Change in hours between semesters

Hello all!

The fall semester is ending and I hope that everyone has done well on their exams so far and looking forward to the winter break.  The library is going to be open shorter hours over the break.  The reduced hours will run from Saturday, December 10th through Friday, January 6th.  The library will be closing both buildings at 5:00pm Monday through Thursday; open normal hours on Friday; and the main library will be open normally Saturday and Sunday, but the Commons will be closed.

Main Library Holiday Hours
Mon-Th: 7:30 AM - 5 PM
Fri: 7:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Sat: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sun: 1:00 PM - 9:00 PM


Commons Holiday Hours
Mon-Th: 7:30 AM - 5 PM
Fri: 7:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Sat: CLOSED
Sun: CLOSED

Good luck to anyone still testing, and may you all have very happy holidays.  Enjoy your break!  :)

Fall Break

Good morning everyone!  I'm sure you're all excited about next week's short break in classes.  Fall break is a perfect chance to relax and rest up for that final stretch toward the end.  The weather ought to be excellent so I hope everyone gets at least some chance to enjoy their time off.

I know, however, that many of you are already on that final stretch and are working on finishing up exams this October.  In consideration of your needs and because we rarely close for holidays, the library will remain open with our regular business hours over the break.

In case you don't remember what those are:

Fall Main Library Hours

Mon-Th: 7:30 AM - 11 PM
Fri: 7:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Sat: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sun: 1:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Fall Commons Hours

Mon-Th: 7:30 AM - 9 PM
Fri: 7:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Sat: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sun: 1:00 PM - 9:00 PM

 Have a great break and good luck on your tests!  :)

Parking Lot and Safety Update!

UPDATE - Regular parking has resumed.

Attention Students, Staff and Faculty: The Main Library parking lot and front entrance will be closed due to structural damage.  However, both the Main Library and Library Commons will remain open during normal operating hours.  You may continue parking in the Library Commons lot, and you must enter and exit the Main Library through the back door.  You can call the Main Library front desk if you have any questions at 768-1730.  Thank you!

ProQuest - Joanna Briggs Institute & Medcom Video Training Programs

ProQuest - Nursing & Allied Health Source

The College Library has access to this valuable database.  Today, we're highlighting just a few of the many resources contained within.

Exclusive Video Training from Medcom, Inc.
Training videos are valuable for nursing programs looking to enhance student learning, and ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source truly delivers with powerful videos from Medcom, Inc. These videos cover important topics such as health care safety, emergency planning, checking vital signs and many more. Videos are available in flash format, and are broken down into chaptered clips for easy study. Videos are well indexed for reliable search results and can be viewed in document view or downloaded to your desktop for reference.

Access Medcom Video Training Programs Collection now. MUST BE LOGGED IN IF OFF CAMPUS. Select ProQuest from the list of databases, then search "Medcom" under Publications.

Evidence-Based Nursing Content from The Joanna Briggs Institute
Researchers gain exclusive access to highly valuable evidence-based nursing information from The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). These resources include Systematic Reviews, Evidence Summaries, and Best Practice Information Sheets. The JBI's evidence-based approach opens a new world of education resources, with critical appraisal and meta-analysis that is highly respected and unquestioned in the field.

Access Best Practice Information Sheets, Systematic Reviews or Evidence Summaries now. MUST BE LOGGED IN IF OFF CAMPUS. Select ProQuest from the list of databases, then search "Joanna Briggs" under Publications.

If you need assistance accessing these, or any of the Library's other resources, please contact the circulation desk or a Librarian. For the circulation desk, call 768-1730 or email Library@ololcollege.edu. Librarian contact information is available on the Library's website, under general information.

New mobile application for Nursing Reference Center

Nursing Reference Center is now available in a mobile application for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. This application includes key evidence-based content from the web-based product, which can be accessed quickly, by nurses on the move to improve the quality of care. Content in this application includes:
• 2,200+ Quick Lessons
• 1,100+ Drug Monographs
• 1,300+ Nursing Practice and Skills & Skill Competency Checklists
• 700+ Evidence-Based Care Sheets

To download this app, follow the instructions below. If you need assistance, stop by the Main Library or Library Commons to talk to one of the Library staff.

