Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Need a group study room or equipment?

We have 7 Seminar Rooms which can be reserved for various sizes of groups. Seminar Rooms C and D (Curie and Douglass) are still open on a first-come, first-served basis. First check the Room Reservation / Availability Calendar http://library.bsc.edu/studyrooms.html Then you can submit a reservations via the form on the right side of the page. 

We've got Netbooks & iPads for keeping up with your school work, HD video cameras & SD cards, media projectors & screens for dorm events or presentations, we even have a few external DVD drives. All our equipment is available for students to check out for 3 days at a time (faculty & staff get 7 days). See a list of items and submit a request online at  http://library.bsc.edu/equipmentrequest.html. Our library staff is always happy to answer any questions you may have, so feel free to call (205-226-4740) or email us (libcirc@bsc.edu).

Good luck with all of your final assignments!
 

Monday, November 27, 2017

Extended Hours for Reading Days & Exams


The Library will once again provide some extended hours for Reading Days and Final Exams. Thank you to the SGA and Campus Police for making this possible!

Extended Hours for Reading Days/Final Exams (November 30-December 6)
Thursday, November 30: 8:00 am to open all night
Friday, December 1: 8:00 am to 10:00 pm
Saturday, December 2: 9:00 am to midnight
Sunday, December 3: 2:00 pm to open all night
Monday - Wednesday, December 4-6: 8:00 am to open all night

Best of luck on all of your end-of-term assignments!

Thursday, November 16, 2017

Library Hours Nov. 21-25

The Library will have adjusted hours the week of the Thanksgiving Holiday.

Tuesday, November 21: 8:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M.
Wednesday, November 22: 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. (subject to change)
Thursday-Saturday, November 23-25: Closed
Sunday, November 26: Resume regular fall schedule, 2:00 P.M.-10:00 P.M. 

Friday, November 10, 2017

Getting started on your research

 
Many of you will have papers and projects to work on before the end of the semester. If you need help getting started on researching your topic, start here!

We have a Research Guide to help answer some of the most frequently asked questions about the library and research in general. 

If you have any other questions, please ask a librarian for help using the contact information in the "Need some help?" box.

Friday, November 3, 2017

Citing Your Sources

For most research projects and papers you write at BSC, you will need to document the outside material you use. This is also called citing sources or giving references. There are several different ways this can be done, which generally involve brief parenthetical material in your text plus a detailed bibliography at the end of your paper.
Different disciplines or subject matters typically use different formats, also called styles, for the in-text citations and the bibliographies, and your professor will tell you which one to use. Whatever style you use, be sure to be consistent. Do not mix styles!
Take a look at our Research Guide with descriptions and links to help you with your citations.

Friday, October 27, 2017

Other places to find library resources

When BSC Library doesn’t have what you need:

Students, faculty, and staff…have you ever had an issue with finding books or other library materials that were locally held at the BSC Library? Well, we have solutions for you! Not only do we offer InterLibrary loans, or ILL, but did you know that we belong to a local library consortium as well? What do these programs mean and how can you use them? Find out below!

Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

If an item you need isn’t currently available at the BSC Library, don’t worry! You can submit an ILL request and we can obtain this item for you from libraries all around the country. And all you need to do is complete an ILL Request! To complete an ILL request, simply complete either the ILL Book Request Form or the ILL PeriodicalRequest Form.

While you are searching the BSC catalog for your item, you may see the option to request the item through ILL. Simply click the provided ILL link and complete the form. It’s just that easy!

*Please note that ILL requests are typically processed within two to six days. Periodicals will be delivered by email but books must be mailed so please allow ample time for your request!
For more information about ILL, please visit our Research Guide here.

Try other area academic and public libraries

If you need an item faster, you might want consider using your access to one of the other college or university libraries, the Birmingham Public Library or the Jefferson County Library Cooperative.

All students, faculty, and staff at participating Birmingham institutions may access the resources of all the member libraries by presenting their valid ID cards! (Please remember that the rules and regulations of the lending library are in effect and must be respected)

BSC students, faculty, and staff may visit and check out materials from the libraries at the following institutions:
·         Lawson State Community College
·         Miles College
·         Samford University
·         University of Montevallo

Additionally, BSC students who live in campus can qualify for a Birmingham Public Library (BPL) card! This library card may be used at any of the 19 BPL locations, as well as the additional 21 public libraries that comprise the Jefferson County Library Cooperative .

This web site has more information on how to get a public library card.

Monday, October 9, 2017

Homecoming on the Hilltop

Celebrate with the entire BSC Family, Friday, October 13, and Saturday, October 14.
Welcome back, alumni! We in your library are happy to help you celebrate your return to the Hilltop. Stop by during your visit to buy materials at the library book sale, all day Friday or Saturday. And, while you're reminiscing in the library, check out our displays featuring materials from the honor classes of 2007 (happy 10th!), 1992 (can you believe it's been 25?!), or the Golden Gingkos of 1967 (there's NO WAY it's been 50, right?!).

We also have copies of the yearbooks from most years at 'Southern behind the reference desk as you walk in the building to the right, as well as copies from some years for sale in the book sale.

If you can't find exactly what you're looking for, come upstairs and take a look through the BSC archives, where our archivist, Gina Armstrong '92, will be happy to help you find any information we might have on fellow students, favorite (or hated) professors or administration, or photographs of people and buildings through the years. You'll be welcome to pull out a chair and stay as long as you like.

