Holiday closing

Friday 21 December will be our last open day of this year.  We will be closed during the Christmas and New Year holidays, and open again on 3 January 2013.

We extend to everyone our best wishes for a blessed Christmas and a happy New Near.

Paula

Extended hours this weekend

We will be extending hours this weekend to help those who are finishing term papers or studying for exams.  On Friday night, we'll stay open till 10:00 pm, and on Saturday night until 8:00 pm.

Many thanks to the faithful Library workers who are providing this extra service.

Paula

Repair work and access to the building

Major repairs are under way (starting Wednesday) to the fan assembly at the top of the tower above the main entrance.  These repairs will have four likely impacts on our users :

1)  The chiller will be turned off during this work, so it could get uncomfortably warm inside the building.  Wear some light clothes in layers so you won't be too warmly dressed.  It will be especially warm on the third floor and in some enclosed areas (such as the Microforms Room).

2)  There will be times when the front entrance will be blocked with caution tape and cones.  Please use the side door at the loading dock when the front door is not accessible.  The area surrounding the crane, including the walkway from Melrose Ave, Thomson Hall and Moore Hall will also be closed.

3)  While the front door is blocked, there will be Circulation staff at the side door to check your Library card and inspect bookbags and briefcases.  Please cooperate with these folks!

4)  The work may get noisy at times.  We apologize for any distraction or unpleasantness.

Physical Plant tells us that this work may take 3-7 days.  Apparently the weather is a factor, and they also may encounter unexpected problems with the installation.  We ask you to have patience, but please know that you are welcome inside the building and our hours should be unchanged during this period.

Paula

Computer lab printer

I am happy to share that we now have a new printer in the computer lab! Each workstation monitor is labeled with its individual username and password. The printing instructions are on the table next to the printer. The printer uses the same copy card used on our other printers. Let us know if you have any questions.

I want to give a big 'thank you' to Solita Green in our IT department for making this happen. THANK YOU, Solita!

Rachel

Holiday hours at the Morton Library

Beginning Nov 16 (Friday), there will be changes to our open hours at the Morton Library.  Look for early closings and closed days during the Thanksgiving weekend.

For details, please click HERE.

Paula

Special page of the David Roberts book

Don't miss this week's page in the amazing book on display in the Library.  It's a full-page lithograph of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, dated 1839, and it's especially detailed and wonderful.

For a description of the work of David Roberts and this extraordinary book, please click HERE.

Paula

We're Back Up...

Good morning!  We had the Library catalog back up and running a little before 8 this morning and things seem to be working fine.  Thanks for bearing with us while we took a few extra precautions during the storm.  It is much easier to restore the catalog when we have had the chance to do an orderly shutdown first.  Power outages don't usually afford us this opportunity, so it was good to have some advance notice that we would not be open in order to prepare.  As it turns out, we didn't need to shut down, but it seemed the best thing to do given the power outages of the last year and the storm predictions!

We have one remaining function of our catalog that will not be totally up and running until tomorrow.  We have some automated reports that run each morning beginning around 5 am that are ready for the staff when we come in.  These reports provide us information about such things as who has booked a DVD for that day or who has placed a request for us to purchase a book via our PDA process.   They also let us know who has placed holds on items on a particular day.  Because those reports couldn't run Monday morning or today, there may be information that we are missing related to requests.

These reports should run fully in the morning and we will be able to catch up then on anything we missed.  So we apologize for any delay in responding to requests you may have placed on Sunday, but we will get to those as soon as we can tomorrow.  (There could be no requests placed on Monday because the server was down.) 

Thanks for your continued patience!

Ann Knox
Instructional Resource Center

Library Catalog Down During Hurricane Sandy

With the notice this evening that the Richmond campus will be closed tomorrow, Oct. 29, we have decided to bring down the library servers that host the catalog in order to avoid any potential problems due to power outages that Sandy may decide to bring along in her wake!  As long as the campus has power, the Library website and databases can still be reached.

This outage will impact the Charlotte campus as well .  We will bring the servers back up and restore access to the catalog as soon as the Library reopens.  We are sorry for this inconvenience but our past experience with our many power outages this past year makes us think this is a good thing to do.

We'll post on Facebook and on this blog as soon as we are back up.

Ann

Scheduled server maintenance

We will be conducting the monthly full backup of our Library catalog this weekend.  That means our catalog will be offline from approximately 11:00 pm Saturday through 7:00 am Sunday.

Only the catalog will be affected by this ... our Library website, online databases and e-journals should still be accessible during this period.

Paula

Beautiful books on display

David Roberts was a Scottish painter who introduced the Holy Land to British viewers in the early-to-mid nineteenth century.

His meticulous drawings and watercolors of romantic landscapes and people in exotic costume fascinated the public, influencing Victorian taste and aesthetic sensibility and helping to shape the character of biblical narratives in popular imagination.

He travelled throughout Egypt, Nubia, Sinai, Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon in 1838-1840, creating hundreds of sketches from life.  Upon his return to Edinburgh, he worked with lithographer Louis Haghe and the Rev. George Croly to produce beautiful oversized volumes of his images and Croly’s text.  This work was published over a span of years, 1842-49.  The expensive process of printing and binding was made possible by selling subscriptions to 400 buyers in advance, of whom Queen Victoria was the first.

