Library closed Friday, July 3rd

The P.H. Welshimer Memorial library will be closed Friday, July 3rd for the Independence Day holiday.

As a reminder, the building is open all summer Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and catalogs and databases are accessible 24/7 on the library’s homepage.

Library closed Monday, May 25th and Friday, May 29th

The P.H. Welshimer Memorial library will be closed Monday, May 25^th, for Memorial Day, and Friday, May 29^th for a staff conference.

As a reminder, the building is open all summer Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and catalogs and databases are accessible 24/7 on the library’s homepage.

What I didn’t learn in library school

There are lots of things I didn’t learn in library school, but as we approach the end of another school year, I’d like to focus on one.

But first I need to give some history.  When I decided to go to library school, it was not because I had great librarian role models.  I had the same school librarian (this was pre-media specialist days) for 1^st through 8^th grade.  My friends and I always disliked library class because we were forced to learn things we thought were dumb.  I liked learning library related things like the Dewey Decimal system, but it seemed we covered lots of other topics that I didn’t enjoy.  I realize now that many of these topics were things the librarian probably didn’t want to teach either, but it was her job.  My mom volunteered in the school library and they became very good friends.  This added another layer of strange to the relationship.

The most negative librarian experience I had was with my high school librarians.  In my sophomore year, my high school library reopened after a complete renovation.  It was a lovely facility.  But I only went a handful of times because the RULES were more important than the people.  The most onerous rule was a ban on talking at any time.  If you merely whispered to your neighbor, you had a warning and the next offense, you were out.  It was such an unpleasant place that I abandoned it completely and used the very fine Phoenix Public Library System.  My mom taught me how to use the Reader’s Guide and other library resources.   While I loved my public library system, I didn’t have a relationship with any of the staff.

I spent a lot of time in my college library.  It was also a lovely facility and in contrast to my high school, a much more welcoming environment.  I knew many of the library staff.  Someone was always posted by the door as we entered and exited, clicking a counter, checking to see if we had found what we needed.  One librarian in particular always exchanged a few words with us, including the same Bible jokes that we had heard from previous encounters.  But I never considered the librarians friends or mentors.  Now I can conjure up fuzzy images, but I can’t remember names like I can of the professors I loved.

So I was surprised in my first job as a librarian to find out that I quickly began to recognize the library regulars (or as I like to call them the library groupies).  First we made eye contact. Later we would exchange greetings.  After a while many would start stopping by to chat on their way to and from studying.  Often I found the best part of my day was talking with the regulars and often our conversations would lead to ways that I could help them with their academic questions, but also a wide variety of other issues.

So it is May again, I’m finishing up my second year as the Reference and Instruction Librarian at Milligan College.  A job that I love.  This year there is a long list of library groupies and some great student workers, who will be graduating.  I’ve very excited for them.  I think they are well prepared to face the challenges of this life, but I will miss them.  My daily interactions with them are just one of the reasons that it is a joy to come to work.  They have made me think. They have made me laugh. Fortunately, many groupies will be back next semester and a new batch of potential groupies will come in August.

In library school they did not teach me that I would have life changing relationships with my patrons, but it is the reason that I will continue to be a librarian and love it.

Library open until midnight Saturday, May 2nd! FREE COFFEE!

The library will be open until midnight May 2nd, the Saturday before Finals.  And we’ll have FREE all-you-can-drink coffee Saturday AND Sunday!

Whether you plan to study alone or with a big group of friends, we hope to see you here.  Enjoy the extended hours and the FREE caffeine!

Scheduled Server Maintenance Thursday, Feb. 5th from 7-9 PM

The library’s proxy server will undergo scheduled maintenance Thursday, February 5th from 7:00-9:00 PM.  During this time, users will not be able to use the online catalog, databases, electronic reference, or e-books.

Library staff will update the library’s Twitter feed when service has been restored.  If you need assistance while the system is unavailable, please stop by the library or contact us at 423-461-8703.

Photography books moved to better location

So you’re in the library looking for photography books, and in the place they’ve always been (the creepy yet curiously well-lit downstairs dungeon), you find this:

“What are these books?” you ask.  Pageant of the Gun?  Basket Pioneering?  The Romance of Textiles?  “Where have my precious Atget, Friedlander, and Weegee gone?”  Then, you notice the sign.  The one with the big arrow.  You walk in the direction of the arrow toward the back wall, and there you find:

Eureka!

Yes, we’ve moved the photography and design books (the entire TR section, actually) to new shelving units that are kinder to both the books and the people who use them.  The shelves are double-deep, so there are no books hanging off the ends of the shelves, and they’re taller, so we’re able to display more of them spine-out.  You’ll find that browsing the shelves and finding what you need is much easier than before.

We’d like to hear what you think of the new arrangement, so come on in and take a look.  And, of course, if you have questions, we’re here to help!

Academic Tutoring Sessions in the Library

The Spring 2009 tutoring schedule has been posted to the Milligan website.  The Library is pleased to host nearly 40 regularly-scheduled sessions–all of them in the first-floor Welshimer Room (immediately to your right as you walk through the front door).

Tutoring is free, and is available to all students at all levels of understanding.  If you would like tutoring assistance, please contact your advisor, your mentor, or Traci Smith, Director of Student Success, at tjsmith (at) milligan.edu, or 423.461.8981.

Follow Library happenings on Twitter

You can now follow Library news and announcements on Twitter. Twitter is like a blog, but it limits individual posts to 140 characters. These posts are called “tweets”. The idea is to quickly and concisely communicate timely “what’s happening” messages to your friend community.

If you Twitter, feel free to follow our feed at the link above. We have also embedded a Twitter feed widget in the right side-bar of the Library website homepage, and in the blog side-bar to the right.

Semester hours, coffee resume

The library will resume regular semester hours Wednesday, January 14th.  We’ll also resume regular Saturday and Sunday hours this weekend.

We’re brewing coffee and tea again, as well.  Stop by and grab a cup on your way to class.  Only fifty cents!

Hope to see you soon!

Library staff member promoted to administrative faculty

It is our pleasure to announce the promotion of Ginger Dillon to full-time professional status on the staff of the Milligan College Library, effective January 1, 2009. Ginger will carry the title of Archives and Technical Services Librarian, with the rank of administrative faculty. Ginger is a Milligan College alumnus (Bachelor of Arts in Humanities, 2002). She received a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies, Archives Concentration from East Tennessee State University in 2005.

Ginger worked in the Library and the Milligan College Archives both as a student and casual part-time employee from 1998 to 2005. She was formally hired as archivist of the Milligan College Archives (half-time) in December 2005. In August 2007, Ginger was hired for an additional 20 hours per week as a paraprofessional in our Technical Services Department, ordering new materials and assisting with cataloging. Ginger has worked hard to enhance the professionalism and visibility of the Archives, and she brings a modern attitude, keen thinking, and technical savvy to her work in Technical Services.

The expectations and information seeking behaviors of library users are changing, facilitated by the rapid evolution of the World Wide Web, new electronic resource access models, and remarkable developments in mobile communication technology. The Library and its staff is committed to responding to these changes with creativity and innovation, resulting in superior service to the Milligan College learning community. Ginger’s promotion, and the flexibility it provides, is a further reflection of this commitment. Please join us in extending congratulations.