Throwback Thursday

The Library no longer charges fines for overdue material (except Reserve items held behind the Circulation Desk -- which carry a $4 per hour fine).

But back in the day, the Library did charge fines, and recorded them in this official book:

Back in the 1970s fines started at 50¢

Back to School

Fall 2018 classes begin on Wednesday August 22nd.

Check in the Library (Bisdorf 232) to see if we have a copy of your textbook to use for free.

Stop by the Library to charge your phone, study alone or in groups, print, or use a computer.

Doing research? Consult with a librarian to find print books, online journal or magazine articles, ebooks or use one of over 200 online databases. 

Rain Rain Go Away

It's been a wild and wet summer.

Read up on weather:

Weather.  QC981 B35 2007

Restless Skies: The Weather Book.  QC981 D68x 2005

The Weather Experiment: The Pioneers Who Sought To See The Future.  QC858 A2 M66 2015

Summer makeover

The Library Circulation area received some new furniture:

Reshelving area

Book art

Course reserves

Makeover

It only took 40+ years but the library invested in some great new shelving:

Brand new matching shelving behind the Circulation Desk.

And an upgrade to the Library Faculty offices:

Throwback Thursday

Libraries are fashionable places.  As Alexandria Campus Library does some redecorating (stay tuned!!), we look back at some fashion statements of the past:

Carpet in the 90s (above)

And carpet from before, going all the way back to the 70s (orange!!).

World Cup

Have you caught World Cup Fever?  The FIFA World Cup is currently being contested in Russia.

You can watch the World Cup live in the United States on Fox Sports, the official broadcaster, or various places online.

Or you can read up on the history and culture of the World Cup:

A history of the World Cup : 1930-2014.  GV943.49 .L57 2015

World Cup of soccer : the complete guide.  GV943.49 .H86X 2010

The ESPN World Cup companion : everything you need to know about the planet's biggest sports event.  GV943.49 .H57 2010

Chasing the game : America and the quest for the World Cup.  GV944.U6 B66 2010

The glorious World Cup : a fanatic's guide.  GV943.5 2010 .B38 2010

Encyclopedia of the FIFA World Cup.  GV943.49 .D86 2015

Throwback Thursday

Watch this space to visit scenes and relics of the Alexandria Library of Yesteryear.

Back in the day periodical articles were searchable on microform (microphotographic reproductions that needed to be viewed in a special enlarger.  See above).

Before the NOVA Nighthawk.  Before ACEPrint.  Before NOVACard.  Before FASTprint.  These were NOVA's Library Cards.

Summer Session

Summer semester is now underway!  Although the 12-week session is already underway, there is still time to register for the 5-week, 6-week and 8-week sessions!

Summer semester also means the Library returns to business as usual.

A Librarian is on duty to assist with research needs and homework help:

Monday - Thursday 8.30am - 9.00pm

Friday 8.30am - 5.00pm

Also check to see if we have your course textbook, which can be used FOR FREE.

Need a calculator?  Check one out for 4 hours or overnight!

Looking for quiet study space?  Head upstairs.  Group study space?  Right next to the main reading room.

Need help from off-campus?  Ask a Librarian.  24-7.

Exams conclude, Semester Ends

And everyone -- students, faculty and staff -- breathed a sigh of relief.

During Library Extended Hours over 250 students were served between 9-10pm during the four days the Library stayed open late.

And thanks to Student Life who provided snacks for study breaks.  

ENG111 Library Displays, Part II

More engaging Library displays from Professor Schroder's ENG 111 students:

Creativity by M. Daniela Gravina and Martha Salcedo.  It's interactive!  It lights up!

Suicide Prevention by Scarlet Zelaya and David Arter

EXTENDED HOURS - FINAL EXAMS - SPRING

It's that time of year!  Spring is in the air, the trees outside the Library's magnificent two-story windows are bursting into leaf:

and FINAL EXAMS are almost here!

Which means it's time for 

LIBRARY EXTENDED HOURS!

From April 30 - May 3 the Library will be open extra hours:

8.30am -- 10.00pm

SNACKS WILL BE SERVED

Students Display in the Library

This semester Professor Carlos Schroder's ENG111 students were tasked with conducting research on the resources and services of the campus library, and developing potential ideas for Library displays highlighting topics of potential interest to the campus community and featuring resources from the Library collection.

These proposals were submitted to Alexandria Campus Librarians who selected several top contenders to mount actual displays in the Library.

Here are the first three:

Filmosophy by Joel Halbedl and Yasmine Abubakr

 Organ Donation by Ursula Campos

Women in Sports by Kanesha Bullock and Romeo Escalante

National Library Week!

April 8 - 14 is National Library Week!

Celebrate with a FREE bookmark:

March Madness

Not the Ides of March (PR2808.A2 C45 2012)

How march became madness : how the NCAA tournament became the greatest sporting event in America.

GV885.49.N37 E56 2006

Road Works

Bisdorf Drive is under construction:

How's this for a Spring Break Project?

Ways of the world : a history of the world's roads and of the vehicles that used them.  TA1015 .L39 1992

The road taken : the history and future of America's infrastructure HE355.3.E3 P48 2016 

Spring Break

Looking for a quiet place to study?  Look no further!

March 12 - 16 is NOVA Spring Break, which means there are NO classes.

Library will be open 8.30am - 5.00pm Monday - Friday.  Check the website to verify other campus office hours.

Environmental Horticulture Returns

In 2015 the Library launched a new experiment to grow wild celery inside the Library in special grass-incubator tubs, all in an effort to help restore & save the Chesapeake Bay.  Read about our grass-growing history here.

The Grasses for the Masses effort is sponsored by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

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.

The grass-growing project was initially brought to the Library and maintained by members of the Library staff.  This year's crop was initiated and being tended by the Alexandria Campus Green Club.

Read more on the Bay:

Turning the Tide; Saving the Chesapeake Bay.  HC107 A123 H67 2003

World Languages Literature

(With thanks to Professor Davis's Pagina de espanol de NOVA Alexandria)

NOVA’s Alexandria Campus Library continues to build their collection of books in Spanish and other languages. To help you spot these titles on the shelves when you are browsing, the librarians have implemented a helpful new system. They have placed clear lime green labels over the call number of any book in a language other than English (at least 50%, so the labels are on bilingual books, too). It’s not limited to Spanish-language books, but once you are in the Spain and Latin American literature section, those books are much more noticeable.

Look for this system soon in the feature films section!

Learning English

If you are learning English as a second (or third or fourth) language, the Library is here to help.  Come to borrow dictionaries, text books, or investigate our ESL (English as Second Language) resources in the dedicated ESL collection:

The ESL section was recently updated with brand new shelving!  Ask at the Research Desk for further assistance, or to find online resources at www.nvcc.edu/library