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What We Did This Summer

With the Fall semester underway, it's time to get the Allen Library blog back in gear. We took the summer off from blogging, holding onto all of our juicy information until everybody was back and ready to read it. Although it was fairly quiet in here this summer (except for when the summers-only music ed students were here), we were definitely not just sitting idly, waiting for the new semester to start. So here's just a tidbit of what we were up to this Summer:

• We went live with the Hartt Composers Database, a discovery tool for learning about scores we own of works by Hartt faculty composers. It's aimed at chamber works and is easily searchable by instrumentation, so it is very useful if you're looking for something to play. More on this in a future post.
  
  
• If you're an undergraduate student, you might remember taking HLM 020, the class that introduces you to the library and its resources. A good chunk of my summer was spent redesigning that from the ground up. My goal was to make it more user-friendly, more interactive, and, most importantly, more useful. We're halfway through the first assignment out of twelve, and it seems to be going smoothly, so it's been a success so far. Later in the year, I'll be working on working the new tutorials into the regular website.
  
  
• We reached the one year anniversary of Koha, our library catalog. In honor of this, we (Allen and Mortensen Libraries together) completely redesigned the look of the catalog. What used to be plain and generic is now much more visually appealing and unique. You won't find any other library catalog that looks like this!
  
  
• Both seminar rooms now have new whiteboards, both of which have music staves on them! They are much whiter than the old one, and we'll be working hard to keep them that way. We have a huge TV that is going in the large seminar room, so that will be going up sometime this semester. We also have a faster computer in the small seminar room now.
  
  
• In the "good for them, bad for us" category, both Jenny Crum (Public Services Coordinator) and Andrew King (Cataloging Coordinator) decided to leave the Allen Library in order to pursue more performing and teaching. Although it will be difficult to find replacements, we are in the process of doing that right now. I'll let you know when we have some good news.

This is just the tip of the iceberg (sorry for the cliché), but it should give you an idea of what we were up to. Future posts will give some more detail on some of these, and we have some other good blog posts in mind that should be coming soon. I hope everybody had a great summer and I look forward to seeing everybody again in the library!

Allen Library's First Video Tutorial

We are always looking for new ways to help you find information, and today marks our first foray into video tutorials. Instead of just writing down instructions and adding in some screenshots, these video tutorials (okay, there's only one right now) actually show you the whole process and explain what is happening. Make sure you have your speakers on so you can hear the explanation. The first video tutorial is a quick one-minute presentation on how to find books in our catalog. I'll probably be adding some more complex ones, but this one should be a good start. You can find it here: http://library.hartford.edu/allenlibrary/findbook_video.asp. Please let me know what you think about it and feel free to send some suggestions as to what tutorials you would like to see in the future!

The Small Seminar Room Becomes Useful

Until recently, the Allen Library Small Seminar Room was just a room with a table. We've done quite a bit of work in there over the past few months, and I'm happy to report that it is much more useful now. There is now a very nice TV in this room that is connected to a computer, a DVD player (which can also play CDs), and a VCR. Instead of just being useful for sitting around a table and talking, the Small Seminar Room can now be used for most of your standard A/V needs. We even have a very easy to use wireless keyboard and mouse that you can check out from the circulation desk. This will make collaborative work much easier. As long as there is not a previously scheduled class or meeting taking place, anybody is free to use this room; you just need to check out the key from the circulation desk.

One small word of warning: The computer in the Small Seminar Room is not the best, so you may have difficulty using some programs or websites (Naxos Music Library doesn't seem to play well with this computer). We are working on upgrading to a faster computer, so I'm hoping that this won't be an issue for long. If you can think of anything else that would help improve the room, please let us know!

Online Librarian Chat: That New Box on the Homepage

As you may have noticed, there is a new box on the Allen Library homepage. Look to the right of this text to see a picture of it (this one is just an image, so you have to go to the Allen homepage to actually use it). For those of you who were familiar with the box that used to be on our homepage, it still serves the same purpose. It allows you to chat with a library staff member online. You simply type a message in the bottom section of the box, press Enter on your keyboard, and wait for a reply. We didn't just change the look of the box, however; there are several new features that make this a huge improvement.

