50+ More Electrical Outlets Coming to MSEL

In response to student requests we will be installing over 50 electrical outlets in the floors of M and A levels in MSEL. This work will begin Wednesday, December 26, 2007 and will run through Friday, January 25, 2008.

During this time there will be some loud drilling but we will try to keep it to early hours and will try to keep you informed when it might occur. We apologize for any inconvenience, but hope you’ll join us in looking forward to an expanded number of electrical outlets! Thank you for your patience.

Holiday Hours for MSEL

Congratulations to all for making it through finals! The Library is taking a well-earned break too and will have reduced hours on the following days:

Friday, December 21: 8 AM to 8 PM
Saturday, December 22: 8 AM to 8 PM
Sunday, December 23: 1 PM to 8 PM

Monday, December 24: 8 AM to Noon
Tuesday, December 25: CLOSED
Wednesday, December 26: 8 AM to 8 PM
Thursday, December 27: 8 AM to 8 PM
Friday, December 28: 8 AM to 8 PM
Saturday, December 29: 8 AM to 8 PM
Sunday, December 30: 1 PM to 8 PM

Monday, December 31: 8 AM to Noon
Tuesday, January 1: CLOSED

Of course, with exams over, you’ll have time to check out DVDs so please note the AV Center hours for this period:

Friday, December 21: 9 AM to 4:45 PM
Saturday, December 22: 1 PM to 4:45 PM
Sunday, December 23: 2 PM to 5:45 PM

Monday, December 24: 9 AM to 11:45 AM
Tuesday, December 25: CLOSED
Wednesday, December 26: 9 AM to 4:45 PM
Thursday, December 27: 9 AM to 4:45 PM
Friday, December 28: 9 AM to 4:45 PM
Saturday, December 29: 1 PM to 4:45 PM
Sunday, December: 30: 1 PM to 4:45 PM

Monday, December 31: 9 AM to 11:45 AM
Tuesday, January 1: CLOSED
Wednesday, January 2: 9 AM to 4:45 PM
Thursday, January 3: 9 AM to 4:45 PM
Friday, January 4: 9 AM to 4:45 PM
Saturday, January 5: 1 PM to 4:45 PM
Sunday, January 6: 1 PM to 4:45 PM

The HUT closed at noon on Thursday, December 20 and will reopen at 8:30 AM on Monday, January 28.

4 Ways to Catalog Your Books at Home

Some of you students have already taken off for the holidays, and even more of you are eyeing a few weeks off after this week. If you’re passing winter holiday time and find you miss the comforts of MSEL, you might think about tending to that book collection you have at home. Below I’ve outlined a few websites I’m aware of that allow you to quickly catalog and share the books you have or have read: Librarything, Goodreads, Shelfari, and GuruLib. Check them out, form your own opinion, and have your library listed online in a just a few minutes.

Do you like to share? Use one of these sites to get you thinking about how you might enter the Friends of the Johns Hopkins University Libraries 2008 Student Book Collecting Contest. Or, show your bookshelves off in Facebook with the My LibraryThing application, the Goodreads Books application, the Shelfari Books application, or the GuruLib application. If you’re feeling competitive beyond our Student Collecting Contest, check out LibraryThing’s Holiday book pile contest and make some art. (Again, I can’t vouch for all of the fine print with individual sites or applications, so please investigate if you have concerns before you play!)

A little bit more detail about each of the sites, with a bonus site for those of you who read to the end: Continue reading 4 Ways to Catalog Your Books at Home…

Holiday Pleasure Reading

Looking for a good book to entertain you while you’re waiting in those long airport lines? Why not check out a finalist for the National Book Award? Tree of Smoke took home the prize, and I have been waiting for a good time to dive into this 614 pp. page-turner. There’s a good amount of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry to choose from. Something for almost everyone’s taste. Continue reading Holiday Pleasure Reading…

