UofSLibrary News

Affordable Learning Implementation Grants – Application Deadline Extended to December 3rd, 2021

October 28, 2021

3:45 pm

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affordable learning, faculty, open access, open educational resources

The deadline to apply for an Affordable Learning Implementation Grant for Spring 2022 has been extended to December 3rd, 2021.

Affordable Learning aims to reduce the financial burden on students by replacing expensive for-cost textbooks and course materials with no-cost or low-cost educational resources. OER stands for Open Educational Resources, which include online textbooks, media, and other materials that are available freely for use and can be remixed/reused for educational purposes. For our Affordable Learning Implementation Grants, formerly OER Implementation Grants, faculty may opt to use existing OER textbooks and open source software that is available online or may compile course materials from appropriately licensed e-books and journals that are open access or available through the Library to replace all, or some, of their for-cost course materials. Please visit the Affordable Learning Implementation Grants web page for more information and reports from previous recipients.

For a list of links to available OER and appropriately licensed Affordable Learning resources, visit the Library’s OER Research Guide.

Looking for Affordable Learning resources in our catalog? You can simply search the catalog by typing in “Scranton Affordable Learning” into the Catalog search box on the Library home page.

For additional information about Affordable Learning and how to find resources that can be used as part of the Affordable Learning Implementation Grants, materials presented at the October 27th discussion on implementing Open Educational Resources (OER) and Affordable Learning materials in the classroom can be viewed on the Library’s OER Research Guide.

Look for the WML Event Materials box on the guide to find links to our latest presentations.

In Search of New Books?

by Marleen Cloutier

October 4, 2021

9:30 am

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News, Resources & Technology

books, librarians, library, Research Guides, Resources, WML catalog

Check out the New Book Shelf

A selection of the Library’s newest additions to our collection can be browsed on the New Book Shelf located on the 1^st floor across from the Circulation Desk.

Want to see what is new but can’t make it to the Library?

There is a quick and easy way to search the Catalog to see the new books we have received within the last month.

In the catalog search box, type “New Books” in quotes.

Then use the facets along the left-hand side to refine your results by “Subject” and “Book”.

Faceting will allow you to see a list of everything that the Library has recently added to our print collection.

If you want to see what new books have come in for a specific subject or keyword, you can use the Advanced Search.

You can visit the Library’s Research Guides at https://guides.library.scranton.edu/

You would then pick a subject, for example, “History.” On the History Research Guides page you will see a link to “New Library Books.” Clicking the “New Library Books” link will take you to the Library’s Catalog and a display of all of the new books that the library has acquired for that specific Academic Department in the last month. You can also find additional useful links on the Research Guide page which can direct you to helpful Databases, Reference Books, Websites, and contact information for the Librarian Subject Specialist.

Welcome Class of 2025 to the Weinberg Memorial Library!

by Kelly M. Banyas

August 31, 2021

3:52 pm

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Events, Learning Commons, Resources & Technology

The Weinberg Memorial Library is pleased to welcome the Class of 2025 to The University of Scranton!

You can consult a University of Scranton Librarian during our service hours by calling 570-941-4000 or by using the Ask a Librarian chat box. Assistance is available 24/7 through the chat box, which is covered by librarians not affiliated with the University of Scranton outside service hours.

Research consultations can be scheduled by using the Ask a Librarian chat box or by contacting your library liaison directly by email.

To find resources, such as books, periodicals, and media, search our catalog from the Library’s home page. The Library’s large collection of e-books, e-journals, and streaming media are available 24/7. To access the Library’s online content, you must first authenticate through my.scranton.edu.

The InterLibrary Loan (ILL) service is available for requesting articles not currently accessible at our library. For ILL questions/concerns, please email interlibrary-loan@scranton.edu.

The Weinberg Memorial Library has five floors and offers a variety of spaces to support your study and research needs including computer workstations, individual study space, group study rooms, quiet study areas, and the Heritage Room.

The library’s Pro Deo room, Reilly Learning Commons, 2nd floor, and 3rd floor remain accessible to students 24 hours a day when campus is open and include printing stations, group study rooms, and lab computers.

