New IRC web presence?

One of the questions we always ask in the IRC is how we can connect the life of the academic community and the local church. One small way we do that is through our publishers page that gives a brief description of the background of publishers/distributors of Christian education curricula. That page has more hits on it than any other IRC page, leading me to think it might be helpful to those inside and outside this school.

As we begin to look at the IRC portion of our website this summer, I'd love to know what you might like to see there. Curriculum reviews by students, pastors and educators? Children's book reviews that might help with sermon illustrations? Actual curriculum material designed by students at Union-PSCE.

If you've got ideas, please post them here or send them to me at aknox@union-psce.edu.

Ann

Summer Hours

Summer hours will begin next Monday, June 1 - July 1...

Monday - Thursday: 8:30am - 9:00pm
Friday: 8:30am - 6:30pm
Saturday: 8:30am - 7:00pm
Sunday: Closed

Please view our hours online for abbreviated hours during holiday weekends and summer school session.

Rachel

New Full-Text Journals in ATLAS

We'd like you to know about several journals that have been added to ATLAS, the full-text set of the online ATLA Religion Database. These new titles are :

• The very useful journal Congregations, published by the Alban Institute
• Three titles by Equinox -- Comparative Islamic Studies, Fieldwork in Religion, and Reformation

Clearly, these will be welcome additions to the ATLAS collection. You can access them now through the ATLA-RDB or through ATLAS for Alumni/ae.

A complete ATLAS titles list (showing coverage details for all full-text sources) is available HERE.

Paula

New Library Lab to Enhance Teaching and Learning

There is a new multimedia creation lab in the library, designed to help students and faculty develop multimedia to assist in teaching and learning activities. Located on the south end of the first floor in the Reference Room, it holds a large bed scanner, several computers with digital imaging and video creation software, audio editing software and some specialized software titles. In addition, we have a video camera and a digital still camera that can be used by students or faculty members who are working in the lab. Already, we've had students working on projects for archives and for the Sprunt Lectures events, and Cindy Kissel-Ito's May term class on Teaching the Bible has students actively using the lab to create materials for their teaching sessions.

Please bear with us as we get up to speed on all the software capabilities. We hope to begin offering training sessions on lab equipment and software in the fall.

Ann

Call Numbers

Recently several patrons have asked us for help to understand how to read call numbers when locating a book (especially the lengthy 6 or 7 tiered call numbers in the Karl Barth section!). There are 3 methods that we use to identify the proper shelving order ...

*Call numbers are shelved in alphabetical order

*Numbers before letters: look at the 3rd line of these call numbers

GW
28
1975

comes before

GW
28
IND

*Nothing before something: look at the 3rd line

GW
28

comes before

GW
28
1957

I hope these methods will help you navigate the call number system. Let us know if we can help.

Rachel

Where is the Reference Librarian?

Some of you may have come to the Reference Room in the past week or so, looking for help with your research. But you didn't find the Reference Librarian!

I had foot surgery on May 8th, and my foot is still healing. The doctor wants me to stay at home until May 26th. I do apologize for being unavailable to you! If I can help you by email, please feel free to contact me at pskreslet@union-psce.edu.

Paula

Thank you!

I've always felt that the Instructional Resource Center is a unique place where the intersection of theological education and life of the local church is very clear. The collection here is used by faculty members to enhance their teaching, and to give students a chance to work with material they are likely to see and use when they are in local church settings.

At the end of May, the school is saying goodbye to four faculty members who will be finishing their service here. They have been our colleagues in the IRC in every sense of the word. They have challenged us to find the best material to use in their teaching; they have used the collection to teach their students evaluative skills that will be invaluable in their future ministry; they have exposed students to the rich depth of the teaching ministry of the church; they have engaged the IRC staff in conversations about teaching and learning and have shared their own ideas about areas important to their particular fields of interest that have enabled us to try and be more responsive to their needs. They have seen the Library as a partner in their service and that parnership has enriched, we hope, the teaching ministry of the church.

The IRC staff wants to say thank you to Fernando Cascante, Gwen Hawley, Henry Simmons and Jane Vann for their wonderful contributions to Union-PSCE, and for the way they have supported our work and always challenged us to do our best. We will miss you!

Ann

Upcoming Graduates!

Congratulations to our upcoming Union-PSCE and BTSR graduates! Please be sure to stop by the Circulation desk to check your Library account for overdue books and fines. Your account must be cleared before graduation.

Also, we need to update your contact information to ensure you continue to receive email reminder notices.

Rachel

Access Gates

The two Library access gates will be unlocked Wednesday - Friday this week during the Sprunt Lectures. This will enable patrons to enter the Library without using your access card.

Also, the Library will have abbreviated hours this weekend...

Friday, May 8: 8:00am - 5:00pm
Saturday, May 9: 8:00am - 1:00pm


Rachel

We Hate Goodbyes...

...but we certainly are saying a lot of those these days! As the school year comes to an end, we want to celebrate the accomplishments of those that are graduating and remind you that you can continue to use the Library when you leave Richmond. If you are leaving Richmond, check out the information about our extension services. You'll want to stop by the Circulation Desk or come see us in the IRC before you graduate to make sure we change your patron status to one that allows the longer circulation time for mailing material to you.

We are also saying goodbye to Norma Calvo-Cascante. Norma has worked in the IRC for three years and is returning to Costa Rica next week. It is Norma you can thank for the detailed curriculum cataloging, for getting our recently converted compact discs on the shelves quickly, for being such a help to our extension patrons, for keeping me organized, and for serving all of you with great competence and grace. I hope you can stop by the IRC before Norma's last day on May 12 and thank her for all she has done to support the mission of this Library.

Ann