LBCC LibBlog

Amnesty for Overdue Items

2011-05-03T15:14:00.000-07:00

Beat the Fees: Library Announces Amnesty for Overdue, Lost, and Stolen Items

It’s happened to all of us. You’re cleaning a closet or retrieving something from under the bed

and you discover a library book that should have been returned months ago. You’d forgotten

about it, and the library has stopped trying to get it back. If you bring it in and admit you had

it will you be charged? For all those months? What to do?

This is Mr. Opportunity calling…

In anticipation of the introduction of a new fee schedule for overdue library materials, both

LBCC libraries are announcing a first-time ever period of amnesty. Books belonging to LBCC

library that were lost, stolen, kept overdue, even found in a thrift shop can be returned with

no questions asked and no fees assessed between May 15 and May 31, 2011. Bring them

to the check-out desk, or drop them, anonymously, in the outside book return bin. Reserve

books are not included in this offer, and it will not be repeated once the new fee schedule

takes effect June 1, 2011.

So now’s the time to check everywhere to see what LBCC library books you might have kept

inadvertently so you can take advantage of this opportunity to return them without challenge

or penalty.

For more information contact: Nenita Buenaventura, Access Services Librarian goodventure04@gmail.com

Excessive Use Fees

2011-05-03T15:01:00.001-07:00

Library Announces Fee Schedule to curb abuse of Student Lending Guidelines

At LBCC most books can be checked out by students for three weeks, and most students are conscientious about observing that borrowing limit. Some aren't, however, and when they keep books for an extra few days, or few weeks beyond the due date they are denying access to fellow students who may need them to complete papers and assignments. That's why both LBCC Libraries will be introducing a fee of 25 cents per day for them and other items that have been kept overdue. "Our objective with this fee isn't to penalize students," said Nenita Buenaventura, Access Services Librarian, "it's actually intended to help serve as a reminder to students, to encourage them to remember the return date and to think about the other students who may be waiting to use the books. We certainly know that times are hard, and that our students already are burdened with tuition and textbook increases, but no library user who is careful about remembering to return her/his books to the library on time will ever need to pay a dime."

The new fee schedule for excessive use goes into effect June 1, 2011. Here are the details of the new fees:

Item Fee

Periodicals (magazines) 25 cents per day

CD's (music) 25 cents per day

Audiobooks (tape, cd) 25 cents per day

College Catalogs 25 cents per day

Interlibrary Loan item 25 cents per day

Reserve book (hourly) 25 cents per hour

Reserve book (overnight) $3.00 per day

Things to know:

There is a maximum fee of $15 for most items, $99.99 for reserve items
A detailed fee schedule is posted on the Library Web page
Fees accrue during hours and days when the library is closed; items returned to outside return bins are not considered returned until collected on the next day the library is open.
Students with accrued fees of $2.00 or more will have lending privileges suspended until their library obligation has been reconciled.

For more information contact Nenita Buenaventura, Access Services Librarian

LAC Circulation (562) 938-4231, lac-circ@lbcc.edu

PCC Circulation (562) 938-3029, pcc-circ@lbcc.edu

Enjoy Your Spring Break

2011-04-03T15:31:00.000-07:00

Access to Library Resources During Spring Break

Both LBCC campuses, including their libraries, will be closed during Spring Break, Sunday, April 24 through Sunday, May 1. The libraries will reopen on Monday, May 2.

Despite the closure, many library services and collections will remain available:

Discuss research needs with a reference librarian online at any time 24/7. Visit the library web page http://lib.lbcc.edu/ , click on “Ask a Librarian,” then “virtual chat.”
Access and retrieve full text journal articles, e-books, art images, and reference materials from any web-enabled computer. Connect to the library web page, click on “Articles and Databases” on the panel at the left side of the screen, then click the “Off Campus” button in the center of the screen to authenticate yourself. Return to the list of databases paid for by the library to make your selections.
Study, borrow, and compute at CSULB Library. CSULB observed its Spring Break at the end of March, and the University Library, which partners with LBCC Libraries, will be open throughout the April 24-May 1 period. LBCC students, faculty, and staff may borrow books and media by presenting a current campus ID. Register at the reception desk for a guest pass to use library databases (limit: 90 minutes per 24 hours).

For more information contact Nenita Buenaventura, Access Services Librarian,

goodventure04@gmail.com

Library Update #85

Oxford English Dictionary (OED) Updated

2011-04-02T15:28:00.000-07:00

“I ♥,” “muffin tops,” and “ego-surfing” among recent additions to Oxford English Dictionary Online

LBCC Libraries are pleased to announce that the latest update to OED Online is now available through the library home page http://lib.lbcc.edu/databases.html#o (Click on Oxford English Dictionary Online.)

This latest release brings the percentage of the OED that has been revised above the 30% mark, and we have now come to the end of editing the letter 'R'. With over 645 senses, run is now the largest single entry in the dictionary, half as large again as the next-biggest word, put (the verb).

Read the Editor's introduction to the update, information on the new words, plus much more at www.oed.com. Or why not take a look at what the Editor and other OED lexicographers have to say about the update in a new set of short videos?

Click on the latest update of the OED in the “What's New?” section for a full list of new entries from across the alphabet.

LBCC students, staff, and faculty: Follow the OED Online on Twitter, subscribe to Word of the Day, or an RSS feed.

One of the best ways to keep up to date with all OED news is to sign up for all of the latest updates. You can also sign up for the “Word of the Day” email or subscribe to an RSS feed to ensure that you don't miss any of the OED’s fascinating features.

For more information contact: Nenita Buenaventura, Access Services Librarian,

goodventure04@gmail.com

Library Update #86

In a Digital World, Can Books Survive?

2011-02-26T09:34:00.000-08:00

It’s an e-book and e-reader revolution. Amazon now sells more digital books than it does print copies. Kindles are everywhere, along with their Nook, Sony, and IPad brethren. Magazines and journals increasingly are delivered to libraries and individual subscribers over the web. Newspaper circulation is plummeting. Google and major publishers have undertaken projects to digitize millions of books.

What does this mean for the future of libraries, both the institutional library and even one’s personal library? Is the book as we have known it becoming extinct?

• One should remember that the book is an intellectual entity; it’s the content of a book, as opposed to the way that content has been packaged and delivered, that is revered and respected by society

• While it is true that fine bindings, paper, typography, and illustrations can enhance the reading experience and will continue to be valued by readers, the essence of the book is independent of these things, and technology has enabled new and, for some, better and more convenient media for delivery of book content

• The emergence of e-books and e-journals probably is best thought of not as a competition out of which a dominant standard will emerge, but rather as an increase in choice and personalization; one will be able to choose a format and a medium that meets the needs and the preferences of the moment.

What's the Library's role in a digital environment?

Libraries of all kinds embraced electronic information resources long before their value and potential had become evident to many of their customers. Online catalogs, indexes and abstracts have been essential to libraries for over 30 years. More recently these have been enhanced to include full text, images, even sound and video. The numbers and capabilities of these online resources improve year after year. All libraries, including LBCC Library, are offering e-books on a wide range of subjects that are available any time without a trip to the library building. There can be no doubt that as e-readers become more prevalent and the demand for e-content continues publishers, including textbook publishers, will have a strong incentive to meet that demand. As they do now, libraries will license, organize, deliver, and help their customers understand, synthesize, and evaluate that digital information content. And they’ll continue to provide some of their resources in traditional formats, physical books and magazines.

For more information contact: Dele Ukwu