Assistive Technology Across the Campus

On Tuesday 26 July Alexandria LTR in conjunction with the Office of Disability Services hosted a hand-on workshop to introduce the campus community to assistive technologies and best practices for students in need of accommodations.

Paul Chapman (Collection Development Librarian and Disability Services Liaison) hosted the show:

29 campus and college stakeholders attended.

When online resources were not online

Throwback Thursday:  Data Storage

Before the Cloud, before remote servers, before log-in authentication, the beginning of all digital data storage was the Floppy Disc.  These allowed data to be digitized and stored and retrieved via PC. Many digital library resources initially relied on series of floppy discs, usually run on or loaded on a dedicated computer or sometimes kiosk.

These are 5 1/4 and 3 1/2 discs that supported the Library's Subscription to Westlaw, which supported the College's Legal Studies programs.  These discs would be dispatched to the Library in the mail and made available to eligible students in the Library on a dedicated computer.  Additional discs would be send periodically with updates.

The 5 1/4 inch disc was introduced in 1976 to replace the even larger 8 inch floppy.  The original discs (circular magnetic storage mediums) did not have the plastic sleeve seen here, but dust and dirt impaired performance.

Game-boys of a certain age will remember the first computer games were also delivered in this format (like Zork).

In 1980, the 3 1/2  was introduced to address durability problems with the 5 1/4 disc, including insoluble problems with dirt.  

And the rest of the story?  

"By the early 1990s, the increasing size of software meant that many programs were distributed on sets of floppies. Toward the end of the 1990s, software distribution gradually switched to CD-ROM, and higher-density backup formats were introduced (e.g. the Iomega Zip disk). With the arrival of mass Internet access, cheap Ethernet and USB keys, the floppy was no longer necessary for data transfer either, and the floppy disk was essentially superseded."

The Library's online resources for legal research (and all other research) is now available completely online, accessible from on- or off-campus, 24-7-325.  

The Library in Bloom (or Selfie Sticks in Action)

YOUR Alexandria Campus Library is home to a beautiful collection of plants. One of the star members of YOUR Library garden is a two story tall(!) flowering cactus (cereus peruvianus) that has been in the library longer than any current staff or faculty member. Librarian Anne Anderson and Reference Specialist Melanie Medina set off to capture one of the beautiful blooms that popped up on YOUR giant cereus peruvianus. The task was a tricky one - the cactus is over 35 feet tall; both blooms were above the second floor railing; and, both blooms were wedged between the cactus and the window. YOUR Library staff is here to help you find and use all of the appropriate tools to solve any of your academic problems, and this task was no different. First, we set out in search of a selfie stick.

Just like research, the adventure did not go exactly as planned...

Anne and Melanie figured out the selfie stick!
They don't teach you this in library school.

Even with some support from Melanie,
our cereus peruvianus could not master the selfie.

What we really wanted to show you, was that once per year, YOUR cereus peruvianus sports one or two beautiful blooms that look like this:

Whether you just inherited your first houseplant, you want to understand how plants grow, or you want to see beautiful illustrations of unusual flowers, YOUR library has lots of great titles to help you discover all that plants have to offer.

SB419 .M314 2015

QK711.2 .C425 201

QK98.3 .N48x 2014

Want to learn more about plant life cycles, anatomy, morphology, taxonomy, and evolution? Enroll in Biology 110 General Botany (4 cr.) on the Alexandria Campus in the spring!

National Donut Day

FREE donuts and coffee in the Library today in honor of National Donut Day:

The Salvation Army started National Donut Day during the Great Depression as a way to raise funds and bring awareness to The Salvation Army’s social service programs.

National Donut Day commemorates the “donut lassies,” female Salvation Army volunteers who provided writing supplies, stamps, clothes-mending and home-cooked meals, and of course, donuts, for soldiers on the front lines.

Approximately 250 Salvation Army volunteers provided assistance to American soldiers in France starting in 1917 during WWI.

With limited resources, these treats were fried, only seven at a time. The Salvation Army’s Ensign Margaret Sheldon and Adjutant Helen Purviance cleverly thought of frying donuts in soldiers’ helmets.

Congratulations to Paul Chapman and Jane Maddan!

*Student Organization Co-Advisors of the Year*

Paul Chapman and Jane Madden

Though the De-Stress for Success Club is only one year young, the club already stands out offering a variety of events to support the Alexandria Campus throughout the academic year. YOUR Alexandria Campus Collection Development Librarian, Paul Chapman, and YOUR Circulation Services Supervisor, Jane Maddan, were honored as 2015-2016 Student Organization Co-Advisors of the Year.

Congratulations Paul and Jane!

Planting the Grass, the reboot

After our successful experiment growing wild celery in the Library in 2015, Library staff leapt into action again to Save the Bay, participating in a second round of Grasses for the Masses.

