Thursday, August 28, 2008

Library Hacks: Interlibrary Loan and WorldCat

When you're doing research, do you search WorldCat in addition to our catalog? Are you tired of having to copy and paste the citation information from WorldCat into our ILL form when you find something you want?

If you said yes, you'll like what you're about to read!

When you find an item in WorldCat that you'd like, you can now request it right there! In the screenshot below, the two links to make your request are circled. At the top is a button that says "ILL," and further down the record is a link that says "Borrow this item through Interlibrary Loan."


All you have to do is click on one of those and enter your contact info and libary barcode number.

We've enabled this option as one of the first steps of some changes we're making to the way Interlibrary Loan works. Right now these changes are happening behind the scenes, but later this fall you'll see a new interface for all of your interlibrary loan requests. The new system will remember who you are, and allow you to track the progress of your requests (much like you can track a UPS package). We'll keep you posted on this change as the semester moves forward.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Community Open House

Come celebrate our beautifully renovated library!

The construction is completed and we're bigger and better than ever! To celebrate, we're hosting a Community Open House on Friday, September 12. Festivities will start at 11am, and wrap up in the early evening. We're still finalizing the program for the day, but wanted to give you a taste of what's in the works:
  • We're lining up a performance by Notre Dame's Concert Choir.
  • We'll be running a few drop-in library tours.
  • Artists Mary Beth Akre of Loyola and Kevin Raines of Notre Dame will be on hand to discuss the paintings they're creating for us, and to show off their progress so far.
  • The Research & Instruction Department will present a couple of quickie workshops on social networking software, including Library Thing and Flickr.
  • We'll be running a quiz game and raffle, and of course there will be food and drink.
  • Library Director John McGinty will be giving a talk on the future of libraries.
  • And we'll be adding a few more events as well!
As the date draws closer, we'll finalize the program and make sure it gets online. We hope that you'll be able to stop by at some point in the day, and join us as we celebrate our wonderful new spaces.