The Library is experiencing some problems with EZProxy. If, when trying to access electronic resources from off-campus, you may get a security warning message that tells you the site isn’t safe, click OK to continue. EZproxy server requires a certificate to provide SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption of user login information. In some situations, the browser may get confused because the web address doesn’t exactly match to the address in the certificate.
Category Archives: Alerts
Summer Students: Activate your account!
In order to access the electronic resources and services that the Library provides, you must activate your Brown account. It’s easy! Just go to http://www.brown.edu/cis/activate/
If you have questions, please contact the CIS Help Desk.
Equinox at SciLi
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] – Around noon on March 20, 2012, Brown University Library will celebrate the vernal equinox once again with an annual moment of gleaming marble in four atriums of the Sciences Library (201 Thayer Street).
SciLi’s Friedman Center is enlivened by four courtyards. Areas generally in shadow are planted with evergreens, while sunny regions host shrubs and perennials. White marble slabs part the sunny and deciduous areas. Every year on the vernal equinox, the sun directly hits the marble, illuminating it from above.
If you happen to be in SciLi at noon on March 20, look to the atriums! And, enjoy the changing scenes throughout the spring as Witchhazels and Lenten Rose bloom, followed by Korean Rhododendron, Winterhazel, Viburnum, Sweetbay Magnolia, Snowdrops, Crocuses, and Daffodils.
Library Closings and Handicap Access
Library Closings: All Libraries will be closed from Thursday, December 22 at 5pm until Monday, January 2 at 8:30am, except the Friedman Study Center which will be open Tuesday, December 27 through Thursday, December 29 from 10am to 5pm.
Handicap Access: From December 23rd through January 7, the handicap access ramp in front of the Rockefeller Library will be closed for repair. From January 2-7, patrons who require the handicap ramp will be referred to the Sciences Library for services since physical access to the Rock via the handicap ramp will not be possible. Patrons with questions about access should contact the Library by calling 863-2165.
Brown University Library Celebrates 150 Years as a Federal Depository
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] - Brown University Library will celebrate its 150th anniversary as a Federal Depository Library on Monday, September 26, 2011. In commemoration of this occasion, a representative of Senator Sheldon Whitehouse will present the Library with a ceremonial flag that was flown above the United States Capitol building on July 29, 2011 (the official anniversary date of the Library’s depository designation). The flag presentation will precede the keynote lecture, “How Technology Is Transforming Government and Society,” by guest speaker Dr. Darrell West, Vice President and Director for Governance Studies and Founding Director of the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution.
The celebration will begin at 3 p.m. in the main auditorium (Room 101) at Salomon Hall on the Brown University campus. A reception (with birthday cake) will follow the talk in the lobby. This event is open to the public.
The Brown University Library was officially designated a Federal Depository Library by Senator James F. Simmons in the summer of 1861. Since then, the Library has worked closely with the U.S. Government Printing Office, federal government agencies, and other depository libraries to provide the Brown community and the public at large with direct access to government information. Brown is the oldest depository library in Rhode Island and was among the first so designated libraries in the country. On July 29, 2011, Senator Jack Reed contributed remarks in the Congressional Record honoring Brown’s 150 years as a Federal Depository Library. This event is the Tenth Alice Bobb Brendel ’67 Library Lecture funded by the Brendel Staff Development Endowment. An online exhibit on the 150th anniversary is also available.
The Brown University Library is home to more than 6.8 million print items, plus a multitude of electronic resources and expanding digital archives serving the teaching, research, and learning needs of Brown students and faculty, as well as scholars from around the country and the world.
The Federal Depository Library Program was established by Congress to ensure that the American public has access to its government’s information. The U.S. Government Printing Office administers the program and disseminates information products from federal government agencies to over 1,200 libraries nationwide (including 10 in Rhode Island); in turn, these depository libraries provide the public with free access to the materials, both in print and online, as well as expert service in using government information..
The Brendel Endowment which supports staff development for library personnel, was established in 1998 through an endowment gift from Donald and Margaret Nuss Bobb ’51, brother and sister-in-law of Alice Bobb Brendel ‘67. Alice began work at Brown in 1982 as a Reference Librarian in the Rockefeller Library and held the position of Government Documents Coordinator at the time of her death in 1991.
Contact: Daniel P. O’Mahony | Director of Library Planning & Assessment | Brown University | 401-863-9445 | Daniel_O’Mahony@brown.edu or dpo@brown.edu
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New Students & Faculty: Activate Your Brown Account!
In order to access the electronic resources and services that the Library provides, you must activate your Brown account. It’s easy! Just go to http://www.brown.edu/cis/activate/
If you have questions, please contact the CIS Help Desk.
