Library Hours: Winter Break

Ashland University Library closes at 4:00 pm on Friday and will be closed Saturday, December 19th through Monday, January 4th for Holiday Break.

Ashland University Offices are also following a holiday schedule.


We wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and joyous holiday season.

Library Hours: Dec. 11 - 19

Today begins the library's winter break schedule.

The library is open 8 am to 5 pm on Thursday (12/10) and Friday (12/11) this week  and is closed Saturday (12/12) and Sunday (12/13).

Our hours for the week of December 13th-19th:


Monday through Thursday, 8 am to 5 pm
Friday, 8 am to 4 pm
Closed Saturday and Sunday

Please visit the library web site for a complete schedule of our hours during this time.

Library Hours Update

Just a quick reminder, extended hours end this evening, Wednesday (12/9). The library will remain open until 2:00 a.m. providing study and work space for interested students. A complete extended hours calendar is available on the library hours page.

OhioLINK Servers Back Up

OhioLINK reports that the servers that had been down are now up and all databases should be accessible.  Students who are unable to get to an OhioLINK database should clear the cache of their browser.  If the problem continues, see the Security Updates message below.

Security Updates & OhioLINK

"Some patrons have been reporting problems with connecting to the OhioLINK website from off-campus or remotely. This may be related to some recent security updates we have made to our authentication service to patch security holes that were recently identified. If you are trying to connect to electronic resources such as ejournals or ebooks, and are unable to get authenticated, you [may] need to do a Windows update."

"You will need to check your Windows update status and make sure you have downloaded and installed all of the latest security updates, especially those related to your browser. You are not required to upgrade to IE8 or the latest version of your preferred browser, but you may want to do that. However to access our resources you but must apply all security updates. Until these are installed you will not be able to authenticate." -- OhioLINK, December 8, 2009, at 06:10 PM

If you need assistance doing a Windows update, contact the library at 419-289-5402 or library@ashland.edu.

OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center and Databases

Some OhioLINK databases and the Electronic Journal Center are down on campus, while off campus the OhioLINK login is down altogether.  OhioLINK is working on the problem.

Most databases remain accessible from the AU Library web pages, but "Find It" links from them to the EJC return a message that the EJC is "probably too busy right now."

Extended Hours Continue

Extended hours continue through Wednesday (12/9); the library open at our regular time and remain open until 2:00 a.m. providing study and work space for interested students. A complete extended hours calendar is available on the library hours page:

Week of December 6th

Sunday, December 6th, 1:00 pm to 2:00 am

Monday, December 7th - Wednesday, December 9th

7:45 am to 2:00 am

Extended hours do not apply to the Instructional Resource Center (IRC), library second floor. Color printing will not be available during extended hours.



Ashland University Library wishes everyone success on the end of year studies and exams.

LexisNexis Printing Problem Resolved

LexisNexis reports that "the problem that prevented users from printing in LN Academic has been resolved. We apologize for the interruption of print capability at such a busy time."  If you have further problems, please let us know at library@ashland.edu or 419-289-5402.

LexisNexis Academic Printing Problem

"There is a problem affecting the printing formatting service across LexisNexis right now. The issue has been assigned a very high priority and I expect that it will be corrected within hours."--Alistair Morrison, LexisNexis Academic & Library Solutions

Although both printing and downloading are affected, it appears that one can e-mail documents from LexisNexis and then open and print the e-mailed documents.

Extended Hours

It's time! Monday, November 30th, the library will begin it's extended hours schedule opening at our regular time and remaining open until 2:00 a.m. providing study and work space for interested students. A complete extended hours calendar is available on the library hours page:

Week of November 30th

Monday, November 30th - Thursday, December 3rd

7:45 am to 2:00 am

Week of December 6th

Sunday, December 6th, 1:00 pm to 2:00 am

Monday, December 7th - Wednesday, December 9th

7:45 am to 2:00 am

Extended hours do not apply to the Instructional Resource Center (IRC), library second floor. Color printing will not be available during extended hours. Ashland University Library wishes everyone success on the end of year studies and exams.

