Category Archives: Library Spotlight

Trending Questions: How should I start?

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Trending Questions“I have to write a research paper. How should I start?”

We’re hearing this question a lot these days, and we aren’t surprised. The librarians at the Research Desk have helped many students begin working on research papers — and the process is a little different every time. Depending on the assignment (how long is the paper? what are the requirements and goals? when is it due?), the topic, and the prep work you’ve done already, we might suggest beginning in Summon, or MIDCAT, or… on a sheet of notebook paper where you’ll jot down a few keywords to get the thoughts flowing.

If this trending question has been on your mind lately too, go ahead and ask a librarian! Find us at the Research Desk in the Davis Family Library, behind the Circulation Desk at the Armstrong Library, or online at go/askus/.

Keep on asking! We’re glad to answer.

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Research Questions, Week 1

Research Questions, Week 1 (2016 and 2017)

Great job, students!

We’ve enjoyed talking with you at the Research Desk at the Davis Family Library. You’ve asked us a lot of questions! More this year than last year, even.

In just the first week of classes, you stopped by 142 times, which is up from the 124 questions we received in Week 1 last year. That’s a 14.5% increase. Even more significantly, 72 of your questions were research-related, which is a 33% increase over last year!

What’s been going on at the Research Desk?

  • We’ve helped people find books and DVDs (“Where is this call number located?”)
  • We’ve figured out how to cite unusual sources (“How do I cite something I read in Chinese?”)
  • We’ve discussed how to narrow a research topic, how to refine a search for scholarly articles, how to decide when it’s time to shift to a different research topic, and more

What do students say?

  • “I just came from a research workshop for my first-year seminar, and I wanted to continue my search.”
  • “Thank you! I’ve never known how to use Interlibrary Loan, so I’m glad I asked!”
  • “I wish I’d come to see you last year!”

So please, keep on asking! We’re glad to answer.

Keep on asking! We’re glad to answer.

Library Spotlight, libspotlight, LIS Staff Interest, Post for MiddNotes, spotlight
Research Questions, Week 1

Research Questions, Week 1 (2016 and 2017)

Great job, students!

We’ve enjoyed talking with you at the Research Desk at the Davis Family Library. You’ve asked us a lot of questions! More this year than last year, even.

In just the first week of classes, you stopped by 142 times, which is up from the 124 questions we received in Week 1 last year. That’s a 14.5% increase. Even more significantly, 72 of your questions were research-related, which is a 33% increase over last year!

What’s been going on at the Research Desk?

  • We’ve helped people find books and DVDs (“Where is this call number located?”)
  • We’ve figured out how to cite unusual sources (“How do I cite something I read in Chinese?”)
  • We’ve discussed how to narrow a research topic, how to refine a search for scholarly articles, how to decide when it’s time to shift to a different research topic, and more

What do students say?

  • “I just came from a research workshop for my first-year seminar, and I wanted to continue my search.”
  • “Thank you! I’ve never known how to use Interlibrary Loan, so I’m glad I asked!”
  • “I wish I’d come to see you last year!”

So please, keep on asking! We’re glad to answer.

Welcome to the Libraries, Class of 2021

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Hello, Class of 2021Hello, Class of 2021!

We know you have questions — who doesn’t? Introduce yourself to a librarian at the Research Desk. You’ll find that we’re always happy to help. Tell us what you’re working on and together, we’ll figure out what to do next.

Fall Research Desk Hours
(September 10-December 15)
Mon – Wed: 11 am – 5 pm
and 7 pm – 10 pm
Thursday:    11 am – 5 pm
Friday:          11 am – 4 pm
Sunday:        1 pm – 5 pm

And online anytime!
go/askus/ or
http://go.middlebury.edu/askus

No one available at the Research Desk?
Visit us in our offices! Librarians are conveniently located right behind the Research Desk.

A Zine Called “Dresses”

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Find student Andrew Pester’s zine Dresses cataloged in Special Collections & Archives by visiting archivesspace.middlebury.edu and searching the course name “Outlaw Women.” To see the print copy this summer, make an appointment  and drop by the garden level of the Davis Family Library

“The question of acceptance had a different weight for me.” ~Audre Lorde

Name: Andrew Pester

Year: 2017

Major: Dance

Hometown: Lawrence, Kansas

Collaborators: Dr. Catharine Wright’s Outlaw Women Course

Thanks Yous/Acknowledgements: Lexi Adams for helping to carry me through this.

You made a zine. What is that? And what was your motivation?

My zine is a collage of text, images, and color that express my life in a critical manner in relation to Audre Lorde’s biomythography, Zami: A New Spelling of My Name. I created this zine in Catharine Wright’s Outlaw Women course, and the idea struck me after a movement-writing exploration with Maree ReMalia. I was writing in my notebook, and my narrative made much more sense in my own handwriting. I wanted the physicality of writing to be present in the work, so I decided to stray away from the traditional essay and into something more visual, the zine.

I write about a difficult interaction with my family, and I have found that I can be more true to the experience with the combination of visuals, text, and color than I can be with text alone. In creating the zine, I have found that the images restore the gentleness of motherhood that for a moment is shattered. The zine has been restorative and empowering.

How do you want users to interact with it?

I want users to absorb the text like they might absorb a photograph. There is no order in which I want the user to read the text, although the user may find a certain linearity. When making the zine, I thought about highlighting the moments that are an expression of my queer identity, those that are timeless and still live inside my body. I like to think of this zine more as a self-portrait than anything else.

Where would you like it to now live and who can help you with that?

I would be honored for my zine to live in Special Collections & Archives. I believe Mikaela Taylor and Joseph Watson can help me.

This way to the Unplug and Recharge Room

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Follow the arrows, and find some time for yourself! Take a break from your studies for just one – quiet – moment. You’ll feel refreshed, we promise.

Photo of Unplug and Recharge Room

Just follow the arrow

The Unplug and Recharge Room will be available through November on the Upper Level of the Davis Family Library, but you may borrow meditation cushions all year long from the circulation desks at the Davis Family Library and the Armstrong Library.

Self-Service Reservations for Group Studies and Video Viewing Rooms

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Yes, YOU can book this room

Now available at the Davis Family Library for Middlebury students, faculty and staff!  Make your own reservations for group studies and video viewing rooms. It’s easy to see pre-existing reservations, pick a time, and even cancel if necessary — all online.

View policies and make reservations at:

(The group studies on the upper level of the Davis Family Library remain available on a first-come, first-served basis.)

Self-service room scheduling is available as a pilot through January 2017. Please share your feedback: http://go.middlebury.edu/libsuggestions.

100th Flanders Collection Cylinder Milestone!

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The Northeast Document Conservation Center reports  that they’ve recorded one hundred of the two hundred and fifty cylinders in the Flanders Ballad Collection.  Quite a milestone!  See the recording system at work and listen to the hundredth cylinder in the NEDCC blog post here!  Take a look at some of the previous posts to learn more about this new sound scanning technology.

Irene Blog

“We Have Sound!”

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“We Have Sound!” is the title of the IRENE/3D Seeing Sound Blog post from the Northeast Document Conservation Center when they announce that the new recording system is up and running. Middlebury College is fortunate to be part of a grant to reformat the wax cylinder recordings in the Flanders Ballad Collection. See the announcement here, along with more blog posts that follow.  You can even listen to some of the recordings!
NEDCC blog temp