I have to admit I'm a fan of four-day weeks. Who isn't?
Still, the short week plus the quietude that advances with the summer means there aren't many new developments to report on at the moment.
Instead, I'll regale you with some of the most common questions I get asked as your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man -- er, librarian -- and my answers for them, so you're getting a chance to see things from behind the Service Desk. The following questions are divided into two categories, so pay attention; sometimes the context is important!
On the Service Desk
"Where are the DVDs/videos/deaf school yearbooks?"
They're on the row of shelves behind you with the large sign on it that reads "DVDs"/"Videos"/"Deaf School Yearbooks."
"What about the copy machines?"
They're off to your left, just behind the little counter with the large "Photocopy" sign above it.
"Where's the eLearning Lab?"
It's downstairs; there's a large sign on the stairs right behind you that will help point the way. It's okay; we know the building's confusing, so don't feel too badly about missing all these signs. That's what we're here for!
"Do you work here?"
Frequently, yes.
"Does this building have a bathroom?"
I am very happy to say yes!
"I'm just visiting a friend in the dorms, but I lost my pager and I was wondering if I could use one of your computers to check my e-mail?"
Our computers are frequently in high demand, so our policy limits Library computer use to Gallaudet students and faculty first, followed by people performing deaf-related research. We do not allow casual visitors to use the computers. We're generally sticklers about this, so it is probably best to plan your trip well enough to avoid needing to try your luck with us.
"I left my ID at home, but I know my ID number. Can I still check out this book/DVD?"
Nope.
"Okay, how about to pay my fines/fees? Surely I don't need my ID to give you money!"
Nope. Only when you cross my palm with plastic will the way be opened.
"Well, why not?"
In a word: confidentiality. It's the law. We never, ever allow anyone to do anything affecting anyone's Library record without photographic proof of 1) their identity and 2) their current status as a registered student or employee of Gallaudet University. Some people don't take this too seriously, but it's kind of like the teller at the local bank letting just anyone walk up to her off the street and give your name so they can take money out of your account. Sounds like an exaggeration, but there have been people who let their friends borrow stuff from the Library on their IDs, only to find out the day before graduation they won't be allowed to graduate until they pay close to a hundred dollars for a lost movie that they don't remember ever checking out. That's money out of their bank account. We don't want this to happen, so we do our part to make sure the IDs we see actually belong to the people who give them to us. It's a short-term pain in the butt that'll save you a bigger one later.
"Why do lost books and movies cost so much? Harry Potter doesn't cost $97!"
We don't always collect the full $97; we usually waive some of it depending on what you decide to do. The fines break down like this:
$57 lost book fine: This number isn't arbitrary; it's the average cost of a single book across all eight schools in the WRLC. This number ensures that we're capable of replacing an item when it's lost.
$30 lost book replacement processing fee: This fee is applied because the process of removing a lost item from the collection and adding its replacement does cost money in supplies and time.
$10 overdue fine: The maximum overdue fine you can incur before the book is automatically marked as 'Lost.'
What you can do about it: One of three things: 1) pay the whole thing, in which case we'll waive the $10 and $30 fines; 2) talk to the librarian who's responsible for that book and find out what you need to do to replace it yourself, in which case we'll waive all but $10; or 3) bring the durned thing back! and you'll only pay the $10.
When you put these three options in order from cheapest to most expensive, you'll be able to see what we really want: our own stuff back. That's why that choice is the cheapest -- we don't think anyone would want to pay $57 for Hellboy 2. If the item really is lost, then we do what we can to make the loss as painless as possible for everyone.
In My Civvies (i.e., off the job)
"So, do you actually get to tell people to be quiet?"
At a university for the deaf? Things are kind of quiet for most people by default. When they aren't, we have been known to ask people to settle down, but it isn't usually an issue.
"Do you spend a lot of time putting books on the shelf?"
Nope. That's what we have student assistants for. They're also good for things like cleaning up stray books, reshelving movies, and building pyramids.
"Have you memorized the Dewey Decimal System?"
Have you memorized the periodic table? Good. Now multiply that by 10. Add maybe 300 or so.
"Aren't you supposed to know it by heart, though?"
No one person could. It's hugely complex and to commit it to memory would mean that I have no life, which we all know isn't true ... right? Right? Hello?
"How does it feel to be forced into obsolescence by the pitiless advance of modern technology?"
It feels a lot like a bunch of people asking me questions all at once. Oh, wait ...
"So you just spend all day working on the desk, answering questions?"
No, actually. Working on the desk represents a pretty slim percentage of my work schedule. The rest of the time is spent working on various projects, including talking with faculty, giving presentations, deciding what needs to be taken out of my part of the collection and what needs to be put in, meeting with students, going to lectures and workshops on campus and off with the WRLC, and a million other little things every day.
"Do you get to read books for a living?"
Not really. Sometimes I'll skim a book here and there if it's been donated and I think it could be a good addition to the collection, but actual reading material is more a byproduct of the job. A perk, if you will.
That squares away this week; no Question of the Week -- I've answered plenty as it is.
June starts on Monday, and that's when you know it's really going to be summer. If it ever stops raining, get out there and enjoy the sunlight! See you next Friday.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
new and improved web site!
Jeez. Who knew that summer could be so busy? Fortunately, there's a three-day weekend coming up!
Here's something you can do over the weekend if you discover that 72 hours of unabated freedom is too much for your sanity: check out the new, improved library.gallaudet.edu!
Let me take you on a tour. Although you can certainly refer to the diagram below, I strongly suggest that you open a new window with the website in it as you read along; the diagram is just to save me the trouble of saying things like, "Now, the top box in the middle -- not the one with the pictures, the one below that, below the line where it says 'Gallaudet University Library,' I think it's called 'Research Help' or something like that, yeah ... "
Okay. Let's go.
1 - Shortcuts to ALADIN
Our most exciting new feature. You can now search ALADIN directly from our home page without having to click through to the catalog twice. Excellent for quick searches or just getting started on a long, winding research journey. We also offer a list of subject areas for our databases, so you can go straight to the Psychology databases only seconds after you hit our site. Below that are some links to our e-Journals, the e-Journals available at other Consortium schools and, of course, myALADIN.
2 - About the Library
Links to information about, of course, the Library. Hours, directions, floor maps, and staff pages are all here, as well as ... huh. There's a link to this blog in that box. Did I just feel the universe folding in on itself or have I just had too much coffee?
Probably too much coffee. I just got a new coffeemaker and I've been sucking down six cups a day. In my defense, it is of the Dunkin' Donuts brand.
Anyway, as you can see (if you're also looking at the actual web page), this section is not quite complete -- and it's not the only one that isn't. We're working on it, and you will see us tweaking the website here and there over the course of the summer as we all (including students and faculty) get used to this new setup.
Moving on:
3 - Research Help
Links to various guides and pathfinders to our collection, designed to -- hopefully -- make research easier. Our Deaf Research Help area has been reorganized a bit, but it is still the area you want to visit if you're looking for information about famous Deaf people or the statistics of deafness or, really, almost anything else you can think of. There are also links to subject-specific guides (including, eventually, LibGuides) and pages designed to help you understand and use the more commonly-used style guides when you're writing a paper, including RefWorks.
Ahh, RefWorks. That's a whole nother post, possibly sometime in the near future. Suffice it to say that if you're just not sure how to put together a citation, RefWorks is a lifesaver.
4 - Library Services
More information about our services outside of lending books and movies to Gallaudet students and faculty, as well as answers to some of the more commonly-asked questions we get about navigating our system. You can find out how to renew materials online, search for specific types of materials, or get a job at the Library. If you're a visitor, outside researcher, or in any other way not affiliated with Gallaudet University, this should be the first place you look in order to figure out where you fit in and how you can best take advantage of our services.
5 - Search Library Web
Another terrific new feature: you can now search the Library's website itself! This way, you can check to see if our website has the answer you're looking for before going to all the trouble of finding a way to contact us, especially if it's 2 in the morning and Meebo isn't rolling over when you poke it. The search box is powered by Google and also searches this blog and the Archives' website, just to cover every possible base.
6 - Chat with us!
This is the familiar Meebo chat widget you may recognize from the old website.
7 - Library News
Watch this space for new things happening around the Library and other announcements. This might be my ego talking, but it is essentially a scaled-down, formal version of this blog. If anything interesting pops up there when you visit the main Library website, head over here to see if there's any further information, which there usually will be; I'm a big fan of integration, after all.
So that's the new website. There's a lot more information available at first glance, and it might seem a little overwhelming at first -- especially considering that you're used to just a Meebo widget and a sidebar with links -- but play with it, explore a little, jab it in the ribs and see if it snaps at your fingers. You'll like it a lot more! Especially when you're in a hurry.
Question of the Week
I walked into the Library from HMB the other day and noticed the plaque about Merrill outside the door to the Library, and realized that I see lots of "Merrill Learning Center" and "MLC" and "Library," and I always thought they meant the same thing. Then I remembered that there are other things in the building, like the eLearning Lab. Is everything in the building part of the Library?
In a nutshell, not precisely. It's the other way around -- the Library is part of the building, which is occupied by Academic Technology, Library and Archives, and ASL Services (ATLAS Learning Services). The name's a bit of a mouthful (hence the very nice acronym!), because ATLAS has sort of grown together organically over the years as a group of units working together. The units are:
Academic Technology (AT): Supports classroom learning, provides technical support through the Helpdesk, offers workshops and training for students, faculty, and staff, runs Blackboard, makes videos ... a lot of stuff. Basically, if there's a piece of technology involved anywhere on campus, they're the ones to call. They're also the largest department in ATLAS, comprising four smaller subunits.
Library: Us. Obviously. Although both units work together very closely, we are distinct from the Archives because our missions are somewhat divergent. Ours is just to provide access to information, whether digital or in print. Our primary goal is to make sure the Library is capable of supporting the curriculum and meeting the needs of students, faculty, staff, and outside researchers. Few people, I think, realize that the Gallaudet University Library is a world-class research library, but it is -- and we work hard to keep it that way.
Archives: The Archives' mission is to preserve the memories of both Gallaudet itself and the deaf community in general. This includes institutional papers (like presidential memos or deaf club meeting minutes), photographs, blueprints, films, books, legal documents, machines, personal belongings, original manuscripts of deaf-related books, anything and everything. It all falls under the Archives' purview if it's deaf-related. The Archives plays a huge role in meeting researchers' needs, whether those researchers are students working on a Deaf Lit paper, faculty writing a book on Alice Cogswell, or outside researchers investigating the history of the Deaf Fraternal Order of the Upper Bronx from 1914-1934 (not real; don't look it up).
ASL Services: Short for ASL Diagnostic and Evaluation Services, this is the unit responsible for evaluating ASL proficiency in students, faculty, and staff and providing diagnostic analysis and feedback. ASL Services may be one of the most behind-the-scenes units of ATLAS; they make sure everyone can communicate with each other.
All of the above units make their home in the Merrill Learning Center; the Library is just the most visible of the four. ASL Services lives on the second floor; the Library occupies nearly all of the open space in the basement and on the first floor, plus a half-dozen classrooms and at least one auditorium; the Archives have three very large rooms to use as vaults and several smaller rooms for photography storage, genealogy research, and office space, all in the basement; and AT is all over the place, with a video archive on the second floor, offices on the first, and almost everything else in the basement -- except the Helpdesk, which is in HMB -- including the eLearning Lab and a full-on TV studio.
You'll notice that the basement houses at least some parts of three out of four ATLAS units, and those parts tend to be pretty big, like a TV studio, an auditorium, or vaults containing nearly every recoverable piece of paperwork ever generated by deaf people. It's a big place, and a big building.
It can be confusing and maze-like and nearly impossible to figure out without a decent Sherpa. Fortunately, there's a whole staff of Sherpas in the Merrill Learning Center, although here at Gallaudet, we call them "librarians." Just come to the Service Desk and ask!
Here's something you can do over the weekend if you discover that 72 hours of unabated freedom is too much for your sanity: check out the new, improved library.gallaudet.edu!
Let me take you on a tour. Although you can certainly refer to the diagram below, I strongly suggest that you open a new window with the website in it as you read along; the diagram is just to save me the trouble of saying things like, "Now, the top box in the middle -- not the one with the pictures, the one below that, below the line where it says 'Gallaudet University Library,' I think it's called 'Research Help' or something like that, yeah ... "
Okay. Let's go.
1 - Shortcuts to ALADINOur most exciting new feature. You can now search ALADIN directly from our home page without having to click through to the catalog twice. Excellent for quick searches or just getting started on a long, winding research journey. We also offer a list of subject areas for our databases, so you can go straight to the Psychology databases only seconds after you hit our site. Below that are some links to our e-Journals, the e-Journals available at other Consortium schools and, of course, myALADIN.
2 - About the Library
Links to information about, of course, the Library. Hours, directions, floor maps, and staff pages are all here, as well as ... huh. There's a link to this blog in that box. Did I just feel the universe folding in on itself or have I just had too much coffee?
Probably too much coffee. I just got a new coffeemaker and I've been sucking down six cups a day. In my defense, it is of the Dunkin' Donuts brand.
Anyway, as you can see (if you're also looking at the actual web page), this section is not quite complete -- and it's not the only one that isn't. We're working on it, and you will see us tweaking the website here and there over the course of the summer as we all (including students and faculty) get used to this new setup.
