Reference at Newman Library

Tag: Library website

Revamped Pages on the Library Website

This spring, I’ve been working with a number of different folks in the library to update a few pages in the library website:

Technology Loan Service

With guidance from Jeffrey Lynch, a number of items we used to loan have been removed and new items have been added. With the changes in policy around renewals and loan periods for many items, all the details on those matters have been updated (you need to click on the item to get that additional information).

If you get any questions from students around renewals of loan periods, please always check this page for updated info, as the policies vary by item.

Locating a Print Book in the Library

Previously, this page was titled “Call Number Chart,” but that proved to be too library-centric a way of presenting the page to users, many of whom may not even know what a call number is. Given that users tend to think of what they need from the library in basic, familiar terms and that they conceive of these things as tasks to accomplish, it made sense to retitle the page borrowing on the language that many of us hear in reference and circ desk interactions with students who have found a record for a book in OneSearch but have no idea what to do next. This page has been reworked to focus on the steps in the user’s journey for that task.

There are a number of ways to get to this page:

  1. Use the yellow search box (select the “Library Services & Policies” option before entering your search).
  2. On the Help page there is a “How Do I…?” section with an entry on “Books that includes a link.
  3. Also on the Help page is a link to the Site Map, which presents a hierarchical view of all pages on the library site.
  4. On the Floor Plans page that is on the footer of every page on our website, there is a section on “Book Locations” that includes a link.

How to Find Trade Journal Articles

Seeing an uptick in questions on chat and in email lately from students needing to find a trade journal article, I added new “Trade Journals” item to the “How do I find…?” section of the Help page on the library website. This section of the page is meant to give quick basics. If anyone has a detailed section on a research guide about how to find trade journal articles, let me know so I can link to it from this page (bonus points if it’s got screenshots or an embedded video).

Updates to the Technology Loan Service Page

Jeff Lynch and I just finished updating the Technology Loan Service page on the library website so that it reflects current policies and inventory. Here are some notable changes:

  • Chromebooks are now featured on the page
  • Loan periods have been simplified (there used to be a lot of loan periods for the laptops)
  • We’ve put more of a spotlight on how some items have semester-long loan periods while others have shorter ones
  • New FAQ about returning items sent by mail during the period when the library was closed during the pandemic

Study Rooms Page Is Updated

With guidance from Access Services (especially Jeffrey Lynch), Arthur Downing, and Joseph Hartnett, I’ve updated the Study Rooms page so that the current COVID-era policies are integrated into the page instead of being tacked on at the top of the page:

  • No reservations (first-come, first-served only)
  • Keys checked out for 2 hours
  • Rooms have no minimum number of users (this is to allow more people to use the rooms for things like taking online courses and job interviews)
  • CUNY SPS students can check out keys for any room just as Baruch students can (although there is one room set aside for them that will get used first for CUNY SPS students needing a room)

This week I hope to have the “STUDY ROOMS” box on the home page updated so that it no longer links to the defunct room reservation system.

Service and Policy Updates on the Library Website for Fall 2022

This fall, you’ll want to look on relevant library web pages for the latest policies regarding library services instead of going to a semester-specific post on the library news blog. I am working with lots of different folks to draft those page revisions and will be publishing the updates in the coming days.

One notable change that is already live on the site is that Baruch alumni can now come into our library again. Please note that proof of vaccination status will be required and the protocols of the CUNY visitor policy will apply. See the current Alumni page for details. [NOTE: This policy just changed again. Baruch alumni will not have access this fall.]

Another notable change is that the login page for remote access to databases and licensed content has changed so that all Baruch and CUNY SPS users will enter their CUNY Login. There is no longer an option for those users to enter a Baruch username and password or an SPS-issued username and password. I have updated the Logging in to Library Resources page to reflect this change.

We are nearly done testing the remote login for the O’Reilly database that will also begin using the CUNY Login (remote access has long been handled not through our proxy server but instead a SAML connection). As soon as we make the switch from Baruch username/password to CUNY Login, I’ll post that here on the blog.

If you see any website content that doesn’t accurately reflect how we are currently offering services and resources, please let me know. The next pages to see updates will be the Study Rooms and the Technology Loan Services ones.

Summer Library Hours Are Now Posted

This week, I updated the hours page on the library website to include the period from our re-opening next week through the intersession period that stretches from the end of the summer semester to the start of the fall semester.

Please note that there are two anomalies in the summertime 4-day work week. On Monday, June 20, we will be closed for Juneteenth. Later that week, we will be open on Friday. On July 4 (another Monday), we’ll be closed and then open on the Friday of that same week.