Welcome to a New Academic Year!
By Kathy Boyd, director of library services
The library has been busy this summer making some changes to learning spaces in the library, updating our web presence and services, and planning for the upcoming year. A new exhibit space has been set up on the main floor, new technologies have been added to study rooms to promote collaboration, and a series of exciting programs and displays is planned.
Lisa Kenyon, special programs librarian, will serve as the library's first "personal librarian" to the incoming class of 2017. She will work closely with the new Center for Student Development to support the information needs of this class throughout their time here. Special events and activities will be tailored to this class at venues both within and outside the library. It is hoped that a new personal librarian will be assigned to each year's incoming class.
As always, please let me know how the library can be improved to best meet your information needs—we welcome all suggestions and look forward to working with you this year.
Improvements to Study Rooms in the Library
The library contains four technology-equipped study rooms (see image above)—two on the second floor (rooms 204, 217) and two on the third floor (rooms 306, 317) primarily for student use. This summer, a major upgrade to room 204 took place to transform it into a technology-enriched collaborative space which allows users to project content from their personal devices to the large monitor. Features include:
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Conference-style table with seating for 11
- Wall-mounted 60” flat screen monitor equipped with cable TV
- Connections to the TV monitor for a variety of devices including laptops (Mac & PC), tablets, iPads, and smartphones
- Touch panel to access monitor features
- Dedicated PC with wireless keyboard
In addition, room 217 has been expanded and now contains a large seminar table with seating for 17. Both of these rooms on the second floor may be reserved by faculty/staff for morning use between 8am and 1pm. To make a reservation, please contact the library Information Desk at 401-341-2289.
Outside of these morning hours, anyone may book any of the four library study rooms up to 3 days in advance using the regular online booking system on a first-come, first-serve basis by going to https://bit.ly/study-rooms
Library Instruction
The library offers a full menu of research classes to complement all kinds of undergraduate and graduate-level assignments. Our just released McKillop Library Instruction Catalog arranges classes by skill level and subject matter. In addition to the research classes listed in the catalog, librarians welcome the opportunity to closely collaborate with faculty to develop customized research instruction. Topics covered in a typical instruction session vary, but may include developing a search strategy, developing tips and tricks for using research databases to their full potential, exploiting little-known features of the HELIN library catalog, evaluating online information sources, and citing sources properly. To request research instruction, please fill out the online form or contact your department's liaison librarian. We also offer course guides and subject research guides, which present a customized combination of relevant research resources for individual courses or programs.
Newport History
The library has partnered with the Newport Historical Society to host an online version of their journal Newport History in the library’s Digital Commons repository. Issues from 2005-2013 are currently available online to on-campus users and subscribers. Older issues will be added over time as they are digitized. The journal is an excellent resource on Newport’s architecture, history, and culture.
The Digital Commons @ Salve Regina is a repository of the university’s unique collections and scholarly output. Besides Newport History, the repository also hosts the Journal of Interdisciplinary Feminist Thought , as well as a selection of the university’s dissertations, senior theses, faculty publications, public lectures, archival and special collections, and more. The repository is compliant with the Open Archives Initiative (OAI) standard, so materials added to the repository can be found through Google and other search engines. Materials in the repository are full-text searchable. If you are interested in adding content to Digital Commons, please contact Olga Verbeek at verbeeko@salve.edu or 401-341-2281.
Technology for Checkout – including New iPads
The library has a number of gadgets and items to check-out. Visit the Circulation desk (1st floor) and bring your Salve ID card. Items available for loan include:
- iPad 2 (NEW) – pre-loaded with apps (2 day loan)
- iPod Touch – pre-loaded with apps (2 day loan)
- Kindle – pre-loaded with books (7 day loan)
- Mac chargers - (2 hour loan)
- Digital Camera (Panasonic Lumix) - (2 day loan)
Visit the webpage for the full list of items available for borrowing or purchase.
