One Half Million Books!

The Franklin & Marshall College Library adds 10,000 to 12,000 books to the collections each year. The Library has been developing its fine resources since the first documented library collection of 136 books was bequeathed to Franklin College in 1821 by William Reichenbach, Professor of Mathematics from 1787-1821. The collection has grown by leaps and bounds - 50,000 volumes in 1928, 100,000 in 1944, 200,000 in 1969, 300,000 in the mid-80s, 400,000 in 1996, and NOW ... One Half Million volumes in 2007.

It just so happens that the celebrated book is Reading Greek Vases by our Provost & Dean of Faculty, Ann Steiner. Imagine the odds!

CLICK HERE to follow the route our 500,000th volume took, from ordering to acquisition to cataloging to circulation before it could be checked out and enjoyed by our patrons.

- Andy

Things you MUST know (like DUH!!):

You can check out a book for 4 weeks at a time.

You can renew your book ONLINE…so easy….
1) Go to MY ACCOUNT in the library catalog
2) Choose “renew my materials”
3) Enter your FandM ID barcode for user ID, and the last four digits of your SS# for the PIN.
4) Check-mark the items you want to renew

You can check out up to 50 books at one time!

Books on reserve can only be checked out for two hours at a time.

You CANNOT check out reference books.

- Roshni

DID you KNOW?

Hello!

My name is Roshni. I blackmailed Andy (yes, the “Ask Andy” cartoon boy is real but I’m not quite sure if the black cape gives him flying powers…) to get the password for this blog so I can tell you more about this library. We have access to some amazing resources! I am a senior and I regret not making the best of what this library provides.

DID you KNOW?

….IF you don’t find the book you’re looking for here, you can check E-Z borrow or Interlibrary loan. I’ve never had to wait more than 10 days for the book to arrive.

…The library website has a “How To CITE” link. Helpful hints on MLA, APA and CHICAGO style. GO NO FURTHER….you’ve got the information you need right here.

…The COMPUTER ROOM on the second floor is open until 11:45pm from Mondays to Thursdays. Not quite 24/7….BUT GOOD ENOUGH!

…You can make an appointment with a librarian and learn about effective search strategies (print and online resources) for your research papers.

- Roshni

5 random pictures

On the walk to work, enjoying the first significant snow of the season.



Life Sciences roof holds up quite well under the snowy burden.



These bikes haven't moved in months, and aren't budging now.



Quiet moment over the steam vents.



Ben is undaunted.



Yet, there is still swimming.

- Andy

Tips & tricks

Just a few tips that might make your visit to the Library more worthwhile...

- Stop by the Ask Me desk or Circ desk if you're not sure where to find a book in the Library.
- Electronic Resources: By Subject and Class Guides are good places to start if you're not sure which resources to use.
- Visit the Ask Me desk with any questions regarding GoPrint.
- The second and third levels in Shad-Fack are still quiet study areas.
- You can reserve the first and third level study rooms. See the Circ desk for details
- On the non-Classroom computers (Shad-Fack), the Temporary folders will be emptied weekly, so be sure to move files you wish to retain into your eDisk space.

AND

- If you have any questions or would like to make an appointment with a research expert, you can always Ask Andy, or Meet with a Librarian

- Andy

24/7 pictures

More pictures can be found here here!

- Andy

It's been a while...

... a lot can change in a month, a week, an hour. Mediocre research can become stellar research in a matter of minutes. Now that Shad-Fack is open 24 HOURS, you can visit us anytime, and discover new and better ways rescue research papers. Stop by the Ask Me desk before you reach for that dreaded Wicked-Pedia!

- Andy

Peace of Mind

With all the possible resources, it can be hard to know if you've found ALL of the good stuff. Reaching a level of contentment with a research topic can seem elusive. It may not be possible to find EVERYTHING, but librarians can get you mighty close! Make an appointment with a librarian. We can help you find good print and online resources, and possibly provide some peace of mind.

A Room of One's Own

Many students have told us that the Library could use more group study rooms, and we are happy to tell you that two have been added to the back of the first floor. Both rooms have a large study table, six chairs, overhead lighting, a white board and vintage College photos on the wall.

You can reserve the new rooms (and the 3rd level rooms), and borrow markers and erasers for the white board at the Circulation desk. Enjoy!

Library ... Unplugged!

The plugs have been pulled; the campus is dark. Yet, a light still shines on the Library website! Be sure to check Frequently Asked Questions to learn how to connect to Library resources when off campus. Also, Ask Andy will be available if you have any basic research questions.

Now, if you're all caught up on your classwork, go out and enjoy those autumn leaves!

