Campus will be mostly empty during Fall Break, but if you plan to take advantage of that by packing in some quality library time, be sure to check your favorite library's hours first. Here's a quick run-down fir the Manhattan campus.
Sunday 11/18 Hale open 1p-5p, branches closed
Monday 11/19 Hale open 8a-6p, branches open 8a-5p
Tuesday 11/20 Hale open 8a-6p, branches open 8a-5p
Wednesday 11/21 Hale open 8a-6p, branches open 8a-5p, except Weigel closed 12p-1p
Thursday 11/22 All libraries are closed for the University holiday
Friday 11/23 All libraries are closed for the University holiday
Saturday 11/24 Hale open 1p-5p, branches closed
Sunday 11/25 All libraries resume normal hours, except Weigel remains closed until Monday
Enjoy your break, whether it involves tons of study time or tons of family time or tons of sleeping time!
Yesterday, I taught a class for students who need to find articles about American Indians published between 1800-1925. Cool fact, we actually have, on the shelf on Hale's 4th floor, bound issues of magazines published during those dates. Naturally, I grabbed a copy because who wouldn't want to see a magazine that old? I pulled the 1864 volume of the Atlantic Monthly.
Heading downstairs to meet the class, I flipped the book open and saw this label:
While I don't think we've had this particular volume on our shelves since 1864, I can tell you that it was probably the 5574th volume in our collection. And it was shelved in Alcove 1, Case 2 of the library--but which library?
According to our history of K-State Libraries, here are potential homes for this book when this label was affixed.
Anderson Hall (housed the library 1879-1894):
(Please note the books piled under the Librarian's desk. I kind of feel ok about my office, now.)
Or perhaps, Fairchild Hall (housed the library 1894-1927):
Or Historical Farrell Library (1927-1997, now part of Hale Library):
While the ongoing influx of new books eventually made it impractical to number each books and identify its permanent alcove/bookcase home (we have to shift them around all of the time to make room) you can still go into the stacks and see evidence that we used to number all of our shelves:
There are hundreds of people every year who study & nap in the library, but even if you haven’t, think about all the destruction that can be done to that furniture! Needless to say, the soft seating is due for replacement, which is happening this summer.
Whether you visit Hale daily, or just during finals week make sure you stop by the 2nd floor by April 20th to give your input on what furniture will be purchased. There is a long line of furniture against the back wall, each with its own poster for you to write your opinion on. We want your input since you will be the one using the furniture so you should head over here and take a seat!
P.S. Please refrain from writing any inappropriate comments, we want your voice to be heard but any offensive or inappropriate comments will be covered.
We need to hear from you! A Task Force has been working since fall to review and redesign Hale's Library Help service points -- both the Library Help desk and the Ask a Librarian podium and table.
So that we can provide the best possible access to our services, we're curious as to why you may or may not approach our service points. As a first step to understand this, we're conducting a survey for one week beginning Sunday, March 4th. When you come into Hale, you will see surveys with the K-State Libraries logo distributed throughout the building--we'll try to have them on all of the tables and at the computers. Please take a few moments to complete the survey. You can then either leave it on the table or drop it off at Library Help. We're conducting this as a paper survey, rather than online, to ensure that participants are folks who are actually in Hale and thus may use the service points.
We will be distributing and collecting the surveys at least twice a day--once in the morning, once in the late afternoon.
If you are interested, we are also looking for participants for future focus groups about our service points. At the bottom of each survey is a section that can be torn off. Fill it out and drop it in our Comments box on Hale's 2nd floor--it's located near Library Help.
If you have any questions about the survey or our project, please feel free to contact me, Sara K. Kearns at skearns @ k-state.edu
As we bump into the end of the last week of classes, Hale Library has already hosted all-nighters, including a few students who made their own blanket fort (a la Community?) while completing some end of semester projects. (And let me warn you before you watch the clip below--don't watch it if you only have time for a short study break. These clips, man, they just suck you in!)
Didn't bring blankets or pillows? Don't worry, you can still study in Hale without a blanket fort. In fact, we encourage it.
