NRAO Library Updates

Welcome to the new home of the Library's blog, NRAO Library Updates. The old blog posts have been archived and can be viewed here, http://www.nrao.edu/library/NRAOLibraryUpdates.html . We hope you continue to enjoy the Library's blog!
June 1st

May 2010 New Titles

May was another great month for the Library. 75 new titles were added - be sure to check the list! In addition to these 75 titles, 483 new Safari ebooks were added. Remember, you can access the Safari titles through the Library's catalog or directly from the Safari website.

If you have any questions about Library matters, please contact us.

-- MeganNunemaker - 2010-06-01

May 3rd

April 2010 New Titles

Wow! In April, the Library added 220 new title.! That's so many that TWO new title lists were needed. You can view those lists here:

As always, contact the Library if you have questions or need information.

April 1st

March 2010 New Titles

We're not fooling - the Library added 215 new titles in March!

Be sure to check out the Library's homepage. We've recently added an RSS feed that will show you the last 5 books ordered by the Library. Those titles will be in the collection shortly after being purchased, so if something looks interesting to you, let us know. We can be sure you get a chance to read it!

As always, contact the Library if you have questions or need information.

-- MeganNunemaker - 2010-04-01

March 1st

February 2010 New Titles

If you are interested in seeing the 149 new titles added to the Library's collection in February, be sure to view them here. Most of the new titles fall into two groups, either old materials that have finally be cataloged, or new ebooks that are available anytime, anywhere, as long as you are using a NRAO IP address or the VPN.

Speaking of the VPN, there's now a link to it from the Library's homepage. So, if you are travelling and need to access Library resources, use the VPN so you can use the full range of services offered.

The Library has created a new email alias, libweb@nrao.edu. When you use this email address, every member of the Library staff will receive a copy of your message. This will ensure you get the fastest response possible to your inquiry. As always, you can also contact a specific staff member directly, should you wish.

-- MeganNunemaker - 2010-03-01

February 2nd

January 2010 New Titles

137 new titles were added to the Library's Catalog in January. Want to see what's new? View the list here!

Please keep in mind that the Library's Catalog lists all items available to all NRAO employees, and the outside world. Any items held at legacy locations are not included in the Catalog.

Remember, your librarians are waiting to help you!

-- MeganNunemaker - 2010-02-02

January 4th

December 2009 New Titles

Happy 2010 from the NRAO Library!

View the list of items added to the Library's catalog in December 2009. The list will show you the 65 items added to the collection last month. In addition to these 65 titles, over 7,800 records linking you to Safari e-books were added as well. To access Safari e-books, you can:

  1. Search the catalog for "Safari".
  2. Visit Safari's website. Please note, we do not have access to all Safari books, but we do have access to many titles of interest!

As always, if you have any questions, contact your librarians.

-- MeganNunemaker - 2010-01-04

December 1st

November 2009 New Titles

The list of items added in November has been added to catalog - view it here! Remember, we take your suggestions for new purchases, so please contact your librarians if you have a title you would like to see added to the collection.

Do you have an electronic copy of your thesis? If so, please send it to me. I will make sure it is cataloged and available for use by others. If you used NRAO instruments or data for your thesis, let me know that as well. We keep track of NRAO Theses just as we do for NRAOPapers; a new theses search interface will be rolled out shortly, and I want to make sure we have your information included.

Happy holiays!

-- MeganNunemaker - 2009-12-01

November 2nd

October 2009 New Titles

You can now view the titles added to the collection in October. The Library added 124 new titles last month! As you will see when reviewing the list, many of these titles are on DVDs. The Library recently converted many old VHS tapes, and even some audio-cassette recordings, to DVD. Some highlights include many Jansky lectures. If you would like to re-live a Jansky lecture, please let us know and we will send you the DVD!

-- MeganNunemaker - 2009-11-02

October 1st

September 2009 New Titles

The list of new titles added last month is now available. 66 new physical items were added to the collection. If you would like, you can view them here.

In addition to the items added to the collection, the Library purchased access to Springer's Physics and Astronomy eBook collection. Currently, that means 1,107 new titles, and more will be added each month! The first 1,000 titles added to the collection can be viewed here. Unfortunately, only 1,000 records can be exported from our system, but fear not, Springer provides an entire collection listing. We have access to items with copyrights between 2005 - 2010. As always, if you need something & you can't find it, contact your librarians.

-- MeganNunemaker - 2009-10-01

September 1st

August 2009 New Titles

The list of new titles added last month is now available. 99 new titles were addded! If you would like, you can view them here.

