PowerBlog

Fines for overdue library books. Everybody hates them. The people who get them and even the people who have to collect them. But they're a fact of everyday library life: without them some people would never bring back the books other people need. So it's always good when something positive can come out of it. Food for Fines is an annual tradition at the Novanet libraries. If you have fines, just bring in a non-perishable food item. For every one you drop off at the Circulation desk, your fines will be reduced by $2 (maximum of $20). And all the food will be donated to the campus food bank so you'll be helping other students at the same time. This year's campaign starts on Monday (January 17) and runs until the 28th. And everybody wins.

More and more people these days access the Web with a hand-held device (think iPhone, BlackBerry or any number of other smartphones). A quick walk around the Patrick Power Library will tell you that many SMU students use and love them. But navigating a web site on a 3 inch screen can be a challenge. Which is why there have been "apps" developed for just about everything under the sun. And which is why the Library now offers 2 ways to access our electronic self. You can use our familiar, trusty web site or you can try our new mobile version. It's available at http://library.smu.ca/mobile/ or just follow the "Mobile Access" link in the bottom left corner of the main site. You can search the catalogue and some of our most popular journal databases or get info on hours, contacts, document delivery and more. You can even read this blog! We hope it's helpful. We hope it's handy. We hope it makes your life a little easier.

I came to work yesterday and there was a giant orange wall running down the middle of my library. Fortunately, it is only made of wood and vinyl and it is very temporary. Let me explain... Over the holiday break, the library's ongoing renovations kicked into a higher gear. While we were enjoying the time off, workers were busy demolishing the brick and glass wall which used to separate the Reference Room from the old lobby space. And while they were at it they took out a few offices too. These, of course, are all part of the facelift which the main floor is about to undergo. In the coming weeks, the former lobby will get new flooring, new furniture, new washrooms and other improvements. Plus, the old Reserve Reading Room will be completely gutted and new group study rooms and an instruction lab installed. Unfortunately, this means that, for the next few months, some previously-popular study areas, especially those conducive to group work, will be construction zones. We know this wi...

Everyone here at the Library would like to wish everyone at Saint Mary's a wonderful holiday. If you want to see our greeting in action, go to www.smu.ca . You'll see us about half way thru the University's Christmas video card. In a few days (noon on Wednesday to be precise) we will be closing for the Christmas break, reopening on January 3. In the meantime, stay away from all things academic, try and relax and enjoy whatever you do in the coming weeks and we'll see you in the new year!

Do you belong to the world's most popular social networking site? If the answer is yes, then you have something in common with the library. But if you visit our Facebook page hoping to find pictures of wild librarian parties or how we spend our Saturday nights, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. What you will find is another way, a relaxed way, of staying connected to us. We'll post the latest news, updates on our services or resources, anything, big or small, that we think you would want to know. And maybe we'll move in other directions too. Perhaps we'll share our favourite books (or web sites or blogs or Youtube videos). We don't know exactly where we're headed and we're keeping an open mind. So pay us a visit (search: patrick power library ). The more the merrier!

Every term the library extends its hours during the exam period to accomodate the studying crowds. We open earlier and close later (for early birds and night owls). Well this year we are taking it a step further. For the first time, the library will remain open until 1:00am - not just during exams but starting this weekend . So those students currently working on end-of-term assignments or who will be cramming for morning exams in a few weeks will have a late-night place to go - a study hall to call their own. Here's the complete schedule: November 20 (Saturday) 10am - 1am November 21 (Sunday) noon - 1am November 22 - December 17 Monday - Saturday 8am - 1am; Sunday 10am - 1am December 18 (final day of exams) 10am - 7pm December 19 CLOSED December 20 -21 9am - 5pm December 22 9am - noon January 3 9am - 5pm Something else you should know: from November 20 - December 1 the Circulation Desk (book checkout, print credits, etc.) will be open until midnight; from December 2 - 17 it will ...

It is important that everyone be aware that, due to renovations in the McNally Building, the campus computer system and network services will be unavailable this Sunday . This shutdown will begin at 7:00am and last well into the evening. This is a complete IT service outage. Services which will be unavailable include: Banner SMUport Blackboard Library Databases (on and off campus) Web sites Network shares Internet access Wireless network The outage includes the Library, Atrium, all computer labs, residences and faculty offices. In spite of this, the library will remain open. You will be able to study, get help from staff or borrow books. Please note that if you have a paper due on Monday the library does have 10 Word-enabled laptops which can be borrowed (3 hour loan). Just a suggestion...but you may want to adjust your weekend schedule accordingly.

