Mount Hood

One more reason to plan ahead when researching

There are two systems through which WOU students, faculty, and staff can obtain books from other libraries that we don’t have in Hamersly: Summit and Interlibrary Loan. What does this mean for you? It’s a matter of time: Summit items get to you in 3-5 days, while Interlibrary Loan items take longer, sometimes up to two weeks.

Summit logoSummit is the shared catalog and borrowing system of the Orbis Cascade Alliance, a consortium of academic libraries in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. This special partnership makes it faster for us to borrow items from Summit libraries and for this reason, it is used to request most books, videos, and CDs that WOU does not own. Interlibrary Loan, consisting of all libraries except the Summit libraries, is used to request articles from journals and any books, videos, and CDs not available in Summit libraries.

The moral of the story? If WOU doesn’t have what you need, request through Summit when possible. If requesting through Interlibrary Loan is your only option, just be aware that it will likely take longer than you’re used to with Summit. No matter what system, however, the library can almost always get you what you need!

Streamlined Summit Requesting

Summit logoYou may remember that last summer, Hamersly Library migrated to a new system, Primo. Our library was part of the third cohort of the Orbis Cascade Alliance’s shared library system project. Now that the final cohort has migrated, we are now ready roll out an enhancement to the Summit requesting process.

Currently the Primo link “Request item (about 5 days)” moves you to another system, summit.worldcat.org, to handle the request. Even when you’ve signed in on Primo, you have to authenticate again on the requesting server.
Starting next Tuesday, Jan. 20, Primo will handle requesting as well as discovery. Fewer authentication prompts for you, and Primo’s My Account area will display the status of your requests alongside your loans, saved queries, and e-Shelf collections.

What do you need to do? 

Probably nothing except to enjoy the better process. Hooray! Just a few things to consider:

Do you have links in Moodle, browser bookmarks, citation management software, etc. to records on the summit.worldcat.org server? (or to our old catalog server, library.wou.edu?). They will need to be changed to link to the Primo server. (See Get the URL for a Primo record.)

Likewise, if you have linksto the general search page summit.worldcat.org, change to the new search URL:

https://alliance-wou.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?vid=01ALLIANCE_WOU:WOU

While the Summit group within WorldCat is going away, WorldCat in the larger sense remains a valid resource to discover and request items that are beyond the holdings of the Summit libraries, through Interlibrary Loan.  Please continue to find the link to WorldCat in the bottom right corner of the Primo Search box on the library’s main page.worldcat

You can learn more about the system, see video tutorials and screenshots, and share comments and questions at our Primo Guide.

New library system is live

Primo logoIt’s here! Our new library system is now up and running. The biggest change for you, as a library user, will likely be the new online search interface called Primo, which you will use to locate library materials within Hamersly Library and at our Summit partner libraries.

Find Primo at the top of the library homepage and try it out. If you find any bugs or have questions, please let us know, and know that we will be working in the weeks to come to smooth out the bumps that inevitably come with a large-scale project like this one.

Speaking of which…here are a few things to keep in mind as you begin to use the new catalog in these early days: [wpspoiler name=”More about new library system” ]

  • For quick answers to the most commonly asked questions about the new system (such as, why did the library make this change?, what is this thing called Primo?, what about my favorite database, has it changed?) take a look at our FAQ. We are continuing to add to this as we encounter new questions and issues.
  • WorldCat, Primo, and Research databases are elements of a complete searchSearching in Primo can get you different types of results depending on the options you choose. However, even though there is a lot of material searchable in Primo, it does not include everything. Here are a couple examples:
  • Once you do an initial search in Primo and are on the results page, look to the upper-right corner for the sign-in link. We strongly encourage you to sign in as it helps you get better results and is the only way you can order books through Summit. A couple more things about the sign-in that you should know for now:
    • Once you click on the link to sign in, you will be taken to page where you can sign in with your WOU Pawprint ID and password.
    • The first time you sign in, you will be prompted to “Personalize Your Results.” In addition to selecting one or more subject areas of interest, you can indicate your “Degree,” which is simply a way of asking what part of the WOU community you belong to (student, staff member, etc.) If you are a member of faculty, the best option on the menu at this point is “Researcher.” Selecting these options will provide better search result relevance rankings for you. You can also skip this personalization, however, and/or change your settings later.

We appreciate your patience during this transition and are committed to maintaining library services at the level that you expect and require. As always, please feel free to let us know if you have any thoughts, questions, or concerns about the new system. [/wpspoiler]

Welcome to Primo

What is Primo?

Primo logoPrimo is the new library search tool used to find items in Hamersly Library and our partner Summit libraries, as well as some articles and other electronic resources.

Primo scopes allow you to define where your search is performed. You can select a scope in the drop-down menu right of the search box, or by selecting your desired scope under the search box on the main library home page.[wpspoiler name=”More about Primo” ]

Primo's three search scopes for WOUWhat is included in each scope?

WOU: Books, e-books, audio-visual recordings, maps, scores, microforms, government documents, special collections, journals, magazines, and newspapers available on-site at Hamersly Library.

WOU and Summit: Everything in the WOU list above, plus the holdings of academic libraries in the Pacific Northwest.

