News Archive

Retrieval of Items in Storage Suspended December 21st - January 3rd.

December 17, 2007

Because the campus will be closed December 22, 2007 through January 1, 2008 for the holidays, Thursday December, 20th is the last day that we can retrieve books and other library items from our storage facility. You may continue to request items using the Request link in the catalog, or the alternate form at https://www.uflib.ufl.edu/Storage/StorageRequest.asp, during the holiday closing, but they will not be delivered until January 3rd .

Guitar Hero in the InfoCommons@West

December 5, 2007

Guitar Hero, Thursday, December 6, from 12-4pm on the third floor of Library West in the InfoCommons presentation area.

Finals getting you down?? Then wake up and rock out with Guitar Hero in the InfoCommons @ West.

This is part of our experiment in Libraries as study, working, and playing places, so please check it out and let us know what you think!

Haiti in Film Festival

November 6, 2007

A film festival, ?Haiti in Film,? will be shown in room 212 Wednesday, November 14, 8:00 a.m. ? 6:00 p.m. The films are free and open to the public.

The film titles and times are listed here.

For further information contact Suzanne Brown at (352) 273-2784.

Smathers Libraries to Sponsor GIS Day Events November 14th

November 5, 2007

The Spatial Information Services Unit of the George A. Smathers Libraries is hosting UF's inaugural GIS Day on Wednesday, November 14, 2007 from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. This all day event will showcase the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to the academic community and the public. The event will include guest speakers from UF's Geomatics Department and the Geoplan Center as well as interactive geocaching opportunities. It will be an opportunity to meet with professional and expert users of GIS technology. Lectures and poster sessions are open to the public and unrestricted. No registration fee required for any session or activity. Registration is highly recommended for the geocaching game since space is limited. All sessions will be held in Smathers Library (East) Room 1A on the University of Florida campus. 

Click here for a detailed agenda and further information along with online registration for the geocaching game or contact the GIS Spatial Information Services Unit at (352) 273-2825 or mapsref@uflib.ufl.edu.

Faculty Author Series @ Your Library Kicks Off November 18th

November 5, 2007

Author Thomas J. Sheehan will kick off the first year of the libraries' new Faculty Author Series @ Your Library with a discussion of his recently published book, Orchids to Know and Grow, written with Robert J. Black, on Sunday, November 18, from 3:30-5:00 p.m. in Smathers Library (East) in room 1A. The talk, entitled "The Orchid Flower: Variations at their Finest," will include a slide show presentation. Refreshments will be served, and copies of the book and DVD will be available for purchase and signing.

Pocahontas and Other National Fantasies

October 17, 2007

Dr. Beverly Lyon Clark
Smathers Library East, Room 1A
Thursday, October 18, 1:30-3:00 p.m.

This presentation on the Pocahontas story is part of the English Graduate Organization’s annual conference. The theme of the conference this year is fantasy with the conference title “As I Imagine.”

This session is free and you do not have to be registered for the conference to attend this session.

Dr. Clark is a children’s literature professor from the English Department of Wheaton College in Norton, Mass. Dr. Clark’s visit is being sponsored by the Bechtel Fund and the Baldwin Library.

The Afterlife of Alice in Wonderland

October 16, 2007

A colorful exhibit tracing the continued presence of the text and images of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in American culture, by presenting a variety of editions, illustrators, media and artifacts, and showcasing the 1969 portfolio edition illustrated by Salvador Dali is open in Smathers Library (East) in the second floor Special Collections exhibition gallery. The exhibit is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and runs through December 15.

A tea party reception and program will be held Wednesday, November 7, 3:30-5:00 p.m. in Smathers Library, room 1A on the first floor. The reception is free and open to the public. (It is rumored that Alice and the White Rabbit will be on the Plaza of the Americas prior to the tea party reception.)

