LIBRARY NEWS
iSkills Test
QC undergraduates who have 30 credits or more now have a chance of winning cash prizes by taking the iSkills test, an Internet based test that appraises information literacy and communication technology skills. Every eligible student who takes the test will be entered into a drawing for a cash reward. There is one prize of $200 and five prizes of $100 each. Various test dates and times are offered. Register for the iSkills test online, or by contacting Prof. Alexandra de Luise, Coordinator of Instructional Services (718-997-3748).
Ask A Librarian
The Ask A Librarian service has been redesigned for your convenience. Our Librarians are happy to answer your research and reference inquiries via e-mail. Fill out the online form to submit your questions and an expert bibliographer in the relevant discipline will be assigned to your inquiry. Except for holidays and weekends, we will aim to send replies within 48 hours.
New Humanities Librarian
We are pleased to announce that Ms. Nancy Foasberg will join the faculty of the Queens College Libraries as Humanities Librarian.
Ms. Foasberg received her Bachelor of Arts in English, California State University, Chico, 2002; Master of Arts in English, California State University, Chico, 2004; and Master of Science in Library Science, Drexel University, 2007.
Ms Foasberg's library experience includes serving at the Engineering Library and the Weigle Information Commons in the Van Pelt Library at the University of Pennsylvania. She has taught at Gloucester County College, the Community College of Philadelphia, Camden County College, and California State University, Chico, offering developmental, first-year, and advanced composition and The Writing Workshop.
Nancy will serve as bibliographer for the English and Comparative Literature Departments as a well as the Drama, Theater and Dance Departments.
The Queens College Libraries Annual Report 2008
The Benjamin S. Rosenthal Library, which opened in 1988, is the centerpiece of the campus, and contains a carefully selected collection of print and non-print materials, including over 800,000 books. The total count of current print journal subscriptions is 1,020, with on-line access to over 23,000 e-journal titles. The Library includes a growing collection of multimedia in its Media Center. There is also an extensive collection of microform material. In addition, the Rosenthal Library is a depository for many U.S. government publications. The Reference Area contains materials for research on a wide range of social science, humanities, education, and science topics.
The Art Library and the Queens College Art Center are on the sixth floor. The Art Library has over 70,000 books; 5,000 bound periodicals; and 110,000 slides, pictures, and exhibition catalogs and pamphlets. The collection includes resources for the study of all aspects of the visual arts and material culture, including art and architectural history, theory, criticism, materials, techniques, and practice.
Nurtured by both the Aaron Copland School of Music and the Queens College Libraries, the Queens College Music Library has evolved into a first-class research facility and is the largest music collection in the CUNY system. The Music Library is located on two levels in the School of Music building and contains over 35,000 scores, 30,000 books and 20,000 sound recordings, including the David S. Walker Music Education Collection and the Ursula Springer Choral Music Collection.
The Queens College Libraries offer a constantly expanding number of electronic resources and services. Electronic resources include online databases, electronic journals and reference sources, electronic books, and internet resource options available from workstations on all floors of the building. Electronic services include off-campus access to CUNY+ Web (the Web version of CUNY's online catalog) as well as many electronic resources; online renewal of borrowed books; interlibrary loan service that allows for e-mail requests and document delivery; the option of electronic reserve for required readings; word processing at selected workstations; and printing capabilities from all workstations. CUNY Libraries Inter-Campus Services (CLICS) allows users to request circulating books from any CUNY library to be delivered to any other CUNY library for pick up.
At the same time, the libraries continue to provide traditional in-house services: reference; on-site interlibrary loan; a reserve library for print and media reserves; instructional services; multimedia center; education curriculum center; services for students with disabilities; and photocopying capabilities.
The Queens College Archives include a selected group of legislative leader Benjamin S. Rosenthal's Congressional papers, New York State Assemblyman Saul Weprin's papers, other special collections, and college records dating from 1935. The Louis Armstrong Archives, also housed in the Rosenthal Library building, are open for scholarly consultation.
Selected Accomplishments
We are pleased to be able to report many accomplishments during the 2007/2008 academic year, thanks to the considerable efforts of the faculty and staff who work in the Libraries as well as the many donors and supporters who helped us move forward in terms of services and collections.
Collection Development
A strong library needs materials for its constituents to use and the past year witnessed the addition of 10,189 volumes and 357 titles of DVDs and VHS tapes to our holdings. Due to a need to maximize savings where we can, we have been evaluating our print journal subscriptions. Over 200 print journal titles were cancelled in 2007/2008. However, with the loading of Serials Solutions MARC records for e-journals, the Library now has online access to 23,318 e-journal titles.
