So we’ve got a hurricane bearing down on us this weekend.
I have a tendency to downplay them; I grew up in Florida, where we get hit by these things pretty often. All a hurricane is is a lot of rain and wind, and it’s usually no big deal. You get some flooding, some deck chairs flying around, power lines falling, tree branches taking out roofs and car windshields, telephone poles getting knocked over …
Well, okay, it’s kind of a big deal. But the point is we have a hurricane coming!
All I can really say about that is: What can be prevented will be; what can’t be will be dealt with.
In the meantime, the new semester opens on Monday, come hell or high water (whichever happens first), and we will be ready. All the computers are in place with the latest images from Gallaudet Technology Services, the printers are humming along, the copy machines are ready and waiting, our database and e-books are fizzing and sparking away, and the books are as patient as ever.
Not a huge amount of stuff has changed policywise since the Spring semester; loan periods are still 4-6 weeks depending on your status and where in the collection (Deaf or General Stacks) you borrow from. Except for faculty, of course, who get the usual September-January-May due dates for loans from the General Stacks. Films are still 3 days, up to 3 per person borrowed at a time.
We’ve also changed how databases are accessed, hopefully in a clearer way. Check it out for yourself; head to our homepage at library.gallaudet.edu, find the “Find article databases” link in the “Research Help” box, and click on it. Any feedback? E-mail us at library.help@gallaudet.edu or me at james.mccarthy@gallaudet.edu.
We’re also closed this weekend and will be for most of Labor Day weekend next week so you can enjoy a couple of days off from academic obligations before the semester really gets going! Our Thanksgiving hours have also changed, since, for the first time, there won’t be any classes Thanksgiving week. Check out our schedule for more information. If it resembles a Metrobus timetable fed through a shredder, my apologies; holidays can get funky.
Now, I’m going to wrap this up by burying the lede so far down it’d take a dedicated gravedigger to find it: We’re hosting a series of events in September in order to spread more awareness about the Library and the kind of things we offer the population of Gallaudet University, as well as tying in to this year’s Common Theme about freedom of expression. The kicker is that we’re using this as an opportunity to raffle off an iPad 2 and $100 gift certificates to Amazon.com!
Tickets will be available to Gallaudet students only. Sorry, faculty and staff! Nevertheless, here’s our main event page; check it out!
Showing posts with label welcome. Show all posts
Showing posts with label welcome. Show all posts
Friday, August 26, 2011
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Free coffee for midterms
It's Week 7.
Possibly the third-most-dreaded week of the semester, behind finals week and, of course, Week 1.
Why? Midterms.
It's also one of our busiest weeks; students often have to contend with major exams, slightly-less-major tests, slipping grades, tearful breakups (they always seem to happen around this time), an upcoming Homecoming, projects, papers, and plain old run-of-the-mill homework. It's no wonder the Library's usually littered with bodies coping with every issue that exists on the known academic spectrum at all hours that we're open, especially when you get up past primetime.
Fortunately, we're here to help in the only way that matters: free coffee.
Well -- I mean, sure, we do lots of other things to help students, but I think we all know what really matters when the clock hits 10 p.m., you're still only halfway done with highlighting every other word in the part of the textbook your class has covered so far, and the table is looking mighty soft and comfortable.
So come up or drop by the first floor of the Library, around 8 p.m. tonight through Thursday night, for some free coffee. We also offer creamer, sugar, and artificial sweetener (I think Splenda's big this year) if you're not into basic black. It's available until closing or until we run out, whichever happens first.
It's sort of a perk (pun intended) that we offer for students, as well as any staff or faculty working late, around midterms and finals. If you missed out on the free stuff, it'll be back eventually.
You'll get something more substantive about what's been going on at the Library next week; it's been a busy semester!
Possibly the third-most-dreaded week of the semester, behind finals week and, of course, Week 1.
Why? Midterms.
