Library News Blog
From the Fall 2014 newsletter
This fall, the Library classroom has undergone some major changes. A new projection system that includes four interactive whiteboards, along with the comfortable new chairs, will definitely improve the learning experience of students. The 36-seat classroom is mostly used for library classes and workshops taught for courses for which students are required to complete an extensive research project. While 100-level sessions introduce students to the academic library and basic searching principles, higher-level sessions aim to prepare students to undertake more complex projects involving specialized resources within and beyond the Library. Now, freshmen and seniors alike will get to learn about the wealth of information sources in a visually attractive setting that allows for a more engaging, interactive instruction, well suited to the increasingly multimedia-rich content of library databases.
The interactive whiteboards, a high-quality projector, and sound system were purchased with Tech Fee funds. After the Library’s proposal had been accepted, we thoroughly researched vendors and their products, making multiple site visits to assess available systems prior to purchasing. CLSS Director Raymond Jiggetts provided his expertise and feedback all along; he also oversaw the installation itself.
The model we ultimately chose accommodates a variety of teaching styles: because the interactive features are optional, it supports the more traditional instruction methods while also allowing for more experimental kinds of classes. All librarians have been trained in using the new boards and their fall semester workshops have benefited from this new technology.
Thanks to the Office Planning and Capital Projects, we have been able to complement the projection/sound update with the addition of bright new chairs. Exchanging our old, well-worn chairs with new ones wouldn’t have been possible without the assistance of Holly Kallman, Sara Cuya, and Kishel John, who guided us through the process, assisted in the chair selection, communicated with vendors and oversaw the delivery. We are grateful for all their help.
Marta Bladek
Posted Monday, December 15, 2014 - 12:35pm
From the Fall 2014 newsletter
Larry Sullivan’s review of the Morgan Library and Museum’s exhibition, Edgar Allan Poe: Terror of the Soul was published in the Spring 2014 newsletter of the Society for the History of Authorship, Publishing, and Authorship (SHARP). His review of the Morgan Library’s exhibition Marcel Proust and Swann’s Way: 100th Anniversary appeared in the Spring 2013 sharp newsletter.
Ellen Belcher completed her dissertation Embodiment of the Halaf: Sixth Millennium Figurines from Northern Mesopotamia and graduated with a Ph.D. from the Art History and Archaeology Department of Columbia University on October 15, 2014. In January 2014, she presented the paper “Identifying Late Halaf in the Syrian Jazirah” at the annual conference of the British Association of the Ancient Near East at Reading, UK. With Karina Croucher (Bradford University, UK), she co-presented the paper “Exchanges of Identity in Prehistoric Figurines” at the 9th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, in Basel, Switzerland on June 9, 2014. She delivered another talk on “Identifying Female in the Halaf: Prehistoric Agency and Modern Interpretations” at the European Association of Archaeologists Annual Conference in Istanbul, Turkey on September 12, 2014.
Marta Bladek published “Bibliometrics Services and the Academic Library: Meeting the Emerging Needs of the Campus Community” in College & Undergraduate Libraries (21.3/4).
Julie Turley’s short story “Testing” appeared in the summer 2014 issue of Gambling the Aisle. Her story “Night People” is in the current issue of the literary journal Phantom Drift.
Jing Si Feng, Maureen Garvey, and Louis Muñoz joined us as adjunct librarians. Marilyn Rivera joined our Technical Services Department on a full-time basis.
Posted Monday, December 15, 2014 - 12:31pm
Detail from Lawes’ edition of “Fairburns Abstract of the New Metropolitan Police Act, Passed June 19th, 1829...”
From the Fall 2014 newsletter
New York Police Commissioner William Bratton has consistently stated that he follows Sir Robert Peel’s nine principles of policing. These ethical standards of policing were set forth in early nineteenth century England and include the idea of community policing, the proper use of force, the protection of citizens, and proper and civilized ways that the police interact with the public. Peel, the “father of modern policing,” was Prime Minister of Great Britain twice and a politician and statesman all of his life. Peel created London’s police force in 1829. The first police were almost immediately termed “Bobbies” or less generously, “Peelers.” The creation of the police force was promulgated in “The Metropolitan Police Act of 1829.” This information is not new to historians of England or of the police. But we have found in the Warden Lewis Lawes of Sing Sing Archives in the Lloyd Sealy Library a unique “grangerized” edition of “Fairburns Abstract of the New Metropolitan Police Act, Passed June 19th, 1829...” This is an extra-illustrated copy of a common pamphlet. The term “grangerize” comes from James Granger (1723-76), whose five-volume Biographical History of England included many blank leaves so purchasers could illustrate the volume to their own liking. The technique was used as early as the 17th century, but the term “grangerized” stuck. Our fascinating copy includes Warden Lawes’s bookplate (with the prison librarian bearing Lawes’s likeness), a manuscript from Peel, an illustration of a “Metropolitan Police Man,”, five steel engravings of Peel, and a colored engraving of a “Bobbie” questioning a young street urchin that he accuses of loitering (left). This outstanding little book illustrates once again the treasures found in the Special Collections Division of the Lloyd Sealy Library.
—Larry E. Sullivan, Chief Librarian
Posted Monday, December 15, 2014 - 12:27pm
The Library’s first floor (Niederhoffer Lounge and Reserve Lab*) will be open continuously from 8:30am on December 8 until 10pm on December 22.
That's 350 straight hours of open study space!
We wish you success on your finals.
Brought to you by your Student Council, your Library, and Public Safety.
—
* Please note that the stacks (bookshelves) and the second floor will not be open late outside of the posted hours (in bold on our Hours page). Books cannot be checked out outside of these hours.