This is just a reminder that Thursday is Remembrance Day. As a result, and in recognition of the events which mark this special occasion, the library will be closed in the morning. We will, however, be open from noon until 11p.m and staff will be here to help you at the Circulation and Information desks.

Just a reminder that the Library will be open this Monday, Thanksgiving Day from noon to 11pm . So the hours will be slightly shorter than usual but think of it as a chance to sleep in a bit. And you'll still have 11 hours to enjoy our company. Regular hours will, of course, resume the next day.

Don't know what CAT stands for? Not sure what the Writing Centre does? Then join us this Thursday, September 30 from 1:00-3:00 for the very first Global Learning Commons Open House ! This will be a chance for members of the Saint Mary's community to find out more about the wide variety of services offered in the Atrium. Representatives from the Patrick Power Library, CAT, CAID, ITSS and the Writing Centre will be on hand to talk about the academic and administrative support we provide to students, faculty and staff. Coffee (and tea) and cake will be served! Hope to see you on Thursday. p.s. There's also a contest for you to enter: how many books in the Library? The closest guess wins a $50 Aramark gift card. Drop by for a ballot.

Amazing? Dismal? Full of wonderful memories? Or filled with too many "I wish they had never invented Facebook?" kinds of memories? Too short (they all are)? Technically, summer still has a few weeks to run but students know it's over, no matter how warm the weather. September means just one thing and it has for most of your life. So you're back in school (for your first year at Saint Mary's, or your second, or third, or fourth...). At least you've got company - students, faculty, staff - we're all in this together. And we all want the same thing: everyone to get nothing but "A's". Which, of course, you'll never get if you don't use... The library is, as always, here to help. We've got all the resources, technology and expertise you could possibly want. All you have to do is drop by and ask. Or use our web site. You'll find out about our 400,000 books, our growing number of e-books, the 1000's of journals you c...

Check the mirror, fix your hair and say "cheese". If you're a new student, you'll need a new ID. Your official university ID card is an important little document. In addition to being your library card, you'll need it for a whole lot of things - to get your U-Pass, admission to varsity sports events, discounts at local retail outlets, banks offering reduced rates to students, travel deals and if you're 19 or older... Normally, we produce the cards here in the library. But because there will be a few thousand of you arriving this week, we've moved the operation, temporarily, to the Conference Hall on the second floor of Loyola . Here's the schedule: Tuesday, August 31 - Friday, September 3 10:00am-3:00pm Saturday, Sept. 4 - Monday, Sept. 6 10:00am-4:00pm Tuesday, Sept. 7 - Friday, Sept. 10 10:00am-3:00pm After that, you'll still be able to get your card - at the ID Centre in the library, during our regular hours of Monday-Friday, 10:00am-2:...

We're always trying to make the library a better place to read, write, relax. Study, do research, work with others. Last year saw a new entrance and service desks opening on to the Atrium. This year we're going to continue upgrading library space. In fact, it starts in a few hours... We're not talking just cosmetic improvements (although there will be some of that). We're talking the kind that involve noise, dust and disruption - demolition, reconstruction - the kind that will be worth it in the end. Here are the highlights: The Administration offices are moving - Over the next few months the group study rooms on the second floor will be converted to offices for library administrators. This means, of course, that during this time, those group study rooms will be unavailable. Small group work can continue in that room at the end of the old lobby (the one with the words GROUP STUDY SPACES on the wall). New group study rooms will be built - in the area vacated by the adm...

Academic Journals, Scholarly Journals, Peer-reviewed Journals - we tend to use these terms interchangeably . They're all research-based publications which come out periodically (monthly, bi-monthly, 4/year). They're also, of course, the principal source of the latest and most authoritative facts and findings, ideas and insights in the world of academia (that's the world where you live most of the year). There are tens of thousands of these things on every conceivable subject, from the straightforward to the downright weird. Titles like: Journal of Artificial Organs Journal of Artists Books Journal of Applied Ichthyology (that's the study of fish, btw) Journal of Cell Death Journal of Cereal Science Journal of Cleaner Production Journal of College & University Student Housing Journal of Cryptology (it's about computers, not vampires) Journal of Conservative Dentistry I'm not making these up. In fact, all of the journals above (and many, many more) are availab...

