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Webinar on “Strategies for Pizazz”

Categories: Midd Blogosphere

On Monday afternoon Richard Jenkins and Hans attended a one hour webinar on “Strategies for Pizazz: Rebuilding One-Shots into Engaging Instruction Sessions” and here is the link to the 28 slides in the PowerPoint presentation that were used during the webinar: http://www.slideshare.net/trishaprevett/prevett-rusa-strategies-for-pizazz

The webinar is built on the success of the presenter’s article in C&RL  News, “Razzle and dazzle’em,” which  is available free on the ALA website and can be found on the internet at   http://crln.acrl.org/content/74/6/317.full .    Prevett’s LibGuides webpage on The Successful Research Process is available online at http://nova.campusguides.com/researchsteps and includes some useful and interesting content that might be worth emulating.

Let Hans know if you are interested in a summary of the audio portion of the webinar.

What’s With This “Quick Search” Thing…?

Categories: Midd Blogosphere

As new students arrive at college campuses everywhere, we all know the first thing they do is … check out their library’s web page (go/library)!

So, once you do that, you might wonder: what’s with this “library quick search” thing?

The library quick search allows you to easily look for various types of materials by selecting the different tabs above the search box.

Specifically, you can think of the different tabs this way:

Summon is the “one-stop shopping” tab.  It searches 90+% of all library resources, including the items we physically own, online journal articles, and digital collections.  Totally lost and about to start weeping?  Start here!

Midcat+ provides a way to search the materials physically held by the library, as well as selected online resources such as eBooks.  This tab also lets you search NExpress, the combined catalog and holdings of 7 New England college libraries, and which you can use to borrow things Middlebury doesn’t own.  If you are looking for a specific book, movie, or CD that you think Middlebury or one of our partner libraries might own, try using this search.

Journals A-Z and Databases A-Z provide a way to look up specific journal or database titles, and see exactly which issues we provide access to.  You can also use a keyword to find all journals or databases containing a specific word in the title or description, e.g. “jazz” or “biology.”

Reserves is a easy way to view course reserves by class or professor name.

Videos searches our DVD and VHS holdings.  Check out the “browse videos by genre” function if you’re looking for, say, film noir or romantic comedies.

And, if you get stuck, there’s always a librarian around to help you figure things out.  Welcome to Middlebury!

Reference (or, Research!) Desk Revived

Categories: Midd Blogosphere

Based on the findings of last year’s Research and Instruction Assessment, we’ve decided to use the Reference Desk again. This is the desk on the main level, near the walk-up computers. Don’t get used to the name though. We’re changing it! We’re also stretching to increase our hours of coverage. When students work with us, they come back. But some of them don’t think of us in the first place. We’re trying to encourage all students to ask us for help.

Starting next week, librarians will be available at the Research Desk. Please refer research questions to us! Does the library have any movies in Spanish? How should I cite this web page? I’m writing a paper on [insert your topic here]… We know what to do!

Signs and web pages will be updated ASAP.

Hours:
Monday-Wednesday: 11-5 and 7-10 pm
Thursday: 11-5 pm
Friday: 11-4 pm
Sunday: 1-5 and 7-10 pm

At any time you can always Ask a Librarian! (go/askalibrarian)

Two New Civil War Collections Won for Special Collections

Categories: Midd Blogosphere
Erastus Hibbard Phelps Collection

The winning bid on the Archive of Civil War paymaster Erastus Hibbard Phelps, Middlebury Class of 1861, was made at auction by Andy Wentink, Curator of Special Collections & Archives. The archive was one among nearly 350 lots of American History, including Civil War, materials offered by Cowan’s Auctions in Cincinnati, OH, last Friday morning, December 2. The Phelps Archive comprises 334 letters, 4 diaries (3 from Civil War years), 2 bound volumes including a photo album containing portraits of graduates of the Middlebury Class of 1861, many of which are inscribed to Phelps. The archive also includes two photos of Phelps previous to his years at Middlebury, his paymaster sidearm (a Colt 1851 Navy 36 caliber pistol), what is believed to be his sheepskin winter jacket worn on duty, and a leather documents trunk carried during his service.

Andy also made the winning bid on another Civil War archive, 54 Letters of 2nd Lieut. Ephraim L. Hackett, Wisconsin 1st Light Artillery. Born in Maine in 1837, Ephraim L. Hackett was living in Baraboo, Wisconsin, in August 1861, when he enlisted as a Sergeant in the 1st Independent Battery, Wisconsin Light Artillery. Small in number and mobile, the Battery recruited barely over 100 men before being sent into the field in Kentucky that Fall, then went on to fight up and down the Mississippi Valley until the end of the war.

These two important Civil War collections significantly enhance Middlebury’s already impressive Civil War era archival holdings including the Aldace Walker (Middlebury Class of 1862) Letters, the Calvin Parker Letters, the Civil War Archive of Professor Kit Wilson, and nearly 100 Civil War era letters from individual writers.

The purchase of the Phelps and Hackett archives was made possible through the generous partial funding from the Friends of the Davis Family Library, the Middlebury College Museum of Art, the Julian W. Abernethy Fund, and the Davis Family Library.

Dartmouth Biomedical Conference

Categories: Midd Blogosphere

Carrie, Jess and I traveled to West Lebanon on October 21st for the 2011 October Conference presented by the Dartmouth Biomedical Libraries. We learned how other libraries are promoting their resources and we presented a session about some options we use here. To find out more, link to our report.

LIS Collection Management has a new name!

Categories: Midd Blogosphere

With the merger of Collection Management and portions of Academic Consulting Services, it became clear that the area needed a new name to reflect its expanded scope.

I’m therefore pleased to announce that the name for this area is now Research and Collection Services (RCS). While many portions of the website still reflect the old names — and it will take a while before we’ve eradicated all remnants of Collection Management/Academic Consulting Services from the website, email distribution lists, HR/Banner information, etc. — please consider the name to be effective immediately.  We’ll try to get the changes made expeditiously.

As a reminder, RCS includes:

  • Reference and Instruction Librarians
  • Special Collections
  • Vt. Collection
  • Government Documents
  • Inter-library Loan
  • Cataloging/Acquisitions/Serials
  • Preservation & Processing
  • Collection Development

New database: Social Explorer

Categories: Midd Blogosphere

The library recently added a subscription to Social Explorer, which provides easy online access to demographic information about the United States, from 1790 to present.  It allows for the easy creation of thematic maps and downloading into other software products such as PowerPoint.  It also provides convenient digital access to two censuses never before available online: 1970 and 1980.
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