The Morton Library is privileged to own first editions of Volume One,  Jerusalem and Galilee (1842), and Volume Two,  The Jordan and Bethlehem (1843).  We plan to display these volumes one at a time over the coming year, turning to a new illustration every two weeks.  Look for it in the large flat display case near the Circulation Desk.

Paula

Scheduled backup

We will be conducting the monthly full backup of our Library catalog this weekend.  That means our catalog will be offline from approximately 11:00 pm Saturday through 7:00 am Sunday.

Only the catalog will be affected by this ... our online databases and e-journals should still be accessible during this period.

Paula

Still waiting for new printer

Disappointing news on the new networked printer for the Computer Lab downstairs ... still no luck getting it to operate properly.

We're told that IT is still working on this and they hope to find another solution soon.

In the meantime, save your work to a flash drive or email it to yourself, and then use one of the Ref Room machines for printing.  Please ask for help at the Ref Desk or Circulation if you have trouble doing this.  Written instructions are placed next to each machine.

Paula

More good news on computer stuff !

We're happy to report that BibleWorks 9 is now up and running on all four of the new computers in the Reference Room!  Yaaayyyy!!

Many thanks to our excellent Systems Librarian, Leland Deeds, and the able assistance of Circulation worker TJ Remaley, who made this happen.

We are still waiting on a new networked printer for the downstairs Computer Lab, so we must still ask you to be patient with us.  But we're making progress!!

Paula

Progress on tech issues

I'm glad to report that we are making progress on some of the tech problems lingering in the Library.

We can now print PDF files on the four new machines in the Reference Room.  So if you open an article in the ATLA Religion Database and click on the print icon that appears near the top of the PDF file, a dialogue box will open asking you to enter the file name and password.

The trick here is that the dialogue  box may be hiding BEHIND the browser!!  So you may sit there for a while looking at a progress bar that never moves.  It's waiting for you to fill in the dialogue box.  But you are waiting for the box to appear, so the two of you may sit there till doomsday staring at each other.

To force the box to become visible, you can click on its icon on the menu bar across the bottom of the screen.  Or, you can minimize the browser window so you can see the smaller box behind it.

I realize that this is somewhat ridiculous, but at least it works!!

We are still trying to install BibleWorks 9 on all of the Ref Room computers, and working on another printer for the Computer Lab downstairs.  We apologize for the delay.

Paula

Technology shortcomings

Well, folks, it's confession time.  Classes have started, but our basic equipment in the Library is not yet ready.

We are still waiting for a networked printer in the Computer Lab downstairs.  And in the Reference Room, the four new computers are not yet loaded with BibleWorks 9.  They also will not print PDF files from the ATLA Religion Database.

The two older computers will give you access to BW 9.  But one of them is failing to print articles from the ATLA database, so we are down to one machine that will print PDF files, in the whole building so far as I know.

I realize that this is very frustrating, and that many of you need these services.  I have this inadequate advice to offer :

1)  Try to access the ATLA Religion Database from your own computer at home, and print any articles you are likely to need on your own printer for now.  Here is information on logging in from outside our network : http://gargoyle.upsem.edu/tutorial/welcome/ATLAS/ATLASA.html#Connect

2)  Be considerate about the two machines in the Ref Room that are running BW 9.  Try not to monopolize these machines for a long period of time -- don't use them to check your email or write a paper.  Remember that others need the software that they can use only on those two machines.

3)  Almost all of the articles in full text in the ATLA database are also in our collection the old-fashioned way, on paper.  If you go to the periodicals stacks on the lower level, east side, you can find these journals in the compact shelving alphabetized by title.  Take the volume you need upstairs and photocopy the article, and then leave the journal on the metal book truck in the Ref Room so it can be reshelved.

I do apologize for these impediments to your work.  I sincerely hope that we will soon have better news for you.

Paula

BTSR students' online access

Welcome to your library, new BTSR students!!  We're so glad you are here, and we really appreciate all of you who came to Orientation today.  I hope you got some information that will make your work a little easier.

About your network logins ... our Systems Librarian, Leland Deeds, has entered many of you into our proxy server, based on a list we were given by BTSR.  But probably a few of you were not on that list and you will find you have trouble logging in from off-campus to our online databases.

Unfortunately, poor Leland is sick today, and he can't follow up on this right now.  So if your login doesn't work, please be patient until next week, when he will do the "cleanup" on the proxy list.  It would be fine to send him an email letting him know that you need this, but please give him a few days to respond.

Thanks, everyone!!  And we apologize for the delay.

Paula

Catalog maintenance this weekend

Our Library catalog will be undergoing some scheduled maintenance on Friday and Saturday night this week, 24-26 August.

The catalog will be offline from Friday at 11:00 pm until about 7:00 am on Saturday.  Then, there will be another period from Saturday night at midnight until about 8:00 am Sunday. 

This work has been scheduled at a time when we hope it will have little impact on our users.

