Power Outage Saturday October 9 at 7am

Please be advised that on Saturday, October 9, 2010, there will be a scheduled power outage on Symons Campus to perform a load balance on the electrical system. This will affect both the East and West bank, excluding Blackburn Hall, which will not be affected.

The outage will take place at 7a.m. and will last approximately 20 to 25 minutes. It is anticipated that all power will be restored by 7:30 a.m.

A precautionary full shutdown of central IT services will be performed.  There will be no off campus access to email, portal, learning systems, library systems, etc.  Email to or from Blackberries will not be received or sent and incoming email will be held for deferred processing. There will be no wireless access, Internet, or Novell logins campus wide.

The web site will be down, but a maintenance announcement will be shown to those visiting the web site homepage.

Full library services will resume once power is restored and servers are powered up.

Chicago Manual of Style Online

The Chicago Manual of Style has recently released an online version, and Trent has access to it on trial until the end of term. Take advantage of this online guide to referencing and style. Send your comments to libraryhelp@trentu.ca.

Construction in Bata Library

We apologize for the disruption caused by construction on the Main Floor of Bata Library.  It’s part of an exciting upgrade to this area that involves new flooring and seating at counters.

The new floor installation should be complete on the evening of Monday October 4.

On Thursday October 7 there will be CORING for additional wiring. This can be noisy, since it involves drilling into concrete, but it will allow us to provide more electrical outlets in the corner.

The counters and seating should arrive  shortly after that.

We had hoped to complete this project over the summer, but it was delayed.

RefWorks 2.0 Released

RefWorks has a new look in Refworks 2.0 with a cleaner layout and a more intuitive interface.

Watch a video demo of the new interface.

As RefWorks 2.0 is still in beta with some functionality missing, both versions will be running in tandem for at least six months. If you would like to give 2.0 a try, log-in and click on the RefWorks 2.0 link in the top left hand of the screen.  To switch back to the original version click on the link reading RefWorks Classic in the top left hand corner of the screen.

See more information about RefWorks.

Multimedia Room in Bata Library

The Bata Library has re-named the former Photocopy and Microforms Room as the “Multimedia Room”.  This room is on the Main Floor of the Library, on the back wall across from the base of the stairs.

The Student Card Office used to be in this room, but it moved to Blackburn Hall.  Now the room houses Current Periodicals, Photocopiers, Microforms, and the Media Viewing Room.

Photocopiers were moved from the 3rd Floor to this room, where students can find them in one central location and staff assistance is close by.

The Current Periodicals were moved into the room from just outside it. A seating area has been created to read periodicals.

The microforms remain here, with machines for reading, printing, or downloading content.

A new addition is the Media Viewing Room, which houses 2 TVs with DVD/VHS players where videos  can be viewed in the Library. Sign out a key at the Circulation Desk for access.

If you need assistance with anything in the Multimedia Room, ask at the service door at the back of the room.  See the Multimedia Room webpage.

Bata Library Learning Zones

Where can I meet with friends in the library?  Where can I find a silent place to study in the library? Am I allowed to bring food into the library?  The new Learning Zones answer these types of questions.

Our new Learning Zones will be clearly marked throughout the Bata Library, identifying where food, drink, and noise is allowed. Library staff will help monitor the Zones and enforce compliance.  When necessary, Trent Security will be called to deal with offenders.

See the Learning Zones description.

The library is the information hub and gathering place on campus for individual and group learning.  Library staff want to help establish an environment that is conducive to all types of learning, productivity, and academic success. The Learning Zones promote the library as a space for research, reflection, discovery, and learning, while minimizing unwelcome disturbance to others.

Look for signs indicating Learning Zones throughout the library. Associated with each Zone code is a set of Expectations, Benefits, and Cautions. We encourage students to select the Zone that best fits the needs of their library visit.

If you have questions, ask library staff for assistance or email us.

First Year Students’ Library Scavenger Hunt

First year students are invited to try the Bata Library Scavenger Hunt. Starting in ISW, the Scavenger Hunt is available at the Circulation Desk at Bata.  Ask for a copy, fill it out, and return it by September 20 for a chance to win a prize – a $50 Bookstore certificate.

Online Documentation Guide from Academic Skills Centre

Trent’s Academic Skills Centre has just released their new online Documentation Guide. This is an online guide prepared specifically for Trent students. Use it to search by style or department and find instruction on how to cite sources in the major documentation styles.

Library Workshops for Fall

See the Schedule and Reserve Your Spot

In the Fall of each year, the Bata Library offers small-group instructional classes to students who want to learn hands-on about using the library.  These classes hold up to 10 students in a computer lab classroom. See the schedule of classes and sign up for the classes you’re interested in.

Oshawa Campus Library Opening September 7

Trent’s new Thornton Road campus in Oshawa is scheduled to open after Labour Day. Kenneth Field, the new Oshawa Campus Librarian, is confident that he and his staff will be ready for students September 7.

The first week they’ll be providing limited service, since phones and computers may not be connected until late in the week.  But the books are on the shelves and the furniture is on site. The library system, TOPCAT, has been updated to accommodate our new branch library.  Systems have been established for transporting items between libraries (see the webpage).

Joining Ken in Oshawa are John Wales, the Library Services Coordinator, and Janet Martin and Laurel Coo, the Library Services Assistants. Together they will be providing full Library Services to all the members of the Trent in Oshawa community.

Beginning in September, Library Orientation sessions will be offered to inform members of the Trent in Oshawa community of the services available to them through the new Library.

Inquires about Orientation sessions or services can be directed to Ken Field or John Wales. See the Oshawa Campus Library webpages for information and updates.