Moving on:
3 - Research Help
Links to various guides and pathfinders to our collection, designed to -- hopefully -- make research easier. Our Deaf Research Help area has been reorganized a bit, but it is still the area you want to visit if you're looking for information about famous Deaf people or the statistics of deafness or, really, almost anything else you can think of. There are also links to subject-specific guides (including, eventually, LibGuides) and pages designed to help you understand and use the more commonly-used style guides when you're writing a paper, including RefWorks.
Ahh, RefWorks. That's a whole nother post, possibly sometime in the near future. Suffice it to say that if you're just not sure how to put together a citation, RefWorks is a lifesaver.
4 - Library Services
More information about our services outside of lending books and movies to Gallaudet students and faculty, as well as answers to some of the more commonly-asked questions we get about navigating our system. You can find out how to renew materials online, search for specific types of materials, or get a job at the Library. If you're a visitor, outside researcher, or in any other way not affiliated with Gallaudet University, this should be the first place you look in order to figure out where you fit in and how you can best take advantage of our services.
5 - Search Library Web
Another terrific new feature: you can now search the Library's website itself! This way, you can check to see if our website has the answer you're looking for before going to all the trouble of finding a way to contact us, especially if it's 2 in the morning and Meebo isn't rolling over when you poke it. The search box is powered by Google and also searches this blog and the Archives' website, just to cover every possible base.
6 - Chat with us!
This is the familiar Meebo chat widget you may recognize from the old website.
7 - Library News
Watch this space for new things happening around the Library and other announcements. This might be my ego talking, but it is essentially a scaled-down, formal version of this blog. If anything interesting pops up there when you visit the main Library website, head over here to see if there's any further information, which there usually will be; I'm a big fan of integration, after all.
So that's the new website. There's a lot more information available at first glance, and it might seem a little overwhelming at first -- especially considering that you're used to just a Meebo widget and a sidebar with links -- but play with it, explore a little, jab it in the ribs and see if it snaps at your fingers. You'll like it a lot more! Especially when you're in a hurry.
Question of the Week
I walked into the Library from HMB the other day and noticed the plaque about Merrill outside the door to the Library, and realized that I see lots of "Merrill Learning Center" and "MLC" and "Library," and I always thought they meant the same thing. Then I remembered that there are other things in the building, like the eLearning Lab. Is everything in the building part of the Library?
In a nutshell, not precisely. It's the other way around -- the Library is part of the building, which is occupied by Academic Technology, Library and Archives, and ASL Services (ATLAS Learning Services). The name's a bit of a mouthful (hence the very nice acronym!), because ATLAS has sort of grown together organically over the years as a group of units working together. The units are:
Academic Technology (AT): Supports classroom learning, provides technical support through the Helpdesk, offers workshops and training for students, faculty, and staff, runs Blackboard, makes videos ... a lot of stuff. Basically, if there's a piece of technology involved anywhere on campus, they're the ones to call. They're also the largest department in ATLAS, comprising four smaller subunits.
Library: Us. Obviously. Although both units work together very closely, we are distinct from the Archives because our missions are somewhat divergent. Ours is just to provide access to information, whether digital or in print. Our primary goal is to make sure the Library is capable of supporting the curriculum and meeting the needs of students, faculty, staff, and outside researchers. Few people, I think, realize that the Gallaudet University Library is a world-class research library, but it is -- and we work hard to keep it that way.
Archives: The Archives' mission is to preserve the memories of both Gallaudet itself and the deaf community in general. This includes institutional papers (like presidential memos or deaf club meeting minutes), photographs, blueprints, films, books, legal documents, machines, personal belongings, original manuscripts of deaf-related books, anything and everything. It all falls under the Archives' purview if it's deaf-related. The Archives plays a huge role in meeting researchers' needs, whether those researchers are students working on a Deaf Lit paper, faculty writing a book on Alice Cogswell, or outside researchers investigating the history of the Deaf Fraternal Order of the Upper Bronx from 1914-1934 (not real; don't look it up).
ASL Services: Short for ASL Diagnostic and Evaluation Services, this is the unit responsible for evaluating ASL proficiency in students, faculty, and staff and providing diagnostic analysis and feedback. ASL Services may be one of the most behind-the-scenes units of ATLAS; they make sure everyone can communicate with each other.
All of the above units make their home in the Merrill Learning Center; the Library is just the most visible of the four. ASL Services lives on the second floor; the Library occupies nearly all of the open space in the basement and on the first floor, plus a half-dozen classrooms and at least one auditorium; the Archives have three very large rooms to use as vaults and several smaller rooms for photography storage, genealogy research, and office space, all in the basement; and AT is all over the place, with a video archive on the second floor, offices on the first, and almost everything else in the basement -- except the Helpdesk, which is in HMB -- including the eLearning Lab and a full-on TV studio.
You'll notice that the basement houses at least some parts of three out of four ATLAS units, and those parts tend to be pretty big, like a TV studio, an auditorium, or vaults containing nearly every recoverable piece of paperwork ever generated by deaf people. It's a big place, and a big building.
It can be confusing and maze-like and nearly impossible to figure out without a decent Sherpa. Fortunately, there's a whole staff of Sherpas in the Merrill Learning Center, although here at Gallaudet, we call them "librarians." Just come to the Service Desk and ask!
Friday, May 15, 2009
What's to come
Now that the summer is beginning in earnest -- graduation is occurring right now -- let's take a look at some of the projects we've got planned for the summer and what you may see in the Library upon your arrival this coming fall.
First, new computers. We'll be getting around 5-10 newer computers to add to our current collection, and are currently in the process of deciding where to put all the new stuff; the biggest consideration is convenience for the students. The first-floor public computers by the Service Desk are very heavily used and often fill up during key parts of the semester. This is mostly because of their central location, which is also closest to the printers, main stairs, the Deaf Stacks, and the Service Desk. They also make it easy for time-crunched students to walk in, quickly find what they need, and walk out. Still, there isn't much room left in the open space on the first floor so the new computers may go downstairs. As I said, we're working on it.
The important part is that we are getting more computers! At some point over the summer, you'll be updated on what's happening with them and what you can definitely expect when you arrive in the fall.
Second, new website. We are in the process of revamping our website -- at least, we were. It's almost done! This is just the latest major change in the evolution of our online services, which has taken a fascinating path over the past few years (check it out in the Wayback Machine -- just click on the first link in each year). This newest iteration of our website is focused even more on ease of use for both students and faculty. You'll see increased emphasis on quick searches in the ALADIN Catalog and our electronic resources, on contacting us, and on helpful resources that will guide you to where you need to go. It's also very nice-looking. Do yourself a favor and explore it a little bit once it rolls out -- I'll let you know about that, too.
Third, new hours. We're currently figuring out ways to expand our operating hours for the Fall semester. Nothing concrete has yet been determined, but as soon as I find out, so will you.
Fourth, new LibGuides. Not that we had old LibGuides; this is a wholly new thing we're working on. LibGuides is a pretty cool online content management system that'll help us churn out focused guides for specific parts of our collection and specific departments here at Gallaudet University. We'll cover not only our own resources (including more direct pipelines into ALADIN for specific topics), but also provide information about citation styles, resources outside of Gallaudet, quick glossaries to help students brush up on specialized vocabulary, and many other things; most of the guides may be one-stop shops for you. Personally, I think it's a lot of fun to put together, mostly because I'm a total geek, but hopefully you'll find it useful!
These are just the four most visible changes happening in the Library over the summer. A lot of other stuff will be going on, but they're generally much more subtle than anything that will immediately impact your routine Library use.
Oh -- also, in response to swine-flu concerns and general hygiene, Gallaudet has installed free antibacterial hand-foam dispensers on both sides of the building near the Service Desk. They're lots of fun (seriously: foam), and we do encourage that everyone use them.
That just about wraps it up for this week. Good luck to the class of 2009!
Question of the Week
What's the deal with the Library hours?? Sometimes you close at 11 p.m., sometimes 8, sometimes 6, sometimes 5. Which is it?
You're not the only one who's asked about that this week. Our hours do vary on a regular basis. For instance, this summer, we close at 8 p.m. Monday-Thursday and at 5 p.m. Friday-Sunday. You can sleep in all weekend, too: we don't open until 1 on Saturday and Sunday. This is a change from this past Spring semester, when we were open until 11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday.
We do change our hours based on how we see people using the Library, though; for instance, during Fall and Spring semesters, we're friendlier to night-owls and procrastinators: we are generally open later at night and for more of the day on the weekends, which will be true again this coming fall. Still, as I mentioned in New Thing Three above, we're still working on figuring out exact hours, so hang in there!
Between semesters, when classes aren't in session at all (like this week or around Christmas), we're only open from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Period.
Also, if Gallaudet University is celebrating a holiday, we usually are, too, and will be closed.
Hopefully that clears up the confusion. Our hours are always posted at the building entrances, and we also have loads of copies of our hours available in the rack by the photocopy center -- just ask at the Service Desk if you're not sure where they are -- or check at our website.
First, new computers. We'll be getting around 5-10 newer computers to add to our current collection, and are currently in the process of deciding where to put all the new stuff; the biggest consideration is convenience for the students. The first-floor public computers by the Service Desk are very heavily used and often fill up during key parts of the semester. This is mostly because of their central location, which is also closest to the printers, main stairs, the Deaf Stacks, and the Service Desk. They also make it easy for time-crunched students to walk in, quickly find what they need, and walk out. Still, there isn't much room left in the open space on the first floor so the new computers may go downstairs. As I said, we're working on it.
The important part is that we are getting more computers! At some point over the summer, you'll be updated on what's happening with them and what you can definitely expect when you arrive in the fall.
Second, new website. We are in the process of revamping our website -- at least, we were. It's almost done! This is just the latest major change in the evolution of our online services, which has taken a fascinating path over the past few years (check it out in the Wayback Machine -- just click on the first link in each year). This newest iteration of our website is focused even more on ease of use for both students and faculty. You'll see increased emphasis on quick searches in the ALADIN Catalog and our electronic resources, on contacting us, and on helpful resources that will guide you to where you need to go. It's also very nice-looking. Do yourself a favor and explore it a little bit once it rolls out -- I'll let you know about that, too.
Third, new hours. We're currently figuring out ways to expand our operating hours for the Fall semester. Nothing concrete has yet been determined, but as soon as I find out, so will you.
Fourth, new LibGuides. Not that we had old LibGuides; this is a wholly new thing we're working on. LibGuides is a pretty cool online content management system that'll help us churn out focused guides for specific parts of our collection and specific departments here at Gallaudet University. We'll cover not only our own resources (including more direct pipelines into ALADIN for specific topics), but also provide information about citation styles, resources outside of Gallaudet, quick glossaries to help students brush up on specialized vocabulary, and many other things; most of the guides may be one-stop shops for you. Personally, I think it's a lot of fun to put together, mostly because I'm a total geek, but hopefully you'll find it useful!
These are just the four most visible changes happening in the Library over the summer. A lot of other stuff will be going on, but they're generally much more subtle than anything that will immediately impact your routine Library use.
Oh -- also, in response to swine-flu concerns and general hygiene, Gallaudet has installed free antibacterial hand-foam dispensers on both sides of the building near the Service Desk. They're lots of fun (seriously: foam), and we do encourage that everyone use them.
That just about wraps it up for this week. Good luck to the class of 2009!
Question of the Week
What's the deal with the Library hours?? Sometimes you close at 11 p.m., sometimes 8, sometimes 6, sometimes 5. Which is it?
You're not the only one who's asked about that this week. Our hours do vary on a regular basis. For instance, this summer, we close at 8 p.m. Monday-Thursday and at 5 p.m. Friday-Sunday. You can sleep in all weekend, too: we don't open until 1 on Saturday and Sunday. This is a change from this past Spring semester, when we were open until 11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday.
We do change our hours based on how we see people using the Library, though; for instance, during Fall and Spring semesters, we're friendlier to night-owls and procrastinators: we are generally open later at night and for more of the day on the weekends, which will be true again this coming fall. Still, as I mentioned in New Thing Three above, we're still working on figuring out exact hours, so hang in there!
Between semesters, when classes aren't in session at all (like this week or around Christmas), we're only open from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Period.
Also, if Gallaudet University is celebrating a holiday, we usually are, too, and will be closed.
Hopefully that clears up the confusion. Our hours are always posted at the building entrances, and we also have loads of copies of our hours available in the rack by the photocopy center -- just ask at the Service Desk if you're not sure where they are -- or check at our website.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Summer reading happiness
Since it's the last week of the semester and finals are essentially over, I'll be loosening up a little bit today. I'm guessing most of you are pretty sick of the Library by now, judging from the sheer number of people we saw this week, so no Question of the Week.
Instead, I've gone around the first floor and asked everyone for their favorite books for summer reading. Some consist of pretty light fare, while others are bona fide reading projects. Still, all are good reads; we spend all our professional time around books, so you know we've got at least some taste!
Diana Gates
Talk Talk - After being falsely arrested for several crimes, a deaf woman and her boyfriend set out to find the real perpetrator.
Mischief - One of Ed McBain's 87th Precinct books, this story sees the return of The Deaf Man, a mysterious criminal, with cryptic clues sent to the police department that hint at his upcoming nefarious plans. This book also covers several subplots including pro-life and pro-choice activism, graffiti, a series of Alzheimer's patients found on the streets, and a hostage crisis.
Congo - One of Michael Crichton's earliest books, this novel has a research team (accompanied by Amy, a gorilla who signs) investigating horrific attacks perpetrated by gorillas deep in the African jungle. Although the technology is dated (this book was written in 1980), the story is tense and superbly-written.