Food for Fines

Help support the Ashland County Food Bank and lower your library fines!

Monday, November 30th through Friday, December 11th, you will get 50 cents off any non-OhioLINK fine for each non-perishable food item you bring to the library. All food donations will go to the Ashland County Food Bank.

Library Hours Update

Library Hours Thanksgiving Break

Wednesday, November 25th
Library Closes 4 pm

Thursday, November 26th - Saturday, November 28th
Library Closed

Sunday, November, 29th
Library Open 6:00 pm to Midnight

Enjoy your holiday break and remember, extended hours begin Monday, November 30th!

OhioLINK: EBC

OhioLINK Update:

Both the Electronic Books Center and the EAD Finding Aid Repository should be back up and functioning now. Please report any new problems with the service you may find. -- Zoe Stewart-Marshall, OhioLINK

OhioLINK: EBC

The OhioLINK Electronic Book Center is offline at the moment. A support ticket has been opened with OARnet and they are addressing the problem. Hopefully, it will be up shortly. -- Anita Cook

OhioLINK: EBC

OhioLINK Facebook Page: "We are aware that the Electronic Book Center has been unavailable since about 10am. Engineers are working on the problem however we do not have an estimated time for resolution of the problem. We apologize for the interruption in service."

You can follow OhioLINK on Twitter! Visit them @ http://www.twitter.com/ohiolink

Update: "As of about 1:50 pm on Friday the EBC is again available."

OhioLINK: QuickSearch

The following problem with OhioLINK's Quicksearch has been reported:

"We are again having problems with Quicksearch.

Symptom - the software appears to be working. You enter a search and it goes off and seems to search but consistently yields no results.

Whatever you put in as your search string is not being passed to the search function so it fails to function.

... Please direct your patrons to Academic Search Complete or the Electronic Journal Center directly. And we apologize for the inconvenience." -- OhioLINK, Zoe Stewart-Marshall

OhioLINK: Services Restored

OhioLINK on Facebook: All services have been restored as of 3am Monday. Please report any problems to support@ohiolink.edu.

OhioLINK: Service Interruption

From the OhioLINK What's New Blog:

"A networking problem took all the OhioLINK services offline on Sunday afternoon. As of 6pm, all services were restored with the exception of access to the BIOSIS, PsycINFO and ERIC databases. We have engineers working on the problem but do not yet have an estimate of when the problem will be resolved. We will post updates as needed." -- OhioLINK, Zoe Stewart-Marshall

OhioLINK Services Up & Running

As of 6:00, most OhioLINK services are back up and available. Thanks for your patience.

OhioLINK Service Unavailable Sunday Afternoon

ALL OhioLINK services are unavailable as of 3:10pm Sunday afternoon. This includes the OhioLINK book catalog, Electronic Journal Center (EJC) and EJC links from other databases. OhioLINK is working to troubleshoot the problem. We will update as more information becomes available.

OhioLINK: Services Restored

OhioLINK's Facebook page (12 am):

"All services are back up and available. Please report any problems you experience to support@ohiolink.edu. Thank you for your patience as we worked through the hardware issues."

OhioLINK: EJC Update

From the OhioLINK Facebook Page:

"As of 7:15p on Thursday, all services except for the Electronic Journal Center are back up and working."

OhioLINK: EJC Down

Database Update OhioLINK

"As of 4:25pm Thursday, the EJC is down due to a hardware problem. We have engineers looking at the problem. We will post updates when and as necessary."

"The same problem has made many of the OSearch databases unavailable also. It appears that PsycINFO, ERIC, and Biological Abstracts/BIOSIS are up. All other OSearch databases are currently down."

