Library Closed on Saturday, April 13th

Due to construction, the library will be closed all day on Saturday, April 13th.  We will reopen at 10 a.m. on Sunday, April 14th.

Research Help on Symposium Day

On Wednesday, January 23rd, Augustana will hold its winter term Symposium Day. Classes are cancelled to enable all students and faculty to participate in the day’s events, which include Keynote Speaker Molly Steinwald, many smaller concurrent sessions, and off-campus experiential learning opportunities.

In honor of Symposium Day, the research help desk on the library’s 2nd floor will be closed until 3:45 p.m., at the conclusion of the day’s shared events. The desk will be staffed from 3:45-5:00 p.m., and again from 5:30-10:00 p.m., our usual evening hours.

Visit the Symposium Day website for more detailed information about the day!

You’re invited to the 2012 Celebration of Learning!

Please join us at the 2012 Celebration of Learning, this Saturday, May 5th!

The Celebration of Learning is Augustana’s annual student research symposium. For more information, visit the Celebration of Learning website.

This year’s Keynote Address will be given by 2004 Augustana alumna Stephanie Allewalt.  Stephanie graduated with a degree in Geography and has since earned a master’s degree in Urban Planning from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.  Stephanie utilizes planning principles to build a central vision and establish supporting programs that foster neighborhood change.  Come hear her speak at 9:30 a.m. in Hanson Science 102.

Questions about the Celebration of Learning? Contact Reference Librarians Anne Earel (AnneEarel@augustana.edu or x7315 or Stefanie Bluemle (StefanieBluemle@augustana.edu or x7167).

Changes at the reference desk

Happy spring term!

As we anticipate the changes that the construction and completion of the Center for Student Life will bring over the next year or two, we will be updating our reference services to better reflect students’ needs.  The first such adjustment will be the addition of “on-call” hours to our usual schedule.

If you need research help and you don’t see anyone at the desk, don’t worry; we’re probably on call!  On-call hours will be M-F 10:00 a.m. – noon, and Friday 2:30 – 4:00 p.m; otherwise we’ll be at the reference desk as usual.  When we’re on call, you can reach us in the following ways:

Chat/IM: Use the “Ask an Augustana Librarian” chat box on the library homepage  

Text: Send a text to 563-223-TEXT

Phone: Call 309-794-7310

E-mail: Reach us at libraryinfo@augustana.edu

In person: Just ask at the circulation desk and we’ll be happy to help you!

On-call hours were determined based on when we’ve found that the desk is the least busy.  We’ve also noticed that students often prefer to seek out “their” librarian (whomever worked with their class, or the librarian assigned to work with their major) in her office, rather than approach the librarian at the desk.  By changing weekday morning and Friday afternoon hours to on-call hours, we hope to encourage these office visits and provide more personal attention.

Soon to come: We’ll be renaming the reference desk; libraries have used the term “reference desk” for many years, but unless you’re a librarian, you may not know what that means!  We’re thinking about calling it the “research assistance” desk.  What do you think?  If you have another idea, leave a suggestion in the comments!

–Anne Earel

RefWorks 2.0!

This Monday, October 14th, we will switch all users of RefWorks to the new RefWorks 2.0 interface!

All of your references and other information will be saved and unchanged, but the site has been completely redesigned to be more intuitive and visually appealing.

Most of the navigation and functionality is unchanged, but there are a few differences.  This guide will help you familiarize yourself with RefWorks 2.0.

If you have any questions about the new interface, please ask!  Stop by the reference desk, IM us from the library homepage, or call us at 309-794-7206.

–Anne

p.s. If you just can’t wait until Monday to try RefWorks 2.0, you can upgrade your individual account right now!  Just log in to your RefWorks account, then click the “RefWorks 2.0″ link in the upper-right corner or the banner at the top of the screen.

ALiCat and I-Share Upgrade!

ALiCat and I-Share will be temporarily unavailable from 5 p.m. Friday, July 8th through 6 a.m. Monday, July 11th while the software is being upgraded.

If you try to access the catalogs during this time, you will see a message indicating that the system is offline during the upgrade.

We thank you in advance for your patience this coming weekend!