Jephte's Daughter - A young Jewish woman is married to an orthodox Talmudic scholar, but when their marriage becomes abusive, she escapes to London with their son and falls in love with a priest. (Available at George Washington University through CLS)
Laura Jacobi
The Great Man - With the death of a famous artist comes a whole passel of revelations about the man himself, his wife, his mistress, and his sister.
The Corrections - The story of an emotionally complicated family -- a sick father, a mother obsessed with Christmas, a successful chef daughter with romantic issues, and two sons, one of whom is a depressed banker and the other an insecure gadfly -- written with a comic voice and with an eye to cultural commentary.
Seven Pillars of Wisdom - Learn about the real Lawrence of Arabia from the man himself, and how he helped unify the Arabs against Turkish oppression in the Middle East after World War I.
Lonesome Dove - A group of cowboys go on a cattle drive, but this novel is so much more than that. Read this if you're into fascinating characterization and exploring relationships between people set in the beauty of the American West.
James McCarthy
Duma Key - Stephen King offers up a story much closer to the quality of his earlier work, about a one-armed man who develops a profoundly disturbing talent while in seclusion on an island just off of Sarasota, Florida.
The Known World - A black-owned slave plantation before the Civil War spins out of control following the death of its owner.
Wicked - A very unusual take on the Land of Oz, this book takes you through the life of Elphaba, the green-skinned Wicked Witch of the West, and creates a very solid universe full of strange superstitions, political activism, and the problems of totalitarian government.
The Death and Life of Great American Cities - Although this book was written a few decades ago, its insights about cities and the nature of the urban environment are fascinating, especially in light of recent trends toward office "superblocks" in urban downtowns.
Patrick Oberholtzer
Great Plains - Learn about the Big Sky and how its colorful past blends into its present through an engaging commentary by Ian Frazier.
Manhunt - A young man with prospects for fame and fortune threw it all away because he was on the losing side of a war. This is the story of John Wilkes Booth, the man who assassinated Abraham Lincoln, and his capture.
Native Tongue - One of the best comic authors to come out of South Florida, Carl Hiaasen spins a tale of murder and nutty environmentalists, investigated by a PR writer for a quintessentially cheesy theme park.
A Walk in the Woods - The Appalachian Trail is an epic path across the eastern United States through some of the most beautiful wilderness on this continent. Bill Bryson somehow combines hilarity and a sense of the majesty of these woods in his story of hiking the Trail.
Jane Rutherford
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - Are YOU ready for the movie? Because we sure are!
My Sister's Keeper - The gripping tale of a young woman who was born as a transplant donor for her leukemia-stricken older sister, this novel explores questions about identity, selfhood, family, and love.
The Time Traveler's Wife - A young librarian and his wife must come to terms with his unusual condition -- involuntary time-travel -- and its effect on their past and their future.
Angels and Demons - In an earlier novel from the author of The Da Vinci Code, Robert Langdon must hunt down a secret society bent on destroying the Catholic Church -- and possibly a good chunk of the world besides.
Good grief. After looking through some of my colleagues' recommendations, my summer reading list just got a lot longer. I hope yours did, too!
Next week, we'll talk a little bit about some of the changes you may see in the Library when you return for the Fall semester -- unless you're graduating, in which case, you'll have to come visit us sometime!
Instead, I've gone around the first floor and asked everyone for their favorite books for summer reading. Some consist of pretty light fare, while others are bona fide reading projects. Still, all are good reads; we spend all our professional time around books, so you know we've got at least some taste!
Diana Gates
Talk Talk - After being falsely arrested for several crimes, a deaf woman and her boyfriend set out to find the real perpetrator.
Mischief - One of Ed McBain's 87th Precinct books, this story sees the return of The Deaf Man, a mysterious criminal, with cryptic clues sent to the police department that hint at his upcoming nefarious plans. This book also covers several subplots including pro-life and pro-choice activism, graffiti, a series of Alzheimer's patients found on the streets, and a hostage crisis.
Congo - One of Michael Crichton's earliest books, this novel has a research team (accompanied by Amy, a gorilla who signs) investigating horrific attacks perpetrated by gorillas deep in the African jungle. Although the technology is dated (this book was written in 1980), the story is tense and superbly-written.
Jephte's Daughter - A young Jewish woman is married to an orthodox Talmudic scholar, but when their marriage becomes abusive, she escapes to London with their son and falls in love with a priest. (Available at George Washington University through CLS)
Laura Jacobi
The Great Man - With the death of a famous artist comes a whole passel of revelations about the man himself, his wife, his mistress, and his sister.
The Corrections - The story of an emotionally complicated family -- a sick father, a mother obsessed with Christmas, a successful chef daughter with romantic issues, and two sons, one of whom is a depressed banker and the other an insecure gadfly -- written with a comic voice and with an eye to cultural commentary.
Seven Pillars of Wisdom - Learn about the real Lawrence of Arabia from the man himself, and how he helped unify the Arabs against Turkish oppression in the Middle East after World War I.
Lonesome Dove - A group of cowboys go on a cattle drive, but this novel is so much more than that. Read this if you're into fascinating characterization and exploring relationships between people set in the beauty of the American West.
James McCarthy
Duma Key - Stephen King offers up a story much closer to the quality of his earlier work, about a one-armed man who develops a profoundly disturbing talent while in seclusion on an island just off of Sarasota, Florida.
The Known World - A black-owned slave plantation before the Civil War spins out of control following the death of its owner.
Wicked - A very unusual take on the Land of Oz, this book takes you through the life of Elphaba, the green-skinned Wicked Witch of the West, and creates a very solid universe full of strange superstitions, political activism, and the problems of totalitarian government.
The Death and Life of Great American Cities - Although this book was written a few decades ago, its insights about cities and the nature of the urban environment are fascinating, especially in light of recent trends toward office "superblocks" in urban downtowns.
Patrick Oberholtzer
Great Plains - Learn about the Big Sky and how its colorful past blends into its present through an engaging commentary by Ian Frazier.
Manhunt - A young man with prospects for fame and fortune threw it all away because he was on the losing side of a war. This is the story of John Wilkes Booth, the man who assassinated Abraham Lincoln, and his capture.
Native Tongue - One of the best comic authors to come out of South Florida, Carl Hiaasen spins a tale of murder and nutty environmentalists, investigated by a PR writer for a quintessentially cheesy theme park.
A Walk in the Woods - The Appalachian Trail is an epic path across the eastern United States through some of the most beautiful wilderness on this continent. Bill Bryson somehow combines hilarity and a sense of the majesty of these woods in his story of hiking the Trail.
Jane Rutherford
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - Are YOU ready for the movie? Because we sure are!
My Sister's Keeper - The gripping tale of a young woman who was born as a transplant donor for her leukemia-stricken older sister, this novel explores questions about identity, selfhood, family, and love.
The Time Traveler's Wife - A young librarian and his wife must come to terms with his unusual condition -- involuntary time-travel -- and its effect on their past and their future.
Angels and Demons - In an earlier novel from the author of The Da Vinci Code, Robert Langdon must hunt down a secret society bent on destroying the Catholic Church -- and possibly a good chunk of the world besides.
Good grief. After looking through some of my colleagues' recommendations, my summer reading list just got a lot longer. I hope yours did, too!
Next week, we'll talk a little bit about some of the changes you may see in the Library when you return for the Fall semester -- unless you're graduating, in which case, you'll have to come visit us sometime!
Friday, May 1, 2009
Panels and balloons: Graphic novels
BAM! BIFF! POW! ZAP!
The little sound effects above are what sometimes come to mind when people think of comic books: funny little drawings full of silly things.
The truth is, they are so much more than that. Before I start to explain what more there is to comics than the unadulterated joy of onomatopoeia, though, there's an important distinction to be made.
There are comic books, and then there are graphic novels. Superficially, there isn't much of a difference between the two. They both tell stories using images and text in linear sequences to portray events. In both, people's words are framed in speech balloons and, yes, sound effects may appear in funny-looking fonts.
Practically speaking, though, there's a big difference. While comic books are sort of like magazines, published on a regular schedule, they're usually fairly short (no more than a couple dozen pages), episodic in nature (they tell short stories that might fit into a bigger story, told over multiple issues), and bound cheaply with staples.
On the other hand, graphic novels are hybrids of comic books and regular books. They use the comic-book format to tell book-length stories. Sometimes they accomplish this as collections of comic books that have been issued over a period of months, then collected and bound into a single graphic novel. More often, they stand on their own as unique narratives that are executed in very creative fashions. These stories run the same gamut of fiction and non-fiction you see on our usual shelves; they aren't limited to superheroes.
Graphic novels have become pretty popular for libraries for this reason. The visual format can be incredibly appealing if done by a talented artist -- often, you will find a graphic novel that has almost no dialogue in it because the drawings tell the entire story on their own. They've also been mildly controversial at one point or another as people discover more and more that there are comic books in the library, and think the library should be spending that money on "real" books instead.
If you feel that way, bear in mind that Gallaudet is by no means the only library in the Consortium acquiring materials like this. Schools like Georgetown University, Catholic University, and American University are all acquiring graphic novels at a furious clip. Other schools like Duke University are not only acquiring graphic novels, but also using the format in new and fascinating ways.
All matters of opinion aside, though, the Library has a few graphic novels, although that number is slowly growing. Our offerings range from visual adaptations of text-based novels to totally original works (i.e., stories that exist only in graphic-novel form), passing through what are known as "spandex comics" -- collections of superhero comics (we have X-Men, for example). Here's a list of the highlights of our collection, with short summaries and links to their permanent records in ALADIN. The titles with a star (*) are also on display in the Library, in front of the West entrance (toward Peet Hall).
That will just about do away with this week. Next week, we'll offer up some recommendations for good summer reading!
Question of the Week
I'm trying to find a videotape or DVD that has something to do with ASL and treasures. How do I search for treasures without bringing up a bunch of books about pirates?
That's a very good question, and it's one that also applies to this week's post about graphic novels. What you're really asking is: How do I search for something in a specific format?
First, a word about Librarianese. Sometimes librarians use words that don't necessarily mean exactly what you've always understood them to mean or actually mean them in more specific ways than you're used to (like "record") -- I call that "Librarianese." The word format is an example of Librarianese; we use the word to refer to what the the thing actually is and how it conveys the information it contains. "Book" is a format; so is "VHS" and even, in some special libraries, "sculpture" or "painting."
The Library collection encompasses several different formats: books, periodicals, videorecordings (both VHS and DVD), microforms (both microfilm and microfiche), electronic (available through the Internet, like our impressive list of e-book offerings), and media (CD-ROMs, games, and other stuff that can't be classified as any of the other formats). If the item you want isn't a book, you can usually see the format in brackets in the link to the item, like this:
So what do you do when you don't want a book? There's a way to search in ALADIN that will help. It's called "Keyword (AND, OR, NOT)." You'll find it in the "By:" field when you're searching in ALADIN. When you select that, you can search for more than one thing at the same time, using AND, OR, or NOT between the keywords you use. Here's how each works:
Terms that may work include the list I gave you above, as well as things like "dictionary," "picture book," annnnnd ... "graphic novel"! Bet you were wondering what all this had to do with Watchmen.
The little sound effects above are what sometimes come to mind when people think of comic books: funny little drawings full of silly things.
The truth is, they are so much more than that. Before I start to explain what more there is to comics than the unadulterated joy of onomatopoeia, though, there's an important distinction to be made.
There are comic books, and then there are graphic novels. Superficially, there isn't much of a difference between the two. They both tell stories using images and text in linear sequences to portray events. In both, people's words are framed in speech balloons and, yes, sound effects may appear in funny-looking fonts.
Practically speaking, though, there's a big difference. While comic books are sort of like magazines, published on a regular schedule, they're usually fairly short (no more than a couple dozen pages), episodic in nature (they tell short stories that might fit into a bigger story, told over multiple issues), and bound cheaply with staples.
On the other hand, graphic novels are hybrids of comic books and regular books. They use the comic-book format to tell book-length stories. Sometimes they accomplish this as collections of comic books that have been issued over a period of months, then collected and bound into a single graphic novel. More often, they stand on their own as unique narratives that are executed in very creative fashions. These stories run the same gamut of fiction and non-fiction you see on our usual shelves; they aren't limited to superheroes.
Graphic novels have become pretty popular for libraries for this reason. The visual format can be incredibly appealing if done by a talented artist -- often, you will find a graphic novel that has almost no dialogue in it because the drawings tell the entire story on their own. They've also been mildly controversial at one point or another as people discover more and more that there are comic books in the library, and think the library should be spending that money on "real" books instead.
If you feel that way, bear in mind that Gallaudet is by no means the only library in the Consortium acquiring materials like this. Schools like Georgetown University, Catholic University, and American University are all acquiring graphic novels at a furious clip. Other schools like Duke University are not only acquiring graphic novels, but also using the format in new and fascinating ways.
All matters of opinion aside, though, the Library has a few graphic novels, although that number is slowly growing. Our offerings range from visual adaptations of text-based novels to totally original works (i.e., stories that exist only in graphic-novel form), passing through what are known as "spandex comics" -- collections of superhero comics (we have X-Men, for example). Here's a list of the highlights of our collection, with short summaries and links to their permanent records in ALADIN. The titles with a star (*) are also on display in the Library, in front of the West entrance (toward Peet Hall).
- Discworld Graphic Novels*
- The two very first Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett are adapted into graphic-novel form. Terrific if you're into humorous fantasy with a dash of scathing social satire.
- Stuff of Life*
- This is a great example of how the graphic-novel format isn't used only for fiction -- Stuff of Life is a visual guide to the workings of DNA and genetics.