Update: Journal Access in AU Library Catalog

Systems Librarian Jan Marotta reports that catalog access of the library's current electronic journal collection has been restored. A significant number of behind-the-scenes tasks remain, however users will find the collection functional. Please feel free to contact the library if you find problem links in the catalog.

Thank you for your continued patience.

Library Spotlight: Reference Area

The newest edition to the library main floor reorganization project is our reference area! Located next to the reference collection, this easily accessible dedicated reference and information station makes it easy to work with an AU librarian in a comfortable setting.

Questions about research? Problems with a locating information for an assignment? Finding help in the library is easy; pull up a chair and spend some quality time working with a reference librarian.

Library Spotlight: Display Cases

There are a number of display cases throughout the library providing information to users about campus activities and various library collections. New to the library is a display case in the basement located directly outside of the elevators. The current display, Ohio's Native Voices, was created by Serials & Technical Services Assistant Karin Hootman and features Native American Tribes in Ohio.

Library Catalog & Journal Access

Many thanks to users who are continuing to report broken links within the library catalog. We are working diligently to restore catalog access points to journals and electronic books and understand the frustration this process is causing.

Access to research databases using Journals A to Z, LibGuides, and the library's Databases by Title web page is fully restored for users on and off campus.


Journal Access & AU Library Catalog

• Restoration of access to 74,000+ journal links from the library catalog is in progress.
• Records are being restored in batches of 5,000 and over 15,000 records have been loaded thus far.
• We anticipate the process will be complete within the next six to eight weeks.

Electronic Books & AU Library Catalog

• We are continuing to restore access to our e-book collection from the library catalog.
• There are currently 46,000+ e-books in the catalog from different vendors.
• It is anticipated full access to e-books in the catalog will be restored by the end of the term.

Library Hours

A quick reminder, library hours are incorrectly posted on two pages within the new university web site, please note our regular fall hours have not changed:

• Monday - Thursday: 7:45 am to Midnight
• Friday: 7:45 am to 5:00 pm
• Saturday: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
• Sunday: 1:00 pm to Midnight

Thank you for your continued patience.

Log in questions?

We have had questions regarding the web site login option located in the gold bar, top right corner of each web site page (see green arrow). This is not the login for library database access.

This login is a component of the new university web site, it allows users to personalize their web site experience. Select the login option to view the User Account page; enter your AU Username and corresponding password and log in.


After login, you will be directed to the tab and information best suited for your needs. Students will see the Current Students tab and Faculty & Staff their information page. Remember, the library is a direct link below online resources for current students!


If you are using a public access computer, feel free to log out after you have finished. On your personal computer, it will generally remember your login. Keep in mind, this particular login option is for the web site, not library databases. Off campus users will continue to authenticate using traditional means.

Update: Off Campus Authentication

The library database authentication page, a necessary component for off campus use of Ashland University Library and OhioLINK resources, has been successfully updated to reflect the new University web site. Users accessing databases from off campus are immediately directed to the log in via the library proxy server (see image below).


To authenticate, enter your Ashland University ID number (without the "au-" prefix) and your last name. Upon completion, you will be directed to your database or electronic book selection.

Problems? Help is available directly from the blog. Feel free to contact us using the blog chat widget, any of library help quick links in the sidebar, or call the reference desk @ x5402.

AU Library Catalog: E-Books & Journal Access

Journal Access & AU Library Catalog

• Restoration of access to 74,000+ journal links from the library catalog has begun.
• Records are being restored in batches of 5,000 each morning before the library opens.
• We anticipate the process will be complete within the next six to eight weeks.

Remember, access to research databases using Journals A to Z, LibGuides, and the library's Databases by Title web page is fully restored for users on and off campus.

Electronic Books & AU Library Catalog

• We are continuing to restore access to our e-book collection from the library catalog.
• There are currently 46,000+ e-books in the catalog from different vendors.
• It is anticipated full access to e-books in the catalog will be restored by the end of the term.

Looking for an e-book? We recommend starting with the E-book web page. Remember, access to OhioLINK's electronic book collection is possible from the AU library catalog and the library's E-Books web page.

