Library Catalog Down Temporarily

Our library catalog is currently unavailable due to technical issues.

Please use WorldCat to find materials until we’re back on our feet.

UPDATE: The catalog issues have been resolved and we’re back online. Thank you for your patience: we apologize for the inconvenience.

Streaming Music for the Season

In the mood for holiday music? Below we’ve linked to two frequently-heard pieces for the season, courtesy of the libraries’ subscription to Classical Music Library.

• Handel’s Messiah, including the Hallelujah Chorus
  A 1986 Hyperion recording conducted by Harry Christopher; performed by soloists Lynne Dawson, Catherine Denley, David James, Maldwyn Davies, and Michael George with the Orchestra of the Sixteen and the Oregon Bach Festival Chorus and Orchestra.
• Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, including my favorite, the Trepak (Russian Dance)
  These selections conducted for a 1993 recording by Yuri Simonov; performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Had enough of these holiday classics? Browse our streaming audio resources for more music.

Downtime for the JHU Catalog

Our Systems staff need to perform maintenance on the catalog so it will be unavailable from 8 pm to midnight on Saturday, December 20.  During this time, you will not be able to search the catalog, check your account, or request titles.  As finals will have ended the day before, give yourself the night off!

Café Q to Close Briefly, Get Makeover Tomorrow

Café Q will close for the day tomorrow, Friday the 19th between 1:30 and 2 PM as they get a make over! Get your afternoon pick up early so that you can get through the day.

A new modern look with better service areas will be in place for Café Q on Saturday morning when they reopen.   The plan is for Friday afternoon to be “out with the old and in with the new.” We hope you will be pleased with the new renovation and the new look of Café Q.

Holiday Hours for MSEL

As finals come to an end on December 19, MSEL will join the rest of the campus in taking a well-earned break for the holidays. We’ll have reduced hours on the following days:

Friday, December 19: closing at 8 PM
Saturday, December 20: 8 AM to 8 PM
Sunday, December 21: 1 PM to 8 PM

Monday, December 22: 8 AM to 8 PM
Tuesday, December 23: 8 AM to 8 PM
Wednesday, December 24: 8 AM to Noon
Thursday, December 25: CLOSED
Friday, December 26: 8 AM to 8 PM
Saturday, December 27: 8 AM to 8 PM
Sunday, December 28: 1 PM to 8 PM

Monday, December 29: 8 AM to 8 PM
Tuesday, December 30: 8 AM to 8 PM
Wednesday, December 31: 8 AM to Noon
Thursday, January 1: CLOSED
Friday, January 2: 8 AM to 8 PM
Saturday, January 3: 8 AM to 8 PM
Sunday, January 4: 1 PM to 8 PM

Intersession hours begin Monday, January 5 and continue through Sunday, January 25.  See our Hours page for those hours.  Do you use the Washington Library Resource Center or Montgomery Library Resource Center?  Check out their hours for this holiday period as well.

Recent Updates to MSE Library Computers

If you’re one of the many camped out working in the 24/7 Eisenhower Library, you may have noticed that we’ve recently made the following changes to the seated computers in the library:

• Seated workstations now require a JHED login, while standing workstations are available for all library users. Why the change? During the period when the Hut is closed, we’re trying to provide adequate seating and workstations for JHU faculty, staff and students. Affiliate logins are available for some at the circulation desk. Want more details and the fine print? Read the complete policy.
• Multiple keyboard languages are now available. Choose from 12 keyboard languages. Instructions for switching are available on the desktop.
• We’re getting greener. Monitors now shut down after 30 minutes of inactivity to save electricity, and doublesided printing is the default. Still need single-sided printing? See the desktop for instructions.
• Saving or opening documents? Please be aware that the new security schema on the seated workstations doesn’t allow browsing the C: drive. Please make sure to save your work to “My Documents” (also called the D: drive), which is accessible from the desktop by “File storage” shortcut.

Music at MSEL Tuesday Evening

The JHU Band will be treating us to a performance of holiday music today, December 9, at the Milton S. Eisenhower Library for about 5-10 minutes. Keep your head up to listen in around 8:30pm.

Do you need complete silence for your end-of-semester work? Plan to take a study break during that time or settle in for the evening on a lower level of the building.

Friends of the Libraries Recent Acquisitions on Display

Each year the Friends of the Johns Hopkins Libraries generously designate 20 percent of member contributions to fund the purchase of special collections materials. Recommendations for purchase are made by librarians in special collections and research services, in consultation with faculty and graduate students. Twelve selected items that were purchased this year are on display on M-Level at the MSE Library until January 13, 2009.

These selections include:

• Benjamin Péret’s La Brebis Galante (1949), which includes illustrations by German artist Max Ernst
• four 17th-century printing plates depicting saints of the Franciscan order
• an illustrated study of the Portland Vase (1845) by Thomas Windus
• selected titles by Baltimore native, Adrienne Rich
• a 1710 edition of the Haggadah, a central text of the Jewish faith
• Salazar de Mendoza’s Monarquia de España (1770)
• two volumes by brothers Jean and Pierre Veber, Les Veber’s and Les Veber’s La Joviale Comédie (1895, 1896)

The books will be housed in the Special Collections department at the Milton S. Eisenhower Library and are available for use.