Circulation Services, located on the first floor, can help you check out and return print materials, laptops, and iPads. You can also pick up items on reserve, books placed on hold, and InterLibrary loan materials.

The Reilly Learning Commons (RLC), located on the first floor, is a collaborative space with access to high-powered computers, video and audio recording rooms, 3D Printing, and reservable group study rooms equipped with white boards and monitors.

The Library’s Research & Scholarly Services department, located on the second floor, can assist you with research, such as finding, evaluating, and citing information.

The Media Resources Collection (MRC), located on the third floor, provides media materials for instructional support and student learning. The EdLab collection, found within the Media Resources Collection, consists of children’s literature and K-12 textbooks.

The Digital Services Department provides access to digital content related to University Archives and Special Collections. You can search our digital collections online at http://digitalservices.scranton.edu/.

Affordable Learning Implementation Grants for Fall 2021

by Kelly M. Banyas

February 15, 2021

9:36 am

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News, Resources & Technology

affordable learning, faculty, grant, OER, open educational resources

The Weinberg Memorial Library is pleased to offer $1,000 Affordable Learning Implementation Grants to successful full-time faculty applicants.

Affordable Learning aims to reduce the financial burden on students by eliminating expensive for-cost textbooks and course materials with no-cost or low-cost educational resources. OER stands for Open Educational Resources, which include online textbooks, media, and other materials that are available freely for use and can be remixed/reused for educational purposes. For our Affordable Learning Implementation Grants, formerly OER Implementation Grants, faculty may opt to use existing OER textbooks and open source software that is available online or may compile course materials from appropriately licensed e-books and journals that are open access or available through the Library to replace all, or some, of their for-cost course materials.

For a list of available OER and appropriately licensed Affordable Learning resources, visit the OER Research Guide. The Library’s OER Committee will be hosting an informational session over Zoom about the grants and available resources on March 3rd from 11 am – noon if you are interested in learning more. Please register if you would like the Zoom meeting link.

The library will award up to two $1,000 Affordable Learning Implementation Grants for Fall 2021 courses. These grants are also made possible with additional funding from The University of Scranton’s Strategic Initiatives Funding.

For more information and the application form, visit the Affordable Learning Implementation Grants web page.

Affordable Learning Implementation Grants for Spring 2021

by Kelly M. Banyas

September 29, 2020

10:52 am

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News, Resources & Technology

affordable learning, faculty, grant, OER, open educational resources

The Weinberg Memorial Library is pleased to offer $1,000 Affordable Learning Implementation Grants to successful full-time faculty applicants.

For a list of available OER and appropriately licensed Affordable Learning resources, visit the OER Research Guide. The Library’s OER Committee will be hosting an informational session over Zoom about the grants and available resources on October 28^th from 11 am – noon if you are interested in learning more. Please email kelly.banyas@scranton.edu if you would like the Zoom meeting link.

The library will award up to two $1,000 Affordable Learning Implementation Grants for Spring 2021 courses. These grants are also made possible with additional funding from The University of Scranton’s Strategic Initiatives Funding.

For more information and the application form, visit the Affordable Learning Implementation Grants web page.

Using the Virtual Shelf Browse

by Marleen Cloutier

August 28, 2020

11:30 am

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News, Resources & Technology

Did you know you can browse our library shelves remotely? You can access our catalog’s virtual shelf browse feature by simply clicking on the call number of a book in the catalog.

Accessing the Virtual Shelf Browse

Log into your my.scranton account and chose ‘Library’ from the menu on the left. From the Library page you can perform a keyword search in the Catalog Search box.

Catalog Search Box on Library my.scranton page

Choose a record you are interested in from the results page. Double click on that record to see the expanded view of the record. Within the expanded view of the record, click on the call number to access the virtual shelf browse.