1) Multiple library staff members can receive your message at the same time, so it's much more likely that your question will be answered promptly.

2) Whoever answers your question can "transfer" the chat to another staff member if they decide that someone else is better suited to answer the question. This improves the chances of you receiving the best possible answer.

3) We can email the transcript of the chat to another staff member, so even if the best person to answer the question is not currently available, we can still send your question to them.

4) You can pop the chat out of your current browser window by clicking on the green arrow: This will allow you to continue navigating our website as we answer your question without worrying about losing the chat box.

You'll probably see this chat box appearing in other places on our website, and each one will be designed to send questions to those staff members who are best equipped to answer questions about the topic at hand. We expect this tool to be very valuable. I encourage you to try it out, even if it is to just say hi. Please let us know what you think about it!

Allen Library Bids Adieu to 2009

Now that the rest of the staff have had an opportunity to be heard on the blog (don't worry, you'll be hearing from them again), it's back to me for the last word of the year. Years from now, when I look back at 2009, I'll remember it as a year of excitement and hope...

[Cue hilarious/sentimental slide show, sappy music, and Wonder Years style voice over]

But seriously, a lot happened this year. In case you missed anything along the way, I just wanted to go through some of the things that 2009 brought with it for the Allen Library. These aren't really in any particular order, I just enjoy counting down (I also enjoy exclamation points, as you'll soon find out).

10. All of our public computers were updated to include Office 2007/2008. No more worrying about what to do with .docx files!

9. The University Libraries introduced a new format for our online subject guides, which are easier to read and offer more functionality. There are a lot of great Allen-related guides, so I hope everyone is taking advantage of them!

8. We held two very successful book/music sales, one in the Spring and one in the Fall. We're already starting to collect materials for next year!

7. The large seminar room was made more functional with the addition of a computer podium and a document camera. We're hoping to see some improvements to the small seminar room over winter break, so make sure to take a look when you're back in the Spring.

6. We received a very generous donation of books and score from Martha Hinrichsen that included (among many other things) a lot of 20th century works we didn't already have and a bunch of facsimiles of original manuscripts (Beethoven's 9th Symphony, Mozart's Don Giovanni, etc.). It will take awhile for all of this to be added to our collection, but we're very excited to have these new materials.

5. After years of only allowing books and scores out for three weeks at a time, we extended our general loan policy to four weeks. With the one renewal that is allowed, you can now keep books and scores out for eight weeks!

4. We started experimenting with more ways to keep in touch with you, our patrons, this year. The new Facebook page started in March and this blog started in February. We also introduced live reference chat (via Meebo) this year.

3. Koha. Our new library catalog. Love it or hate it, it has changed how we do a lot of things in the library. There are a lot of improvements on the horizon for this catalog, so stay tuned for more!

2. We brought on three new full-time staff members this year. Jenny started as Public Services Coordinator in January, Tracey started as Head in August, and Andrew received a promotion to full-time Cataloging Coordinator in November.

1. We got a new stapler!!! Okay, maybe this shouldn't be in the number one position, but have you tried it out yet? After years of rotating between staplers that each worked about 10% of the time, we finally have one that works every time, and with very little effort! Everyone who has used it has been very excited.

So that's a little bit of what happened in 2009 at the Allen Library. We have a lot of plans for 2010, so make sure you keep following the blog to stay up-to-date on everything that's going on. Enjoy the rest of the year, and we'll see you in 2010!

Help, I'm Lost!!!!

How many times has this happened to you? You're diligently searching the library's catalogue trying to find that score you need for your lesson tomorrow, and you see the words, 'Item Lost.' What does this mean? Well, most simply: The item you want is not here. This does not necessarily mean that it is gone for good, or actually, physically lost (it probably isn't hiding under a chair or behind a shelf in the library). More likely than not, what you are looking for is just really, really overdue. That being said, if it's something your scholastic and musical future depends upon, come talk to us, and we can place a hold and recall on the item in question. Now, this isn't guaranteed to get the item back, but it has been known to work in the past.