The Library has created a set of tutorials to assist you. We are always looking to add to these tutorals, so please let me know if you would like to see something specific explained.

-- MeganNunemaker - 2009-09-01

August 4th

July 2009 New Titles

The list of new titles added last month is available. 163 new titles were addded! If you would like, you can view them here.

As always, please let me know if you have questions!

July 1st

June 2009 New Titles

The list of new titles added last month is available. In June, 163 new titles were added and you can view them here. I am once again working on cataloging the old Observatory Exchanges, so you will notice lots of "oldies but goodies" on the list!

As always, please let me know if you have questions!

-- MeganNunemaker - 2009-07-01

June 1st

May 2009 New Titles

The list of new titles added last month is available. In May, 239 new titles were added and you can view them here. Of particular interest to many of you, a video of the 2008 Jansky lecture, given by Art Wolfe, has been added. Please let your librarian know if you would like to check out this item.

As always, please let me know if you have questions!

-- MeganNunemaker - 2009-06-01

February 2nd

January 2009 New Titles

The list of new titles added last month is available. In January, 239 new titles were added and you can view them here. This was a big month for new titles for two reasons. First, we added 76 new Knovel titles. Second, I was very busy cataloging old items from the Observatory Exchange collection. Remember, you can always sort the new title list in a variety of ways to meet your needs.

As always, please let me know if you have questions!

-- MeganNunemaker - 2009-02-02
January 8th

Lots of New Knovel Titles!

It seems Knovel took a holiday break in releasing new titles, but they are back at it now! I just added 76 new Knovel records to the Library's Catalog. Remember, for more information on how to search for e-books, please review this tutorial. Also, if you are interested only in Knovel e-books, you can visit the Knovel site directly, www.knovel.com.

Please contact any of your Library Information Professionals if you have questions about e-books, or anything else!

-- MeganNunemaker - 08 Jan 2009

January 6th

December 2008 New Titles

The list of new titles added last month is available. In December, 24 new titles were added and you can view them here. You may have noticed that some of the titles have a picture of the cover next to them. Clicking on the title will take you to the Google Book Search entry for the item. Often this will enable you to view the book's table of contents, so you might find this feature quite useful.

As always, please let me know if you have questions!

-- MeganNunemaker - 06 Jan 2009

December 30th

Thank you, Holli!

Today is Holli Glassel's last day as the SOC Librarian. Please thank her for all her hard work, & wish her well in her new endeavors.

The updated Library contact information can be found here. Please contact one of us should you need assistance. Any NRAO Librarian will be happy to assist SOC staffers while they are without a librarian.

-- MeganNunemaker - 30 Dec 2008

December 1st

November 2008 New Titles

The list of new titles added last month is available. 66 new titles were added and you can view them here.

Please let me know if you have questions!

-- MeganNunemaker - 01 Dec 2008

November 19th

Two new RSS feeds

Since yesterday afternoon, I have added two new RSS feeds to the Library's homepage. The first feed on the page will show you the three most recent results from The Astronomer's Telegram, and the third feed on the page will show you the last three weeks of SAO Weekly Updates.

We can add feeds at any time; if you have an RSS feed you think should be included, please let me know!

-- MeganNunemaker - 19 Nov 2008

November 13th

The "new" Library web

You won't notice a change in functionality, but I just updated the style of all the Library's web pages. Please let me know if you see anything that doesn't look quite right - I'll correct it right away!

-- MeganNunemaker - 13 Nov 2008

November 4th

October 2008 New Titles

Once again it's the beginning of a new month, so the list of new titles added last month is available. 166 new titles were added last month, and you can view them here.

A few reminders about the new titles list:
  • You have several ways to access the list
    • Via the link above.
    • Via the Library's home page - from the left-hand menu bar, select Library Resources, then New Titles
    • Via the Library's catalog - from the top-of-the-page menu bar, select Lists, then New Titles
  • Once you are looking at the list, you can sort it many ways. Some of the most useful:
    • Title
    • Publication Year - this will help you see which books have been newly purchased vs. older books (mainly in the Observatory Exchange collection) which have been recently cataloged
    • Remember, the list can be sorted in ascending or descending order.

As always, please let me know if you have questions!

-- MeganNunemaker - 04 Nov 2008

October 30th

A new library tutorial is available.

After Marsha's recent presentations at the various sites, we have received questions about finding e-books using the Library Catalog. A new tutorial has been posted to the Library's Tutorial page; you can use this tutorial to learn to locate e-books.

