Doug and Ezry the Tiger celebrate Thomas Library

Welcome back from summer! It feels like the height of summer outside this week. It sure is hot and humid out there.

I want to personally welcome the students of the class of 2017 and invite you to stop by Thomas Library. If you check your campus mail box you will find a post card from the library. Bring it in and drop it off at the Circulation Desk to be entered in a drawing for a $100 gift card to the Wittenberg University Bookstore. If you have any questions about the Library and the various services we offer, please feel free to e-mail me; or stop by the Library, I would enjoy the opportunity to meet you.

To the members of the Classes of 2014, 2015 and 2016, I offer a warm welcome back to campus. I hope everyone had a good summer and is glad to be back. For some of you this is the last fall semester of your undergraduate careers; I hope you can look back on your time at Wittenberg with pride, joy and good memories. All too soon you will leave us behind and go out and make us all proud of what you will accomplish in the “real world.” Before you do, take the time to enjoy what we have here at Wittenberg and take advantage of all the good things, including Thomas Library.

A few projects took place in Thomas Library during the summer. We continue to try to make the library a better place for students and one that you want to come to for studying and conducting research.

During the summer the Library changed to a different software package for the “Journals The Library Has” search function. Thomas Library is now using the same software as many other OhioLINK libraries, so you will see a similar look and functionality between Thomas Library and other Ohio academic libraries. You still use this feature to discover which journals Thomas Library provides, where you can find them, and their format.

Last spring the Library received a Sustainability Fund Grant from the University to upgrade the lighting fixtures on the second floor of the 1982 addition to Thomas Library and in the Special Collections and Archives area. This involved upgrades to more energy-efficient light bulbs and ballasts, as well as new fixtures in some areas. These changes are not as visible as some, but will result in significant energy savings for the University.

Finally, you may notice new surfaces on some tables near the windows on the second floor. Because we were able to add lighting directly above the tables, the decision was made to remove the silver fluorescent lamp fixtures from the tables and replace the surfaces with new table tops. This provides greater space for students to spread out material and open laptop computers without banging into light fixtures. So far, student feedback on this change has been positive.

The Library staff stands ready to assist you in any way we can with your research and studies. Thomas Library has a fine collection of books and journals in the building. In addition, you have access to millions of other books and journal articles from OhioLINK and beyond. The electronic resources, such as journal indices, full-text journals and electronic books, would be an unbelievable bounty to the students of institutions similar to Wittenberg in other states. The Thomas Library staff is first rate and will do everything they can to assist you during your time here at Wittenberg.

Good luck to all!