Zombies, Vampires and the New Library Website

Sorry, I lied. The new library website has nothing to do with zombies or vampires. Zero, nada, nil. But seriously, how much attention would you give to a blog post called “Getting the Most Out of the New Library Website”? I know you and I am pretty sure you would start sawing logs at the word “most.”

But hey, now that you’ve come all the way to the second paragraph, why not read on for just another little second or two and take a peek at a few pictures?

We have a new website. There’s a good chance you are already using it–after all this blog is ON it–and have figured out how to get to what’s important:

• Catalyst, the catalog for journals, books, e-books, dvds and other works in the library’s collection. (Catalyst will not find article titles for you but please, he’s just a robot–cut him some slack.) And there’s that cute little “More search options” link to get to the advanced search interface.
• Guides by Topic! Hello useful. Scroll down the alphabetical list or jump to the guide you want by typing in the name. The list has subject-based guides like “anthropology” as well as guides for resources like “news and newspapers,” “data” and the dreaded Bloomberg terminal.
• Tools & Tips. Library services and research tools like RefWorks and Interlibrary loan. Front and center. Easy.
• Databases. This is where the articles live. Scroll or jump to the database you want. Or pick what you need from the discipline-based collections of “Databases by topic.” How many times can I say easy?

Now, here are a couple secret magic buttons you may not know about yet.

• Each day’s library hours are posted on the top right of the page. Click on “Today’s hours” to get a handy chart for the week and overview for the semester.
• Click on Libraries on the upper left to get a neat little menu of other JHU libraries (and museums); jump quick to whichever one you want.

• Maybe you need information about carrel lockers, circulation policies, group study rooms… click on the Using the Library link at the very bottom of the page.

Need help? Ask-a-librarian is always there for you. Okay not ALWAYS always, but from Monday to Friday 10 am to 6 pm in summer, plus evenings and weekends when classes start. You can also find out who the specialist in the library is for your particular research question by clicking on “Who is my librarian?” It’s not a quiz; it’s a quick look-up directory.

There, was that so hard?

You were very good so here is a little zombie-vampire action as a reward, and here is another.