Brown University Adopts Serials Solutions Summon™ Discovery Service
SEATTLE – August 18, 2011 – Serials Solutions®, a business unit of ProQuest® LLC, today announced that Brown University Library has chosen to adopt the Summon™ web-scale discovery service to improve the discoverability and usability of library electronic resources for its students, faculty and staff. The Summon™ service enables Brown University’s researchers to receive the most relevant information from the full breadth of content found in the library’s licensed collections, and ensures that these invaluable resources are more easily found and used.
“After a thorough review of discovery systems, the Brown University Library chose to implement the Serials Solutions Summon service in order to improve searchability and access to our online resources,” said Harriette Hemmasi, Joukowsky Family University Librarian with Brown University. “The Summon approach offers flexibility for future improvements, and was the most popular choice with users and library staff.”
Established in 1764, Brown University is the seventh-oldest college in the United States and currently has a full-time enrollment of more than 8,400 undergraduate and graduate students. As an acclaimed Ivy League institution, Brown University Library collections boast more than 6.8 million print items, plus a multitude of electronic resources and expanding digital archives. The library subscribes to hundreds of online databases, tens of thousands of e-journals and online newspapers, and e-books, available anytime to members of the Brown community around the world.
“Serials Solutions is dedicated to enabling the discovery of information in an intuitive manner that is beneficial for both users and librarians,” said John Law, vice president of discovery solutions at Serials Solutions. “Librarians spend a large portion of their annual budgets on acquiring resources, so it’s vital for them to ensure these valuable resources are being fully utilized. With the Summon service, Brown University Library is maximizing the return on investment for its electronic resources, and increasing the discoverability of the full breadth of the library’s subscribed databases, e-resources and physical materials.”
Brown University Library joins more than 250 libraries and research institutions subscribed to the Summon™ service, many of whom are seeing a substantial increase in the use of their library’s collections. Currently, the Summon™ service allows researchers to search the full text of content from more than 7,000 providers and contains more than 750 million records.
Recognized as the Best Enterprise Search Solution at the 2011 CODiE Awards by the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), the Summon™ service offers the most compelling user experience by providing an easy and open discovery experience. With a single unified index, the Summon™ service provides instant access to the breadth of authoritative content that is the hallmark of great libraries.
About Serials Solutions (www.serialssolutions.com)
Serials Solutions® is the global leader in essential discovery and e-resource management solutions which are powered by a comprehensive knowledgebase. Its popular suite of Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions helps improve access to and use of collections, eases librarian workloads, and ultimately reduces operating costs. Solutions include: the world-class Summon™ web-scale discovery service, providing instant access to the full breadth of the library’s collection through a single search; the AquaBrowser® discovery layer, making navigation more accessible; 360 services, the only integrated e-resource access and management solution; KnowledgeWorks, the authoritative e-resource knowledgebase and foundation for Serials Solutions® 360; and Ulrich’s™ services, the world’s most authoritative source of bibliographic and publisher information for serials and the most comprehensive source of print and electronic serials data available. Headquartered in Seattle, Serials Solutions is a member of the ProQuest® family of companies.
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New Library Home Page and Search Technology — Coming September 1
A cleaner, less cluttered library home page will debut on September 1, 2011. The new design will gracefully adjust to tablet and smart phone dimensions and will feature new technology for searching all of the library’s resources from a single search box. These resources include:
“Books+” — Josiah (library catalog), plus over 57,000 digital objects from special collections, full text dissertations from the Brown Digital Repository, and Library Resource Guides compiled by subject librarians
“Articles” — over 200,000,000 online articles from the library’s vast array of licensed and subscription sources
“Everything” — “Books+” and “Articles” side by side
Access to the the traditional Josiah catalog will continue to be available; some functions – such as viewing course reserves, placing requests, viewing checkouts, renewing material – are currently available only in Josiah. Use the link to Josiah in the detailed record to perform any of these functions.
John Hay Library Open on Weekends Through Sunday May 15th
The main reading room of the John Hay Library will be open 1 to 5 PM on Saturday and Sunday through May 15th. If you are interested in consulting library materials on these weekends, please e-mail Hay@brown.edu and we will be happy to put them on reserves for you.
Please note that services will be limited to the first floor main reading room and exhibits. All other services and exhibits will not be open to the public.
Library Provides Full Access to New York Times
The New York Times has instituted restrictions on content effective March 28, 2011. Although some content will remain free, there will be limited access to articles and features for those who do not subscribe to either the print or online version of the paper.
The Library has arranged to provide Brown readers with access to the full text and images of the New York Times via Newsbank. Newsbank offers same-day, full-image, full-text access that includes the Book Review, Magazine, and other supplements. The links are now live via the Josiah catalog. Please see: http://josiah.brown.edu/record=b4146952 (first link) or the the New York Times record in the Library’s e-journal A-Z list at:
http://rl3tp7zf5x.search.serialssolutions.com/ (search New York Times)
A number of other online versions of the Times are also available from the Josiah link above. Users who encounter access trouble should contact us at: libweb@brown.edu or eresources@brown.edu