- Watchmen
- Considered the precursor of our current boom in the graphic-novel format, Watchmen explores an alternate timeline where Nixon never stops being President and, instead of superheroes, ordinary people dress up in funny costumes. Sounds simple, but the book uses the basic premise to examine issues like vigilantism, government control, and the sanctity of human life. Dark, violent, and twisted, this isn't your 12-year-old brother's rag.
- Maus I & II
- Maus has been mentioned on this blog before; it is widely considered one of the best visual portrayals of the horrors of World War II and the life of a Jewish family during the Holocaust.
- Persepolis; Persepolis 2*
- Marjane Satrapi, an Iranian woman who left Iran as a young girl after the fall of the Shah, tells her life story in a style that is both winsome and stark.
- Prince of Persia*
- Based on the video game, this book tells the story of a young prince, his siblings, and a prophecy in the desert that would change everything.
- Sandman* (currently Vols. 1-4)
- Possibly one of the most popular graphic-novel series of all time, the Sandman books by Neil Gaiman (this year's Newbery Award winner for The Graveyard Book) are tough to describe without sounding pretty silly. They chronicle the life of Morpheus, the god of dreams, and incorporate a vast cast of characters that are, at the same time, mythical, imaginary, and based in reality.
- The Cartoon History of the Modern World: Part I: From Columbus to the U.S. Constitution
- This is basically a history-book-length graphic novel that tells the history of what is generally considered the "modern world," starting from the 15th-century discovery of the New World, in a narrative format. It's one of several graphic novels in the same vein, covering the histories of the Universe and American foreign policy, among other things.
- The Hobbit*
- This is an adaptation of JRR Tolkien's classic novel, a sort of prequel to the Lord of the Rings epic.
- Manga Shakespeare*
- Some of Shakespeare's plays are adapted to manga form (a visual style found in Japanese comics) and to modern Tokyo. We have several, including Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and A Midsummer Night's Dream.
- Graphic Forensic Science*
- This series of graphic novels covers important aspects of forensic investigation, including autopsies and corpses.
- Emma*
- A manga adaptation of the classic Austen novel, Emma.
- Mom's Cancer*
- The story of an artist son and his cancer-suffering mother -- at times humorous, at times touching, at all times very well-done -- this book provides an honest perspective on the effect of serious illness on a family.
- Road to Perdition*
- This is the classic Depression-era gangster mystery graphic novel on which the Tom Hanks movie was based.
- Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
- This is one of the foremost discussions of the format currently in existence. Scott McCloud, author of Zot!, uses his recognizable, appealing style to portray all the different elements that go into a comic book, including panel shape and placement, text, and how to progress action in order to play with the reader's sense of time. This book is absolutely essential to understanding how graphic novels work!
That will just about do away with this week. Next week, we'll offer up some recommendations for good summer reading!
Question of the Week
I'm trying to find a videotape or DVD that has something to do with ASL and treasures. How do I search for treasures without bringing up a bunch of books about pirates?
That's a very good question, and it's one that also applies to this week's post about graphic novels. What you're really asking is: How do I search for something in a specific format?
First, a word about Librarianese. Sometimes librarians use words that don't necessarily mean exactly what you've always understood them to mean or actually mean them in more specific ways than you're used to (like "record") -- I call that "Librarianese." The word format is an example of Librarianese; we use the word to refer to what the the thing actually is and how it conveys the information it contains. "Book" is a format; so is "VHS" and even, in some special libraries, "sculpture" or "painting."
The Library collection encompasses several different formats: books, periodicals, videorecordings (both VHS and DVD), microforms (both microfilm and microfiche), electronic (available through the Internet, like our impressive list of e-book offerings), and media (CD-ROMs, games, and other stuff that can't be classified as any of the other formats). If the item you want isn't a book, you can usually see the format in brackets in the link to the item, like this:
- AND: Requires that all the results use the words on both sides of "AND" (like "tropic thunder" AND videorecording if you want to find the movie)
- OR: At least ONE of the words on either side of "OR" is acceptable (like "tropic thunder" AND (videorecording OR media) if you know you want something called Tropic Thunder, but you're not sure if it's listed as a videorecording)
- NOT: Requires that the next word after "NOT" isn't included in the search (like "tropic thunder" NOT microform if you're curious about whether or not there are any other relevant items in the collection that doesn't require fiddling with a microform reader)
Terms that may work include the list I gave you above, as well as things like "dictionary," "picture book," annnnnd ... "graphic novel"! Bet you were wondering what all this had to do with Watchmen.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Meet Diana Gates
Today, we have what Mr. Rogers might call a "very special" librarian profile. Today, you'll meet Diana Gates, our Deaf Collection Librarian. On a daily basis, she pulls off the Herculean task of managing the Deaf Collection here at Gallaudet.
The Deaf Collection works on a very simple principle: if it's by a deaf person, has a deaf person in it, or is about deaf people, deafness, sign language, or audiology, we try to get it. What few people realize is that the Deaf Collection that lives on the first floor is only the tip of the iceberg. The stuff you see on the first floor always has a second copy downstairs, so not only is the entire Deaf Collection on the first floor duplicated in the basement, but it is also accompanied by the one-of-a-kind stuff that doesn't circulate. We do not allow the rarer items to circulate in order to preserve them for future researchers.
So who gets to feed the beast? Diana Gates, that's who. She's the lady you always see kind of running up and down the stairs in the Library, and this is her story.
1) Where are you from, anyway?
I am from Mattoon, Illinois, which is in central Illinois. But I have been living in Maryland for a good while.
2) How did you get here?
I have to laugh at this question. If you only knew how many crazy family trips we made to Washington, D.C. before I became a student. My godmother and uncle lived here before I was a student at Gallaudet. My uncle was stationed in the Army at Fort Belvoir; we started coming shortly after the 1968 riots. About that time, I heard about Gallaudet College, as it was called in those days, and we visited the campus, which had fewer buildings then.
3) How long have you worked here, and can you give me an idea of some of the more interesting things you've seen in your tenure at Gallaudet?
I started working right after President Nixon resigned as President, August 1974. The Library was in the Edward Miner Gallaudet building and was known as the Edward Miner Gallaudet Library. You can see this stamped on some of the Library’s older books. In 1981, the Library moved into Learning Center, which was renamed the Merrill Learning Center after President Merrill.
In 1973, I started working here as a student assistant doing practically everything: circulation, cataloging, shelving, the Deaf Collection, and Archives. Library Science was available as a major at Gallaudet at that time. I majored in English and Library Science; I guess I must have been a terrible student because I was in the last class to graduate with a major in Library Science. I started full time work in my last semester and graduated in 1975. I started as a Circulation & Reference Librarian, and then became the Northwest Campus Librarian, followed by Reference & Instruction Librarian and currently, the Deaf Collection Librarian.
As for interesting things happening here at Gallaudet, there’s been more emphasis on ASL, Deaf culture, Deaf space, Deaf history, emphasis on the Deaf rather than the deaf, more interpreters, congressional legislation, such as ADA, and an explosion of publications and films related to deaf people and deafness. Finally, as everyone knows, technology--computers, pagers, and software programs--which benefit the deaf. Some academic offerings reflect those changes. From 1970, the campus has gone from a “little Southern college” into a competitive high-tech university.
4) What have you specialized in?
After 34 years, I have done a variety of things: circulation, interlibrary loan, and reference. In 1983, I established the Northwest Campus Library for the School of Preparatory Studies; I also tutored students with learning disabilities in reading. Later I supervised the Computer Lab and Tutoring Center. I remained there until the Prep Program closed in 1995. Then I returned to the Kendall Green campus to do more circulation and reference library work. I had the pleasure of working with the English, Foreign Language, and Physical Education Departments.
Currently as the Deaf Collection Librarian, I track down and purchase deaf related books, periodicals, and films and also do deaf reference work. In addition, I am learning the ropes in the Archives, which is a totally different kind of black hole filled with fascinating information about the campus and anything deaf related.
5) What's in the Deaf Collection?
The Deaf Collection is full of interesting little gems of knowledge and of course big research findings, too. The Collection has materials on the early days of deaf education around the time of the establishment of the American School for the Deaf. There are also audiology and speech materials and theories from Alexander Graham Bell’s promotion of oralism. Sign languages and fingerspelling materials from many countries are acquired for the Collection. Deaf school yearbooks and our own Tower Clock are among the popular items. Areas where Deaf people are involved in sports, linguistics, sociology, culture, psychology and the arts, to name a few, are also represented. Literature, with deaf characters or fiction written by deaf authors, is also included. Basically, most areas of knowledge that have something related to the deaf or deafness. It is the largest collection on deafness in the world and there things there that you won’t find by Googling! Google is great but it doesn’t have all the information and at times its accuracy can be questionable.
6) What can you do for students or faculty doing deaf-related research?
As librarians, we work with the faculty to support the curriculum and information literacy objectives. Class presentations, workshops, email, IM, and one-on-one sessions by appointment are different ways the librarians work with students.
7) Can you list some of the resources that you use the most in working with students and faculty? Why are they good resources to use?
There are many wonderful resources in the Deaf Collection. In your last blog, Jane Rutherford mentioned some of the basic deaf reference resources, which are a good place to start. The Deaf Research Guide is THE place to begin any deaf research. There are research guides that help guide you to finding materials in the ALADIN Catalog and online article databases. The guides were developed based on frequency of questions we receive, such as biographies of deaf people or deaf culture. The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section includes answers to sign language, statistics, and much more.
Let’s not forget many resources are becoming available online through the ALADIN Catalog.
And finally, Librarians are also excellent resources if you need help with your research, a curious question, or simply something fun and light to read.
8) What do you like the most about working here?
I grew up wanting to be a librarian because I love books, but it involves working with people too. Each day is different. Most of our patrons are from on campus but researchers from around the country and the world come to use our resources. Often the researchers return and it’s like meeting old friends again. It’s rewarding to assist people with their research. Their research questions may be a simple question, such as, "Who is Laurent Clerc?" or something more complex.
The work may seem routine sometimes, but the duties do change and the technology constantly changes. It’s exciting to do research and obtain new materials about a deaf artist or author from a hundred years ago. There’s a sense of ownership in your work, which contributes to the collection that reflects Deaf history and our heritage. It’s rewarding and an honor also. Finally, there are always projects waiting, such as digitizing, updating a webpage, searching for more deaf materials to acquire, and accepting donations.
9) There's been some talk about a new library building in the works over the next few years. What's the one thing you'd most like to see change from the old building to the new one?
I visualize a new large, functional building that is “inviting” to everyone with natural and artificial light, packed with student-focused features, and temperature- and climate-controlled rooms for preserving our old deaf materials, some of which date back to the 1500s. This would be a perfect place for Gallaudet’s museum. This new facility would have “older” architectural features that reflect the campus’s heritage like many of the older universities. There’s something mystical about buildings which hold scholarly knowledge about mankind and the universe. It makes you think of the library in the Harry Potter films!
10) Last question, I promise: What's your favorite color?
That’s such a difficult question. It’s like taking one color out of an artist’s canvas and I don’t think a color or a particular hue can stand alone; they work together and complement each other. Imagine if everything in the world was one color! If you are really curious about a few favorite colors, stop by and ask me in person!
That does it for this week. Next week: Graphic novels. What's so great about them anyway? Why do we have them? Tune in next week and find out!
Question of the Week
I just tried to find a book in the Deaf Stacks with the call number 268.433 D4w 19--, "We are the Church," which is a lesson plan for religious education for deaf kids. I tried and tried to find it, but it was nowhere! The numbers just went from 268.4 to 268.6. Then I asked a librarian and he found it right away. How do call numbers work, anyway?
Here at the Gallaudet University Library, we use a system that you might recognize from your hometown's public library: The Dewey Decimal Classification. It's just right for a library of our size. Dewey splits up all books into 10 major subjects like Literature, Religion, or History (000, 100, 200, etc.), which are then split up into ten more subjects that fit under the larger heading, like American History, Christianity, or British Literature (110, 120, 130, etc.). Then those subjects are split into ten each (111, 112, 113, etc.) and so on down the line.
How is this reflected in the call numbers? Let's look at 268.433 as an example. Let's break it down; look at how the number changes as you get more and more specific:
200: Religion
260: Christian Social and Ecclesiastical Theology (a heading used for church services, schools, observances, etc.)
268: Religious Education
268.433: Religious Education -- Young People
D4w: A code for the book's author and title information in order to make the call number even more specific
19--: Year the book was published. It's incomplete because we're not sure what year this book was published, a rare exception.
We do not use the call numbers to distinguish between the Deaf Stacks and General Stacks, so you will need to pay attention when you look at the ALADIN Catalog record for the book you want in order to find out whether it's in the Deaf or General Stacks.
Here, you can see how call numbers don't work like actual mathematical figures -- we don't divide Religion by Young Deaf People and get 268.433 in the result. They're more like serial numbers, like the ones on your cell phone or computer. Finding the above call number works in this process:
The Deaf Collection works on a very simple principle: if it's by a deaf person, has a deaf person in it, or is about deaf people, deafness, sign language, or audiology, we try to get it. What few people realize is that the Deaf Collection that lives on the first floor is only the tip of the iceberg. The stuff you see on the first floor always has a second copy downstairs, so not only is the entire Deaf Collection on the first floor duplicated in the basement, but it is also accompanied by the one-of-a-kind stuff that doesn't circulate. We do not allow the rarer items to circulate in order to preserve them for future researchers.
So who gets to feed the beast? Diana Gates, that's who. She's the lady you always see kind of running up and down the stairs in the Library, and this is her story.
