© 2012 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
The Lobby (second floor commons) would be much better if there were some paintings or something on the walls.
We are planning to put back the painting that was taken down for the new paint job we just had done. We are also going to hang some prints on the wall by the new enclosed marble staircase. Unless the paintings and prints are within visible site of public service points, they get stolen as we have experienced from the past.
Don Kenney, Associate Dean for the Libraries
Please purchase -- So long and thanks for the fish, by Douglas Adams. It is the only book missing from the series.
I have ordered it.
Connie Stovall, College Librarian for Humanities and Social Sciences
New furniture in the newly painted lobby area would improve the atmosphere.
I am sorry to say that we do not have funding right now to purchase new furniture.
Don Kenney, Associate Dean for the Libraries
Classical music played over some kind of PA system would make the Library more conducive to learning and general brain enhancement.
Two things, first, we do not have PA system. Second, while some people might enjoy music, I suspect a number of people would object.
Don Kenney, Associate Dean for the Libraries
I like the brown walls on the second floor.
Thank you for your comment. We are very pleased with the "look" brought about by the new paint in the second floor area. Glad to hear that someone else appreciates, too.
Buddy Litchfield, Reference Librarian
The TV on the 2nd floor does not belong in a Library.
Libraries nation-wide, and all over the world provide access to information in all formats - we are in the information business. It is not uncommon to find news/media services in many academic libraries nowadays. Whether to support Communication, Journalism, or other similar programs, or just for general public consumption, news is a vital part of academics. Just as libraries provide access to newspapers, print and online, they also provide access to news channels so that users can stay abreast of current events.
A Couple of Examples:
Penn State University
Rutgers University
Newman Library is piloting the service through the fall semester. We deliberately chose a slow time to begin the pilot, the feedback you provide will be used to evaluate continuance of the service. Thanks for your input.
Lesley Moyo, Director of Research and Instructional Services
It is vital that the library add Nature Chemistry to its online subscription package... and quickly...
Thanks for your suggestion. We will take it seriously and consider a subscription at our next review of new serials. But Nature is a real problem for libraries around the world. While it may seem self-evident that a research library should have all manifestations of Nature, the reality is more complex, and sadly expensive.
As you probably know, from 1869 until fairly recently, there was only Nature, occupying -- together with Science -- a unique place in the scientific literature. In the late 1990's, Nature started to spin off new titles, which now comprise three families: Nature research journals (named Nature (Name of Specialty)), Nature Protocols, and Nature Review journals. My read on their motivation for this is two-fold:
a. a very understandable sense that since they were of course rejecting many superb manuscripts, it would be wise to launch new journals for which they would be appropriate
b. greed on the part of this for-profit publisher.
For several years, we had access to Nature through VIVA, the Virtual Library of Virginia. As Nature promulgated new titles, VIVA tried to keep pace, but in 2007 they gave up. The consortium still pays for Nature proper, but we're on our own for the others.
There are already 26 research journals, and many titles in the other two categories. Our annual expenditures for Nature -- formerly zero -- have already risen to ca. $49,000 a year for the titles listed at the end of this note. We based on decisions on which titles to keep in large part on the VT usage observed during the VIVA years. At that time Nature Chemistry did not exist, but Nature Chemical Biology did, and had the second-lowest of the 21 titles to which we then had access.
I am sorry to have to add that in addition to their pricing, Nature has been an exasperating business partner, a poor communicator, and intransigent about terms. I know this not only from my work with VIVA but by the many emails I see on ICOLC, the listserv for library consortia worldwide. There's been a lot of talk in the academy about the importance of having the core journals in the hands of societies, as opposed to for-profit publishers. If one wanted an illustration of why this really matters, there would be no better case in point than the contrast between Science and Nature.
The current institutional rate for Nature Chemistry is $3,060, or over $250 per issue. It's too early to tell how well this new launch will do. But there has to be an end to this process somewhere. Thanks again for your note, and I do wish the tale were a more pleasant one.
Here are the titles we can currently afford. This list is at least as likely to shrink as it is to grow:
Paul Metz, Director of Collection Management
I love the library chat! It has saved me so many trips to the library! Good job and very good attitude by librarians on chat. The one thing Im upset about is a lot of books get stolen from the library and hope you guys can put a stamp on it and increase the library hours a little bit? Maybe dont keep the whole library open but just one floor?
Thank you for your comments about our Chat Reference. It is always nice to hear good things about our services.
Regarding the issue of missing books, I am sure we do have some loss due to theft. However, we do have a book detection system that prevents books from being taken out without being checked out properly. If you are experiencing not finding items on the shelf when you look for them, please alert the circulation staff or fill out a Library Materials Search Request form and staff will do a search for the item and notify you if it is found.
On your suggestion that we increase the Library hours, I must point out that during the regular school year we are open 102 hours a week with extended hours during exams. Many of our resources are available online 24/7. Given our finite budget we must balance expenditures for services, collections, and physical facilities. Our hours are comparable to many other research libraries our size. Additionally, the extended hours we stay open during exams seems to be adequate, given the number of students still in the Library at closing time.
Thank you for your comments.
Buddy Litchfield, Reference Librarian
Will the Library computers be updating to Word 2008 anytime soon? That would be much more convenient.
Yes, we are planning on replacing all of our public computers in the next few weeks. They will have Word 2007 installed as part of the upgrade.
Buddy Litchfield, Reference Librarian
FYI: the link for NetLibrary DjVu link does not work. Or at least it did not work for me.
netLibrary supplies ebooks in two formats: PDF and DjVu. For DjVu ebooks, they provide a link to download the browser plugin required to view this format--but the site they point to has not existed for months. I reported this problem through the netLibrary site and received assurance from OCLC (the company that owns netLibrary) that the link would be updated. Clearly this has not happened.
The library's netLibrary info page has a link to a live site for downloading DjVu plugins.
I have contacted OCLC again and asked why they did not follow through on their promised fix. Hopefully they will be more responsive this time.
Robert Sebek, Webmaster, University Libraries
Let us know how we're doing. This is your library, how can we serve you better? We'd like your input to help make the library a better resource by shaping the collections, resources, services, and any other areas of the library to better fit your needs. Here are ways you can let us know what you think:
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© 2012 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University