Expanded record view. Click on Call Number to access the virtual shelf browse — Expanded record view

A ‘nearby item browse’ pop-up window will appear with titles from the same call number range. Within the ‘nearby item browse’ window, click the arrows on the left or right to view titles on either side of the title you started with. The graphical browse shows you book covers of adjacent books and their associated call numbers. Clicking on a book cover or title within the pop-up window will take you to the record for that title.

There is also a list browse option if you would like to just view the titles as a list in call number order. Clicking on previous and next will move the list up or down. Clicking on the title will take you to that title’s record.

Nearby item browse - List view — Nearby item browse – List view

Placing a hold for pickup

If you located a title you would like to borrow from the Print Circulating Collection or from Media, you can ‘place a hold’ on the item(s) you would like to borrow from our catalog. Items that can be placed on hold have a ‘place a hold’ button on the right-hand side of the catalog entry.

After clicking the button, you may be asked to log in using your R# and authenticate if you are not already logged in. A pop-up box confirming that you would like to place a hold will appear. Click ‘submit’ and circulation will be notified that you have placed a hold.

If your request is successful you will see a confirmation window, click ‘OK’ and your transaction is complete. Your item(s) will then be selected, packaged and labeled with your name by our circulation staff and made available for you to pickup from the bookcase in the Library’s lobby on the Monroe St. side of the building. You will be notified by email when your item(s) are available for pickup. You may pick up your items during the hours listed in our Fall 2020 Library Services Hours Lib Guide.

For further assistance with borrowing or placing a hold, you can contact us at 570-941-7524 or circulation@scranton.edu.

Welcome Class of 2024 to the Weinberg Memorial Library

by Kelly M. Banyas

August 18, 2020

3:14 pm

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Learning Commons, Resources & Technology

The Weinberg Memorial Library is pleased to welcome the Class of 2024 to The University of Scranton!

Please use the Library’s Fall 2020 Services guide to stay up to date on current hours and services. This guide provides a listing of service hours, updates, and guidance on seeking research and citation assistance, as well as accessing the Library’s print and online collections.

You can consult a University of Scranton Librarian during our Library hours by calling 570-941-4000 or by using the Ask a Librarian chat box. Research assistance is available 24/7 through the chat box, which is covered by librarians not affiliated with the University of Scranton outside service hours. Research consultations can be scheduled by using the Ask a Librarian chat box or by contacting your library liaison directly by email.

To find resources, such as books, periodicals, and media, search our catalog from the Library’s home page; see our How Do I… guide for more details about searching the catalog and finding materials in the Library. You can also place a hold on materials for contactless pick-up of Library materials.

The Library’s large collection of e-books, e-journals, and streaming media are available 24/7. Please see our Guide to Online Library Resources. To access the Library’s online content, you must first authenticate through my.scranton.edu.

The InterLibrary Loan (ILL) service is available for requesting articles not currently accessible at our library. Books can be requested at this time through ILL or PALCI E-ZBorrow, but requests may not be filled due to limited lending partners. For ILL questions/concerns, please email interlibrary-loan@scranton.edu.

The Weinberg Memorial Library has five floors and offers a variety of spaces to support your study and research needs including computer workstations, individual study space, reservable group study rooms, quiet study areas, and the Heritage Room.

The library’s Pro Deo room, Reilly Learning Commons, and the 2^ndfloor include printing stations, group study rooms, and lab computers. You can print from your own device, or you can watch this video to learn how to print from a Library computer (please ignore instructions after 1:42).

Circulation Services, located on the first floor, can help you check out and return print materials, laptops, and iPads. You can also pick up books placed on hold and InterLibrary loan materials.

The Reilly Learning Commons (RLC), located on the first floor, is a collaborative space with access to high-powered computers, video and audio recording rooms, and reservable group study rooms equipped with white boards and monitors.

University of Scranton Archives and Helen Gallagher McHugh Special Collections, located on the fourth floor, collects, preserves and provides access to rare materials of historical value on local and University history. Appointments are required for Fall 2020. The Digital Services Department provides access to digital content related to University Archives and Special Collections.

If you have any questions, please email askalibrarian@scranton.edu.

We hope you have a great first semester!