Library Hours

A quick reminder, library hours are incorrectly posted on two pages within the new university web site, please note our regular fall hours have not changed:

• Monday - Thursday: 7:45 am to Midnight
• Friday: 7:45 am to 5:00 pm
• Saturday: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
• Sunday: 1:00 pm to Midnight

Thank you for your continued patience.

Library web site news

The library is now one giant step closer for users! Students may now access the library directly from the online resources menu.

Main AU web site > to

Current Students > to

View Online Resources, Library

Quick Links Menu

Academic Search Complete and The Chronicle of Higher Education, both located on the Quick Links menu on the library web site and library web site students, are currently incorrect.

These resources remains available, please use the library's Databases by Title page for quick access to all of our databases. Thank you for your continued patience.

Update: 10/21/09 @ 3:00 pm - Links have been restored.

Finding Help

HELP! is back ...

A HELP! link has been added to the Library more information site below the About the Library. The link will take users to the help page index detailing various help resources offered by the library.

At this time, our traditional help links will remain on the library blog sidebar for easy access.

Finding Help

Library help pages remain absent from the collection of links on the library more information page. In addition to placing our popular chat widget on the blog sidebar, we have added links to the various help pages.

With the help links, back by popular demand, is "My library account." Remember, in addition to this helpful link, it is possible at any time to renew books online from the library catalog by choosing View Your Library Record and Renew Items.

Library Hours

A quick reminder, library hours are incorrectly posted on two pages within the new university web site, please note our regular fall hours have not changed:

• Monday - Thursday: 7:45 am to Midnight
• Friday: 7:45 am to 5:00 pm
• Saturday: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
• Sunday: 1:00 pm to Midnight

Thank you for your continued patience. We are working diligently to submit help tickets necessary for corrections and appreciate everyone who has contacted us regarding problems with the site.

Resources by Subject (LibGuides) Links Now Working

Links to research databases and individual articles found within our Resources by Subject Guides (LibGuides) are now working. You again have full access to these resources both on and off-campus. If you run across any problems or links not working properly please contact us at the library.

Thank you for your patience.

Journals by title

Access to Journals by Title, the Journals A to Z information portal providing information to journal availability within the Ashland University Library database collection, has been restored. It is once again possible to enter a journal or periodical title into the search engine and learn which database may contain the collection.

We are confident this resource works on campus. At this time, off campus access has not been investigated. If you have problems using Journals by Title from an off campus location, please be sure to let us know.

Update: database access

Electronic Books & AU Library Catalog: On and off campus access to electronic books, from the library's E-Books web page, has been restored. Access to OhioLINK's electronic book collection is possible from the AU library catalog and the library's E-Books web page. We are continuing to trouble-shoot electronic book access from other vendors via the library catalog and recommend searches for electronic books begin with the E-book web page.

Databases Access & Searching: Access to all databases from on and off campus has been restored, please begin any database search from the library's database by title page. If you are having problems linking to the databases, please refresh your browser and try again.

Feel free to contact us regarding database access from either of these resources. We continue to work with database problems within LibGuides, the Library Catalog, E-Res (electronic reserves), and Journals by Title.

Chat from the Blog!

We have added the chat function to our blog sidebar!

Please feel free to use this chat widget in addtion to the those placed in LibGuides and on the library help page. If chat happens to be off line, leave a message (if you need an answer be sure to include contact information) or stop back again soon.

Missing Help Pages

It has come to our attention links to essential library help, including the popular Ask Us! chat page, are not currently available on the new web site. Please be assured even though direct access to the information was eliminated, the pages remain.

• Ask a Librarian
• Ask Us! Chat with a Librarian
• Connecting to Library Resources from Off-Campus
• Library FAQ's
• OhioLINK Requests
• Schedule a Research Appointment
• Finding Help in the Library

We hope to be able to rectify this problem once access to content is released back to the library. Remember, chat options are available throughout LibGuides.

