Library News

Kimberley Bugg joined Falvey at the end of November as the Information and Research Assistance team leader, replacing Jacqueline (Jackie) Mirabile who retired last spring.

Kimberley will be responsible for training and scheduling the library information staff who are available during most hours when the Library is open. Information staff  provide basic assistance in the use of library resources and refer questions to research consultation librarians when additional assistance is needed.

Falvey maintains a 10,000 volume print reference collection of general and subject specific sources as well as over 350 online reference sources. In addition it provides access to more than 250 indexing, abstracting and full-text databases available on the Web. The IRA team provides assistance in using these print and online sources.

Kimberley, a native of Atlanta, comes to Villanova University from Queensborough Community College, City University of New York, where she was emerging technologies coordinator. Previously she had been the assistant head of information and research services at Robert W. Woodruff Library in the Atlanta University Center.

She has a bachelor’s degree in communication and accounting from Georgia State University, Atlanta; a master’s degree in library science from North Carolina Central University, Durham, N.C.; and a master of liberal arts degree from Clayton State University, Morrow, Ga.

Her hobbies are reading, watching reality television, eating and yoga.

Kimberley said, “I am excited to join the Falvey Memorial Library team. The Library has a long tradition of creating so many cutting-edge innovations and I am honored to be a part of that.”

Article and photograph by Alice Bampton

By Luisa Cywinski & Gerald Dierkes

Thanksgiving has come and gone. You’ve got papers to write and final exams looming on the horizon. People are hustling and bustling in preparation for the holidays and trying to juggle their academic demands. We can make these last few weeks less stressful by offering you some time-saving steps. Whether it’s late night studying, last minute research needs, or long papers that need printing, we’re here to help.

How do I check the due dates on my library books or how can I renew them? Click on My Account on the library homepage and login using your email username and password.

Once you are logged in, select “Checked Out Items” on the far right.

Click on the box next to each item you want to renew and then click  “Renew Selected Items.” Or, if you want to renew everything, click on “Renew All Items.”

Is the Library open later than midnight at the end of term? Yes, we stay open until 3:00 a.m. on several nights and the 24-hour lounge will also remain open when the library is closed. All you need is a valid Villanova Wildcard to enter the building.

What research-support services are available?

The research consultation librarians and the information desk staff are here to help you with both short questions and in-depth research. It’s easy to get research help for your paper, class assignment or other information needs.

In the library? Stop by the front desk to query the info desk staff or talk to the research librarian on duty.

Off site? Use “live chat” on the library home page (bottom right) to connect to a research librarian. Post your question on the “Question Center” and you will receive an answer in no time at all. Other questions/answers are listed there as well. Or, contact a research support librarian by email, by telephone or online to talk or to schedule an appointment.

Check the Subject pages to locate the specialist librarian for your discipline.

How can I get help creating and formatting a bibliography? RefWorks can create and format your bibliography for you, if you prefer, as you work on your research project. It can even help you organize your research. RefWorks supports MLA, APA and other styles. Contact a librarian to get started or try the online tutorials.

How do I print? You can find printing instructions on our Quick Tip: How to Print blog article. It tells you everything you need to know about iPrint, the University print program, and about the self-service printers in the Library. Or stop at the front desk – we are happy to help!

The library website’s search feature has been recently updated. There are two important improvements: better website searching and easier holds and recalls of books in the collection.

The new library website search helps you find pages within the library’s website. Pages searched include this blog, the help center, librarian-provided research guides, and our knowledge base of useful databases and links. New faceted search capabilities in the “Refine Search” sidebar allow you to easily narrow in on your area of study.

Holds and recalls are useful ways of making sure that you get the books you need. A hold allows you to request that an on-shelf book be set aside for you. A recall is a way of requesting the return of a book checked out by another person.

Placing holds and recalls in the online catalog is much more convenient than it used to be. Simply log into the catalog through the “My Account” link at the top of the page using your Villanova username and password. The first time you use this feature, you will be prompted to enter your Wildcard number, but the catalog will remember this for you in the future.

If an item is available, click “Place a hold.”

If an item is checked out, click “Recall this.”

If you need an item quickly and do not want to place a recall, you can also request it through E-ZBorrow or ILL.

Questions or problems? You can always contact the library’s information desk at (610) 519-4270.

Contributed by Demian Katz and Alexandra Edwards

Three very happy students, the winners of the Open House drawing, recently met with University Librarian Joe Lucia and Instructional Services Librarian Barbara Quintiliano.  Four hundred students attended the Open House on Sept. 13 and 14 and, by completing a simple project to familiarize themselves with the library catalog, entered the drawing for one of the prizes: an iPad, a Kindle or a Nook.

Nick Pajerowski, a first-year mechanical engineering major from Annapolis, Md., won the grand prize: an iPad. “I was so stoked when I found out I won the iPad! It’s such a cool gadget, and it’ll definitely be useful for studying … and for Angry Birds,” Pajerowski said. He told his father he was going to take it apart. Engineers are curious people!

Abigail Demke, a first-year student from West Hartford, Conn., won the Kindle. Demke commented, “I was incredibly surprised to win … I was certain I would be disqualified because on the raffle form I wrote that I am too old-fashioned to read books on a screen… Even though I love books with pages, I am very excited to see if e-books are right for me. So far, I love how small and convenient it is, and I think it’ll be great for train rides home. Many thanks to the staff at the Library; the Open House was a neat idea.”