Paula

Lots of new equipment

While most people are off campus getting a little free time before the new academic year begins, our technology folks are very hard at work installing new computer equipment and systems.

There are new computers at the kiosk in the the Library Atrium, and four new machines in the Reference Room.  Twenty new machines are being installed in the Multimedia Classroom on the third floor, plus a new podium computer.  All of these need individual attention in order to configure them to accept our Library systems.

For now, you will discover some limitations on the new machines.  They may not yet print properly on our document server in the Microforms Room.  Some of them don't yet deliver BibleWorks 9 (an error in the software itself that we are waiting for the vendor to solve).  They may not have the right desktop icons or settings.

Please be patient while we correct all of these issues.  We hope to have everything operating well by the time Orientation for new students begins.

Paula

New computers in the Reference Room

Our friends in the IT department are in the process of replacing several of the Library computers, starting in the Atrium and the Reference Room.  There will be new CPUs at most of the stations.

This process takes time ... once the new hardware is in place, we will need to load programs like BibleWorks, and the special printer drivers we use to send print commands to the document server.  So please have patience while these many details are worked out.

Paula

Changes to the catalog and tutorials

Major changes to our online public access catalog are taking place this summer.  We began working on this some time ago, but the changes are now becoming visible to users.  There will be new links, new graphics, new navigation and several important new features.  One major change will be the inclusion of records for the library collection of our Seminary campus in Charlotte.

As we continue to work on this, you may come across things that are only partly finished.  Remember how web pages used to have a corny little "Under Construction" sign when they were being rewritten?  We're not going to bother with that, but we want you to know that "road work" will be going on through the rest of the summer.  We plan to have it all in place by mid-August.

Several workshops & training events are planned for this fall, once the Seminary is back in session. 

Paula

Unplanned outage

Well, we've had another unplanned service interruption, on Sunday, July 15th.  This one had something to do with Dominion Power working on an electrical cable on or near campus.  John Wilson and Leland Deeds wisely took our systems offline while this work was being done.

Fortunately, they seem to have finished the repairs in good time, and we were able to open this morning with our catalog and website running.  Feel free to come in and use the Library, or to connect to our resources remotely if you are an authorized user.  Do let us know if you discover any abnormalities.

We apologize for yesterday's interruption!

Paula

Server reboot

Please be aware that our catalog server is reporting a hardware fault this morning.  We will need to take it offline and reboot, then see whether a service call is necessary.

There may be interruptions to our Morton Library catalog while this work is done.

Paula

UPDATE : Service call should take place this afternoon ... so there may be further interruptions today.

Welcome, summer Hebrew folks !!

And our summer language session is under way!  A hearty welcome to all students beginning their Hebrew class.  We're happy to have you on campus!

Please remember that the Library is a cool, quiet, comfortable place to work on your vocabulary & paradigms.  Feel free to come in and get your studying done here.

Paula

Heat wave

Yes, we're having a heat wave ... and some of us still have no electricity in our homes.

But it's nice and cool here in the Library!  Come on in and read, work on your computer, or just sit in an armchair and recover.

We'll be open normal summer hours today, close at 5:00 pm Tuesday, and we'll be closed on Wednesday for the July 4th holiday.

Paula

Open again Wednesday, June 27th

As you are probably aware, Richmond got hit by a storm yesterday that knocked out power to the campus.  We lost email, phone, website, catalog, lights, and air circulation.  The only alternative was to close the Library until power could be restored.

We've just been informed that our electricity is back and we will be able to reopen tomorrow according to our normal hours.  All Library systems, including our catalog, should be operational now.  We have been told that the campus telephone system is still out of order and Verizon is working on that.

We do apologize for this unexpected "snow day" closure and for our inability to access this blog to explain the situation.

Paula

Congratulations, graduates !!

This is always an emotional time of the year for us.  We share the happiness of our graduates and pride in their achievement ... we also have to say goodbye to many who move on to the next phase of their life and ministry.

But please remember : we offer continuing Library access to our alumni/ae!!  You can have an access card with an alum account, allowing you to pass through the turnstile, borrow items, etc.  Just stop by the Circ Desk and update your account.

Also, we offer our alums free remote access to the ATLA Religion Database and ATLAS, the full-text serials collection that goes with it.  All you need to do is send me an email request and I'll sign you up and send you the links and login information.  Your current student login won't work anymore, but there is a special one just for alums.

For more info on alumni/ae access, see these pages : ATLAS for Alums and Borrowing Privileges.

Paula

Summer Hours begin this week

Summer Library hours begin this week. You may view the summer hours on the "Hours" page :  http://library.upsem.edu/Pages/HoursStaff.html

Please note the early closing for Baccalaureate this Friday, June 1.

Mon - Thurs:  8:30am - 8:00pm
Friday:  8:30am - 4:00pm* (early closing)
Saturday:  1:00 - 6:00pm
Sunday:  Closed


Rachel

Systems maintenance this weekend

Just want you to be aware that some maintenance is scheduled on our Morton Library catalog in the coming days :

Friday May 25th, midnight until 2:30 am

Saturday May 26th, 11:00 pm until Sunday, 7:00 am

Not all systems are affected by this work -- in some cases, only certain functions of the catalog will be offline.  And the online databases should continue to be accessible even from off campus.

