Don’t feel guilty about not studying and spending the weekend burning through sparklers and black cats.  The UW Libraries (all branches, including Coe) will be closed Friday July 3rd and Saturday July 4th.

On Sunday we switch to our new summer hours, with Coe Library open from 1-7 p.m. and all other branches closed.

Questions?  Just ask us!

Starting July 1, 2009, all UW Libraries (including Coe Library) will be closed on Saturdays.

Coe Library will be open 1-7 p.m. on Sunday.  All other branches will be closed Sundays.

This weekend schedule will remain in effect until the end of Summer Session.

Can you guess which of these is the real subject heading?

• child cartographers – Montana – fiction
• girls – girls who like pop music – fiction
• gifted boys – Montana -fiction

Almost every book is assigned Library of Congress subject headings when published. As the LoC explains “Authority records enable librarians to provide uniform access to materials in library catalogs and to provide clear identification of authors and subject headings. For example, works about ‘movies’,'motion pictures,’ ‘cinema,’ and ‘films’ are all entered under the established subject heading ‘Motion pictures.’”  You can find the Library of Congress subject headings for a book on the back of the title page (the verso) or in the library catalog.

Very few authors add their own subject headings to their books. The image below shows the verso page for new book The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet. Scroll down for the catalog record and “real” subject headings. Who’s to say which makes more sense?  Is it time for the LoC to add “The Oregon Trail video game for the Apple IIGS – fiction” to the authority records?

Friday’s here!  Please enjoy some library and information-related stories from the week:

• We cover this in every class that visits the library, but apparently Wired editor Chris Anderson thinks it is ok to plagiarize, ok to plagiarize wikipedia in fact, and claims that there is no good citation system for web sites. You have to read it to believe it.
• Ray Bradbury to the New York Times: “I don’t believe in colleges and universities, I believe in libraries”. Wow!
• Summer reading list roundup, 2009. I found some promising reads on these lists, especially the NPR selections.
• What interesting stories did you find this week?

Feeling a bit lost without my old friend Prospector (the Colorado libraries’ joint catalog that supplied much of my pleasure reading, music and movies) I turned to some experts in the library for guidance. Diane Trotter of Interlibrary Loan speaks below, with reassurances about ordering materials and confidentiality. Prospector expert Brenna Philbrick offers still more reassurance that Prospector will one day return.

Dusty Shelves: Can I use Request It to order the same stuff I ordered from Prospector?
Diane Trotter: Yes

DS: Even movies? Music?
DT: Yes

DS: How long does Request It usually take?
DT: Depending on where the item is located around the US – the safe bet is 2 weeks

DS: How much does it cost?
DT:Nothing

DS: What’s the craziest thing anyone’s ever ordered through Request It?
DT: Not sure what you mean but we get orders for videos, DVD, CD, Records, Cassettes, Microforms, books and articles. I won’t go into titles because of privacy.

Dusty Shelves: When will Prospector return???
Brenna Philbrick: Although Prospector was originally slated to return on August 4th, it may not go live then. However, it will be up and running during the Fall Semester and will be even more fabulous with several pick up locations available at the branch libraries.

DS: Do you miss it?
BP: I do miss Prospector. My students and many library regulars miss the service and I miss seeing all the fascinating items other people order – I discovered many a great movie and book from our Prospector users!

After 20 years of hoping and waiting, Coe Library recently acquired an Ultrasonic Welder for use in preserving materials.  This tool allows library staff to encapsulate brittle book leaves or archival documents, or any documents that are in danger of degradation.  Conservation expert Bill Minter demonstrates the finer points of preserving documents in welded polyester below.

This month a hummingbird built a nest on my front porch (see photo) and now there are baby hummingbirds swinging in my wind chime!

Being a librarian, I headed straight to a field guide to identify my birds. Now I’m scouring the library catalog for some more specific hummingbird books to learn about the brooding and incubating process of these little darlings. And maybe a book for my daughter to read while I’m at it.

I might order some of the less scientific titles, too, as I have hummingbird fever!

Any Dusty Shelves’ readers have tips or insights on my new house guests?

Do you love the convenience of electronic books but miss the look and feel of old dusty books from the library? Now there’s an aftermarket solution to bring back that library smell at the comfort of your computer.

[thanks to alert reader Janet for the link!]