Library News: Collections - books, periodicals, etc.

Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology is book series by Springer and this is series very useful for researches. Its my kind request to make some arrangement so that VCU people can download the full text.

From: a staff member

Lynne Turman, Head of Tompkins-McCaw Library Collections, replies...

Thank you for the suggestion. According to the publisher, the online version of this book series is not available to purchase individually. It is part of a larger package of e-books from Springer. VCU Libraries is interested in obtaining the Springer collection but the cost is over $200,000 for one imprint year. We will continue to try and negotiate more favorable pricing. Thank you again for taking the time to contact us with your comment.

I love the Reference skill section of the library, however my ability to read many of the books there is limited due to a hectic schedule. Can you please purchase another copy of Learning Outside the Lines for check out. This resourceful book is one among several others that reads like a novel and is difficult to read during time I have while on campus. I appreciate the library's efforts to improve the student experience here at VCU.

From: a library patron

Cristina Ramirez, Collection Librarian for Social and Behavioral Sciences, replies...

Thank you for the suggestion to add a copy of "Learning Outside the Lines: Two Ivy League Students with Learning Disabilities and ADHD give you the Tools for Academic Success and Educational Revolution" by Jonathan Mooney and David Cole to the stacks. The Student Skills Section in Cabell Library Reference has been a popular section for students to browse and learn news skills, techniques, and concepts. We will purchase
an additional copy for normal loan checkout. We appreciate your recommendation and are glad that you have found this and many other titles beneficial and helpful from the collection.

I came across this online encyclopedia by wiley interscience - encyclopedia of reagents for organic synthesis. It is pretty helpful but I don't think it is available to us VCU students. Please see if you could make this available to us. http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/mrwhome/104554785/HOME

From: a graduate student

Lynne Turman, Head of Collections at Tompkins-McCaw Library replies...

Thank you for the suggestion to subscribe to the online version of the Encyclopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis. A one-year subscription to this reference work is over $6,000 and the print copy can be purchased for $8,500. The present budget for new acquisitions is insufficient to fund a subscription or print copy at this time. However, we are always interested in hearing from you about items to consider in the future. For your convenience, materials in any format may be requested by submitting the Purchase Suggestion Form ( https://www.library.vcu.edu/phpapps/forms/purchase ) located on the VCU Libraries web site. Again, thank you for your interest in helping VCU Libraries build the best collection of resources to serve the University's research and academic communities.

Please purchase a subscription to Current Protocols in Cytometry. It contains information on a number of important techniques needed for both patient care and research at the VCU School of Medicine.

From: a faculty member

Lynne Turman, Head of Collections at Tompkins-McCaw Library replies...

Thank you for the suggestion. We welcome and actively solicit suggestions from VCU faculty and students for enhancements to our collections. Many factors go into the decision to subscribe to a particular journal, including reputation, journal impact factor, cost, relevance, etc. The cost for a subscription to Current Protocols in Cytometry is over $4900. We will place this title into consideration for new journals in the future, depending on budget allocations.

You may find two other resources useful for locating information on this topic: Nature Protocols and Cold Spring Harbor Protocols. Both are new subscriptions and contain numerous full-text protocols on research methods. VCU Libraries has a site license for access to these titles back to 2006.

Do VCU alumni have access to checking out books? I read through the different patron types but I do not believe I fit in any of the categories anymore. I graduated from VCU 2 years ago and am now doing graduate work through a different school. I am currently living back in Richmond and am working on my thesis and wanted to see if there was anyway I could use Cabell Library's resources. Thank you for your help!

From: a library patron

Kimberly Separ, Director of Development and Community Relations, replies...

Thank you for your inquiry and for your interest in the Friends of the Library donor program. The Friends of the Library donor program is open to VCU alumni, individuals, families, community members, and friends. The Friends of the Library are donors who support the mission, programs, collections and services of the VCU Libraries. The Friends are committed to helping the VCU Libraries build its resources and collections to provide for the ever-expanding needs of Virginia Commonwealth University's world-class teaching and research missions. Additionally, the Friends fund and promote an exciting series of community lectures and events, including the annual Friends of the Library book sale. Donations made to the VCU Libraries are tax deductible as allowed by law.

Additional information about donor levels and privileges, including borrowing privileges, is available online. Thank you for your support of VCU and the VCU Libraries!

How about replacing all the missing books you have? That would be a great idea. Then maybe, just maybe I wouldn't have to search through 20 books before I found ONE that was available to read.

From: a library user

Patricia Selinger, Head of Preservation replies...

