United Library News
Volume 8 Issue 2
Spring Semester 2015
The United Library is the academic library of Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary &
Bexley Hall Seabury Western Theological Seminary Federation
Changes at the United Library in 2015
Inside this issue:
Library Oversight
Committee
2
Library Volunteers
2
Public Services
2
Highlights
Featured Reference
Resources
3
New Arrivals Shelf
3
Library Display
3
Highlights
Embedding USearch &
Chat on Moodle
4
2015 will bring a couple of significant changes to the way that The United Library operates. In collabora on with Northwestern University Library, The United Library in July 2015 will switch over to a new integrated library system called Alma as well as a new search and discovery system named USearch. With the Alma implementa on, library staﬀ will be able to enhance library eﬃciency and opera ons. USearch, which looks more like Google, will eventually replace NUcat, the library’s current online catalog shared with Northwestern University Library, and become the new and only interface to the United/NU library holdings. This new tool will be an asset to your research at the library and expand the ways you can search as well as the range of items you can discover. In addi on to preparing for these big changes, library staﬀ have been busy for the past few months publishing two ins tu onal digital collec ons online, promo ng library resources through the New Arrivals program and special library displays, and con nuing to create the user-friendly and hospitable space for collabora ve learning and research. You’ll hear more of the exci ng stories on the following pages. New Digital Collections: Aware & Garrett Tower
Have you ever wondered what it was like for the first seminary students here on Garre ’s campus? How have the events of recent history intertwined with student life? Discover the answers to these ques ons and more with the United Library’s two new full-text searchable digi zed collec ons of ins tu onal publica ons. The first, The GarreƩ Tower, produced quarterly by representa ve groups of students, faculty, and alumni of Garre Biblical Ins tute and Garre Theological Seminary between 1925 and 1967, includes editorial essays, ar cles about student life and special events, alumni informa on, and book reviews. These issues are also bound and available for physical viewing if you’d like to take a look at the originals. The second digi zed collec on is Garre -Evangelical’s current publica on, Aware Magazine, which has been produced since 1975. Some highlights from Aware’s digital collec on include ar cles on the chapel renova ons, the ‘red pepper’ fund raising, Core a Sco King’s commencement address, and the United Library’s 100th anniversary. These collec ons are free and openly accessible from the library’s website: library.garre .edu/digitalcollec ons. You can browse the collec ons in their en rety by selec ng the publica on year or by entering specific text in the search box. All of the items are full-text searchable, which means that, for example, if you search for an alum’s last name, your results will show all of the issues and pages in which his/her name appears. United Library News
Page 2
Introducing the Library Oversight Committee
Managing the library and providing the library community with needed resources and services takes the collabora ve eﬀorts of many involved. Library staﬀ and student workers work to ensure the smooth opera on of the library on a daily basis. There are others who serve the library and its user community in diﬀerent ways, o en mes behind the scenes. One of those is the Library Oversight Commi ee. Appointed by the Academic Dean and Vice President for Academic Aﬀairs, the Commi ee advocates the central role of the United Library in the theological educa on that Garre -Evangelical Theological Seminary oﬀers. The Commi ee also advises the Library Director in areas related to library policies, planning, opera ons, and funding needs. It consists of five people represen ng such cons tuencies as faculty, students, IT, business, and library. Current commi ee members serving in the year 2014-15 are Dr. Brooke Lester, Mr. Ed McCutchan, Mr. Dale McClain, Dr. Jim Noseworthy, and Dr. Lucy Chung. Library staﬀ deeply appreciate the support and advocacy of the Library Oversight Commi ee for the library user community. The library keeps moving towards a be er future, thanks to all of its friends and supporters. Library Volunteers
The United Library is fortunate to have several Leadership Students who volunteer their me to work on projects for the library. These students work on tasks such as marking new books and preparing them to go into circula on, aﬃxing RFID tags in books, and searching the stacks for lost and missing books. Joseph Roberts has volunteered with us for two years. He’s our Sherlock Holmes as his specialty is finding misshelved books. Sam Mutschnelknaus is in his third year of volunteering here. His favorite ac vity is working in the technical services oﬃce. Kelly Wasnich has just joined us this semester and likes to spend me down in the stacks pu ng RFID tags in books. Public Services Highlights
Besides our usual tours and workshops, this fall we took a “field trip” to Northwestern’s Main library which is only a few yards from the seminary. The United Library is part of the Northwestern library system, although the two ins tu ons are separate en es. The bond between the libraries is of great benefit to Garre students. Our group of eleven students and staﬀ members was met by Geoﬀ Morse, Northwestern Library’s selector for Religion resources. Geoﬀ showed us the Learning Commons, places students can print and use the copy machines, the floor where many of the religion books are shelved, and several great spots for quiet study. All Garre students, faculty, staﬀ, and alumni with current borrowing cards have access to the Main library whenever it is open, and since their open hours are more extensive than those of The United Library, it is an invaluable resource for our night-owls and earlybirds. We hope this ou ng helps Garre students feel at home and welcome at the Main library. The end of the semester can be a stressful me for students. Our Cookie and Cocoa party and Coloring Contest provided a much-needed break and social me for students and faculty alike. Professors Charles Cosgrove and Karla Kincannon, members of the Art Commi ee, served as judges for the contest and once again provided fascina ng cri ques of our colorers’ techniques and execu on in the crayon medium. Students Hyewon Hyon, Jordan Sprunger, Nicole Anderson, and Daniel Smith won prizes for their crea vity, inspiraon, technique, and sense of humor. A good me was had by all. Page 3