Summer 2020 Borrowing Prodedure

by Mrs. Patricia A. Savitts

July 10, 2020

3:52 pm

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Hours, News, Resources & Technology

Hello!

We’ve missed you and though we’d love to see you all in person again, it’s just not possible at this time to allow patrons inside the building. Some Library Faculty and Staff have returned to working part-time in the Library building. Currently, Circulation Services Staff are working staggered hours and will be here to assist you during these hours:

Monday through Thursday, 8am – 7pm and Friday, 8am – 4:30pm

If you would like to borrow from the Circulating Collection or from Media, simply ‘place a hold’ on the item(s) you would like to borrow from our catalog. Your items will be selected, packaged and labeled with your name. They will be placed on a table in the foyer. You will be notified when your item(s) are available for pickup. You may pick up your items during the hours listed above.

For further assistance, you can contact us at 570-941-7524 or circulation@scranton.edu.

Thank you for your patience as we learn to continue providing our services as safely as possible!

New eBook resources available – Introducing Elsevier ScienceDirect

by Marleen Cloutier

March 31, 2020

1:59 pm

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News, Resources & Technology

In an effort to provide additional eBook access as the University shifts to online learning, the Weinberg Memorial Library has subscribed to Elsevier ScienceDirect eBook Collection for a limited time.

University of Scranton Students, Faculty, and Staff will now have full-text access to Elsevier monographs from 2020 back through 2016. Subject areas covered by this eBook collection include physical sciences and engineering, life sciences, health sciences, and social sciences.

The eBooks in this collection are:

DRM-Free – no limits on pdf downloads or printing.
Allow for unlimited simultaneous users – multiple students, faculty, and staff can access the eBooks at the same time.

The ScienceDirect eBook Collection is searchable two ways within the Library catalog.

ScienceDirect eBooks are included within the existing ScienceDirect platform and can be accessed via the ScienceDirect database. The ScienceDirect database includes the full text of 175 Academic Press journals.

Go to the Library’s Database page and use the A-Z Database Menu to find ScienceDirect under “S”.

Clicking on ScienceDirect will take you to the ScienceDirect Platform where you can search all of their content.

You can search the catalog for (ScienceDirect eBook Collection) in the catalog search box.

The “Click here to access” link will take you to the eBook where you can read full-text online, download the entire book, or download only the chapter you need.

If you want to narrow by subject – use the Advanced Search.

An interesting and useful feature ScienceDirect eBooks have is Cross-Referenced Linking Capabilities. If reading full-text online, this feature allows the user to click on an in-text citation to be provided with the full citation as well as a link to the article or a pdf download if the item cited is available on ScienceDirect.

As of March 31^st the library currently has over 4,600 eBook titles available for use. Access to these eBooks will expire on March 22, 2021. Faculty, please contact your library liaison if permanent acquisition is desired.

As always, if you have any questions regarding accessing materials via the Library Catalog, please feel free to contact us.

OER Implementation Grants for 2020

by Kelly M. Banyas

September 16, 2019

4:25 pm

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News, Resources & Technology

faculty, grant, OER, open educational resources

The Weinberg Memorial Library is pleased to offer $1,000 OER Implementation Grants to successful full-time faculty applicants. These grants were made possible by University of Scranton Strategic Initiatives Funding.

What is OER?

OER stands for Open Educational Resources. We define OER as any freely accessible or appropriately licensed, rigorous academic material that is a suitable replacement for expensive textbooks, readings, or other types of required course materials. OER Implementation Grants incentivize full-time faculty to consider replacing all, or some, of their for-cost, required course materials with resources that are free for students.

Why is it important?

According to the College Board’s Annual Survey of Colleges, undergraduates at private 4-year nonprofit universities spend an average of $1,240 per year on textbooks. Numerous studies suggest that the high cost of textbooks lead many students to forgo purchasing course texts, which can affect students’ participation and success within the course.

Awards

The library will award up to two $1,000 OER Implementation Grants for Spring 2020 courses. For more information, visit the OER Research Guide https://guides.library.scranton.edu/OER.