Student Library Newsletter

In this issue:

Faculty Book Talk

All are welcome to join us on Wednesday November 20th at 4pm to hear Dr. Gillis Harp talk about his newest book, Protestants and American Conservatism in the Biblical Reference Room in Buhl Library.

Stockings for Soldiers

This is our third year collecting Stockings for Soldiers for the holiday season with Black Funeral Homes in Stoneboro and Sandy Lake.  The stockings are donated to homeless veterans in Erie and Pittsburgh. Last year we were able to fill 145 stockings for our veterans!   

 The funeral homes will provide the stockings -- so in order to help us know how many to request, please fill out the form below   We will contact you via email when your stocking(s) can be picked up. A partial list of Items requested include:

-  Deodorant, toothpaste & toothbrushes and soaps (all travel size) 

-  Hats, gloves and socks

- Crossword books, word search books, playing cards  and stamps

- PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE: food, candy, batteries, or weapons (pocket knives)

A full list will be available soon. If you sign up below we will email you as soon as the funeral home provides us with a full list.

If you would like to donate individual items without placing them in a stocking, that’s great too!  There will be a collection box in the library lobby.

CLP Credit Offered! Groups of less than 20 can fill 1 stocking to earn credit and groups with more than 20 members can earn credit for filling 2 stockings.

Used Book Sale

​Thank you to everyone who shopped at our Used Book Sale!

We hope you found some great titles to take home with you or to give as gifts. With all of the money we raised from the sale, we were able to donate $710 to the Student Government Association!

Thanksgiving Break Hours

Friday (Nov 22) 7:30am - 5pm

Saturday & Sunday (Nov 23 + 24) CLOSED

Monday - Wednesday (Nov 25 - 27) 8am - 5pm

Thursday - Saturday (Nov 28 - Nov 30 ) CLOSED

Sunday (Dec 1) 5pm - 1am

Regular semester hours resume Monday Dec 2nd!

Meet HENRY

by: Gretchen Maxeiner

Discovery vs. Henry - Getting to know the library’s search tools

There are two great tools available to help you find the resources you need in the library collection. Which should you use when?

Discovery

Discovery allows you to search across most of the library’s resources, both what’s on the shelves and what’s in our online databases.  It’s like Google for the library.

Pros

• It’s convenient. You can search almost everything in the library at one time. You don’t need to know which database would be best for your research or decide what type of library resource you want to target.

Cons

• It can be overwhelming. Because it searches so much, you might get a lot of results. For example, a search on “Bible” retrieves over 475,000 results!
• It’s generic. Discovery pulls information from a lot of different sources and does the best it can with it. But it lacks the specialized search features you may find in individual databases or in Henry that are designed for a field or resource type.

Best for when you are

• open to a mix of resource types (books, articles, online content, etc.)
• especially interested in journal articles
• looking for a very narrow topic and really need to explore all options.

Access Discovery through the search box in the middle of the library home page.

Henry

Henry is our traditional library catalog, focusing on the library’s physical collection of books, DVDs, journal titles, etc. It also includes many eBooks that are part of our permanent online collection.

Pros

• It has great features. With features specifically designed for these types of materials, you can track items based on where they are housed in the library or how recently they were added to the collections, virtually browse the shelves, and more.

Cons

• It’s just one piece of the pie. Henry doesn’t include as much online content as Discovery or provide access to journal article information.

Best for when you are 

• looking for print books or DVDs
• researching a broad topic and want to find just a few good books covering it
• interested in using features that are especially suited to searching physical library collections.

Access Henry from the “Books (Library Catalog)” link under “Find” on the library home page.

We will explore many features of Henry over the coming months. Good to meet you, Henry!

Featured Database

The Encyclopedia Britannica has been inspiring curiosity and the joy of learning since 1768. It is the oldest English-language general encyclopedia and the oldest continually published and revised work in the English language. (Source) You can access this resource through the library website on our articles and databases page. It is now called Britannica Academic.

The online edition is constantly being updated to reflect new information and it's a great place to start your research to learn about your topic (an encyclopedia will provide important information in a much more manageable chunk, usually a page or two versus a 300 page book.) Start here to get topic ideas and look at the bibliography and further reading sections to find more resources.

Why do we recommend the online edition? Encyclopedia Britannica has stopped publishing print editions of their encyclopedias. The most recent printed edition is over 10 years old! Because of its age and to make room for new library resources the library no longer has printed copies of this encyclopedia set. The only way to access this resource is online. If you have any questions or problems navigating Britannica Academic please stop in or contact us.  

Meet your Library Staff

Each month we will feature a Q&A with a Buhl permanent staff member or student from the library.

 Meet Megan Babal, Public Service and Outreach Librarian 

How long have you worked at Buhl Library? 6 years

Tell us a little about your educational background & work at GCC: I have a B.A. in History from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Pittsburgh. You’ll mostly see me at the front desk answering questions but one my favorite job duties is planning the fun events we have in the library, like bringing in therapy dogs. I love the extra needed stress relief they bring during finals for both students and staff!

Name 2 things that people might not know about you?

1. I have a black belt in karate.

2. I once got to feed and pet a sloth. His name is Valentino. He lives at Pittsburgh’s National Aviary.

Book & Movie Recommendations

Just for Fun! - Library Extension Tool

Comment Box