System Update, 1/2/2013, 11pm - 4am

Necessary Maintenance

On Thursday, January 2nd beginning at 11:00pm and ending at 4am (approx.), library systems will be undergoing necessary maintenance. Macalester WorldCat will be available during this time; however, item availability information may not display. CLICnet will be unavailable.

Full Service Expected by Early Friday

We expect all systems to return to full service functionality by mid-day on Friday. We appreciate your patience and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. As always, during open library hours, please contact our Service Desk staff at (651) 696-6346 (or via chat from our website) for assistance in accessing any library resources.

Schedule a Research Consultation Today!

Discover a service that Mac students rave about: In-depth, personal help with a research project from a librarian. Contact your librarian today to schedule your consultation.

Your Librarians

For example, if you:

• Have trouble finding good sources for a paper
• Have looked and can't find much on your topic
• Are not sure how the library system works in some area
• Start on a project and have no idea how to proceed

The consultation could be 10 minutes or an hour, or longer. Your librarian is ready to help you make the consultation as thorough as you need it to be.

Schedule your research consultation

The Research Therapist Is In!

Mac students: If you want in-depth help with a research project, contact a librarian a.k.a. research therapist for a research consultation.

Your Librarians

For example, if you:

• Have trouble finding good sources for a paper
• Have looked and can't find much on your topic
• Are not sure how the library system works in some area
• Start on a project and have no idea how to proceed

The consultation could be 10 minutes or an hour, or longer. Your librarian is ready to help you make the consultation as thorough as you need it to be.

Schedule your research consultation

International Open Access Week, Oct. 21-27

October 21-27 is International Open Access Week.

What Is Open Access?

Open Access is a growing international movement that uses the Internet to throw open the locked doors that once hid knowledge. Open Access (OA) literature is digital, online, free of charge, and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.

Open Access at Mac

The Library at Macalester actively promotes open access to scholarly works. A major component of our open access scholarly communication services is our institutional repository: Digital Commons at Macalester.

Almost a Million Downloads!

Since 2007, the total number of downloads from Digital Commons at Macalester now stands at over 928,000. This number includes Professor Joan Ostrove's article Social class and belonging: Implications for college adjustment, which by itself has been downloaded over 3,200 times.

SFX Journal Finder and MacLinks Down

Our Journal Finder and MacLinks service is currently experiencing problems. We are working to resolve the issue. Thank you for your patience while we restore the service. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Mobile Library Website

The library has a mobile-optimized website that includes a mobile-friendly WorldCat Local search, list of research databases, a mobile chat option, and news and events.

A link to the library's mobile site can also be found in the Academics section on the College's mobile site. 

m.macalester.edu/library

Sept. 22 - 28 is National Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. More than 11,300 books have been challenged since 1982. While library books can be targets of banning, most libraries do not support banning books. Please join the DeWitt Wallace Library in celebrating the freedom to read by participating in any of these events:

• Banned Books Button-Making! Library Entrance, Mon, 9/23, 11:30am-1:30pm


• DeWitt Wallace Variety Hour. Tune in for your favorite banned songs! WMCN, Tues, 9/24, 3-4pm


• Film Screening: The Metamorphosis, A Study: Nabokov on Kafka, Harmon Room, Tues, 9/24, 7-8:30pm. Co-sponsor: Media and Cultural Studies Dept.


• Webinar: Access vs. Privacy: Understanding the Freedom of Information Act, Harmon Room, Thurs, 9/26, 10-11am.


• Public Reading of Dangerous Texts, Harmon Room, Thurs, 9/26 6-7:30pm. Co-sponsor: English Dept.

Mobile-optimized Library Website

The library has a mobile-optimized website that includes a mobile-friendly WorldCat Local search, list of research databases, a mobile chat option, and news and events.

