Senior Sendoff!

Congratulations, Seniors... The Library staff has enjoyed working with you and we wish you well in your continued studies in college and beyond! We hope your experience using our library has been a positive one. Here are a few things we would like for you to keep in mind when using your college library next year and in the years to come:

1. Don't be afraid to ask for help! Unlike the stereotypes, librarians in general are nice people who truly want to help you. They want and expect you to ask them for help. They will be sitting at a Reference Desk waiting to answer your questions and give advice, which leads us to tip #2.

2. Go to the Reference Desk for research help instead of the Circulation Desk. In college & university libraries, the people who work at the circulation desk are usually students and just deal with book circulation matters and directional questions. The librarians man the reference desk, which is usually separate from the circulation desk. Librarians will cover the reference desk late into the night and on weekends to help you, too. You don't have to go it alone when you're thrown into a new library and don't know where to start.

3. Be prepared for call numbers to look completely different from the Dewey call numbers you've been using for years. The majority of college and university libraries use the Library of Congress classification system, which is better suited to large collections and to expanding for new areas of knowledge. LC numbers begin with one or two letters followed by numbers. For example, a book we have on the Civil War has the call number 973.3 C582t. The same book with an LC call number would be E468 .C612 2004. If you're curious, here's a link to an outline of the LC Classification System: http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/lcco/

4. If you've gotten used to relying on certain databases for research (JStor for instance), you will probably be able to find your old favorites at your college library, as well as more that we don't have at MUS. Check your library's website or ask a librarian to see what databases you'll be able to use.

5. If your college offers a library orientation session or class, it's a good idea to take advantage of that. We know this is probably the last thing you're going to want to do, but it will really come in handy when you have to start writing research papers.

6. You will likely find many of the comforts of home in your college library, such as coffee shops and comfortable easy chairs. When exam time rolls around, many of them will stay open all night to accommodate your study habits.

 Best wishes to you all!