Off campus access

Removal of the old university web site style sheet has significantly altered presentation of information on the database authentication page. What is the authentication page? Anyone using an AU database from off campus is sent to this page for authentication purposes to verify their rights to the information. While the layout is without structure, page functionality remains intact.

To authenticate, enter your Ashland University ID number (without au-) and your last name. After the process is complete, you will be directed to your selected database.

Blog Comments Open

If you have questions or concerns, or need help with any of the resources discussed in these blog posts, we have opened blog comments to help us quickly facilitate the process.

Library Resources

Our thanks to everyone who has called, emailed, and taken time to come to the library regarding access to library databases and information. We have created a short handout that illustrates the necessary steps for locating resources to assist your students: Finding Library Resources.

From the main university web site, it's a four step process:

1. Choose the current students tab
2. From the purple navigation bar, select academics
3. On the left-hand side of the page, choose library (grey box)
4. Lastly, choose "more information" from the same left navigation bar to view

Feel free to distribute this information to your students. As always, we welcome your suggestions, comments, and concerns.

Off campus access

An issue that continues to affect users both on and off campus is the proxy, or authentication process, used by the library to verify users are permitted access to resources. As detailed yesterday, links to databases from the library content management sytem, LibGuides, are in the process of being updated.

LibGuides currently houses sixty individual information portals created to supplement library instruction, specific course needs, and often general information for colleges. Each of these portals contains anywhere between three and ten individual pages with links to databases, articles, electronic reserves, electronic books, and the library catalog. Any link requiring authentication will need to be updated. In some cases, this may be done automatically.

In addition to LibGuides, other applications may be effected. Please note the updated information displayed below:

• Electronic Books: Access from our E-Books page has not been updated. We recommend you go straight to the OhioLINK web page to access E-Books. You will be asked to authenticate.
• AU Library Catalog: Access to databases and electronic books from the library catalog are currently being updated, but you may have problems.
• Electronic Reserves (E-Res): Students being directed to articles in library databases may have problems. Please contact E-Res manager Judi Humphrey @ x5400 with questions.
• Journals A to Z: It is possible to use this resource for locating electronic versions of specific journals housed in available databases. However, all links from this page are proxy bound and currently unavilable. Use the link to find the journal, then go back to the database by title page to access the information.

Electronic Reserves: E-Res

Changes to the proxy server have effected electronic reserve links directing students to specific articles within available databases. If you are having problems connecting to database articles in E-Res, please contact electronic reserves manager Judi Humphrey (x5400).

As with the LibGuides issue, we are working to resolve all of the proxy changes in these distance learning resources.

Library Hours Incorrect

Library hours are listed incorrectly on two pages within the new university web site, please note our regular fall hours have not changed:

• Monday - Thursday: 7:45 am to Midnight
• Friday: 7:45 am to 5:00 pm
• Saturday: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
• Sunday: 1:00 pm to Midnight

Thank you for your continued patience. We are working diligently to correct errors and appreciate everyone who has contacted us regarding problems with the site.

Links to Research Databases Not Working

We have discovered that the links to our research databases from our Resource Guides (LibGuides) as well as from our AU Library Catalog are no longer working. There has been a proxy change and we are currently working to update and resolve this issue.

In order to access our research databases and continue with your research use this link to our Databases by Title list. If you have any questions or difficulty don't hesitate to contact us at 419-289-4502.
Thank you for your patience.

Library Web Site

If you have the library web site book-marked, you are aware it is currently a dead end for users. Further exploration reveals there are significant issues with the library site within in the new university site. We have sent help tickets to IT with hopes of rectifying the situation quickly.

The good news, our information is still available! Please use the following links for databases, the catalog, electronic reserves and LibGuides:

• Alphabetical Listing of Databases
• Library Site Map
• Library Catalog
• LibGuides
• Electronic Reserves

A rendition of our previous web site is available @ http://www.ashland.edu/library/index.html.