It's also one of our busiest weeks; students often have to contend with major exams, slightly-less-major tests, slipping grades, tearful breakups (they always seem to happen around this time), an upcoming Homecoming, projects, papers, and plain old run-of-the-mill homework. It's no wonder the Library's usually littered with bodies coping with every issue that exists on the known academic spectrum at all hours that we're open, especially when you get up past primetime.
Fortunately, we're here to help in the only way that matters: free coffee.
Well -- I mean, sure, we do lots of other things to help students, but I think we all know what really matters when the clock hits 10 p.m., you're still only halfway done with highlighting every other word in the part of the textbook your class has covered so far, and the table is looking mighty soft and comfortable.
So come up or drop by the first floor of the Library, around 8 p.m. tonight through Thursday night, for some free coffee. We also offer creamer, sugar, and artificial sweetener (I think Splenda's big this year) if you're not into basic black. It's available until closing or until we run out, whichever happens first.
It's sort of a perk (pun intended) that we offer for students, as well as any staff or faculty working late, around midterms and finals. If you missed out on the free stuff, it'll be back eventually.
You'll get something more substantive about what's been going on at the Library next week; it's been a busy semester!
Friday, February 27, 2009
A quick introduction
The first post on any blog is always a momentous event. It can be hard to know what to say, so for today, I'll introduce myself and describe in a little more detail what this blog is all about.
My name is Jim McCarthy, and I'm an Instruction & Reference Librarian at Gallaudet University. I'm a Florida boy, born and raised in the Tampa Bay area. I was born deaf and grew up signing, speaking, and reading. I went to Rochester Institute of Technology (home of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf) in upstate New York for a Bachelor's in Professional and Technical Communication with a minor in art history, as well as a significant focus on world literature. After I graduated, I spent some time working for a deaf service center back in the Bay area before starting work on a Master's degree in Library & Information Science. I became a newspaper archivist during my last year of school, and then Gallaudet began advertising for an open position as a librarian a few months after I graduated, so here I am!
After a month or two here, I began to wonder if there weren't other ways for the Library to reach out to the various groups of people we serve, and as a twentysomething, a blog was the second thing that came to mind (the first thing was Facebook, of course!). The result is on your computer screen right now.
So what's going to happen here?
You'll see several different types of posts on this blog:
1) The collection: We'll spotlight different parts of our collection, including some surprising stuff, like kids' books or graphic novels (what your mom used to call comic books), or even the neat fiction books you can find in the Deaf Collection. You'll also hear a little about the Archives and all the weird things they have in their super-secret vault in the basement. Plus, of course, we'll point out any new books or movies that you might find interesting.
2) Policies: We'll explain a little bit about the way we do things here, so you at least know what to expect and why. In addition, we'll cover anything important you need to know about our policies that might have changed in the recent past. You'll be one of the first to know -- by reading this blog.
3) Resources: We have a ton of stuff here. Almost all of it is useful for something, while the rest is just for fun! We have style manuals if you're worried about APA or MLA format, movies (both deaf-related and general) for both education and pleasure (my favorite? Dark Knight. It's on the shelf right now), copiers, computers, a public copy of both Washington Post and USA Today, tons of research databases, lots of DVD/VHS players, TVs (including a giant one that's got cable), various rooms you can use, and more that will be detailed in future posts.
4) Librarians: Once in a while, we'll profile one of our own librarians. You'll get to see what they look like and learn a little about where they came from and get an idea of their individual personalities. We'll also include a little detail about their individual specialties, so you know who to go to when you need something for a specific class or discipline. You'll learn something new: we like developing relationships with students and faculty!
5) Events: You'll hear about different events we have planned, like FYS workshops or seminars or our Big Read panel discussion, coming up in April. Here's something you probably didn't know: we love it when a lot of people show up! We'll also mention other campus or DC-area events, like the monthly lecture series on Deaf history in the DC Public Library system.
6) Literary stuff: We'll get book recommendations from our librarians and talk about those books a little bit, like why the librarian thinks you should read the book he or she recommends, or interesting stuff in general (for example: what does a graphic novel have to do with ancient mythology?). We'll also spotlight any potential connections to courses being offered here on campus.