Instruction
In order to heighten the use and understanding of our collections (print and digital), we seek to provide bibliographic instruction and information literacy through a variety of avenues. The Library Instruction Program offered 12 sections of LIB100 (Information Literacy) and 2 sections of LIB150 (Fundamentals of Library Research in the Social Sciences) during the academic year. We also provided 104 librarian-led English 110 (College Writing) sessions. In addition, we offered 108 librarian-led undergraduate subject discipline classes for the year, and 64 graduate level classes (most of these in Education).
Aside from teaching a large number of classes (as per above), the library is also active in: College Now (for High School students), Queens Middle School of Inquiry library sessions, Summer Science program and middle school and high school tours. Collaboration with the Queens College Center for Teaching and Learning resulted in the successful delivery of two faculty workshops entitled Getting Started with Research and Copyright and Plagiarism.
Reference and Research Services
The Reference Department continued developing new models of service that integrate the changing needs of our Library patrons who work outside, as well as inside the Library building, and must also reflect our current, decreased staffing.
To this end, we established a two-tiered reference service, wherein Information Assistants, located at the Information Desk assist our patrons with most of their basic information needs such as locating E-Reserve materials, navigating CUNY+, and understanding print/copy procedures. Librarians, located in our new Research Services Office, concentrate their efforts on assisting with the more in-depth queries students pose as they begin learning to conduct research. This change in the delivery of reference and information services has improved the quality of our research services.
As the year progresses, we shall look further into enhancing our off-site reference services, currently only available through email, and examining other reference models as well. The challenge will be to identify the model that best matches our users' needs.
Website
One of our goals has been to develop web pages that are as intuitive to use as possible and provide as much information as we can, to empower our patrons to work independently when they wish, yet have support available when appropriate. Our new website goes far in satisfying this goal.
It was recently inaugurated at http://qcpages.qc.cuny.edu/Library/.
Art Library and Art Center
The Art Library and Art Center enjoyed a successful year with the addition of materials, art, and the presentation of stimulating and well-attended exhibitions. The Art Library and Art Center accepted nearly 4,000 items for the library collections; 45 art works for the Art Collection; and six works were donated through the Art Center to the Queens College Public Art Collection, which is displayed throughout the campus.
The Art Library continued to expand access to digital visual resources and worked towards their integration into teaching and learning at the College, across the disciplines. The Library targeted collection development in electronic and print materials and had as a goal an increase in providing information literacy and library usage instruction in the Arts. A major focus of the Library and Center has been on enhancing its web pages and web presence to provide better access to collections and services. The Art Center presented four successful exhibitions and related public programming (gallery talks, lectures, concerts, receptions, book signing). The installation of a new gallery floor represents a major improvement in the facilities.
Music Library
For the Music Library, the year witnessed several accomplishments in the area of technology. The Library received funds from the Student Tech Fee to implement a laptop loan program, with ten new laptop computers to begin circulating in fall 2008. To augment its successful and innovative iPod circulation program, the Music Library will be receiving an iPod cart that stores, charges, and loads 40 iPods at a time. The Library also received an LP-CD converter as a gift, which will be used to convert LPs to the more accessible digital format and be a part of a planned newly renovated Listening Area. Finally, the Music Library received an external hard drive on which to store iPod files. It will be used to finish the loading of five video iPods, which are also being circulated to students.
Facilities Update
The Rosenthal Library was built twenty years ago and is starting to show its age and the impact of very high use over the years. I am pleased to report several updates which have improved the look and functionality of the building.
The availability of year-end money led to new carpet being installed in the stairwells (levels 1–6), Level Two, and on Level One.
The Twomey Lounge, on Level One (inaugurated in April 2007), has been outfitted with additional power outlets and we are installing new tables (with outlets) and chairs adjacent to the Lounge. With the renovation and upgrade of the Library's Multi-Media Center, we foresee Level One as an outstanding showcase of the Library, with active and engaged learning taking place throughout.
Planning continues for upgrades to Level Two and Three, which will be funded by grants from the Borough of Queens President. We would like to create an Information Commons with Instruction Classrooms on Level Two. And, on Level Three, we have been discussing the re-configuration of reference and research services. Our goal in this regard is to utilize the space available in Rosenthal Library the best way possible, arranging our services and collections to better serve the students and faculty of Queens College.
Conclusion
During the coming year, we will continue our efforts to improve our collections and provide better access to all our materials (print or digital); expand our instruction, information, and research services; and upgrade our facilities.
Respectfully submitted,
Robert A. Shaddy, Ph.D.
Chief Librarian
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