Library Spotlight: Reading Area

We have been adjusting the new reading area layout to provide a comfortable place to visit, work, and use library resources. It has been a popular place for students studying for midterms. Stop in and see for yourself!

Library Spotlight: New Books

The new books shelf has been moved from the reference side of the main floor and is now adjacent to the newly apportioned reading area.

Looking for a new book highlighted on this blog? All new titles are initially placed on the new book shelf, stop here first.

Interested in recommending a book for the collection? Contact your library liaison for more information or submit a suggestion via the library catalog.

Library Spotlight: New Books

New books are added to the library collection throughout the academic year. When shelf ready, they are featured on the new book shelf located on the main floor, adjacent to the circulation desk and recreational reading area.

• Europe Between the Oceans: Themes and Variations, 9000 BC - AD 1000
  
  CB245.C85 2008


• First Peoples in a New World: colonizing Ice Age America
  
  E779. .M45 2009


• The Myth of the Rational Market: A History of Risk, Reward, and Delusion on Wall Street
  
  HB3731.F69 2009


• Defying Dixie: The Radical Roots of Civil Rights
  
  HN79.A13 G54 2009
  


• Women and Politics Around the world: A Comparative History and Survey
  
  HQ1236.W5876 2009


• The Education Week Guide to K-12 Terminology
  
  LB15.E335 2009


• Strategies for the Tech-Savvy Classroom
  
  LB1028.3.W58 2009


• Videoconferencing for K-12 Classrooms: A Program Development Guide
  
  LB1044.9.V53 C65 2009


• The End
  
  PS3619.C53 E63 2008


• Tune Up to Literacy: Original Songs and Activities for Kids
  
  Z718.3.B35 2009

Interested in recommending a book for the collection? Contact your library liaison for more information or submit a suggestion via the library catalog.

OhioLINK: Services Restored

OhioLINK on Facebook reports:

"All services should be up and working properly. If you have problems with any of the OhioLINK services, please report them to support@ohiolink.edu"-- Saturday, 9:49 pm

Database Access

OhioLINK databases will not be available on Saturday, October 3rd. Access to databases not on OhioLINK server's (Ebsco, OCLC, Lexis-Nexis, ISI, etc.), should not be problematic.

During this time, we recommend you begin your search using the library database page and not the OhioLINK database page as an access point for online research. There will be still be a few resources unavailable, but using the library page increases chances for database success.

"ALL OhioLINK systems will be offline on Saturday, October 3rd from approximately 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. (or after depending on when the work is completed). We are working on putting a redirect message on a machine outside the OSU facility that will display a message to anyone trying to connect to one of OhioLINK's services. That should be in place for Saturday's downtime." -- Anita Cook, OhioLINK

Library Spotlight: Reading Area

The "next step" anticipated here on July 31st began late yesterday afternoon; new furniture has arrived for the library main floor! With the floor plan in place ...

And a friendly group of strong delivery people ...

Three trucks of comfortable, colorful new furniture are now in available. For your reading and working pleasure, this area on the main floor now includes chairs, sofas, end-tables, and lamps for ambient lighting.

More pictures will be coming soon as we are still finessing placement, arranging items around the new reading area for maximum comfort, but stop in soon and "sit a spell."

There is still more to come @ your library.

Have You Read a Banned or Challenged Book?

September 26th through October 3rd is Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read.

Learn more about About Banned and Challenged Books:

• Frequently Challenged Books
• Banned and Challenged Classics
• 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books by Decade
• Number of Challenges by Initiator, Institution, Type and Year
• Most Frequently Challenged Authors of the 21st Century

Looking at the top ten banned and challenged classics, titles link to the library catalog:

1. The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
3. The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck
4. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
5. The Color Purple, Alice Walker
6. Ulysses, James Joyce
7. Beloved, Toni Morrison
8. The Lord of the Flies, William Golding
9. 1984, George Orwell
10. The Sound and the Fury, William Faulkner

Library Catalog

We are in the midst of having our security certificate renewed for the library catalog. While in progress, you may notice the above message when reloading a catalog page, requesting OhioLINK books, or trying to renew or view your library record.

