The Homer Babbidge Library will be closed on Saturday, May 30 for work on a propane tank unless there is rain in the forecast. During the course of this work, which is expected to run from 7am-7pm, there will be no access to the entire building, including the loading dock and the sidewalk between Babbidge and Oak Hall. We will resume normal summer hours on Sunday, May 31st at noon. Please keep posted in the event the work is cancelled due to rain.

July 8, 2015

The new search feature will launch next Monday, July 13! We are excited for this new system that will unify searching to make it easier and quicker to find the resources you need. As of tomorrow, access to some of the services through the HOMER catalog, including requesting from other UConn campuses, viewing your library account, and self-service renewals will be unavailable. The HOMER catalog will still be available to locate materials.  Normal services should resume by Tuesday July 14.

Please call your local circulation desk or Babbidge Circulation at 860-486-2518 during this period if you need information about your library account or to renew materials.

This will not affect your ability to request or view the status of interlibrary loan requests or the course reserves system.

Thank you for your patience while we make improvements!

 

 

 

 

May 8, 2015

New Search Feature for Library Materials Coming Soon

The Libraries is pleased to announce that our new and improved resource search tool will go live on July 13th.  The tool will combine separate systems into one convenient search box, enabling users to access our catalog, electronic materials such as ejournals and ebooks, and Connecticut Digital Archive materials all in one place. The new system will not only better integrate our resources, but provide results that are returned quickly, in an easy to read format, and in real time. New features include a virtual browsing option that shows you the items next to yours on the shelf as well as information on multiple versions of the same material available.  Over the next year, the system will also integrate the resources found at UConn’s School of Law and Health.

The changes will be made early in the summer to allow faculty and graduate students time to get acquainted with the new look and feel. We will be providing workshops on how to use the tool, including tips on how to update links in HuskyCT and syllabi later this summer and fall.

We are looking forward to this system upgrade that will benefit our user, as well as provide significant cost savings to UConn. For more information please contact Holly Phillips

Take a break from finals this week and give your brain a break! We will transform the Class of ’47 into the Blue Zone where activities will include yoga, Pilates and chair massages. Sunday 2-5pm Monday-Thursday 5-7pm And the dogs are back! The original, and often imitated Paws to Relax program brings your favorite furry friends to Level 1 every day starting Monday – Friday, 1-4pm. And new this year is our ‘You Scream for Ice Cream! Event’ happening outside the HBL North Entrance Wednesday, May 6th at 2:30. Let off a little steam with a scream and some ice cream. Best wishes for a successful close to your semester from the UConn Library!

Independent Voices is a new e-resource that strengthens the Library’s existing Alternative Press Collections. Independent Voices is a digital collection made up of alternative press newspapers, magazines and journals from the latter half of the 20th century, drawn from the special collections of participating libraries. These periodicals were produced by feminists, dissident GIs, campus radicals and the New Left, Native Americans, anti-war activists, Black Power advocates, Hispanics, LGBT activists, the extreme right-wing press and alternative literary magazines.

BrowZine is a mobile app that allows you to download scholarly journals right to your tablet and smartphone to allow for browsing on the go.

Now available across all iOS mobile devices, Android devices with OS v4.1+, as well as Kindle Fire HD tablets. BrowZine culls articles from both Open Access databases and those UConn subscribes to, arranges them by subject and puts them into the familiar bookshelf format for ultimate convenience.

Developed by Third Iron Advanced Library technologies, the app not only allows for easy access to scholarly journals based on your preferences, it also allows for alerts when new editions are published and can be easily saved across platforms such as Zotero, Mendeley, Dropbox and more.

Learn how you get your research mobilized today!

 

 

 

 

