Do you know that library staff will deliver books and AV items from our collections to your office? Are you familiar with the hundreds of online journals that we’ve added through the support of student differential tuition? Are you aware that we now purchase hard-to-obtain articles from commercial suppliers through a UW-System funded program? To make sure that all faculty are informed about the long-standing as well as new services and resources that the library offers, librarians are scheduling visits with all academic departments to discuss our initiatives. If a librarian has already met with your department, thanks for making time during your departmental meeting for this visit! We hope to visit all academic departments during the year, and look forward to meeting with you, not only to share information about the library but also to gather your feedback regarding our services and collections.

Speaking of feedback, the library gathered over 1,000 responses to the LibQual survey that we conducted last spring. Respondents were asked to indicate their minimum expectations regarding library service, their desired expectations and their perception of what they actually receive in three areas: affect of service, information resources, and library as place. In nearly all areas, faculty, staff, and students indicated that our services and resources exceed their minimum expectations. In areas dealing with employee knowledge, courtesy and willingness to help users, the survey showed that library employees meet and nearly exceed users’ desired levels. Thanks for that vote of confidence! In the area of resources, however, faculty indicated that the journals that we provide to support your work do not meet your minimum expectations. We scored lower in this area than we did in 2004, a sure sign that you have felt the effects of diminishing budget for resources.

We’ve already made some changes in the library based on the survey results. While students are thrilled with our 1 a.m. closing time, many asked that we open earlier as well, so we now open at 7:30 a.m. during the week. We loaded the full Microsoft Office suite on some main floor computers because of the many comments we received regarding access to this software. We will continue to evaluate the survey results and make changes in an effort to provide the best possible services and resources to support teaching and learning at UWRF.

In October Julianne Johnson, who began working in Stacks Maintenance over twelve years ago and was most recently employed as the Circulation Supervisor, took a position as the Circulation Supervisor at UW-Stout.

Ellen Dewolf has worked in the library's Serials Department since 1997. In August Ellen began employment as an Academic Department Associate in the UWRF Biology Department.

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The Chalmer Davee Library recently received a generous donation from the extensive personal library of Dr. Stephen Feinstein, professor of European history at UWRF for over 30 years.  Dr. Feinstein, a renowned Holocaust scholar, passed away on March 4, 2008, after which his family made the decision to donate his personal collection to the library. The collection concentrates on Russian, European, and Middle Eastern history and art as well as the Holocaust and genocide.  At the time of his death, Dr. Feinstein was the director of the University of Minnesota's Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies.			Dr. Stephen Feinstein taught European history at UW-River Falls from 1969-1999.
This rich and diverse collection will serve as a tribute to the intellectual legacy of Dr. Stephen Feinstein. Items from the Feinstein collection are currently being entered into the library’s online catalog.  [View titles.] When all items have been entered a link to the collection will be made available on the library's homepage.

In October, the Chalmer Davee Library held a Library Photo Booth event. UWRF students, faculty, and staff were asked to visit the library’s main level Harriet Barry Gallery and pose for photographs while holding signs containing words and phrases such as Learn, Study, Be Curious, and Expand Your Mind. The photographs will be used in conjunction with the American Library Association’s @ Your Library advocacy campaign for use on posters, banners, bookmarks and other materials promoting the Chalmer Davee Library. Thank you to all of the enthusiastic participants who stopped by to get involved! Photographs are already being used around campus on banners and other promotional materials so keep a lookout for your face! Photographs and promotional materials can also be viewed on the library’s Facebook page.

The library is now open even earlier! This semester the opening time was changed to 7:30 a.m. instead of 7:45 a.m.

Political buttons from a collection of historical memorabilia housed in the UWRF Area Research Center & University Archives are featured on the cover of a new book entitled Wisconsin Votes: An Electoral History written by Robert Booth Fowler (UW Press, 2008).

A new exhibit case is being installed in the Curriculum Materials Collection area on the library's upper floor. The space will be used to showcase children's books from the library collection that have won awards including the Newberry and Caldecott Medals and the Coretta Scott King Award.

Due to patron demand, Microsoft Office software has been added to several public computers located near the Government Documents section. Please note that with this change, the guest login will no longer work on those computers. Patrons will have to log in using a valid Falcon ID. The guest login will work on all other public computers on the library’s main level.