This year, we’ve added an extra week to our extended service hours. Beginning April 21, Hugh J. Phillips will go 24 hours non-stop through the end of finals.
Ana Ulrich and our student assistants will be here to help you get through it. Barry Titler’s officers will also be walking about to help ensure the peaceful and calming library atmosphere we all need during this time.
Good Luck!
With the support of Bruce Norman (Director of Physical Plant), we have completed another change to the library building that impacts how well we serve our students.
By supporting our proposal to remove a wall that separated our faculty librarians’ office/service area from our main service desk, Bruce and his team have helped us enhance the connection between students and librarians.
This recently completed weekend project not only increases our usable floor space, it also creates an attractive area in which our faculty librarians can more effectively help students develop their information seeking and evaluation skills. 
Removing this physical and psychological barrier to student/librarian consultation also increases natural light and vistas in the main level.
This further enhances the perception of the building as organized and easily navigated. More of Denise Fite’s photos of this project can be found on our Facebook.
Through Hugh J. Phillips Library, the Mount has been invited to join the Catholic Research Resources Alliance (CRRA).
This alliance of academic research libraries was established in 2008 by the University of Notre Dame, Boston College, The Catholic University of America, Georgetown University, Marquette University, Seton Hall University, St. Edward’s University and the University of San Diego. It’s mission is to facilitate global access to Catholic research resources in the Americas to benefit students of Catholic studies.
For the Mount, CRRA membership brings a closer association with other Catholic universities and recognition that our library and archives collections have global interest to scholars researching Catholicism in America and the Catholic intellectual tradition.
Hugh J. Phillips Library will soon contribute to the Catholic Portal, which is a database project of the CRRA that allows researchers to quickly locate Catholic studies materials held by the member libraries. We will also develop a strategic plan to identify resources within our library and archives that can be digitized and included in the CRRA’s resources for scholars.
Phillips Library has two walk-up, super-fast scanners that we offer as alternatives to photocopying. The KICs operate with a touch-screen interface and quickly output digital files.
To make things more interesting, we’ve upgraded the scanner on the main level with a docking station for smart devices. In addition to the USB port and the emailing options, you can now send your scanned documents immediately to your smart device.
All you have to do is place your device on the docking station beside the scanner and connect to the scanner’s own local KIC wifi.
Now you can send files directly to your iPAD, your iPhone or whatever you carry. You can also use the new and very fast Google Docs or QR code options to get the document you’ve scanned to the place where you want it to be.
Come on in and try it out or contact Fr. Elias Yelovich yelovich@msmary.edu for a demonstration.
VAST: Academic Video Online is Alexander Street’s flagship video subscription, bringing together thousands of video titles in a wide range of disciplines.
With thousands and thousands of complete titles (not clips) and growing by more than 400 titles per month, VAST includes thousands of award-winning films from dozens of producers and distributors.
Our Academic eBook Subscription Surpasses 100,000 Titles
There is news from our supplier of eBooks, EBSCO. They recently added a substantial number of titles to the popular eBook Academic Collection.
Designed specifically for academic libraries, this subscription collection now offers over 112,000 eBooks—more than any other eBook provider offering similar collections. In addition, this enhancement includes:
- More than 38,000 titles from university presses
- Over 2,000 titles published in 2012
- Over 10,500 titles published in 2011 and later
EBSCO eBooks are also easily found with our EBSCO Discovery service which can be searched from the library’s multipurpose search box or directly through the EDS link. http://libguides.msmary.edu/BeginDiscovery
During the break, we enhanced the Catholic Studies Room to provide additional quiet space for serious reading and research. Phillips Library’s Catholic Studies Room is located on the 2nd level, north balcony and contains many rare and special books for the study of the history of the Church and the Catholic faith.
With the installation of glass walls and doors, the Catholic Studies Room is even more special.
We now have glass walls.
Emmitsburg Glass installs the new doors.