We knew it was coming - just not so soon. But as of right now, and for another 7-8 weeks, the library's public elevator is out of commission. All elevators require regular maintenance (who wants to get stuck in one?) and ours is no exception. At the same time, the library's was in desperate need of a facelift (it was built in 1973). So this is one of those jobs that combines cosmetic improvements with mechanical upgrades. The renovations should be completed by early July. But in the meantime...we've made the necessary arrangements to insure that everyone can get to the upper floors, whether to retrieve a book or to study. Those unable to use the stairs will have access to our freight elevator. Don't worry, it's not one of those antique "looks like it hasn't moved in years" kind of freight elevators. Library staff use it every day. But it does require a key. So anyone needing an elevator should go to the Circulation Desk where someone will be av...

Many students use this time of year to chalk up a few credits. Summer school classes are smaller, they're short, there can be a real sense of comraderie (you have a common goal and you feel sorry for each other) and they can lighten the load for next year. Or maybe you just need that one...last...half...credit to graduate. Whatever the reason, whatever the course, this is just a reminder that the library is here to help. We're open most nights till 9:00 and there is always someone at the Reference Desk ready and willing to work with you to find the very best research material for your assignments. Remember, too, that many thousands of online journals and e-books can be accessed from our web site any where, any time. And if you need any help with these (or with any other issue/question/problem), you can always get in touch with us at research@smu.ca or 420-5544. So good luck and enjoy! Those six weeks will just fly by...

Maybe you're one of the lucky ones: you've just handed in your final assignment of a very long year. Or maybe there's just that one, last, tougher-than-all-the-rest paper that needs to be finished and sent. In either case, you'll soon, like it or not, be gearing up for exams. No more writing, "just" studying. And to help you get that studying done, and just like we always do, the Library will be open longer hours throughout the exam period . Here's what they look like: April 8 - April 11 Thursday & Friday 8:00am - 11:00pm Saturday 8:00am - 11:00pm Sunday 10:00am - 11:00pm April 12 - 18 Monday-Friday 8:00am - 11:00pm Saturday 8:00am - 11:00pm Sunday 10:00am - 11:00pm April 19 - 25 Monday-Wednesday 8:00am - 11:00pm Thursday 8:00am - 7:00pm Friday 9:00am - 5:00pm Saturday & Sunday Closed April 26 - May 2 (Intersession) Monday-Friday 9:00am - 5:00pm Saturday & Sunday Closed So good luck over the next few weeks. Oh, and one other thing, remembe...

We know how much you need us (and our computers and our comfy chairs and our shelter from the rain). So, no matter what's happening elsewhere on campus, the Library will be open throughout the coming Easter weekend, as follows: Friday (Good Friday) 9:00am - 11:00pm Saturday 10:00am - 9:00pm Sunday (Easter Sunday) noon - 11:00pm Monday (Easter Monday) 8:00am - 11:00pm Notice that we will open an hour later than normal on Friday morning but stay open a little longer Saturday evening. The hours on Sunday and Monday are the usual ones. So good luck with those last minute assignments and remember that there will be staff at the Reference desk who will be more than happy to lend you a hand.

Like most libraries, we check out a lot of books. Every year. It's one of the important things we do. Well at this library, nobody has checked out more books than Ken Clare. You may be one of the thousands of students who have had their books checked out by Ken over the years. Some time tomorrow, one of you will be the last. That's because Ken is retiring. And we don't know who will miss him more - the people who work in the library or the people who use it. Maybe you don't know Ken by name but you've probably seen him around - usually at the Circulation desk - that big guy with the big mustache. He's been lending journals, receiving books, collecting fines, forgiving fines and trading jokes with students (and supervising an entire department) for a very long time. Since 1982. Before most of you were born. So to say that he deserves his retirement is an understatement. Have you ever seen a group of women wearing Boston Red Sox shirts and tiaras on t...

There were some changes made this week to the way we organize the many different databases we now have. We think it's an improvement and we hope you do too. Let me explain: You know that Databases A-Z list in the Find articles section in the middle of our web site? Well it originated many years ago when our electronic offerings were a small fraction of their current number. It was intended to bring them all of them together in one master list, with an inclusive interpretation of the term “database”. Over time, this list has grown to include not just journal indexes but electronic statistical sources and e-books as well. These sources were all electronic but they were also significantly different. As the list grew (and the pace is accelerating rather than slowing down), it was becoming quite unwieldy. For someone looking for journal articles on a subject, especially first or second year students, that long list was pretty intimidating (and probably confusing). We have now separate...