current Periodicals -- with new upholstery and a new look. Floor lamps for both these areas are under construction and should arrive soon. Let us know what you think.
A computer and ceiling-mounted projector are being installed in the easternmost group study room of Kistle Science Library (Rm. 2110). This will provide a convenient spot for small groups of students who need to practice presentations or have other audiovisual needs. This room is available on a firstcome-first-served basis.
ILL Requests now easier: Most of the Libraries' citation databases now link directly to an interlibrary request form if the Libraries do not have a print or online copy of an article -- and the citation information is automatically entered into the form. (But be sure to check the citation before hitting 'Submit' -- computers aren't infallible.)
Laptop Tables: 2nd floor south terrace: We have added two small laptop tables on the second floor of Burling (south terrace, behind the Black Library). We also plan to add a new floor lamp there soon, to improve lighting during the evening. Let us know if this helps.
White board: 1st floor south. Students will find a small white board on wheels on the south side of Level 1 in Burling. Feel free to use this for group study sessions.
NEW COLLECTIONS AND DATABASES: Available everywhere on campus, and to all students, faculty and staff off campus. Connect through the Journal Finder and Databases and Indexes on the Libraries' home page.
● Nature and Science: We have established online subscriptions to the two premier science journals. Science includes a backfile to 1997 (issues before 1997 are included in JSTOR). The Nature subscription goes back to 2004. We will maintain our print subscriptions to both journals for the next year, and then consult with science departments.
● Elsevier's Science Direct Article Download Service: Faculty and students may now access any article from any journal in any year that is part of Elsevier's ScienceDirect database. Each download will cost $22.00 which will be charged against the Libraries' account. In March 2008, Elsevier discontinued the Web Editions program through which we received online access to the journals for which we had print subscriptions. We will discontinue those 55 subscriptions in January 2009. We will maintain print subscriptions for 15 journals that faculty recommended we keep in that format. A password is required: please see the Libraries' home page for further information.
● Education Research Complete. A database covering scholarly research and information relating to all areas of education. Topics covered include all levels of education from early childhood to higher education, and all educational specialties. This will replace Education Abstracts.
● Early American Newspapers, Series I and III: We have added these series to our existing subscription to Series II, extending coverage back to 1690 (the beginning of newspaper publishing in North America) and forward to 1922.
● Nineteenth Century UK Periodicals: This collection includes 1.2 million pages of periodicals published in Great Britain between 1800 and 1900. It includes publications on women, children, leisure and sport, and humor.
● The Chronicle of Higher Education: We have established a site license for this popular weekly review of news and issues in higher education. The site license includes complete access to the Chronicle Web site, the text from the current print edition, posted every Monday morning, a searchable archive of every issue published since September 1989, all the commentary and essays from the weekly magazine The Chronicle Review, and all the data from the annual Almanac and other special reports.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Turkish Mission Photograph Collection Online
The Grinnell College Libraries has mounted the Turkish Mission Photograph collection from the Nilson-Fyfe Papers on PDID (Pioneer Image Database)at http://pdid.grinnell.edu/.
Paul and Harriet Nilson were Congregational missionaries and teachers in Turkey during the first half of the 20th Century. This collection of photographs documents their time in Turkey and contains many rare images of the cities of Tarsus, Talas, Diyarbakir, and Mardin.
More information about the Nilson-Fyfe collection is available at
http://www.lib.grinnell.edu/collections/specialcollections/Manuscripts/
findingaids/NilsonFyfeMss.html
Copyright © 2008 Grinnell College Libraries
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
CRL Collections in Library Catalog
The Libraries' catalog has been enriched with over 2,000 records describing selected microform and other collections available through the Center for Research Libraries that may be of interest to Grinnell students and faculty. As a member of CRL, Grinnell College may borrow materials from CRL collections for extended periods. Most requests are filled within a week. Each catalog record contains a link to a special Interlibrary Loan form through which the materials may be requested; in some cases, records also contain links to online guides to the contents of the microform The Creation of Modern Iraq: India Office Political and Secret Files, c. 1914-1921, Mediaeval & Renaissance Manuscripts at Trinity College, Dublin, the Lesbian Herstory Archives, the Comintern Archive, 1917-1940, and the Underground Newspaper Collection.
The Center for Research Libraries is a consortium of North American universities, colleges, and independent research libraries that acquires and preserves traditional and digital resources for research and teaching and makes them available to member institutions for extended loan periods through interlibrary loan and electronic delivery. For more information -- and for a direct link to the full CRL catalog -- please see http://www.lib.grinnell.edu/collections/CRLInfo.html.