Milligan Library Life

by the staff of P.H. Welshimer Memorial Library & Seminary Library

TWO new articles featuring Milligan College Library!

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The May 1 issue of Library Journal features an article by Barbara Fister on the future of academic libraries entitled “Academic libraries, a view from the administration building.”  The article features input from  Mark Matson, Milligan’s Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean, who is an enthusiastic supporter of our library and its approach to information literacy  and the digital environment.  From the article:

“When asked about how their libraries support teaching and learning, administrators seemed knowledgeable about the library’s role. ‘There is a total focus on information literacy—in classes, helping faculty, teaching students,’ according to Mark Matson, VP for academic affairs at Milligan College in northeastern Tennessee. ‘This focus has had a radical change across campus. And the use of our library has simply skyrocketed the last three years.'”

“While I agree that over time print collections might decrease, […] the digital collections will continue to increase at phenomenal rates. And with this shift, the role of librarians to help other patrons negotiate this world will be critical. In fact, I see skilled modern librarians as being even more important in the future, provided they are partners with faculty in designing courses.”

The article is an excellent read, and anyone concerned about the future of academic libraries should take a look!

The Milligan College Library in general, and our Million Pennies Campaign in particular, is also the subject of an editorial entitled “Wii don’t need no education” in the Milligan Stampede, the college’s student newspaper.  Check out the article and let us know what you think.

And of course, keep those pennies coming!

Million Pennies Campaign raises $110.50 in first month!

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The Milligan College Library is proud to announce that you, our loyal library users, have contributed $110.50 in cash and change to our Million Pennies campaign in our first month!

The Library staff would like to extend a hearty thank you to our April 2010 contributors:

Kelly Alexander, Lauren Anderson, Abby Banks, Belteshazzar, Ken Broyles, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Teresa Carter, Ashley Cunigan, Bri Curtis, Gary F. Daught, Erin Dye, Erasmus, Lauren Eversole, Bill & Edwina Greer, Deb Harbin, Jefferson Harbin, Walter Hendrickson, Erica Hiteshew, Clinton J. Holloway, Ryan Hughes, Grace Jackson, John Jackson, Mary Jackson, Diane Junker, Adam Knust, Emily Krug, Pat Magness, Mount, James Oaks, Random Security Guy, Emma Rees, Sarah Rhymer, Janey Robinson, Jessica Saltzman, Gail Scalf, Jennifer Sheldon, Robert B Shields, Meredith Sommers, Alicya Suit, Aniela Suit, Amber Thomas, Adam Tomlinson, Tim Wasem, and Matt Watkins.

    If you haven’t contributed yet, we encourage you do so by the end of the semester!  You’ve probably got change in your desk drawer or car cupholder you don’t feel like lugging home for the summer–stop by the library before you leave and put it toward a good cause!

    And on May 3rd & 4th, Monday and Tuesday of Finals week, we’re making it even easier for you to donate!  Library staff are bringing the donation box up to Sutton lobby during lunch. Bring your unwanted change and help us get closer to our goal of $10,000 for library renovation and a study room named whatever you like.  Every penny helps!

    Good luck on Finals!  As a reminder, we’ve extended our hours this weekend–we’ll be open until midnight this Saturday, with free coffee and tea to boot.

    Thanks again!  We’ll see you this weekend and next week!

    Milligan Stampede article on Million Pennies Campaign

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    Check out this article on the library’s Million Pennies campaign in the online edition of the Stampede, Milligan’s student newspaper.

    In case you haven’t seen donation box in a few days, here’s how it looks as of April 20, 2010:

    Thanks to all who have donated!  Keep those pennies coming!  If you haven’t given yet, now is the time!

    Next week, we’ll count how much we’ve received in the first month of the Million Pennies campaign.  Stay tuned!

    Announcing the Million Pennies campaign!

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    Help us raise one million pennies for the library renovation and we’ll let you name a study room anything you want!

    A dramatically improved library is on the horizon, and with your help, we’ll get there sooner!  The library is excited to launch the Million Pennies campaign for library renovation as a part of Milligan College’s Forward Ever capital campaign.

    Contribute your pennies (or other cash or coins) to the box at the library front desk, and be sure to put your name on a slip of paper so we can thank you later!  Our goal is to raise one million pennies, or $10,000, for the renovation.  If we succeed, we’ll allow you, our loyal library users, to name a library study room whatever you’d like!

    Thank you!  We appreciate your generosity!  Please come see us or give us a call (423.461.8703) if you have any questions!

    Search EBSCOhost journal databases from your mobile phone!

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    EBSCO Mobile access

    Milligan College Library patrons with Internet-capable smartphones (e.g., iPhone, BlackBerry, Palm) and wireless handheld devices (e.g., iPod touch) can now search our EBSCOhost online journal databases on the go!

    Point your device web browser to http://m.ebscohost.com/. This will take you to EBSCO’s service selection page for Milligan College. (The following screenshots were taken from an Apple iPod touch.) Select “mobile access” from the services list. If you are off-campus, you will be prompted by our proxy server to fill in the fields with your Name and Barcode Number from your Milligan College ID card.  Click the “Submit” button to enter the EBSCOhost databases page. This page includes a complete list (with descriptions) of our EBSCOhost journal databases. Scroll through the list and place a check mark next to the database or databases you want to search and then click “Continue.”

    I selected the ATLA Religion Database. Notice the search screen is very similar to the standard computer web interface, only it is formatted for easier viewing on your mobile device. The “Search Options” link allows you to set the kind of search you want to perform (Boolean, phrase, etc.), or any search limits (date ranges, full-text, peer-reviewed only, etc). The “Preferences” link allows you to control how search results are displayed (results per page, title with or without citation/description, etc.). Type in your search term(s) and click “Search.”

    The search results are displayed in a list. Titles are hyperlinked to article records just like in the standard interface. Full-text, if available (in either html or pdf format), can be launched and viewed directly on your device (if supported), or emailed for later viewing.

    The tools for gaining access to scholarly information resources are increasingly migrating to the mobile environment. This is an exciting development. It is another way in which the Library is reaching out to serve you, wherever you happen to be!

    I tested the EBSCOhost mobile interface wirelessly on my iPod touch. Although it is not always convenient reading pdf articles on the device (I can enlarge the view in landscape mode, or zoom-in), I’m really happy with this experience overall. I especially liked being able to attach and email articles to my computer. I would be interested hearing about your experience using this service on other mobile devices. Did you run into any difficulties? Please report with your comments below. We will also share news of other mobile tools as they become available.