Library News

Reference Materials Being Moved in Snell Library

Starting this week, the reference materials on the first floor will be moved to the second, third and fourth floors. This means that from now on, Library users will be able to find their reference books either next to the Research Assistance desk on the second floor or in the Stacks and Oversize areas on the third and fourth floors. Because the materials are being divided, it will be best to use NUCAT to find a desired book. Currently, some books have been moved to the Oversize and Stacks areas. On Thursday, relocation of books to the second floor is expected to begin. This operation means that out of date materials are being removed. However, some materials are being transferred to our online collections. We ask that nobody remove any of the paper slips from the reference books during this time, as they are vital to the relocation. All books are expected to be relocated by the early fall. Please contact Lesley Milner at l.milner@neu.edu if you have any questions. The great movement begins!

Our own Discovery channel

In response to user requests for an easy-to-use integrated search option, Northeastern University Libraries are pleased to provide Discovery, a single interface by EBSCOhost that allows several databases and Northeastern’s catalog to be searched at one time. This search tool is a ‘one stop shop’ for users to begin their research. Northeastern will explore the impact of the tool over the course of the academic year. Northeastern University Associate Dean for Scholarly Resources, Amira Aaron, says, “We wanted to provide a more streamlined way for our community to discover information in multiple resources, including our local repositories and open access content. Northeastern students know EBSCOhost and by introducing Discovery we are able to provide additional content and include our catalog, all within a familiar environment which means an easy transition for students, faculty and staff.” Northeastern will work with EBSCO in the next several months to add its digital archive and local digitized content to Discovery, providing even more content from the single search interface – creating a truly custom collection. The ability to pull these additional resources together was another reason for selecting a unified tool. Aaron says, “A unified tool will provide our users with as much content as possible from our discovery service and eliminate multiple silos of information, while improving access to our rich collection of electronic resources.”

Things to Love about Local Libraries

This post is to publicly thank Joan Wickersham for her lovely op-ed in today’s Globe: “A library tells a story of its own.” Speaking of the Malden Public Library, Wickersham writes:
The library would tell you a lot about what America was like and how it has changed. It would speak about the history of architecture and art, of industrialism and philanthropy, of immigration, of economics, of literature and technology. And it would tell you about the hard choices that go into running a popular public institution in changing times.
As a librarian, I always find it gratifying to see members of the community speak out in praise of their local library! Happy reading for a Friday afternoon.

Shout out to Huntington News

Please see this recent news item from the Huntington News on our 24/7 service. Thanks to Jenna Duncan for getting this put up. Also see this editorial (which I was informed of by way of a comment) on the Northeastern Facilities Department, which praises the 24/7 service, if cautiously. http://huntnewsnu.com/2010/07/husky-happenings-11/ http://huntnewsnu.com/2010/07/editorial-if-the-university-operated-more-like-facilities/ I’m glad to see that we’re getting press, even over the summer. -Damon G