Library Buzzz

The University Library is excited to announce that the EUREKA library catalog has gotten a bit of a facelift. The upgraded interface includes a cleaner page layout, single-page item records, and even book jacket images. Links and buttons may have shifted around a bit, but all the search capabilities have remained the same.

After giving the new interface a whirl, we would love to hear what you think!

For the second weekend in a row the University Library will be closed! Not to worry, starting the weekend of June 6th, the Library will be open 8 am - 5 pm on Saturday (but closed Sundays).

Here is a list of things to fill your time while we’re closed May 30 and 31st.

1. Go the Sacramento Public Library branch nearest you for free Internet access.
2. Go to one of the many coffee shops in Sacramento offering free wi-fi access. Hint: Try a Tupelo, Java City, or Panera location nearest you.
3. Take a trip to the beach! Paradise Beach on the American River, just down the levee from campus, is recommended by two out of three librarians for its beautiful sand dunes. Remember to wear protective gear if you choose to swim.
4. Visit one of the many fine California State Parks in the region before they’re closed due to state budgetary woes. Fort Sutter, for example, is both close and free!
5. Stop by a local used bookstore such as the Avid Reader to find a dusty tome to take home.
6. Pick up some fresh fruits and veggies at a local farmer’s market.
7. Take a weekend getaway to San Francisco. There are too many possibilities to list here!
8. Picnic at the Rancho Seco Recreational Area. Go to see the abandoned nuclear facilities stay for the fishing.
9. Watch a thunderstorm in the Sierras.
10. Enjoy some football (that’s soccer to some of us). Reza recommends the FA Cup final between Chelsea and Everton.

For the first time in this librarian’s (admittedly short) memory, the University Library will be closed all three days of the long Memorial Day weekend. So, if you’ve got any books to borrow, print magazines to read, or questions to ask please take care of that before Friday, May 22nd at 7:00 pm.

We’ll be open again Tuesday, May 26th but we’ll be having a short week of very reduced hours, so be sure to check our schedule of hours before making that trek to campus!

Need a few extra hours to finish that last paper done? Or maybe a place get some late night study time in? Try the extended hours in the Library Collab! We’ll be open later starting Sunday, May 10th with extended hours through Thursday, May 21st. See the full schedule of hours for the Library Collab below.

Good luck with all your finals!

Sunday, May 10^th 11:00 am - 12:45 am

Monday, May 11^th 7:15 am - 12:45 am

Tuesday, May 12^th 7:15 am - 12:45 am

Wednesday, May 13^th 7:15 am - 12:45 am

Thursday, May 14^th 7:15 am - 12:45 am

Friday, May 15^th 7:15 am - 6:45 pm

Saturday, May 16^th 7:30 am – 4:45 pm

Sunday, May 17^th 11 am - 12:45 am

Monday, May 18^th 7:15 am - 12:45 am

Tuesday, May 19^th 7:15 am - 12:45 am

Wednesday, May 20^th 7:15 am - 12:45 am

Thursday, May 21^st 7:15 am - 12:45 am

Friday, May 22^nd 7:15 am - 4:45 pm

Saturday, May 23rd Closed

The Library Collaborative will be closed starting Saturday, April 18th for emergency repairs. Some computer stations will be removed prior to Saturday in preparation for the work.

The Collaborative will remain closed until the water leak is contained.

Yes, it’s here already! This Sunday (March 8th) is the start of Daylight Saving Time. Once again it’ll be time to move all those pesky old-fashioned clocks ahead one hour (I love how cellphones and computers automatically change).

Next week you may want to wary of believing strange clocks. For example, the majority of clocks in the Sac State Library do automatically change themselves every time Daylight Saving Time rolls around. However, there are stragglers which require manual resetting (which won’t be done by Monday) and we don’t want anybody to be late for class or other appointments.

Each spring, when I’m forced to give up an hour of sleep for Daylight Saving, I wonder who came up with the idea for this system. Well, we have the perfect book - Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time by Michael Downing - to answer my question. The book is almost 200 pages long, so it’s not exactly a short, straightforward tale. The one big spoiler I’ll give you from the book is that DST was not created at the behest of farmers. So let’s layoff blaming them this time around.

The large computer lab on the 2nd floor of the Library will be closed until January 14th for upgrades. While the good people at IRT make those changes, please use the computers on the 3rd floor or in the Library Collaborative if you would like to use any production software. The research stations on the 2nd floor are still available for public use.

Congratulations on completing papers, living through finals, and surviving another semester! Hopefully, your semester was as productive as ours. Now it’s time for the University and Library to kick back for a bit. We’ll be observing all those Federal Holidays we’ve been hoarding since Lincoln’s Birthday in February as well as the Christmas and New Year’s Day. What does this mean? The Library will be closed from December 24th - January 4th. In fact, all campus offices and services will be closed for that period.

Once we return January 5th, 2009 our Winter Intersession schedule will be in force. The Library building will only be open 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Monday through Friday. See the full service hours here: http://library.csus.edu/hours/default.asp?semesterID=18

Until then, the Library’s online databases are always available for use from off campus. You can take a moment to relax with an ebook from NetLibrary. Or pick up a manual from Safari Tech Books Online and learn a new piece of software. If that doesn’t appeal, relax and we’ll see you here in 2009!

Back by popular demand are end of the semester extended hours in the Library Collaborative computing lab. Starting today, Sunday, December 7th and running through December 18th the Collab will be open until 1:00 am most days (see full schedule below). So bring your cup of coffee and study until the deepest hours of the night.

Not to worry early birds, the Collab will still be opening 7:15 am weekdays!

Extended Collaborative hours are as follows:

Sunday, Dec 7th - Thursday, Dec 11th: 11pm - 12:45am
Friday, Dec 12th: 5pm - 6:45pm
Saturday, Dec 13th   Regular Hours (open until 4:45 pm)

Sunday, Dec 14th - Thursday, Dec 18th: 11pm  - 12:45am
Friday, Dec 19th - Regular hours (open until 4:45 pm)

Full schedule of Library building and service hours are here: http://library.csus.edu/hours/

The Library’s 2008 Outstanding Teaching Award winner, Reza Peigahi, has been spotted on the new Sac State digital communication sign. The sign, while primarily intended for advertising, also promotes various academic-related activities here at Sac State. Everybody at the Library is very proud of Reza’s contributions to teaching and learning on campus so we are happy his image has been included in the rotation.

Next time you’re driving on Highway 50 make sure to pay attention to the road. But, if you’re a passenger or traffic is light, take a glance at the sign. You may see a familiar face.