As always, please let one of your librarians know if you have any questions!

-- MeganNunemaker - 30 Oct 2008

October 21st

Have you tried Safari Tech Books yet?

Detailed trial information can be found below, so please try Safari and let us know what you think. For a bit more information about Safari, please read this PDF.

The trial ends November 9th, so be sure to review Safari Tech Books today!

-- MeganNunemaker - 21 Oct 2008

October 3rd

Would you like to see a new collection of IT e-books added to the Library's collection?

If so, then we need your help! The Library is currently running a trial of Safari Tech Books, "the e-reference resource for technology and business professionals". Safari's collection includes titles from the following publishers:
  • O'Reilly
  • Microsoft Press
  • Que
  • Adobe Press
  • Cisco Press
  • IBM Press
  • and many more!

Directions on accessing the trial can be found here. Please review these directions, and then try Safari! I believe Safari could become our most popular collection of e-books, but we won't know that (or buy it!) until YOU test it and let us know you want it!

-- MeganNunemaker - 03 Oct 2008

October 1st

It's the start of a new month, so the list of new titles added last month has been posted to the catalog. You can review the titles here. 177 titles were added in September. As was the case last month, many of these "new" titles are actually old titles. I'm continuing to work on cataloging the Observatory Exchange collection. The items from this collection that have been updated are now very easy for you to find and use - they have been nicely bound and are now shelved by their Library of Congress call numbers. If you have any questions about the Exchange collection, please let me know. In addition, a new feature this month allows you to sort the new title list by Publication Year. Doing this will enable you to separate the truly new titles from the older, recently cataloged Exchange titles.

The new Library Chat widget, available from the Library's home page, has already been used twice by individuals needing library assistance. If you'd like a prompt answer to your questions, please try it! If you have questions about using the chat feature, please read the September 29th entry, below, or contact me for assistance.

-- MeganNunemaker - 01 Oct 2008

September 29th

We're trying something new!

If you visit the Library's homepage, you will see a new "widget" on the right side of the page. This widget will enable you to chat live with a NRAO librarian. So, if you want help now, and email's just too slow and you don't want to pick up the phone, try using the Library Chat widget. You can type your question in the box, and you don't even need an instant message account of your own to participate!

If there isn't a librarian logged on to chat when you send a message, the message will be picked up the next time a librarian does log on. If you want a librarian to respond to your query at that later time, be sure to leave some sort of contact information in your message, such as your email address or a phone number.

As always, if you have any questions, please let me know!

-- MeganNunemaker - 29 Sep 2008

September 25th

Look out, Green Bank, here we come!

On Friday, September 26th, the Charlottesville library staff (Marsha, Megan, and Lance), will be visiting Green Bank. Marsha will give a presentation, The State of the Library, at 10 A.M. Following the presentation, be sure to visit the Green Bank library, as we will be there to show you NRAOPapers, the new and improved RAPs database. This open house will run from 11 A.M. until 3 P.M., at which point we will head back to Charlottesville. But as you know, you can always contact any of us with your questions!

Did I forget to mention there will be snacks at the open house...? We look forward to seeing you!

-- MeganNunemaker - 25 Sep 2008

September 23rd

The NRAO Library continues to add new electronic books to our holdings! Today I added 28 new Knovel e-books. You will find these titles in the catalog, or by searching Knovel directly. You can also search for Knovel titles right here:

If you have any questions, please let me know! You can also contact any NRAO Library staffer.

-- MeganNunemaker - 23 Sep 2008

September 16th

Are you having difficulty accessing e-journals? There could be a few reasons for this, and each is easily fixed.

First, if you aren’t working from a NRAO office, you won’t be able to access the e-journals unless you use the VPN. (See the post below for VPN directions.) The NRAO Library provides a list of all NRAO IP addresses to our e-journal vendors. They then automatically recognize you as an authorized user when you access the e-journals from work. This is a good thing, because it means you don’t have to remember yet another password to be able to use the NRAO Library resources. The downside is you must use the VPN when accessing the e-journals when not at work.

The second reason you may have difficulty accessing e-journals depends on how you are trying to access them. Some e-journals block access to any user trying to access the journal via an outside service, such as ADS or Google. If you can’t open an article, and yet you know the library has electronic access to the journal, please visit the Library’s e-journal page and try accessing the journal from there. Most likely, you will be able to access the e-journal and its articles this way.

Finally, if you ever have any questions, let me know, or contact any library staff member for assistance.

