KSL Services & Spaces

CaseLearns New Media Workshops

Time to register for Spring 2012 CaseLearns New Media Workshops! CaseLearns returns with a full lineup of New Media workshops with offerings from Digital Images & Digital Video to Desktop Publishing & Presentation Design.

This semester many of the workshops will take place in the new ACR (Active Collaboration Room), the completely remodeled KSL 215 classroom with high-tech features and comfortable new furniture. Another new offering is a series of workshops, "Tell Me About Technology." Part demonstration and part discussion, these one-hour workshops take place each Thursday on a variety of different topics ranging from e-books to Facebook!

Faculty who are interested in having students incorporate New Media projects into their courses are encouraged to contact the library's Creative New Media Officer Jared Bendis (jared.bendis@case.edu) He'll consult on project parameters, arrange for training sessions, and help faculty learn how best to take advantage of resources such as the Freedman Center and the Software Center.

Registration is required for CaseLearns, where classes continue to be posted. Please check back for new classes, and read more about the program and the Attendance Policy. We'll see you in a class, soon!

Kelvin Smith Library Announces Research Service Improvements

In a change that will improve the quality of service for users, Kelvin Smith Library is integrating reference and circulation services at the KSL Main Service Desk on January 17, coinciding with beginning with the Spring 2012 semester. Enhanced training for the Main Service Desk staff means that library staff will be able to answer most common questions. Questions that cannot be answered by the Main Service Desk staff will be referred to the librarian subject specialists or transferred to the 24x7 online chat services that the library continues to maintain.

These changes in service are based upon an extensive analysis of transaction records that tracked the most frequently asked questions at the Reference Desk, and the times of day during which help was sought. Many (if not most) research libraries have seen the number of walk-up transactions falling over the past ten years, and have been modifying their services accordingly. By reassigning Research Services Librarians (formerly known as reference or collection management librarians) from wait-for-walk-up to a more active form of service, KSL is now able to tailor our services for the benefit of the entire University community. Therefore, beginning this semester the librarians will:

• actively increase their availability for appointments not only in KSL but in academic departments and other places of need on campus.
  
• receive referrals by Main Service Desk staff to handle questions that require specialized assistance.
  
• be available "on call," with at least one librarian scheduled from 11:00 am-5:00 pm Monday through Friday to provide quick assistance within KSL.
  
• increase the opportunities to collaborate in and assist with faculty and student research through regular consultation in academic departments and in a new first floor consultation room created in KSL to meet one-on-one or with small groups.
  
• offer increased instruction opportunities, such as greater availability to teach classes, to assist in assignment/project creation with instructors, and to be available by appointment to assist students.
  
• increase their ability to attend academic department programs, seminars, and other events to proactively support collection development and research needs of faculty.

In addition, KSL will continue to provide a 24x7 online chat service through OhioLINK and through other online systems, including:

• Email: asksl@case.edu
  
• Phone or text message: (216)236-3KSL (216-236-3575)
  
• Chat: http://library.case.edu/ask
  
• Your Librarian: http://library.case.edu/ksl/collections/management/specialists.html

As a further improvement in research services, also on January 17, the library will introduce “KSL Summon,” a service that allows simple searching across the library’s collections of books, journals, and electronic resources, as well as the resources of OhioLINK. The search interface can be used in a straightforward “Google-like” mode, but also provides enhanced features to enable more complex searching. In either case, the search will enable the user, with a single click, to search the CWRU catalog and most of our electronic resources. The KSL Summon index also makes suggestions of more specific databases that may assist the user with in-depth research. KSL Summon will continue to grow throughout the semester as additional resources are indexed.

As Kelvin Smith Library is implementing additional assessment and opportunities for user feedback as part of an ongoing effort to improve the library’s services, users are invited share questions and comments with Brian Gray, KSL Team Leader for Research Services, at bcg8@case.edu or 216-368-8685.

Cramelot Extended Hours: Finals & Winter Break

Take advantage of Cramelot's extended evening hours during exams. We'll be open later so you can have nourishment while you study! We'll also be open after the New Year holiday, during Winter Break, come on in and get a head start on a new year and a new semester.

• Sun, Dec. 11: 2 pm-Midnight
• Mon - Thu, Dec. 12-15: 11 am-Midnight
• Fri, Dec. 16: 11 am-8 pm
• Sat, Dec. 17: Closed
• Sun, Dec. 18: 2 pm-Midnight
• Mon - Tue, Dec. 19 & 20: 11 am-9 pm
• Wed - Thu, Dec. 21 & 22: 11 am-4 pm (exams over)
• Fri, Dec. 23 - Mon, Jan. 2: Closed

After the holidays, come in during Winter Break & get a head start on the next semester...or just enjoy a warm beverage and have lunch or snacks while you catch up on readings & meet with friends.