UF Librarian Chosen as International Copyright Advocate

October 3, 2007

Lori Driscoll, Chair of Access Services at the George A. Smathers Libraries, has been selected by the American Library Association (ALA) as one of three international copyright advocates. She will serve in this capacity for the rest of 2007 through December 2009. This is a new program designed to provide depth to ALA's existing international copyright advocacy, including the treaty making process of WIPO, UNESCO, and other potential international organizations.

Smathers Libraries’ UF Capital Campaign Kickoff

September 18, 2007

The Smathers Libraries’ UF capital campaign kickoff event on Friday, September 28, 2:00-4:00 p.m., will feature Dr. Michael Gannon discussing his newest book History of Florida in 40 Minutes, followed by Q&A’s and light refreshments. The talk is free and open to the public.

UF Digital Collections Reaches One-Million Page Milestone

September 11, 2007

The University of Florida Libraries now has over 1,000,000 pages in the University of Florida Digital Collections (UFDC). See Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, thousands of children's and picture books, photographs of the football team, handwritten works by important authors like Harriet Beecher Stowe, maps from around the world and across history, and more.

The one million pages fall into more than 20 collections, representing more than 44,000 titles in more than 52,000 volumes. Included are maps, newspapers, photographs and books, as well as archival resources, recorded sound and video. Collection content ranges geographically from the University of Florida to the South American Andes, from Africa to the Russian steps. Topical content spans local and world history, covering the arts, humanities and social sciences, as well as agriculture and the sciences. In addition to content from the University Libraries, content also comes from the Florida Museum of Natural History, the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program, the Matheson Museum and partners in several Caribbean countries.

Access the UFDC at www.uflib.ufl.edu/ufdc

Brazil’s Padre Cicero: Views from the Ralph della Cava Gift to the UF Libraries

September 5, 2007

Items from the Ralph della Cava gift are on display in the Special Collections exhibit gallery in Smathers Library through October 7. A reception with guest speaker Ralph della Cava will be held Sunday, September 23, 4:00-6:00 p.m. on the second floor of Smathers Library. The exhibit is curated by Richard Phillips and Paul Losch of the Latin American Collection and is co-sponsored by the Howe Society, the UF Center for Latin American Studies and the UF Department of Religion. Exhibit gallery hours are the same as the Special Collections Research Room. The reception is free and open to the public.

“How It Feels to Be Colored Me”

September 5, 2007

Joel Buchanan from the Department of Special and Area Studies Collections has prepared an exhibit at the Matheson Museum, 513 W. University Avenue, titled “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” to showcase the late Florida-born writer Zora Neale Hurston. The exhibit coincides with the “Big Read” celebration sponsored by the Alachua County Library District and includes photos from the Zora Neale Hurston Collection and artifacts from the Negro Collection. Accessories from the collection of Evelyn Fox and Gussye Buchanan are also included. The exhibit will run from September 1st through September 18th. The Museum is open 9:30-1:30 Tuesday-Friday and Sunday 1:00-5:00 p.m.

To learn more about Zora Neale Hurston, see a list of community events on the Alachua County Library Big Read Blog, http://community.livejournal.com/watchingzora/, or visit Special Collections to view Hurston’s manuscripts and correspondence.

Mystery in the Stacks

August 24, 2007

The George A. Smathers Libraries will present the second-annual “Mystery in the Stacks” to provide new students with a fun-filled orientation to the libraries with a mystery-themed scavenger hunt. The event will take place on two dates: September 6 at 6:00 p.m. and October 3 at 6:00 in the Library West lobby.

The first 25 students to show up on each date will be able to participate. No reservations are necessary and it’s open to all new UF students. Come and join the reference librarians and play detective, win prizes and learn how to use the library. Free refreshments for participants. Co-sponsored by Gator Dining Services. Mystery in the Stacks is an activity of Weeks of Welcome (WOW!), sponsored by the Dean of Students Office.

For more information contact Laura Woodruff at lauwood@uflib.ufl.edu.

Library Orientations for Fall 2007

August 24, 2007

Learn which of the libraries is best for you to use and what library services are available. Learn how you can use the libraries from home. Find out how to get help when you need it.

