Cut the Midterms angst with Ask A Librarian!

is hitting the road!

Midterms got you stressed out? Need some help? This week you don't need to come to the Library...the Library will come to you!

Helpful and friendly Columbia College Chicago librarians will be available on Wednesday and Thursday in the Hokin Annex (623 S. Wabash) to assist you with your research as you head into midterms.

Where: Hokin Annex 623 S. Wabash
When: Wednesday, March 19th 1-3pm & Thursday, March 20th 12:30-2:30pm

Why bother to Ask A Librarian?

• Impress your friends and instructors with your ability to find relevant and "on target" sources!
• Get more sleep at night...research and finish papers early and with ease!
• Make a new friend! Let a librarian help you find resources instructors will love!
• Cut the angst of midterms!

Remember--there are also helpful and friendly librarians available in the Library during regular hours and the Library's web site (and through it, thousands of scholarly journals, lots of encyclopedias and other handy research stuff) is available 24x7.

And don't forget: you can use the link anytime from anywhere!

Introducing the Library's d.i.y. series: do indie yourself!

The Library is kicking off National Poetry Month early with our new d.i.y. series.

d.i.y. (do indie yourself) Real Art. Real People. Real World.: Independent Artists Share Ideas for Creating and Sustaining Success debuts with a panel discussion from three emerging Chicago poets.

Looking for an answer to "What do I do now?!?"
Longing to put all your knowledge, ambition, and talent to use?

This panel will give you some great ideas...Three practicing poets will discus their experiences fostering their work through a variety of time-tested DIY methods related to writing and building an audience, including publication, poetry groups and workshops, readings, literary journals, and independent presses.

WHEN: March 20, 2008 from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: Library, 3rd floor east (624 S. Michigan Ave.)

The panelists:

Jacob Saenz graduated from Columbia College Chicago in the winter of 2005 with a BA in Creative Writing - Poetry. His work has appeared in a handful of journals such as RHINO, Columbia Poetry Review, Inkstains and Poetry. In 2007 he was nominated for an Illinois Arts Council Literary Award.

Kristy Bowen graduated from Columbia College Chicago in 2007 with an M.F.A. in Creative Writing - Poetry. She is the author of the fever almanac (Ghost Road Press, 2006) and in the bird museum, (Dusie Press, 2008), as well as several small press and self-published chapbooks. Her work has appeared in Swink, Backwards City Review, DIAGRAM, Caffeine Destiny and others. She is the editor of the online litzine wicked alice, and publisher of dancing girl press, which has published over 30 chapbooks and book arts projects by emerging women writers. She recently moved the whole operation into a studio / reading / workshop in the Fine Arts Building down the street and off of her dining room table. Her third collection, girl show, is forthcoming from Ghost Road in late 2009.

Todd Heldt is a poet-librarian in Chicago, and his poems and short stories have appeared in dozens of print and electronic journals. He has twice been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and helped judge the 2006 Poetry Superhighway poetry contest. His chapbook, The Science of Broken People, was published by Little Poem Press in 2003, and his first full-length collection, Card Tricks for the Starving, is to be published in 2009 by Ghost Road Press. In 2002 he toured coffee houses and bars in the South with a self-published book and CD of poetry, making enough money to replace the transmission when it dropped out of the car in Texas.

Save the date! Edible Books on April 1st!

It's that time of year again...time for Edible Books!

When? Tuesday, April 1st from 5-7pm
Where? Columbia College Library, 3rd Floor

Submit an edible book or just come to judge (and then eat!) the entries.

For more information on rules and deadlines, check out the Edible Books page.

This event is co-sponsored by the Center for Book & Paper Arts and the Columbia College Library.

Critical Encounters Panel: Tomorrow in the Library

Can Art and Culture be a force for social change?

Come to the Library for a Critical Encounters event where the role of arts & culture in confronting/confirming public policies around poverty & privilege will be discussed.

When? Tomorrow! Wed. March 5 from 12:30-1:30pm
Where? the Library, 624 S. Michigan Avenue, 3rd floor
What? PUBLIC POLICY PANEL: CAN ART AND CULTURE BE FORCE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE?