Still, we know folks are scoping out the ideal study space for this Time of Great Study. Apart from available power outlets, a key criteria for optimal study space is noise level. Some people absolutely cannot study if they are overhearing another table's whispered discussion regarding the relative merits of the Mellivora capensis. But we also see groups preparing for Dr. Patel's chemistry exam and they need to talk these things through. And, of course, there is everyone in between.
To aid you in locating your study space, here's the noise level breakdown for Hale Library:
1st--Quiet 2nd--Group (aka, not quiet) 3rd--Quiet 4th--Group (aka, not quiet) 24 Hour Study Area--Group (aka, not quiet)
These zones go into effect Saturday morning, although 1st floor and the Great Room have been designated quiet study space all semester.
Our tiled stairwells (on the southeast and southwest corners of Hale) are sound conductors. As you ascend or descend theses stairs, remember that anyone near one of those stairwells is hearing your entire conversation.
We will be putting out signs on tables, at building entrances, and by the elevators to notify everyone about the sound levels.
Everyone around you is easily as stressed out as you are. If the table next to you on a quiet floor starts a whispered conversation, wait a few moments before getting upset. It could simply be a quick conversation about a trip to the bathroom. On the other hand, if you need to hum the Flight of the Bumblebee in order retain anything from Stats, you'll want to be sure to stake out a corner of a table on a Group/Not Quiet Floor.
And that reminds me. Space is at a premium around here come finals time (making blanket forts unwieldy). Sharing tables with people you don't know is ok--especially if you ask first.
And above all else, remember that in a week, with a good night's sleep, finals will be over.
K-State Libraries has one drive-up book drop, in the parking lot behind Dickens Hall and across from Hale Library. Electrical work in Dickens Hall has necessitated a generator being placed in front of the book drop. Apparently, it's believed that having electricity in Dickens is more important than allowing you to drop off books from the comfort of your car. Crazy!
The generator is expected to remain through the first week of December. Decent timing, considering many K-State students and faculty won't be on campus during the student holiday from November 21-25, or at least during the university holiday November 24-25. While the generator is there blocking your car, you can still walk up to the bookdrop and deposit your library materials. Or, if you'd just rather avoid the whole scene, use the Hale Library book drops, the book drop on the sidewalk between Hale and English/Counseling Services, or book drops inside each of the Manhattan campus branch libraries.
If you are unable to use a walk-up book drop, please contact us and we will make alternate accommodations to help you return your materials. Thanks for your patience and please be sure to go enjoy the electricity in Dickens Hall!
“We reached the old wolf in time to watch a fierce green fire dying in her eyes. I realized then, and have known ever since, that there was something new to me in those eyes—something known only to her and to the mountain. I was young then, and full of trigger-itch; I thought that because fewer wolves meant more deer, that no wolves would mean hunters’ paradise. But after seeing the green fire die, I sensed that neither the wolf nor the mountain agreed with such a view.” - Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac, 1949
On Wednesday of next week, we'll be screening the film Green Fire: Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for Our Time at 3:30pm in Hale Library's Hemisphere Room. It is the first full-length, high-definition documentary film ever made about legendary environmentalist Aldo Leopold. Green Fire highlights Leopold's extraordinary career, tracing how he shaped and influenced the modern environmental movement. The screening is sponsored by K-State Libraries, the Konza Prairie Biological Station, and the Friends of the Konza Prairie. We'd love to have you join us for this free event. Check out the trailer below.
We hope to see you there! You can learn more about the film from its website.
We first ran the post below back in 2008. We're getting a bunch of questions again, so we thought it was worth reposting.
Thanks to everyone who's reported the explosion of steam coming out of the west side of Hale Library. That's where our steam release valve thingy is located (somewhere around the 4th floor of Hale near the SW corner.)
It's all perfectly normal. We think the building and pipes are trying to adjust to weather changes by releasing the steam. In case you didn't know, we're one of many buildings on campus heated by steam. I don't know why our release is so much more spectacular than other buildings, but get your photos while you can.
I'm sure if the building could apologize, it would apologize to everyone strolling by, enjoying the lovely day who then had a heart attack when the steam exploded out of the side of the building.
It seems as if Hale Library has taken on a mind of its own these days. It's become a sentient being whose sole desire is to make finding that book you need just a little bit harder. So you think that quantum physics book is still on that shelf in Stack C where you told yourself you'd return for it? Nope! Now it's on Stack B. First we confuse the masses at K-State, then the world (insert evil laughter here)!