-- MeganNunemaker - 16 Sep 2008

September 15th
I have blogged about this before, but it seems timely to do so again. As the Library makes more and more services available electronically, it is important to know how to access them when you are away from your office. If you are using your NRAO-provided laptop, you can access any NRAO resources using the VPN client. However, if you don't have access to the VPN client for some reason, you can use the web VPN to access the Library's electronic service offerings, such as e-books and e-journals:
  1. Go to https://vpn.cv.nrao.edu/.
  2. Enter your Windows Username & Password.
  3. Browse through the library offerings just as if you were at work!

As always, please let me know if you have questions, or ask any library staff member!

-- MeganNunemaker - 15 Sep 2008

September 4th
Be sure to check out the new and improved RAPs, now NRAOPapers - https://safe.nrao.edu/php/library/search.shtml

-- MeganNunemaker - 04 Sep 2008

September 2nd
Lots of changes to the Library's website today. First, the August New Titles List has been posted. Over 100 new titles were added, so be sure to review the list. Most titles were added as we continue to catalog the items in the Observatory Exchange collection. Visit the CV Library to view the progress that's been made cleaning and organizing this section!

The Library now subscribes to IOPscience. You can access any of the journals from this collection. Many of the more popular journals have been added to our Electronic Journals page, but if you don't see what you are looking for, be sure to visit IOPsciece or contact your local librarian for assisantance. Also, an alphabetical menu bar has been added to the Electronic Journals page to help you while you are searching for a particular title.

Finally, Marsha is visiting the AOC this week, presenting on the State of the Library and NRAOPapers, the new and much improved RAPs system. Stay tuned for more information on both of these topics!

-- MeganNunemaker - 02 Sep 2008

August 20th
Have you ever wondered why you receive overdue notices from the library, yet we never charge fines? Well, we don't want to charge fines, but we do want to know where the items from the collection are!

Many of the items held by NRAO are very unique. If they are lost or damaged and need to be replaced, this can be quite costly, if it is possible at all. For example, a book that was recently found missing was replaced with a copy from an out-of-print supplier, for $600!

So, when you receive an overdue notice from us, please don’t ignore it. It is our way of reminding you to either return the item or let us know promptly that you would like it renewed. This way, we know the items are availabe for use, not lost and needing to be replaced with costly out-of-print copies.

-- MeganNunemaker - 20 Aug 2008

July 30th
I just added 53 new Knovel records to the library catalog. If you have any questions about using Knovel e-books, ask you local librarian!

-- MeganNunemaker - 30 Jul 2008

July 10th
As part of my course work for my master's degree program last quarter, I had to develop a thesaurus of subject terms related to a topic of interest to me. The thesaurus was to be useable as an index for searching materials related to the topic. I chose to tie this assignment into the efforts of the NRAO Library to host the individual articles from the proceedings of the annual International Symposium on Space Terahertz Technology (ISSTT).

With the class work portion behind me, I now have a draft list of index terms that ultimately will be used to classify the topic(s) of the articles from the ISSTT proceedings. This index is an important part of the Library plans for hosting these articles because there is no exhaustive list of subject terms related to the specific topic of terahertz technology. Rather than adopting an index that offers an incomplete treatment of the topic, such as the Library of Congress Subject Headings, the articles database will be better served with subject terms that are current, accurate, and useful. One important aspect of making sure this is the case is soliciting the aid of NRAO staff in revising and informing this index. To that end, I am posting the rough draft - in very succinct form - IssttIndex for the review of any interested staff members. I will also seek out the input of select staff in the near future. In the mean time, if you have any comments about the index or the overall project of hosting the ISSTT articles, please feel free to contact me. Thanks.

-- LanceUtley - 10 Jul 2008

July 7th
I have had a couple of interesting conversations recently about the purpose and relevance of library science. Fundamentally, a staff member asked me, "What exactly is library science, anyway?" That is a question I find fascinating since I am a library sciences student. Taking an outsiders perspective I can understand why someone would wonder at the science that is really involved in the day to day tasks of librarians. I would be hard pressed to make the case there is such a connection in the activities of managing journals, shelving books, or checking out resources to the staff.

Where the science really enters the picture is in the exhaustive studies that librarians around the globe undertake to quantify and understand how patrons make use of libraries, their information, and all the myriad ways in which that information is served to the user base. Library scientists are interested in how best to make use of the ever-evolving technologies collectively known as Web 2.0 to the greatest benefit of users. Blogs like this fall in that category as well as social networking and social bookmarking, just to list a few examples. Librarians must actively investigate new ideas and technologies in addition to keeping current on the constant stream of studies published on user behavior, information management, web analytics, content representation, etc. Library science is a blend of information technology and psychology which relies upon the scientific method to understand the interchange between information and information seekers.