Now, you might ask, what, exactly causes an item to become lost, and what do I do if I have something that has come to be considered lost?

First part first: Our system (the notorious Koha from blogs past) automatically marks items as 'Lost' when they are 45 days overdue. The patron in question may have actually lost or destroyed an item, or they may have forgotten to renew it. Whatever the reason, the item has now entered the wonderful world of 'Lost' which is full of all kinds of exciting and fun things (fines) for the patron to whom it is checked out.

As for the second question, if you find that you (gasp!) have an item that has ventured into 'Lost' territory, fear not, my dear! You will be fed to Sparkles The Troll and his pet unicorn, Fred, who are chained with dental floss outside the back doors of the library. Oh, and don't grovel, you will only make things worse for yourself. Sorry, nice knowing you.

Okay, perhaps not. The reality is far less interesting or grisly. Basically, you get.......Brand......New.......FEES!!! A Lost Item Replacement Fee and a Lost Item Processing Fee, to be exact. The replacement fee varies depending upon what the item in question is. Two of our more popular item types for example are books, which will cost you $38 (default, if we have the purchase price, you will be charged accordingly), and scores, which will run you $25 (also default). The processing fee is a fixed $15. And yes, if you would like to continue to check things out of the library, and/or receive your diploma, you will have to pay these fines.

Before you begin to wonder how many meals you will need to skip in order to pay off the library and prevent us from sending Sparkles and Fred after you, there is hope. Your best course of action would be to return the item that is now oh so overdue. At this point *BOTH* the replacement and processing fees will be forgiven, and you will be assessed a long overdue fee, which is much nicer on the wallet than its two older brothers.

Now, if, perchance, you HAVE actually lost something, you can either pay both the replacement and processing fees, or you can come talk to us about purchasing a replacement copy yourself (which gets the item back on the shelf in a more expeditious manner, and can often be less expensive).

Another instance an item can be marked as 'Lost' is when it is not overdue, but it has been damaged beyond repair by something other than normal wear......say your dog gives it a good chewing, drops it in a mud puddle, then buries it in the back yard (No! Bad Fluffy! No Biscuit!). You would then be responsible for the item's replacement (see previous paragraph).

I hope this helps you better understand the ins and outs of lost, and we will keep Sparkles and Fred securely tethered out back. For now. :)

Meet the Allen Staff!

Starting next week, I won't be the only one writing blog posts. We now have five full-time staff members and we'll all be contributing on a regular basis. This being the case, I thought you might like to learn who we are. We'll start with our new Head...

Tracey Rudnick, Head
Tracey just started with us about three months ago. She was most recently the Music & Dramatic Arts Librarian (and music/drama library head) at the University of Connecticut. She was a percussionist, and did her undergrad at UC Davis and graduate degrees (Musicology, Library and Information Science) at UT Austin.

Jennifer Olson, Senior Cataloger
Jen has been here since June 2001, when she was a DMA Composition student at Hartt, taking a break from studies. She has since gone over to the dark side and is nearing completion of her Master of Science in Library Science degree at Simmons College, which she hopes to finish in May 2010. She occasionally emerges from the back room when the desk staff allow her to interact with patrons.

Jennifer Crum, Public Services Coordinator
Jenny started in her current position in January 2009, but also worked in the library as a graduate assistant from 2003-2006 while persuing her MM and GPD at Hartt. She also performs in the area as a freelance cellist and is an active private teacher.

Andrew King, Cataloging Coordinator
Andrew first worked at Allen in public services as the Access Services Coordinator from the fall of 2005 to the summer of 2007. After finishing his MM in Piano Performance he returned, this time working in the back room as a cataloger. A few weeks ago he was promoted to the full time
position of Cataloging Coordinator.

And as you've probably figured out by now if you've been reading this blog, I'm Sam Cook, Public Services Librarian. I started here in September 2007, but I was also a student employee at the circulation desk and in the back room from 2003-2004. Back then I was here at Hartt finishing up a BM in clarinet performance, and then I went to University at Albany, SUNY for a Master of Science in Information Science degree (fancy name for a library degree).