Ok, so we confess that while making research slightly more inconvenient is not a solid stepping stone to world domination, it does beg the question as to why all this movement is taking place, and it has nothing to do with Hale becoming self-aware.
As strange as it may sound, all this rearranging is to better serve you, the patrons... eventually. Insert whatever cliché proverb you want into this situation --- "It's always darkest before the dawn," "You have to spend money to make money," "You had me at hello," --- the point is that when it's all said and done, a completely reorganized library will benefit you in terms of accessing materials. It has also opened up considerable amount of space to take in a bevy of new materials, ranging across countless subjects to keep your research relevant, current, and competitive.
So what will be the end result of this massive reorganization? Well, if all goes according to plan, 4th floor will house a number of unique collections separated from Hale Library's main collection. Let's take a look at what collections are now currently placed on 4th:
Music & Art Collection: If you're looking for any books with an M or N call number in Hale Library, the music and art books respectively, they have been placed on the east side of the 4th floor into a newly-created collection conveniently known as the "Music & Art Collection." This collection also includes all Music and Art Oversize materials, as well as the Music Reference section, placed next to the 4th floor elevators. That means in the main part of the collection, we'll jump from the L call numbers to the P call numbers. (Fun fact: there are no O call numbers in the Library of Congress System. Also no I, W, X, or Y. Any guesses as to why?)
Media Collection: Want to watch Patton or listen to a Beethoven recording? Our media cabinets containing the majority of Hale's audio and visual materials have been moved to the middle of 4th floor. In addition, all Media and CD Oversize materials have been placed next to the cabinets.
Wait, there's more! We are currently in the final stretch of the shift, attempting to get as much of the main collection off of 4th floor as we can in order to leave a section of empty shelves. What will be going in that big empty space you ask? Well, ideas like a jungle gym, go-kart track, and karaoke bar were thrown around but those seemed a little counterintuitive to what a library is all about. Instead, we decided to place more collections in those shelves. Here's what will be making its way to 4th this semester:
LP's, which are currently located in storage, are going to see the light of day once again and rest alongside the media cabinets. Yep, the vinyl is back!
Rooms 306 and 309 can no longer contain the growth of Juvenile Literature and the Curriculum Materials Collection so a plan is in place to move them to 4th, though no time frame on the move has been set yet.
Folio (big books) and Oversize (really big books) are to be placed back on 4th. They will be located at the beginning of the movable stacks. If you are looking for either collection now though, Folios can be found on the west side of Room 117 and Oversize items can be requested from Library Help on 2nd floor.
Well, that's about the sum of what's taking place at Hale this moment. We are working hard to keep our stacks guide updated and the online version will generally be more up to date than the paper version, but we hope to be in sync soon!
The Library may be a little puzzling now, but a staff of friendly librarians and students are at your disposal to help you with any troubles you may have. Just visit us at Library Help and we'll be happy to assist. All we ask is that you bear with us as we get our shift in order.
As we begin this semester's IT themed articles: Tech Tips, a segment of our Short Cuts article series in the Talking in the Library blog, we focus today on the secret to printing in Hale Library. And to be honest, there is no secret! But it can be a little mystifying when, after clicking Print, a popup message suddenly appears prompting you to "Name your print job" (and no, it isn't as serious as naming your dog or cat, the name just has to be something you will recognize), which then disappears, leaving you alone in your seat wondering... now what?
Let us demysify the printing process a bit with some useful information.
All K-Staters --- students, faculty, and staff --- are given $10 in free printing each semester and $5 in the summer for printing in the University computing labs. This is automatically added to your account and is accessed by swiping your card at a University computing lab print station.
You may add more money to your card online at K-State Union - Services - Cat Cash or in person at the ID Center, 1st floor of the K-State Student Union.
There are 5 black and white print stations in Hale Library: 3 on the 2nd floor and 1 each on the 1st and 3rd floors.
Black and white copies are .10¢ for the first side and .18¢ for two-sided/duplex.
Duplex is the default setting but you may change your print job to print single-sided.
To print in color, choose the Hale-MDC-Color printer, which is located in the Media Development Center (MDC), 213 Hale Library. Copies are .75¢ a copy.
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