You may have noticed a small difference on individual posts lately.  If you look at the bottom you will either see a comment link or a comment form.  Please, let us know what you think about the stories we post, and the library in general.  We love feedback and will respond to any questions you might have.

While the comment form requires an email address, we will not make it public.  This is just one way to combat spam. We will also review comments before they appear on the site to make sure nothing inappropriate gets posted.

Please communicate with us!  We want to know what you think.  Other ways to converse include our Facebook page and the suggestion box in the Mullen lobby.  There are also a number of ways to contact a librarian directly.

We look forward to hearing from you!

The first floor of Mullen Library will remain open until 2:00 am from Saturday, May 3rd to Thursday, May 8th.

Mullen Library hours May 3 - 10

The year is quickly coming to a close and we at the Libraries are happy to have been a part of your successes. Here are a few reminders:

• Please be sure you’ve returned all your library materials before the end of the semester. You can check “My ALADIN” to see what’s on your record. If you have any outstanding library fines or fees, pay them before you go, too. Payments for library fees cannot be accepted through Cardinal Station.
• Graduating? Congratulations! Please make sure you have taken care of your library obligations. Outstanding library fines and fees must be paid at the Library (cash, check, or cardinal cash) by 5:00pm on Thursday, May 15, 2008. If you don’t, you will not be able to get your diploma or transcripts.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact the Circulation Desk at Mullen Library at 202-319-5060 or circ@mail.lib.cua.edu.

Good luck on your finals!

The Humanities and Social Sciences Division offers an overview Research Orientation to the Library of Congress.

Presented from 10:30-12:00 noon on the following Mondays:

May 5, 19
June 2, 9, 23, 30
July 7, 14, 21, 28

Evening Sessions:

6:30-8:00 pm

May 5, June 2, July 7

Jefferson Building, Room G-07

The Second Street entrance is open to those holding a Reader Identification Card; all others may enter using the First Street entrance. Reader ID cards can be obtained in the Madison Building, Room 140. (Attendees for evening sessions must use the Second Street entrance.)

Due to limited space, registration is required. Register by phone (202) 707-3370 or online at http://www.loc.gov/rr/main/inforeas/signup.php

Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at (202) 707-6362 or ADA@loc.gov .

For more information call Kathy Woodrell (202) 707-0945 or Abby Yochelson (202) 707-2138.

Keeping track of citations and managing that ever expanding bibliography can be a pain. Before you buy an expensive program consider Zotero, a free, open-source citation manager that lives in your web browser.

With one click you can download citation information from the ALADIN catalog, Amazon, JSTOR, Google Books, and many other library catalogs and journal databases. You can also download and store PDFs from article databases, take a snap-shot of the web page, and apply tags to your “library” of citations to keep them organized. When you’re ready to print that bibliography for your well researched paper, select your sources, select the citation format (APA, MLA, and others), and voilà! You have a nicely formatted bibliography ready to be printed or placed at the end of you research paper. (Of course no machine is perfect, so be sure to proofread before you turn it in!)

To get started down the path of citation management bliss you will need the Mozilla Firefox web browser. Sorry, Zotero doesn’t work with Internet Explorer or Safari - although it is perfectly happy on Windows, Macintosh and Linux.

Next head over to http://www.zotero.org/ and click the big, red, download button. (If you get a message that says Firefox prevented this site from installing software, go ahead and allow it. It’s okay.) When the window pops up click “Install now”, then when it is finished “Restart Firefox” and you’re good to go.

Be sure to check out the video tutorials to help you get started.

Need help with that final research paper? You know librarians are available in the Libraries. You know you can call, email, or IM for help. Did you know that librarians are “out there”, too? Librarians have been taking their expertise on the road all semester. As you start the final push, watch for us:

• Tuesday, April 22 from 10 to 12 in the Pryz (stop by on your way to Starbuck’s or lunch)
• Wednesday, April 23 in Flather from 2:30 to 4:30
• Thursday, April 24 from 2:30 to 4:30 in Marist (the Information Commons on the main floor)
• Tuesday, April 29 in Ryan from 2:30 to 4:30
• Wednesday, April 30 from 1:30 to 3:30 in Caldwell

Ask us!

Mullen Library and the campus libraries will be closed Wednesday, April 16 and Thursday, April 17 in honor of the visit of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. Libraries will resume their regular hours on Friday.

Please see the Mullen Library hours or the campus libraries hours for more information.

The Roving Librarians may be in a building near you.

• Tuesday, April 8 from 10 to noon at the Pryz
• Wednesday, April 9 in Hannan from 2 to 4
• Thursday, April 10 from 1 to 3 in Spellman
• Tuesday, April 15 in O’Boyle from 2 to 4

Because the University will be closed April 16 and 17 for the Pope’s visit, we’ll have only one “shift” that week, but we’ll be back to 3 times the week of April 21.

Ask us!

After the long Easter break, it’s time to start seriously working on that research paper. The librarians are here to help you - not only in the Library buildings (don’t forget there are libraries in Gowan, Pangborn and Ward as well as Mullen) but in other buildings on campus.

Here’s the schedule for the Roaming Librarians for the next couple of weeks:

• Tues., March 25  1:30 to 3:30 in Aquinas
• Wed., March 26   2 to 4 in Leahy (look for us in the computer lab)
• Mon., March 31    2 to 4 in Flather
• Wed., April 2         1:30 to 3:30 in Caldwell
• Thurs., April 3       2:30 to 4:30 in Marist (Information Commons on the 1st floor)

Ask us!

CUA will be on Easter Break March 19-24. Mullen Library hours are as follow:

For more information, please see Mullen Library Hours. You can also download a PDF of the 2007-08 schedule.

The campus libraries post their hours and holiday schedule separately at Campus Library Hours.