What Students Are Saying

We've been gathering feedback from students about the Library's new look. Here's what some of them had to say:

Overall, comments have been very positive:

"Good space to chill out."

"Wonderful! The Library is more spacious now, more comfortable and it displays the real image of both academic and a business place. It looks very professional. "

"I think you could [use] more chairs, however, extremely comfortable overall, it’s an excellent place to “chill”"

"I love it. Very accommodating."

"I adore your taste in décor!"

"I like it, good furniture, probably need [a] few more."

"Amazing chairs/sofas."

"I really like now we have a place to study, while waiting for class or if you have an exam. It is good place to study. Thanks to those who [had] this idea."

"Finally, we can rest while reading books, newspapers or magazines. This is what was missing to be a complete library. I love the silence and the chairs. Maybe some more sofas, comfortable ones. Thank you NOVA!"

Students also had some suggestions. In addition to the oft-made observation that the Reading Room could use more chairs (we know!), some students wanted to see some more color. One Library User even suggested a pink sofa!

Many students have been surprised to discover the Library's interesting and diverse collection of magazines, which were formerly shelved on the upper-level and unfortunately not much visited. And large numbers of Library users now make use of the daily newspapers, which previously were kept behind the Circulation Desk but now receive exponentially more use on open display in the Reading Room.

Said one student: "whoever put these newspapers here was a genius."

Library Lemonade

Alexandria Campus Library served lemonade to new and returning students at the beginning of Fall Term 2008.

Over 160 glasses of lemonade were served in the first two days of classes. Welcome (or welcome back!) to NOVA!

Custom Search Engines

Search a specified portion of the World Wide Web with two of the Library's new customized search engines.

Librarian Anne Anderson used Google Technology to create two custom search engines, for the Religion and Science sections of the Best of the Web page.

The search engine you’ll see on each of those pages will search the content of only the websites listed on the Religion page and only the websites on the Science page.

Also, don't miss important information on hours, FAQs, and reserve information, staff contact info & more on the Alexandria Campus Library Home Page.

Librarians in the Living Room

Library Staff hang out in the new Library Reading Room.

Come by and see what you might like to read.

Group Study Rooms

When Librarians asked students what they most wanted in the Library, the most frequent request was for Group Study Rooms.

The opening of the new wing of the Bisdorf Building allowed for some creative repurposing of space in the Library, including our first Group Study Rooms.

The five Group Study Rooms are located across from the Circulation Desk, on the right as one enters the Library.

Group Study Rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Library patrons are encouraged not to leave unattended personal possessions in the Study Rooms and to be considerate of others when using them.

Welcome Home, Librarians

The Librarians in their new (to them) office space:





(l-r: Matt, Bruce, Jean, Anne. Sylvia's office is visible in the back, center).

Moving Moving Moving

How it all went down:

(the old financial aid office)

(Matt shelving popular reading books in their new location)

(The NEW Library Reading Room, showing the Popular Magazine collection where the old Financial Aid office used to be, and showing the Popular Reading collection in place).

(messy and crowded! No wonder the Library staff needed more space! This was someone's desk!!!)

(Jane and Twynell move into their expanded office space -- still got some cleaning to do!)


(Kim's new space -- she's smiling because she's not so crowded!)

(The Librarians' old office on moving day -- it's ALL got to go! This area will become a student study room)

(the Librarians' new office, formerly the Counseling offices).

(Anne, Jean, Matt, and Bruce and Darth Tater wave goodbye to the old office and get ready to move into the new (to us)).

Moving Day!

The Alexandria Campus Library was closed all day on Tuesday 12 August to do some work to our physical space and computer infrastructure.

For the Library Faculty, it was moving day as they moved into their new (new to them!) offices on the other side of the Library. Library Faculty can now be found in room 232A -- come visit, we've already decorated!

Other changes are even more dramatic:

• Popular magazines were relocated to the main library level (academic and professional titles remain upstairs).
• Computers in student areas were upgraded to newer, faster models.
• Popular Reading books were moved to the main library level.
• New leather chairs were put in place in the new Library Reading Room.
• Group Study Rooms were prepared for student use in Fall '08.
• A brand new study room was created behind the book stacks, with wired carrels for laptop use.
• Study carrels were re-arranged to provide more spacious & convenient individual study areas throughout the main floor of the Library.

Come and see the transformations happening in Your campus Library.

We still have lots of work to do (group study areas need more thorough renovation, carpet in public areas and office areas needs replacing, the Library is in desperate need of a fresh coat of paint, and we're hoping for more new furniture in the Reading Room and Study Room) but this is a very promising first step!

Why is it so quiet in here?!?!

Shhhhh.

Why is it suddenly so quiet in the Library?

