Library Suggestion Blog

Purchase suggestion: Living in storms : contemporary poetry and the moods of manic-depression by Thom Schramm Type: Book Language: English Publisher: Spokane, Wash. : Eastern Washington University Press, 2008. ISBN: 9781597660310 1597660310 OCLC: 166378618 Related Subjects: American poetry -- 21st century. | Manic-depressive illness -- Poetry.
From: An interested student

Kevin Farley, PhD, Collection Librarian for the Humanities, responds....
Thank you for your recent suggestion to add Living in Storms: Contemporary Poetry and the Moods of Manic Depression, by Thom Schramm, to the literature collection at James Branch Cabell Library. The intersection of literature and medicine -- art and healing -- is an increasingly important focus of literary studies. This book has been just recently published, and since it is from a university press (Eastern Washington University) we will be happy to add it to the collection when our ordering cycle resumes this coming July.

We welcome suggestions for enhancing the collections. You can also make suggestions using our Purchase Suggestion Form online.

Posted by Donna E. Coghill at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Provide better instructions for staff to access the Safari online books from the catalog. I can't find any way to access the full versions of the books, but according to the catalog, I, as a staff member, can get them online. Very frustrating.
From: a staff member

Lynne U. Turman, Head, Tompkins-McCaw Library Collections, replies...
Thank you for your interest in using Safari Books. This is a new collection of electronic books on all aspects of computers, programming and the web. You can find the titles listed in the VCU Libraries Catalog or go to the list of Databases A to Z and look for Safari Online Books.

Search tip: try using the Catalog tab marked eResources and type your topic into the search box along with the word "safari." For instance, "java and safari" will retrieve a list of over 50 titles! Choose your title and click on the link for Internet access. From off-campus you will be prompted for your VCU eID information, then you will be instantly taken to the opening page of the book. The table of contents will appear on the left and you can jump to a specific section or chapter. Alternatively, you can click on the button marked Start Reading Online to view the full content from the beginning. On each page you will see other options for navigating, such as Text Zoom and Previous/Next Page. You can also turn the pages virtually by clicking along the borders of each page.

Thanks for contacting us with your question. We hope you will enjoy using this new collection of ebooks!

Posted by Donna E. Coghill at 2:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The occupational therapy department at VCU recently started it's distance education occupational therapy doctorate (OTD) program. It has been frustrating to the OTD students that the major journals in our field (American Journal of Occupational Therapy, Occupational Therapy Journal of Reserach, and Occupational Therapy International) are not available electronically. While Illiad is a great system for ordering articles, they do not always make it to the students quick enough to incorporate into dicussions or assignments. What are the chances of getting access to these journals electronically in the near future?
From: Stacey Reynolds, faculty

Lynne Turman, Head of Tompkins-McCaw Library Collections responds....
VCU Libraries is aggressively building its collection of online journal titles to meet the needs of all students and faculty in our Schools. The shift from a primarily print collection to an electronic one incurs additional expense as publishers often charge more for the online version of a journal. We attempt to monitor new distance learning programs and plan for changes to our journal subscriptions but cannot always provide an online version due to budgetary constraints. Distance education students can request copies of articles at no charge through the Illiad service.

In the case of the 3 titles you mentioned, I am pleased to report that all of these will become available online in January, 2007. Until that time, you should continue to use Illiad to request needed articles.

Posted by Donna E. Coghill at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is to suggest the university library to acquire the following new book: A Java Library of Graph Algorithms and Optimization by Hang T. Lau, published by CRC Press, October 2006, ISBN: 1584887184. The book provides a most valuable library of computer programs for researchers in mathematical sciences and engineering, solving problems in graph theory and optimization.
From: R. Miller

Ibironke Lawal, Collection Librarian for Engineering and Science, replies....
Thank you for your suggestion to acquire A Java Library of Graph Algorithms and Optimization. This new title already had been slated for our collection and should arrive on the shelves of Cabell Library in the near future. Our Collection Management department is always eager for purchase ideas via the Purchase Suggestion Form. Please let us know if there are additional new titles you would like us to consider adding to our collections.

Posted by Donna E. Coghill at 3:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I would like to suggest/request that the library subscribe to the Journal "Autophagy". This is a hot new area of research and this is the flagship journal. The website is online here.
From: Steve Paugh, graduate student

Lynne Turman, Head ofTompkins-McCaw Library Collections responds....
Thank you for the suggestion to add Autophagy to the VCU Libraries journal collection. Many factors go into the decision to subscribe to a particular journal title, including reputation, journal impact factor, cost, relevance to our curriculum, etc. Because of budget limitations, we are not able to subscribe to all journals in a specific subject area or all journals from a particular publisher. However, we are very interested in hearing your suggestions for titles, especially in new areas of research. A personal subscription for Autophagy is available for a reasonable cost of $59, but the institutional rate that VCU Libraries would pay is significantly higher -- $750 for the web version with no paper copy.

We will place this title into consideration for new journals in the future, depending on budget allocations. In the meantime, please take advantage of the ILLiad service to obtain copies of needed articles.

Posted by Donna E. Coghill at 4:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A more extensive collection of books on CD/Audio. I go home every weekend and I'd really like to enjoy a book on the way there and back, and I definitly do NOT want to listen to Shakespeare on Route 95!!
From: Jennifer, undergraduate student

VCU Libraries Humanities Librarian Kevin Farley replies . . . .
VCU Libraries strives to provide the maximum support possible for the University's academic programs, which represent a multi-disciplinary and diverse curriculum. Collection decisions will always be curriculum-defined, with collecting emphases evolving as academic programs change and develop. This includes supporting the needs of undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs, and supporting the academic community in carrying out teaching and research activities. Unfortunately, current budget constraints preclude the collection of audio books other than those that are directly supporting a curriculum. It is also not uncommon for academic libraries to have few audio books. Public libraries, however, often emphasize the collection of audio books as one of their most popular formats for borrowing. While VCU Libraries has very few unabridged books on tape, we do have approximately 800 spoken word recordings on cassette, most of which are short works that would be highly suitable for commuting, such as poetry, plays, lectures, and conference proceedings.

