Announcements

Shifting of stacks will cause some disruptions in Newman

Sun, 19 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

We will be moving a large portion of Newman Library's collections this summer. While the stacks are in flux, we recommend you use the Request button in Addison to have us retrieve materials in the affected sections to save you time and trouble. We'll locate the item and hold it for you at the second floor circulation desk. If you need an article from a print journal or conference proceeding in the affected sections, use our new Desktop Delivery service and we'll scan the article for you.

The numerous book carts and assembling of shelving will be noisy. Groups should plan on working in the Learning Commons space on the second floor or anywhere on the fourth floor. If you are looking for a quiet space, we recommend the fifth floor during May and June, and the third floor in July and August. We hope to complete all of this shifting before the fall semester begins.

Remember to turn in items before leaving town

Fri, 03 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Remember to turn in any items checked on on your account (library or Interlibrary Loan books, DVDs, videos, or CDs) before you leave town for the summer. Often students forget to turn in items, and then accumulate fines for overdue fees or for recalled books. Check your library account online to see if there are any library items checked out to you. Check your Interlibrary Loan account for ILL items as well.

Library access after graduation

Tue, 14 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Congratulations to all of our graduates. We frequently get questions about what happens to library access after graduation.

Top 20 searched databases

Mon, 13 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

We greatly improved our database search last fall. In addition to finding databases by their titles, we added the ability to search against words in their descriptions, making finding databases to use for various research topics easier when you did not know one to start with. Here's our top searched databases this academic year:

Please provide feedback on Summon database

Tue, 07 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Start the survey here

The libraries are constantly seeking to improve how the Summon database works: how search results are returned and displayed, how facets can limit and focus the number of results, and how results are linked to full text. Previous feedback has directly influenced changes in all of these areas. We are seeking additional feedback to continue this progress. Please take a few minutes to complete a brief survey on how you use Summon.

New materials for April 2012 posted

Wed, 01 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

New materials lists for items cataloged in April 2013, have been posted.

Renew checked out books online

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

As we approach the end of the semester, you may find you still need to use books you have checked out of the Virginia Tech libraries or books you've received from other libraries through interlibrary loan that are nearing their due dates. You can renew most checked out material online; some material cannot be renewed (Popular Reading books, bound journals, and DVDs cannot be renewed, but you can bring them to the circulation desk to be checked in and out again).

Free webinars provide tutorials on databases

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

The University Libraries subscribe to numerous databases that provide free webinars on using their search interfaces. These webinars can help you become a more efficient searcher or learn about new features of the database. See our list of upcoming webinars you can register for and view from the comfort of your own desk.

VIVA's STEM-H ebook initiative provides access to hundred of new publications

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 04:00:00 -0400

VIVA, the Virtual Library of Virginia, received funds through the Virginia General Assembly for the purchase of STEM-H (scientific, technical, engineering, mathematics, and health) ebooks. Several packages from two major publishers (Springer and Elsevier) have been obtained. All ebooks published in 2013 in these packages will be added to our collection (currently that includes over 600 ebooks).

Information on using ebooks and e-readers like Kindles and Nooks

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0400

None of our ebooks require using an e-reader device like a Kindle or Nook; at a minimum these ebooks can be read through your web browser. However, using ebooks on such a device or corresponding app on an iPad or Android tablet allows using their features, including bookmarking, zooming, and adding annotations.

Downloading ebooks may require additional software or creating an account

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0400

All of our ebook packages allow you to read their ebooks while you are online through your web browser; no special device like a Kindle is required. Downloading these ebooks so you can read them offline, however, may require additional steps on your part. Most of our ebook providers supply their ebooks as PDFs (often one PDF per chapter). You can download these PDFs just like downloading an online article. You can then keep and use the PDF forever. We purchase ebooks from these providers whenever possible. Not all ebooks work this easily.

Start searches for ebooks in Summon (ebook records are being removed from Addison)

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0400

The number of ebooks available through the Virginia Tech Libraries has increased exponentially in the last year, to over half a million. Our new E-preferred monograph acquisitions (ebook) policy means that the majority of our book purchases are the online version. The list of titles available to us as ebooks fluctuates every day; publishers' changing title lists and changing platforms means frequent updates to these lists. As a result of these frequent changes, we are no longer including records for these ebooks in Addison, the library catalog. We recommend searches for ebooks (and books and much more) begin in Summon . Summon includes records for almost all of the ebooks available to us through purchased packages, subscription packages, full-text databases, and open access/freely accessible ebooks, plus records for all of our print books, videos, and more from the library catalog. This one-stop database is the most comprehensive source of ebook (and book!) records.