Many thanks to Leland Deeds for scheduling this work at a time when it will pose the smallest possible inconvenience to our users!

Paula

Busy week ahead

In case you need help finishing May term projects or papers, please be aware that I will be out of the office quite a bit this week.  My son's wedding is Saturday and I have a house full of out-of-town guests.

I will probably be here Tues, Wed and Thurs mornings.  But to be sure, arrange a time with me by email in advance.

Paula

Early Closing June 1

The Library will close at 4:00pm on Friday, June 1. Please note this special time change and plan accordingly.

The Library will be open Saturday, June 2, 1-6pm.

Rachel

Closing early this Friday

Tomorrow, May 4, the Library will be closing early at 5:00pm. The Library will be open the regular hours on Saturday and Sunday.

Rachel

They finally made it through the B's !

I hope some of you have discovered the unique properties of The Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception.  What distinguishes this multi-volume scholarly reference from others is its emphasis on the interpretation of biblical themes in a host of cultural and historical contexts.  Here is a description :

The Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (EBR) pursues a twofold task. Firstly, it comprehensively renders the current state of knowledge on the origins and development of the Bible according to its different canonic forms in Judaism and Christianity. Secondly, it documents the history of the Bible’s reception, not only in the Christian churches and the Jewish Diaspora, but also in literature, art, music, and film, as well as Islam and other religious traditions and current religious movements.

We offer you this resource in two forms : in print, as part of our Reference collection (Ref. CD 14 E563) and electronically, through our Online Databases page. 

One thing that is frustrating about the resource is that it's being published very slowly ... they have just finished Volume 4 in the print edition, which brings them into the letter C.  So if the Bible book, figure, word, name, fact or concept you are researching starts in English with A or B, you're in luck! 

Do investigate this resource.  I think you will be surprised by its depth and detail.

Paula

Extended hours tonight and tomorrow

The Library will be open longer for the next two days, to help a bit with your end-of-term studying and projects.

Friday, April 17th -- open until 10:00 pm
Saturday, April 28th -- open until 8:00 pm

Many thanks to the faithful Library workers whose extra service is making this possible!

Paula

Liturgical Resources

What’s that you say?  You are struggling with your OT exegesis paper and Edna Banes has just asked you to design and lead a worship service tomorrow afternoon?  Well, not to worry; you have come to the right place.  Let me introduce you to the William Smith Morton Library Chapel Collection; conveniently located in the Kelly Reserve Reading Room.

The Chapel Collection is on permanent reserve and the materials cannot be checked out or removed from the library.  That means this material is always available when you need it!  Though housed on only five shelves, the collection contains all the resources you will need to plan a meaningful, engaging service of worship.  Of course, there are the basics:  the NRSV translation of the Bible and the Book of Common Worship.  The Book of Common Worship is supplemented by the Book of Occasional Services and several volumes of the Supplemental Liturgical Resources:  v.2, Holy Baptism; v.3, Christian Marriage; v.5, Daily Prayer; and v.7, The Liturgical Year.

Speaking of the Liturgical Year and the 3-year Lectionary Cycle, there are plenty of worship planning workbooks along with lectionary based worship resources; even inclusive language lectionaries.  All your favorite liturgists are here:  Ruth Duck, Maria Tirabassi, and Ann Weems.  In addition to resources for the church at large there are also materials that support women’s worship, worship with children, and some African American resources.

Finally, most major hymnals are also to be found in the Chapel Collection.  So, whether you just need an opening prayer or an after communion hymn; or whether you are charged with planning a whole season’s worth of services – stop by the library and explore the Chapel Collection. It’s a one stop location for all your liturgical needs!

Dawg Strong
MDiv
Circulation Desk Student Worker

We have a whole bunch of winners !

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for -- we can announce the winners of our William Smith Morton Library Public Services User Survey Prize Drawing !

1)  Barbara Whitehead, UPSem
2)  Tom Baynham, BTSR
3)  Tyler Daniels, BTSR
4)  Art Wright, UPSem
5)  Christopher Tweel, UPSem
6)  James R. Williams Jr., BTSR
7)  Jordan Buck, UPSem

Our Circulation Desk staff collected all of the paper coupons you folks turned in.  Then I numbered the papers (on the back, so I wouldn't know whose they were), and put the numbers through an online random number generator and took the top seven numbers as our winners!

We are pleased to see that there are winners from both UPSem and BTSR, which was a complete coincidence -- we didn't sort the papers in any way before putting numbers on them.  We very much value information and input from both schools and want to improve our services to all of our users.

I contacted each of these folks in order and asked them to choose from the list of prizes, and I've heard back from all of them.  So, congratulations!

As we begin to process the information we've collected, there should be further posts about the Survey and what we've learned from it.  Again, MANY THANKS to all who participated!

Paula

Come to the car wash

I just love being in the William Smith Morton Library when it's raining.  It's raining heavily this morning, and the sound is amazing.  Something about the way the rain beats on the roof, the skylights and the windows amplifies the sound ... when we get a real storm, it's like being inside a car wash.

