Category: Services

Research Help @Milne

Librarian Sherry Rhodes, helping out a student in our new Research Consultation space in the Center for Academic Excellence

Are you taking advantage of one of Milne Library’s best kept secrets?  The Reference (or Research) Librarians at SUNY Geneseo frequently hear from their professorial partners, as well as campus tour guides, that we are a gem to be discovered and utilized heavily.  They compare (and praise) our level of service to that of past experiences they have had at other (many times, distinguished) universities.  But don’t take your professors’ word for it!   See just what your classmates and peers have to say.

Sparked by Fall 2011 observations of students in need of research help at the Service Desk and Reference Desk, Anna Wilson, a recently graduated Spanish major with a minor in Latin American Studies, interviewed and filmed fellow students regarding their awareness and experience with Milne Library’s Research Librarians.  In anticipation of her participant observation study, she wrote,”I predict that many of the students in the library are as in the dark about what goes on at the reference desk as I was until this (Fall 2011) semester.”

Does this statement represent your awareness about who the Reference Librarians are and what we can help you with?  If so, be sure to watch Anna’s video and then come see us when you are in need of research help!

Librarian Kim Hoffman works on searching with a student.

Reference Librarians are on duty for nearly all hours that the library is open with official desk duty in the Center for Academic Excellence from 10 am – 5 pm (Mon-Thurs), 10 am – 2 pm (Fri) and 10 am – 2 pm (Sat) and on-call reference assistance as early as 8 am and as late as 1 am.  Just ask for help at the Service Desk and a librarian will be around to help.

Additionally, our very popular Research Consultation service (as well as our Technology Consultation service) offers students the opportunity to make one-on-one appointments with a specialist when the time is convenient for you or you and your group.  Both services offer a dedicated time slot to focus solely on your research project needs, without having to compete with other students’ questions.

As the due dates for your research projects approach and the semester gets busier and busier, see what assistance (and time savings) a Reference Librarian can offer you!

Welcome Dr. Fowziyyah Ali to Milne Library!

Fowziyyah Ali, Associate Director of AOP

Dr. Fowziyyah Ali, Associate Director of AOP, has moved her office to Milne Library. Formerly located in Blake Hall C 106, Dr. Ali’s office is now Milne 210, next to the Digital Media Lab. Her hours will be posted each week on the door to the office. Her phone number has remained the same: 245-5725. Welcome to the Library, Dr. Ali!

A New Home for the Center for Academic Excellence

Center for Academic Excellence in Milne Library

As students were off for the summer – enjoying warm temperatures, taking a well-deserved break from school and making money through summer jobs – projects and activities in Milne Library went into overdrive.

One of many moves within the library positively affected the Center for Academic Excellence (CAE).  Relocated to a larger space (what once was the Genesee Valley Study Room) and enhanced by additional services, the CAE is realizing its dream of becoming a one-stop academic stop for students.

Students should feel free to stop in if they need assistance in any of the following services:

Enhanced features of the CAE include a student concierge service that will serve as the welcoming point into the center, on-the-spot writing support (no longer on an appointment basis), an almost sound-proof testing center, and closer proximity for essential academic support units so that easier transition can take place between course content, research and writing.

Reference Librarians are currently providing research assistance in the CAE and all other services will begin in earnest, starting September 6.

For further information and hours of operation, see the newly created homepage for the Center for Academic Excellence.

The new CAE is located on the main floor of Milne Library.

New Home in Milne for Digital Media Lab

DML LogoThe Digital Media Lab in Milne Library, a collaboration between CIT and Milne, had a very successful inaugural year.  This past summer, the DML moved to a new location in Milne to meet the growing needs of the campus community and to give users an even better experience.  The renovated DML now occupies the former location of the Center for Academic Excellence, an enclosed area with more space, on the library’s main level next to the new office of Dave Parfitt (Director of the Teaching and Learning Center).

Digital Media Lab

Renovated and Newly Located DML in Milne

The DML was created to give students a place to design and create exciting media projects for their classes and to support faculty as they continue to expand their use of instructional technologies. The lab is open during the same hours as the library; professional staff and students are available to help the Geneseo campus community with their digital media needs through consultations and workshops. Several types of media equipment (video cameras, portable hard disk drives, etc.) are available for signout at the service desk. More information about the Digital Media Lab, along with a list of equipment for signout, can be found at http://www.geneseo.edu/dml.