A link to the library's mobile site can also be found in the Academics section on the College's mobile site. 

m.macalester.edu/library

Constitution Day, September 17th

Federal law requires that all schools receiving federal funds provide an educational program for their students on September 17 of each year. September 17 is recognized in the United States as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day to commemorate the creation and signing of the Constitution. You can check out a display on the main floor of the library and an online guide prepared specifically for Constitution Day.

You may also want to try out this Constitution Day Quiz by the Washington Post.

Welcome to Class of 2017!

...and welcome back to returning students, and new and returning faculty and staff! We look forward to working with you on your research and information needs for the coming academic year!

Timeline: DeWitt Wallace Library Turns 25!

In 2013, the DeWitt Wallace Library will celebrate its 25th birthday. To start off our celebration, we've created a timeline of the DeWitt Wallace Library, with some history of other campus libraries included as well.

Share your memories, images and stories, and reconnect with former students and staff on our Facebook celebration page called Macalester College's DeWitt Wallace Library Turns 25!

Research Consultations: Take our Brief Survey

Please take our Research Consultation Survey and help us understand how we can best meet your research consultation needs.

Thank you!

Check out a Laptop from the Library!

Need a laptop to use in the Art Commons, or some other place on campus?

• The library has 15 MacBooks available for checkout
• ...and 7 Dell laptops

Laptop computer checkout is available to current Macalester faculty, staff and students. The laptops can be checked out from the circulation desk, and can be used on or off campus.

Protect your stuff!

• Borrowers are responsible for damage or loss of equipment
• Security cables are available for checkout

For more information, please see our Laptop Checkout page.

Happy National Library Week!

Check Out a Laptop From the Library!

Need a laptop to use in the Art Commons, or some other place on campus?

• The library has 15 MacBooks available for checkout
• ...and 7 Dell laptops

Laptop computer checkout is available to current Macalester faculty, staff and students. The laptops can be checked out from the circulation desk, and can be used on or off campus.

Protect your stuff!

• Borrowers are responsible for damage or loss of equipment
• Security cables are available for checkout

For more information, please see our Laptop Checkout page.

BrowZine: Journals on the iPad

The library has a new service called BrowZine. BrowZine is an iPad app that lets you browse, read and monitor some of the library's best journals, all from your iPad or tablet.

Setup Information

1. First get the App from the App Store. It's free.
2. When launching for the first time: Set Macalester College in the top dropdown.
3. Username and password is your Macalester username/password.

More Details

• You can search by titles or by subjects.
• Not every title to which we have a subscription is included.
• To learn more, check out this 2-minute video.

Feedback Welcome!

We'd love to know if you're using this service. Please send us your feedback.
If you have any questions, please contact us.

Try BrowZine: Academic Journals on the iPad

The library is now running a trial of BrowZine. BrowZine is an iPad app that lets you browse, read and monitor some of the library's best journals, all from your iPad or tablet.

Important Trial Information

1. First get the App from the App Store. It's free.
2. When launching for the first time: Set Macalester College in the top dropdown.
3. Username and password is your Macalester username/password.

More Details

• You can search by titles or by subjects.
• The trial expires mid-March.
• Not every title to which we have a subscription is included.
• To learn more, check out this 2-minute video.

Feedback Welcome!

We appreciate your feedback to help us determine if we should subscribe to this service.
If you have questions, please contact us.

Mobile Users: Try Out Our Mobile Site

m.macalester.edu/library

The library has a mobile-optimized website that is designed to work well on mobile browsers. It includes a mobile-friendly WorldCat Local search, links to research databases, a mobile chat option, and news and events.

The library's mobile site can be found in the Academics section in the College's new mobile site. 

Library Databases Currently Unavailable

Due to a technical glitch, library databases, such as Academic Search Premier, are currently unavailable on either the Database pages or Worldcat. We apologize for the inconvenience and are working on a solution as quickly as possible.

Illiad Service Outage, January 23

Due to a service upgrade on January 23rd at 10am, the Illiad interlibrary loan request system will be temporarily unavailable. We anticipate that all services will resume at noon on the same day.