The lighting looks beautiful, too, when the sky is dark ... all of those silk lampshades create a warm, cozy ambiance.  If you need to study today, I'm telling you, the Reference Room is the place to be.  The Reserve Room is very cozy, too.

It's true that rain is not all good news -- we sometimes have distressing leaks here and there.  Today, one of the gutters is blocked and rain is pouring against the windows in a way that shouldn't be happening.  If you see water sneaking inside, please tell us right away!

Paula

I hate it when that happens

We want to apologize for the loss of our catalog and website access last weekend.  We regret that some of you who might have been working on papers and sermons were not well served by our systems. 

Fortunately, the IT folks were able to get things back in order this morning, and we are thankful! 

Please come see us or use our resources remotely today ... and forgive us for the failure that took place on Saturday and Sunday.

Paula

Do you read e-books?

As more and more titles become available in affordable digital formats, we approach the "tipping point" for electronic books.  I'd say the "tipping point" is when the perception of e-books shifts from something exotic or extraordinary to something normal and routine.

This transition has already happened for popular novels and non-fiction, which can now be readily downloaded on mobile devices, bought and stored on a hard drive, or borrowed from a public library.  And in many academic fields (business, natural and social sciences, medicine, law, etc), digital-only references, periodicals and textbooks are the norm.

Theological studies as a discipline has lagged behind, because the field is not as lucrative for publishers as these others.  But now, the marketing of e-books in our field is beginning to catch up.  A greater range of titles is now available, and the technology for delivering them has improved.

Keep alert for new developments in our Library along these lines, probably in mid-summer.

Paula

Behind the scenes : Special Collections cataloging

Some of the most brilliant work in the Library takes place behind the scenes, where most people never see it.  In fact, if we do our work really well, it's often invisible!

Over the past year, Ted Winter has been cataloging and reshelving a whole range of large, folio-sized rare books.  Over 250 valuable items were stored safely and inventoried, but not available through our online catalog.  Ted has meticulously identified each of these -- a difficult task in the case of a missing title page or other irregularities -- and created catalog records for them.  Some works are so rare that we own the only cataloged copy in WorldCat.  He also had to rearrange all of the rare folios in our collection to make room for these additions, a big task when dealing with huge, heavy multi-volume works that need delicate handling.

Ted is also doing a redistribution of the ordinary-sized rare books in our collection, shelving them in a much more manageable way.   When this is finished, they will be in good shape for years to come.

A Rare Books Cataloger doesn't have high visibility on campus.  But Ted's work is amazing and you should know about it!

Paula

Book Talk tonight in the Library

The Morton Library is proud to host another Book Talk on Tuesday, 3 Feb 2012, at 6:00 pm.  The gathering will take place in the Reserve Reading Room.

Dr. Ronald P. Byars, Emeritus Professor of Preaching and Worship, will discuss his new book The Sacraments in Biblical Perspective (WJK 2011).  The book offers a comprehensive look at the theology of the sacraments, and describes how the act of worship subtly alters the human heart and mind.

Please join us for this special event!  The public is invited, and the turnstile will be open.  Coffee and cookies will be served afterwards.

Paula

Databases are working again

Friends, EBSCO seems to be back in business this morning, and you should now be able to access all of our research databases, including the ATLA-RDB and ATLAS.

We do apologize for this failure.  Please let us know if you detect any problems!

Paula

EBSCO databases unavailable

We are having trouble connecting to our Library databases that are supplied by the vendor known as EBSCO.  These include the ATLA Religion Database and ATLAS.

All databases from other vendors seem to be working fine.

Our Systems Librarian has contacted EBSCO and we are awaiting a response from them.  We apologize for this inconvenience!

And yes, it is ironic that this embarrassing failure took place just as we distributed our WSML Public Services User Survey.  I guess this is the kind of thing that will seem funny someday.

Paula

UPDATE : EBSCO has replied that they performed some "maintenance" on their systems this morning and as a result several of their customers have lost access.  They are reportedly "working on it" (!).

It's time for the LIBRARY SURVEY !

PLEASE NOTE : If you are at BTSR and you have not yet received the survey link by email, please contact us.  Some of our email messages were returned undelivered, so we must have the wrong email address for you.

I know you've been looking forward to this moment for the past two years.  It's time to fill in your William Smith Morton Library Public Services User Survey!

We use this important information to improve Library services, so please do take just a few minutes to answer our questions carefully.  We really do need your valuable input.

When you complete your form on SurveyMonkey, you will get a "Thank You" page from us.  You may print this page, write your name and email address on it, and bring it to the Library's Circulation Desk.  Our helpful desk person will give you 10 free copies on your copy card!  Also, your page will enter you into our random drawing to win one of several great prizes :

1)  A new iMainGo2 portable speaker for your iPhone, iPod or Zune

2)  A 9-vol set of the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Eerdmans 1964, good condition)

3)  A 5-vol set of the Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible (Abingdon 1980, very good condition).  We've got two sets to give away!

