Happy birthday to…

S.R. Ranganathan! Born on August 12, 1892 in India, this famous librarian and mathematician has made a huge impact on the library world. 

 Although he had started as a university math professor, focusing his research on the history of mathematics, he ran across a job ad for University Librarian at the University of Madras. The library collection at that school was a true mess and they were feeling desperate, especially since none of their 900 applicants had any formal training in librarianship. Ranganathan hadn’t had any training either, except for reading an encyclopedia article on libraries only days before his interview, but because of his research experience (research pays off, folks!), they decided to give him a chance. 

Ranganathan found librarianship a lonely business and was considering going back to teaching, but the university knew when they had a good thing and offered to send him to England for further training. He enrolled at University College London, and while there created Colon Classification, the first major faceted classification system, where each book’s main topic is divided into descriptive categories, divided by colons, of course, to help sort them into a logical order on the shelf; this system is still used extensively in India.  

Back in India, he spent many successful years as a cataloging librarian and library science professor. During that time, he came up with what is famously known as The Five Laws of Library Science. These concepts are still discussed and followed to this day. They are: 

1. Books are for use… 

…and not just to be shut away in some fancy building. 

2. Every reader his or her book… 

…so get a wide variety and don’t judge a person by what they read. 

3. Every book its reader… 

…so include the book even if only a few people want to read it. 

4. Save the time of the reader… 

…so organize the items so they can be found quickly. 

5. A library is a growing organism… 

…so keep the collection, methods, and even the building up-to-date. 

Over the years, Ranganathan continued working to better libraries, lobbying for free public libraries and a comprehensive national library, like our Library of Congress. Today he is known as the father of library science, documentation, and information science in India. And August 12 … why, it’s the National Librarian’s Day in India, of course!

The Basics: Using USF’s Brown Library

Using your library is easy! There are a few things to know that will make your library experience even easier. 

Brown Library librarians are here to help. We have a wide range of experience and expertise, and we’re happy to put you in touch with the librarian who can best help you. 

The library is on the main campus. We are across Taylor Street from Tower Hall. Our actual address is 600 Taylor St, Joliet, IL 60435 in case you want to map some directions. Here’s a map of campus to help you see where you can park and exactly where we are on campus. Here’s what our building looks like: 

Your USF ID card is your library card! If you are coming to use the library in person, and you don’t have an ID yet, stop by Security (located in Tower Hall) before you visit us. Bring a state ID or driver’s license, and security will get you set up with an ID card. This card will allow you to access locked areas of campus (like the library after hours) as well as serve as your ID card and your meal card (if you have a meal plan). 

You don’t always need an ID to use the library. If you are a current student or an alumni with a login, your portal login and password will gain you access to thousands of online resources. From books to videos to journal articles, you can use the library from your kitchen table. (Alumni can contact IT  for a portal login and password.) 

You can chat with a librarian from your kitchen table as well.  

You can also request physical books and resources like DVDs from libraries across Illinois and around the world using your portal login and password. When you come to pick up these materials, you will need a USF ID. 

Wadsworth Commons is open 24/7, but access to librarians and library materials happens during these hours. 

The library is different from the bookstore. All library services are free to USF students, faculty and staff; many services are also free to USF alumni. The bookstore is the place you want to be for buying or renting textbooks for your courses. Although some course materials are available at the library, if you need a textbook for a class for the entire semester, start with the bookstore.  

The course materials available at the library are called course reserves. Course reserves are books that your professor has requested for their students’ use. Course reserves are available at the library’s front desk and usually have restrictions on checkout – some you can only use in the library, some have shorter checkouts than regular library books.  

In the Brown library catalog and databases, you can also find a wide variety of materials related to your courses which can be helpful if you are looking for clarification or want to expand your understanding of a topic. 

Brown Library librarians are an invaluable resource throughout your research process. If you are working on a paper or research project, we can help you search for books and articles, talk through your topic, and recommend additional resources for your research and writing. 

Changes to the Library Website!!!

Please check out some of the new additions to the Library Homepage.  First, under the Books & Media tab, BerniCat is now called Brown Library Catalog.  Links to the advanced search has also been added for the Brown Library Catalog and the I-Share Catalog.

Under the Articles tab,  we now feature our most used databases.  You can find multi-disciplinary databases such as Academic OneFile and more subject-focused databases such as PsychArticles.  The search bar called “Search by journal title to find it in one of our databases” allows a researcher to find out which databases have complete articles by the journal title. There are now also links to the All Database List, Databases by Subject List and Full Text Journals in Database List.

Please take a look!  We hope this makes your searching easier!

New Library Hours!

The LaVerne & Dorothy Brown Library will now be opening at 7:30 am CST Monday through Friday. We hope this earlier time will be beneficial to the USF community.  Please let us know if you have any questions.  Have a great day!

New Hours:

• Monday – Thursday: 7:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.
• Friday: 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
• Saturday: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
• Sunday: 3 p.m. – 10 p.m. (Closed Sundays during the summer).

Don’t Forget – Register to Vote!

Today is the last day to register if you wish to vote in the upcoming Presidential Election! For more info on the candidates or where and how to register, check out our Research Guide on the 2012 Election.

Welcome Back Students!

Returning students, we are happy to see you back on campus. New students, we are excited to welcome you to USF!

Just a quick reminder: In order to borrow items from the library or to submit an interlibrary loan request, you will need to register your student ID number with the library’s circulation department.

Stop by the circulation desk or email circulation@stfrancis.edu to open your library account today!

Mango Languages Database Trial

Are you interesting in learning a new language or just need some help with your Spanish class? Try out the Mango Languages Database Trial.

Mango is a self-paced learning system with a focus on simplicity. It was designed for anyone to start using, without the need for a help manual. Mango is easy to setup and even easier to use! You’ll learn more than grammar, vocabulary and culture, you’ll learn how to communicate. Mango’s self-paced learning environment offers the simplest way to learn a new language. Mango is not a flashcard system. Instead, Mango teaches actual conversational skills within the context of real-world situations.

Some of the languages covered are Italian, Spanish, German, Japanese, Farsi and many more. It can also be used as an ESL tool.

So please try it out and let us know what you think.

Library Closing at 2:30 Today, January 20

Due to the snow and the threat for significantly more to come in the next few hours, Brown Library and the rest of campus will be closing at 2:30pm. Classes scheduled for any time after 2:30pm will be canceled.

Brown Library will reopen tomorrow at 9am. Enjoy the early closing and be safe in your commute home.

 

 

Wikipedia Blackout January 18

Even though I know you’re not relying on Wikipedia to get all your research done for your classes, I felt a warning was due anyways. Wikipedia will be blacking out its English language site as protest over the SOPA (about) and PIPA  bills that are working their ways through Congress. What does this mean for you? Just make sure that if you are going to do online research outside of the library’s databases you prepare yourself for a lack of availability from Wikipedia and a few other websites. Unfortunately, there is no workaround to gain access to these sites while they are protesting the proposed legislation. If you have questions on where you can access information that is similar to Wikipedia please contact Brown Library and we can point you in the direction of other resources that can fulfill your information needs.

 

Monday, January 16- Library Closed

Brown Library will be closed Monday, January 16 in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The library will reopen with normal hours Tuesday the 17th at 7:45am.