Does Milne Have My Textbook?


Milne library has a growing collection of required course texts for many of the courses taught on campus. Most are available for 4 hour loan at the Service Desk.

If Milne doesn’t have the text or course reading that you need on reserve at the Service Desk, you may be able to find it in the general collection.  Here are a few ways to find out:

  1. Search for the title in GLOCAT+ to see if we have it in the library’s general collection.
  2. Search for the title of your textbook on our How Do I Find My Course Texts library guide to see if we have it on 4 hour reserve at the Service Desk.
  3. Search for it in IDS Search to see if we can borrow it for you from another library.

 

Milne’s Center for Academic Excellence: New Name, Same Services

What once was Milne Library’s Writing & Learning Center – consisting of AOP tutoring services, the satellite center for the English Department’s Writing Learning Center, ELL tutoring and speech buddies program and the Geneseo Testing Center – has officially been renamed to better represent the many helpful services offered in the center.

Welcome to the Milne Center for Academic Excellence!

Center for Academic Excellence

Beginning in January 2012, the English Department’s Writing Learning Center shifted all operations to Milne’s location, supplementing its evening and weekend drop-in hours with regularly scheduled appointments Monday-Friday from 1-5 pm, which had traditionally taken place in Welles Hall.

The Center for Academic Excellence received a new facelift over the winter break as well – new carpeting, a glass panel in the front window, and potentially glass doors to separate the two rooms within the center – all in an effort to make the space comfortable and conducive to studying and testing.

Information regarding the services offered in the center can be found at a newly designed and comprehensive website.

Need Some Help? We’ve Got It!

Help is Available! Photo Credit: Flickr user gruntzooki

Librarians are always available to help with your research and technology needs.

Working with a group?  We can accommodate. Sciences? Got it.  Business Stats? Yep.  Need help with web sites, podcasting, powerpoint or excel? For sure!  Music Media? You know it!   And that’s only a taste of the subject coverage available.

Want to contact a librarian right away?  Simply fill out a Consultation Request form telling us a bit about your project or research needs, and a librarian will contact you to set up an appointment.

If you still have questions, don’t forget that the service desk or IM a Librarian reference chat is always a great place to start.

Book Swap and Donations at Milne Library

Milne Library’s Book Swap

Fiction paperback books to share

Fiction paperback books to share

The Milne Library’s Book Swap area has been so successful that we are asking for your help.  Have you noticed the bookcase in the front entry of Milne Library?  Maybe it had some books on it…but quite often it is empty!  Take a look around at home and see if you have some fiction that you have already read and are willing to pass it along for someone else to enjoy.  It is very simple, the only guideline is that it must be fiction.  No check-out; no fines…self service.  Donate and/or borrow a book, read a bit and bring it back for someone else to read.  You can leave donations on the bookcase or drop them off in the Better World Books™ box inside the doors.

 

Better World Books™

Milne Library accepts donations from the public to build our collection.   Each gift is processed through GIST Gift Manager Milne’s own innovative open-source tool designed to manage and streamline library work-flow for processing gifts and evaluating materials.  This data managing system determines if it should be added to Milne Library, put in the Book Swap or donated to Better World Books™.  Accepting donations allows us greater flexibility, given our limited budget and it provides a positive impact on our overall ability to provide relevant materials to our patrons

Does Milne Library have a textbook I need or has my professor put class materials on reserve at the Service Desk?

Course Reserves

Course Reserves at the Service Desk

Milne Library may own a textbook and it might be in the regular collection, or you may be able to get it through IDS, but how?

In many cases, a professor chooses to put class material on reserve at the Service Desk in Milne Library.  The items would be available to checkout for a limited time so that the students have access to it without having to purchase it.  Where do I find out?

The answers to both questions can be found right from on the Milne Library Homepage in just a few simple steps

  • Under “Popular Subject Guides,” scroll down to the bottom of the section and select “View All Subject Guides.”
  • From the “Browse by Subject” box click on “How Do I…”
  • Click on “Finding Textbooks and Course Reserves” and follow the instructions given.

Also, please feel free to come to the Service Desk in Milne Library and ask for assistance.

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