Library update information for CCOM Faculty: 2024-25
INTERLIBRARY LOAN REQUEST PAGE: NEW LOOK
The Library's Interlibrary Loan request page has a new look. At the Library homepage, under the tab "Borrow-->ILL" it takes you to the request page. When you make your request, you will see the page say "Request through CSU+". Don't worry, InterLibrary Loan is still working the same as always. This heading simply means all CSU libraries attempt to borrow from each other first, before going outside the CSU system. If a book you want isn't in any CSU library, we will still get the book from any ILL-lending library nationwide. ILL pickups are still at the Circulation Desk, 1st floor south.
LIBRARY HOURS
The library's hours and holiday closures are always posted on the Library Homepage at the "Hours" tab at the top. The usual semester hours are: Mon-Thu: 7am-12midnight. Fri: 7am-5pm. Sat & Sun: 9am-5pm.
CHECKING-OUT BOOKS Retrieving books from the shelves yourself: books are available for browsing in-person on the shelves, and checked-out at the Circulation Desk: 1st floor South. Books are located on various floors (for example: 2nd North, 4th South, 5th South; a map of all floors is here). Ordering books to be paged for you, and then picked up: the library also provides a paging service, where you can order (request) books on the online catalog, OneSearch, and then pick them up from the "Hold shelf" at the Circulation Desk, 1st floor. Details are here. Outside locker pickup option: if going to the Circulation Desk in-person is not convenient for you, books can also be requested online, and picked up from lockers outside the library's southside glass doors, facing the Quad/McCarthy Hall (similar to the Amazon lockers at the TSU). Here's how it works: (1) Search for the book you want using OneSearch on the library’s homepage; (2) Click the book’s title, then click the “Sign in for more options” link; (3) Follow the instructions to send your book to a locker. If you have any problems or questions, contact libcirc@fullerton.edu or 657-278-2721.
FACULTY MUST RETURN BOOKS BY THE END OF EVERY SCHOOL YEAR
Faculty have the privilege of long check-outs: up to the entire academic year. However, per Academic Senate rules, all faculty must physically return all library books by the end of every school year (renewals can begin again afterwards). To return books, simply bring them to the Circulation Desk, 1st floor southside. Or, use any of the library’s 3 outdoor return bins: (a) by the south-side sliding glass doors, facing the Quad/McCarthy Hall; (b) by the west doors, facing the Bookstore; (c) in the big silver bin, in the Lot I faculty parking lot (between EC and ECS) next to the disabled parking stalls (see campus map).
LIBRARY RESERVE (PRINT BOOKS) Placing print books on Library Reserve is still available. To do so, go to this page and fill out the form. You can also check the Library's catalog, OneSearch, to see if your print book is available as a library e-book; if so, you can create a link to the e-book for your students—simply go to the OneSearch e-book record and click “permalink” at the top to create a link (see steps here). If no e-book version is available, the library can digitize limited portions of your print book (within practical and copyright constraints) into e-reserves. To request this, contact the library at libraryreserves@fullerton.edu or 657-278-2721, and specify which library book it is. Or, if it is your own print copy, bring it to the Circulation Desk, 1st floor southside. You can also scan portions of your print book yourself, and place them on your class Canvas page.
E-TEXTBOOKS
In preparing your course curricula, some of you may have chosen e-textbooks through your publisher or free Open Access textbooks (OA textbooks are discussed here). The library can check and see if your textbook is purchasable and affordable as a multi-user library e-book. For example, at this page is a list of several CCOM textbooks we purchased as library e-books for Spring 2024. However, please understand this is not always possible. Many publishers refuse to make e-textbooks available to libraries, and instead only allow individual student purchases to maintain their profits (this industry practice is well-stated by another library, here).
LIBRARY VIDEOS (STREAMING AND DVDs) Streaming: the library has a large collection of streaming videos related to COMM (documentaries, feature films, etc.) These are all cataloged in our OneSearchcatalog. For example, if you wanted to view the advertising documentary Killing Us Softly, typing it in OneSearch brings it up with a link to view via streaming. Our streaming videos come from several streaming video vendors: Kanopy, Alexander Street, Docuseek, Swank, etc. (See FAQs on Kanopy and Swank, below). Understandably, our streaming collection won’t include every title you may need. So if there are specific titles you need that are not in OneSearch, you can contact me or the Library's purchasing Librarian Keri Prelitz (kprelitz@fullerton.edu), and we can try to purchase. However, keep in mind institutional streaming subscriptions are much more expensive than for an individual person (like a $2.99 Amazon rental), so our being able to get your title(s) is not guaranteed.