 All orientations are in Library West, room 212

Mon., Sept. 10    Period 3 (9:35-10:45)
Tues., Sept. 11   Period 4 (10:40-11:30)
Wed., Sept. 12   Period 6 (12:50-1:40)
Tues., Sept. 18   Period 7 (1:55-2:45)
Wed., Sept. 19   Period 5 (11:45-12:35)
Thurs., Sept. 20  Period 3 (9:35-10:25)
Mon., Sept. 24    Period 4 (10:40-11:30)
Tues., Sept. 25   Period 5 (11:45-12:35)
Thurs., Sept. 27  Period 7 (1:55-2:45)

Need more information? Call an information desk at 273-2665 or 273-2856, or send an e-mail to Laura Woodruff.

If you can’t make it to one of the sessions, try the online orientation.

• Bring your Gator-1 card
• No registration is needed
• All subject areas are covered

UF Government Documents Department Celebrates 100 Years as Federal Depository

August 15, 2007

The Smathers Libraries’ Government Documents Department, the Regional Federal Depository for Florida and the Caribbean, will host a state-wide depository meeting in conjunction with its 100th anniversary as a participant in the Federal Depository Library Program on Friday, August 17, 2007 in Smathers Library (East). The event will include guest speakers from the Census Bureau, U.S. Government Printing office, State Library of Florida and Judith C. Russell, Dean of University Libraries and former Superintendent of Documents at the GPO. At 1:00pm, our special guest will be Larry Cretul, deputy majority leader from the Florida House of Representatives. UF Provost Janie Fouke will read a congratulatory letter from Governor Charlie Crist. Mickie Edwardson, professor emeritus from the College of Journalism will talk briefly about the importance of the collection to her research. The celebration is free and open to the public. More information...

Many UF Libraries Will Observe Reduced Hours During Intersession

August 6, 2007

Many UF libraries will close on weekends and evenings during the the semester intersession period of August 10th through the 22nd.

Click here for the intersession hours of each library.

Normal hours will resume on August 23rd, the first day of Fall semester classes.

Interlibrary Loan Will Be Unavailable August 10th - 15th

August 1, 2007

The online interlibrary loan system, ILLIAD, is being upgraded during the intersession period between Summer and Fall semesters. The system will not be accessible beginning August 10th continuing through August 15th. The intersession period was chosen for the upgrade to minimize the impact on research and class assignments.

Please plan your borrowing through the ILLIAD system acoordingly. For the latest information, see the ILLIAD website.

UF Announces that Library West Has Received Green Building Certification

July 26, 2007

"The newly renovated Library West now ranks as one of the most environmentally friendly buildings on campus.

Library West has received gold certification from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. It is only the second building at UF to attain gold status. Rinker Hall, the first, was certified gold in 2004.

LEED ranks new and existing buildings based on their site planning, water management, energy management, material use, indoor air quality and innovation and design process. To receive gold certification, the second-highest rating, a building must earn 39 of a possible 69 points in those six areas. Library West earned 40.

The library's sustainable features include low-flow plumbing fixtures, such as waterless urinals, that have dramatically reduced water use, exceeding the standards of the Energy Act of 1992 by 30 percent. Also, the building was designed with increased insulation on the walls, roof and occupancy controls, resulting in energy saving of 30 percent above American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers standards.

Inside Library West, carbon dioxide monitors have been installed, and all interior materials - including sealant, adhesive, paint, and carpet - contain low or zero volatile organic compounds, which can evaporate and become toxic fumes. Most noticeably, building occupants have access to daylight and views throughout more than 90 percent of the space, an unusual quality for a library, and one that has shown significant positive effects.

According to Bahar Armaghani, assistant director of the LEED program at UF, studies have shown green buildings increase productivity, reduce absenteeism and improve performance. In fact, many of the new features of Library West were suggested by the library staff to create the most comfortable, effective workplace possible.

Ultimately, Armaghani hopes to instill the principles of sustainability in UF's student population.