4)  Strong's concordance (reprint of the B&H revised edition, like new)

5)  A Macmillan Bible Atlas (2nd edition 1977, good condition)

6)  Cross & Livingstone's Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (3rd revised edition 2005, like new)

You need to complete your survey and redeem your copy coupon by April 14th.  The link to the survey will be sent to you by email.  Thank you so much for your help!

Paula

More than just books

Patrons of the William Smith Morton Library are well aware of its wealth of resources in Theology, Bible, and Church History. Indeed, the library houses over 300,000 volumes!  Did you know, though, that the library has more to offer than its large collection of books?

The Instructional Resource Center (IRC), located on the second floor of Morton Library, brings together a large collection of multimedia and curricular resources for use in the academic community and the church. Its collection includes audio media, curriculum kits, and over 1000 DVD and VHS titles. The IRC is also an authorized distributor of the Paul Tillich/Reinhold Niebuhr Audio Collection.

The IRC has a wealth of curriculum for all ages on a variety of subjects. The curriculum collection includes recent resources from several denominations, including Presbyterian (USA), United Methodist, Lutheran (ELCA), and the United Church of Christ. Many of the resources are based on the Revised Common Lectionary.  Others are organized and planned by topic. This is the season of preparation for this summer’s Vacation Bible School, and the IRC has several VBS resources available to peruse, as well!

The video collection houses both educational videos as well as feature films.  Some of the most popular titles are on display on the shelves as you enter the IRC.  Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Finding Nemo, and the Notebook are just some of the movies available to be checked out.

The Instructional Resource Center is staffed weekdays until 4:30pm, but patrons can access the collection whenever the library is open. Print curricula and audio media are housed on public shelving and are accessible during all open hours. Videos and DVDs are in locked storage, but Circulation Desk workers can assist you after normal business hours.

To learn more about using the library catalog to find resources in the Instructional Resource Center, please see this helpful online tutorial: http://gargoyle.upsem.edu/tutorial/CATALEARN/Pages/PageG.html

TJ Remaley
MDiv/MACE

Circulation Desk Student Worker

Four years of info and feedback

I realized today that this is our 400th blog post.  We began this blog in 2008, after that year's WSML Public Services User Survey.  The survey was an attempt to gather information more systematically about our user's wants and needs, and whether they feel we are meeting them.

It became clear through the 2008 Survey that we needed a simple way to get announcements out to our users quickly, especially in case of an unexpected closure, technology fail or other problem.  Also, we needed to interpret better the ongoing work we do to update and improve our collections and services, so people could understand what goes on here and state their reactions if they wished.  So, the 2008 Survey led directly to the founding of this blog.  Now, it gets 350-500 visits every month, so apparently it is doing its job!

The 2010 Survey revealed a strong opinion in favor of Sunday open hours.  So, we began Sunday hours on a trial basis, worked out the staffing issues and continued the policy throughout the academic year.  Again, the Survey had a direct impact on services.

It's almost time for the 2012 Survey -- we will distribute it next week.  There will be photocopy coupons and nice prizes again, as a thank-you to those who take the time to fill it in and return it.  Also, this year it will move to SurveyMonkey, so we can ask more specific questions of particular user groups and collect better information.

I expect that the 2012 Survey will lead us to new policy changes and improvements.

Paula

Closed for Spring Recess, Fri-Sun

The Library (and the rest of our campus offices) will be closed for an abbreviated Spring Recess from Friday March 16th through the weekend.  We will reopen with normal Spring Term hours on Monday March 19th.

Paula

Water shutoff in the Library on Thursday

UPDATE : Plumbing work is finished ... you may come and use our restrooms now!

On Thursday, March 15, the physical plant team will shut off all the water in the Library from 9:00 am until 10:30 am to repair a valve.

If you need to use a restroom or water fountain on Thursday morning, you will need to go elsewhere.  Richmond Hall, the Advancement and Thompson buildings will be available for use of their facilities during that time.

Rachel

Weeding the collection -- part three

So, at the end of Part Two, we stated that we do not intend to remove works pertinent to our intensive collection areas.  That just leads to the next question : "What are our intensive collection areas?"

This question makes it clear that weeding is just one part of the overall Collection Development process.  We have a written CD policy, including guidelines for the subject areas in which we will buy heavily and keep an in-depth collection of materials over time.  Some of our most intensive subject areas are :

• Biblical studies, analysis, criticism and interpretation
• Patristics, early and medieval church history
• Reformation history and theology
• Denominational history, especially Presbyterian and Reformed
• History and development of doctrine; systematic theology
• Modern theology and ethics
• Christian education of all ages
• Mission and World Christianity
• Doctrine and structure of the church; polity, creeds and confessions
• Worship and sacraments
• Pastoral ministry, counseling, homiletics

And what does it mean to collect intensively in a certain subject area, anyway?  What kind of materials are needed in a research-level collection?  Here is a simple summary :

• An extensive selection of general and specialized monographs, reference works and periodicals
• Appropriate non-print media in the subject area
• Pertinent foreign language materials (both ancient and modern languages)
• Complete works by major authors and extensive collections of lesser authors
• Defined access to an extensive selection of local or remotely-accessed electronic indexes and databases
• Archival holdings of rare books and unpublished manuscript materials

Note that one of the criteria in establishing an intensive collection is that older materials are systematically preserved to meet the needs of historical research.  That is why we don't discard things that seem old or obsolete if they can be used to demonstrate the history of a given field or discipline.