Again, welcome back, whether it's your first reunion or your 50th, and we hope to share memories with you in the library and beyond this weekend.

GOOD TO KNOW:
Reunion dates          Friday, October 14 and Saturday, October 15
Book sale times        Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Website                    https://www.bsc.edu/homecoming/index.html

Thursday, September 28, 2017

We need movie suggestions for SGA collection!


The BSC Library needs more student suggestions to help expand the SGA movie collection -- please submit! Whether it's a certain film in a more obsolete medium or just something we don't own, expanding and updating the media collection is an important part of library upkeep, and students play an important part in that selection process. The suggestions box is conveniently placed on the Circulation Desk, so the next time you check out a book or movie, feel free to throw a few suggestions in there or send them to libcirc@bsc.edu!

A very large and grateful thank you to SGA for providing the funds to grow our film collection for the BSC community's use!

Friday, September 22, 2017

Banned Books Week, September 24-30, 2017


To Kill a Mockingbird. A Clockwork Orange. The Holy Bible. Eleanor and Park. Lord of the Rings. Of Mice and Men. From this list of titles, you might assume I'm referring to a “Bestsellers” or “Greatest Books” list. Unfortunately, these classic and influential books are part of the most challenged books in libraries, schools, etc. These challenges are not simply a person expressing their displeasure or concern about certain material; it is an attempt to have the material banned and removed from circulation, thus affecting the entire community’s ability to access the material. Surprisingly (and unfortunately!), the American Library Association states that at least 46 of the Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century have been the targets of ban attempts in all types of libraries, all around the country.

So, why exactly is our library celebrating Banned Books Week? Of course we’re not celebrating banned books! We’re celebrating the freedom to read by highlighting the importance of access to all information, even those books that may contain unorthodox and unpopular themes and content. Additionally, this event also focuses attention on the harms of censorship, particularly in libraries and schools. Banned books = censorship.

What can you do to celebrate the ALA’s Banned Books Week:
* Take part in the Rebel Reader challenge on Twitter by completing items on the challenge list here: http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/bannedbooksweek/rebelreader and utilizing the hashtag #RebelReader during Banned Books Week, September 24-30, 2017.
* Create a YouTube video to “Stand for the Banned Read-Out.” Instructions and submission information available here: http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/standforthebanned.
* Other ideas on how to get involved locally available here: http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/bannedbooksweek/ideasandresources/activity

After all, could you imagine your life without these books?

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Feeling Overwhelmed by Schoolwork?

Then try out BSC's free peer tutoring sessions!

To make an appointment for a one-on-one tutoring session, look at this page. 

Don't have an appointment? Stop by the library during the drop in hours. All subject tutoring except for Music Theory takes place on the ground floor of the library. Subjects include: Arabic, Biology, Chemistry, Chinese, Economics, Physics, Political Science and Religion, Psychology, Sociology, and Spanish. 

Questions? Contact Dasha Maye at arc@bsc.edu or 226-4750. 

Don't forget to visit the Writing Center and the Math Lab! Both have drop in tutoring times. Writing Center appointments can be made by emailing Dr. Lucas Johnson at ljjohnso@bsc.edu. Math Lab appointments can be made by emailing Dr. Doug Riley at driley@bsc.edu.

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Solar Eclipse August 21, 2017

Hello BSC Community,

Everyone's excited about the Solar Eclipse that will take place on Wednesday, August 21 at about 2:00 p.m.

Here are some links that you may find useful as you prepare for this exciting astronomical event.

Eclipse 101
How to View the 2017 Solar Eclipse Safely
Info from NASA, NSF, American Astronomical Society, and other reliable sources.


From the New York Times.


Sky &Telescope imaging editor Sean Walker processed this view of the 2010 total eclipse using the author’s bracketed exposures made with a non-tracking telescope.
--Dennis DiCicco
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-resources/astrophotography-tips/rethinking-solar-eclipse-photography/






Tuesday, January 31, 2017


Attention First- and Second-Year Students:

That research paper you worked so hard on could win you FAME, GLORY, and CASH!


BSC’s student-edited Southern Academic Review (SAR) is soliciting papers for publication in its next issue.

In conjunction with the SAR, the Library is offering a prize for current first- and second-year students for the finest paper, written in any BSC class, that shows a breadth, depth, and understanding of research. The BSC Award for Excellence in Library Research, which includes a $300 honorarium, will be presented on Honors Day and the winning paper will be published in The Southern Academic Review!

Criteria for judging the BSC Award for Excellence in Library Research 
  • Substantive bibliography, including library resources
  • Correct and consistent bibliographic format
  • Appropriate integration of source materials in the paper
  • The paper addresses a substantive or significant question
  • Paper covers its subject adequately or convincingly
  • Creative or sophisticated use of library resources
Note:  While the Excellence in Library Research Award is limited to first- and second-year students, anyone can submit a paper for publication to the Southern Academic Review (SAR).

Submission Guidelines:
-Essays should be 8-16 pages including bibliography (double spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font, paginated).
-All methods of citation (APA, Chicago, MLA, etc.) will be accepted.
-All submissions should be sent as a word document with the subject line- "SAR Submission—Name."
-The cover email should contain an Essay Abstract (100-150 words).
-Students may submit more than one essay.

Send submissions and/or questions to Samantha Grindell, Editor of the SAR to sagrinde@bsc.edu

HURRY!  The deadline is February 14, 2017