February is Library Lovers' Month!

Based on a very informal survey of our users, here are Ten Reasons to Love McQuade Library:

1. It connects us to all the latest information gathered in dozens of magazines and newspapers.
2. The librarians teach us how to use databases for our research projects.
3. There are tables and spaces for having team meetings for class projects.
4. There are always intriguing new books on the shelves in the main entrance.
5. The book collection at McQuade reaches out to 26 other local libraries and beyond.
6. McQuade offfers a DVD collection.
7. It gets me into the work mode – fewer distractions.
8. I can avoid the dorm scene and focus on my homework.
9. Even when the second floor gets noisy with groups studying, I can always find a quiet nook for reading.
10. The staff are always so friendly and helpful!

Read on and discover some of the new and exciting resources and services McQuade Library provides to all of you. I’m sure you will find more reasons to Love Your Library not just in February, but throughout the year.

~ Barbara Lachance, Library Director

Fifty four members of the Merrimack College Community were honored at the Fifth Annual Tolle Lege Reception in McQuade Library on Tuesday, February 5th. This yearly celebration recognizes and celebrates the research and scholarship of Merrimack faculty and alumni.

Library Director Barbara Lachance led a short program held in the Perkins Periodicals Room of McQuade Library. Barbara began by noting the volume of high-quality research that Merrimack scholars were engaged in during the 2007 year. She also mentioned that many publications were co-authored by faculty and students. An opening prayer was delivered by Father Wenzel. Interim President Father Joseph Calderone gave some welcoming remarks and Interim Provost Russ Pinizzotto spoke briefly about academic scholarship.

Three authors then spoke about their work: Business management professor Dr. Deborah Litvin, Professor of Religious Studies Dr. Warren Kay, and Biology Professor Dr. Jon Lyon.

All authors participated in a signing ceremony, and their publications were added to the library's Tolle Lege collection which resides in the reference room. This collection continues to grow; it now houses 159 journal articles and 95 books.

This event was sponsored by McQuade Library and the Center for Augustinian Study and Legacy.

Picture taken by Kevin Salemme

RefWorks is an online research management tool that allows researchers to create a personal database in which they can gather, manage and store all kinds of bibliographic information. Citation information for articles, books and many other types of sources can be automatically imported from most of McQuade Library’s subscription databases. You can also create citations and bibliographies within RefWorks using hundreds of different citation styles, including APA, MLA, Chicago, and Turabian.
McQuade Library will be offering workshops to teach users how to make the most of this new product.

Workshop schedule:

Wednesday, February 20th at 9:30am

Thursday, February 21st at 3:30pm

The workshops will last approximately one hour, and will be held in the Alden classroom on the 3rd floor of McQuade Library. These workshops are open to all members of the Merrimack College community (students, faculty and staff). Please contact Bridget Rawding (Bridget.Rawding@merrimack.edu, or x4229) if you are planning to attend or would like more information.

MerrimackWiki is a wiki service that is provided by McQuade Library, using MediaWiki software that is hosted by NOBLE (North of Boston Library Exchange).

Wikis enable the development of new educational collaborations among librarians, faculty and students at Merrimack College. Pilot projects in the spring 2008 semester are being funded by a Davis Foundation Experiential Learning Development Grant.

MerrimackWiki provides students with the opportunity to develop wiki pages related to a particular course. Wiki pages are easily edited and they simplify collaborative work. Students may work together to create online course research guides, to design a research survey or other document, or to come together to discuss and reflect upon their experiences related to a particular assignment. The possibilities are nearly endless, but all projects have certain characteristics in common:

• students will gain practice engaging with information to build new knowledge
• students will learn about the social, economic, legal and ethical issues that surround the use of information
• students will improve their technological skills
• students will engage in authentic collaborative learning

This semester, MerrimackWiki is being used in two grant-funded pilot projects: Students in Dr Richard Hennessey’s Islam course are using wiki pages to create collaborative bibliographies of sources on a variety of topics related to Islam. Students in Dr. Raymond Shaw’s Psychology of Aging course will use wiki pages to develop and evaluate a survey instrument for a larger research project.

Watch for a program at the end of the academic year at which the librarians, students and faculty involved in these projects will present what worked, what didn’t, and lessons learned.

For more information, please contact Bridget Rawding, Head of Public Services at McQuade Library (Bridget.Rawding@merrimack.edu , or 978-837-5215, x4229).