Library Closed This Afternoon 12/18/08

The library is undergoing some much needed and eagerly awaited refurbishing, but this morning the atmosphere got a bit thick with the texturizer that was being sprayed. This left us with lavish load of dust throughout and irritated eyes and noses. We have closed the library till tomorrow morning at 8 am, but we do still have someone in the library available till 5 pm today to take care of book fines/fees and holds in Banner. Please call 510-2502 if you need assistance.

Extended Hours for Finals!

It's time for finals, so we'll be extending library hours starting Saturday, December 6th, to help you with that last minute crunch! Come by for a relaxing place to study and enjoy some free coffee and tea, courtesy of the library. Tutors will be here to offer their help with your studies, plus free refreshments and 5-minutes massages are available to students meeting with a tutor. Tutoring schedule is:

Dates: Sun 12/7, Mon 12/8, Tues 12/9
Times: 5:00 - 8:00pm
Location: Tutoring and massages in front of FIC Conference Room of Vaughn Library

AAUW Tyler Quilt Raffle!

Take time to stop by the Library and see the beautiful "Stars of Heaven", a hand-quilted, king-size Amish quilt in greens, reds, and cream.

The American Association of University Women-Tyler Branch is raffling this quilt to help fund its education and community service projects, which include annual scholarships for a graduating TJC woman, one for a graduating Smith County high school girl, and a new "Proven Scholar" scholarship for a woman attending TJC, UT Tyler, or Texas College who has earned at least 30 hours of college credit.

Raffle tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20 and may be obtained from Robin Insalaco. You don't want to miss the chance to own this beautiful piece of art!

Art Images, Biographies and Library Literature

Take a look at these databases we've just added to help with your research.

Art Museum Image Gallery
H.W. Wilson's Art Museum Image Gallery announces the addition of 62,500 new images, spanning works from 3000 BC to the 20th century. The Art Archive is a fine art and historical image library with works from over 1,800 distinguished sources worldwide. Areas of special strength include ancient civilizations, American, European and Medieval history, world religions, and classical music, in addition to iconic images from the history of art and architecture. The images are drawn from the collections of the most respected museums of Europe, Africa, North and South America, and Asia.

Biography Reference Bank
Full-text biographical resource that provides comprehensive coverage of people in the news and history-makers, along with images and an improved, user-friendly interface. Includes
over 236,000 individuals and more than 36,000 images.

Library Literature
Created by librarians for librarians, LL reflects the latest trends in a rapidly evolving field. Includes indexing for English and foreign-language periodicals, selected state journals, conference proceedings, pamphlets, books, and library school theses, plus over 300 books per year. You'll find full text articles cover to cover from over a hundred select publications, full text articles, charts, graphs, photos, and other valuable graphical information.

Database Trial for Testing, Careers and More!

The library would like to let you know about a 30 day trial to Testing & Education Reference Center + Careers, a very comprehensive college search/preparation and career resources tool. The trial is open to all TJC students, faculty and staff. What a great opportunity to evaluate such a powerful tool. Check it out at the following link and let us know what you think! http://access.gale.com/academic/go/?key=3750_8326474 (Trial access is available on-campus only)
For a more complete description, go to http://www.gale.cengage.com/TestingAndEducation/

Computer Lab Now Open!

We're open for business again! The computer lab (VERC) officially re-opened this morning, just in time for all the research that's taking place! As a reminder, lab hours are:

Monday - Thursday 8:00 to 9:00
Friday 8:00 to 4:30
Saturday 1:00 to 3:30
Sunday 1:00 to 4:30

Library Open House!

The library remodeling is almost complete! Please join us on Tuesday, November 11, 2008, from 2 - 4 p.m., when the library will be hosting an Open House showcasing the new VERC Computer Lab, the Faculty Senate Office, and the Distance Education office suite. These areas are all located on the library's second floor.

Education and Business Help

Need help finding business and education research materials? Check out EBSCO's new series called Research Starters. Great starting point for research that provides authoritative topic overviews for courses taught at the college and university level. Some key points of the database are:

* links to in-depth articles in EBSCOhost databases
* 500 topics with approximately 3,000 word articles
* overveiw section, charts and graphs
* examples of how to apply concepts
* definition of terms

Just click on Find Articles in the sidebar of this blog and look under EBSCO in the Quick Links menu!

Update on Computer Lab Closing

The library's computer lab closed for some much needed remodeling on September 3rd with expectations of having it back up and running this week. Due to circumstances beyond our control, it now looks like we'll have to push that opening back about three weeks! Please continue to go to lab T-315 in the Pirtle Technology building for your computer needs. However, if you only need to print, please stop at the library's circulation desk and the library staff will assist you. Thanks for your patience!

Library Closed This Weekend!

In preparation for severe weather resulting from hurricane Ike, Vaughn Library will close this afternoon at 5 p.m. and will remain closed until Monday, September 15th when we will open at 7:30 a.m. Keep in mind that as long as there is power to our servers and Internet service is not interrupted, you can access our online databases 24/7 from home, dorm, work, etc. Simply go to http://www.tjc.edu/library/webresources.htm and click on the OFF-CAMPUS ACCESS button. You will then follow the on-screen directions and enter your A# when asked for your ID#.

Remember, also, that we have a lot of new BEST SELLER books available for checkout. You can read a book by candle or flashlight if the power is off! We also have quite a few audiobooks for your use.

Stay safe, everyone!
Marian the Librarian

Voter Registration Available in the Library!

With the November elections just around the corner, the library is offering you a convenient place to register so you have the opportunity to cast your vote. If you haven't registered yet and are at least 17 years and 10 months of age on the date you apply, we can provide you with a voter registration application. Just stop by the Circulation Desk and ask for Robin or Danna. The final date for filling these forms out in the library will be October 3, so hurry in to register--voting is a privilege!

Computer Lab Closed for Remodeling

Our computer lab is getting a much needed face lift! It closed yesterday and will remain closed for approximately the next three weeks for new paint and the installation of new desks. We're sorry for the incovenience, but we think you'll really like the end result. For access to computers during this time, please go to lab T-315 in the Pirtle Tech building.

New Location for Reference Services

As a convenience to you, reference services is now located at the circulation desk on the first floor. Be sure to stop by and let Robin, the reference librarian, help you with your research project. She can show you how to make your research process much easier!

Databases For Research

Need help with your research assignment? Take a look at the library's online databases where you'll find full-text articles and books containing published research about your topic. Not only are they easy to use, but they can make your complete research process much easier! Check out the links in the sidebar of this blog to find more information on how to get to them and how to access them from home.

Library's Getting a Face Lift!

We hope you'll excuse the slight interruption while the library undergoes some much needed improvements! You'll notice new paint on the doors, entry way and exterior of the library, along with some new lighting. We're also getting new computer desks in the computer lab that will allow us to seat 79 students, almost double the current seating. Keep an eye out for more improvements to come!

Classes Begin August 25th

Well, things are about to be back in full swing as classes begin on Monday the 25th. We invite you to come by the library and meet our friendly staff! Grab a snack and a drink from our library vending machines (yes, we have food in the library!) between classes or curl up in one of our comfy leather chairs with your laptop. You can access our wireless network from anywhere in the library or visit the library's computer lab on the second floor.