1) Where are you from, anyway? I am from Mattoon, Illinois, which is in central Illinois. But I have been living in Maryland for a good while.
2) How did you get here?
I have to laugh at this question. If you only knew how many crazy family trips we made to Washington, D.C. before I became a student. My godmother and uncle lived here before I was a student at Gallaudet. My uncle was stationed in the Army at Fort Belvoir; we started coming shortly after the 1968 riots. About that time, I heard about Gallaudet College, as it was called in those days, and we visited the campus, which had fewer buildings then.
3) How long have you worked here, and can you give me an idea of some of the more interesting things you've seen in your tenure at Gallaudet?
I started working right after President Nixon resigned as President, August 1974. The Library was in the Edward Miner Gallaudet building and was known as the Edward Miner Gallaudet Library. You can see this stamped on some of the Library’s older books. In 1981, the Library moved into Learning Center, which was renamed the Merrill Learning Center after President Merrill.
In 1973, I started working here as a student assistant doing practically everything: circulation, cataloging, shelving, the Deaf Collection, and Archives. Library Science was available as a major at Gallaudet at that time. I majored in English and Library Science; I guess I must have been a terrible student because I was in the last class to graduate with a major in Library Science. I started full time work in my last semester and graduated in 1975. I started as a Circulation & Reference Librarian, and then became the Northwest Campus Librarian, followed by Reference & Instruction Librarian and currently, the Deaf Collection Librarian.
As for interesting things happening here at Gallaudet, there’s been more emphasis on ASL, Deaf culture, Deaf space, Deaf history, emphasis on the Deaf rather than the deaf, more interpreters, congressional legislation, such as ADA, and an explosion of publications and films related to deaf people and deafness. Finally, as everyone knows, technology--computers, pagers, and software programs--which benefit the deaf. Some academic offerings reflect those changes. From 1970, the campus has gone from a “little Southern college” into a competitive high-tech university.
4) What have you specialized in?
After 34 years, I have done a variety of things: circulation, interlibrary loan, and reference. In 1983, I established the Northwest Campus Library for the School of Preparatory Studies; I also tutored students with learning disabilities in reading. Later I supervised the Computer Lab and Tutoring Center. I remained there until the Prep Program closed in 1995. Then I returned to the Kendall Green campus to do more circulation and reference library work. I had the pleasure of working with the English, Foreign Language, and Physical Education Departments.
Currently as the Deaf Collection Librarian, I track down and purchase deaf related books, periodicals, and films and also do deaf reference work. In addition, I am learning the ropes in the Archives, which is a totally different kind of black hole filled with fascinating information about the campus and anything deaf related.
5) What's in the Deaf Collection?
The Deaf Collection is full of interesting little gems of knowledge and of course big research findings, too. The Collection has materials on the early days of deaf education around the time of the establishment of the American School for the Deaf. There are also audiology and speech materials and theories from Alexander Graham Bell’s promotion of oralism. Sign languages and fingerspelling materials from many countries are acquired for the Collection. Deaf school yearbooks and our own Tower Clock are among the popular items. Areas where Deaf people are involved in sports, linguistics, sociology, culture, psychology and the arts, to name a few, are also represented. Literature, with deaf characters or fiction written by deaf authors, is also included. Basically, most areas of knowledge that have something related to the deaf or deafness. It is the largest collection on deafness in the world and there things there that you won’t find by Googling! Google is great but it doesn’t have all the information and at times its accuracy can be questionable.
6) What can you do for students or faculty doing deaf-related research?
As librarians, we work with the faculty to support the curriculum and information literacy objectives. Class presentations, workshops, email, IM, and one-on-one sessions by appointment are different ways the librarians work with students.
7) Can you list some of the resources that you use the most in working with students and faculty? Why are they good resources to use?
There are many wonderful resources in the Deaf Collection. In your last blog, Jane Rutherford mentioned some of the basic deaf reference resources, which are a good place to start. The Deaf Research Guide is THE place to begin any deaf research. There are research guides that help guide you to finding materials in the ALADIN Catalog and online article databases. The guides were developed based on frequency of questions we receive, such as biographies of deaf people or deaf culture. The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section includes answers to sign language, statistics, and much more.
Let’s not forget many resources are becoming available online through the ALADIN Catalog.
And finally, Librarians are also excellent resources if you need help with your research, a curious question, or simply something fun and light to read.
8) What do you like the most about working here?
I grew up wanting to be a librarian because I love books, but it involves working with people too. Each day is different. Most of our patrons are from on campus but researchers from around the country and the world come to use our resources. Often the researchers return and it’s like meeting old friends again. It’s rewarding to assist people with their research. Their research questions may be a simple question, such as, "Who is Laurent Clerc?" or something more complex.
The work may seem routine sometimes, but the duties do change and the technology constantly changes. It’s exciting to do research and obtain new materials about a deaf artist or author from a hundred years ago. There’s a sense of ownership in your work, which contributes to the collection that reflects Deaf history and our heritage. It’s rewarding and an honor also. Finally, there are always projects waiting, such as digitizing, updating a webpage, searching for more deaf materials to acquire, and accepting donations.
9) There's been some talk about a new library building in the works over the next few years. What's the one thing you'd most like to see change from the old building to the new one?
I visualize a new large, functional building that is “inviting” to everyone with natural and artificial light, packed with student-focused features, and temperature- and climate-controlled rooms for preserving our old deaf materials, some of which date back to the 1500s. This would be a perfect place for Gallaudet’s museum. This new facility would have “older” architectural features that reflect the campus’s heritage like many of the older universities. There’s something mystical about buildings which hold scholarly knowledge about mankind and the universe. It makes you think of the library in the Harry Potter films!
10) Last question, I promise: What's your favorite color?
That’s such a difficult question. It’s like taking one color out of an artist’s canvas and I don’t think a color or a particular hue can stand alone; they work together and complement each other. Imagine if everything in the world was one color! If you are really curious about a few favorite colors, stop by and ask me in person!
That does it for this week. Next week: Graphic novels. What's so great about them anyway? Why do we have them? Tune in next week and find out!
Question of the Week
I just tried to find a book in the Deaf Stacks with the call number 268.433 D4w 19--, "We are the Church," which is a lesson plan for religious education for deaf kids. I tried and tried to find it, but it was nowhere! The numbers just went from 268.4 to 268.6. Then I asked a librarian and he found it right away. How do call numbers work, anyway?
Here at the Gallaudet University Library, we use a system that you might recognize from your hometown's public library: The Dewey Decimal Classification. It's just right for a library of our size. Dewey splits up all books into 10 major subjects like Literature, Religion, or History (000, 100, 200, etc.), which are then split up into ten more subjects that fit under the larger heading, like American History, Christianity, or British Literature (110, 120, 130, etc.). Then those subjects are split into ten each (111, 112, 113, etc.) and so on down the line.
How is this reflected in the call numbers? Let's look at 268.433 as an example. Let's break it down; look at how the number changes as you get more and more specific:
200: Religion
260: Christian Social and Ecclesiastical Theology (a heading used for church services, schools, observances, etc.)
268: Religious Education
268.433: Religious Education -- Young People
D4w: A code for the book's author and title information in order to make the call number even more specific
19--: Year the book was published. It's incomplete because we're not sure what year this book was published, a rare exception.
We do not use the call numbers to distinguish between the Deaf Stacks and General Stacks, so you will need to pay attention when you look at the ALADIN Catalog record for the book you want in order to find out whether it's in the Deaf or General Stacks.
Here, you can see how call numbers don't work like actual mathematical figures -- we don't divide Religion by Young Deaf People and get 268.433 in the result. They're more like serial numbers, like the ones on your cell phone or computer. Finding the above call number works in this process:
- Go to the Deaf Stacks shelf labeled with the range containing your call number; in your case, it's the one with a sign that says "155.4 TO 304.2"
- Scan the call numbers on the shelf until you reach the books whose call numbers begin with "268"
- Scan those books until you reach the books that start with "268.4"
- From this point on, each new number counts upward. Thus, 268.4 comes first (because there's no extra number), then 268.40, 268.41, 268.42, 268.43
- Then start counting up again with a new number: 268.430, 268.431, 268.432, 268.433
- Then we have the letters, which can look a little weird, but they're also in order, alphabetically
- Then the numbers again
- Then the letters again
- Then, if until this point, you still have three books with the same call number, look at the year at the very end -- if the call number you found in ALADIN is 268.433 D4w 1999, and you see the exact same year on one of those three books, that's the one you're looking for.
Friday, April 17, 2009
What's behind the Service Desk
As the end of the semester creeps closer and students and faculty alike grow crazier, I've begun to notice something: People rarely know what's available for them behind the Service Desk. Let's change that today.
The first thing I have to say is that the majority of stuff behind the Service Desk is for the librarians, little things that we all need to do our jobs -- forms, DDC 20 (basically an outline of the entire Dewey Decimal Classification system to, like, 12 decimal points), the phone, videophone, and TTY we use for general inquiries, stuff like that.
However, there is still plenty for students and staff, some of which might be fairly surprising. The thing is, the shape of the Service Desk is both a blessing and a curse. Because it has little aisles that are bent at odd angles, we have more shelf space available back there than if it were just a straight row of shelves, which makes the Service Desk pretty versatile with plenty of space. On the other hand, it's pretty hard to see very much of what actually is back there without approaching the Desk with your head at just the right angle, which makes it difficult for anyone (even new librarians) to know what's available.
So let's take a look at what's available behind the Service Desk, whether it's perfectly visible or tucked away in a hinky corner. To proceed in a rational order, I'll start with the west side of the Service Desk, the end closest to Peet Hall and the brand-new pile of smoking rubble.
First, we come to the Lost & Found shelf right behind the west staff computer. It's a good shelf, quite possibly seen as beautiful by those who may have forgotten something important -- like USB drives containing the all-important final papers that open the last door to graduation, student IDs that were just about to be used to buy lunch, binders full of student portfolios, DVDs, and mysterious shoeboxes. If you think you may have lost something among the stacks, in rooms 1404 or 1225, at the public computers, or in a carrel, the Lost & Found shelf should be the first place you check, especially if it's been a day or two since the missing item may have been mislaid. Items left on the shelf for more than a few days get sent to DPS, so don't delay.
Around the corner from the Lost & Found are some reserve shelves. First are the personal copies -- sometimes, when we don't have the item a professor wants to reserve for a class, they'll bring in their own personal copies, which are kept separate from the books and films we do own on reserve. Below that are local atlases of northern Virginia, eastern Maryland, and DC itself, which I've found come in handy when plotting out weekend trips (I'm old-school; Google Maps is nice but you get tired of trading off between the right zoom level and the amount of clicking and dragging).
Next to the personal faculty reserve copies and atlases are the book reserves. All Library books placed on reserve for the semester are located here, as well as books placed on permanent reserve, of which there are plenty; those books also have copies in the stacks, available for checkout, but a copy is kept on permanent reserve so there's always one available. Here's a listing of the books available on a permanent basis, with links to the ALADIN Catalog record and a brief description if the title isn't very self-explanatory.
Gallaudet Encyclopedia of Deaf People and Deafness
Dictionary of Worldwide Gestures - A compilation of gestures commonly used around the world to express emotion
Deaf Heritage: A Narrative History of Deaf America
Understanding Deaf Culture: In Search of Deafhood
New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy - A collection of cultural references, their origins, and their meanings
The Eagle Soars to Enlightenment - An illustrated history of the California School for the Deaf, San Francisco, Berkeley, and Fremont
Encyclopedia of Deafness and Hearing Disorders
Gallaudet Almanac
World Almanac and Book of Facts 2008
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association - The complete guide to publication in APA format
Concise Rules of APA Style - Essentially a more user-friendly cheat-sheet version of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
Deaf Persons in the Arts and Sciences: A Biographical Dictionary
To check out any of the above, just ask at the Service Desk. Bear in mind that you may only check them out for up to 2 hours at a time, and they must be used in the Library, though an item on reserve may be renewed for another 2 hours if nobody else needs it. We do not allow these items to leave the building in order to ensure that they're always close to hand when needed.
Next to the reserve books, there's a pile of puzzles, ranging in complexity from 300 to 1,000 pieces, and thematically from Star Wars to the usual pastoral scenes, as well as a big box of Legos. You can request them if you're in the mood to spend an afternoon locking bits of cardboard or plastic together to relieve some stress. They're fixtures at our Study Nights, which happen at the end of every semester; on those nights, we're open for 24 hours straight and sometimes serve doughnuts and coffee. Students sometimes come in their pajamas and spend the night alternately napping, eating, playing, and cramming their brains out for the upcoming final exams.
Then we have stuff I've already discussed on this blog: the CLS shelves, Library-owned films on reserve, a swatch of headphones, remote controls, and magnifiers available for checkout, and the Hold shelf.
That about covers it for the Service Desk. Next week, we'll meet another librarian and discuss the subject areas she's responsible for.
Question of the Week
I've been looking and looking for a book by a popular comedian, and I can't find it anywhere! ALADIN says the Library doesn't have it, but I think it would be a good book to get and would like to request that the Library get it. Who's responsible for buying books? And how does that person decide what to buy?
The short answer is: all the librarians. But as with everything else, the truth is a little more complicated than that.
Five librarians are responsible for buying new materials (books, films, and other materials) for the Library; because the collection is so large, those five people split it up into specific subject areas, based on Gallaudet's academic departments, and only select ("select" is Librarianese for "buy") materials for their subject areas. If your book falls into any one of those areas, you can contact the librarian who's responsible for that subject and ask them directly. This works pretty well because it lets each of us focus more tightly on what the Library needs to get and what people want the Library to get on a subject-by-subject basis.