You can help restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay and Virginia's rivers by participating in CBF's Grasses for the Masses program.

Participants in the program grow wild celery (Vallisneria americana), a type of underwater grass, in a simple grow-out system in their homes for 10-12 weeks. After 10-12 weeks of grow-out, participants will gather to plant their grasses in select local rivers to bolster grass populations and help restore the Bay.

Library Specialist and Grass Maven Michelle Jerney-Davis tended the Library grass in a large black plastic tub in the reading room (main maintenance was algae removal and maintaining appropriate water levels and temperature.  Apparently the grass likes to be warm) and then traveled to the Potomac River to transplant our crop:

Michelle had some special assistants:

New home for the Library grass:

Harry Potter

 

 

In 1997, British author J. K. Rowling introduced the world to Harry Potter and a literary phenomenon was born. Millions of readers have followed Harry to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he discovers his heritage, encounters new plants and animals, and perfects his magical abilities. Although a fantasy story, the magic in the Harry Potter books is partially based on Renaissance traditions that played an important role in the development of Western science, including alchemy, astrology, and natural philosophy. Incorporating the work of several 15th- and 16th-century thinkers, the seven-part series examines important ethical topics such as the desire for knowledge, the effects of prejudice, and the responsibility that comes with power. This exhibition, using materials from the National Library of Medicine, explores Harry Potter's world and its roots in Renaissance magic, science, and medicine.

 

The boy wizard visited NOVA, navigating the broomstick to the Medical Education Campus, the Woodbridge Campus, and so on to Alexandria, where he was received with raptures by the resident Potter-heads.

(yes, the items pictured above were indeed donated from the personal collections of Library staff).

Or, get your learning outcomes on and take ENG245 with Professor Mike Amey:


ENG 245 - Major English Writers

3.00 cr

Sixteen Week - Regular Academic Session

 

12783

001A

MW  

2:00PM - 3:15PM

AA-0255

Alexandria

Michael Amey

This course uses J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels in conjunction with literary theory and cultural criticism to explore issues of race, class, gender and power.

 

 

Summer Semester begins

Classes resumed on Monday 16 May following NOVA's successful 50th Commencement Exercised at Jiffy Lube Live on the 14th.

Library hours for the summer are:

Monday - Thursday: 8.30am - 9.00pm
Friday: 8.30am - 5.00pm
Saturday, Sunday:  Closed

Why not check out an escapist film:

Before Sunrise AV PN1997 .B35786x 2010
Before Sunset  AV PN1997.2 .B446742786x 2004
Before Midnight  AV PN1997.2 .B446742653x 2013

Or a graduation-theme film:

Ferris Bueller's Day Off  AV PN1997 .F4177573x 2006
The Graduate  AV PS3573.E195 G73 1999
St Elmo's Fire  AV PN1997 .S135456x 2001
Good Will Hunting.  AV PN1997 .G62 2011

Extended Hours record-breaker!

You crammed.  You revised.  You wrote.  You cited.  You read and re-read.  You made flashcards.  You joined study groups.  You were as one with BlackBoard.

The Library supported Final Exams with additional extended hours through the last week of classes and final exams.

The Library opened early and closed late to provide maximum study time for students preparing for final exams and end-of-term projects.

A record of 648 students were served in the Library before 8.30am and after 10pm when the Library would normally be closed.

You also drank caffeinated beverages, devoured granola, Oreos, Doritos, Cheetos, peanuts, Ritz crackers, chocolates, lemonade, Fanta, and oceans of bottled water during the traditional Late Night Study Breaks.

Congratulations to our graduates!  And if you are a returning student, we look forward to seeing yuo again in the summer or fall.  Register today!

NOVA Celebrates 50 Years

Please join the Alexandria Campus in recognizing our "Fab Fifty", 50 individuals (students, faculty, staff, alumni) who have made enduring and notable contributions to the College over its history.

There will also be a Celebration Concert TODAY at the Schlesinger Center featuring the NOVA Chorus, NOVA Band, the Jazz Ensemble,  the Mannassas Symphony and an address from President Scott Ralls.

The Alexandria Campus Library kicked off the campus's 50th celebrations with a retrospective student art show in September.

Revenge of the Fifth

The Fourth has fallen to the Fifth.  #revengeofthe5th.

Glittering Images: A Journey Through Art from Egypt to Star Wars.  N5303 .P29 2012 

Myth, Media and Culture in Star Wars: An Anthology.  PN1995.9.S695 M97 2012

Star Wars and History.  PN1995.9.S695 S74 2012

Star Wars: The  Visual Dictionary.  PN1995.9.S695 R49 1998

Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imganination.   PN1995.9.S695 S87 2005

De-Stress a Success

During Final Exams the De-Stress 4 Success student Club brought activity stations to the Library.

