Vol. XVI, no. 2 THE LIBRARY AT TUSCULUM COLLEGE November/December 2005

Happy Holidays

The entire library staff wishes each of you and your families the most wonderful of holidays and a happy new year.

New Books/Videos:

A total of  322  new books were added in October-November and may be reviewed on our latest new book list :http://library.tusculum.edu/newbooksoctnovdec2005.htm. 

We continue to add copious quantities of new books and videos to the library’s collections in both Greeneville and Knoxville. These can all be ascertained from our online catalog and our new book lists.

In early 2006 after we all come back from Christmas, the library will, once more,  seek  bulk recommendations from  faculty for those  book and video titles to be acquired in the 0607 school year. It is not too early for you to begin thinking about items you may wish to suggest.

 For the benefit of new folks, our annual procedure is this. The library  receives most of its recommendations for titles to be added to the circulating book or video collections  in  lists provided by faculty, via their  schools and divisions, around  graduation day in early May. It  then orders the titles as soon as the new budget is available during the summer and spends the  remainder of the year  receiving materials and cataloging them. The exact process, dates, funding levels, etc.  is communicated when the call goes out in January.

As always, should you want to recommend  particular items outside the spring schedule, you are invited to do so via the “Recommendation for Purchase” form on the library’s home page  http://library.tusculum.edu/facpurchaserecommend.html

We are continuing to work with our automated system to develop a way by which all faculty can be notified when new titles, that they have requested, arrive. That procedure is being Beta tested at the moment. If it works, we hope to have it fully in place and communicated  in the next school year. In the spring in old days, faculty filled out and sent us little request cards for acquisitions. We’d get a max of maybe 35-50 cards.  Once the items were in and processed, we just sent back  the cards with  the call #  information penciled in.  Given our growth as an institution, electronics, and the fact that we are no longer ordering just a few books every year for one rickety old building,  the  ways of the past must give way.

Associate Librarian of Congress Visits:

Deanna Marcum, the Associate Librarian of Congress for Public Service and our national library’s CEO, visited Greeneville  on November 11 in conjunction with the annual meeting of ACA Library Directors (see next item). Her address contained several references to libraries like Tusculum’s “on the cutting edge” and she was most

 complementary of our new facility.

ACA Library Directors:

  The library directors from the 35 member institutions of the Appalachian College Association held their 2005 annual conference in Greeneville. They were here in celebration of our new building. Although most of their meeting occurred at the Comfort Inn,   a tour and  breakout sessions took place here in the library on the evening of November 10. You should know that our library was the envy of all those in attendance from our sister ACA institutions.

 Society of Cicero:

  Jack Smith and Anne Reever were the Society’s speaker on November 8 at 7 p.m. here in the library.  The majority of their talk consisted of a walking tour of the new building, including much of its non-public areas (save offices, of course).  A power point presentation on the library’s history preceded the tour and refreshments were served at its conclusion.

Two Notes from Mr. Tunstall:

  Class Visits:

We are having an increasing number of class visits to the Information Commons.  To ensure your class will be accommodated, please call in advance as soon as possible.

  Information Literacy and ADA:

Our new building is accessible to all users regardless of physical challenges.  However, if there is a situation such as a student on crutches, please notify us, and we will bring our information literacy presentation to your class.

Smith and Reever on the road:

  Jack and Anne presented a visual capsule history of the College library, with special attention to the new building, before the Exchange Club downtown on October 28. This followed presentations made before other local organizations since July. If you belong to a civic group that needs a program, we just may be available. Reever is an actress of note and Smith is a jolly bearded elf whose best season is fast approaching. 

Library Grand Opening:

The remodeled Greeneville library’s Grand Opening was held in the lobby at 10: 30 a.m. on Friday, September 23. A ribbon was cut and appropriate remarks made before a large audience numbering more than 200 people from the Tusculum College community, the local area, and alumni here for Homecoming. The brief ceremony was one of those memorable events in the history of the institution. Full coverage appeared in the Greeneville Sun the next morning.

Use Statistics (September 2005): 

 Website (library only) Visits: 8,745; Subscription database searches (total): 17, 434; Total electronic visits to  The Library at Tusculum College: 26,179.

 Interlibrary Loans:

Greeneville to Knoxville, 0 Knoxville to Greeneville, 0;Greeneville to Gray, 0;  via OCLC from other libraries for both campuses, 18; via ARIEL from other libraries for both campuses, 0. Books by Mail: 0.