Volume 8 Issue 2
Featured Reference Resources
We have recently added two significant resources to the print reference collec on, The Oxford Encyclopedia of the
Bible and Law (OEBL; Ref BM520.52 .O94 2015), and the New Cambridge History of the Bible (Ref BS445 .N49 2012). According to the publisher descrip on, the OEBL “provides the most up-to-date and extensive treatment of the Bible and law yet a empted.” It joins the Oxford Encyclopedia of Biblical InterpretaƟon and the Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Archaeology that were added to the print reference collec on last year. We also now have online access to the Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Gender Studies (OEBGS). Each encyclopedia includes well over 100 essays that provide comprehensive overviews of relevant topics with sugges ons for further reading and so give both necessary background and point toward new research possibili es. One more important addi on to the reference collecon is the New Cambridge History of the Bible. It succeeds the original threevolume Cambridge History of the Bible published 40 years ago. The library has acquired Volume 1: The Beginnings to 600 and Volume 2: From 600 to 1450. Volumes 3 and 4 should be available some me this year. New Arrivals Shelf
The New Arrivals Shelf at the Library has expanded its scope to include more than just a few selected tles, but the majority of new resources added to the collec on. Be sure to look here frequently to find the latest works by noted authors, the newest informa on on topics related to your research, or something that simply piques your interest. The New Arrivals Shelf is located at the bo om of the stairs inside the Library, and newly acquired tles are placed there daily. The top shelf showcases “Librarian Picks” for your perusal, while the remaining shelves include a variety of other recent works in call number order for easy access. The newest items can be iden fied by s ckers indica ng the month that they were placed on the shelves. Be the first to take advantage of some of the many interes ng resources the Library has to oﬀer. Library Display Highlights
In February, the library display highlighted the theme “Violence Interrupted.” The Church and the Black Experience chose this theme for Black History Month 2015. The display featured books from the library collec on as well as a “word cloud” created by Garre student Nicole Anderson. In early March a new display was added combining Women’s History Month and the PANAAWTM (Pacific Asian and North American Asian Women in Theology and Ministry) conference. PANAAWTM celebrated its 30th year this year with the theme “Transforma ve Journey.” The library display featured some of the many works wri en by PANAAWTM members as well as objects designed by Garre doctoral student Ahyun Lee. The main display now highlights the “Re-imagining the Intersec on of Evolu on and the Fall” conference sponsored by the Stead Center for Ethics and Values. Books by conference speakers are on display accompanied by images that evoke the theme of re-imagining the intersec on of evolu on and the fall. Smaller displays have also been on view. First was a display to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of Thomas Merton’s birth (January 31, 2015) and finally for Lent there is a display of books from the library collec on that illustrates in diﬀerent ways the Sta ons of the Cross. We hope you take a moment (or more) as you enter the library to view the displays. The Academic Library of Garrett– Evangelical Theological Seminary & Bexley Hall Seabury Western Theological Seminary Federation
The United Library
2121 Sheridan Road
Evanston, IL 60201
Phone: 877-600-8753 or 847-866-3909
Fax: 847-866-3894
Email: [email protected]
Web: library.garrett.edu
With about 400,000 bound volumes
on site, access to thousands of
electronic journals and databases,
and exciting special collections, the
United Library is a treasure house
of knowledge.
Reflect and learn in a variety of
stunning settings that ensure spaces for both collaborative learning
opportunities and the solitary pursuit of meaning.
Get connected with us:
Ask one of our knowledgeable librarians for expert assistance in
finding resources for your research.
Embedding USearch and chat
services on Moodle
Embedding USearch and Chat Services
You asked and we listened. Discovon Moodle
ery and reference services have been
extended to our seminary’s course
management system, Moodle. GYou asked and we listened. Discovery and reference services have been exETS community members both near
tended to our seminary’s course management system, Moodle. G-ETS comand far can now search for library
munity members both near and far can now search for library resources and resources and communicate with
communicate with librarians directly from Moodle. Ques on about reserve librarian’s directly from Moodle.
materials? Wondering how to schedule a reference interview for an upcomQuestion about reserve materials?
ing paper? Want to start your research right away? It’s all at your finger ps. Wondering how to schedule a reference interview for an upcoming paper? Want to start your research
right away? It’s all at your fingertips.