DVDs: for those of you who wish to show actual DVDs to your classes—either your own, or owned by the library—the library can digitize clips from the DVDs. Due to recent copyright legal decisions, we cannot digitize entire DVDs (as we did during the COVID pandemic). We can only digitize up to 3 clips of up to 10 minutes each. This policy, and the steps how to request digitization, are explained here.
Tips for searching: The default on OneSearch is all materials (books, articles, media, etc.) To narrow to media only, go to OneSearch's Advanced Search and use the limiters: "Books & Media (CSUF)" at the top..."Material Type: Videos" at the right..."Refine My Results: video", after results, at the left.
E-BOOKS OR VIDEOS DISAPPEARING? The Library obtains e-books two ways: (1)outright purchase where we own the e-book forever; (2)"leasing" e-books for a certain period (e.g., a year or two). This second option allows the library to flexible to needs--i.e., re-allocating funds for more in-demand e-books over e-books not being used. Therefore, you might encounter an e-book that has "disappeared" from the library's catalog. Don't worry, this just means the e-books lease period eneded, but we can renew it if you still need it. This is also the case with streaming videos that may have "disappeared." Simply contact me for restoring them.
PURCHASE SUGGESTIONS Every year I purchase new library books to support the different curricula in the College of Communications. If you would like to recommend books that you feel would be good for the library to purchase, feel free to email me.
LIBRARY INSTRUCTION SESSIONS
I am available to teach Library Instruction sessions for your classes! I can come to your classroom, or you can bring your class to the library (in one of our library computer labs). These are not just canned, generic lectures about the library. I customize instruction sessions specifically to your class assignments. For example, if you want your students to know how to find scholarly articles on certain topics, I train them on how to specifically search our databases (EBSCO, ProQuest, etc.) To request me for an instruction session, go to the Library Instruction Request form. Also, in addition to in-person teaching, I can also pre-record instruction sessions for you to upload to Canvas for your students to watch asynchronously.
IN-PERSON & ONLINE LIBRARIAN ASSISTANCE Immediate assistance. I am available every day via email (jhickok@fullerton.edu) or phone (657-278-4394). In case you can't reach me and need immediate assistance, you can reach on-duty Pollak Librarians by phone at 657-278-3284 or Instant Messaging chat, Mon-Fri, 10a-5p. After hours, we contract with an outside librarian chat service to monitor the chat window (professional librarians familiar with our library e-resources).
Scheduling an appointment. For any of your students who need longer, more detailed assistance, they can schedule a 1-on-1 research appointment with me (via email, phone, Zoom, or in-person). Students can request this using the online Research Consultation form. Note: these individual consultations are not a substitute for class library instruction sessions; please don't send your entire classes to this form to meet with me...hundreds of appointments repeating the same info is not sustainable. Rather, schedule an instruction session for me to come to your class.
DATABASES The library subscribes to hundreds of databases, many of which are relevant for CCOM. They are all listed here. And descriptions of which databases are best for which needs are here: COMM, CTVA, HCOM. Below are some newer databases the Library subscribed to in recent years: Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive: This archival resource contains primary sources for the film and entertainment industries, from Vaudeville until today. Includes visual material: photos, covers, advertisements, etc. Rolling Stone magazine archive: This databases provides full coverage of the magazine, from its November 9, 1967 start until today. It includes PDFs of the full pages, with all graphics and photos. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: We have subscribed to new municipal historical newspapers, giving coverage from the 1800s to 1900s, such as the Boston Globe, Philadelphia Tribune, Baltimore Sun, etc. Newsbank: Newsbank is a competing newspaper database vendor to ProQuest. We have a subscription to Newsbank's California Custom News database (full text of all California newspapers, showing the actual PDF scans of newspaper pages, not just the text); and Newsbank's Access World (US and World newspapers). We're still keeping our ProQuest news databases, since the LA Times is exclusively there. OC Register (moved to Newsbank): For years the OC Register was in the ProQuest US Newsstand database. It has now switched over to the Newsbank's California Custom News database. AP-Newsroom: Our "AP-Images" (EBSCO) database is upgrading to a new interface, called "AP-Newsroom", directly from the AP website. But we're keeping the AP-Images (EBSCO) version, for a while, during the transition. Catalyst (formerly MRI+/Simmons): The former "MRI+/Simmons" database, for consumer demographics, has been changed to a new version called "Catalyst". This new version is very different (and a bit complicated) to use, so training videos are here.