How do I download the Nursing Reference Center application for iPhone/iPad/iPod touch?

The Nursing Reference Center (NRC) app for iPhone/iPad/iPod touch is available for download from the iTunes app store. After downloading the app, it must be authenticated from the Nursing Reference Center interface.

To authenticate the Nursing Reference Center app:

1. Log into the Nursing Reference Center interface (if you are on campus, this is automatic).

2. Click the Nursing Reference Center iPhone/iPod Touch Application link at the bottom of the page and enter your email address. It is labeled “New: NRC iPhone/iPod Touch Application.”

An email with an authentication key is sent to you.

3. Access the email from your device and click the link found in the email to authenticate the application.

You have 24 hours to access the key from your device to authenticate the app. If the key is not used within 24 hours, it expires and you will need a new key.

Note: Once it is authenticated, the app can be used for nine months, after which you must send yourself a new authentication key from the NRC interface.

Welcome Back!

Welcome back for the fall semester! I hope you've all had an excellent first week of class and are looking forward to the second. Here at the library we've got great things planned for next week - the most newsworthy of which is the return of the food trucks!

Starting next week we're going to start inviting a different food truck to come serve lunch in the Library Commons parking lot. The first week is already all set and planned, so prepare to save your parking space and not have to wander elsewhere for lunch next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. :)

The schedule so far:
Tuesday 8/30 - Southern Dawgs at 11:00am (This is the same food truck that was serving lunch this Thursday. If you loved your hot dog, do come back and try another.)
Wednesday 8/31 - Taco de Paco at 11:30am
Thursday 9/1 - Curbside at 11:00am

For up-to-the-minute schedule information and updates, follow us on twitter: Follow @LibraryLunch

That's all the news for now! I hope you have an excellent start to your semester. :)

Social Safety

The New England Journal of Medicine recently published an article, "Integrating Social Media into Emergency-Preparedness Efforts," which describes ways in which social media can be and already is helpful in the event of a disaster.

Here at OLOL there is a handy emergency text messaging system already in place that will provide information and safety directions should something terrible happen on campus.  To get these alerts you'll need to sign up for LYNX Emergency Messaging Service through Web Services.  You'll find directions for doing this on the college web page here.

Here in Louisiana you really have to be aware of hurricane season.  The state government has a useful website, Emergency.LA.gov, that has useful information on both preparing before a disaster, warnings for when one is anticipated, and relief information after it has passed.  The web site currently has information about the flood, and previously had information about the oil spill.

The CDC produced this little frequently updated web image to help spread information about disaster preparedness and response.

Emergency Preparedness and Response Widget

Library Commons News

The library would like to welcome the Writing Center staff into their new location on the second floor of the Library Commons.  They will be close to all the academic action in the study rooms and computer labs hosted downstairs, and right there where you need them.  Be sure to check out their spiffy new space and say hello as they get comfortable with their new home.

Their hours will be:
Monday - Friday: 10am - 2pm
Sunday and Wednesday: 5pm - 7pm

Have a great summer! :)

Writing Contest Winners Announced!

Yesterday we announced the winners of the National Library Week Writing Contest.  We celebrated with delicious cake and a festive party.

All of the winning pieces can be read on the library's web site over here.  A special thanks to all who entered, and congratulations to all the winners!  They certainly did a fantastic job. 

Have a fantastic spring break next week and good luck on the upcoming exams!

New! Lunch @ the Library!

Have you ever wanted to just grab something to eat quickly on campus?  Is the vending machine not quite satisfying enough, and the nearest fast food too slow for your mid-marathon study session mini-meal?

The library is working for a solution to this serious lack of food problem by inviting local food trucks to come serve in the Library Commons parking lot.

