Extended Hours for Exams!!

Once again the Alexandria Campus Library will open early and stay open late to provide extended library hours during the last week of classes and exams. From Monday 28 April through Friday 9 May the Library will open half an hour early at 8am and close a full hour later at 11pm.

Extended hours provide extra study time during this critical time in the semester. Students studying late will also be sustained in their studies with a Late Night Study break served nightly around 10.

Library Staff honored for Years of Service

Congratulations to Library Specialist Marion Mirehouse (below, left) and Library Assistant Kevin O'Hagan (below, right) who were recognized recently at a College-wide event for service to NOVA. Kevin celebrated his 10th anniversary at the College and Marion marked her 30th!

Congratulations Kevin and Marion -- can we expect 30 more years from you both?

To read about other Learning Resource Service Awards, read the LRS Blog.

Pope Benedict in the USA

Pope Benedict XVI has made an historic visit to the USA, starting in the nation's capital right here in DC.

If you were lucky enough to see the Pope, or saw some of his visit on TV (maybe on the giant TVs in the Bisdorf building?) and want to read more about Benedict, the Papacy, or the Catholic Church -- check out these titles in YOUR Library:

Pope Benedict. Jesus of Nazareth. Popular Reading.

Carey, Patrick. Catholics in America. BX1406.3 C36 2004

Kung, Hans. The Catholic Church: A Short History. BX945.3 K8613x 2001

McBrien, Richard. Lives of the Popes. BX955.2 M39 1997

Saints and Sinners. VHS BX955.2 S35x 1997

Wynn, Wilton. Keepers of the Keys: JohnXXIII, Paul VI, and John Paul II -- Three Men Who Changed the Church. BX1389 W89 1988

National Library Week

The Alexandria Campus Library celebrated National Library Week (April 13 - 19) with baloons, cookies, lemondade, and student feedback.

200 cookies were served on the afternoon of Wed 16 April (works out to 50 cookies per hour!) along with lemonade.

Students were also asked to contribute to a book detailing their favorite things about the Library. Faves included the large windows, the plants, the staff (aww, thanks!), computers, that resources are FREE and "books, books, books". One kind contributor wrote "Librarians ROCK!"

(thanks -- we hope so!).

Library Staff also recommended their favorite books:

Calderon de la Barca, Pedro. Life is a Dream PQ6292 V5 A77 2002b (Anne)

Arundhati, Roy. The God of Small Things PR9499.3 R59 G63 1998 (Anne)

Bennet, Alan. The Uncommon Reader Popular Reading (Sylvia)

Haley, Alex. Roots. E185.97.H24 A33 1977 (Jean) *

Jezebel. DVD PN1997 .J494345x 2006 (Jean)

Fielding, Henry. The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling. PR3454 .H5 1964B (Matt) *

Coleridge, Samuel Taylor. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. PR4479 .A1 1971 (Jeremy)

Machiavelli, Niccolo. The Prince. JC143 .M38 2005

Wizard of Oz. DVD PS3503.A923 O59 2005b

Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. PS3515.U789 T639 1991 (Twynell)

Cooper, James Fenimore. Last of the Mohicans. PS1408 .A1 1986 (Kevin) *

Davis, Samson. The Pact: Three Young Men Make a Promise to Fulfill a Dream. R695 D38 2002 (Bruce)

Hillerman, Tony. The Shape Shifter. Popular Reading (Marion)

Byrd, Ayana. Naked : Black Women Bare All About Their Skin, Hair, Hips, Lips, and Other Parts. E259 .C43 2005 (Brandee)

* starred selections are also available on DVD or VHS.

Survey Says...

For several weeks in March & April the NOVA Libraries conducted a user-satisfaction survey to see how our students think we're doing. And the Results Are In for the Alexandria Campus:

63% of students rated the quality of the study environment as "Excellent" or "Very Good".

90% of students found Library staff "Always" or "Usually" courteous.

85% of students felt they were "Always" or "Usually" assisted quickly.

Most popular activities conducted in the Library include Research (80% of students), Study (80%), Email (64%), and Borrow Books (60%).

Over half of respondents had used online databases, Reference books, or checked books out of the Library.

81% of students "Always" or "Usually" found the resources they needed.

What could the Library do better?

Students expressed frustration of dissatisfaction with noise-levels, lack of group study, the wireless network, and inadequate access to computers.

Note: Upon completion of Phase III the Library will be able to expand into the area currently occupied by the Counseling Department and the Financial Aid Office. Following a series of student focus groups as well as this survey, the Library hopes to provide access to enclosed group study, increase the number of computers and improve computer work spaces, and create better divisions between "noisy" functions like photocopying, computers and group work from "quiet" functions like individual study and research.

Computers in Libraries!!

Alexandria Campus Librarians Anne Anderson, Jean Hogan and Matt Todd attended the Computers in Libraries conference in Arlington Virginia April 7, 8 & 9.

Conference sessions addressed such diverse issues as the role of gaming and virtual reality in instruction, marketing library services, connecting with the YouTube Generation, student research habits, and updates on the latest in search technologies.

If you'd like to see an amusing amateur video promoting academic libraries, check out this YouTube offering called "Databases". If you're a fan of the Saturday Night Live Digital Short Lazy Sunday/ Chronicles of Narnia might enjoy the Chronicles of Libraria. (for some interesting news about SNL digital shorts and copyright, see here*).

For some fun and interesting new resources on the web, visit the Resource Shelf.

* for those distressed that the Library Blog referenced Wikipedia: see this recent New Yorker article or this Nature study comparing Wikipedia to Encyclopaedia Britannica. (NB: Encyclopaedia Britannica does not have an entry for Saturday Night Live or Andy Samberg).