Panel participants: Phillipe Ravanas (Arts management), Rob Watkins (Liberal Education), Nick Rabkin (Center for Arts Policy)
Panel moderator: Sandra Allen

JSTOR is getting a new look

One of the many databases the Library subscribes to is JSTOR, a repository of high-resolution, scanned images of journal issues and pages as they were originally designed, printed, and illustrated. The journals archived in JSTOR span many disciplines. JSTOR began as an effort to ease the increasing problems faced by libraries seeking to provide adequate shelf space for the long runs of backfiles of scholarly journals. JSTOR is not a current issues database. Because of JSTOR's archival mission, there is a gap, typically from 1 to 5 years, between the most recently published journal issue and the back issues available in JSTOR.

In mid-March, JSTOR will be launching a new interface.

You can preview the redesign here: http://sandbox.jstor.org


If you have questions about JSTOR, just

Deconstructing Tyrone: Tomorrow in the Library

Come to the Library for a Critical Encounters Salon: Deconstructing Tyrone: A New Look at Black Masculinity in the Hip-Hop Generation by Natalie Hopkinson and Natalie Moore (Salon will be facilitated by author, Natalie Moore)

When: Tomorrow! Wednesday, February 27 from 1:30-3:00pm,
Where: Library, 624 S Michigan, 3rd floor

Cell phones (and you!) are welcome in the library

You may have noticed recently that the "No cell phones in the Library" signs have been removed (apologies to anyone who misses the mohawked-suit guy). This isn't an attempt to turn the Library into a giant phone booth, but rather an acknowledgment that we're all adults and know when to use our "inside voices." This applies to face-to-face conversations and sound that may spill over from your headphones, too.

All we ask is that you are courteous and respect those around you...take long or loud conversations out into the stairwell or outside, use a moderate volume for your headphones, keep those ringers on low or vibrate and try to be aware, especially if you're near some quiet study areas, of your surroundings and those around you. And tell a library staff member if things have gotten too loud--we'll do our best to promote an environment that is acceptable for everyone (we'll even shush ourselves if necessary!).

FYI, certain areas of the Library are designated (most of the time) as quiet study areas. They include the east side of the 3rd floor and the east side of the 5th floor.

For better or for worse, the Library of the 21st century is no longer defined by its pervading silence or shushing librarians. Instead, it's a vital, dynamic, sometimes-a-little-noisy place filled with the energy of learning and community. Come be a part of it!

Art of the Library--Tonight!

Don't miss the opening reception for Art of the Library!

It's tonight, Thursday, February 7th, from 5-7pm. Stop by the 3rd Floor of the Library for art, refreshments and fun!

Your Library privileges (and other money saving tips)

Time Out Chicago recently reported on the Interlibrary Loan system (called I-Share) that all Columbia College students, staff and faculty have access to (in other words: Free books!). Take a look at the Book Smarts section in this article.

Questions on how to take advantage of I-Share or other free Library services? Just click

Art of the Library Reception

We hope you can join us at the Art of the Library Opening and Reception for our upcoming Exhibition!

Refreshments will be served

When: Thursday, 02/07/08, 5-7pm
Where: Columbia College Chicago Library, Third Floor (624 S. Michigan Avenue)

Art of the Library is an ongoing series (four times a year) of exhibitions featuring the art of Columbia College Chicago students, faculty and staff. More information is available at:
http://www.lib.colum.edu/about/aol/index.php

Some word processing tips and tricks

Do any of these scenarios sound familiar?

You saved your paper to disc or flash drive, only to find that it doesn't open properly next time you try to work on it?

You *thought* you saved your paper to your disc, but it's nowhere to be found?

You stayed up all night finishing your essay and all that's left to do is print but you've left the disc or flash drive at home?

The new Microsoft Office 2007 interface just isn't doing it for you?

Free online word processing sites offer an alternative to these scenarios--you just sign up for a free account and then type away. Work is saved as you go along and you can just log back into it next time you need it. Now, AS LONG AS YOU HAVE INTERNET ACCESS, there's no more digging around for that tiny flash drive, hoping that you remembered the right disc or worrying that you won't be able to open up your file.

Here are a few free online word processing options that you can experiment with:

Google Docs & Spreadsheets: If you've got a Gmail account, you already have a Google Docs account, too.

