Author Archives: Library

Check out a Kindle Paperwhite!

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Vassar College Libraries now has five circulating Kindle Paperwhites available for check out to Vassar students, faculty, and staff at the Main Circulation Desk.  In addition to the many books we have in the Browsing Collection, we wanted to experiment with providing some of the same titles, along with additional leisure-reading selections, using e-reader technology.  If you don’t have an e-reader device, we thought you might be interested in discovering what it’s like to read a book using one. Below are some questions you might have about the Kindles and how you can get one.

 

What titles are available on the Kindles? Can I select titles?

You can see the titles currently available here

Can I request titles to be added to the Kindles?

If you have suggestions for titles, please email Deb Bucher.

How do I check out a kindle?IMG_2302

Check in the catalog by searching “Kindle Paperwhite” as title. There are 5 Kindles.  If one is available, just go to the Main Library circulation desk, ask, and you shall receive! If none are available, you can place one on hold or re-call one.

How long can I keep the Kindle?

You can have it for 3 weeks! Isn’t that awesome? Yes, it is awesome. The Libraries are awesome, haven’t you heard??

I have an e-reader! Can these titles be downloaded to my kindle?

Unfortunately, they can’t due to the licensing restrictions.

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Can I take the Kindle out of the Library?

Yes, indeedy! We will circulate the Kindle in a case with a cord and a charger so you can continue to read the Kindle for your entire 3 week period. However, you MUST return the Kindle with the cord and the charger or others won’t be able to use them.

Why the Kindle Paperwhite?

This pilot project is limited to Kindle Paperwhites. In the future, we may offer additional e-readers.

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Kindle Paperwhite User Tips!!

1. There is only one button on the Kindle Paperwhite located at the bottom of the kindle. Press this button to turn the kindle on.

2. Tap the top left of the Kindle screen to bring up a “house” icon- this opens up the kindle and shows all the titles on the device. You can browse titles by titles or author from here.

For more help with the Kindle go to Kindle Users’ Guide 

Please give us feedback at researchhelp@vassar.edu about your experience and about the selections!

So what do librarians do in the summer?

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So what do librarians do in the summer?
Librarians are busy working in the Vassar College Libraries during the summer on projects that improve the collections and allow users to use resources in new ways when they return in the fall.

But we also go to conferences, big conferences, like the American Library Association annual conference which brought 26,000 librarians to Chicago June 28th-July 2nd.  And no, a parade of jubilant hockey fans does not stop librarians from attending a conference.

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So what does 26,000 librarians at a conference look like?

Pictures from ALA 2013…

Rahm Emanuel, Temple Grandin, Oliver Stone, Ann Patchett, Khaled Hosseini and many others spoke to audiences at ALA. In addition, there were sessions on banned books, library resources for teens, usage of e-books compared to print titles, hybrid records in library catalogs, next generation library technology, and much, much more.  ALA is known for the mix of librarians from public libraries, academic libraries and special libraries. Most of the sessions I attended were on changes to cataloging guidelines, potentially paint drying like for non-catalogers, but interesting for those of us who work with these rules.  At ALA it can be exciting to chat with librarians from all over the country who do the same things we do, or have very different work responsibilities.

However, I am a little regretful that while I attended serious sessions I missed this.

 

Insider Tips for Finding Books on the Shelf

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Hello, Library Users! Have you ever had trouble locating a book on the shelf in the library? Below are some common problems and tips for resolving them.

1)   Pay close attention to the catalog record for the book and note the location, call number, and status. Take a look at the example below:

cat rec

See how the location says Main? That’s important. That means the book is in the Main Library and not in the Music Library, for example (which is clear across campus). There are lots of different locations for library materials so make sure you are looking in the right place. Not sure about a location? Check out this guide to locations for more information.

2)   If the status of the book indicates it is Available but you still don’t see it on the shelf, ask a librarian for help (librarians have a lot of practice finding missing books), or fill out the missing book form to report that the book is not where it should be.

3)   If the status of the book indicates that it is Recently Returned then that’s a clue that the book might still be in the process of getting back to its proper home on the shelf. The best place to check is the sorting area on the lower level of the library in room 60 (here’s a map). You are free to go down to the sorting area and look for the book you need. (The librarians use this strategy all the time and often find books this way — so now you are in the know!)