Closed for the holidays

The College Libraries (both Crumb and Crane) will be closing at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 23 and reopening at 7:45 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2006.

Our web page and electronic resources will still be available during this time; but interlibrary loan requests that are submitted will not be processed until after the libraries reopen on Jan. 3.

We hope you have a happy and safe semester break.

Blues from the Libraries

Congratulations to our own Ed Komara, Crane Librarian! The campus press release explains,

"After seven years and countless hours of work by Edward Komara, Crane librarian at SUNY Potsdam, the Routledge “Encyclopedia of the Blues,” the first-ever comprehensive work chronicling blues music, is now available to the public.

“It is the first multivolume reference work devoted to the blues, on a scale not previously attempted, at over 600,000 words and 75 illustrations, with an index,” said Komara who edited the two-volume set.

According to Komara, the purpose of the “Encyclopedia of the Blues” is to lay a historical, musical and cultural foundation for the future studies of blues music. Coverage of the work encompasses the whole history of the blues, from its antecedents in African and American types of music, through its late 19th-century beginnings among African Americans, the classic pre-World War II era and the influential postwar era, to the contemporary styles performed today for audiences of all races and classes.

The encyclopedia is a multidisciplinary project, combining the work of approximately 140 scholars of music, bibliography, and American history and culture. Many of the contributors came from various backgrounds in music performance, cultural scholarship, the recording industry, and print journalism.

Great work, Ed! Anyone interested in taking a look at this unique and really interesting encyclopedia (there's a great collection of nicknames in the history of blues...) will be able to look at a copy in the Crane Library, at call number ML102.B6 E53 2006. (Right now, it's on display with other faculty publications, in the wall cases between The Greenery and Raymond Hall, but we'll be adding it to the Libraries soon.)

And I'm certain Ed would be happy to talk to anyone about either the encylopedia or the blues! You can find him in the Crane Library...

Crumb Library open until 1 AM

We're reaching the end of the semester, and all the work is coming to an end, too -- final exams, research papers, big projects. And we know you're working hard to get all of those papers and projects finished, and to study for your exams. To make it a little easier for you, Crumb Library's Extended Study Hours are about to begin. Starting on Sunday, December 4 (that's this weekend) through Thursday, December 15, we'll be open until 1 am, Sunday through Thursday nights.

You heard it -- 1 am. We'll only be closed for six hours a day during the next few weeks (from 1 to 7:45 am, when you should be sleeping!) Study until you can't see straight, if you need to -- we'll be open.

Be sure to buy your coffee early, though, because Minerva's is closed after 9 pm. And, don't forget, our reference librarians are at the desk on the first floor to help you out with your research until 10 pm (through December 8, when we go back to our normal hours).

For more information on open hours: College Libraries Hours
For more information on reference hours: Crumb Reference Hours
For more information on Minerva's hours: PACES Snack Bars

How do I cite this...?

For help with how to cite various types of sources - printed and online - we have compiled a page with links to a number of web pages that give guidance, and lots of examples. Whether you're using APA, MLA, Chicago, or whatever style, you should find some helpful advice. This link is on our Research Assistance page under "How to Cite Sources."

And for additional help - ask at the Reference Desks in Crumb or Crane Libraries.