Chills and thrills @ your library 

Autumn has finally arrived and so has the second faculty and staff edition of the library’s monthly newsletter. (We know you’ve been waiting.)

There are no tricks at the library, only treats, including new tools, new services, contests, and events. As always, feel free to send us your questions and suggestions. We want to hear from you!

--The Library Staff

Free people read freely

If you haven’t already checked out our banned books display, be sure to do so because you could win big!!!  Ok, we’re not the lottery so maybe not big, but at least something the library can afford.

Enter the contest by writing down your favorite book from the Top 100 most challenged books list. There is one drawing for students, and a separate drawing for faculty/staff. Polls close Friday, October 5 at 5:00 p.m.

Remember, the First Amendment protects your right to read both the Classics and smut (but you’ll find only the former here at the library).

Overdue Witches Brew!

It’s chills and thrills @ your library on Halloween Day. The library staff will serve up a chilling drink that is sure to put the thrill in your teaching drill. Stop by on October 31 for one of the librarian’s secret drink concoctions:

1. Overdue Witches Brew

2. Death cross-reference

3. Black Stacks

4. Nocturnal Journal

5. Ghost of EBSCOhost

6. Archival Survival

7. Dewey Devil System

Out with the old — In with the new

Are you tired of reading the same old boring research paper topics—abortion, school prayer, teenage pregnancy, gun control? The Reference Librarian has created a 4-page list of unique and interesting topics for research papers. Get a copy from Sarah to distribute to students, or send your students to the reference desk to pick up their own copy.

Students suffering from “Information Deficiency”…

There is no vitamin supplement for this, but the Reference Librarian may have the cure. She is offering a new service for students to make it easier to do research. 

On the reference desk is a schedule. Students may sign up for half hour appointments with the reference librarian for one-on-one assistance with an assignment. Students are always welcome to come in for help without an appointment, but an appointment will ensure that the librarian is on duty and that the student gets uninterrupted help.

Please pass the good word on to your students.

Online On-time

We said September for the completion of the Milton tutorial, and that was no horse manure. The Information Literacy interactive tutorial is now live. To take a look, go to the library’s homepage http://eagles/midway/edu/library/ . It takes approximately 20 minutes to read through the entire tutorial.

The tutorial will have more interactive pages added over time, along with quizzes and/or worksheets to assign in classes if you so wish. Please promote to SCD and Online students as they cannot always interact with libraries and librarians.

*** Special thanks to Erin Robinson for fixing all of Milton’s issues.

Are your students caught in a World Wide Wikipedia Web?

Students use the Web believing all kinds of myths (for example, most students believe Wikipedia is the same kind of encyclopedia as Britannica). We know the truth, and the librarian wants your students to know it too. Contact her for web evaluation instruction. She’ll debunk the myths and give students a dose of Internet reality. Call 5744 or email skaip.

Attention Business Faculty

Sarah recently attended a workshop on business resources on the Internet. That means 67 new business sites are added to the library’s webliography (organized by category with an annotation for each). Check them out at http://eagles.midway.edu/library/BusinessSG.htm and let your students know. Feel free to ask for your own favorite sites to be added.

Nursing is next!

News you can’t refuse

Tired of reading about Britany Spears and reality TV shows? Then put down that USA Today and use the library’s subscription to The New York Times. Call the library for the username and password.

Ever heard this excuse?

“The library doesn’t have any books on my topic.” No librarian worth her salt would buy that excuse. We may be a small fish, but we’re swimming in a big pond.

They may not be on our shelves, but we have access to most every book in publication. A bibliography devoid of books is a sad sight to see. If students start their research early enough (it could happen), they can search WorldCat—a combined catalog of books from nearly every public and academic library in the country. They can then order any book through interlibrary loan.

If you haven’t already used WorldCat, you might check it out for your own research or recreational reading pleasure. Here’s how to get there and how to order books through it:

1. Go to the library’s homepage http://eagles.midway.edu/library
2. Click on FirstSearch in the middle of the screen. If you are off campus, call the library for the username and password.
3. From the drop down menu, select WorldCat.
4. Then search.
5. When you get your results, take note of the icons next to each item. There are paper books, electronic books, CDs, videos, scores, maps, serials, audio tapes, etc…
6. Once you find an item you want, you can order it by clicking on the “ILL” button in the gray bar.
7. Fill in contact info and the citation will be emailed to our interlibrary loan person.

More on how to use WorldCat can be found in the “Finding Books” module of Milton. For questions or help with WorldCat, call Sarah, Carrie, or Cathy.

REMINDERS from last newsletter:

1. Got books taking up space just begging to be read?  Bring them in for the book exchange.
2. Don’t forget to put the librarian’s name and contact information on your assignments.