An additional comment was supplied by Beth Burton, Manager, Circulation and Information Services ....
I wanted to make you aware of a great service offered by VCU Libraries that still might meet your needs for information and entertainment on your trips home—for free!

While VCU Libraries does not have a great collection of audio books, there are ways to take advantage of other libraries' collections, at no cost to you, and with very little inconvenience. The service is called Interlibrary Loan (also referred to as ILLiad). Stop by, call, or email the Circulation and Information Services Desk or the Research and Reference Desk at Cabell Library, and we’ll show you the simple process that can get you the audio books you’re looking for by using ILLiad.

Posted by Donna E. Coghill at 3:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I have been needing to gain access to many Nature Reviews Neuroscience articles. I don't understand why we don't have access to all Nature Reviews journals. Could you please look into this so that I do not have to request these items via ILliad? Electronic access to the Journal of Neuroscience is also limited. Thank you.
From: Igor Barani, staff

Lynne U. Turman, Head, Tompkins-McCaw Library Collections, responds....
Thank you for contacting us with your comments. I am pleased to tell you that VCU Libraries has access to both of these journal titles. Through our participation in VIVA, the Virtual Library of Virginia, we have access to all 7 of the Nature Reviews series, including Neuroscience, back to their inception. We also subscribe to the electronic version of Journal of Neuroscience back to volume 1, 1981.

You can connect to either of these journals through the Library Catalog or the E-Journals link on the Libraries homepage. If you experience any difficulty with accessing the titles, please contact the Service Desk at Tompkins-McCaw Library at 804-828-0636. Thank you again for taking the time to send us your comments.

Posted by Donna E. Coghill at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I would like to suggest that the medical library carry electronic subscription to Radiotherapy and Oncology journal. Also, is it possible that the library can have more than a single copy of Holland and Frie's Cancer Medicine ed. 7? Thank you. Sincerely, Igor Barani, M.D.
From: Igor Barani, staff

Lynne Turman, Head ofTompkins-McCaw Library Collections responds....
Thank you for contacting VCU Libraries with your comments. We appreciate your feedback about library services and collections. I have some good news for you regarding Radiotherapy and Oncology. We already subscribe to the electronic edition of this title and you have access to issues back through 1995. You can locate the electronic version by searching the Library Catalog or by clicking on the E-Journals link in the right hand section of the VCU Libraries home page.

The Holland-Frei Cancer Medicine text is currently on order for Tompkins-McCaw Library. The book has been received and is presently being processed for the shelves. You can request that we expedite the processing and place it on hold for you by using a new feature in our Library Catalog. After you look up the title, there will be a link that says "Request this item." You will be prompted for your VCU eID in order to use this service. And you can check on the status of your request at anytime by using My Library Record. As for ordering a second copy, we do not normally purchase multiple copies of book titles because of the expense. In this case, the book costs $290 and a second copy would mean that we could not purchase additional titles in this subject area. If you are teaching a course that will use this book heavily, you might want to consider requesting that we place it on Course Reserve for the semester. The form for this service is available online. Also, we have a Recall service that allows you to ask that checked-out material be returned before the due date. Information and details about this service are located online.

Finally, our Collection Management department is always eager for purchase ideas via the Purchase Request Form. Please let us know if there are additional new titles you would like to have us consider adding to our collections.

I hope this satisfactorily addresses your comments. And again, thank you for taking the time to send us your comments.

Posted by Donna E. Coghill at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey- the music CD collection here at Cabell is really improving lately--thanks! Do you plan to buy CDs produced by the VCU Music faculty, such as Rex Richardson and others? If you haven't considered doing that, please do!
From: A VCU faculty member

Kevin Farley, Collection Librarian for the Humanities, responds....
Thank you for your supportive comment about the Jazz holdings at VCU Libraries - we have been working very hard to improve this collection in the last year or so. We are especially interested in collecting recordings by VCU faculty members in the Department of Music, and will acquire the recordings you suggest when our ordering season resumes in July. Again, thank you for your encouragement and support, and please let us know if your have more suggestions and requests for enhancing this important collection.

Posted by Donna E. Coghill at 2:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Our lab recently published an article in the journal Mammalian Genome ;
however, we do not have university access to this journal through the
Springer site, even though we have access to most other Springer
publications. Could you please consider subscribing to this journal?
Additionally, I have had to request two articles this year from the
same journal through ILLIAD. Perhaps we could subscribe just to the
online version?

From: Kathryn Shows

Dr. Shows --
Thank you for the suggestion to add Mammalian Genome to the VCU Libraries journal collections. 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 title, including reputation, journal impact factor, cost, relevance to our curriculum, etc. Because of budget limitations, we are not able to subscribe to all journals in a specific subject area or all journals from a particular publisher. The cost for a subscription to Mammalian Genome is almost $1200 this year.

We will place this title into consideration for new journals in the future, depending on budget allocations. In the meantime, please continue to take advantage of the ILLiad service to obtain copies of needed articles. If we can be of further assistance to you in identifying similar titles already in our collections, please contact us.

--
Lynne U. Turman, Head, TML Collections
Tompkins-McCaw Library, VCU Libraries

Posted by at 8:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)