Library Services, Resources, and News: Fall 2024
I'm Randy Souther, the library's liaison for Biology & Biotechnology.
This page highlights recent news, as well as some of the library's services and resources available to support faculty teaching and research. It will be updated ahead of each semester, and periodically in-between.
News
August 2024
Cancellations and Withdrawals
The library has had to cut more than $50,000 from our materials budget this coming year, and larger cuts are likely next fiscal year. See our Cancellations and Withdrawals page for a full list of cancelled databases and journals.
See Cancellations and Withdrawals
Important cancellations include:
- Link+ — book borrowing and lending service (books can still be borrowed via our Interlibrary Loan service).
- ProQuest Ebook Central — more than 200,000 academic ebook titles.
- Passport GMID — international consumer and industry market research.
- Credo InfoLit — information literacy tutorials and videos
New Information Desk in the Library
The library's Reference Desk has been closed, and reference services have been moved and combined with circulation services at the Information Desk at the entrance of the library. Reference librarians will be on-call — just ask at the Information Desk.
Selected Services and Resources
Reminders of key resources ahead of each semester—see more in Faculty Resources:
Class Instruction
I will meet with you and your class to provide an overview of library resources and research strategies tailored to specific assignments. (Please request at least two weeks in advance.)
Appointments
If you are new faculty and would like a personal overview of what the library offers—or if you've been around a while and would like a refresher—please schedule a time to meet.
Course Reserves
The library can place both physical and online materials on reserve for your classes. We encourage you to make arrangements prior to the start of each semester or as soon as possible, and email gleesonreserves@usfca.edu with any questions.
Research Guides
We curate research guides for a variety of disciplines, topics, and classes. Please consider including a link to the Biology or Biotechnology guide on your course canvas pages for your students.
Book Orders
If you would like us to purchase specific books for the library, please contact me via email with the information: southerr@usfca.edu. We're happy to partner with you to build a rich and useful collection.
Streaming Videos for Classroom Use
If you’re planning on using streaming videos from the library, we encourage you to make arrangements prior to the start of each semester:
Even if you’ve made arrangements for a specific title in the past, please confirm that the license will be active during the semester. Many of our streaming videos are licensed for only a year at a time, and we want to make sure you and your students have access when you need it. License expiration dates, when applicable, are indicated in the “Access Restrictions” note in the catalog record for the video.
You can search our streaming video collection in the library’s catalog. For additional information, please see our Video and Streaming Media for Faculty guide, or contact me for help.