Lynnea Greene, a political science major from Philadelphia, won the Nook. She noted that her mother “has been trying to buy me an e-reader for so long, and I’ve always told her no. But winning the Nook has made me see the error of my ways. I love it and really appreciate it. Thanks so much!”

Students also visited the “petting zoo” where they could try out the iPad, Kindle and Nook. Snacks and handouts were available to visitors. And each day the first 100 registered Villanova student attendants received USB thumb drives.

Quintiliano and her committee planned the Open House.

Article and photographs by Alice Bampton

If you’re applying to graduate school, there’s no getting around the fact that you have to take an exam. Whether it’s the GRE, MAT, GMAT or LSAT, you’ll need to log some study hours in order to score well.

But before you shell out a heap of cash for a study guide, let the Library help!

Our collection includes several study guides for each test. These study guides not only include general tips and strategies, they also contain practice tests which allow you to get a feel for the format before taking the real thing.

Some study guides are held at the reference desk, and you can access them by asking there. Others are shelved with the general collection.

As always, the library catalog will note which study guides are held where. And with the new interactive map feature, you can click “Find on Map” to get a detailed view of where to look.

Avoid spending money on study guides when you don’t have to! You can get in plenty of practice tests from the comfort of Falvey.

Find other library Quick Tips by clicking here.

Check it out: The library hours have been extended for mid-terms and modified for fall break.

by Gerald Dierkes

You’ve looked up a  book in the library catalog, but where in the Library is it located? Each book’s catalog record now includes a helpful “Find on map” link, as shown for the Concordance to the Greek Testament.

The link connects you to a map of the library floor on which your book is shelved. The section of shelves that holds your book is also highlighted. Below you can see that your book is shelved in the Falvey West stacks.

The interactive map itself also shows the locations of various rooms and departments within the Library, as well as those of library staff. David Uspal, a member of the Library’s own Technology Development team, designed this interactive map and established its links in catalog records.

As construction continues on our building, and resources and personnel move around, we’ll be sure to keep the interactive map updated so you’ll always have the latest locations at your fingertips.

Also contributing: Laura Hutelmyer

Did a professor give you a long list of “Course Reserves” that you don’t know what to do with?

Course reserves are books, DVDs or other materials that have been taken out of circulation and are being held in a special area of the Library. They are often the most helpful research materials for a class; putting them on reserve ensures that everyone can access them, without any one person getting to them first and hoarding them.

But if you’ve never had to use materials on reserve, you may not know how to access them.

Fear not! It’s really quite easy.

To borrow a book, DVD or other item on reserve, registered students can simply ask for the item at the Circulation Desk. Library staff will retrieve the item and check it out to the student. Students must present their Wildcard in order to access reserve items.

The amount of time students can access these materials will vary based on type of item and professor’s request. Books may have a loan period of 2 hours or 1, 3 or 7 days. DVDs and videos placed on reserve are restricted to an in-house loan period of 3 hours.

Did you misplace your course reserves list, or don’t have it on hand? You can also browse the list of reserves for a particular class through VuFind by clicking here.

Alternately, faculty may request that the library reserve staff make certain readings available online. These may include photocopies of articles, selected book chapters, exams, papers or essays. Students can access Electronic Reserves via “MyNova” and the Blackboard Course Management software. Students must be registered for the class to obtain access to the Electronic Reserve readings.

For more information on Course Reserves, click here.

If you’ve been following our renovation updates, then you know that the second floor of the Library has been completely gutted in the space of one week. Marble slabs were removed, walls were disassembled, and the elevator was blocked off to keep curiosity at bay (and our patrons safe). Now begins new construction – wiring, plumbing, lighting and ventilation – cranes will lift the building materials from the loading dock and through a second floor window. We ask that patrons stay clear of the second floor stairwell doors and be aware that delays might be experienced when using the elevator.

And don’t forget, the books that were once housed on the second floor can be found in Falvey West, which patrons can enter from the first floor near the print center. Feel free to ask for help at the front desk!

Photo by Alice Bampton

On Monday, Aug. 22, surveyors and contractors began working on the second floor “Learning Commons in Falvey” project, which will eventually bring together academic research librarians and staff from the mathematics lab, learning support and writing center into one unified space.

The book collections that were once housed on that floor have been moved to Falvey West, a section of Old Falvey Hall that was refurbished over the summer. The entrance to Falvey West is on the first floor of Falvey Library and can be freely accessed by patrons who wish to browse and retrieve books in the A – DX call number ranges.

“The first day or two of work involved site assessment and the development of a project sequencing plan by the contractors themselves,” according to Joe Lucia, University librarian. Demolition and infrastructure work will take place over the next few weeks with louder work taking place between midnight and 6:00 a.m. “Scheduling work this way will minimize the impact of construction noise on the library study and work environment,” said Lucia. (Watch a video of the marble slab removal below.)

The Special Collections room will be sealed off from the rest of the second floor in order to protect the valuable collections from dust.  The elevator and stairwells will be blocked off at the second floor to prevent unauthorized entrance and to protect library patrons.

As always, library staff can be called upon for assistance and information. Our aim is to provide a comfortable and accessible work and study space throughout construction.

(Previous blog posts about the renovations can be found here.)

Photo by Alice Bampton – Video by Joe Lucia