PSC Library Newsletter

February

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What’s Newsworthy

image with a Mardi Gras Mask and beads. Includes the and date, time, and information about the event, which is also listed below

Mardi Gras Unmasked

Join Professor Justin Pariseau and the Library for a Lunch and Learn lecture called, Mardi Gras Unmasked: A History of Zulu and Old Line Parade Krewes in New Orleans. Mardi Gras Unmasked will be Tuesday, February 13th from 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM. Please click this link to add this event directly to your calendar.

We'll start with a lecture in the library and then move to the vestibule in front of the library to enjoy king cake afterward.

This event is sponsored by the Library, the PSC Honors Program, and African and African American Studies. Classes are welcome and encouraged!

Love Stinks Playlist

Last year the library created a playlist of love songs based on suggestions from our blackboard. This year we got a little ahead of ourselves and created a breakup playlist because not every Valentine's Day is what you had hoped. Get your Kleenex and enjoy? a listen.

How to view the solar eclipse

On Monday, April 8, 2024, Chicago Heights will experience a partial solar eclipse. (If you want to see totality you’ll have to view it from further south.) Closer to home, the PSC library, in partnership with the Natural Sciences Department, and college STEM club, will be hosting an eclipse viewing event on April 8th starting at 11:30 AM in the conference center and the Scholar’s Garden. Please join us to witness this amazing celestial event.

We will also host a group reading of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s book, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. Stay tuned for more details as the semester progresses. We have a print copy of the book on the shelf at QB461 .T97 2017, an audiobook, and an ebook. If you would like to read this in your class, please email vmoore@prairiestate.edu.

Something new: PSC Library joining I-Share

This semester, the PSC Library will be working to join the 90 other colleges, universities, and research centers that make up I-Share. The full migration is expected at the end of June, at which point the PSC Library will be leaving SWAN. The Library decided to leave SWAN as PSC was the only college library left in the consortium and we were no longer able to take advantage of many of their services.

The move to I-Share will involve many changes that will enhance our service to the campus community. The biggest change will involve a move away from the library’s current OneSearch to a search interface called Primo VE. Primo VE is used by most academic libraries in the state, meaning that students who transfer to another school will more than likely be using a system they already learned at PSC. PSC librarians will be updating guides and tutorials to get everyone ready for the new interface.

Once the migration has been completed, students and employees of PSC will be able to search through the collections of all 90+ libraries in I-Share using the Primo VE interface and place requests for those items. Those items will then be delivered to PSC usually within 1 to 2 business days regardless of where they are located in the state. To get a sense of the vast scope of the items that will now be available to PSC Library patrons, you can try searching using the following link and selecting I-Share Union View from the dropdown menu:

https://i-share.carli.illinois.edu

Additionally, another exciting benefit available to PSC Library patrons is the ability to visit and check out items at any other I-Share library. This includes institutions such as the University of Illinois, UIC, Governors State University, Chicago State University, DePaul, and more. A full list of current I-Share members can be found here:

https://www.carli.illinois.edu/membership/i-share_part

Finally, the migration to I-Share will actually save the college about $18,000/year while providing better services and access to more information.

Expect to hear more from us about the migration as the semester progresses!

Librarian Watercooler: Library Services for a New Semester

It’s a new semester. Library services haven’t changed much, but we wanted to remind you of some services we offer below:

Reserve Textbooks

The library doesn’t have textbooks as part of the regular collection. When students ask about textbooks, we send them to the bookstore to purchase them. However, instructors can always put a personal copy of a textbook, workbook, DVD, or other items on reserve for students to check out in two-hour increments and use in the library. To put something on reserve, please fill out this form, and/or email Thane Montaner. Then make sure your students know there is a copy on reserve.

Reference Librarians

Think of your reference librarian as a human Google– minus the advertisements and misinformation. (We encourage you to use Google in your research, but its strengths, weaknesses, and many gray areas are a nuanced topic for a different newsletter.)

Our reference desk is across from our computer lab and is staffed:

Monday - Wednesday, 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM

Thursday - 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM in person, 3:00 PM - 8:00 PM virtually

Most of the degreed librarians take turns at the reference desk, although you will see some faces more than others. We answer questions in person, by chat, email, and phone. We can set up appointments in person or over Google Meet, but you can always just show up at the desk.

Your reference librarian can help anyone; we don’t care if you are a student, faculty, staff, or community member. We can support research, but also troubleshoot basic computer problems, help with printing, and guide you to research anything you can think of, including:

Image of 3x5 index card that reads, 'when writing to a sailor should one always spell 'weigh' as in 'achors aweigh' out of courtsey or, even when it is usually spelled 'way'

This image was taken from the New York Public Library’s Historic Reference Questions.

Except for the above historical question, which doesn’t have a name attached, your reference questions are confidential.

Interlibrary Loan

Just as you borrow items from our library, libraries borrow things from one another for our patrons. This means that if we don’t have something available we can borrow it from another library within a few days. As discussed above, later in the calendar year, we will be joining a new consortium, which means that we’ll have many more items available through interlibrary loan. If you have any questions about interlibrary loan, please reach out to Alex Altan, College Archivist and Interlibrary Loan Librarian.

Featured eBooks

To accompany our Mardi Gras Unmasked event, our February book display will be Mardi Gras-themed. Enjoy a sampling of the display’s ebooks below and visit the library in person for the rest.