Sounds of Silence, pt. 2

As you may already know, the 2nd and 3rd levels in Shadek-Fackenthal are quiet study floors. What's interesting is that the entire Library seems to have gone silent, to the point where students are a bit concerned that they are being too loud on the Ground, First and Mezzanine levels. Best bet is to use your best judgment. If you are on the first 3 levels, and if conditions allow, feel free to talk (using library voices of course!). You can also reserve any of our the group study rooms - 4 rooms on the first level, and 3 on the third - at the Circulation Desk.

What's up .DOC?

There have been some problems viewing/editing/printing files on Library computers. Sometimes it's a network issue, but many times there are problems with the way files are handled. This is most noticeable with Word, since most files are .DOCS. Here are a few tips...

- always move files using eDisk or a memory stick, NOT webmail
- be sure files have the proper extension (Word - .doc, Excel - .xls, Powerpoint - .ppt)
- keep file names to eight characters or less, with no spaces or strange punctuation

This term, networking might be a bit faster and opening Word files may be a bit speedier, but give yourself plenty of time to launch and print files. While the Library staff can be magical, we may not be able to perform every miracle in those 5 minutes before class.

5 random pictures

An irregular feature of random Library and College pictures, all taken on the same day.

Setting Summer Sun

Shorter days and cooler mornings can only mean one thing, the start of another Fall term. So much has happened at F&M over the summer, its hard to know where to begin - new tennis courts, lots of interesting digging in front of North Ben, and an almost full roof on the Life Sciences building. If you're a returning student, take a trip over the rusty Armstrong bridge and take a look at College Row.

For new students, the best, first view of campus would be the Library! After you've moved in, stop over with your roommate and we'll give you the grand tour. Oh, and don't tell anyone, but coffee from Jazzman's, sipped while sitting out on Manning Green (front of Library) can be quite pleasant.

(click on picture for larger view of sunset, Berkshires)

*NEW* Library resources

The ARTstor Library's
initial content includes approximately 500,000 images and its software tools support a wide range of pedagogical and research uses.

American Broadsides and Ephemera
Fully searchable facsimile images of approx 15,000 broadsides (political materials) printed 1820-1900 and 15,000 pieces of ephemera printed 1760-1900.

Early American Newspapers
Fully searchable, cover-to-cover reproductions of more than one million pages from more than 650 historical American newspapers, covering titles published 1690-1876.

Clase and Periodica
CLASE indexes documents published in Latin American journals specializing in the social sciences and humanities. PERIODICA covers journals specializing in science and technology.

Westlaw, Campus Research
Includes superior law-related resources, including both primary law and analysis plus news databases arranged topically and geographically. Agree to "Terms of Use" to start search.

XReferPlus -
Digital reference library containing 100 high quality reference books from leading publishers: dictionaries, thesauri, encyclopedias, quotation books, and subject-specific titles.

24 hour power

The angst, the stress, the glory, and THE PICTURES from this term's Shadek-Fackenthal "24/7" extravaganza.

Drive safely, have a great summer, and please ... GET SOME SLEEP!

Word of wisdom

That's right, only one word, and that's....

SAVE

your work! Computers can crash, and eDisk can take a hiatus - and at the worst possible time. With MS Office applications, you can go to Preferences and establish Autorecover, but the best possible strategy is to SAVE CONSTANTLY. Also, its a good idea to periodically restart your computer, and re-establish your eDisk connection.

The campus-wide issue with slow launching Word/Excel/Powerpoint will persist through the end of the term. After many minutes, these applications will open, and will work fine, so be patient.

Please see the ASK ME desk if you are stuck with any computing or research concerns.

It's all about image!

There has been tremendous growth in the number of quality image resources, and an increased interdisciplinary demand for images in research.

Please review this fine resource for library-supported and open-web image resources.

Consult with our Visual Resources Librarian Louise Kulp if you have questions about finding or using digital images.

Friends of the Library Event

(click on pic for larger view)

On April 6, Kathleen Spencer, Adjunct Classics professor and College Librarian Emerita, gave a wonderful talk on the guidebooks of Rome. The packed audience, including students from the most recent class trip, learned about the city's history, architecture, religious and political machinations, all through the various guises of guidebooks from 300 A.D. to present day.

And, as only Kathy could say, "Roma, non basta una vita" or "Rome, a lifetime is not enough!"

A few questions with ... Shauna Lehman

Just a few questions with our super-star, senior, library student assistant ... Shauna!

1. What's your year, major and hometown?
I'm a senior, a Business Admin and Astronomy double major, and I'm from the small town of Orwigsburg, PA.

2. How long have you worked at the library?
I have worked at the library for 4 years.

3. What do you enjoy about working at the library?
The staff!! The staff here really is excellent. They're so down-to-earth and willing to help however they can - and fun!

4. What was the last book that you read just for pleasure?
"Undead and Unwed" by Mary Janice Davidson.

5. If you were to write a book, what would its title be?
"Noncommital - The Difficulties of Wanting It All"