Summer Hours...

From Nancy:
Through Saturday, August 23, 2008, library hours will be:

Monday through Thursday: 7:30 am – 8:00 pm
Friday: 7:30 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sunday: 1:00 pm – 8:00 pm

The following are exceptions:

Tuesday, May 20 through Thursday, May 22: closed at 5pm due to the planned campus-wide power outage
(Library databases will be available to Western students, faculty, and staff from off campus.)

Sunday, May 25: Closed
Monday, May 26 (Memorial Day holiday): 1:00pm – 8:00pm

Friday, July 4 (holiday): Closed

Congratulations Nancy!

From John Sowell:

Campus community,

I am pleased to announce that Nancy Gauss has been hired is the new director of library services. Nancy joined the library staff in 1992 and has assumed varied responsibilities through the years. She has served as interim director of library services since August 2007.

We look forward to working with Nancy as the library continues to enhance services and incorporate technologies to meet the ever-changing information and learning needs of students, faculty, staff, and the community.

I'd like to express my great appreciation to members of the search committee and all others who provided input on the finalists. Your efforts have resulted in the hiring of a student- and service-centered leader of library services who works hard to enhance the overall Western experience.

John Sowell

Vice President for Academic Affairs

Library West Wing Open....

From Nancy's e-mail to campus:

Good news! The West Wing of the library (the old library building) is open for business at 7pm this evening! We will maintain our regular hours of operation. Therefore, the West Wing will be open until midnight tonight. Enter the building through the red doors on the south side.

For the students, being restricted to the West Wing may be a retro-library experience. We have 5 workstations (thin clients) for students to use and a large, beautiful reading room for studying. The building does have wireless networking.

The structural engineer has authorized library staff to occupy our offices. Therefore, we can be reached at our regular office numbers.

The engineer has also authorized us to provide access to the 1^st floor of the library including the Writing Center, Government Documents, and instructional lab. At present, Facilities Services is working hard to secure the building so that access can expand beyond the West Wing but is still restricted to the 1^st floor.

The following addresses some of our services and how they will operate during this transition.

Reserves, Interlibrary Loans, and Books on Hold
These materials will be relocated to the West Wing to be picked up there.

Book Drop
The book drop by the main entrance is closed. Please return materials to the West Wing during our regular hours. We will set up a box inside the red doors for library returns

Scantron Reader
The Grade Master (scantron reader) has been relocated to the West Wing.

Our Book Collection
Library staff will have access to the DVD, CD, and video collection, because it is located in a more protected area. But, the book collection, located on the top floor, will be off limits until further notice. We apologize for the inconvenience. You can, however, request materials from other libraries and have them sent here even if they are materials that we own. Many of our colleagues at other libraries have offered to provide assistance. If you have a need that another library can help with, we will work out an arrangement.

If you have any questions, please ask, and let us know how we can help you and your students.

Thanks again to everyone who has made it possible for us to get back to doing what we like best --- helping you and the students.

Regards,

Nancy Gauss

Interim Director of Library Services

Leslie J. Savage Library

Western State College of Colorado

Gunnison, CO 81231

(970) 943-2278 (voice)

(970) 943-2042 (fax)

Downloadable Videos @ Your Savage Library

Check out what's new from you Savage Library ... Downloadable VIDEOS!

94 videos have just been added to the Marmot Library Network's collection of downloadable items.

Go to the library's web site: http://www.western.edu/lib>. Click on the Download Books and Music icon. This will take you to the Marmot Library Network's collection of downloadable books, music, and now videos. If you've never downloaded an item from this collection, click on the Quick Start Guide and follow the instructions for downloading the appropriate software. This service is accessible from your personal computer.

Enjoy!

Trial Database for Women Writers Project Online...

The Savage Library is pleased to announce a trial for the Women's Writers Online database,
http://www.wwp.brown.edu/texts/wwoentry.html, from Brown University. From the database website:

The Brown University Women Writers Project has been working for over fifteen years on building an electronic collection of early women's writing, and on researching the complex issues involved in representing early printed texts in digital form. As the publisher of Women Writers Online, the WWP now supports the work of innumerable faculty, students, and readers at hundreds of institutions from around the world, by providing access to rare materials by women that otherwise would go unread and untaught.

Please let Jeremy Nelson know what you think of this resource. This trial database is only available from Western State Campus computers and will last until March 1st.

Report from Library of Congress on Changing Cataloging Standards

http://www.loc.gov/catdir/calhoun-report-final.pdf

Article in Chronicle of Higher Education on mergers between IT and Libraries

In the January 18th issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education (V.54, Issue 19, page A1), there is an article on how smaller colleges and university libraries are merging with campus information technology departments. Some notes from the article:

• Rarely are there cost savings in such a move
• Culture clashes between librarians and IT staff can occur when the two are merged
• But, such mergers provide unified services to students who focus on electronic resources

While the article states that there is a trend of students not using paper books, I have found at Western State that our print collection is used by student patrons who do come to the library to find print as well as electronic resources provided by the library. We as librarians can do better and we should continue to find ways to streamline our resources and expertise to our patrons in light of the increasing electronic nature of our jobs. We will continue to develop our relationship with the great people of WSC's Computing Services for the benefit of the students, faculty, staff, and general public.