• If using Internet Explorer, simply choose the option: continue to this website.
• If using Mozilla it may take a few more steps, but you will be able to move beyond the expired security certificate.

We apologize for the inconvenience and expect the issue to be resolved within the week. Thank you in advance for your patience and as always, please feel free to ask for help.

ERIC News

The U.S. Department of Education will spend $29 million over the next five years to enhance and operate the ERIC digital library of education literature, which offers free access to a broad array of scholarly materials. ERIC is the world's largest and most frequently used digital library of education, containing more than 1.3 million bibliographic records indexed from 1966 to the present. Its website (http://eric.ed.gov) provides free access to the ERIC digital library, which received more than 40 million visits in 2008 from educators, researchers, and the general public.

New enhancements included in this five-year contract include:

• Collaboration with the agency's library to digitize and process archival
  materials related to the history of the Department, such as early 20th century
  records from the Commissioner of Education
• Enhanced online submission format allowing Department of Education grantees
  and contractors to easily submit reports and related published research
• Establishment of a Library Committee, composed of school, academic, and
  special librarians who will recommend journals and sources, changes to the ERIC
  Thesaurus, and services and outreach
• Optical Character Recognition (OCR) of 486,000 digitized microfiche
  documents to ensure universal access.

The ERIC website provides an alphabetical list of more than 984 journals currently indexed in the digital library. Other materials-including research syntheses, conference papers, technical reports, and policy papers -are also indexed from more than 760 sources. More than 20 percent of the collection is full-text materials. ERIC, one of the longest-running services offered by the department of education, is part of the National Library of Education in the Institute of Education Sciences. Visit the ERIC website at: http://eric.ed.gov -- IES Newsflash 9/21/09

Ashland University Library provides users with access to the ERIC government portal as well as ERIC in EBSCOHost and ERIC via OhioLINK. As always, full text not available in these database resources may be requested using InterLibrary Loan.

This information is also available on the IRC blog post ERIC Update.

LibGuides Resources by Subject

Resources by Subject, also known as LibGuides, are not part of the current university-wide web content freeze. Guides created for classes and developed by AU librarians will continue to be updated with new information and resources for library users. For ease of use, a quick link to the library blog is featured on the guide main page.

Remember, sections of the library web site not effected by the content freeze include:

• Electronic Reserves
• Library Catalog
• AU Library News Blog
• Instructional Resource Center Blog
• Chat Services
• OhioLINK

Please feel free to contact us with questions regarding the University web site redesign. We want to make this transition as easy as possible.

Library Hours: Labor Day

In observance of the Labor Day holiday, AU Library will close at 4:00 pm on Friday, September 4th. Additional holiday weekend hours are:

• Saturday, September 5th: Library Closed
• Sunday, September 6th: Library Closed
• Monday, September 7th: Library opens @ 6:00 pm

Regular hours resume on Tuesday, September 8th.

Please note Instructional Resource Center holiday hours differ from the main library. When the IRC is closed and the library open, general second floor computers and printing remain available to students. Color printing and other IRC resources are not available when the IRC is closed.

Welcome Back!

OhioLINK & Google Books

"The OhioLINK catalog has links to Google Books when a limited preview or the entire book is available for reading. Entries with information only (citation) were eliminated thanks to Thomas. The phrases you will find in the catalog now include: Limited Preview at Google Books and Read at Google Books." -- Sue Polanka, Wright State University

Sample searches illustrating Google Book results include:

Read at Google Books

Limited Preview at Google Books

* Record and javascript must load and run for Google Books to display.

OhioLINK: New Database

The OhioLINK blog What's New reports Ohio Capitol Connection has replaced the Gongwer News Service; this change is reflected on the library's Database by Title Page.

