We're doing a fast shift of books in the Hagerty Library reference collection (1st floor).

By discarding some materials that are available online, and moving others to the second floor, we have been able to open up some shelf space in our reference collection. Our student assistants are now working (very energetically!) to condense the remaining books on to the shelves closest to the 1st floor computer area.

Our goal is to clear -- and then remove -- the reference area shelving closest to the DVD shelves; furniture will then be moved to the newly cleared space providing additional study areas without obstructing access to reference materials.

The work is expected to be completed by the end of the week.

Posted by Web Editor (Kathleen Turner) at 02:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On Friday, May 16th, there will be core drilling on the 3rd floor -- it will be noisy. We recommend use of the lower level if you're seeking quiet study space. As always, ear plugs are available at the circulation desk.

UPDATE: On Monday, May 19th, the scaffolding will come down -- hurray for atrium light on the 1st floor!

On Monday, May 19th, the air handlers will be turned off temporarily while work is completed on the roof. Temperatures are expected to remain cool over the weekend and on Monday, so we do not anticipate uncomfortable conditions in the library.

We thank all of our students an other library patrons for their continued patience as our renovations continue.

Posted by Web Editor (Kathleen Turner) at 12:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ScienceDirect, Elsevier's ejournal search platform, has added some new features and enhancements:

Want to see reference information without scrolling to the foot of an article? It is now possible to view reference information within the body of a paper when your cursor moves over a reference marker.

Want to quickly evaluate articles before reading them? You’ll find easy access to important article components including the abstract, figures/tables and references on the search results, table of contents and article pages.

You’ve evaluated and read the article, what now? You can take further action quickly and easily. A new article toolbox brings together all of the article-related functionality including "Cited By", "E-mail Article" and more, into one easy-to-find location.

Posted by Web Editor (Kathleen Turner) at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Webcasts from the the 5th Annual Scholarly Communication Symposium: Scholar2Scholar: How Web 2.0 is Changing Scholarly Communication are now available at the Symposium web site: http://scholar2scholar.wikispaces.com/. Webcasts available include Jean Claude Bradley's presentation, Enhancing Scientific Communication through Open Notebook Science as well as the panel discussion. The Symposium website also offers notes from the round-table discussions, links to photos of the event on Flickr, and suggestions for further readings on Web 2.0 and Scholarship.

Posted by Web Editor (Kathleen Turner) at 11:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We're pleased to announce a new web interface for Scifinder Scholar, the search interface for access to Chemical Abstracts online. The web interface can be used without downloading and installing client software, and does not require use of the VPN.

While all search features are available in the web interface our Math Sciences Librarian, Peggy Dominy, has identified some functions -- primarily used by those doing bibliometric analysis -- for which the downloadable interface may be preferred, therefore we will continue to make this version available as well.

Chemical Abstracts covers the published scientific research in chemistry, and offers searching by author name, research topic, substance identifier, chemical structure, or chemical reaction. Now includes the Substructure Module (SSM). The limit of 4 simlutaneous users will continue to apply regardless of which interface is in use.

Look for both versions of Scifinder Scholar in our lists of databases.

Posted by Web Editor (Kathleen Turner) at 02:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Spam, spam, spam, eggs, and spam . . . In an effort to lessen the flood of spam in our email boxes generated from the forms on our website, we've added "reCAPTCHA" to our pages.

What is Recaptcha? You've seen "CAPTCHA's" before -- after you've filled out a form online, you're asked to type a string of distorted letters and numbers. This verifies that you're a real person, because people can read distorted text; machines, for the most part, can't. reCAPTCHA provides the same spam-deterring function, and at the same time harnesses this unique power of the human brain to contribute to Carnegie Mellon University's book digitization project. reCAPTCHA uses images of words that cannot be read by OCR, presenting one that has already been correctly translated, and one that is still in question. Each reCAPTCHA submission helps to translate the unknown word. If you're as tickled about this as we are (hey, we are librarians!), read more about it at http://recaptcha.net/learnmore.html.

So email us a question, or a suggestion, or a recommendation of something to purchase for the library collections, help us fight spam, and help digitize more books!

More about Spam . . .

Saturday, May 3rd marked the 30th anniversary of the first Spam, sent out over ARPAnet by Gary Thuerk to publicize a new model of DEC computers. The ARPAnet community was not pleased. The use of the term "spam" to designate "indiscriminately send unsolicited bulk messages" (according to Wikipedia) is generally believed to derive from the classic 1970 Monty Python Spam skit.

Posted by Web Editor (Kathleen Turner) at 08:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Browse the April New Book Lists for recent additions to the Hagerty and Health Sciences Library Collections. For your convenience, the lists are grouped by broad subject areas -- set a bookmark for your area of interest ; although the lists are updated each month, the page address for each subject area will always stay the same.

For a more personalized or specialized announcement of additions to the library collections, set up an email alert using the "Preferred Searches" feature of our catalog.

At right, Bananas : how the United Fruit Company shaped the world / Peter Chapman.

Posted by Web Editor (Kathleen Turner) at 08:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Team Bookin' It -- Drexel University Libraries staff, along with friends and family members -- will be participating in the 2008 Komen Philadelphia Race for the Cure® on Mother's Day. We're walking for our loved ones, our friends and our colleagues whose lives have been affected by breast cancer. We're walking for our mothers, our sisters, and wives and our daughters and granddaughters, for all the women -- and men! -- whose lives could be affected by breast cancer in the future.

We'd love to have your support! You can make a donation to our team or individuals, or . . . if you're in Center City early in the morning on Mother's Day, cheer for us as we go by!

Posted by Web Editor (Kathleen Turner) at 05:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Beginning on May 7th, tutors from the Drexel Writing Center will be available in Room 125 in Hagerty Library on Wednesdays and Thursdays, 5:00 - 8:00 pm. Students in need of help with writing assignments can make appointments via sign-up sheets posted on the door.

For more about Writing Center hours and services, see http://www.drexel.edu/writingcenter/.

Posted by Web Editor (Kathleen Turner) at 07:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)