reading girl speaks

Albus came for a visit....

2012-01-30T13:03:00.001-05:00

Albus the squirrel visited the letterpress lab during Winter Term. And he wasn't the only one there!

Where did the time go?

2012-01-30T11:24:00.003-05:00

Today is the last day of Winter Term! Starting tomorrow (Tuesday) and for the rest of the week, the Main Library will be closing at 5:30 each evening. We return to our regular hours next Monday. Let the semester begin!

SearchOhio unavailable Friday evening, January 27

2012-01-26T14:35:00.001-05:00

For about an hour starting at 6:15 pm on January 27, the SearchOhio catalog will be off-line for maintenance. Are you wondering why you should care? Because SearchOhio is a catalog of 19 public libraries in Ohio and their holdings are available to you via a direct request, very similarly to the way you make OhioLINK requests. Read more about SearchOhio while you're waiting for the catalog to be available!

Wikipedia et al. going dark tomorrow

2012-01-17T16:12:00.005-05:00

Staring at midnight Wednesday, January 18th Wikipedia will "go dark" for 24 hours in protest of several anti-piracy bills before congress (even though the White House has pulled support for one of the bills).

Here's a CNN interview with Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales on this unprecedented political action.

Reddit, a popular social news website, also plans to go down, and one of the blog's administrators explains why they object to the pending legislation.

Yes, we're open!

2012-01-10T11:03:00.002-05:00

Library hours during Winter Term are 8a to 8p Monday - Thursday, 8a to 5:30p Fridays, and 10a - 5:30p Saturday & Sunday.

If you can't join us in person you can still use many of our resources from afar.

So many books ...

2012-01-10T11:00:00.001-05:00

Looking for a good read? Come check out the Spotlight on the Collection outside Azariah's Cafe where we feature titles that made it onto a best books of 2011 list.

World's most beautiful college libraries?

2011-12-23T10:25:00.001-05:00

Flavorpill, a "network of culturally connected people, covering events, art, books, music, and pop culture the world over", recently selected their 25 most beautiful college libraries, and followed up with a reader's choice post. What do you think? What makes a college library beautiful?

Closing for the holidays!

2011-12-23T10:18:00.001-05:00

We'll close today at 3 pm and be closed until 10 am on Monday, January 2. Wishing you a joyful and peaceful break.

We have shortened Winter Term hours during January. Check them out!

If you are off-campus and need access to our electronic resources, follow our advice here.

Mudd hours until the end of finals

2011-12-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

The A-Level and Scholar Studies remain open continuously until 5:30 on Wednesday, December 21st. The card swipe will be active during the overnight hours.

The upper levels of the building, including the Academic Commons, close each night at 2 a.m. until next Tuesday night (Wednesday morning). We re-open at 10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday and 8 a.m. next Monday - Wednesday.

We'll be open 10 am - 5:30 pm on Thursday, December 22nd and 10 am - 3 pm on Friday, December 23rd.

Please note that not all services are available during these open hours -- check our hours page for the details of our service hours this week and the hours in our branch libraries.

Dance parties coming on Saturday!

2011-12-15T20:31:00.002-05:00

The poll is out at https://oncampus.oberlin.edu/students

Vote early and often!

Today is the due date!

2011-12-15T10:51:00.000-05:00

Don't do this with your library books! Return them instead!

We know that many of you are still using these materials, and you should feel free to keep using your material through reading period and exams. Remember that special due dates still apply to reserve materials, periodicals, recalled items, interlibrary loans, OhioLINK materials, and other short-term loan items, and you will be responsible for fines if the items are returned overdue.

If you wish to keep library materials during the holiday shutdown or beyond, please renew them. If you are leaving library materials in a Main Library scholar study or carrel for shutdown and/or Winter Term, please be aware that the green, in-house use streamers must be date stamped so that we know that your books are not overdue. Be sure to ask the circulation desk staff to date stamp your renewals and new check-outs if you are not offered that service.

Do you want to check on what you currently have checked out and when it's due? Just access your account athttp://obis.oberlin.edu/patroninfo/

Do you have other questions about end-of-semester policies and procedures? Check out our FAQ, or contact any circulation supervisor for advice.

Please feel free to get in touch with me if you have any questions about your library account or our policies! Best of luck in the final days of the semester!

Allison Gallaher
Head of Circulation

Extended hours for Mudd

2011-12-13T18:07:00.001-05:00

Beginning at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Mudd will be open continuously until 2 a.m. on Saturday, December 17.
Please note that during the following hours, access is via OCID card swipe only.

December 14 at 11:45 pm - December 15 at 8 am
December 15 at 11:45 pm - December 16 at 8 am
Note that this is just the building, and no services will be offered during much of this time.

Please check out our hours page for building hours for the rest of exams and hours for specific service points.

Quiet on the set!

2011-12-08T12:33:00.003-05:00

Filming will be in progress in the 4th floor lobby Thursday evening from about 10:15 - 11 pm. We hope it's not a major inconvenience to you! They'll be filming a holiday video with Nothing but Treble.

What do you want me to do with my books?

2011-12-07T15:22:00.002-05:00

Yes, that's right, next week classes end, and the week after that the semester is over! You may have questions, and we have answers. Many of them are here, or follow the links for more information. If you prefer interfacing with humans, ask a staff member or give us a call!