"Ohio Capitol Connection provides information about current and past legislation of the Ohio General Assembly. Updated daily, it has the complete status and full text of bills introduced in the Ohio General Assembly. This database includes rosters of House and Senate members searchable by name or location, and addresses and biographies of the General Assembly members. While the database focuses on Ohio, information about the Federal government is also available." - OhioLINK Databases

Library Hours: August Update

A quick reminder that beginning Saturday, August 1st, the following library summer hours are in effect:

• Monday through Friday
  8:00 am to 5:00 pm


• Saturday and Sunday
  Closed

Main Floor: Newspapers & Recreational

Newspapers (previously behind the reserves desk) and recrational reading (previously along the wall next to serials) are now featured prominently on the main floor. What's planned next for the area surrounding these two features is exciting ... but can not be shared just yet.

Stop in and see us sometime soon!

Serials Area Update

Organization of the new serials collection has begun! This area, highlighted by ranges angled to allow for maximum light flow on the main floor, is now in the process of being labeled with both individual shelf and end-cap signage. Ohio government documents lead this collection with journals and periodicals following alphabetically toward the back wall.

Next up for this section is repurposing the government documents. Currently located on the walls around the serials collection, government documents will be evaluated and detailed with signage. If you need locating items in either of these collections during this transition, please feel free to ask at the circulation and reference desk.

Print & Copy Stations, part 2

With bulk of major floor moves finished, stacks removed and existing furniture and equipment relocated, we are continuing to "tweak" the main floor layout maximum usability. The printer portion of our main floor print and copy station has been moved from serials to the area directly to the left of the copy station; against the back wall.

More news to come!

Print & Copy Stations

As the footprint of the new main floor reorganization takes shape, we have been able to create extended, easily accessible, service areas for library patrons. Case in point, the new printer and copy stations. Located against the wall where the reserves desk used to reside (have you noticed the old reserves desk is gone?) is the new print station. No longer hidden from view, finding and collecting print jobs is a snap.

Serials: Journals & Periodicals

The serials collection new home! Relocating the serials collection is a work in progress; building new shelving/stacks and back shifting the journals from Z to A - not to mention weeding and updating journal offerings, is a time consuming and often noisy process. If you are in the library during this relocation, please excuse the constant rattling of shelving and rolling carts of materials, along with the constant chattering of your library staff.



Pictured: Jan Marotta, Sue Ellen Ronk, Ed Krakora (library director)

Serials: Journals & Periodicals

As the serials collection moves to it's new location, note the increase of light and open space becoming available on the main floor. Our end goal is to enhance the library as a space while continuing to offer exemplary resources and service to the University community.

Government & Ohio Documents

Moving the microfilm and microfiche collections provided opportunity to redesign and enhance the serials collection, journals and periodicals, to include Government and Ohio Documents. Currently, the perimeter shelves of our new serials collection holds these documents; this temporary arrangement is the first step in weeding and updating the government documents collection making it more user friendly and accessible. During this transition, please feel free to ask for help locating items in the document collection - and remember - many of these documents are available online.

Microfilm & Microfiche

To better service users on and off campus, we have recently weeded the mircofilm and microfiche library holdings. After careful consideration, the collection was significantly reduced in size and relocated from the east side of the library (to the right as you enter) to the west side of the library (outside of the director's office).

Why change? Reducing the footprint of these collections has created usable space on the main floor that will soon translate to an open area for students.

Going Green? Yes, weeding these collections will impact paper usage, printing and copying, as electronic copies of these documents are readily available. Microfilm and microfiche were safely recycled by a reputable local company.

Is anything left? Yes! Microfilm and microfiche journals that are not readily available are still part of the collection.

Are these items still available to library users? Yes! Many items weeded from the microfilm and microfiche collection are still available through various AU library and OhioLINK databases or via interlibrary loan article requests.