Research Assistance during Winter Session

The Library is available for your research needs during Winter Session.  Be sure to check out the summary of Library Services during Winter Session.  The best way to contact a Research Librarian for assistance is the Ask a Librarian service.  Please feel welcome to take full advantage of these services!

Library Launches New Talk Series

On Tuesday November 19th, the library launched our new informal talk series Lunchtime @ the Library.  Dr. Michael Shepard, Chair & Professor of Environmental, Geographical & Geological Sciences, presented a talk on the subject and occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 12 moon mission. As Dr. Shepard explained, though Apollo 12 has been eclipsed historically by the momentous Apollo 11 mission a mere four months prior -- there were some fascinating firsts and memorable moments.  The mission almost had to abort right after launching when two lightning strikes disabled critical electronics equipment. Fortunately the rocket was on autopilot, so the mission was able to continue without a hitch once communication and navigation instruments were back up and running again. This mission also had the exciting discovery of finding microbes on equipment that had

Conrad, Gordon & Bean: The Fantasy (1992)

been left on the moon for a few years, which spurred all sorts of tests and theories. 

One more interesting fact: the Apollo 12 crew included an astronaut who was also an artist. Alan Bean retired from NASA in 1981 to devote the rest of his life to creating art inspired by his trip to the moon.   

The presentation concluded with a Q&A discussion about future possibilities for moon exploration and colonization.

TO LEARN MORE:
NASA Apollo 12 (official website)

NPR's Geoff Brumfiel 50 Years Ago, The Apollo 12 Crew Had A Blast As They Landed On The Moon (aired November 20, 2019)

Alan Bean, first artist on another world

National Geographic: One Strange Rock 

Library recognizes historic events from 50 years ago: Apollo Missions Moon Landings of 1969 display

The Library’s current Apollo Missions 11 & 12 Moon Landings display celebrates how 1969 was the year NASA landed two successful missions to the moon: Apollo 11 (July 20, 1969) and Apollo 12 (November 19, 1969). 

 

Our display showcases some of the books in our collection on this subject, as well as the July 21, 1969 edition of The Morning Press (local Bloomsburg newspaper), two autographed photos of NASA Apollo astronauts, a moon puzzle, and retrospective magazine articles about the flight and science of Apollo 11.

The display is located in the Newspaper/New Books area on the first floor, just past the Circulation Desk.

Banned Books Week at Andruss Library

 

Andruss Library is celebrating our Right to Read ...

Check out our BANNED BOOKS WEEK info in the Newspaper/New Books area and share the banned books you have read. 

Want to learn more about banned books? Visit the American Library Association's Banned and Challenged Books webpage: 

ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom Banned & Challenged Books

Welcome to new librarian Courtney Paddick

Please join the library in welcoming new librarian, Courtney Paddick. Courtney will be working as the library faculty liaison to the College of Education, Academic Enrichment, and Sociology/Social Work/Criminal Justice.

She comes to us with over eight years of experience, most recently as a librarian for the arts and humanities as Bucknell University.

Welcome aboard, Courtney!

You Spoke: I Wish You Had All of My Textbooks

Welcome to the seventh and last in a series of posts about the LibQual survey results. Today we're talking about textbooks in the library.

One of the comments we received was "I wish you had all of my textbooks!"  It would be lovely if the library could purchase a copy of every textbook used on campus.  Unfortunately we can't do that.  If we did, we would have no money to buy all of the books and journal articles that students and faculty use for their research.

As a general rule, the library doesn't purchase textbooks. Exceptions are made on an individual basis.

So, what to do if you are looking for a textbook in the library?

• Check to see if the professor put a copy on reserve. If you are a faculty member, make sure to put a copy on reserve (see here for the reserve form).
• Check to see if we have a different textbook on the subject. Sometimes we'll have supplemental textbooks that will cover the same topics. This is great for anyone looking for the textbook just to learn more about a subject.
• Check to see if there is an open educational resource (i.e. free online textbook) on the subject. Again, these are great if you are looking for help understanding the subject.      

 Purchasing textbooks is expensive, we know. Hopefully the tips above will help.


If you have questions about the LibQual survey results, please contact Katie Yelinek.

You Spoke: Library Hours

Welcome to the sixth in a series of posts about the LibQual survey results. Today we're talking about library hours.

Several of you asked for additional hours when the library could be open.  Some of you wanted 24/7 during the week, others wanted longer hours over the weekends.  We're happy to see you like us and want the library open longer!

Unfortunately, we don't have the staff to keep the library open any more hours than we do right now.  But we want to remind you of additional times that you might not be aware of:

•  The Schweiker Room and Gathering Place remain open after the rest of the library is closed on Sunday-Wednesday evenings from midnight to 2 am.  Wireless is available for those who bring their own devices.
• For the last week of classes and finals week, the library offers extended hours on the weekends.  This semester this means the library will be open 10 am to midnight on April 28, 7:30 am to midnight on May 3, 9 am to 9 pm on May 4, and 10 am to midnight on May 5.

You can always find out our hours by clicking on the clock on the library's homepage.

If you have questions about the LibQual results, please contact Katie Yelinek. 

You Spoke: Reusable Water Bottle Fillers

Welcome to the fifth in a series of posts about the LibQual survey results. Today we're talking about reusable water bottle fillers.

