The EFSC Libraries and You !
By Sarah Paige , MLIS
The Librarians of EFSC look forward to working with you . Below are helpful updates .
New , Integrated Library System The biggest change for the library , coming in Summer 2021 , is that our statewide consortium ( Florida Academic Library Services Cooperative [ FALSC ]) will be activating a new Integrated Library System ( ILS ) called Alma for all 40 Florida higher-ed institutions .
This new system will change the way the library interface looks and will offer new function and resource benefits for librarians and library users . FALSC has been working on this new system ( contracted from business vendor ExLibris ) since 2019 . In July , we will GoLive with the new system . More information will be shared with faculty as the semester progresses and we get closer to that GoLive date .
Get to Know Your Librarian One of your librarian ’ s responsibilities is to be the liaison between your curricula / content and the library ’ s resources / services . Please let us know if there are any curriculum support materials you want ; we can advocate for them within the Library ’ s budget .
Hours of Operation The Library Buildings ’ hours for the spring semester are 8 a . m . -5 p . m . Monday through Thursday ; the libraries are closed on Fridays . ( Palm Bay ’ s library may have different hours due to staffing shortages ; double-check the website or call the Circulation Desk there for more info .)
While our library spaces are closed on Fridays , the Librarians do staff our virtual reference service , Ask-a-Librarian , Monday-Thursday , 9:30 a . m . -7:30 p . m . and Fridays from
9 a . m . -1 p . m . You and your students can email , chat , or text with us via this service , and we also answer questions that come to our Ask-a-Librarian email inbox throughout the week and over the weekends . Please let your students know that librarians are available for resource and research questions .
Research Guides Librarians have created many Research Guides – also known as LibGuides – which consist of tabbed content areas pulling together program related materials that are very useful for you and your students . They cover many different subject areas and study disciplines ; look at the Research Guides listing to find one supporting your classes .
Research Guides ’ links can be added to your Canvas classrooms as a pointof-need resource for your students . Librarians can also edit and revise them as necessary ; please contact us if you see content that can be updated so we can collaborate with you . We can create a Guide for your subject area if one does not exist ; again , feel free to contact us .
Curriculum Builder Curriculum Builder is the name of a reading list tool the Library acquired in 2019 . Unfortunately , with the installation of that new ILS in Summer 2021 , the Curriculum Builder product will no longer be supported . There is not , at this time , another software for reading lists that librarians have to offer to you . Please contact us with any questions .
Library / Information Literacy Instruction Librarians are available to provide inperson and virtual library instruction . Feel free to reach out to your liaison librarian if you want us to partner with you to connect the Library ’ s resources to your content and assignments .
OpenAthens , for Authentication We are using a relatively new authentication system for connecting EFSC patrons to our eResources . It is called OpenAthens . The state is moving all authentication for college and university libraries to this new system because it offers better statistics collection and better access to our resources when users are searching the World Wide Web .
This new authentication protocol does mean that all the links to library electronic resources that you may have incorporated into your Canvas classrooms and other teaching materials ( i . e . links to databases , full text of articles , eBooks , eVideos , and eJournals ) will need to be updated no later than Fall 2021 . Your current links will still work between now and then , and we ’ ll notify you when the old system will be shut down . Any links you take from our current Databases A-Z List will be the newer OpenAthens links .
Ask Us ! Please reach out if you have questions . EFSC ’ s librarians look forward to working with you .
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