Summer library hours

Our hours change over the course of the summer, due to summer session needs, holidays etc. To find out when exactly we're open just go to where our schedule is posted online!

New help with finding articles

You know how when you're using one of our article databases, like Academic Search, if the article isn't there full text, you see this icon?

Then you click on it to see if the article is online somewhere else, in our print collection, or to get it through inter-library loan. We're getting a new service for this, and you will start seeing a new icon:

This new "article linker" should work much better for you in many ways. We will be setting it up as the summer goes on, but you can try it now in America: History and Life.

net neutrality

Your blogger and several colleagues recently went to a library conference at which there was a very thought provoking talk by a presenter on the topic of "net neutrality." This topic has many substantial implications for anyone who uses the Internet, and yet is very little understood or recognized.

Basically the issue is the question of who controls the Internet: shall it continue to be an open agreement that anyone who has Internet access can participate in, or shall cable and phone companies be allowed to initiate varying levels of access, e.g. for so much a month you get access to basic email, for a little more you can access google etc. (This is of course a tremendous simplification of a complicated issue!)

If you are curious to know more here is the link to the presenter's site.

Graduation

Congratulations to all who graduated this past weekend! The college has some links to commencement news. Something to look forward to for those of you who didn't graduate this weekend! Your blogger was there as a volunteer helper and enjoyed the day. It was a little on the cool side, but the sun was out, and it was great to see the students marching out in their (new this year!) green robes.

We here in the library are very committed to the academic success of our students and are happy to play our part in supporting that success.

Graduating this spring?

Congratulations! We wish you the best in your future work. Part of that success will rest on continuing to be informed and educated about the world around you. As you've learned by now, library web pages offer access to all sorts of useful online dictionaries, encyclopedias and article database sites.

Unfortunately, because of licensing arrangements, we can't continue to offer our students access to these resources from off campus after they finish school. (The cost would be far more than we can support.)

However, you do have access to similar resources through the efforts of the NY State Library. If you go to this site, and click on the part of the state you live in, you can put in your library card or driver's license # and access a number of useful online resources, much like those you have used here.

Students of the world unite!

Ran across an interesting blog just now, about libraries and social networking. Yes, libraries do try to keep up with trends like myspace etc. ! This blog mentioned an intriguing site, Carmun, which provides an online community for students and researcher of all sorts to chat, and it also offers some services, e.g. help with citation styles. (I can't speak for the accuracy of its citation software, keep in mind that we offer the Diane Hacker style guides to APA etc. online.)