The news @ Western Libraries
Library One Card Program
Posted on Thu, 2010-08-12 10:00
Local Libraries to Offer Whatcom Residents 'One Card' Program
Local libraries are banding together to allow residents who have a library card at any Bellingham Public Library facility or any of the Whatcom County Library System branch libraries to borrow library materials from local academic libraries, including Bellingham Technical College, Northwest Indian College, Whatcom Community College and Western Washington University.
The service, called the “Library One Card” program because residents will only need one card to access all the libraries, is free. Users will also be able to return library materials to any of the libraries and book drops in the county, and be assured that they will return to the appropriate library.
The Library One Card program will officially go into effect Oct. 1, 2010. Borrowing rules of each individual library apply. For more details, contact your local library.
The initiative is spearheaded by Whatcom Libraries Collaborate, a group of library directors and deans dedicated to expanding library access for better stewardship of resources and greater community impact.
“In these tough budget times, when free library access is all the more important, we decided to pool our resources and work collaboratively. After all, we’re really all one community--why not act as one library to serve it?” said Christopher Cox, Dean of Libraries at Western Washington University. “Often these partnerships only involve one type of library. This partnership between local public and academic libraries is unique, one of the few of its kind in the country.”
Whatcom Libraries Collaborate began meeting informally in 2001, but formalized a regular meeting schedule as a result of their close collaboration that began as part of Whatcom READS!, the county-wide popular one book program in 2007, and members’ previous experiences with library consortia in other states.
“All area residents will benefit from new shared access to the treasures of our libraries.” said Joan Airoldi, director of the Whatcom County Library System. “We hope they will celebrate and take advantage of this terrific opportunity that may expand in the future with other service and product enhancements.”
Need a good summer read?
Posted on Wed, 2010-08-04 10:00Check out the Special Collections Book of Month pick for August:
The Yearling
By Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
New York : Scribner, 1961, c1939
Special Collections -- Campus School Collection -- PS 3535 .A845 Y43 1961
An old standby just in time for your summer reading list. The Yearling won the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel in 1939 and was the best-selling novel in America in 1938. This edition has illustrations by N.C. Wyeth, who was a student of Howard Pyle, an illustrator highlighted in a previous Book of the Month - The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood.
N.C. Wyeth illustrations are among my favorites, they are so compelling. A good online collection is the N.C. Wyeth Catalogue Raisonné at the Brandywine River Museum. Use the "Catalogue Search" menu option to find images.
There is a copy of this book available for circulation in the general collection, The Yearling Wilson 5 West, Call #: PS 3535 .A845 Y43 1961.
Western Libraries Books by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.
Western Libraries Books illustrated by N.C. Wyeth.
Gallery: Marjorie Rawlings Home A photogallery of the Rawlings home in Florida.
~ Peter Smith
Digital Initiatives Librarian
1960s footage from KVOS Bellingham Herald
Posted on Tue, 2010-08-03 10:00Show girls at the Seattle World's Fair.
Interviews with civil rights leaders.
Campus life, including a Vietnam War protest, at Western Washington State College during the 1960s.
Those are some of the 16 KVOS TV news segments now viewable online at YouTube.
Cafe coming soon...
Posted on Fri, 2010-07-23 10:00Check it out the bagel kiosk has been installed in Wilson Library 279!
The space is really coming together now; it has the good combination of both a cafe & library feel to it with nice natural lighting to top it off.
Zoe's Bookside Bagels will be opening in September, just in time for Fall Quarter. Bagerly Bagels, Tony's Coffee, salads, sandwiches, pastries and more will be available at the cafe.
In addition to the good local food and the nice feel of the room, the Library will be hosting some fabulous programs, readings and events in the new cafe space in the upcoming academic year. Soon you'll be able to grab a cup of coffee and enjoy a poetry reading without ever having to leave the Library!
See you at Zoe's Bookside Bagels this fall!
History of WWU on Film
Posted on Fri, 2010-07-16 10:00
Here is an interesting video documenting the history of WWU; brought to you by our own Center for Pacific Northwest Studies! This is one of the over 70 local films from the 1960's that were produced by Bellingham-based KVOS and archived by the CPNWS. You can find a listing of the entire collection here. This is just one of the many cool things to discover in the Archives. Head down to the CPNWS and the Archives on Bill McDonald Parkway to discover your own local treasures!
Now available: Local Film Archives Online
Posted on Thu, 2010-07-15 10:00
A great selection of 1960s films from Bellingham-based KVOS TV are now available online in our Digital Collections here.
Films include footage of Western campus, student protests, interviews with civil rights leaders, educators and politicians, the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair and the 1964 Alaska earthquake.
A complete list of over seventy KVOS Channel 12 Films archived and accessible at the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies is available here. For more information, please contact CPNWS at (360)650 7747 or email: cpnws@wwu.edu.
Ask a librarian the web 2.0 way
Posted on Thu, 2010-07-08 10:00
Ask Us! Reference Service - Anything, Anytime, Anywhere
Chat live with the Reference Desk or send your question via email, SMS Text, or Twitter!
Phone (360) 797-5910 to send a text
or Tweet your question to @refdesk_wwu.
Soon, there will also be a cool new product called LibAnswers that will offer an FAQ interface with an auto-suggest feature which gets smarter as more answers are added. Just start typing your question, if there is already an answer, it will pop up. If not, the Reference Desk will answer your question.
Text Messaging Ask Us! service is available most hours the Reference Desk is staffed.
Summer 2010 Hours are:
Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
The New Daylight Lounge
Posted on Tue, 2010-07-06 10:00
In addition to a great new study space, Western Libraries now has a popular reading collection on Wilson 2. We’ll be featuring best sellers and other books of current interest in the Daylight Lounge, along with a selection of recent releases of popular films on DVD. The funds for these collections come from money we make at our book sales. Come in, check it out and relax over a good book!
Open Computer Labs in Haggard Hall
Posted on Fri, 2010-07-02 10:00Wondering where you can find an open computer lab in Haggard Hall? Due to all of the construction, most of the labs in Haggard Hall are closed for the summer. However, you will find one new lab open in Haggard this summer in HH 233. 
This brand new lab has been installed on the second floor of Haggard Hall. You can access HH 233 through the Library during open library hours; it's right down the hall from Copy Services. When the Library is closed, you can head to the west side of Haggard Hall and up the stairs to the second floor for 24-hour access to the lab.
We think this will be a highly popular space for students, as the lab contains 40 work stations, it will be open 24-hours a day and has a nice, new feel to it with plenty of windows. Stop by and check it out if you haven’t already!
The Summer of Shifting
Posted on Tue, 2010-06-22 10:00
All throughout this summer the Western Libraries' Stacks Maintenance staff will be hard at work moving all the books and journals to their new homes.
Basically, come Fall Quarter all of the Libraries' books will be housed in the Wilson side of the Library while all of the active journals will be housed on the Haggard side of the Library.
While all this shifting may be somewhat disruptive for our patrons over the summer, we think this move will result in a much easier set up for all the Library users starting in Fall Quarter.
If you need help finding anything during the shift, be sure to ask at one of the serivce desks and we'll be happy to help you track down what you need!
