Library Hours During Thanksgiving Break

Tuesday, Nov 24	Close at 5 pm
Wednesday, Nov 25	Open 8 am - noon
Thursday - Saturday, Nov 26 - 28	Closed
Sunday, Nov 29	Open at 10 am and resume 24-hour access

Musselman Library Building Hours Calendar

Citation Help 101

It is that time of year where citations abound. Not familiar with the citation style your professor requires? No need to worry! Musselman Library has copies of the major citation style guides including APA, MLA, Turabian and Chicago. Just stop by the Reference Desk and the librarian on duty will be happy to help you!

There are also some great citation formatters available online. Visit the Library homepage and click on Citation Guides to find the citation tool that’s right for you!

Try out a quick and dirty formatter like SourceAid or a power tool like RefWorks. Either one will save you time (and your sanity) when you need to produce a bibliography. Feel free to ask a librarian for a quick tour to get you started.

Return to Wonderland

A fun new exhibit in Special Collections highlights works of poetry, fantasy and adventure, and traditional tales. Included are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1866), Mother Goose nursery rhymes illustrated by Kate Greenaway (1881), and Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (1869). Don't miss it!

It’s paper time…

If you need help getting started – or getting finished – with a research paper or project, remember that librarians are here for you! 

Wanted: Library Intern, Spring 2010

Do you enjoy searching for information and helping people find exactly what they need? Are you contemplating a career in libraries or information science and want to gain some experience?

Then you should consider applying for the Esther Kenyon Fortenbaugh Internship in the Reference & Instruction Department at Musselman Library! This internship provides a great opportunity to learn what it’s like to be a librarian or information specialist.

Students in any major are eligible to apply. The internship is for the Spring Semester 2010 (6-8 hours/week, $8.00/hour). Deadline for applications is 5:00 pm, Monday, November 9, 2009.

For a full job description and application information, please see http://www.gettysburg.edu/library/information/general/internships/students/reference.dot

For more information, contact Jessica Howard at jhoward@gettysburg.edu.

Hours for Reading Days

Musselman Library will be open this weekend … just not as many hours as normal.  Here’s our schedule:

Friday, 10/9 – close at 8 pm
Saturday, 10/10 – open 10 am to 6 pm
Sunday, 10/11 – open 10 am to 6 pm
Monday, 10/12 – open 8 am to 11 pm
Tuesday, 10/13 – open 8 am … resume 24-hour schedule

That’s right, we’re open all night long on Tuesday 10/13.

The Reference Desk closes Friday afternoon at 3:00 pm and reopens on Wednesday morning at 9:00 am.  If you need to consult with a librarian about your research, stop by room 102 on the main floor or ask for a reference librarian at the circulation desk.  The friendly students there can locate someone to help you.  Or, try using our email reference form.  Most of the reference department is away on Monday, 10/12, but we’ll be around on Tuesday to assist you.

Have a restful and/or productive break, whichever one you need the most!

Audiobooks at Musselman Library

Just inside the entrance to Musselman Library, you’ll find a double-sided display of audiobooks – perfect for summertime listening!

Most of our audiobooks are on CD.

However, we have something new to share with you: a growing number of our audiobooks are on a preloaded mp3 device called a Playaway.  Check out the Playaway, plug in your own headphones, and start listening.  The device automatically bookmarks so you can turn it off and resume listening later.  You can also connect the Playaway to speakers or your car speakers (with the appropriate cable).

If you are browsing at the shelf, you’ll know the Playaway titles by their packaging – they are housed in a VHS-sized box.  To find the Playaway titles in MUSCAT, search on keyword “playaway.”  Currently there are 15 Playaway audiobooks in the library and more coming soon. 

Let us know what you think about this new format!  In the future, we would love to offer downloadable audiobooks.  Audible.com has a great platform for audio downloads, but currently they do not offer institutional subscriptions.  We will keep an eye on this company.

Do you have thoughts about audiobooks?  Suggestions?  Please leave us a comment!

Bird’s Eye View – Musselman Library

I’m taking a few minutes to play with software.  It’s pretty easy to use Windows Live Writer to insert maps into blog posts.  Here’s Musselman Library from above.  This shot must have been taken in a dryer time – our grass today is much greener than what you see here.

Discover Other Worlds in Musselman Library

Alumni Weekend is just a week away! If you’re planning on visiting campus that weekend, make sure you stop by the library and check out the many exhibits that are on display. The current exhibit series is titled Discover Other Worlds and includes photographs, maps, wood carvings, and more.


On the Main Floor you will find:

• Life in Miniature: Wood Carvings from Brienz – Wood carvings depicting daily life in nineteenth century Switzerland from the collection of Reverend Frederick S. Weiser, Class of 1957.
  