Paula

Weeding the collection -- part two

Last week we described the broad outlines of the weeding project.  This week I'll share with you some of the more detailed criteria we use to assess materials.

TO  BE  REMOVED

1) Outdated college textbooks, almanacs, yearbooks or directories

2) Superseded editions of support material (such as no-longer-current Chicago Manual of Style editions, modern language dictionaries, etc)

3) Duplicate copies of material that no longer circulates

4) Obsolete practical guides or instructional material (eg, “How to Get Your Book Published” from 1962, or a GRE study manual from 1980)

5) Dated popular/non-scholarly material, such as travel information or data on student loans & scholarships

6) Reprints of articles published in standard periodicals

7) Books in very poor condition that are readily available in other local collections

8) Works outside our core subject areas that are readily available elsewhere

DO  NOT  REMOVE

1) Works indicative of the history of scholarly work in a given field (old does not mean irrelevant!)

2) Works with any Presbyterian connection – such as a dictionary of colloquial Arabic published by the Nile Mission Press, or materials published by Westminster John Knox or other church-related entity 

3) Works pertinent to our intensive collection areas

Weeding the collection -- part one

Some of you have seen me in the stacks with a book truck, spending hours doing some mysterious task.  We are undertaking a weeding project aimed first at the most overcrowded portions of the collection.  We do this on a 10-year cycle.

When we start removing things from the collection, people get a little anxious.  They are sure that we will somehow zero in on the books they like best and get rid of them!  I can assure you that this is very unlikely to happen.  We use a set of assessment criteria that I will explain in a series of blog posts, to let you know exactly how we are going about it.

For starters, let me identify the three groups of things most often removed :

1)  Excess copies.  The Library may buy several copies of a certain book to facilitate circulation & access.  But years later, that book may be seldom used, as times change and new materials come along that are of current interest.  If we own three or four copies (or more!) of a book and none of them has been borrowed in the past five years, probably that is way too many.  Two copies will probably suffice.  We will keep the ones in the best condition and remove the rest.  There are exceptions to this rule: e.g., works published by our own faculty or books that are scarce and would be difficult to replace.

2)  Old college textbooks and "how to" manuals.  We have on our shelves an embarrassing array of introductions intended for undergraduate college courses in communications, sociology, education, etc.  These were never germane to our collection, but especially so when they are 35-40 years out of date.  We also have many "how to" guides that were once helpful but are now absurdly dated, such as The Church Library Handbook from 1972, or Using Computers in the Classroom from 1995.  We actually do keep a few of these to document the changes in technology over time.  But the rest of them are unlikely to be missed.

3)  Books in terminal condition.  Books that have reached the end of their physical life span are assessed.  Some that are still in demand -- such as the novels of CS Lewis -- are replaced with new copies.  We also check to see whether the title is readily available nearby through ILL or consortium borrowing.  Often, we find that books now in the public domain are available in free digital versions online, through Google Books or the Hathi Trust.  If the item belongs to the core collecting categories of our collection -- Reformation theology, for example, or biblical exegesis -- we check to see if it is still in print or if we can replace it with a used copy in better condition.

In following posts, I'll be more specific about the process of grooming a research collection.  If we do it well, we'll have a stronger, better collection with growth space for a few more years to come.

Paula

Server maintenance Saturday night

Scheduled backups on our Library catalog server will take place this Saturday, 25 Feb, starting at 11:00 pm.  The work will last till about 7:00 Sunday morning.  During that period, our Morton Library catalog will be offline.  All other electronic resources should be functioning normally.

Again, many thanks to our diligent systems librarian, Leland Deeds, who schedules this work for a time when it will minimize inconvenience to our users.  You're a star, Leland!

Paula

BibleWorks 9 is here !

We are happy to announce that the newest release of the popular BibleWorks program, Version 9, is now installed on the computers in the Reference Room of the Library.

BibleWorks is one of the most powerful concordance and morphological research tools available for biblical studies.  If you are using it already, you will be happy to learn that the new interface has been updated a little, but the basic functions will still be familiar to you.  For information about what's new in BW 9, click HERE.

If you are new to the program, we suggest that you read the two-page intro we have printed and placed next to each of the computers in the Ref Room.  It explains how to begin using the program.  Also, it tells you how to access the context-sensitive help files and instructional videos that are built into BW 9.

Paula

Carl Howie lectures tonight and tomorrow

Don't forget to attend the annual lectures sponsored by the Carl Howie Center for Science, Art and Theology.

This year's theme is "The Environment and Human Agency : Artistic, Theological and Ecological Perspectives."

Guest speakers tonight are Prof. Dornith Doherty (University of North Texas), photographer, with a response by UPSem professor Tom James.