New Database:
SCOLA World TV Online
The McKillop Library has started a new subscription to SCOLA World TV Online. SCOLA is a non-profit educational organization that provides authentic foreign language resources. Their database World TV Online offers a wide ranging and diverse selection of television programs from around the world through largely geographically designated channels available on the Internet. More than 100 countries and regions and more than 100 languages are available. Each channel offers a blend of news, drama, comedy, culture, sports, entertainment, music and children's programming presented exactly as seen in the home country. SCOLA’s TV programming opens a window to the world, allowing viewers to learn more about cultures, languages and beliefs from numerous countries. New countries and languages are frequently added so check the Program Schedule in the database for updates.
From the Archives:
Historical Newport Directories
Through the generosity of the O’Reilly family and Professor John Quinn, the Newport Collection in the library’s Special Collections now includes 67 additional volumes of the Newport Directory. This brings our total to 70 volumes spanning 1880-1971. The directory was published under several titles; the library catalog shows the exact titles and years in the collection. The directories include names, addresses, and occupations of residents. The names of people who died in a given year were retained in the next year’s directory, so it is possible to discern the year of someone’s death. The directories also include business listings and advertisements. To use the directories, please contact University Archivist and Special Collections Librarian Julie Swierczek for an appointment at julie.swierczek@salve.edu or 401-341-2276.
VHS Conversion
During the last academic year the library began a project to convert the library’s existing videotape collection to DVDs. During this process, approximately one hundred VHS tapes were sent to the Audio Visual department and converted to DVD; other DVDs were purchased when available; and a remaining few VHS tapes were put in storage if the film was available in the library’s database Films on Demand. This project has been an effort to keep up with technology and maintain the usefulness of the library’s collections. The library still retains a small collection of VHS tapes. If there is a VHS title in our collection that you would like converted to DVD please let us know. For more information, or to request a VHS conversion, please contact Lisa Underhill at lisa.underhill@salve.edu or 401-341-2290.
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Art Exhibit
"Forgotten - Remembered" Photographs of ghostly images in historic New England island houses by Joya Granbery Hoyt will be on display from October 14 through November 1, McKillop Library first floor display space. An artist reception will be held on October 22 at 4:00pm on the first floor of the McKillop Library.
Wakehurst Revisited:
A Sense of Home
Dr. Sarah Littlefield, professor of English and American studies and Dr. Jayme Hennessy, associate professor of religious and theological studies will present Wakehurst Revisited on November 7, 2013 at 4:00pm in the Munroe Special Collections Room.
What’s New!
Portable Turntable for Checkout
The library now has a portable turntable for one-week checkout at the circulation desk. The Crosley Mini Turntable includes full range stereo speakers and an adjustable tone control. It is enclosed in a handy carrying case. The library also has a small collection of records available for circulation including Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and the Grateful Dead.
Learning Commons Web Page
 Want to know how many computers are in the library and what software each has installed? How about a floor plan for each floor in the library? Check out the Learning Commons web page.
Display Space
In spring 2013, the students in Dr. Tim Neary's Public History class created poster-sized exhibits as part of their final projects for the course. Throughout the fall semester, these exhibits will be displayed in the new first floor display space at the library. The library is interested in displaying art, posters, and 3D objects in the new space. If you are interested in using the space, please contact Lisa Kenyon at lisa.kenyon@salve.edu or 401-341-2278.
Ebook Display in the Library
This fall, each floor of the library will highlight ebook covers from our collection of close to 250,000 titles. Use your mobile device to scan the QR code and be brought directly to the catalog record for that item. Visit the ebook web page to learn more about the ebook collection.
Maps
Check out the maps on display on the third floor, which are part of the library’s map collection. Most of the maps are produced by the CIA and the Department of the Interior. The collection is stored on the second floor, on top of the microfilm cabinets. All of the maps may be checked out for one week at a time. If you have questions about the maps, please contact Julie Swierczek at julie.swierczek@salve.edu or 401-341-2276.
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Welcome to a New Academic Year!