Here's a list of the five librarians and the academic departments they select for:
Diana Gates: ASL & Deaf Studies; Hearing, Speech & Language Sciences; Interpretation. Essentially, all deaf-related requests should go to her.
Laura Jacobi: Applied Literacy; Communication Studies; Counseling; Psychology; Social Work
James McCarthy (that's me!): Art; English; Theatre Arts; Popular
Patrick Oberholtzer: Biology; Business; Chemistry & Physics; Foreign Languages, Literatures & Cultures; Government & History; Math; Philosophy & Religion; Physical Education & Recreation
Jane Rutherford: Administration & Supervision; Education; Educational Foundations & Research; Family & Child Studies; First Year Experience; Honors; Computer Science
The question of "how" is a bit more nebulous. The criteria used to select resources vary from librarian to librarian; as a general rule, we try to look at what the collection needs, whether it's an updated edition of an old book or coverage of new theories that may have emerged in the field recently, which happens a lot in the sciences in particular. We also work with our academic departments to keep track of new course offerings and adjust our selection based on what kind of information those courses might need. It's also fairly common to get requests from both faculty and students and we do our best to fulfill those requests, given time and budgetary constraints.
And, of course, we help each other out! If I see a particularly interesting book that the Library doesn't have about why God didn't create the universe out of spaghetti (as He obviously should have) and it's a serious effort to explain the universe rather than a work of humor (which would be my specialty, Popular), I would give Patrick the book's information in case he's interested. If Patrick happens to see a particularly good manga adaptation of Twelfth Night, he would let me know about it (incidentally, we do have some manga adaptations of Shakespeare! That's another post, though ... ).
With all these different ways of deciding what to buy, we're pretty successful in covering almost everything the academic departments throw at us. If we still don't have it, request it! The easiest way to do that is to send an e-mail to library.help@gallaudet.edu. We'll make sure your request gets to the right person.
The first thing I have to say is that the majority of stuff behind the Service Desk is for the librarians, little things that we all need to do our jobs -- forms, DDC 20 (basically an outline of the entire Dewey Decimal Classification system to, like, 12 decimal points), the phone, videophone, and TTY we use for general inquiries, stuff like that.
However, there is still plenty for students and staff, some of which might be fairly surprising. The thing is, the shape of the Service Desk is both a blessing and a curse. Because it has little aisles that are bent at odd angles, we have more shelf space available back there than if it were just a straight row of shelves, which makes the Service Desk pretty versatile with plenty of space. On the other hand, it's pretty hard to see very much of what actually is back there without approaching the Desk with your head at just the right angle, which makes it difficult for anyone (even new librarians) to know what's available.
So let's take a look at what's available behind the Service Desk, whether it's perfectly visible or tucked away in a hinky corner. To proceed in a rational order, I'll start with the west side of the Service Desk, the end closest to Peet Hall and the brand-new pile of smoking rubble.
First, we come to the Lost & Found shelf right behind the west staff computer. It's a good shelf, quite possibly seen as beautiful by those who may have forgotten something important -- like USB drives containing the all-important final papers that open the last door to graduation, student IDs that were just about to be used to buy lunch, binders full of student portfolios, DVDs, and mysterious shoeboxes. If you think you may have lost something among the stacks, in rooms 1404 or 1225, at the public computers, or in a carrel, the Lost & Found shelf should be the first place you check, especially if it's been a day or two since the missing item may have been mislaid. Items left on the shelf for more than a few days get sent to DPS, so don't delay.
Around the corner from the Lost & Found are some reserve shelves. First are the personal copies -- sometimes, when we don't have the item a professor wants to reserve for a class, they'll bring in their own personal copies, which are kept separate from the books and films we do own on reserve. Below that are local atlases of northern Virginia, eastern Maryland, and DC itself, which I've found come in handy when plotting out weekend trips (I'm old-school; Google Maps is nice but you get tired of trading off between the right zoom level and the amount of clicking and dragging).
Next to the personal faculty reserve copies and atlases are the book reserves. All Library books placed on reserve for the semester are located here, as well as books placed on permanent reserve, of which there are plenty; those books also have copies in the stacks, available for checkout, but a copy is kept on permanent reserve so there's always one available. Here's a listing of the books available on a permanent basis, with links to the ALADIN Catalog record and a brief description if the title isn't very self-explanatory.
Gallaudet Encyclopedia of Deaf People and Deafness
Dictionary of Worldwide Gestures - A compilation of gestures commonly used around the world to express emotion
Deaf Heritage: A Narrative History of Deaf America
Understanding Deaf Culture: In Search of Deafhood
New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy - A collection of cultural references, their origins, and their meanings
The Eagle Soars to Enlightenment - An illustrated history of the California School for the Deaf, San Francisco, Berkeley, and Fremont
Encyclopedia of Deafness and Hearing Disorders
Gallaudet Almanac
World Almanac and Book of Facts 2008
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association - The complete guide to publication in APA format
Concise Rules of APA Style - Essentially a more user-friendly cheat-sheet version of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
Deaf Persons in the Arts and Sciences: A Biographical Dictionary
To check out any of the above, just ask at the Service Desk. Bear in mind that you may only check them out for up to 2 hours at a time, and they must be used in the Library, though an item on reserve may be renewed for another 2 hours if nobody else needs it. We do not allow these items to leave the building in order to ensure that they're always close to hand when needed.
Next to the reserve books, there's a pile of puzzles, ranging in complexity from 300 to 1,000 pieces, and thematically from Star Wars to the usual pastoral scenes, as well as a big box of Legos. You can request them if you're in the mood to spend an afternoon locking bits of cardboard or plastic together to relieve some stress. They're fixtures at our Study Nights, which happen at the end of every semester; on those nights, we're open for 24 hours straight and sometimes serve doughnuts and coffee. Students sometimes come in their pajamas and spend the night alternately napping, eating, playing, and cramming their brains out for the upcoming final exams.
Then we have stuff I've already discussed on this blog: the CLS shelves, Library-owned films on reserve, a swatch of headphones, remote controls, and magnifiers available for checkout, and the Hold shelf.
That about covers it for the Service Desk. Next week, we'll meet another librarian and discuss the subject areas she's responsible for.
Question of the Week
I've been looking and looking for a book by a popular comedian, and I can't find it anywhere! ALADIN says the Library doesn't have it, but I think it would be a good book to get and would like to request that the Library get it. Who's responsible for buying books? And how does that person decide what to buy?
The short answer is: all the librarians. But as with everything else, the truth is a little more complicated than that.
Five librarians are responsible for buying new materials (books, films, and other materials) for the Library; because the collection is so large, those five people split it up into specific subject areas, based on Gallaudet's academic departments, and only select ("select" is Librarianese for "buy") materials for their subject areas. If your book falls into any one of those areas, you can contact the librarian who's responsible for that subject and ask them directly. This works pretty well because it lets each of us focus more tightly on what the Library needs to get and what people want the Library to get on a subject-by-subject basis.
Here's a list of the five librarians and the academic departments they select for:
Diana Gates: ASL & Deaf Studies; Hearing, Speech & Language Sciences; Interpretation. Essentially, all deaf-related requests should go to her.
Laura Jacobi: Applied Literacy; Communication Studies; Counseling; Psychology; Social Work
James McCarthy (that's me!): Art; English; Theatre Arts; Popular
Patrick Oberholtzer: Biology; Business; Chemistry & Physics; Foreign Languages, Literatures & Cultures; Government & History; Math; Philosophy & Religion; Physical Education & Recreation
Jane Rutherford: Administration & Supervision; Education; Educational Foundations & Research; Family & Child Studies; First Year Experience; Honors; Computer Science
The question of "how" is a bit more nebulous. The criteria used to select resources vary from librarian to librarian; as a general rule, we try to look at what the collection needs, whether it's an updated edition of an old book or coverage of new theories that may have emerged in the field recently, which happens a lot in the sciences in particular. We also work with our academic departments to keep track of new course offerings and adjust our selection based on what kind of information those courses might need. It's also fairly common to get requests from both faculty and students and we do our best to fulfill those requests, given time and budgetary constraints.
And, of course, we help each other out! If I see a particularly interesting book that the Library doesn't have about why God didn't create the universe out of spaghetti (as He obviously should have) and it's a serious effort to explain the universe rather than a work of humor (which would be my specialty, Popular), I would give Patrick the book's information in case he's interested. If Patrick happens to see a particularly good manga adaptation of Twelfth Night, he would let me know about it (incidentally, we do have some manga adaptations of Shakespeare! That's another post, though ... ).
With all these different ways of deciding what to buy, we're pretty successful in covering almost everything the academic departments throw at us. If we still don't have it, request it! The easiest way to do that is to send an e-mail to library.help@gallaudet.edu. We'll make sure your request gets to the right person.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Library equipment
One of the nicest things about working at the Gallaudet University Library is that it's full of much more stuff than most people realize. Rooms of stuff, in fact.
For example, I sometimes see students coming in, taking a look at the public computers by the Service Desk, seeing that every single computer is taken, and walking right back out -- until I let them know about the Deaf Library Study Center and room 1404. Both rooms have additional computers for public use, but many students are not aware of them because they're tucked into a couple of the first floor's quieter corners.
1404, for instance, is out by the reference materials, near the windows facing the Peet side of the building. There are several computers in there, including one equipped with ZoomText, which magnifies the computer screen for those with visual disabilities, and a few TVs, DVD players, and VCRs. The interesting thing is that the room also contains an international VCR (which plays PAL format in addition to NTSC, which is used here in the United States) and a region-free DVD player (which means it can play any commercial DVD produced anywhere in the world, instead of just Region 1 DVDs for the United States). This means that we are not limited to US-only tapes and DVDs, which enhances the accessibility of our collection.
The Deaf Library Study Center, located down the hall opposite the women's restroom on the east side of the first floor (the side facing JSAC), is a bit less utilitarian. In addition to the computers and TV/VCR/DVD players, there is a 55-inch LCD HDTV hooked up to cable! That thing is beautiful.
The room also has some comfortable chairs and small tables that are ideal for curling up and studying in relative peace and quiet, and the TV/VCR/DVD players are set up in semi-private booths. I've seen more than one couple watching sob-stories with snacks in one of those booths -- and have been drawn by the hooting of college students cheering on their favorite team on the 55-incher. Both are totally fine; we welcome all Gallaudet students, faculty and staff, and encourage the respectful use of our facilities.
Outside of those two rooms, much of the equipment we have is focused on providing access for people with visual disabilities and making the academic experience more comfortable. One of the public computers in the open area of the first floor is also equipped with the ZoomText magnification software. In addition, there is a print magnifier available on the first floor, by the window just past 1404.
We also have headphones, remotes, and a small electronic handheld magnifier, all of which are available to borrow on reserve for two hours maximum. Study tables and carrels (like tables, but with little walls for more privacy and less distraction) are distributed around both the first floor and the basement. Those are freely available, first come, first served, to anyone who needs them. We also have even more TV/DVD/VCRs scattered around the first floor by the windows.
Ah, and the couches. There are several on both the first floor and basement, although those in the basement are less visible and better for relaxing with a good book (or stressing out with a textbook), although I have certainly found the odd catnapper from time to time.
Then there's the photocopy center. We have two copiers and a scanner, which is hooked up to its own computer, contained by a low counter right next to the Service Desk. You'll notice it by the bright red sign hanging over it. The interesting thing is that although making copies costs money -- 10 cents per page -- scanning is totally free. This way, you can scan whatever you need reproduced, save the image to your thumbdrive or e-mail it to yourself, and print it out from your computer at home for free.
The last thing -- and this is to make sure you keep reading to the end -- is the vending. We have a snack machine downstairs, along with a Coke vending machine. We do allow people to eat and drink in the Library, although we do ask that you avoid Coke showers and Chee-To confetti (in other words, don't make a mess and try to avoid damaging Library materials).
In general, we try to have a little something to meet everyone's needs, varied though those needs may be. Above all else, if you're just plain not sure, ask. There's always someone at the Service Desk who can either answer your question or help you find the person who can.
Question of the Week
Last week, I tried to find information on deafness and how Deaf people see better than hearing people, but the Library didn't have anything on that topic! Why did that happen?
The Library tries to be as comprehensive as possible when it comes to collecting deaf-related materials, in addition to meeting the needs of the student population with the general collection. That said, there are three possible reasons why you couldn't find anything:
1) Something may have gone awry with the search process -- maybe there was a synonym (a word that means the same thing as what you're looking for, like "eyesight" and "visual acuity" are synonyms) you didn't know could be used or you typed a little too quickly and misspelled a word without realizing it. The librarians here can help you with that and will usually be able to find what you're looking for. If not, it may be for the next two reasons.
2) Nobody's written about your topic. There hasn't been a study that focuses on whether the percentage of deaf people with 20/15 vision is higher than the percentage of hearing people with 20/15 vision. There may be some studies that come close, such as recent research by the University of Rochester that found slight differences in visual perception among deaf people, hearing people, and CODAs. Even though the idea that deaf people see better sounds as if it could be true, and is accepted as true by the deaf community, it isn't necessarily supported by research -- yet.
3) The conclusion you're looking for isn't stated explicitly. Frequently when doing research, you won't find anything that's clear-cut on one side or another. You'll need to read the article and make sure you understand the conclusion before you can say definitively that this article concludes something one way or another. For example, the University of Rochester study mentioned above concluded that deaf people process what they see a little differently from hearing people, but found little evidence that this difference is "better" or "worse" than how hearing people use their eyes.