• Literature of the Telescope – Browse 400 years of books about the telescope, and check out a replica of Galileo’s first modern telescope, all from the collection of Professor Larry Marschall.
  


• 11 Days in Asia – Photographs of Gettysburg College Students from China, Nepal, Singapore, Thailand, India, and the Philippines.
  


• Images of Italy – A photography exhibit by Professor Dan DeNicola, party of the Library’s “Hidden Talents” series highlighting the artistic talents of the Gettysburg College community. Located in the Browsing Room.
  


• Buddhism in the Modern World: Quest for Social and Religious Identity in Southwest China – Photographs by Professor Deborah Sommer. Located in the Apse.

In the Main Stairwell you will find:

• Rediscovering My Country – Images of Kathmandu by Anukul Gurung, Class of 2009, documenting the dramatic rise in poverty and homelessness in his native Nepal.
  

In Special Collections you will find:

• Mapping Other Worlds – Selections from the Stuckenberg Map Collection.

For those who are not able to visit campus, please check out the web versions of these exhibits available on the Library’s website. Enjoy!

Summertime Reference

The semester is officially over and the Musselman Library Reference Desk is closed ... but that doesn't mean reference librarians aren't still here, ready and available to assist with your research!

If you would like to consult with a librarian, feel free to contact us using the Ask a Reference Librarian web form - one of us will respond to you during business hours. If you need help after hours, try using the Ask Here PA 24/7 reference service - friendly librarians from other colleges and universities are standing by ready to help.

If you're in town, Musselman Library is generally open 8:00-4:30 on weekdays during the summer. Ask for a reference librarian at the main desk, or visit us in suite 102 on the main floor - someone is bound to be around on most days. The Library is open additional hours for special occasions (like Alumni Weekend) - check the official calendar to find out if we're open on weekends.

Have a great summer. We'll see you again when classes resume on August 31, 2009!

You’ve gotta read this summer!

Finals aren’t over yet, but the library staff know that you’re dreaming about the summer. Many of you will be busy during the break with jobs, internships, travel, and catching up with friends and family. However, that doesn’t mean you should give up books! You wouldn’t want your mind to turn to mush, right?

To help you all relax and keep your brains in working order, we encourage you to take full advantage of Musselman Library’s summer reading list. The list is easy to find on the library homepage, or you can link to it directly at http://www.gettysburg.edu/dotAsset/2535704.pdf.
Books and films have been selected by faculty, staff, and your fellow students, so you know they’ve got to be good.

Have a spectacular summer! For those of you who are graduating, we’ve loved working with you for the past four years – may you be successful in your future endeavors. As for the rest of you, we’ll see you in the fall!

Finals Hours and Study Break

Finals are almost here! The library is getting busier and students are hard at work throughout the library. Musselman Library will be trying to help ease finals anxiety by extending hours and holding a finals study break.

Can't wait till May 5th to celebrate Cinco de Mayo? Come to the library on the 4th for a Cinco de Mayo study break!
When: May 4th 8:00pm - 10:00pm
Where: Library, back patio
*Rain location: Library Media Theater (Room 18)
Take a break from studying and de-stress for a while while enjoying some free ice cream and snacks, playing some games and listening to music! Bring your friends!

Library Finals Week Hours
Friday, May 1st, Close at 11pm
Saturday, May 2nd, Open at 10am and begin 24 hour access
The library won't close again until Saturday, May 9th at 5pm
Sunday, May 10th, Closed
Monday, May 11th, Open 8am - 4:30pm

Research Help - 911!!

The semester may be coming to a close, but we know students are just gearing up for end-of-year papers and exams. Here are some quick survival tips!

Need help with your research during the wee hours of the night? Musselman Library now has access to "Ask Here PA," a state-wide reference service that provides users with access to a librarian 24/7. What does this mean for you? It's simple! If you have a burning research question when the reference desk is not staffed (10:00pm-9:00am), simply connect to Ask Here PA from the "Ask a Librarian" link off the library website and a helpful librarian from somewhere in the region or across the country who is staffing the 24 hour service will be able to help.

Citations, citations, citations! If you need help formatting citations for a paper, check out the Musselman Library "Citation Guide." This guide provides helpful links to several online citation manuals for commonly used styles (MLA, Turabian, APA, etc.). Students also love using SourceAid which builds citations for you. Give it a try!

It’s National Library Week!

That’s right, April 12 – 19 is a week designated specifically to celebrate libraries and all they have to offer! Stop by Musselman Library to check out the display behind the reference desk featuring books, CDs and DVDs that relate to this year’s National Library Week theme: Worlds Connect at Your Library. Captain Picard will also be on hand with a few new facts about the library every day.

We will continue our observance of National Library Week with a Cake Break on Thursday, April 16 at 3:00pm. Everyone is invited to take a break, relax and enjoy some cake in the library.

Celebrate National Library Week with your library!