Calling all Biography Buffs!

As part of our continuing effort to make the new Current & Popular collection more accessible and easier to browse, I've put together a list of all the featured biographical and autobiographical titles. From historical narratives to contemporary memoirs, there should be something for just about everybody. You can browse through all 37 titles by clicking right here.

**And remember, we love taking requests!

New in Children's Literature

If you have an interest in children's or young adult literature, whether it be for research or pleasure, you may be excited to know that the libraries have recently acquired around 80 new juvenile titles. 

Many of these are newly published titles, including (but not limited to):

The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories by Dr. Seuss

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly (Newbery Honor Book)

The Aviary by Kathleen O'Dell

Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer Holm (Newbery Honor Book)

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen 

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Apothecary by Maile Meloy

The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse by Eric Carle

Bumble-Ardy by Maurice Sendak

Swirl by Swirl by Joyce Sidman

Other new titles are modern classics not previously found within our collection, such as:

Math Curse by Jon Scieszka

Frindle by Andrew Clements

The Pigeon Wants a Puppy by Mo Willems

Stellaluna by Janell Cannon

Marshmallow by Clare Turlay Newberry (Caldecott Honor Book)

Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes

Also, at our Athens Library, the children's books have moved out into the main collection in order to give them more room to breathe and grow. Hopefully those who were not aware of this collection in the past will feel inclined to peruse it.

Please come check it out!

We're on Facebook!

And finding us is as easy as clicking the little blue icon at the bottom of our homepage. Take a minute to check out our page -- if you "Like" it, you'll be the first to know about new books, new services, and upcoming events.

Stay tuned for book recommendations, research tips, fun trivia, important announcements, PC news, spotlight reviews from our leisure collection, and more!

As always, if you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to email me at dgibbs@piedmont.edu.

Chat Reference is Online

This is just a reminder that our new chat reference service is online during the Library's regular service hours*! Just click on the chat box in the bottom-right corner of our webpage, type in a question, and if our status is "available," you should get a reply from one of our librarians very quickly.

(That said, we are still training our staff to use this new software, and to any of you who have had a question go unanswered during the past week or so, we are sorry.)

On a semi-related note, we've had several questions regarding the new location of the GALILEO link. You can find it in one of two places: in the center of the home page under the heading FIND..., or by clicking the Articles & More tab -- you'll find a link in the bottom-right corner of that search box.

*Those hours, by the way, are 8-11 Monday through Thursday, 8-5 Friday, 11-5 Saturday, and 2-10 Sunday.

Athens Leisure Collection

Lest you think that we here in the Athens Library are missing out on the excitement of the new Leisure Reading Collection, here's a photo of our new display case, chock full of exciting new leisure titles guaranteed to help you make it through the winter doldrums:

If you are a Demorest student, faculty, or staff member and see something here that interests you, we'd be more than happy to send it your way, just let us know!

Our Website, Improved & Redesigned!

The new Piedmont College Libraries website will bring you new features, new services, new networks, and a new streamlined approach to searching and browsing. In this blog post, I'll go over some of the major developments.

First, let's take a look at the website you're accustomed to:

The primary tabbed searching area is in the center of the page, our blog feed is on the right, and an assortment of helpful links are displayed across the top and bottom.

Here is an image of the new page, incorporating the planned changes:

Right away, you'll notice the most significant addition: a new chat reference window in the bottom-right corner. Whenever a librarian is online (which will be most of the time), you'll have instant access to live reference or research assistance. All you have to do is type your question into the box! You'll be able to use this feature during the Library's hours of operation, all week long, on-campus or off.

The blog feed has been moved to the bottom-left corner, the links (and new social networking icons) to the middle, and the primary search menu is right where it was before. You may notice it has undergone some changes of its own. We analyzed usage statistics, consolidated features, trimmed the fat, and took a more streamlined approach. Searching the Mayflower catalog has never been faster -- type a title, author, or subject into the search box and you have immediate access to books, e-books, videos, and online journals. If you are searching for an individual article, use the second tab to browse resources by subject, type, or title. Same resources, same information, fewer clicks.

We hope these changes make the Library's website an even more efficient research tool for students and faculty. If you have any questions about the redesign or the new chat reference service please feel free to email me at dgibbs@piedmont.edu.

Ethics Bowl 2012 is Coming

The event will be held at 6pm on February 20 in the Brookside Dining Hall. Teams must register with Dr. John Misner by February 13 for a chance to win $300 in cash prizes!