The second half of the semester brings term papers and other long term assignments requiring additional research.  Let Vassar’s research librarians help you!

Navigating the library and its resources is complex, but learning sophisticated research skills and proficiency in specialized databases and other tools is a valuable opportunity Vassar students should take full advantage of. No question is small or silly or too obscure. Librarians welcome them all!

There is a research librarian “on call” Mondays-Thursdays 8:30am-6:00pm, Fridays 8:30am-5:00pm and Sundays 6:00pm-9:00pm.  That means that during those hours one of us is available to work with you on a moment’s notice.  The ask a librarian page of the library website includes all the contact options we provide – phone, email, text, chat – or you can just stop by the front Circulation Desk and the staff there will contact the librarian for you.

In addition to our walk-up on call service, you can schedule a research consultation to meet with the librarian liaison specific to the department or program in which you are working.  Submit the research consultation form linked under the “schedule a meeting” heading on the ask a librarian page and your librarian liaison will email you to set up an appointment. These consultations are great for term paper research because your librarian has time to think and prepare specific for your topic.

Keep calm and ask a librarian!

It’s October break already?! A week off from regularly schedule classes is a great opportunity to focus on doing some research for term papers and other end of semester assignments, and your Research Librarians are available to help!

With the exception of Friday October 11,  the library will be open regular hours over break (see the HOURS link on the library home page). However, please note that the after-hours study space will be closed. Research librarians will be on call weekdays 8:30-5:00 as well as 6-9 Sunday 10/20. We’re also available via email, phone, chat and text – see the Ask a Librarian page for how to get in touch with us.

If you’re going away for break but need to use the library’s electronic resources, you’ll need to log into the campus network via the Off-Campus Access link on the lower right side of the library’s home page. [Note: the link will only work if you’re actually off campus!]

The only exception is Refworks – if you want to use it from off-campus, you’ll need to put in the Group Code RWVassar, then your username and password.

If you’re looking for some light reading over break, consider checking out one of the library’s circulating kindles which are loaded with almost 100 best-selling and prize winning books.

The Libraries are proud to announce that our users can now access the online catalog from their smartphones. Our tech gurus have developed a site that’s much more phone-friendly and will allow you to answer a number of library-related questions on the go just by bookmarking this site: http://vaslibmobile.vassar.edu/. If you REALLY love the library, you could even make it your phone’s home page! Below are just a couple of the queries you could query for immediate satisfaction.

Query: Does the library have a copy of Dave Egger’s Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius?

Answer: Why, yes! And it’s available!

How about something more personal, like: I think I have a few books that are waaaay overdue. I wonder if I can renew using my phone.

Answer: Yes, indeed! Just click on the “My Account” button, log in using either your email i.d. or your barcode, and voila!

Of course, this site doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of our full online catalog or our homepage, but it will get you some quick answers when you’re out and about or even just wandering through the stacks wondering if you have the right call number. So, bookmark it today and enjoy!