Reading-room quiet suddenly reigns in the Alexandria Campus Library following the move of the Counseling and Financial Aid offices (and their shared waiting room!) to the new wing of the Bisdorf Building. Counseling is now located in room 194 and Financial Aid can be found in room 185.

Look for some big changes in the Library as new lounge furniture moves in, current magazines and popular reading move downstairs, and the Library faculty move to a new home on the other side of the Library.

Other new features coming soon include group study rooms, current newspapers on display, and increased study space throughout the Library.

The Library will be closed all day on Tuesday 12 August to move furniture and shelving and also for a computer migration.

Alexandria Library Featured on Hungarian Webzine!

Librarians can find anything out. Just ask Brandee Worsham, who was experimenting with the new search engine Cuil. Brandee performed a search on her own name and discovered a feature about the Library's online tour in a Hungarian webzine.

Librarian Anne Anderson and Library Specialist Brandee Worsham collaborated to create the online tour in January 2008. Apparently the launch of the tour on this very blog in February attracted international attention.

Alexandria Library's online tour was highlighted in the Hungarian Webzine FIKSZ K2, a non-profit, independent professional webzine. The webzine’s goal is to establish young adult librarianship in Hungary, which currently is not a separate field of librarianship there, and also to adopt and spread the theory and practice of Library 2.0.

The article, which can be read in original Hungarian here, was written by is László Csobán, a student of library and information science. Laszlo points to the Alexandria library website as an example how great it is that the two librarians (Anderson and Worsham) are showing people how to use the Library through pictures and verbal instructions, available online. He goes on to commend this form of online education as a model. The article goes on to suggest that readers would benefit from clicking on the tour and watching for themselves, rather than rely on any lengthy description from him.

One comment left on the article suggested that tours like these would be useful not just for library patrons but for some library staff as well (!), as in the commenter's experience some library staff are not aware of their own library's holdings through lack of good communication.

(everyone in the Alexandria Campus Library has viewed the tour!).

Naturally, Library staff wondered how Mr. Csobán came across the tour. Never a doubt a Librarian's ability to reconstruct a search! After some furious googling in the Librarians' office, it became clear that Google Blog Search must have been the route of discovery. The article ran in FIKSZ K2 on February 7, the same day this blog featured the library tour.

The power of technology truly makes a smaller world!

New Wing of the Bisdorf Building Opens Today!!

The long awaited Phase III extension to the Bisdorf Building received its certificate of occupancy on Tuesday July 29th & the first office opened for business on Wednesday July 30th.

To read more about the architectural process of building extensions (or renovations) to existing buildings, check out 100 Great Extensions and Renovations TH4816.2 J63x 2007

"From simple room additions to complete demolition and rebuild jobs, this book explores some of the infinite ways in which architects have reinvented original homes. The results are astonishing in their diversity and innovation. Detailed project descriptions, drawings, house plans and full-colour 'before' and 'after' photographs in some cases, explain the thinking and process behind each extension from inception to completion. "

The Phase III extension provides new science labs, additional classrooms, a circular lecture theatre, office space for administration, office space for adjuncts, and a completely new & functional suite for Student Services, Counseling, Financial Aid, the Business Office, & more.

See pictures of the Big Move & sneak peaks of the new offices on our Phase III Blog.

Arts & Culture

Take a walk on the sophisticated side with these new books ranging around the world & across time concerning the arts & culture.

The Blue Rider in the Lenbachhous. N6868.5 E9 Z87 2000. Learn about the avant-garde Expressionists active in Munich in the early part of the 20th century: Kandinsky, marc, Macke & others, collectively known as the Blue Rider School.

Tintoretto. ND623 T6 A4 2007. Lavishly illustrated catalgue raisonne, prompted by a recent exhibition at the Prado in Madrid.

The Golden Age of Couture: Paris and London 1947 - 1957. TT504.6 E7 G65 2007. Blurring the lined between fashion and high art, this publication from the V&A Museum lovingly surveys the work of Christian Dior, Norman Hartnell, Jacques Fath & more.

Iconic America: A Roller Coaster Ride Through The Eye-Popping Panorama of American Pop Culture. E169.12 H55x 2007. What do Route 66, the Cowboy Boot, the Smiley Button, John Wayne, Malcolm X, the Hot Dog and a Louisville Slugger have in common? All are iconic images from American Pop culture -- joined here by more than 400 more.

The Dinner Party: From Creation to Presentation. NK4605.5 U63 C482. In depth study of Judy Chicago's famous & infamous feminist installation.

Fired With Passion: Contemporary Japanese Ceramics. NK4167.7 L875 2005. A celebration of the high achievement of Japanese ceramic artists since 1945.