Library materials that students have been using for the semester are officially due on December 15, 2011. These do not include shorter-term loan materials such as OhioLINK, ILL, reserve, periodicals, and recordings which have their own specific due dates. You can see everything you have checked out to you, and when it is due, by viewing your library record.

We recognize that some of you need to keep using your material through exams -- if this is the case, you may keep your semester-loan materials (books and scores due on December 15) until you have finished with them.

Many materials are renewable starting on December 12; please read our advice about renewing materials.

Do you have other questions about end-of-semester policies and procedures? Check out our FAQ, or contact any circulation supervisor for advice.

All the best at this busy time!

Happy Birthday to FRUS!

2011-12-05T11:27:00.004-05:00

This year the State Department is celebrating the 150th year of Foreign Relations of the United States, the official documentary record of U.S. foreign policy.

Learn more about it or peruse Oberlin's holdings of this venerable series.

Reading, viewing, listening for pleasure

2011-12-04T15:58:00.000-05:00

Help yourself unwind and de-stress -- sit down with good book, a film you've always wanted to see, or a great piece of music. Here's what the Library added to its collections just last month!

Koffee with Krislov: 12/5

2011-12-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

Stop by Azariah's Cafe Monday at 10 pm for our last Koffee (and kookies) with the president for the semester!

Search your family tree

2011-11-30T12:29:00.006-05:00

Interest in genealogy has grown considerably in recent years, spurring some to call genealogy “the fastest growing hobby in North America.” You can now search through billions of records in census data, vital records, directories, photos, and more through Ancestry Library Edition. This resource is now available as a one-year pilot project through a federal IMLS LSTA grant awarded to the State Library of Ohio. Unlike most of the library’s databases, it is available from on campus only (no remote access). Though of particular interest to genealogists and researchers, Ancestry Library Edition can also be a valuable resource for course projects through its rich trove of primary source documents.

Need help with a paper?

2011-11-28T17:41:00.004-05:00

Summon resources for your final projects using our newest research tool, Summon. Search Summon on the library home page or bookmark this link: http://oberlin.summon.serialssolutions.com/
Or click for more about Summon.

Need help from a real person? Librarians can help you find resources and plan your research strategy. Sign up for a research appointment for a one-on-one meeting with a Reference Librarian.

Houston, we have a problem ...

2011-11-27T16:16:00.003-05:00

with the group study room reservation request form. All better now! 11/28/11

We're working on it, but until we get it fixed, send your requests to reference@oberlin.edu or call x55031 and include this info:

name
phone
email address
date room is needed
start time/end time (3 hr max)
number of folks in the group
requested room #'s
need the LCD panel?

Thanksgiving break library hours

2011-11-21T16:06:00.003-05:00

The library will have shortened hours over the Thanksgiving holiday. The Main Library building hours are:

Wednesday, November 23 8 am - 5:30 pm

Thursday, November 24 CLOSED

Friday, November 25 10 am - 5:30 pm

Saturday, November 26 10 am - 5:30 pm

Sunday, November 27 10 am - 2 am

For complete information about each branch and department, see our hours page.

Need to know who's who in Congress? There's an app for that!

2011-11-16T11:56:00.002-05:00

The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) has released its first mobile Web application (app), which provides the public with quick, easy access to information on Members of Congress. The app allows users to browse for Members of Congress by last name, state, chamber, or party. To access the app on your mobile device, go to <http://m.gpo.gov/memberguide> or scan the QR code with your mobile device that is available at <http://www.gpo.gov/mobile/>.

“The Meaning of Rivers: Flow and Reflection in American Literature”

2011-11-15T15:00:00.000-05:00

T. Scott McMillin, Professor of English, will speak to the Friends of the Oberlin College Library about his latest book on Wednesday, November 16, at 4:30 in the Moffett Auditorium (Mudd 050) Join us!

Open Access to information and why it matters - Thurs 11/17, 4:30pm Moffett Auditorium

2011-11-15T09:30:00.004-05:00

Open Access - the principle that research should be accessible online, FOR FREE, immediately after publication.

Want to know more? Come to the Open Access talk! Ray English, Directory of the Oberlin College Libraries, and Sebastiaan Faber, Professor of Hispanic Studies, will be talking about what open access is, and why it is important.

Thursday, November 17th at 4:30 pm in Moffett Auditorium.

Support Oberlin Community Services during Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week

2011-11-13T12:00:00.001-05:00

On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday this week, the Oberlin College Libraries will accept donations of food and other household items as payment for some unpaid library fines. Please read our flyer for complete information about the program but here's a quick summary:

Up to $20 worth of fines accrued before and during Fall Break are eligible. If you have more recent fines, pay with cash or a check and take advantage of your 1/2 off discount!
Credit for donated items is based on a standardized price list for items particularly needed by Oberlin Community Services
Please try to come during the publicized hours, when we'll be sure to have enough staff to handle the donations and clear your fines speedily

In Lorain County, 42,135 people, 14.4% of the population, live below the poverty threshold, defined as an income of $22,350 for a family of 4. More than one-quarter of the children in the county face food insecurity, defined as "the household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food". Oberlin Community Services assists our neighbors throughout southern Lorain with food, housing, utilities, clothes, transportation, medicine, counseling, and much more. This year the staff met with more than 100 clients each month, a quarter of whom had never needed assistance before. They rely entirely on donations, so even if you don't owe any fines, please consider a donation.