Tuesday night, Prof. Norman Wirzba (Duke Divinity School) and Prof. Ted Hiebert (McCormick Seminary) will discuss creation and the natural world.

The lectures will be held at 7:00 pm in the Early Center.

Paula

MONDAY AM -- TWO HOUR DELAY

Due to inclement weather, the Union Presbyterian Seminary campus will open two hours late on Monday, 20 Feb 2012.

That means offices will open at 10:30 am, and I believe that includes the Library.

Paula

BibleWorks upgrade

On Friday, 17 Feb, our IT folks will be installing the new release of the popular BibleWorks program.  We will be leaping from Version 7 to Version 9.

The program will be unavailable while the installation work is going on.  So please be aware that you might not be able to access BibleWorks at the Library today.

Paula

New titles added to ATLAS

The ATLA Serials collection has just added five new full-text journals :

• Andover Newton Quarterly, by Andover Newton Theological School
• Andover Newton Review, by Andover Newton Theological School
• Impact: A Journal of Thought of Disciples of Christ on the Pacific Slope, by Disciples Seminary Foundation
• Religions of South Asia, by Equinox Publishing Ltd.
• Theology & Sexuality, by Equinox Publishing Ltd.

 The scholarly journals indexed by the ATLA Religion Database are continually being digitized -- not just current issues, but back through their entire print run.  This is a time-consuming process, so the growth is gradual.  But there are new titles added several times a year.

We try to call attention to this process here.

Paula

Why do catalog & database training in the OT II and NT II classes ?

I'd like to thank all of you again for being such good sports about our research training in the BIB 260/311 and BIB 270/321 classes.  I know this stuff is tedious to listen to (or even think about!), but the training is necessary.

Why?  Well, the first reason is that we are required by accreditation standards to provide basic information literacy instruction to all students.  But that only leads to another "Why?"

Helping you find the materials you need easily and make use of those scholarly sources effectively is our goal.  And every software program intended to search a collection is different from every other.  They have unique characteristics that can make them confusing and difficult to use, and quite pointless if you were unlucky enough to choose the wrong tool for your purpose to start with.  

We want to make sure that everyone has been briefed on the basics of the electronic research tools we offer.  And for many people, hearing it more than once is helpful -- especially if you weren't really ready to absorb it the first time.

Judging by the pre- and post-tests, you are better equipped now to deal with your coursework, research and writing.  Perfection is not attainable ... but if we have helped you to cope with these challenges a bit better, we are happy about that!

Paula

Dean's Forum this Thursday

The Dean's Forum on Faculty Research, featuring Katie Geneva Cannon, will take place on  Thursday, February 2, at 4:10 p.m. in Lake Chapel. Professor Cannon and the co-editors of the important new book Womanist Theological Ethics: A Reader will be discussing womanist liberation methodologies.

The Dean's Forum on Faculty Research is an annual opportunity to focus on a major recent publication by a member of the Union Presbyterian faculty.  A guest panel comments on the book and discusses its major ideas with the author.  All students, faculty and staff are encouraged to attend.  The event is free of charge and open to the public as well.

A reception in honor of Dr. Cannon will follow in the Early Center. 

Paula

Review of the OEBB now available

The Journal of Theological Librarianship has now provided a detailed review of the new Oxford Encyclopedia of the Books of the Bible.  It was written by a reference professional with knowledge of the field, Susanah Hanson of Trinity School for Ministry.

Her review is especially helpful in explaining the breadth of coverage of this new resource.  It includes much more than the books in the standard Western Protestant canon.

To read her review online, click HERE (allow a few moments for the PDF document to load).  To see the initial announcement of this new print resource on our blog, click HERE.

Paula

Are you preparing for Ords?

You will have access to the Library during all of our normal open hours.  In spite of the break between January and Spring terms, we will be open as usual this week and the weekend.

We can't make this process any easier for you, but at least we can offer you the use of our resources and comfy, quiet study space.

All of the books specified on the Ords reading list have been placed on a book truck in the middle of the Reference Room to facilitate access to them.  You may take them to the photocopier as needed, but be sure to bring them back and place them on that same truck so others can easily find them.

Paula

New print reference for Bible study

I'm happy to announce that we have received the first two volumes in the new Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible series.

These two volumes are called The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Books of the Bible.  There are lengthy, detailed, signed articles about each of the canonical & apocryphal books, clearly divided into sections with headings like Authorship, Date and Historical Context, Literary History, Canonical Status, Structure and Contents, Interpretation, Reception History.  Many have schematic outlines or other special features, such as historical maps.  And I am happy to see that they have extensive, well-organized bibliographies pointing toward further research. 

Here's what Oxford says about the new series :

“Recognizing the changing nature of biblical studies, Oxford University Press has been working on a new multivolume reference work on the Bible that would present both older and current interpretive strategies.  Under the general heading The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible, over the next several years we plan to produce several two-volume sets, each with its own distinguished editorial board.  Each set will have a specific focus, such as the Bible and theology, the Bible and law, the Bible and ethics, the Bible and the arts,  the Bible and archaeology, and the Bible and gender studies.  The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Books of the Bible inaugurates this new series.”

Paula