Country Music Originals. ML394 R87 2007. Biographical treatment of the men and women who created country music, from Hank Williams to the Dixie Chicks.

The Great Funk: Falling Apart and Coming Together (on a Shag Rug) in the Seventies. NX504 H56 2007. Thomas Hine explores the 70s, from avacado kitchens to Earth Shoes, taking a tour through music, film & TV, society & advertising to unlock the secrets of the great funk.

Architecture of Authority. TR659 R62936 2007. For the past several years--and with seemingly limitless access--photographer Richard Ross has been making unsettling and thought-provoking pictures of architectural spaces that exert power over the individuals within them. From a Montessori preschool to churches, mosques and diverse civic spaces including a Swedish courtroom, the Iraqi National Assembly hall and the United Nations, the images in Architecture of Authority build to ever harsher manifestations of power: an interrogation room at Guantanamo, segregation cells at Abu Ghraib, and finally, a capital punishment death chamber...

Summer Time in Your Library

What do Librarians get up to in the summer? Even as numbers of students fall and temperatures rise, summer is a very busy time in the Library.

Here are just a few of the things that have been going on, behind the scenes and out in the open, this summer.

• The Career Books, previously shelved near the Counseling area, have been moved into the regular Circulating collection (check the Library Catalog to find a career book).


• Library Staff have been busy in the book stacks, making sure all the books are in good order


• The Circulating Books have been shifted in large sections of the collection to make way for NEW titles


• Hundreds of New Books have arrived


• Loads of New DVDs have arrived -- check the Feature Film Section for new favorites


• Librarians are preparing to move their offices to a new location on the other side of the Library


• Counseling and Financial Aid Staff prepare to move to their new home in Phase III


• Some of the Library Periodicals moved onto an online format (check for your favorite in the Library Databases)


• ALL of the Library's microfilm holdings were transitioned to an online format -- now searchable from on or off-campus!


• The Library Course Reserve Collection continues to grow -- find your textbook here & read it in the Library for free!!
• The old ELI VHS video collection has completely transitioned to Video On Demand. Watch ELI programs online!


• The Library prepared to construct our first ever group study rooms (coming in Fall '08)


• And MUCH MUCH MORE

The Library will look very different in the Fall Semester from the way it looked in the Spring. Our collections and services continue to grow, and hopefully so will our space and physical offerings to serve you better!

Have a great summer -- check out some Fun Things to do in Virginia This Summer!

Garden time

Even if your garden doesn't look like the Villa D'Este (below), summer is still a time get out into the garden.

To get in the mood, check out some of these new (and not so new) books on gardening from the Library's collection:

Gardens in Time. SB465 L417 2006

Oxford Companion to the Garden. SB450.95 O94 2006

The Garden Book. SB451 G373x 2005

Garden Your City. SB453 F394 2005

The Chinese Garden. SB457.55 K47 2003

A Photographic Garden History. SB465 P48 1995b

The Sun King's Garden. SB470 L4 T46 2006

Gardening. SB470.5 H63 2002

Poetics of Gardens. SB472 M64 1988

Gardens with Atmosphere. SB473 M298 2001

Italian Parks and Gardens. SB484 I8 L5713 1996

Movie Night!

It's summer! Why not beat the heat and take a break from studying with a MOVIE NIGHT. Get some popcorn, stop by your campus Library, and check out a movie selection from our growing collection of foreign films.

Here is just a sample of a few new arrivals:

La Fate Ignoranti: After her husband's death in an accident, a wife discovers he was leading a double-life. Her search for his mistress leads to unexpected places. (Italian with English subtitles).

Black Orpheus. 1960 Palme D'Or winner retells the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, set in the bossa nova beat of the Rio Carnival. (Portugese with English subtitles).

Blackboards. Follows a group of teachers (literally carrying large blackboards) & their adventures as they cross through Iran's Kurdistan region. (Kurdish with English subtitles)

L'Enfant. Follows a day in the life of petty Belgian thief Bruno & what happens when he sells his newborn baby. (French with English subtitles).

Ten Canoes. A parable of forbidden love set in Australia's Arafura Wetlands. (English & Aboriginal with English subtitles).

Sunday Bloody Sunday: A British classic from 1971, telling the story of an unlikely love-triangle and finding comfort in an uncomfortable world. (In English)

Quatre Cent Coups. Francois Truffault's semi-autobiographical film portraying the dingy Parisian world of a neglected youth. (French with English subtitles).

The Son's Room. Touching story of a family facing an unthinkable tragedy. (Italian with English subtitles).

Downfall. The last days of the Third Reich as experienced in shattered Berlin and from the claustrophic confines of Hitler's bunker. (German with English subtitles).

