Monday, January 12, 2015

Collection Development Digest


Here’s an update on Dunwoody’s Collection Development.

 ·         Pop Down – no longer exists.  Books that were in Pop Down have either been deselected or added to the regular circulating collection.  Effective January 2015 books moved from popular will either be added to the regular circulating collection or discarded.  Thanks to Barbara and her students for helping to make this happen.
 
·         Weeding ­­ – may begin January 30th.  Barbara will withdraw items.  Follow regular weeding procedures (last copy, etc.). The Inventory Project will begin in late Spring.  More details to come on the Inventory Project later in the semester. 

·         Collecting Browsing Periodical Statistics – Carmel and I will be collecting browsing periodicals statistics this semester.  Please encourage students to leave the periodicals on carts so we can count each title’s usage.  We will count usage daily.  Signage will be placed in the periodicals area and a clipboard for us to record statistics will be kept at the reference desk.
 
·         Scavenger Hunt – Student Life will have a scavenger hunt on Tuesday, January 13th 11am-3pm.  Students are encouraged to discover library resources (DVD’s, books etc.) on wellness.  You may be asked about where the wellness books are located. A display of some of our wellness resources will be located in the R section (see below).  Students will take a selfie with the display to illustrate that they have found the library’s wellness resources.  After students complete the scavenger hunt, they will have a chance to get inside of the cash cube to win some cash.  I asked if we could participate, but I think that’s cheating.  :  )






 

Welcome Back

Hello Colleagues!

We've missed you.  As you probably know, you're coming back to some changes.

First of all, notice the new furniture:  Long tables and chairs in the atrium, new chairs at each student computer station, and really cool little barrel stools at the ref desk. In addition the upholstery on the lounge chairs has been repaired.  All in all, we're looking rather spiffy!

Secondly, they are working on the elevators.  Look at your email from Tamika from last Friday for details.  We probably will know only day by day which elevator is functional. Unfortunately, we have no alternative to get people to the 3rd or ground floors when the interior elevator is out of order. We can, however still help them get the books they need to check out.  If someone who is mobility challenged needs resources from the stacks downstairs and  gives you the call numbers of those books, please retrieve them and bring them to the student. Because we are usually double staffed on the ref desk, we hope this system will work during the time the elevator is out. Please let us know if you have a better idea or if there are any problems with this approach.  We can always brainstorm alternatives.

Third, and finally, we know that within 18 months GPC will merge with Georgia State University. So far, that fact is all we know.  Here are links to a couple of sites that might give clues to the process:
FAQ from BOR: http://www.usg.edu/images/news_files/GSU_and_GPC_Consolidation_FAQs.pdf
Q &A with Mark Becker, GSU President http://www.gsu.edu/2015/01/06/consolidation-qa-president/
There will be a town hall meeting tomorrow with Presidents Becker and Watts.  We'll keep you posted on developments. 

In the meantime, let's keep our focus on our students and their success--AS WE ALWAYS HAVE!

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

ASK ME (YOU)

As the new semester begins, many students need help finding essential services.  Though there are official "ASK ME" volunteers around campus, students often look to the library for answers. (Yay!) Please consider wearing an "ASK ME" button while you are at the desk. 

There is a copy of the updated campus map at the desk as well as a list of FAQs. Listed below are the important numbers to call for questions you don't know how to answer.


Important Numbers and Resources
For general information regarding your questions, contact information is listed below.

Resources and Information
Academic Calendar:

Admissions Status Check:  gpc.edu/mystatus
Sign up for text alerts. Upload admissions documents.

Financial Aid Status Check

Forgot your Login?  Go to Get My Login.

Questions? Ask GPC (frequently asked questions)

Student Information System – SIS
Your personal records:  https://sis.gpc.edu

TAGs-Transfer Admissions Guarantee program

Tuition, Fees, and Refunds

Withdrawals vs. Drops

Departments

Public Safety:
EMERGENCIES:  770-274-5511
Non-Emergencies:  770-274-5500

Bookstores

Disability Services

GPC Online/iCollege
gpc.edu/online   678-891-2805

Learning Resources Centers (Libraries)

Learning and Tutoring Centers

Service Desk for Technology Issues
678-891-3460 or servicedesk@gpc.edu

Testing


Please note:  Due to federal law and for your safety, specific information regarding your records cannot be given over the telephone. Please be prepared to come to an office for assistance and remember to bring your GPC-ID card.


Legend:
Testing: Testing Center
LTC:      Learning and Tutoring Center
ESL:      English as a Second Language
LRC:     Learning Resources Center (Library)

FOR:
·   Advising, Counseling, & Retention Services
·   Enrollment & Registration Services (or visit www.gpc.edu/selfservice to email)
·   Financial Aid
·   GPC Online (or email gpcol@gpc.edu)
·   Student Accounts

Call 678-891-3535 (Try the self-service option for answers to common questions-available 24/7.)


FOR:
Testing – All campuses: Call 678-891-3700 or visit www.gpc.edu/selfservice to email

International Admissions and Advising: Call 678-891-3235 or issa.gpc.edu

  


Military Outreach Center
Clarkston Campus, Building CH, Suite 1300



Dunwoody Phone Numbers
Bookstore:          678-891-5170
Tutoring:             770-274-5244
Eng. 2nd Lang:   770-274-5180
Library:               770-274-5085

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

NPR Book Concierge

In case you haven't "heard," National Public Radio is now in the readers' advisory business.  Sure they frequently had Nancy Pearl on for guest spots to review books, and they've run lists of best books since at least 2008. But for 2013 and 2014 they have an interactive service called "NPR's Book Concierge."

There are 27 filters that can be used and combined to narrow the recommendation. It's a fun little tool to use whether you're looking for a good read over the holidays or finding something recent that matches a patron's interests. (Remember that NoveList is one of our databases that will also help you find books with very specific interests.)

It would be a great project to compare NPR's best list with GPC holdings and send a list to Angiah for collection development. Anyone interested?

Downloading e-books on Mobile Devices - From Sonya

On 11/20/2014 Sonya emailed: We are receiving more and more questions about downloading e-books in chat and at the reference desks, so I want to make sure that we are all on the same page in answering them. 
All EBSCO e-books including former Netlibrary e-books can be downloaded on a user’s device for off-line viewing. Steps will vary slightly if downloaded on a computer or a mobile devices.
For all users: (this is only done once, the first time a user downloading a book)
           - Create ebsco personal account  
           - Create Adobe digital id (adobe digital id created to use with other adobe products, or for public library books, can be used)

For computer users:
      - Install Adobe Digital Editions
      - Authorize Adobe digital editions with your Adobe ID

For tablet users (will work on iOS, and Android devices including Kindle Fire) – one time step         
         - Install BlueFire Reader
     -   Authorize BlueFire Reader with your Adobe Digital ID

Once it is done, the process is seamless because a computer/ device will remember what program to use, etc.

 EBSCO e-books CANNOT be downloaded on library computers or any computers on campus.

If a user clicked Download by mistake they can e-mail the file to themselves and open it at home with Adobe Digital editions or they can sideload it to their compatible device (connect a device with a computer and drag a file to a downloads folder on a device).

Also if they were logged into their EBSCO account, the selected book will stay in their EBSCO folder, so they can download it at home without having to search for it again.

The default check out period for EBSCO e-books is 7 days. Books expire after 7 days, they do not need to be returned.

We have a variety of instructions for different devices at http://guides.gpc.edu/mobile_ebooks
Please let me know if you have any questions or need additional explanations. 
Thank you!  sonya