Several of you asked to have a reusable water bottle filler (or more than one!) installed in the library. We heard you. We are currently looking into the cost and feasibility of having one put in on the first floor. No promises, since it will depend on cost and other factors. But we are definitely looking into it.  Thanks for the suggestion!

If you have questions about the LibQual results, please contact Katie Yelinek. 

You Spoke: My Favorite Things

Welcome to the fourth in a series of posts about the LibQual survey results.  Since we don't want all these posts to be about concerns you had, today we're talking about the positives you pointed out.

The #1 thing you liked about the library was our printed material. Yup, even though we have a lot of electronic material, we do still have many print books, and we're glad you think we have what you need for your projects. Remember that we have many types of print material--scholarly books, juvenile books and curriculum material, governments documents, newspapers, magazines, encyclopedias, musical scores, current bestselling novels, and more.

You also said you liked how we gave users individual attention and were available to help with questions.  Absolutely we're ready and willing to help.  If you have a question, click the "Ask Us" button on the homepage or use the pop-out chat feature.

Lots of people mentioned they like our interlibrary loan (ILL).  Thanks! We like being able to get you things you need, too.  Don't know what ILL is?  This is when we ask another library to send us a copy of a book, article, or other resource that we don't have so you can use it.  Try it out here. 

Finally, many of you mentioned individual employees in the library by name.  We appreciate that.

😊

If you have questions about the LibQual results, please contact Katie Yelinek. 

PA Speech League Tournament Friday March 15th 1pm-9pm

Andruss Library will be hosting the Pennsylvania High School Speech League Tournament this Friday afternoon (March 15th) from 1-9 pm. Best Wishes to all participants!

The library will be open to regular library patrons. Check at the circulation desk for information about available computers and study areas.

PHSSL TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

You Spoke: Trouble logging in to library resource

Welcome to the third in a series of posts about the LibQual survey results.  Today we're talking about what to do if you have trouble logging in to any of our resources from off-campus.

So, you're off-campus, and you want to search a library database, read one of our e-books, watch one of our streaming videos, or use another library resource.  You click on the link to access it, and the screen pops up asking you to log in with your HuskyID and password.  You do, but for some reason it doesn't let you in.  What to do?

This is rare, but it happens on occasion, and we got comments about this happening on our survey. So if this ever happens to you, follow these steps:

1. Update or change your Web browser. Also try changing your browser's settings to allow cookies and enable Java and Javascript.
2. If this doesn't fix the problem, contact the library using the Ask Us icon on the library's homepage.  The librarian or staff person on duty will connect you with someone who can help.

If you have questions about the LibQual results, please contact Katie Yelinek. 

You Spoke: Printing From Personal Devices

Welcome to the second in a series of posts about the LibQual survey results.  Today we're talking about printing from your personal devices.

One of the comments we got from the LibQual survey was a desire to be able to be off campus and send a print job to a printer on campus, to be picked up when you arrive for your classes.  In fact, you can do that!

You currently have the ability to print from any personal device (whether you are sitting in your apartment off campus, or are sitting on campus and using your laptop). 

Follow the directions posted here (http://intranet.bloomu.edu/documents/tech/Print_from_laptop.pdf) and then release the print job from your chosen printer when you arrive on campus. 

For more tips about nifty computing things you can do on campus, visit the Student Technology Support page: http://intranet.bloomu.edu/technology/student. 

If you have questions about the LibQual results, please contact Katie Yelinek.

You Spoke: LibQual Results (aka "You like us, you really like us!")

Welcome to the first in a series of posts about the 2018 LibQual Survey results.  Over the next several weeks, these posts will go into some detail about the comments and ratings you left when you filled out the LibQual survey, and they will let you know how we in the library are responding to them. 

First, thanks to the over 1500 of you who took the time to complete the survey.  Your comments and ratings (both positive and negative) gave us a good snapshot of the feeling on campus about the library.

Now, a short summary of the results.  

The top three written comments we received were:
1) I love the library/it is a nice place to be
2) Library employees are nice/helpful/do a good job
3) You need to have more group study rooms

The three statements that were rated mostly highly (you thought we were doing well in these areas) were:
1) The printed library materials I need for my work
2) Giving users individual attention
3) Readiness to respond to users’ questions

The three statements that were rated lowest (you thought we weren't doing so well in these areas) were:
1) Quiet space for individual activities
2) Willingness to help users
3) A library website enabling me to locate information on my own


Future blog posts will look more in depth at these results, as well as other written comments that we received.  The full results notebook for the survey can be found here: https://guides.library.bloomu.edu/LibQual.

If you have questions about the LibQual survey results, please contact Katie Yelinek.

Go on a Blind Date With a Book!

For Valentine's Day, treat yourself to a blind date with a book!  The steps are simple:

1. Visit the "blind date" table by the Circulation Desk.  It's easy to find--it's the one with all of the books wrapped up in pretty paper. 
2. Read the description label on the front of a wrapped book.
2. Select the one you want to take home.
3. Check the book out at the Circulation Desk.
4. After check out, unwrap and see what book you have chosen.

Happy reading!

Library Open Today (Jan. 31)

Although classes are cancelled today, the Library will remain open until 12:00 midnight.

Wecome back, Huskies!

CC SA 1.0 license: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Welcome_Back_Steve.png

Welcome back to campus! We (the library staff and library faculty) wish you a successful spring semester!

Got questions about using the library? Ask us! We're here to help you find the best resources to succeed!