Battleship Potempkin. A dramatized account of a Russian naval mutiny against Tsarist officers, often acclaimed as one of the most influential films of all time. (Silent).

Billy Liar. Classic British film, veering between gritty realism and flamboyant fantasy, telling the story of an undertaker's assistant with an active imagination. (In English).

The Flying Camel. Billed as a "Fantastic Tale of Impossible Oddities", this madcap comedy follows a Jewish professor, an Arab garbage collector and a nun in a delightful celebration of differences. (Hebrew and English with English subtitles).

Kolya. When a get-rish-quick scheme backfires, a playboy acquires a 5-year old charge named Kolya & hilarity ensues. (Czech with English subtitles).

Ikiru. Sometimes regarded as Kurosawa's masterpiece, Ikiru tells the story of an aging bureaucrat confronting his own death & finding meaning in his final days. (Japanese with English subtitles).

Jean de Florette et Manon des Sources. Timeless tale of greed, survival, obsession and fate set in the countryside of Provence. (French with English subtitles).

Kal Ho Na Ho. Largest grossing Bollywood film when it was released world-wide, tells the story of a conflicted young woman, the men she meets and falls in love with, and a tragic conclusion. (Hindi with English subtitles).

Ju Dou. A woman married to the brutal and infertile owner of a dye mill in rural China conceives a boy with her husband's nephew but is forced to raise her son as her husband's heir without revealing his parentage in this circular tragedy. (Chinese with English subtitles).

These and more great choices are shelved in the Feature Film section near the stairs.

Library Acquires Winning Student Photo

The Alexandria Campus Library has purchased the photograph that won the Faculty Award in this year’s juried student photography exhibit, which was on display in the Tyler Gallery in April and May.


Raul Valda, a second semester NOVA student, took the photo that will appear on the postcard advertising next year’s show. Raul, a native of La Paz, Bolivia, plans to complete his second year at NOVA and then transfer to George Mason University or the Corcoran School of Art.

His untitled photograph was taken at an exhibit of modern Japanese culture at the Kennedy Center. The polka-dot background was the work of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, and Raul said he waited for the right person to walk past for his prize-winning photograph.

The photograph is exhibited in the Dan Cornell Lounge on the library balcony, and joins other student artwork on display throughout the Library.

Summer Book & Yard Sale

On Wednesday 4 June the Library held its first Summer book sale and first ever yard sale. Donations of books & household items were sold to benefit the Library's collections & services.

[above, Twynell Kimble is a super saleswoman]

Although summer term is traditionally slower than Fall or Spring, business was brisk at the "Y" on the first floor of the Bisdorf Building. After 5 hours of trade, the Library made over $350. Thanks to all Library staff who volunteered time to set up, run, and clean up the sale. And thanks to all students (as well as faculty and staff!) who supported the Library.

Book sale patrons bring a great sense of occasion & fun the sales.

All items were priced at the unbelievable bargain of just $1.00. Proceeds from the Book Sales support such Library services as Late Night Study Break during extended final-exam hours, refreshments & prizes for Library events as well as support for the Library collections.

Put on your Virtual Hardhats

The Library Circulation System is undergoing an upgrade from 14 - 18 May. While this virtual construction work is going on, the Library will remain open. Some Circulation functions may be limited or unavailable as the system will be offline for the entire week while network engineers in Richmond and elsewhere make upgrades & fixes to the system.

Patrons will still be able to check books in & out.

Unfortunately, the Library Catalog will be unavailable for the duration, and library users will not have access to their circulation records.

Questions? See the Circ Staff!

Remember the Library will close at 7.30 when classes are not in session.

Congratulations Grads!

Alexandria Campus Library wishes all members of NOVA Class of 2008 congratulations and best wishes!!

Study Early, Study Late, Have a Cookie!

Maintaining its tradition of extended hours to support exams, the Alexandria Campus Library opened its doors a half hour early and closed up an hour later each day for a two week period covering the last week of classes & exams. From Monday 28 april through Friday 9 May the Library served over 540 exam studiers before 8.30am and after 10pm.

Students burning the midnight oil were also sustained with cookies & lemonade as a study break in the evenings.

[above: Librarian Matt Todd, Library Assistant Femila Riguera and Library Assistant Twynell Kimble keep the lights on well after 10pm].

Students served: 544

Cookies consumed: 1,000

Lemonade drunk: 12 gallons

Iced Tea sipped: 8 liters

Extreme Makeover

OK, maybe not extreme, but we've been redecorating. Students will find brand new leather chairs in the Dan Cornell Lounge -- the seating space located near the magazines & newspapers on the upper level.




Come on in, pull up a chair, make yourself comy, read a magazine, plug in your laptop & enjoy!

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).