Posted Thursday, December 4, 2014 - 3:57pm
Our new charging table is here! Charge your iPad, iPad mini, Nexus tablet, iPhone, or Android phone with built-in cables, plus there are four power outlets. (Cables tech specs: 2 Apple Lightning, 2 Apple 30-Pin, 3 Micro USB, 1 Mini USB.)
Find the charging table upstairs by the scanners.
Also new: charging hubs on multiple tables throughout the library! These have power outlets and USB outlets (for using your own cables).
In our last In-Library Use Survey, students gave us the lowest ratings for power outlet availability in the Library. It was a big problem. So Prof. Karen Okamoto (ILL Librarian) put in a Tech Fee proposal, compared different products, and now have many more outlets for students to use. Power up, John Jay!
Posted Tuesday, November 18, 2014 - 3:44pm
Due to necessary electrical work in Haaren Hall, the Library building will be closed on Sunday, October 26, 2014.
All online resources will remain available but may suffer brief interruptions.
From 12pm to 5pm on Sunday, a John Jay librarian and lab assistant will be available for consultation in room 1404N, the computer lab in North Hall.
In addition, from 12pm to 5pm on Sunday, you can contact a librarian...
- by phone: 212-237-8246
- by text: 917-746-6391
- by email
- on chat
Posted Wednesday, October 22, 2014 - 9:26am
The Digital Loeb Classical Library is an interconnected, fully searchable, perpetually growing, virtual library of Greek and Latin literature including all the classics. The Lloyd Sealy Library has the full print collection (located by the Niederhoffer Lounge), but now you can access the Digital Loeb Classical Library — from anywhere you have access to the internet.
From Aeschylus to Aristotle, Herodotus to Homer, the Loeb Classical Library has long been the trusted resource for reading Greek & Latin literature in the original side by side with the modern-day English translation.
Posted Tuesday, October 14, 2014 - 3:41pm
Celebrate John Jay College of Criminal Justice's 50th Anniversary with Li'l Jay! Whether he is studying hard, serving students, or out in the world spreading fair-minded ideals, Li'l Jay embodies the John Jay spirit and is a fierce advocate for justice.
Check out authentic 50th Anniversary editions of Li'l Jay from the Library for a week at a time. Ask for a Li'l Jay at the Reserve Desk and check him out using your John Jay ID. Then snap some pics of Li'l Jay anywhere and with anyone, sharing using the hashtags #jjcliljay and #jjc50!
Rules:
- Check Li'l Jay out for a week at a time from the Library Reserve Desk. (If he's overdue, you'll get a library fine of $1.00/day.) Take good care of him!
- Share Li'l Jay on social media with the John Jay community using #jjcliljay and #jjc50.
- Each week, the best Li'l Jay pic will be featured on the John Jay College home page!
- Exercise your creativity, your ingenuity, and, naturally, your good taste. Would you want your grandmother to see it? If not, don't share. These pics may be used for promotional purposes.
- These rules are printed on Li'l Jay's carrying box.
Happy snapping!
Posted Tuesday, August 19, 2014 - 2:25pm
The CUNY+ Catalog is undergoing a scheduled upgrade to serve you better. The catalog contains records for our books, ebooks, and other media holdings. The upgrade is overseen by the CUNY Office of Library Services.
Search is not available July 10–12, 2014.
Renewals and item requests are not available July 10–24, 2014. All items that would have had a due date during this interval have been given extended loan periods and are now due July 25 or later.
You will still be able to check out and return books at the Library's Circulation Desk during open hours. Please note that during the upgrade period, the circulation status of books as shown in the catalog will not be up to date and may be incorrect.
We are sorry for any inconvenience! The upgraded catalog will be more reliable and offer you better service.
Access to digital resources like academic journals is not affected. Note that the John Jay Library offers thousands of ebooks that you can read anywhere at any time.
Posted Thursday, July 10, 2014 - 12:39pm
Due to restricted budgets, the library has had to make difficult decisions about our database offerings and will no longer subscribe to Rosetta Stone. We regret any inconvenience this causes. (Updated July 2016)
Archived information:
It's the perfect time to catch up on reading and learn a new language! Have you ever regretted not taking the time to learn your ancestral language? Are you planning a vacation and wishing you could converse like a local? Or, are you a linguaphile looking for your next challenge?
Now, anyone with a current John Jay email address can use the Rosetta Stone Library Solution to study up to 30 languages. Key features include:
- 50 hours of foundational instruction
- Core lessons to build reading, writing, speaking and listening skills
- Focused activities to refine grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation
To access Rosetta Stone from any device, click the link above, or:
> Go to the library website at lib.jjay.cuny.edu
> Select Rosetta Stone from the dropdown menu of popular databases or from the A–Z list of databases.
> If you have not already set up a user account, set one up by entering a valid email address and selecting a password. Enter the language you wish to study when prompted. Then click on the "First Time Users" link to make sure your device is compatible.
> Click Launch Rosetta Stone and start learning.
After you have set up your account, you can continue building your language skills anytime and anywhere you have internet access by following these steps:
> Return to Rosetta Stone from any device through the link on the library website (see above).
> Enter the email and password you used when you created your account and enter the language you wish to study when prompted.
Languages offered: Arabic • Dari • Dutch • English (American and British) • Farsi • French • German • Greek • Hebrew • Hindi • Indonesian • Irish • Italian • Japanese • Korean • Latin • Mandarin • Pashto • Polish • Portuguese • Russian • Spanish (Latin America and Spain) • Swahili • Swedish • Tagalog • Turkish • Urdu • Vietnamese
Please keep in mind that although you can access your account from any device --including smartphones and tablets -- you must always sign in through the link on the library website. You cannot access this product through apps.
Enjoy and please provide the Library with your feedback, or contact us if you have any questions.
Posted Monday, July 7, 2014 - 2:02pm