VU FACE SPACE: Student Photos Dress Up Computer Commons
Due to the inspiration of campus photographer Dave Fisher’s campus events photos, Shake Library’s Computer Commons entrance is a focal point for library visitors.
What was drab wall space now is VU Face Space and has students pausing to exclaim over photographs of them and their friends. VU Face Space is one of several changes the librarians are making to try to enhance the atmosphere of the library by making the popular campus research and teaching center more welcoming and friendlier.
Though the photographs are frequently changed on the VU Face Space, Fisher’s works may be viewed any time by accessing the “VU in Pictures” web pages from the link on the university web page at http://www.vinu.edu .
Besides photos, new wall display racks highlight recently acquired books, some display furniture is on order, and some existing furniture has been rearranged to make a more attractive newspaper reading/lounging area.
Shake Library Link Change Reflects System-Wide Approach
To emphasize that libraries at the various Vincennes University campuses are a system-wide educational cooperative entity, the Shake Library link formerly found on the VU home page under Academic Resources has been changed to VU Libraries.
After accessing the VU Libraries link, a student can as usual click on the Find Books or Find Articles links to begin research with library electronic resources. However, the VU Libraries link also provides immediate access to the web pages of the following libraries in the VU system:
Shake Library (Vincennes Campus)
Jasper Campus Library (Habig Building)
Indianapolis Aviation Technology Center Library
Lewis Historical Library (Vincennes Campus)
VU’s EBook Collection Offers New Offline Reading Feature
Over 5,000 electronic books found in the VU library WebCat electronic catalog are a useful option for students doing research on-campus or off-campus in distance education courses. A recent improvement by Netlibrary has made it possible for many ebooks to be downloaded in PDF format for easier offline viewing.
Ebooks may be located in the WebCat library catalog or by using the Netlibrary home page at netlibrary.com. To search for downloadable ebooks only:
- Go to netlibrary.com
- Click the Advanced Search Link
- After typing your topic(s) in the search textbox(es), scroll down the page and click on "Downloadable ebooks" found under "Limit Search by (Optional)." This search will retrieve only ebooks related to your topic(s) that can be downloaded to a hard drive or disk.
- To download an ebook, select a title from your results list, and then click on "Show Details" found below the book's description. When you view the next page, look for "Check Out & Download This eBook" found directly under "View This eBook."
- Notice under "Viewing Requirements" that patrons must use Adobe Reader 6.0 or higher to view any downloadable ebook from Netlibrary.
The Trailblazer Publishing Library Information Advertisements
In an attempt to better inform the VU community about library services, The Trailblazer is including large block advertisements that feature library information and news.
For instance, in the Sept. 28 Trailblazer advertisement informs students how to contact a reference librarian, lists some book checkout policies, tells how to locate graphic novels, and lets students know about Interlibrary Loan services (where books can be quickly borrowed from other libraries).
The library and The Trailblazer hope to continue these advertisements to help make students, faculty and staff aware of library services, changes, and improvements.
Faculty/Staff to Receive Email Overdue Courtesy Notices
VU faculty and staff with email accounts will no longer receive paper overdue courtesy notices, but will receive email messages instead. Shake Library lending policies allow VU faculty and staff to check out books for a semester and then renew items as desired. No overdue fines are charged to VU faculty and staff.
David M. Peter Creates Higher Education Search Engine
A customized version of the Google search engine entitled “Teaching and Learning in Higher Education” has been created by David M. Peter, Director of VU’s Center for Teaching and Learning.
The search engine is a useful tool for VU researchers needing to search for web sites concerning “teaching, learning and pedagogical approaches for higher education.”
Peter’s customized search engine can be accessed at http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=013452672816018570549%3Aumkec8r-5rg
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