Afro-Americana Imprints: New Database!

We are happy to announce that Andruss Library has acquired access to Afro-Americana Imprints.  This new database provides full-text access to over 12,000 documents that chronicle the African American experience from 1535 to 1922.

Afro-Americana Imprints includes books, pamphlets, and broadsides that focus on African American history, literature, and culture.   Click here to take a look. 

Spotlight on... Brad Poust

This is the next installment in a series of blog posts to help you get acquainted with some of the people who work in the library. Today we introduce you to one of our student workers.

 What is your name?  Brad Poust

What is your major?  B.S Geology

What do you do in the library?  I am a student worker in the Acquisitions Department. I label and check in the magazines and journals, as well as sorting and distributing the mail in the library.

What do you enjoy most about your job?  I enjoy talking to my co-workers and the opportunity to have flexible hours that work around my classes.

What’s the best class you’ve taken at BU?  I don’t really have a favorite class; although I am a Geology major I really enjoy all types of literature classes.

  

What else do you want people to know about you?  I am an avid hunter and fisherman; as long as I’m outside I am happy. I am also a sports nut, in high school I played football and wrestled and here at Bloomsburg University I play Rugby.

The Library is Hiring

Want to work for the library?  We are currently looking for someone to work as our After-Hours Monitor.  This person works Sunday-Wednesday from 10pm-2am or 12am-2am.  We are looking for someone who is dependable and responsible, who can answer basic questions, who works independently, and who has a GPA of 2.5 or above (preferred). 

If you're interested, please fill out our online application and return it to the Circulation Desk by April 26. 

Questions?  Please contact Miranda Bailey at 570-389-4222 or mbailey@bloomu.edu. 

Additional PAPA resources on the Test Prep Guide

The library's Test Prep Guide has been updated to include additional material for those of you taking the PAPA.  We hope this will be helpful!

The guide continues to offer links to resources for those of you taking other exams, including the GRE, PRAXIS, LSAT, MCAT, and more. 

You Spoke: Individual Comments

Welcome to the fourth in a series of posts about the LibQual Survey results. Many of the comments that we received could be grouped together.  For example, many comments noted that the computers were slow or that we should have more group study rooms.  But sometimes only one or two people made a particular comment.  Today we are looking at some of those.

• "The library should have a way to print wirelessly."   

We do have a way to print wirelessly!  On the library's homepage, in the For Students box, click on the link that says Wireless Printing.  You can print to the printers on the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th floors in the library, or to printers in the Kehr Union Games Room.

• "You should expand the Popular Reading Collection."  

We're glad that you're enjoying our (currently very small) Popular Reading Collection.  This collection has gotten quite a lot of use since it started in the summer of 2011.  We are working on growing this collection.  Look for a new and improved (and larger) Popular Reading Collection sometime next academic year.

• "I'm surprised that the library doesn't have Piaget's book 'Moral Judgment of the Child.'"  

This was surprising, until we realized that we do have this book, only our edition used an alternate spelling of the word "Judgement" in the title.  We do try to catch alternate spellings or even misspellings in books so they can be found easily in PILOT.  This one had gotten by us, but it's now been corrected. 

• "There should be a way to browse/search the CD collection."  
For security reasons, the CD collection is housed behind the Circulation Desk, so we acknowledge that it's not the easiest collection to browse.  However, you can search just this collection--or any collection in the library.  In PILOT, click on the link in the lower right corner that says Search Limits. 

You will see a screen that gives you many ways to limit your search.  You may select to limit by location.  In this example, we will limit to the Compact Disc Collection.

Click the Set Search Limits button, and you can now search only for items in the Compact Disc Collection.

As always, if you have questions about the LibQual survey results, please contact Katie Yelinek. 

Spotlight on... Daniel Walz

This is the next installment in a series of blog posts to help you get acquainted with some of the people who work in the library.  Today we introduce you to someone who you might not have seen before.

What is your name?  Daniel Walz   

What is your title?  Acquisitions Assistant

What kinds of things are you responsible for in the library?
* I’m responsible for ordering, receiving, and then “checking in” most of the books, DVDs, and other physical items in the library’s collection.  One of the neat things about my position is that I frequently get to order items that are requested by faculty, students and staff through the online book request form. Check it out at http://bookrequest.bloomu.edu/
 
* I’m responsible for gathering usage statistics for all of the library’s online databases and journals.

* I also help my supervisor, Joyce Counterman, in scheduling and overseeing the work of our student employees.

How did you come to work in the library?   I’m one of the newest staff members here at the library and April 11th will mark my two year anniversary as a BU employee.  Before coming here, I was a Cataloging Librarian’s Assistant at Brodart Co. in Williamsport, PA.

What do you enjoy most about your job?   I’ve always loved reading and learning new things, so it’s a joy to come to work each day in this awesome library surrounded by all of these great resources we have to offer!  I also really enjoy the people I’ve met here at the library.  They’ve made me feel very welcome since I started.

What else do you want people to know about you?  I’m a U.S. Army veteran and an Army-trained Chinese linguist, although I don’t get much time to keep up on my language skills with three daughters at home!  The Army also gave me the opportunity to jump out of perfectly good airplanes, helicopters, and even helium balloons in South Korea a few times!  When the kids aren’t keeping me busy, you’ll find me rooting on the Phillies and Steelers.

How can people get in touch with you?  Email: dwalz@bloomu.edu  Phone: 389-4206  Room: AL 223

Requests for Assistance

There are many ways you can ask for research assistance when the Research Center is closed, including by email and our Ask Us Anything form.  Now you have a simpler way: simply fill out the paper Request for Assistance at the Research Center.  A librarian will get back to you no later than the next business day. 

Working on a Literature Review?

If you need to write a literature review for your class, take a look at the library's Literature Review guide.  Find out what a literature review is, what a good one should do, and how to write one. 

Other helpful guides can be found under the Subject Guides tab on the library's homepage. 

Want to learn about Big Data?

Perhaps you have heard of this topic on the news or elsewhere.  The Library has a very basic introductory guide to the phenomenon of Big Data.  With this guide, you may find articles, eBooks, and government press releases on the topic.

You spoke: Slow Computers

Welcome to the third in a series of posts about the LibQual Survey results.  Today we are talking about slow computers in the library.

You had a lot to say about computer speed in the library!  It was our #1 comment received.  Of the 581 comments that we received, 163 of them indicated that our computers were too slow.  

We acknowledge that this has been a chronic problem, especially during peak demand times such as midterms and finals.  We have taken another step towards easing this problem.  Over Spring Break, the last of the “thin clients” (those small boxy computers we had) were removed and replaced with regular HP computers.  The thin clients were the main cause of slowness in all of our computers, and we are eagerly looking forward to seeing how much faster the new computers will work. 

The new computers will also:
•         Reduce the noisiness of the keyboards in the library (we got some complaints about that).
•         Be included in LibStats, which lists open computers in the library.  The thin clients couldn’t be included in those counts. 

We value your feedback when it comes to computer speed, so please let us know how we’re doing with the new computers.  And, as always, if you have questions about the LibQual survey results, please contact Katie Yelinek.