Welcome Faculty!

Welcome to the first “Libraries Update: Information for Purdue Researchers and Educators.” This publication will be distributed once a semester and is designed to inform you of Purdue Libraries resources for academic, instructional, and research needs.

E-mail your feedback to libevent@purdue.edu. Best wishes for a successful academic year!

-James L. Mullins, Dean of Libraries and Professor of Library Science

From October 6-26, 2008, the Libraries are administering the LibQUAL+™ survey to evaluate our collections and services, and we need your feedback.

The survey has been distributed via an email link to all faculty, undergraduate, and graduate students. Reminder emails will be coming in the following weeks. The results will be used to make improvements to our services, locations, and collections, as well as to benchmark our progress towards our strategic plan goals.

More information is available at www.lib.purdue.edu/info/libqual, including Libraries faculty publications from our last LibQUAL+™ survey in 2005. Watch your email, and make sure your feedback is heard!

Instructional resources for faculty

The following services are specifically designed to help students succeed academically.

Invite a librarian into the classroom
Librarians are available to provide custom instruction on how to use library resources, how to research and evaluate sources, and to introduce subject-specific resources. To learn more, visit our instructional services page.

Use our study spaces and classrooms
Purdue’s 13 library service locations are each equipped with study space for individuals or groups. The popular Undergraduate Library (UGRL) includes the UnderGrounds coffee shop and the Digital Learning Collaboratory, and several other locations are equipped with banks of ITaP computers and group study rooms.

Ask A Librarian
The Ask A Librarian service allows students to chat directly and instantly with librarians who can answer their research questions. For more information about how to contact a librarian, visit www.lib.purdue.edu/askalib.

Classroom, study, and meeting spaces in the libraries

Last year saw the successful debut of the UnderGrounds coffee shop next to the Undergraduate Library. Since its opening, the Libraries have been working to improve the space by putting in more soft seating, display areas, and by opening the space up for meetings, office hours, and book clubs. For more information about the space, including the coffee flavor of the month and a full menu, visit www.lib.purdue.edu/ugrl/undergrounds.

In addition to UnderGrounds, the Undergraduate and HSSE Libraries both have new, state-of-the-art instructional spaces featuring moveable workstations, laptops, and projector screens. HSSE’s Collaborative Study Center can be reserved for library instruction and workshops, and the Undergraduate Library’s iLab (G-959), featuring a smart board, can also be reserved. Both spaces are open for student use when not reserved.

The Chemistry Library recently opened its Mellon Cyber Chemistry Lab (MCCL), a computer lab featuring Chemistry-specific software packages and resources. The Chemistry Library is located in Wetherill 301.

Research and publication support

The Libraries offer several resources for faculty pursuits in research and publishing. The University Copyright Office, headed by copyright officer Donna Ferullo, offers consultation on fair use of copyrighted materials in the classroom, and is also a resource for authors who seek advice on publishing contracts or compliance with the NIH open-access mandate. The University Copyright Office website features a number of resources, including the Guide to Copyright brochure, Copyright basics, and FAQs.

Another resource for faculty is Purdue e-Pubs, an online document repository for scholarly works by Purdue authors. Mark Newton, Digital Collections Librarian, coordinates submissions to e-Pubs, which allows you to organize, archive, and store everything from working papers to published articles, with the option to make these documents freely accessible to other researchers. More than 2,000 documents were downloaded from e-Pubs in the last week. For more information, visit e-Pubs, or email Mark Newton, Digital Collections Librarian.

New library materials to use Library of Congress classification

Starting in January 2009, all new library materials will be classified according to the Library of Congress (LC) classification system. The more than 2.5 million existing volumes in Purdue's collection are classified using the Dewey Decimal system. Use of both systems will constitute two "collections" within the Libraries, but the impact to patrons will be minimal.

"The majority of research libraries are using the Library of Congress classification, so this is one step to bring us in line with our peers in this regard," remarks Beth McNeil, associate dean for information resources and scholarly communication. "At this time, only new materials will utilize the LC classification, and shelf space is being cleared in the library locations to allow for these materials to be kept separate from the old materials."

Archives & Special Collections moves to new state-of-the-art facility

The Libraries are currently renovating the fourth floor of the Stewart Center to construct a new, state-of-the-art archival facility. Archives & Special Collections, which currently resides in Stewart Center 279, will be closing to move into its new space on October 13, and will reopen for public use when classes commence on January 12. Because all staff will be working on packing and moving, no collections, reference assistance, or course instruction will be available during this time.A grand opening celebration is planned for Gala Week.

During the brief moving period, more than 85,000 digitized archival items are available in Purdue e-Archives.

The renovated space will feature a classroom, exhibit space, and reading room for researchers using archival materials. For more information about the renovation, click here.