If you can't find anything related to your topic, the reason is most likely one of these three. Also, don't forget, the Library tries to collect as many deaf-related materials as possible, but there is a lot out there. The ALADIN Catalog will tell you when an item has been ordered, but we buy materials from tiny, hard-to-find publishers from all over the world. Because of that, things need time to work their way through the system, especially materials from places as far-flung as Norway, Ethiopia, and Bangladesh.
Again, if all else fails, ask a librarian!
For example, I sometimes see students coming in, taking a look at the public computers by the Service Desk, seeing that every single computer is taken, and walking right back out -- until I let them know about the Deaf Library Study Center and room 1404. Both rooms have additional computers for public use, but many students are not aware of them because they're tucked into a couple of the first floor's quieter corners.
1404, for instance, is out by the reference materials, near the windows facing the Peet side of the building. There are several computers in there, including one equipped with ZoomText, which magnifies the computer screen for those with visual disabilities, and a few TVs, DVD players, and VCRs. The interesting thing is that the room also contains an international VCR (which plays PAL format in addition to NTSC, which is used here in the United States) and a region-free DVD player (which means it can play any commercial DVD produced anywhere in the world, instead of just Region 1 DVDs for the United States). This means that we are not limited to US-only tapes and DVDs, which enhances the accessibility of our collection.
The Deaf Library Study Center, located down the hall opposite the women's restroom on the east side of the first floor (the side facing JSAC), is a bit less utilitarian. In addition to the computers and TV/VCR/DVD players, there is a 55-inch LCD HDTV hooked up to cable! That thing is beautiful.
The room also has some comfortable chairs and small tables that are ideal for curling up and studying in relative peace and quiet, and the TV/VCR/DVD players are set up in semi-private booths. I've seen more than one couple watching sob-stories with snacks in one of those booths -- and have been drawn by the hooting of college students cheering on their favorite team on the 55-incher. Both are totally fine; we welcome all Gallaudet students, faculty and staff, and encourage the respectful use of our facilities.
Outside of those two rooms, much of the equipment we have is focused on providing access for people with visual disabilities and making the academic experience more comfortable. One of the public computers in the open area of the first floor is also equipped with the ZoomText magnification software. In addition, there is a print magnifier available on the first floor, by the window just past 1404.
We also have headphones, remotes, and a small electronic handheld magnifier, all of which are available to borrow on reserve for two hours maximum. Study tables and carrels (like tables, but with little walls for more privacy and less distraction) are distributed around both the first floor and the basement. Those are freely available, first come, first served, to anyone who needs them. We also have even more TV/DVD/VCRs scattered around the first floor by the windows.
Ah, and the couches. There are several on both the first floor and basement, although those in the basement are less visible and better for relaxing with a good book (or stressing out with a textbook), although I have certainly found the odd catnapper from time to time.
Then there's the photocopy center. We have two copiers and a scanner, which is hooked up to its own computer, contained by a low counter right next to the Service Desk. You'll notice it by the bright red sign hanging over it. The interesting thing is that although making copies costs money -- 10 cents per page -- scanning is totally free. This way, you can scan whatever you need reproduced, save the image to your thumbdrive or e-mail it to yourself, and print it out from your computer at home for free.
The last thing -- and this is to make sure you keep reading to the end -- is the vending. We have a snack machine downstairs, along with a Coke vending machine. We do allow people to eat and drink in the Library, although we do ask that you avoid Coke showers and Chee-To confetti (in other words, don't make a mess and try to avoid damaging Library materials).
In general, we try to have a little something to meet everyone's needs, varied though those needs may be. Above all else, if you're just plain not sure, ask. There's always someone at the Service Desk who can either answer your question or help you find the person who can.
Question of the Week
Last week, I tried to find information on deafness and how Deaf people see better than hearing people, but the Library didn't have anything on that topic! Why did that happen?
The Library tries to be as comprehensive as possible when it comes to collecting deaf-related materials, in addition to meeting the needs of the student population with the general collection. That said, there are three possible reasons why you couldn't find anything:
1) Something may have gone awry with the search process -- maybe there was a synonym (a word that means the same thing as what you're looking for, like "eyesight" and "visual acuity" are synonyms) you didn't know could be used or you typed a little too quickly and misspelled a word without realizing it. The librarians here can help you with that and will usually be able to find what you're looking for. If not, it may be for the next two reasons.
2) Nobody's written about your topic. There hasn't been a study that focuses on whether the percentage of deaf people with 20/15 vision is higher than the percentage of hearing people with 20/15 vision. There may be some studies that come close, such as recent research by the University of Rochester that found slight differences in visual perception among deaf people, hearing people, and CODAs. Even though the idea that deaf people see better sounds as if it could be true, and is accepted as true by the deaf community, it isn't necessarily supported by research -- yet.
3) The conclusion you're looking for isn't stated explicitly. Frequently when doing research, you won't find anything that's clear-cut on one side or another. You'll need to read the article and make sure you understand the conclusion before you can say definitively that this article concludes something one way or another. For example, the University of Rochester study mentioned above concluded that deaf people process what they see a little differently from hearing people, but found little evidence that this difference is "better" or "worse" than how hearing people use their eyes.
If you can't find anything related to your topic, the reason is most likely one of these three. Also, don't forget, the Library tries to collect as many deaf-related materials as possible, but there is a lot out there. The ALADIN Catalog will tell you when an item has been ordered, but we buy materials from tiny, hard-to-find publishers from all over the world. Because of that, things need time to work their way through the system, especially materials from places as far-flung as Norway, Ethiopia, and Bangladesh.
Again, if all else fails, ask a librarian!
Friday, April 3, 2009
More new books
Thanks to the Big Read, I am now famous. Check out the first item in this calendar from the Humanities Council of Washington, DC!
As Gallaudet's newest celebrity, my first endorsement is next week's panel discussion on The Heart is a Lonely Hunter for the Big Read. It's in the G-area in JSAC (where the Starbucks is) at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7. Come take part in some good old-fashioned book talk! We'll discuss everything from the characters to deafness and society and explore the layers of meaning in the book. It'll be fun and hopefully enlightening.
Now on to today's subject: books. New ones. Lots of them. Recently arrived with the aroma of fresh binding glue, mixed with newly-crinkled mylar sheaths on the dust jackets.
There's a neat one on spiders, for instance, with lots of lovely color photos. Personally, they give me the heebie-jeebies, but this book managed to make them look fairly friendly and even, I daresay, attractive. A bunch of books on drugs also came through the Service Desk recently, focusing mostly on heroin, cocaine, and marijuana, which are always fun subjects!
But I'm not the best person to go over all the various subjects we cover here in the Library, so today, we're going to bring in the other librarians and their recommendations out of our recent acquisitions along with my own. We'll also be doing a display at the East entrance (by JSAC) with a few of the books listed below; swing on by and check them out!
That was a pun, wasn't it? "Check them out." I'm very sorry. Let's move on. In the following list, all titles are linked to their ALADIN Catalog information.
Diana Gates
Hands of My Father
If you missed Myron Uhlberg’s visit this spring, read his heart-tugging and hilarious memoir about his life as the hearing son of deaf parents--in a world that he found unaccountably beautiful, even as he longed to escape it.
Mysteries of Beethoven’s Hair
Two scientists try to explain Beethoven’s many health problems and his deafness by testing samples of his hair that survived into the 20th century.
Visiom: The Deaf Planet
A children’s story on CD-ROM about a hearing boy who taunts a deaf mainstreamed student; he falls asleep after being sent to the resource room to think about his behavior and wakes up on Visiom, a deaf planet, where he is the special education student.
James Castle: a retrospective
Castle, a deaf artist with almost no communication skills or formal schooling, created his work by using soot and spit. (All items related to James Castle can be found in the Deaf Stacks at 709.2 C378)
Terp on the Line: a novel
In this novel, a CODA interpreter must confront the typical challenges of interpreting--and solve a murder at the same time.
Laura Jacobi
Becoming a woman: a biography of Christine Jorgensen
The first famous, and very glamorous, transsexual person.
Decline of men: how the American male is tuning out, giving up, and flipping off his future
Women are catching up to -- and surpassing -- men in many respects, and it seems as though men are giving up. Is this really the case, and, if so, why?
Finish your dissertation once and for all!: how to overcome psychological barriers, get results, and move on with your life
Fired up! Ready to go!
Guyland: the perilous world where boys become men
The lives of American men between 16 and 26 years of age are studied in an effort to understand how the male gender has been affected by various factors of modern-day society.
Hooking up: sex, dating, and relationships on campus
This book studies the proliferation of one-night-stands and booty calls and how traditional dating seems to be increasingly rare among college students.
Jim McCarthy
Maus I & II
A graphic-novel adaptation of World War II mentioned in some circles with The Diary of Anne Frank and Night; the Jews are depicted as mice, the Nazis as cats.
Worlds Away: New Suburban Landscapes
A collection of essays about suburbia and its role in American culture, history, art, and architecture.
At the Mountains of Madness: The Definitive Edition
The spooky story of an ill-fated expedition to the South Pole and the horrors they found there; one of H.P. Lovecraft's seminal works and the intellectual foundation of much of Stephen King's work.
Blonde Roots
An alternate-history tale in which white people were enslaved by black people.
Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul
A gorgeous exhibition catalog of historic Afghan artwork hidden away during the Taliban regime.
Patrick Oberholtzer
American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House
You have heard about his Indian policy but you probably didn’t know about his duels.
Alex & me: how a scientist and a parrot discovered a hidden world of animal intelligence--and formed a deep bond in the process
Learn how an African gray parrot stunned the scientific world.
Black men built the Capitol: discovering African-American history in and around Washington, D.C.
Did you know that the Capitol and White House were built by slave labor?
The gamble: General David Petraeus and the America’s military adventure in Iraq, 2006-2008
Find out all about the surge and what the future of Iraq may be.
American Mafia: a history of its rise to power
The history of organized crime over the last 120 years is featured.
Jane Rutherford
Online social networking on campus: understanding what matters in student culture
How do college students use various social networking sites (such as Facebook)? Find out how some college administrators view these sites.
Comprehending Columbine
Learn all about the Columbine shootings … the most famous case of school violence.
The house in the night
This is the 2009 winner of the prestigious Caldecott Medal presented by the American Library Association to the artist of the “most distinguished American picture book for children.”
The graveyard book
Another award winning book as chosen by the American Library Association. This one is the 2009 Newbery Medal winner for the “most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.”
Is it safe?: protecting your computer, your business, and yourself online
Identity theft … spam … fraud … online predators … computer viruses. Learn how to protect yourself from these threats.
As you can see, we cover a ton of interesting subjects and although these books are very good, they aren't the only ones here. The stacks are worth at least an hour of browsing through!
Next week, you'll learn that the Library doesn't just have computers -- we have a whole range of equipment available for you -- and you'll find out where various useful things are located and how you can use them.
Question of the Week
When I look in the ALADIN Catalog for old residential school newspapers, I see a lot of records with the word "microform" in them. What does it mean, where can I find it, and what do I have to know before I use it?
The word "microform" is a general term, kind of like "fruit" -- apples and oranges are two different kinds of fruit, for example. Here at the Library, we have two kinds of microforms: microfilm and microfiche. They work on similar principles but look a little different.
A microform is a photographic reproduction of a document on a film, which is usually made of some kind of plastic. The image is much smaller than the original, which helps save storage space. The only caveat is that you need special machines to read something in microform.
Microfilm is essentially a long tape that can hold many pages, while microfiche looks like a plastic card about the same size as a large index card, and holds fewer pages. In our Library, we use microfiche mostly for documents from ERIC, a government-run education database. The microfiche documents are arranged by ERIC numbers, which start with ED (for "ERIC document"), and they are located in large yellow cabinets downstairs by the periodicals. Fortunately, all ERIC documents produced after 1997 as well as some earlier documents are available electronically (see the ERIC database in ALADIN).
Microfilm is used in our Library to store readable copies of deaf-related dissertations and other documents. The dissertations are arranged by special four-digit numbers that we assign to them, plus the year (like 1356 1987), which you can find in ALADIN. The other documents are all deaf-related and are mostly residential school newspapers and other publications. Those are arranged alphabetically by title, then by the date published. All microfilm documents are contained in individual boxes that are labeled with information about what's on the film inside it, so it's very easy to browse for, for example, a copy of the Arizona Cactus from 1996. You can find microfilms in big orange cabinets between the index shelves and deaf periodicals on the first floor.
In order to read either microfiche or microfilm, you will need a microform reader; those are the three gray machines with big screens on the first floor by the computers. Loading microfilm into one of those machines can be a little tricky, so if you're not familiar with it, please feel free to ask a librarian for help! In addition, you can print from microform; all three of our readers have printers that can print out what you see on the screen. Printing is very similar to making a photocopy, so a copy card is required to print anything out from a microform reader. The same price applies: 10 cents per page.
Microform resources themselves are not electronic; you can't do a quick search to find the precise location of the information you need. However, some of the dissertations and periodicals that we have on microform are also available electronically.
The truth is, microfiche and microfilm are increasingly outdated formats. The Library recognizes this, and we are in the process of digitizing our microform collection so that it will be more accessible to Gallaudet students and faculty members, as well as researchers around the world. For example, the first 20 published volumes (1847-1875) of American Annals of the Deaf is now available online.