You're more than welcome to comment and contribute to each post, but there are two things to remember: First, we have a comments policy on the comment page (you'll see it when you click on the link to comment) which outlines what's okay and what's not; second, any inquiries about your personal account (like fees you don't agree with or questions about what's been checked out on your account) need to go to library.help@gallaudet.edu. This is because your personal information is confidential according to library policy, while this blog is a public forum -- you wouldn't want your intimate details out on the Internet for the world to see, would you?
I think that about covers the introduction. Watch this space; it'll be updated every Friday!
My name is Jim McCarthy, and I'm an Instruction & Reference Librarian at Gallaudet University. I'm a Florida boy, born and raised in the Tampa Bay area. I was born deaf and grew up signing, speaking, and reading. I went to Rochester Institute of Technology (home of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf) in upstate New York for a Bachelor's in Professional and Technical Communication with a minor in art history, as well as a significant focus on world literature. After I graduated, I spent some time working for a deaf service center back in the Bay area before starting work on a Master's degree in Library & Information Science. I became a newspaper archivist during my last year of school, and then Gallaudet began advertising for an open position as a librarian a few months after I graduated, so here I am!
After a month or two here, I began to wonder if there weren't other ways for the Library to reach out to the various groups of people we serve, and as a twentysomething, a blog was the second thing that came to mind (the first thing was Facebook, of course!). The result is on your computer screen right now.
So what's going to happen here?
You'll see several different types of posts on this blog:
1) The collection: We'll spotlight different parts of our collection, including some surprising stuff, like kids' books or graphic novels (what your mom used to call comic books), or even the neat fiction books you can find in the Deaf Collection. You'll also hear a little about the Archives and all the weird things they have in their super-secret vault in the basement. Plus, of course, we'll point out any new books or movies that you might find interesting.
2) Policies: We'll explain a little bit about the way we do things here, so you at least know what to expect and why. In addition, we'll cover anything important you need to know about our policies that might have changed in the recent past. You'll be one of the first to know -- by reading this blog.
3) Resources: We have a ton of stuff here. Almost all of it is useful for something, while the rest is just for fun! We have style manuals if you're worried about APA or MLA format, movies (both deaf-related and general) for both education and pleasure (my favorite? Dark Knight. It's on the shelf right now), copiers, computers, a public copy of both Washington Post and USA Today, tons of research databases, lots of DVD/VHS players, TVs (including a giant one that's got cable), various rooms you can use, and more that will be detailed in future posts.
4) Librarians: Once in a while, we'll profile one of our own librarians. You'll get to see what they look like and learn a little about where they came from and get an idea of their individual personalities. We'll also include a little detail about their individual specialties, so you know who to go to when you need something for a specific class or discipline. You'll learn something new: we like developing relationships with students and faculty!
5) Events: You'll hear about different events we have planned, like FYS workshops or seminars or our Big Read panel discussion, coming up in April. Here's something you probably didn't know: we love it when a lot of people show up! We'll also mention other campus or DC-area events, like the monthly lecture series on Deaf history in the DC Public Library system.
6) Literary stuff: We'll get book recommendations from our librarians and talk about those books a little bit, like why the librarian thinks you should read the book he or she recommends, or interesting stuff in general (for example: what does a graphic novel have to do with ancient mythology?). We'll also spotlight any potential connections to courses being offered here on campus.
You're more than welcome to comment and contribute to each post, but there are two things to remember: First, we have a comments policy on the comment page (you'll see it when you click on the link to comment) which outlines what's okay and what's not; second, any inquiries about your personal account (like fees you don't agree with or questions about what's been checked out on your account) need to go to library.help@gallaudet.edu. This is because your personal information is confidential according to library policy, while this blog is a public forum -- you wouldn't want your intimate details out on the Internet for the world to see, would you?
I think that about covers the introduction. Watch this space; it'll be updated every Friday!
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