WOU, Summit, and Articles, etc.: Everything in the WOU and Summit lists above, as well as some full-text articles. This scope finds search terms in the full-article content.

WorldCat, Primo, and Research databases are elements of a complete searchPrimo is one part of your complete search

Primo does not include all the content from the research databases to which WOU subscribes. For discipline-specific searching, use Hamersly Library’s Recommended Databases By Subject.

To search beyond the holdings of Summit libraries, use Worldcat. You can request materials from libraries around the world through Interlibrary Loan (ILL).

Questions or Comments?

We’re happy to hear from you at our Primo feedback form.[/wpspoiler]

 

New library system coming in June

For the first time in over two decades, the library is transitioning to a new library management system. This system handles important library functions like circulation, ordering, and cataloging physical materials, as well as the many electronic materials that we own or license, such as databases, ebooks, and ejournals.

Primo logoThe system also includes Primo, the online search interface that you will use to locate library materials within Hamersly Library and at our Summit partner libraries. The new system is shared among the 37 academic libraries in the Orbis Cascade Alliance, the consortium behind the Summit borrowing system.

Why are we switching? [wpspoiler name=”More about new library system” ]The simplest answer is that we are required to as a member of the Alliance. The deeper answer is that the core technology we currently use has been appended and stretched to accommodate new needs over the last 22 years, and it’s now restricting our ability to serve library patrons’ evolving needs. The benefits of the switch include:

  • updated technology that supports more efficient library operations;
  • collaborative purchasing of library collections among Alliance members;
  • lower software maintenance costs;
  • more efficient Summit borrowing;
  • enhanced search and discovery of library resources;
  • collaborative workflows between libraries;
  • shared preservation initiatives.

The library staff is currently in the thick of migration activities, and we expect to switch over to the new system June 23. Prior to and during Fall term, we will have tutorials and workshops to assist you in learning the conventions of the new interface. In the meantime, I encourage you to take a look at our Primo FAQ for more information; we’ll be adding to and updating the FAQ over the summer.

This is a large scale project, and there will be bumps in the road. We and our colleagues at other libraries are working hard at smoothing the path and will be doing so for some time. We need and appreciate your patience. Our top priority through the transition will be to maintain library services at the level that you expect and require. Please communicate with us if you have questions, concerns or issues as we move through this transition.[/wpspoiler]

Hamersly Library closed the entire week of Christmas

Glowing Christmas Tree Lights in the Winter Night

Along with the rest of campus, Hamersly Library will be closed one full week of Winter Break.  Since you might be doing research, ordering materials for Winter Term, or needing to check out some books and videos to relax with, here are some tips to plan your library use:

Our calendar provides a complete look at our winter break hours and the resumption of normal hours with Winter Term.

1) Due dates: Any items that would normally come due during the closure (from local collection or borrowed from Summit or Interlibrary Loan), the due dates are pushed back to Dec 30, the first day the campus reopens.

2).  Borrowing Summit or Interlibrary Loan materials.  Plan ahead to accommodate delivery before our closure–better the books are in your hands for the 10 days than laying in a cold warehouse awaiting our reopening. Want a single deadline for all remote-item ordering?: Thur. Dec. 12.
If you want to spread the deadlines out a bit and still (probably) get your items before we close:

  • Order physical items from Interlibrary Loan (WorldCat items) by Thur. Dec. 12.  (these average a week to arrive & vary by our distance from the loaning library).
  • Order items from Summit by Friday, Dec. 13 (These usually take 2-3 days for delivery, and we get our shipment late in the day.  You’ll want the item to arrive by Thursday’s shipment.
  • Order journal articles that are not held in our physical or electronic collections by Monday, Dec. 16

3).  You’ll have continued access to all electronic resources, including ebooks through the catalog, the databases (including streaming multimedia content from Films on Demand, Theater in Video, and Classical Music Library) and electronic journal access. 

4).  You are welcome to continue requesting items (from local collection or from Summit or Interlibrary Loan, certain OnDemand articles, and Scan & Deliver materials) and services during the closure through the standard channels.  The staff will process the requests once campus reopens on Dec 30.  Do remember, though, that staffing might be scarce both at Hamersly and at partner libraries during the whole holiday season, and that can slow response times.

Happy end of term, and Happy Holidays!

photo credit: epSos.de (Photographer). (2012). Glowing Christmas Tree Lights in the Winter Night. [Digital Image]. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/epsos/8259481490/

 

 

How to order a print book when Hamersly has the ebook

You may have noticed a lot of ebooks popping up in the library’s catalog–we have over 80,000 now! While they are often convenient and just what you need, other times you really want the printed material.

Search for the book in the Summit catalog. Once you’ve verified the title and author, check the Edition/Format field.  If it says eBook, click on ‘View all editions and formats.’ Select an alternate edition or format

Now find the Book editions (meaning it’s a physical item, not digital).  Choose the one from the Summit collection if possible. 

Continue by using the  Request Summit Item or the Request from interlibrary loan buttons, and signing in.  Before completing the request, make sure to indicate that you want only this edition.  This confirms to library staff that you have seen the ebook we have and you want the physical copy.