he High Library is offering additional services and resources for students and faculty members in the 2014 spring semester. These supplements include new laptops, a new scanner on level one, focus groups, Mid-Term Minis and a Quiet Zone.
Lunchtime Mid-Term Minis will be held outside of the Marketplace Feb. 3 until Feb. 7, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Librarians will be there with laptops and references to answer questions about citations, research and more. On level one of the Library, the Quiet Zone was added after requests from students. Also, on level one is the new scanner. Interim Director of Library and Head of Collection Management Sylvia Morra said, “This allows one to scan books, documents and photos in black and white or color and send them to any email, USB, smart phone or Google Docs.”
“If you’ve sent the documents to yourself, you can go to the lab to print them,” Morra said. The new laptops are another piece of technology, and were made possible by a grant from the McCormick Foundation. The laptops are now the High Library’s highest circulating items. The focus groups included a small group of Etown students who are helping the library look at a variety of different issues such as updating the library web pages to make it easier for students to find exactly what they need.
Along with these additions, the High Library added three more databases to their system. The first database, Knovel, consists of engineering e-reference books. “The engineering and physics departments recommended these technical e-book titles to support specific subject concentrations in their curriculum. Student projects should be strengthened by the interactive data that helps solve real-world problems,” Morra said.
Secondly, NAXOS Music Library, a streaming audio market, will benefit and support the fine and performing arts department by allowing them to create playlists of jazz, blues, classical and opera music. The last database, requested by the business department, is an online version of Value Line, which allows the library to leave printing in the past. Investment classes will especially benefit from this version because the features range from commentaries, ratings and price performances, to providing key financial measures.
Students and faculty members are welcome to learn more about the new services and resources that the High Library is offering. Librarians are available at the reference desks, and they can walk students through the new aspects of the specific resource or service that they are interested in. Contact ASK@ETOWN.LIBANSWERS.COM to receive more information.
“I’m looking forward to even more new services and resources this spring! Again from the McCormick Foundation, the library will be able to replace the chairs in the McCormick Research Lab and later this spring we will unveil more e-book resources,” Morra said.
