Author: Stephen Francoeur

I’ve been thinking about the signs we put up at the reference desk and have been wondering how many (if any) we actually need to have when the desk is open. My assumption is that the more cluttered the reference desk is, the more of a barrier it creates to those who may hesitate to ask us a question. The more stuff we have on the desk, the more it appears to be “our” desk. As much as possible, I think we should aim to have a reference desk that is as inviting to users as possible, that doesn’t make potential question askers worry that they are invading our space or bothering us.

So, what are your thoughts about signs on the desk (library hours, library events)? Are they a barrier or not? Do you think they are looked at often enough to merit staying on the desk?

If you happen to run across a computer that you or a student can’t log onto because the previous user has “locked” it, you’ll want to just power down the computer and start it back up again.

Beginning today, students taking courses for the January intersession will have a $30 printing account (that’s 250 printouts at 12 cents each).

testing email notification

You can get a sneak peek at the soon-to-be launched web site redesign for the NYPL, which was completed rebuilt using open source software for managing content (Drupal) and for indexing and searching (Solr). There is also a video offering an overview of the changes.

Feedback about the new site is welcomed via this online survey.

This post from the APA Style Blog might prove useful for student struggling with how to cite Twitter or Facebook messages using APA Style.

Subscribe to the APA Style Blog feed here.

Seeing what happens if I forward all blog posts to LIBSDL.

Just testing to see if everyone who wants email delivery of blog posts is getting them this way. If you had expected to see this blog post in your email inbox but didn’t, please let me know.