The constant conversion of information from traditional to digital forms suggests that libraries could be losing their relevance. My second, interesting conversation with a staff member was a direct reference to this notion. The truth is, that while much of what libraries do may become less visible in an ever digitized world, their activities are by no means diminished. We are far from reaching the point where all the world's information is freely accessible on the web. And there is still a broad spectrum of knowledge-seekers who are not able, for a variety of reasons, to make use of what information is actually out there in digital form. Libraries the world over make use of real science to advise how best to serve their customers, both those customers who walk the shelves looking for a hardcover book to check out and those who click on a hyperlink without any knowledge that a librarian was involved in providing access to the resource the customer is seeking.

-- LanceUtley - 07 Jul 2008

July 1st
The list of titles added to Library's collection in June has been posted - you can review the list here. In June I began cataloging items from the "Exchange" collection, so many older items appear to have been added to the collection. While these are not new acquisitions, they are newly cataloged, making them easier to find when they are needed. Enjoy!

-- MeganNunemaker - 01 Jul 2008

June 25th
I just added 19 new Knovel records to the library catalog. If you have any questions about using Knovel e-books, ask you local librarian!

-- MeganNunemaker - 25 Jun 2008

June 20th
Greetings from the NRAO Library Green Bank Site. June 20th is West Virginia Day - a state holiday. West Virginia is 145 years old today. The book collection bar-coding project here will be finished in the very near future. When completed, another computer will be placed in the library for circulation and patrons will utilize this computer to check out books on their own (just like using the self check-out aisles at Wal-Mart!) There will be an online tutorial, print instructions at the computer and, of course, staff training in how to use this new circulation system.

-- AlesiaWayne - 20 Jun 2008

June 17th
Hi from Seattle! Marsha & I are attending the annual SLA (Special Libraries Association) conference, and all's going very well. I've just listened to a marketing session, and I'd like to do something really nice for you, our wonderful NRAO Library customers. I'm short on ideas right now, but I'll keep thinking about it. In the meantime, I want to remind you that many of our book purchasing decisions come directly from you. Is there something you'd like to read? Let your librarian know; we'll get it for you!

-- MeganNunemaker - 17 Jun 2008

June 12th
This is a friendly reminder that material may not leave the library without being checked-out. Journals cannot leave the library at all, but may be taken to the copy room for copies made if an article is needed. Check out our online journals (http://www.nrao.edu/library/journals.shtml) before copying though, as it is possible your article is already available elctronically!

We are always happy to help with any questions!

-- HolliGlassel - 12 Jun 2008

June 3rd
It may be hot outside, but it's still spring for a while longer. If you feel like doing some spring cleaning in your office, let you local librarian know if you have books or other library-related items you no longer need. We can help you find a good new home for your unwanted materials. Depending on the items we may:
  • add them to the NRAO Library collection, or
  • offer them to other astronomy libraries, or
  • recycle them if they are in poor condition.
Thanks for your help!

-- MeganNunemaker - 03 Jun 2008

June 2nd
The May 2008 New Titles list has been posted to the Library's catalog and can be viewed here. Seventy-two new titles were added, including:

  • 42 new Knovel titles. You can see more about these titles below.
  • Records for items previously not cataloged. I have begun to work on the "observatory publication" section of the collection. Some of you may call this our "exchange" collection. Either way, more and more of these items will be bound and cataloged in the coming months. More on that later...
  • A DVD copy of the 40th Jansky lecture, given by Dr. Rashid Sunyaev.

Enjoy the new titles!

-- MeganNunemaker - 02 Jun 2008

May 29th
I have begun working on some basic tutorials. These tutorials can be found here. Please understand that these tutorials are currently very rough drafts, but I would still love to have your input!

-- MeganNunemaker - 29 May 2008

May 29th
I have added 42 new Knovel records to the Libarary's catalog. Some of the added titles include
  • Elements of space technology for aerospace engineers by Rudolf X. Meyer.
  • Optimum array processing by Harry L. Van Trees.
  • & 40 other titles!

Remember, you can access all Knovel titles via their website.

-- MeganNunemaker - 29 May 2008
Topic revision: r48 - 2010-06-01, MeganNunemaker
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