There could be several reasons why the book you are looking for is not on the shelf: someone is currently using it in the library, it is in the reshelving process, it is checked out, it is lost. For these reasons, among others, the VCU Libraries is making a significant investment in electronic books that are not subject to the circulation process and to loss, damage, and theft. The reshelving area on the 3rd floor is a good place to look if you don't find your book on the shelf. Books are picked up throughout the library during the day and brought here along with those received from Circulation. Shelves in the sorting area are labeled with call number ranges for sorting. Books are sorted into call number order onto carts. If the specific book you want is not available, we recommend Interlibrary loan.

Teresa Doherty, Head of Circulation and Information Services, adds...

If a book is listed in the library catalog as being "available," then it should be on the shelf -- not checked out to another patron, or in repair, or on order, for example. If a book isn't on the shelf where it should be, here are some suggestions:

• Check on nearby tables and photocopiers, as other patrons may have been using the book you need.
• Check the reshelving area on the third floor.
• Fill out a "Where's My Book?" tear-off sheet available on the ends of shelving units throughout the library stacks. You can drop the form off at the Circulation service desk on the first floor. Circulation staff will search for the book and let you know when it has been found.
• Patrons can borrow materials from our library consortium partners in the Richmond area. Library staff at the circulation service desk or reference desk can help you check the catalogs of these other libraries and explain how to use a RALC Borrowing Pass (Richmond Academic Library Consortium) to borrow materials from them.
• You can also use our Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery services offered through ILLiad to borrow materials not available through VCU Libraries.

Thanks very much for taking the time to post to the Suggestion Blog. We hope that this response is helpful to you.

I am trying to locate a textbook I can use while I am waiting for the one I ordered to arrive. I think it would be SUPER helpful if the libraries had textbooks that students could use AT the library (so a student doesn't check it out for weeks)for situations like this or if a student couldn't afford textbooks, etc. I saw the library carries my Immunobiology book but it is checked out until NOVEMBER! That is almost the entire semester which is completely unhelpful to other students. I am specifically looking for a graduate school class textbook: Microbiology 7th edition Prescott, Harley and Klein

From: a graduate student

Lynne Turman, Head Tompkins-McCaw Library Collections replies...

VCU Libraries has a long-standing policy of not purchasing course textbooks. Course textbooks change from year to year and become outdated quickly. Sometimes a text that has been purchased for the Libraries collection is later adopted as a course textbook. If one student checks out this book, the remainder of the students in the course will not have access. VCU Libraries provides Course Reserve Services to help with this problem. Faculty can request that the VCU Libraries copy of a text be placed on Reserve and can choose the time period for each loan - from 2 hours to 7 days. Instructor or department owned textbooks can also be placed on Reserve. More information on Course Reserve Services is available on the web at http://www.library.vcu.edu/reserves/

I am a student within the sciences and was wondering what has to happen in order for a new journal to be added either electronically or within the library. Global Biogeochemical sciences is a great journal and yet we do not have access to it. Thanks!

From: a graduate student

Ronke Lawal, Collection Librarian for Engineering and Science, replies...

Thank you for your suggestion. Materials in any format may be requested by submitting the Purchase Suggestion Form located on the VCU Libraries Web site. We take requests from our community very seriously. Many factors must be considered in the decision to subscribe to a journal, including relevance to the curriculum, reputation, accessibility, and cost. Because of budget limitations, we are not able to subscribe to all resources that faculty and students request. However, your request will definitely be considered. Once again, thank you for your interest in VCU Libraries.

Hello to all! I would like to make a suggestion on computer availability at JBCL. I do use the statistics page to watch for available computers throughout the day, which I have to admit that it is a very cool solution! Therefore using Twitter or text messaging type of system to get update on availability of computers will be useful. For instance, users can text "JBCL FLOOR 1" and send it to a number so they can get info at that moment.So nobody has to be cussing around because there is no available computer to work on paper/homework,etc.

From: an undergraduate student

Jimmy Ghaphery, Head of Library Information Systems, replies...

We are glad that you are enjoying and using the Computer Availability system. The system is powered by LabStats, a commercial software product, and it is run by our colleagues in VCU Technology Services. At present, LabStats does not have text message or RSS functionality. Your suggestion is a very good one, and we have shared it with Technology Services. We will certainly keep this in mind for the future.

Karen Cary, Head of Collection Management, replies...

Thank you for taking the time to send your comments and suggestions. Your observations about library space and print journals and magazines housed on the first floor of Cabell Library are well taken. In fact, the online format is the default for all journals and magazines received by VCU Libraries. Generally, whenever the electronic format is available for a title and the cost is not prohibitive, the online format is selected. Print titles are scrutinized on a regular basis for the availability of an electronic format. As these are discovered, titles are converted from print to the online form. Currently, there are still many publishers that do not provide their journals in an online format.

In time, more and more publishers may decide to issue their journals and magazines electronically. We will continue to migrate journals and magazines to the online form as this change takes place. Again, thank you for your interest in VCU Libraries.