Concerned about the escalating cost of traditional college textbooks, the UConn Library is partnering with UConnPIRG and the Undergraduate Student Government to explore “open-source” electronic textbook alternatives. As commercial college textbook costs continue to rise, estimated as high as 812% or more than three times the rate of inflation since 1978 by Student PIRGs, many students are choosing to not purchase textbooks, jeopardizing their success in the classroom. A new initiative at UConn, spearheaded by students from UConnPIRG and the Undergraduate Student Government (USG), is underway to investigate ways to educate students and faculty on the value of Open Educational Resources (OER) such as open source textbooks. Unlike traditional commercial textbooks, open source textbooks are made of content gathered from various sources that are freely available online and for everyone to use. Last fall, USG kick started the movement by voting unanimously to form a committee to explore the use of open source textbooks.  The committee is being led by UConn’s Vice Provost for Libraries Martha Bedard and UConnPIRG Textbooks Coordinator Toyin Akinnusotu.  To further strengthen their commitment, USG passed a resolution on March 11, urging faculty to submit their textbook requirements on time to the University, a requirement for all federally funded institutions. This was further supported by the University’s Provost’s Library Advisory Committee, formed to help direct the library on issues regarding scholarly information access and delivery. “These are important resolutions for UConn students to understand,” said Hilltop Dorms Senator Daniel Byrd. “As the cost of textbooks continue to increase exponentially, it is our responsibility to do what we can to both encourage the use of open source textbooks and ensure the disclosure of information about textbook costs.”  Knowing the costs when the courses are listed is not only useful to students when considering taking a course, but also affects the buyback value of textbooks. UConn’s Vice Provost for Libraries Martha Bedard has been involved with the Open Access movement for over a decade. “The library is a natural place to facilitate this student-centered effort regarding open textbooks,” said Bedard. “We have seen a continuous cost increase in higher education resources and much like the issues students face, libraries cannot afford to provide all the resources requested by faculty and students. There have been many advances in the amount of high quality resources freely available so I am confident the adoption of open source textbooks will not compromise a quality education and in turn will make a tremendous difference for students.” According to a report recently released by the Student PIRGs, the soaring textbook costs is a trend across the nation. The average undergraduate student spends as much as $1,200-$1,300 for textbooks and supplies each year, one of the largest out-of-pocket expenses they face. In traditional PIRG style, members of UConnPIRG have taken a grassroots approach, talking to individual faculty and gathering support for the effort. “I am encouraged by the numerous faculty members I have spoken with who have agreed to use open source materials in their classes,” said UConnPIRG Textbooks Coordinator Toyin Akinnusotu. “We are off to a great start.” “Much of the issue is simple education. There are dozens of open textbooks available online, for free right now that provide the same high quality information as their traditional print textbook options. It is our job to help inform faculty on the resources available to them,” said Bedard. Learn more about some of the open educational resources available via our helpful guide. A copy of the referenced report, “Open Textbooks: The Billion-Dollar Solution,” is available at www.studentpirgs.org/textbooks.

One of the world’s largest statistical resources – Statista is now available to UConn.

Statista provides up-to-date statistics from over 18,000 sources on a wide variety of topics including media, the environment, business and industry, sports, communication, politics, health care and more. Geographic coverage is worldwide, with particular emphasis on the United States, China, and European Union countries.

Check out Statista today.

 

 

With the cost of textbooks continuing to rise, some students are choosing not to purchase textbooks, thus jeopardizing their success in the classroom. What is also increasing is the popularity of affordable learning resources outside of the that are freely available online. The UConn Library will host a workshop to help members of the campus community understand these alternatives to traditional textbooks and assess their value. The workshop will take place on Wednesday, May 13, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in Electronic Classroom 2 of Homer Babbidge Library, on Level 2. Joining us for the conversation will be two experts in the field – Nicole Allen, Director of Open Education for Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC), an initiative of the Association of Research Libraries, and Charlotte Roh, Scholarly Communications Resident Librarian from UMass Amherst. To register for the workshop, please visit:  http://s.uconn.edu/opened.

Copyright law is a carefully balanced system meant to encourage creativity as well as cultural and scientific progress. The law encourages authors by giving them limited control over certain uses of their works, and it encourages everyone (including authors) to use existing cultural and scientific material without permission, under certain circumstances, to engage in a wide variety of vital activities. Many parts of the law favor the freedom to use culture, but by far and away the most flexible, powerful, and universal user’s right is fair use. Fair use is a right, fair use is vitally important, fair use is for everyone, and fair uses are everywhere.

Learn more at fairuseweek.org

 

 

We know, we moved things and it creates a need to relearn a bit. The good news is that we have organized our content so like materials can be easily found together. So where do you start?

The first is the general search box. If you were familiar with the old ‘Everything @ UConn’ this is it! This will search our collections including databases, journals and the library catalog (HOMER). It is also searching some of our most popular non-collection specific pages such as hours and interlibrary loan.

Want a more sophisticated search? The main navigation is for you. The drop downs are designed to offer a wide variety of choices when you know what you are looking for – like a database or journal, a specific library and even specific services like booking a room.

Give it a try and if you still can’t find what you need, drop us a note and we will help.