Milton’s Manners

Dear Milton,
I have to say, I’m at a loss. It’s exam period and library space, particularly at night, is pretty scarce. In spite of this fact, I have seen a lot of people taking up much more space than they need with miscellaneous books, papers, ipods, scarves, etc. This kind of sprawl is annoying to people, like me, who are just looking for a place to sit and do their work. In the rare cases when I do see and empty chair it is inevitably surrounded by spread out notes and books, and the sprawler is no where to be found! Pretty frustrating. Can I move this unsightly sprawl to make room for myself?
Sincerely,
Sick of Sprawl

Dear SOS,

Library sprawl is, indeed, a problem. At this time of year, people bring in everything they need to MSEL: mp3 players, notebooks, textbooks, laptops, caffeine-laden beverages in covered containers. If you notice an egregious case of sprawl next to an open seat, I would suggest kindly making that particular defender of manifest destiny aware that his or her belongings are barring other students from using an open space. The student is probably not even aware that he or she is taking up that much room and will be happy to make some room for you and your study tools!

Milton understands that, with study space so hard to find, students often purposely leave behind some belongings to mark their spot, even if they plan to be gone a long time. Manners (and common sense) dictate that you should try not to leave your belongings alone at MSEL or any other public space. Apart from taking up valuable room that other students would like to use, theft happens … even in libraries. Please keep an eye on your belongings and take them with you when you leave the building.

Unfortunately, Milton cannot advocate moving other peoples’ belongings, even when seats are in such short supply. Aware that space is a real issue during exams, the gracious librarians at MSEL have brought in extra folding chairs. You will see them scattered about the building, particularly on M-Level. Feel free to take these to any available table space you can find.

Sincerely,

Milton

Subscribe to Search Alerts (the SCOPUS edition)

Recently I showed you how to set up search alerts in EBSCOhost databases. Back in September, Robin told you all about Scopus, an abstracts and citation database that focuses on science, engineering, and medicine, but includes some social science information. In it, you can find journals, conference proceedings, book chapters, book series, patents, and websites.

You can also automate search alerts to let you know when new articles or other resources that related to your topic are indexed. Happily, Scopus also has video demonstrations of how you can go about setting this up.

First step: Click to see how to register and log in.

Second step: Click to see how to set up personalized search alerts.

In order to view these tutorials, you must have JavaScript™ enabled for your browser, and you must have the latest version of the Macromedia Flash® Player, which you may download free of charge from the Macromedia® website.

Citing Electronic Resources: Part 2, Chicago Style

Now that you know how to cite online resources using MLA, shall we move on to Chicago Manual of Style?

Many humanities disciplines, particularly History, use Chicago as their documentation style of choice. Chicago uses footnotes and endnotes, but most instructors will also ask you to include a bibliography at the end of your paper.

Continue reading Citing Electronic Resources: Part 2, Chicago Style…

Word of the Year for 2007: w00t

Merriam-Webster recently held a contest for the 2007 word of the year. And the gamers’ expression of joy: “w00t!” won the contest. Runners-up included some other new words like sardoodledom and blamestorm.
I was happy to see a few ‘old’ words on the list, like quixotic and apathetic.
Don’t forget that we have a number of online academic dictionaries for you to use.

A concert and hot chocolate on Q-Level

If you get hungry or thirsty during your study breaks, check out Q Level during the evening hours tomorrow through Thursday. Student groups will be setting up and offering hot chocolate and cookies at the below times. Go see what they’re all about and have a treat.

Tuesday December 11th: Teachers of America, 8 to 10 PM
Wednesday December 12th: Phi Mu Rush, 8 to 10 PM
Thursday December 13th: Kappa Alpha, 9 to 10 PM

The JHU Band will be performing holiday music on Q Level for about five minutes tomorrow, Tuesday, December 11. Keep your head up to listen in sometime between 8:15 and 8:45pm. Do you need complete silence to prep for exams? Plan to take a study break during that window or settle in for the evening on a lower level of the building.

And, good luck getting ready for finals!

Ready to Move into the Library? 24 Hour Access Begins!

Don’t want to leave the library or take the “walk of shame” over to the HUT at 3 am when MSEL closes? You don’t have to! Starting today, December 10, the library will be open continuously for 24 hours a day until Thursday, December 20, when the library will close at midnight. Thank your fellow students—this extended time is in response to student requests.