FSU Hosts Maryland AUN Coordinator

Paul Chasen (Center), Maryland AskUsNow Coordinator, met with FSU Chat providers (L-R) Dr. Sean Henry, Dr. Theresa Mastrodonato, Lisa Hartman and Amber Harrison on January 25. Chasen introduced improvements incorporated with the new platform design. FSU Providers answer online questions during five one hour slots per week with one hour devoted to Global Chat coverage.

                                                                                                                              

AskUsNow (AUN) provides Virtual Reference Service 24 hours a day, 7 days per week. Global coverage guarantees that questions will be answered regardless of the hour. Simply click on the Qwidget, pictured below, and you will be connected with an AUN provider.

Library Closing Early 1/30, Delayed Opening 1/31

Due to extreme winter weather, the university, including the library, will close early at 10:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 30, 2019. The Library will reopen on Thursday morning at 11:00 a.m.

Online resources remain accessible via the library’s website www.frostburg.edu/library, and online chat reference and research help is available 24/7 through Ask Us Now even when the library is closed.

Updates on weather-related closings are posted to the main university website, and are sent out via email and text message to the campus community.

Stay warm out there!

Spring 2019 Library Hours

Library hours for the Spring 2019 semester begin on Monday, January 28, 2019 and are as follows:

Spring 2019 Library Hours:

Monday through Thursday - 7:30 a.m. to Midnight

Friday - 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Sunday - 1:00 p.m. to Midnight

Library hours are posted on the hours page of the library website: http://libguides.frostburg.edu/libhours.

If you have questions, please contact the Circulation Desk during our open hours at 301-687-4395 or by email at circulation@frostburg.edu. You can also contact the Reference Desk at 301-687-4424. Online resources remain accessible via the library’s website www.frostburg.edu/library, and online chat reference and research help is available 24/7 through Ask Us Now even when the library is closed.

Information about the library’s study spaces, collections, and policies can be found on our website www.frostburg.edu/library and our full Library Code of Conduct is available here: http://libguides.frostburg.edu/circulation/conduct.

On behalf of the library, we welcome you all back for another semester!

Dr. Janiewski Visits Beall Archives

Dolores Janiewski added the Beall Archives Collection to her research itinerary when she traveled to the U.S. from Wellington, New Zealand in October 2018. Archives at Harvard and U.C.L.A. were also among the nine institutions she visited for research.

Dr. Janiewski wanted to investigate documents and manuscripts that are part of the Virginia Brodine Collection consisting of 29 boxes with 859 folders of materials. Her  specific interest in the Congress of American Women and Brodine's early collaboration with Gerda Lerner was covered in seven boxes from the Collection.  She spent a full day examining this archive.

The Virginia Brodine Collection is series 32 of the Meyers Collections developed and organized by Dr. David M. Gillespie.

An Associate Professor at Victoria University of Wellington, Dr. Janiewski teaches U.S. history and conducts research that focuses on issues related to gender, race, class and culture.

Federal Government Shutdown - Potential Workarounds for Information Sources (Updated 1-18-19)

Since the Federal government shutdown began on December 22, 2018, most major agency websites are still available. However, most sites will not be updated.

Since some online resources may be affected.  Please monitor this list for potential workarounds.  If the resources listed below do not provide the information that you need,, please contact Lisa Hartman, Reference Librarian & Government DocumentsCoordinator (lahartman@frostburg.edu, 301-687-4734), or the reference desk (libref@frostburg.edu, 301-687-4424), for potential alternative sources.

This post will be updated as new information becomes available.

Selected non-government sources of Federal information:

• Beyond.gov (USC Aiken) (https://library.usca.edu/c.php?g=155790&p=1022005),  - A variety of alternatives to federal government agencies for federal government information.
• Maryland State Data Center (http://www.mdp.state.md.us/msdc/)
• Missouri Census Data Center (http://mcdc.missouri.edu/decennial-census/2010.shtml)
• Stats America (http://www.statsamerica.org/)
• Census/Investigative Reporters & Editors (http://census.ire.org/)
• Census Viewer (http://censusviewer.com/free-maps-and-data-links/)
• National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (Univ. of Michigan) (http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/NACJD)
• Quandl (Archived Datasets from a variety of agencies) (http://www.quandl.com/)

1/9/19 Update: This article lists some of the data that will not be available during the shutdown: 
The Data Casualties of the Federal Government Shutdown (Pew Research Center).

1/16/19 Update:

Federal agency websites unavailable due to shutdown: 

• Department of Commerce: 
• NOAA Divisions: 

• National Ocean Service - http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/ 
• Oceanic and Atmospheric Research - http://research.noaa.gov/ 
• Climate.gov - http://climate.gov 
• Fishwatch.gov - http://www.fishwatch.gov/ 
• Office of Marine and Aviation Operations - http://www.omao.noaa.gov/ 
• National Ocean Service Podcasts - http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/podcast/ 
• National Estuarine Research Reserves - http://nerrs.noaa.gov/ 
• Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) - www.mbda.gov/ 
• USGS Publications - https://www.usgs.gov/products/publications/official-usgs-publications Please note: Older quadrangle maps of Maryland and surrounding states are available in the library's map collection.  
• Federal Trade Commission: 
  National Do Not Call Registry - https://www.donotcall.gov/ 
• IdentityTheft.gov - https://identitytheft.gov/  
• E-Consumer - https://econsumer.gov/  

1/17/19 Update - North Dakota State University libraries have compiled a list of sites and their operating status. This also includes to links and information about the shutdown: https://library.ndsu.edu/guides/government-shutdown-2019 

1/19/18 Update - Many websites, while originally remaining functional at the beginning of the shutdown are becoming inaccessible due to expired security certificates. This article describes the issue as well as lists sites with expired certificates and certificates which will soon expire.