So that's our full-time staff. You'll be hearing from all of us in the upcoming weeks as we each provide our own perspective on what exciting things are going on in the Allen Library. I hope you enjoy the change and, as always, feel free to comment on anything we say!

Odds and Ends from the Allen Library

I don't have any big topic to write about right now, so I'll just pass on some odds and ends, some of which will be larger blogs later on.

• We're introducing a new library catalog in mid-late July. We're still working out some of the kinks, but there will be some exciting new features.


• We're also developing a new website for all of University Libraries, which we're hoping will go live in September. Among the new features will be a catalog search from the homepage and easier access to subject guides.


• It's not fully processed yet, but we have a second copy of The Rest is Noise by Alex Ross. It's been so popular that it has almost always been on course reserves. The second copy will remain in circulation.


• Anyone interested in 4-week loan periods?


• We haven't had pistachios here for quite some time. Very sad.


• SuperSearch is going the way of the Dodo and will soon be gone. It just never worked as well as we all hoped.


• In case you were one of the many asking about it within the last year, we now own the DVD of Doctor Atomic. SPOILER ALERT: Robert Oppenheimer was a ghost all along!


• New database with music resources: Fine Arts and Music Collection (Gale)

I hope you enjoyed today's session of Odds and Ends from the Allen Library. Join us next time for The Allen Library vs. Mechagodzilla.

Food for Fines

To celebrate National Library Week (I bet you didn't know it existed), Allen and Mortensen Libraries will be holding a Food for Fines week, starting Monday (4/13) and ending Sunday (4/19). This will be an opportunity for you to cut back on how much you owe us while helping the community at the same time. For every non-perishable item you bring in (such as canned goods), we will forgive $2.00 in fines. These fines could be old ones or new ones generated from returning an overdue item. We will, of course, also accept donations from those of you with no fines on your account. All of the food we receive will be donated to local food pantries. The only fines that won't be forgiven are those already billed to the bursar or those for Lost Items that have not been returned. So, if you want to do some good while lowering your fines at the same time, drop by sometime next week and bring in some food (non-perishable, of course)!

15 Things You Might Not Know About Allen Library (In No Particular Order)

1) We have a sheet music collection that mostly consists of individual popular songs. It is located in the small seminar room and can be searched online.

2) Our namesake, Mildred P. Allen, was the Secretary of State of Connecticut from 1955 to 1959. Her picture is in the large seminar room, behind the projection screen.

3) Our current periodicals are out in the open and can be browsed. While you can’t take them out of the library, I encourage you to read them here in the library. We have something for everybody!

4) It can be hard to find certain types of items in our catalog, so if you are having trouble, you should ask for help.

5) We have several one-octave midi keyboards that you can check out for in-library use.

6) One of the services we offer is providing you with subject guides. These guides will provide you with call numbers, useful books, subject headings for the catalog, and more in the areas of music, dance, and theatre.

7) We aren’t just a music library, we are a music and dance library. Our dance materials are in the GV section outside of the seminar rooms.

8) We really like pistachios.

9) You can access your course reserve lists online.

10) You can renew materials (once) online through the My Account feature in the catalog.

11) We use the Library of Congress Classification system for our call numbers. We even use this system for our CDs, which even the Library of Congress doesn’t do.

12) The monkey on Jenny’s computer is named Mojo and, despite what she insists, it is really an ape.

13) We have a large collection of orchestral parts on CD-ROM. Ask for them at the desk!

14) For music education students and faculty: The “Big Purple Book” is now the “Big Red Book.”

15) If you are using chamber music for a chamber class, you can take it out for the entire semester.

The Allen Library Enters the Blogosphere

The time has come for the Allen Library to enter the brave new world of blogging (yes, I know it's not really new anymore). As your Public Services Librarian, I constantly have news I want to share with you, suggestions of new resources I want to give to you, and questions I want to ask of you. We have tried in the past to achieve this through Facebook, with little success. Although our Facebook page will remain active, and I encourage everybody to join, I hope to use this blog to enhance our ability to provide you with news and suggestions and to gain valuable feedback from you when we have questions. I hope to post on here a couple times a week, so be sure to take a look now and then to see what's going on in Allen Library.