"UF plays a leading role in training leaders to make difference in the world," Armaghani said. "Students will have [a] major environmental impact as consumers [and] conservers when [they] depart campus."

In addition to Library West, the Veterinary Medicine Food Animal Facility was recently certified by LEED, earning 28 points of the 69. The McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity was certified in 2005.

On the list of future projects to be renovated to meet LEED standards are Hume, Yulee, Mallory, Reed and Murphree Halls, as well as the Gator Corner Dining Facility and the Broward Dining Facility and many more.

The project managers for the Library West construction were Chris Eastman and Bahar Armaghani. The architect and engineer was Long & Associates. The contractor was Biltmore Construction Inc."

Some Library Services Affected By System Upgrade Friday, July 27 Through Monday, July 30

July 23, 2007

The UF Libraries will upgrade the library automation system over an extended weekend, July 27-30, which requires the system to go down. The upgrade will correct prior problems and bugs in the software. It also will allow new functions to be added in the future, such as self-checkout, receipt printing and other enhancements.

To minimize inconveniences, users are encouraged to anticipate needs for the weekend by checking out items before Friday, July 27, and returning them after Monday, July 30.

While searching the catalog will be possible, the following services will be unavailable from Friday, July 27 through Monday, July 30.

• Placing a request for items to be retrieved from storage from the catalog (please use the alternate request form).
• Placing a request to recall or hold a checked out item.
• Laptop checkout at Library West (library computer workstations are still available).
• New account creation or card activation, including computer workstation cards (please use CIRCA labs or the public library).
• Delivery of storage items requested through the online catalog or the alternate form.

Other library services will be affected during this time.

• Patrons may check out up to five books and two videos; additional items can be held at the desk for patrons until Tuesday, July 31.
• Course reserves will be library-use only.
• Group study rooms will be open

Faculty Pomotions and Tenure

LeiLani Freund, chair, Humanities and Social Science Services, and Jimmie Lundgren, head, Science and Social science unit of the Cataloging and Metadata Department, have been promoted to university librarian, effective July 1, 2007.

Joe Aufmuth, head, Geographic Information Services Unit, has been promoted to associate university librarian and awarded tenure, effective July 1, 2007.

David Hickey, head, Asian Studies Collection, has been awarded tenure, effective July 1, 2007.

New Faculty

Matthew Loving is the new romance languages and area studies librarian. Prior to his work at UF, Loving served as a reference/access services librarian at Texas A&M International University, and has worked as a reference librarian since January 2000. He served as a reference librarian at the American Library in Paris for three years. Loving has a master’s degree in French from the University of Cincinnati (2005), a master’s degree in library and information science from the University of South Florida (2002) and a Magistère de Langue et Civilisation Française  au Centre Expérimental d’Etude de La Civilisation Française from the Université de Paris IV – Sorbonne (2001). He has a bachelor’s degree in English and French literature from the University of Georgia (1994).

Nancy M. Poehlmann is the new head of the humanities and special collections cataloging unit in the cataloging and metadata department. She has a master’s of library and information science and a master’s of arts degree from Indiana University, Bloomington. She is currently working on a doctorate at IU in comparative literature. Her dissertation, entitled, The C. Hystoryes of Troye: An Edition of Robert Wyer’s Translation of Christine de Pizan’s Epistre d’ Othéa, is in progress.

Melissa (Missy) Shoop is a new outreach and instruction librarian. She has been on staff as a supervisor in Library West Access Services since 2003. In 2005, she began library school through FSU’s School of Information Science and was awarded a federal scholarship through the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ grant program called Librarians Serving the Public. She finished her master’s degree in information studies this past spring. Shoop earned a master’s degree in English from Northern Illinois University (2002) and a bachelor’s degree in English from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania (1999).

Laurie Taylor is the new digital projects technology librarian. Taylor earned her Ph.D. in English from UF in 2006 and her master’s degree in English from UF in 2002. She is the author of numerous gaming reviews and articles both online and in print, and her columns have been published regularly in The Gainesville Sun since 2004. She also has authored numerous scholarly articles and book chapters, and she has been a regular contributor to Recess!, the radio program produced at WUFT-FM and broadcast on NPR. Taylor helped curate the 2004 Smathers Library exhibition, “Help is on the way!” Comic Books and Superheroes in Special Collections.

