Since the Circulation Desk moved to the second floor, we have recognized that immediate assistance in the microforms area that used to be next to the desk was lacking. A phone has now been installed near the microform reader/printers that connects directly to the Business, Humanities and Social Sciences (BHSS) Reference Desk on the second floor. Anyone needing assistance in the microforms area is encouraged to pick up the phone and ask for help. Someone can come down to microforms and give assistance with finding materials or with the reader/printer machines

LibraryThing for Libraries (LTFL) is an enhancement to Addison, that adds news ways of linking to books in the catalog. LTFL is currently on trial; feedback on these enhancements is requested.

The Writing Center operates a satellite service call Night OWL Sunday through Tuesday evenings from 7:00-9:00pm on the second floor of Newman Library outside room 2005.

Addison, the library catalog, now suggests alternate spellings when your keyword search terms find no matches.

The first floor entrance/exit for Newman Library is now closed. Patrons should use the second floor entrance, located near the corner of Alumni Mall and Drillfield Drive. Patrons can also continue to enter Newman through the Torgersen Bridge.

Many changes have occurred in the University Libraries since the end of the spring semester. Here is a rundown of what is new:

Addison, the library catalog, has a new look today, along with several new features. You may need to clear your browser's cache (or refresh the screen a couple of times) to ensure you have the latest versions of Addison's files. Your feedback on these changes is greatly appreciated.

As soon as you enter the Art + Architecture Library, now located on the first floor of Cowgill Hall, you will see a spectacular new addition to the library space. Tim Castine, a member of the School of Architecture + Design who works out of the Burchard Shop, has designed and hand crafted a beautiful but very practical circulation desk.

The Art + Architecture branch has reopened in 100 Cowgill Hall.

The Circulation Desk in Newman Library has been relocated to the second floor near the soon-to-be-opened doors at the corner of DrillField Drive and Alumni Mall. Reserve materials, videos, DVDs, and CDs have also moved and can be checked out from the new location.

We now have a greatly expanded collection of Safari Books Online ebooks. Previously, our subscription included about 900 ebooks. VIVA, the Virtual Library of Virginia, is now providing complete access to Safari titles: over 5800 ebooks are now available to Virginia Tech users.

Oxford Music Online is a new gateway that offers users the ability to access and cross-search several works, including: Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Oxford Companion to Music, and Oxford Dictionary of Music (Second Edition Revised). Sources can be searched independently or together.

Beginning Monday, 19 May 2008, the library will split its reference function into two components: Science & Technology; and Business, Humanities & Social Sciences.

Here are the top 20 circulating books in Newman Library (that are not on Reserve):

Newman Library has a collection of over a thousand DVDs, including educational as well as popular titles. Here are the top 20 circulating DVDs since July 2007:

Newman Library has a collection of over a thousand music CDs, including classical, jazz, and rock music. Here are the top 20 circulating music CDs since July 2007:

The Government Documents Collection has moved to the first floor in the area between the Interlibrary Loan and Shelving offices. All DOCS call numbers except Census items are now available on the first floor between microforms and interlibrary loan.

Three exhibitions will feature materials from the Virginia Tech April 16, 2007, Prevail Archives of the University Libraries.

JSTOR  is an archive of high-resolution, scanned images of journal issues and pages as they were originally designed, printed, and illustrated. With the new interface introduced on April 4, 2008, JSTOR offers new ways of searching and browsing its contents.

Current issues of newspapers have moved from the fourth floor to the second floor near the reference collection.

In conjunction with Graduate Education Week, the University Libraries is sponsoring a Grand Opening of the Graduate Study Lounge in room 416 Newman Library. The celebration of the new space will begin at 3:00pm on Tuesday, March 25, 2008, inside the Lounge. Dean of the Libraries Eileen Hitchingham and President of the Graduate Student Assembly Joseph McFadden will speak briefly. Refreshments will be served.

New walls are being built on the second floor near the C and D call number ranges and opposite the Newman Classroom. Noise is likely to be heard at the tables near the reference collection. Please take advantage of the quiet floors (3 and 5) if this is disruptive. Tables from this space have been moved around the reference collection.

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  BuildingGreen Suite includes online versions of GreenSpec, Environmental Building News, and a database of more than 160 high-performance building case studies. This information is searchable and cross-referenced by CSI MasterFormat division, LEED credit, or green building topic.

We thank faculty authors for submitting their monograph publications to the University Libraries. These publications have been procured or are in the process of being procured. To highlight the significance of faculty publications as a contribution to scholarship at Virginia Tech, The University Libraries, in partnership with the Provost's Office and the Office of the Vice President for Research hosts an annual Faculty Authors Recognition event. Everyone is cordially invited to participate in this years event, scheduled for 4:30 PM on Thursday, February 28, 2008, on the second floor of Newman Library. There will be an exhibit of available publications (some are already out on loan to library users).

Musica Viva presents The Cassatt String Quartet in the Marilyn Norstedt Memorial Concert, Saturday, January 26, 2008, at 7:30 pm in Squires Student Center's Recital Salon. Tickets can be purchased at the Squires Ticket Office.

The University Libraries subscribe to two databases offered by Thomson Reuters (formerly produced by ISI, the Institute for Scientific Information) that can play an important role in assessing the scientific and scholarly influence of article authors and of specific journals. With proper searching and informed interpretation of results, each of these products provides data which can contribute to responsible and appropriate evaluation in the promotion and tenure process.