Students were able to take study breaks and de-stress with coloring, origami and fiendish puzzles.

The origami was particularly popular, and contributed to an end-of-semester "origami garden":

Extended Hours Continue at YOUR Library This Week!

FINALS WEEK

May 2 - May 8

Monday May 2: 8:00 AM - 11:00 PM

Tuesday May 3: 8:00 AM - 11:00 PM

Wednesday May 4: 8:00 AM - 11:00 PM

Thursday May 5: 8:00 AM - 11:00 PM

Friday May 6: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Saturday May 7: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Sunday May 8: CLOSED

*We're still serving coffee and snacks at 10 PM!

INTERSESSION SCHEDULE

May 9 - May 14

Monday May 9: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM

Tuesday May 10: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM

Wednesday May 11: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM

Thursday May 12: CLOSED for Professional Development

Friday May 13: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM

Saturday May 14: CLOSED

SUMMER SCHEDULE

begins May 15

Mondays - Thursdays: 8:30 AM - 9:00 PM

Fridays: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM

Saturdays & Sundays: CLOSED

Closing Music Playlist: Deep Archive

Throwback Thursday:

In the mists of time, when the librarians first walked upright, devised the Dewey Decimal System, and struck upon the idea of playing a "closing song," Library patrons were treated to the same song every night:

That's right, the dulcet (not to say saccharine) tones of the TV von Trapp children crooned Library users out the door with a rendition of "So Long Farewell."

Those were simpler times.

The closing song was even played on one of these:

The red boom-box dutifully belted out the Sound-of-Music Goodbye song for many a year,

Then one fateful evening, the apparatus blew up:

OK, so it wasn't that dramatic but there were sparks, and the boom box went to amplifier heaven.

After that, a couple of Library staff whose musical tastes were a little... more modern than Julie Andrews took over and the play list evolved.

Celebrate National Poetry Month with Book Spine Poetry (and win $50!)

It's not too late to enter the National Poetry Month Book Spine Poetry Contest in YOUR Library!

Five finalists will be announced on Monday, May 2

Winners announced on Wednesday, May 4 

YOUR Extended Library Hours Start Today!

It's ALMOST OVER!!!

Please make a note of our updated library hours for the last week of classes:

Monday April 25: 8:00 AM - 11:00 PM

Tuesday April 26: 8:00 AM - 11:00 PM

Wednesday April 27: 8:00 AM - 11:00 PM

Thursday April 28: 8:00 AM - 11:00 PM

Friday April 29: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Saturday April 30: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Sunday May 1: CLOSED

To help fuel your studies, YOUR library will be serving coffee and snacks at 10 PM.

The Closing Music Playlist

Library regulars will be aware of one Alexandria Campus tradition:  the nightly playing of the closing song.  About 5 minutes before the Library closes, users are alerted to the impending cessation of service with a serenade of appropriately themed music.

The librarian on duty is responsible for selecting the song of the night.  Some librarians select from a fairly fixed play list, some swap it up every shift.

Students often ask what songs we play and who the artist is.  Here is a selection of from this semester's playlist:

Girlfriend in a Coma.  The Smiths

Friday I'm in Love.  The Cure

Come with me now.  Kongos

Tubthumping.  Chumbawumba

Pompeii.  Bastille

Imperial March.  John Williams

Taro, Alt-J

Chan Chan, Buena Vista Social Club

Side of the Road, Lucinda Williams

Goodbye, Farley Granger

   Send Me on My Way – Rusted Root

   I Was Born (A Unicorn) – The Unicorn

Werewolves of London – Warren Zevo

\Two Weeks – Grizzly Bear

Daylight – Matt & Kim

Just Can’t Get Enough – Depeche Mode

Conquest of Spaces – Woodkid 

National Library Week 1965

It's Throwback Thursday AND the College is celebrating it's 50th anniversary this year, so it's time to look at National Library Week in 1965:

Card Catalog???  What's that?  Who remembers the Vertical File (hint:  it used to be our internet).  Audio Visual Materials is what we used to call YouTube.

50 years on, and these things still apply.

National Library Week

Please join Your Alexandria Campus Library in celebrating National Library Week (April 10 - 16).

 

This year's theme is "Libraries Transform" so get on in here and be transformed!

 

Also, help yourself to a free bookmark.

Kim turns 35

Congratulations to the LTR office manager and library sergeant major, Kim Gross, who celebrated 35 years employment at the College.

She just shook the President's hand!

Congratulations, too, to the Alexandria Campus Faculty emeriti:

[l-r: Paul McVeigh, Robert Brunner, Lisa Moran, Bill Schran, Barry Sellinger, Jon Burton]

Hail!