• Tue - Fri, January 3-6: 11 am-4 pm
• Sat - Sun, January 7-8: Closed
• Mon - Fri, January 9-13: 11 am-4pm
• Sat - Mon, January 14-16 Closed

Plan a visit to Cramelot, soon!

Spring Semester begins on Tuesday, January 17th & Cramelot returns to regular cafe hours.

BookDrop 24x7!

When you're short on time or have an unexpected change of schedule, now you can gain back some time by using the KSL outdoor bookdrop to return books...anytime of day or night!

• Reserve materials have short borrowing privileges, so those materials still need to be returned to staff inside KSL during Regular Business Hours

• Media items are fragile—protect them, and use KSL's indoor bookdrop return

• KSL staff now checks the outdoor bookdrop several times a day, so if you have time-sensitive items, return them inside.

Otherwise, please enjoy the new 24x7 bookdrop convenience. It means you don't have to carry those large stacks of heavy books quite so far anymore!

Alumni Services @KSL

Stay connected to CWRU and personal lifelong learning after graduation, with Alumni Services @KSL and a variety of information services. Alumni are always welcome in the Kelvin Smith Library and can enjoy reading, browsing our collections in the building, and refreshments in the Cramelot cafe. Whether you're nearby or elsewhere, you can also stay connected & continue your personal research interests with selected databases licensed specifically for alumni.

Online
Access to alumni databases is granted with a membership in the KSL Alumni Online Library. Online content is currently subsidized by both the Kelvin Smith Library & the CWRU Alumni Office, where your subscription process begins. Learn more details about what's available in the databases licensed for alumni and then use the convenient Sign Up link to subscribe.

Local Benefits
If you're in NE Ohio and would like to borrow library materials, sign up for a free CaseLearns class, or work in the Freedman Center, a KSL Alumni library card is required. Read more about it & fill out the online application form, and we'll see you soon!

Questions & Comments are always welcome at kslalumni@case.edu

Tip: If you're unsure about your network ID as you start the subscription process, or if you graduated before there were network IDs, this CWRU network ID tool helps you get started.

Your World Expands with SearchOhio and OhioLINK

Add another 14+ million items to a catalog where you can borrow online and have things delivered to Case...your world just expanded this month by another 14 million items!

SearchOhio, a group of 19 public library systems in Ohio, joined OhioLINK on October 3 as a peer-to-peer partner for sharing catalogs & delivery services. Expanding on the academic resources of OhioLINK, SearchOhio libraries bring popular books, DVDs, CDs to faculty, staff, & students of Case and other OhioLINK member institutions. KSL has already seen music CDs arrive ("CIM had a 75th anniversary for composer Steve Reich, I wanted to hear more,") cookbooks ("PBS has a great new cooking show, I can try the show recipes,") fiction & more. It's easy—Find & Borrow the same way you do for OhioLINK items:

• Search an item on OhioLINK Central Catalog
• Item not found? Click the new icon for SearchOhio (top of OhioLINK page)
• Select hypertext link in middle of page: "Request this title"
• Authenticate (Case network ID/password), select pickup site
• Keep for 21 days & renew up to 3x; renew media if there are no other holds on the item
• Renew online, via your Case library account: borrow, share, renew, return responsibly
• Daily, overdue, billed SearchOhio & OhioLINK fees apply to all borrowers in both systems
• Case libraries send courtesy automated notices via Case email. Keep your account in good standing, act on the emails, renewing or returning—or check your Case library account on the Case Catalog.

"I applaud the Ohio library community for ... cooperation between SearchOhio and OhioLINK. I feel honored to be part of a system that is going out of its way to provide greater access to library materials across the state of Ohio." Nancy Madden, Director of the Library, Edison Community College. (Fall 2011)

Learn How to Zotero, CaseLearns Free Class

When you work on the web, you can save, cite and sync your research in your web browser, with Zotero. Take a free CaseLearns class on Wednesday Nov. 9 and learn more about this open source research tool that's versatile & easy to use.

Using Zotero you can grab & store citations and keep track of web pages, images, PDFs, add your notes, and link it all together in one research collection. Save your own work, or collaborate with your group in an exciting new way:

• Store your work across multiple computers or a free online storage server
• Synchronize & update your research collections
• Choose from popular citation styes to generate footnotes & bibliographies

Write your next paper with an easy to use tool, and learn how to do it by taking a free CaseLearns class:
Wednesday Nov. 9, 10 am - Noon

Sign up (required) on the convenient online registration page. Classes are free, so look at other offerings, and read the No Show Policy. Sign up for a class today & learn something new!