Zoho Writer: Free registration gives you access to the Zoho word processing system. Zoho also offers spreadsheet and other presentation applications.

AjaxWrite: AjaxWrite requires the Mozilla Firefox browser. In addition to word processing, they also have spreadsheet applications and even a graphic drawing tool and music player.

(note: this post is back by popular demand! It was originally posted in June 2007)

Be eccentric! Read a book!

A humorous take on reading in the modern world from the Onion:

Area Eccentric Reads Entire Book

Library resumes regular hours next week

It may be (or at least feel like) below zero outside, but spring is just around the corner! Spring Semester, that is. The Library will resume its regular hours starting on the first day of Spring Semester, next Monday January 28th. Come on in and warm up with some coffee or tea, a good book and a database or two.

The well-wired use the Library

An article from this week's New York Times reports that those with faster internet connections at home or at work are more likely to have used the Library recently. Read the whole article HERE Read the Pew Internet: Libraries Report that this article refers to.

Resolve to use the Library more often in 2008!

This year, as always, the Library is here for you. Want to read more in 2008? Ask us about interlibrary loan and I-Share and get all the books you want for free! Maybe you want to polish your database searching skills? Remember, you'll not only help yourself when it comes time to do research, but database searching is a marketable skill. Or perhaps you'd like to support the Library while supporting your caffeine habit and will start to purchase your daily dose(s) from the Library's coffee cart?

Whatever your New Year's resolutions, the Library can help! We're still on holiday hours (8am-5pm) through the end of this week and then will be open 8am-7pm through the J-term (closed on weekends). Use our service anytime!

Happy New Year from the Columbia College Chicago Library!

Happy holidays from the Library!

The Columbia College Chicago Library wishes you all a safe and restful winter break! Remember--we'll close at 5:00pm tonight and won't re-open until 8:00am on Wednesday, January 2nd, 2008. More info on Library Hours.

Our website, including databases and other useful resources, will be open 24x7!

Enjoy your time off and we'll see you in 2008!

Please welcome our newest Library staff member!

The Library welcomes Opal Anderson to our staff! Opal is the new Administrative Assistant to our new Director, Jan Chindlund. She comes to us with extensive, rich and pertinent experience in business administration and event planning, most recently with the Union League Club.

Opal began an intense week of training yesterday, December 17th, overseen by our previous Administrative Assistant to the Director, Michelle Ferguson. Michelle will transition to her "new" role as Assistant to the Associate Vice President for Academic Research and Dean of the Library, Jo Cates.

Congratulations and welcome to Opal!

Library hours change: Semester Break

Congratulations to those of you who have finished your finals!!! Hang in there to those of you who have a few more things to wrap up (and don't forget to ask the Library for help)!

The Library wants to remind you that, starting this weekend, the semester break hours will be in effect.

That means we'll be open as usual from 9am to 5pm tomorrow (Saturday the 15th) and closed on Sunday the 16th.

Next week (Dec. 17th through 21st) we'll be open from 8am until 5pm.

We will be CLOSED from Saturday, December 22nd through the winter break, reopening in 2008 on Wednesday, January 2nd.

Enjoy a safe and restful winter break!

New Books for December

Check out some of these new books! Here's a list of our most recent acquisitions.


The saddest little robot


Stupid sock creatures : making quirky, lovable figures from cast-off socks


60s fashion : vintage fashion and beauty ads


A tribute to Frida: ABBA, solo, private


Let’s put on a show! : theatre production for novices


A sharp intake of breath

No more Purple Print cards

As we announced back in October, you are now able to use your Columbia College ID's to print in the Library. To do this, you need to add "Columbia Cash" to your card. Right now, there are only two ways to do this: with your Visa or Mastercard online (any amount added instantly) or with a check (minimum $50) at the Campus Card office during their 9-5, M-F hours.

Don't get stuck trying to print with no Columbia Cash! Add money today! And remember, you can spend Columbia Cash at the Coffee Cart in the Library, in the Bookstore and at the Plum Cafe, among other places. For more info, check out the Columbia Cash site.

FYI: You'll be able to use up your Purple Print cards or add money to existing Purple Print cards through next semester (you can't purchase new Purple Cards, though).