NEW: Lexis-Nexis Academic

The College Libraries have recently added Lexis-Nexis to the repetoire of resources available to campus users. Lexis-Nexis is a great resource for finding recent news stories, business information, doing legal research, and finding facts, statistics, and polling data. Give it a try; it's linked on our Finding Articles page under "L", and also in the sections for doing research in Newspapers, Business Administration, Current Events, Law, and Politics.

If you have any questions about using Lexis-Nexis, you can always ask a Reference Librarian -- in person, by phone, by email, or over IM.

Libraries laptop update

When we started circulating laptops, we knew they'd be popular. But they've been really popular. Really really popular. They've gotten used so much this year that they're wearing out faster than we can keep them repaired. Over the next week or so, you may find that there aren't as many laptops available as there used to be, and we apologize for that.

BUT! We have new laptops arriving very, very soon to replace the old ones. So coming in the next week or so, we'll have brand new computers for you to check out at the circulation desk, at both Crumb and Crane libraries. We hope these new computers will work even better than the old ones -- and we know they're definitely lighter than the old ones.

So, we're sorry for the temporary inconvenience, but we're just about to make things even better. Hang in there!

Research Consultations - Great one-on-one library help

Did you know you can get a one-on-one appointment with a librarian, to help you with your research?

We're always available to help you when we're at the reference desk, of course. But if you're working on a special project, or you're really stumped on how to get started, you can use our Consultations service, too.

How's it work? Easy: You tell us what you need to research, we'll do a bit of work figuring out the best resources for you to use, and then we'll meet with you to show you what we've learned. It's a great system -- we get a chance to prepare some information, and you'll get a focused, personal session dedicated to your project!

So send us an email, using our Consultation Registration form, the next time you need a hand with a big research project. We're glad to help!

Bregman Book Discussion Series

Tuesdays at 4:00 p.m. in the Crumb Library Lobby: come listen or join in the book discussion series. This semester the schedule is as follows:

• February 7: Eat Here: Homegrown Pleasures in a Global Supermarket. by Brian Halwell
• February 14: Reading Lolita in Tehran: a Memoir in Books. by Azar Nafisi
• February 28: Illicit: How Smugglers, Traffickers and Copycats are Hijacking the Global Economy. by Moises Naim
• March 7: The Gate to Women's Country. by Sheri Tepper (science fiction)

Refreshments are served.

Tax Forms in the library

Even though lots of people wait until the very last minute to do their taxes, you can always start early...

To help you do that, we have New York State tax forms in the lobby of Crumb Library. Stop by and pick up what you need. We don't have the federal tax forms, though -- you can find all of your federal tax forms and instructions at http://www.irs.gov. If you prefer online forms, the New York State Department of Taxation also has the forms online, at http://www.tax.state.ny.us/.

And, if you want to, the IRS site also offers you help on how to file your taxes online. Online filing = faster refund = good news.

Happy filing!

New semester, new stuff

Welcome back! Here's a quick recap of changes in the College Libraries this semester, because while you were gone, we were busy.

• Slightly longer loan periods for circulating laptops, and the ability to renew--from your laptop!
• Two new databases: Project MUSE, and the American Chemical Society Journal Search.
  New (and more!) computers in the Crumb Library reference area (coming soon), and a (slightly) different location for the printer.
• Circulating laptops and wireless access to the network in Crane Library (coming soon!).

We'll post more information about these changes as they happen, so check back for more information. If you have any questions, contact us anytime.

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.