Laura Woodruff is a new outreach and instruction librarian. She first worked at UF’s Education Library as a visiting reference and instruction librarian from May to December 2006. After that, she moved to Library West as a visiting librarian where she interviewed for and was offered a permanent position within a couple months. She holds a dual bachelor’s degree in English and history from the University of South Florida and two master’s degrees in English and library science from Indiana University

Course Reserves Migrating to a New System This Summer

The Smathers Libraries’ course reserves will be migrating to a new system, Ares, on June 22. The new system has more features than the current system and is easier to use, which will be a great benefit to both faculty and students.

All faculty and students will need to create their own accounts using their UFID numbers and a password of their choosing, regardless of whether or not they previously had an account in the old course reserves system, Docutek.

A series of training dates for faculty on how to use the new system is scheduled through the months of June through August. Faculty members who are not able to attend one of the training sessions this summer, can view one-minute training videos on the new course reserves site.

Ares website: https://ares.uflib.ufl.edu

Ares training videos: https://ares.uflib.ufl.edu/videos.html

In the training sessions, faculty will create their accounts on the spot, view all the new features of Ares, learn how to submit materials and check their status online.

Training dates, locations and times:

Library West Room 211, (10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
August:  27, 29

Please join us this summer in learning about the new course reserves system, Ares. If you have questions please contact us at 352-273-2520 or e-mail: eres@uflib.ufl.edu

Librarians Chosen to Receive Academic Technology Faculty Grant

Jana Ronan and a team of Smathers Libraries librarians have received one of four $10,000 Academic Technology Grants from the UF Office of Academic Technology. The team will improve the research the research skills of incoming students with “Information Literacy Online.” This series of online tutorials will aid students with learning the concepts necessary for effective term papers and research assignments.

Food and Drink Pilot Project in Library West and Marston Science Library

Library West and Marston Science Library are introducing a pilot project during the summer sessions that allows patrons to bring in snacks such as granola bars, chips, crackers, cookies, candy and nuts, along with small fruits and vegetables throughout the building.

Current Library West policy permits all food to be consumed only in the study area across from Starbucks. Current Marston Science Library policy does not permit food in the building.

Hot entrées, salads, pizza, soup and hot, messy or odorous items must still be consumed outside or in the study area across from Starbucks (Library West). Food may not to be delivered to the libraries.

Covered drinks continue to be permitted throughout both buildings.

Survey forms are available in Library West and Marston Science Library for patron feedback on the new pilot policy. At the end of the summer it will be determined if the policy will continue into the fall.

New Dean of Libraries Begins Tenure May 1st

Judith Russell, former superintendent of documents at the U.S. Government Printing Office, has been named the University of Florida's new dean of university libraries, effective May 1. Russell succeeds Dale Canelas, who retired as director of libraries Feb. 1. Deputy director John Ingram has been serving as interim director. The position is being elevated from director to dean to reflect the increasing importance of library and information services to the academic and research missions of the university

Library Fines to Increase on Selected Items

In response to student and faculty requests, the University of Florida Libraries will increase certain fines effective Summer A 2007 to encourage the prompt return of high demand materials. This will be the first increase in library fines in over 30 years.

• Overdue fines for items with shorter loan periods will increase from $0.25 to $1.00 per day per loan. These include recalled items, periodicals, videos & DVDs, and reference items.
• Overdue fines for items on Course Reserve will increase from $.25 to $1.00 per hour.
• The maximum overdue fine will increase from $10.00 to $40.00 per item for short term loans, at which point an item will be considered lost and borrowers will be assessed the replacement cost in addition to fines accrued.
• Fines for items with regular loan periods will remain at $.25 per day.

Current information on all library fines is available online at https://www.uflib.ufl.edu/ps/Circ/fines.html.