As Gallaudet's newest celebrity, my first endorsement is next week's panel discussion on The Heart is a Lonely Hunter for the Big Read. It's in the G-area in JSAC (where the Starbucks is) at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7. Come take part in some good old-fashioned book talk! We'll discuss everything from the characters to deafness and society and explore the layers of meaning in the book. It'll be fun and hopefully enlightening.
Now on to today's subject: books. New ones. Lots of them. Recently arrived with the aroma of fresh binding glue, mixed with newly-crinkled mylar sheaths on the dust jackets.
There's a neat one on spiders, for instance, with lots of lovely color photos. Personally, they give me the heebie-jeebies, but this book managed to make them look fairly friendly and even, I daresay, attractive. A bunch of books on drugs also came through the Service Desk recently, focusing mostly on heroin, cocaine, and marijuana, which are always fun subjects!
But I'm not the best person to go over all the various subjects we cover here in the Library, so today, we're going to bring in the other librarians and their recommendations out of our recent acquisitions along with my own. We'll also be doing a display at the East entrance (by JSAC) with a few of the books listed below; swing on by and check them out!
That was a pun, wasn't it? "Check them out." I'm very sorry. Let's move on. In the following list, all titles are linked to their ALADIN Catalog information.
Diana Gates
Hands of My Father
If you missed Myron Uhlberg’s visit this spring, read his heart-tugging and hilarious memoir about his life as the hearing son of deaf parents--in a world that he found unaccountably beautiful, even as he longed to escape it.
Mysteries of Beethoven’s Hair
Two scientists try to explain Beethoven’s many health problems and his deafness by testing samples of his hair that survived into the 20th century.
Visiom: The Deaf Planet
A children’s story on CD-ROM about a hearing boy who taunts a deaf mainstreamed student; he falls asleep after being sent to the resource room to think about his behavior and wakes up on Visiom, a deaf planet, where he is the special education student.
James Castle: a retrospective
Castle, a deaf artist with almost no communication skills or formal schooling, created his work by using soot and spit. (All items related to James Castle can be found in the Deaf Stacks at 709.2 C378)
Terp on the Line: a novel
In this novel, a CODA interpreter must confront the typical challenges of interpreting--and solve a murder at the same time.
Laura Jacobi
Becoming a woman: a biography of Christine Jorgensen
The first famous, and very glamorous, transsexual person.
Decline of men: how the American male is tuning out, giving up, and flipping off his future
Women are catching up to -- and surpassing -- men in many respects, and it seems as though men are giving up. Is this really the case, and, if so, why?
Finish your dissertation once and for all!: how to overcome psychological barriers, get results, and move on with your life
Fired up! Ready to go!
Guyland: the perilous world where boys become men
The lives of American men between 16 and 26 years of age are studied in an effort to understand how the male gender has been affected by various factors of modern-day society.
Hooking up: sex, dating, and relationships on campus
This book studies the proliferation of one-night-stands and booty calls and how traditional dating seems to be increasingly rare among college students.
Jim McCarthy
Maus I & II
A graphic-novel adaptation of World War II mentioned in some circles with The Diary of Anne Frank and Night; the Jews are depicted as mice, the Nazis as cats.
Worlds Away: New Suburban Landscapes
A collection of essays about suburbia and its role in American culture, history, art, and architecture.
At the Mountains of Madness: The Definitive Edition
The spooky story of an ill-fated expedition to the South Pole and the horrors they found there; one of H.P. Lovecraft's seminal works and the intellectual foundation of much of Stephen King's work.
Blonde Roots
An alternate-history tale in which white people were enslaved by black people.
Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul
A gorgeous exhibition catalog of historic Afghan artwork hidden away during the Taliban regime.
Patrick Oberholtzer
American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House
You have heard about his Indian policy but you probably didn’t know about his duels.
Alex & me: how a scientist and a parrot discovered a hidden world of animal intelligence--and formed a deep bond in the process
Learn how an African gray parrot stunned the scientific world.
Black men built the Capitol: discovering African-American history in and around Washington, D.C.
Did you know that the Capitol and White House were built by slave labor?
The gamble: General David Petraeus and the America’s military adventure in Iraq, 2006-2008
Find out all about the surge and what the future of Iraq may be.
American Mafia: a history of its rise to power
The history of organized crime over the last 120 years is featured.
Jane Rutherford
Online social networking on campus: understanding what matters in student culture
How do college students use various social networking sites (such as Facebook)? Find out how some college administrators view these sites.
Comprehending Columbine
Learn all about the Columbine shootings … the most famous case of school violence.
The house in the night
This is the 2009 winner of the prestigious Caldecott Medal presented by the American Library Association to the artist of the “most distinguished American picture book for children.”
The graveyard book
Another award winning book as chosen by the American Library Association. This one is the 2009 Newbery Medal winner for the “most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.”
Is it safe?: protecting your computer, your business, and yourself online
Identity theft … spam … fraud … online predators … computer viruses. Learn how to protect yourself from these threats.
As you can see, we cover a ton of interesting subjects and although these books are very good, they aren't the only ones here. The stacks are worth at least an hour of browsing through!
Next week, you'll learn that the Library doesn't just have computers -- we have a whole range of equipment available for you -- and you'll find out where various useful things are located and how you can use them.
Question of the Week
When I look in the ALADIN Catalog for old residential school newspapers, I see a lot of records with the word "microform" in them. What does it mean, where can I find it, and what do I have to know before I use it?
The word "microform" is a general term, kind of like "fruit" -- apples and oranges are two different kinds of fruit, for example. Here at the Library, we have two kinds of microforms: microfilm and microfiche. They work on similar principles but look a little different.
A microform is a photographic reproduction of a document on a film, which is usually made of some kind of plastic. The image is much smaller than the original, which helps save storage space. The only caveat is that you need special machines to read something in microform.
Microfilm is essentially a long tape that can hold many pages, while microfiche looks like a plastic card about the same size as a large index card, and holds fewer pages. In our Library, we use microfiche mostly for documents from ERIC, a government-run education database. The microfiche documents are arranged by ERIC numbers, which start with ED (for "ERIC document"), and they are located in large yellow cabinets downstairs by the periodicals. Fortunately, all ERIC documents produced after 1997 as well as some earlier documents are available electronically (see the ERIC database in ALADIN).
Microfilm is used in our Library to store readable copies of deaf-related dissertations and other documents. The dissertations are arranged by special four-digit numbers that we assign to them, plus the year (like 1356 1987), which you can find in ALADIN. The other documents are all deaf-related and are mostly residential school newspapers and other publications. Those are arranged alphabetically by title, then by the date published. All microfilm documents are contained in individual boxes that are labeled with information about what's on the film inside it, so it's very easy to browse for, for example, a copy of the Arizona Cactus from 1996. You can find microfilms in big orange cabinets between the index shelves and deaf periodicals on the first floor.
In order to read either microfiche or microfilm, you will need a microform reader; those are the three gray machines with big screens on the first floor by the computers. Loading microfilm into one of those machines can be a little tricky, so if you're not familiar with it, please feel free to ask a librarian for help! In addition, you can print from microform; all three of our readers have printers that can print out what you see on the screen. Printing is very similar to making a photocopy, so a copy card is required to print anything out from a microform reader. The same price applies: 10 cents per page.
Microform resources themselves are not electronic; you can't do a quick search to find the precise location of the information you need. However, some of the dissertations and periodicals that we have on microform are also available electronically.
The truth is, microfiche and microfilm are increasingly outdated formats. The Library recognizes this, and we are in the process of digitizing our microform collection so that it will be more accessible to Gallaudet students and faculty members, as well as researchers around the world. For example, the first 20 published volumes (1847-1875) of American Annals of the Deaf is now available online.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Finding journal articles: Part two
Let's do a little exercise: Your professor gives you the following citation in your required readings:
Where do we go from here? Remember last week's blog post? The screengrab to the right is the same as last week, so take a look to refresh yourself. Here, you already know what journal you want, so you don't need to check ProQuest Research Library, Ebscohost Academic Search Premiere, "Databases by Subject," or "Databases by Title." That means this week, we will be focusing on Gallaudet e-Journals.
In this case, you already know what journal you want -- Law and History Review -- but you're not sure what database it's available in, so you go all the way to the right in the screengrab above to "Gallaudet e-Journals."
"Gallaudet e-Journals" is our listing of all the journals we subscribe to electronically; it's a good way to narrow down your search even further. You just search for the name of the journal, and then you'll see whether we have it, and if we do, how many years' worth of issues we have, and what database it's available through.
So in the case of our example above, you can see the name of the journal is Law and History Review. Just
enter "law and history review" into the search box et voila! It hath appeared (picture to the left).
Sometimes it can be hard to understand an e-Journal record. Let's take a look at the e-Journal record for Law and History Review.
Here you'll see a listing of the databases it's available in, how far back they go in each database, and whether or not we may have full-text access. For example, we see that you can access articles from Law and History Review in JSTOR Arts and Sciences 4 between the years of 1983 and 2005 and in LexisNexis Academic any time from 1996 on. The article we're looking for is from 1995, so JSTOR it is.
Click on that, and a little box pops up (to the right):
You can use the citation above to fill in the blanks: Year: 1995, Volume: 13, Issue: 2, Start Page: 317. Click on GO -- hitting "Enter" won't work -- and you're there!
This concludes our little tutorial on database research. Was it as good for you as it was for me?
Question of the Week
A lot of times when I have to pick up books at the Service Desk, the person at the desk has to ask me some questions before they can get me the book I need. Why don't they just look on the shelf?
Here at the Library, we have three different kinds of shelves that exist for only one purpose: to hold books for people to pick up. You know about one -- CLS -- but the other two can be confusing for librarians without asking some questions.
The "hold" shelf is for items that you want to check out but can't right away for whatever reason. Maybe you came to the Library to check out a book, but found out you forgot your ID at home. Instead of putting the book down and hoping someone else doesn't get to it first, you can ask us to hold it for you, and then once you find your ID, you can come back and pick it up. We generally hold books for 7 days, maximum.
Bear in mind: you have to pick up the item you reserve, with your ID.
The "reserve" shelf, on the other hand, is for faculty who want to have books, movies, or other items available for their courses. Students in those courses can come in and check out those items for up to two hours in the library. There's a reason for this: we usually only have one copy of the item the instructor wants, and sometimes when we don't have it, the instructor brings in his or her own copy. All students need to have access to that item, so we put it on reserve so it's always available for them. This way, nobody needs to worry about one student checking out our only copy of Ghosts of Washington for a month, preventing other students from being able to take advantage of this resource.
In sum, the "hold" shelf is for you to check out personally; the "reserve" shelf is for your instructor -- for you to use in your course.
Ledford, K.F. (1995). German lawyers and the state in the Weimar Republic. Law and History Review, (13)2. 317-349.
Where do we go from here? Remember last week's blog post? The screengrab to the right is the same as last week, so take a look to refresh yourself. Here, you already know what journal you want, so you don't need to check ProQuest Research Library, Ebscohost Academic Search Premiere, "Databases by Subject," or "Databases by Title." That means this week, we will be focusing on Gallaudet e-Journals.In this case, you already know what journal you want -- Law and History Review -- but you're not sure what database it's available in, so you go all the way to the right in the screengrab above to "Gallaudet e-Journals."
"Gallaudet e-Journals" is our listing of all the journals we subscribe to electronically; it's a good way to narrow down your search even further. You just search for the name of the journal, and then you'll see whether we have it, and if we do, how many years' worth of issues we have, and what database it's available through.
So in the case of our example above, you can see the name of the journal is Law and History Review. Just
enter "law and history review" into the search box et voila! It hath appeared (picture to the left).Sometimes it can be hard to understand an e-Journal record. Let's take a look at the e-Journal record for Law and History Review.
Here you'll see a listing of the databases it's available in, how far back they go in each database, and whether or not we may have full-text access. For example, we see that you can access articles from Law and History Review in JSTOR Arts and Sciences 4 between the years of 1983 and 2005 and in LexisNexis Academic any time from 1996 on. The article we're looking for is from 1995, so JSTOR it is.
Click on that, and a little box pops up (to the right):You can use the citation above to fill in the blanks: Year: 1995, Volume: 13, Issue: 2, Start Page: 317. Click on GO -- hitting "Enter" won't work -- and you're there!
This concludes our little tutorial on database research. Was it as good for you as it was for me?
Question of the Week
A lot of times when I have to pick up books at the Service Desk, the person at the desk has to ask me some questions before they can get me the book I need. Why don't they just look on the shelf?
Here at the Library, we have three different kinds of shelves that exist for only one purpose: to hold books for people to pick up. You know about one -- CLS -- but the other two can be confusing for librarians without asking some questions.
The "hold" shelf is for items that you want to check out but can't right away for whatever reason. Maybe you came to the Library to check out a book, but found out you forgot your ID at home. Instead of putting the book down and hoping someone else doesn't get to it first, you can ask us to hold it for you, and then once you find your ID, you can come back and pick it up. We generally hold books for 7 days, maximum.
Bear in mind: you have to pick up the item you reserve, with your ID.
The "reserve" shelf, on the other hand, is for faculty who want to have books, movies, or other items available for their courses. Students in those courses can come in and check out those items for up to two hours in the library. There's a reason for this: we usually only have one copy of the item the instructor wants, and sometimes when we don't have it, the instructor brings in his or her own copy. All students need to have access to that item, so we put it on reserve so it's always available for them. This way, nobody needs to worry about one student checking out our only copy of Ghosts of Washington for a month, preventing other students from being able to take advantage of this resource.
In sum, the "hold" shelf is for you to check out personally; the "reserve" shelf is for your instructor -- for you to use in your course.
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