The Library New Additions

The library “front porch” or overhang area was transformed this summer with the addition of four classrooms, a coffee shop, and public restrooms. The space also provides automatic doors, for easy access.

The classrooms are equipped with an instructor’s computer, data projector, document camera, and VCR/DVD and include

• 118 - (located inside the library) with seating for 28.
• 124 (formerly Library 107- the fishbowl) - with seating for 42
• 126 - with seating for 40, and
• 127 - with seating for 32

Laptops for Checkout
The library is now offering a new service to students, faculty, and staff. We have 11
laptops, with wireless network cards and peripherals, available for a limited checkout period. You can use the laptop in the library using the library wireless network to access the Internet, or you can check out the laptop for
one day with no renewal. Please come to the circulation desk for more information and to check out laptops.

Library Blogs

The Library is pleased to announce the publication of its new blogs, which are listed under "News and Events" on the library web page. The information offered is to inform you about news and resources.

What is a blog? A blog is simply an online journal that can be easily updated by a single person or a group. The Library News Blog will keep you up to date about new databases, resources, and construction. The second blog, Librarian Openforum, will be a little more idiosyncratic, reflecting the spirit of the first blogs. In this blog librarians and library staff will highlight books, articles, videos or journals. We may be funny, insightful, or critical of the material we examine. Both blogs will be open to your comments, and we hope you find the information useful and interesting.

Amazon Wish List

Feeling generous? The next time you’re buying books or music from Amazon.com, look at either the Otterbein Library or the Otterbein Music Wish List. You can send a special gift to the Courtright Memorial Library.

Library personnel have selected materials that they believe would be great additions to the permanent collection. Choose a title, and Amazon will ship your selection directly to the Library and add any charges to your other purchases. A gift plate bearing your name will
be placed inside your gift book, and you will receive a thank you note that can be used for
tax purposes. The LP records that are in the Otterbein collection are being replaced with compact disks. It’s an easy way to help strengthen the library collection for current
and future students and also to leave your personal mark on Otterbein. Check it out the next time you’re shopping Amazon online!

Cheers For the Promotion of Two Otterbein Librarians

Betsy Salt, our cataloging librarian, was promoted to full professor this year. Betsy is a graduate of Western College in Oxford, Ohio and has a master's degree in anthropology from Ohio State University and a master's degree in library science from Indiana University. Betsy has been the Catalog Librarian at Otterbein College for nearly 21 years.

Allen Reichert, our electronic access librarian at Courtright Memorial Library, was promoted to associate professor this year. Allen graduated from Indiana University in 1996 with a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science. He also has a Master’s Degree in South Asian history from the University of Hawai’i. Allen has been at Otterbein since 1999 and among his duties are interlibrary loan and providing access to electronic journals.

Display on Common Book

International newspapers and a few quotes
from The Eagle's Shadow by Mark Hertsgaard are displayed in two of the cases on the first floor of the library. Even though most of us
can't read Russian or Chinese, we can access newspaper articles from around the world
using Factiva and LexisNexis Academic. Articles concerning global warming from the perspectives of eight different countries are displayed in the nearby flat display case to demonstrate that we can broaden our perspectives beyond our usual U.S. media outlets.

Bookmarks are available too: "Library Resources for International News" and "Web Wise News Sites." More information is on the web in a guide, "Becoming Globally Informed:
4 Steps." at http://www.otterbein.edu/resources/library/
cmbook/Hertsgaard/informed.pdf

New Databases Available

During the summer, the library has added two more new databases: Literature Resource Center and Classical Music Library. The Literature Resource Center contains biography and literary criticism on 122,000 authors, as well as plot summaries, reviews, bibliographies and a timeline. The complete text of Contemporary Authors and the Dictionary of Literary Biography is provided. Selections from 30 other Gale reference sets such as Contemporary Literary Criticism, Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism, Nineteenth-Century Literary Criticism, Poetry Criticism, Drama Criticism, Novels for Students, Literature and Its Times, Shakespearean Criticism, and Classical and Medieval Criticism can also be searched!

As the world's largest multi-label database of recordings for listening and learning in libraries, The Classical Music Library offers performances by great artists like Callas, Rattle, Perlman, Karajan and Barenboim. You can now access both databases through the library web page under Find Articles and More.