The first food truck day is April 25th, and they'll be in the parking lot serving food at 11:00am.  They will not be here after the spring semester ends, and will most likely be coming back when the fall semester starts in a few months.
The current schedule is:

• April 25: Taco de Paco
• April 28: Curbside
• May 2: Taco de Paco
• May 3: Salivation Station

Keep watching here, and our shiny new Twitter feed for updates on when your favorite food truck will be rolling in to make your lunchtime more delicious with less travel time.  :)

Library Resource Training Session April 14, 2-3pm

Thursday April 14 from 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. the College Library will offer a hands-on overview of the new Library electronic resource:


Nursing Reference Center™ (NRC) is a comprehensive reference tool designed to provide relevant clinical resources to nurses and other health care professionals, directly at the point-of-care. This database offers staff nurses, nurse administrators, nursing students, nurse faculty and hospital librarians the best available and most recent clinical evidence from thousands of full-text documents.

Nancy Taylor an EBSCO representative will lead this session. Thursday, April 14, from 2 – 3 Nursing building, 7500 Hennessy Blvd., St. Dymphna computer lab.

Win a Nook Color or Amazon Gift Card!!

Click here for complete information and guidelines.

Click on the flyer to enlarge.

Library Hours Change

Starting next week the library commons hours will change.

Monday through Thursday the commons will be open from 7:30am to 9:00pm.
Friday the commons will be open from 7:30am to 4:30pm.

The hours on Saturday and Sunday will not change, neither will the hours for the main building.  Just as a reminder, those hours are:

Saturday: 10:00am to 6:00pm in both buildings
Sunday: 2:00pm to 10:00pm in the main library and 2:00pm to 9:30pm in the commons.
Monday - Thursday: 7:30am to 11:00pm in the main library and 7:30am to 9:00pm in the commons.
Friday: 7:30am to 4:30pm in both buildings.

The library hopes that students will enjoy this extension of our hours of operation.  :)

Pictures from the Valentine's party

The Valentine's Day party at the library was a huge success! Thanks everyone who came out to visit and eat cookies and drink hot chocolate at the library for making everything so wonderful. You're what we do this for! :)

This week is National Catholic Colleges Week, and today's celebration will include jambalaya served at the library commons with talks to follow. Thursday will be similar, with pizza and another presentation. Hopefully the weather will hold out and we'll have more fantastic photos to share next week.

Thank you all for reading. Have a great day. :)

For Fiction Fans!

There's a really unique new way to search for new authors to read.  If you check out this spiffy new link you'll find a map of literary similarities.  Searching for an author on the Literature-Map will bring up a diagram showing links to other authors.  How close they are to the author in the center will show you how likely it is for someone who likes the center author to also like the linked author.

It's simple, fun, and a handy way to find new fun things to read.  :)

Free Books!

Just a quick post to let everyone know about a free test study book promotion going on right now.  Through Barnes and Noble, Kaplan is temporarily releasing electronic versions of their GRE, NCLEX and other study guides for free.  Here's the link!

Have a great new semester and good luck with all your studies. :)

Highlighting items in the library

Encyclopedia of Religion in America

Reference BL 2520 E52 2010 v. 1-4

The 4-volume Encyclopedia of Religion in America is a comprehensive resource on the historical development and current state of religion in the US, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. It explores the origins, development and influence of various religions, sects, cults and movements with the broader cultural, economic, political and social world. Some topics covered include religion and the mass media, the environment and LGBT issues. Each volume includes both an alphabetical and thematic table of contents. The latter is helpful as it groups articles of related subject matter together for easier exploration of a topic.



Chase’s Calendar of Events with searchable CD-ROM

Reference GT 4803 C48 2010

Chase’s Calendars of Events is the definitive source for special occurrences, holidays, anniversaries, birthdates, religious observances, sporting events, and more from around the world. Updated and published yearly since 1957, Chase’s has over 12,000 entries from 194 countries. 2010’s new entries included the birthdays of Michelle Obama and Lady Gaga; and events and dates of the 2010 Winter Olympics and FIFA World Cup. The book is laid out numerically by days and includes an alphabetical index. It also includes other features such as a Chinese calendar, list of wedding anniversary gifts, world time zones, Leap Seconds, list of names for the year’s hurricane season and a list of major awards presented that year.