LIBRARY GUIDES FOR YOUR SPECIFIC DEPARTMENTS
Library guides (with tips, instructions, resources) have been created for your specific departments. You can see them here: COMM, CTVA,HCOM.
FAQ's on Kanopy streaming video
Where do you access CSUF's Kanopy video collection? Our Kanopy video collection (and videos from our other streaming vendors) is integrated into the library's catalog, OneSearch, instead of listed at the A-Z databases page. This is because databases are typically assumed to be for articles, whereas our OneSearch catalog contains books and media.
How do you search for Kanopy titles in OneSearch?
First, go to the library's homepage. You'll see OneSearch in the middle of the screen. You can search the single, default search box you see there, but I recommend the ADVANCED SEARCH, which you see to the right. In the Advanced Search you can do the following: (1) set the circle, at the top, to: CSUF Books & Media. (2) on the first line, type the title of your film. (3) to the right, use the pulldown arrows to make it: "Title" "Starts with". (4) Then hit the green search button. That's it! If we have your title in our Kanopy collection (those we have subscriptions to), then the catalog record of your film will display with the link directly to Kanopy to begin viewing. For example, if you wanted to see Chuck Workman's 2013 documentary What is Cinema?, simply follow the steps above, and you will see the catalog record show up for it, with the link to Kanopy to begin watching.
Once you find your Kanopy video record in the library catalog, how do you copy the URL link to it? (the "permalink") Once you are at the OneSearch library catalog record for your video, you will see a little button at the top called "permalink". If you click it, it copies the URL to the OneSearch library catalog record for your video. You can then share this URL with your students (email or Titanium/Canvas). Note: this URL is not the URL of the actual Kanopy site with the video ready to play. Rather, it is to the library catalog record, showing the link to Kanopy. In other words, this URL is the launching point to Kanopy. For example, clicking "permalink" for What is Cinema? generates the URL: https://csuf-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/1tjtdoq/01CALS_ALMA71519150860002901
Why bother with the library catalog's launching-point URL? Why not just provide the URL directly to the Kanopy film?
Admittedly, it is possible to paste the direct Kanopy URL of your film. At the library's catalog record, when you click on the link to Kanopy, it then takes you to the direct Kanopy URL. For example, the direct Kanopy URL for What is Cinema? is here: https://fullerton.kanopy.com/video/what-cinema The advantage of using the library URL is that is keeps users in the OneSearch catalog where they can conveniently search for other/similar videos if they wish.
Is there a way to search CSUF's Kanopy collection directly, without going through OneSearch?
Yes. The direct link to it is: https://fullerton.kanopy.com This raises the question "why not just provide this, instead of going through the library's OneSearch catalog?" The answer is: OneSearch contains streaming videos from multiple streaming vendors, not just Kanopy. So there is a broader selection of titles by searching OneSearch than Kanopy alone. The other vendors include Alexander Street, Docuseek, Swank, etc. And the library's in-house DVDs--which can be digitized--are included in OneSearch searches as well.
Why are there sometimes messages that a request form must be submitted to watch a Kanopy video?
In the collection of videos Kanopy provides us, they give us two varieties: videos for which we have an active license and play immediately; and videos for which we need to purchase an active license to view (it's analogous to basic cable and pay-per-view cable). If that happens to you, and it is a known title you know you need for your curriculum, just fill out the request form and we can inquire with Kanopy about purchasing it. Due to cost, student requests to activate licenses to view are unlikely to be fulfilled unless they are required viewing for a class.
Once we have a video in our Kanopy subscription, that video will always be there, right? No. Videos we subscribe to (have an active license for) are not there forever. Our licenses for videos range between 1 to 3 years. So a video may indeed drop-off the play list, even if you were accessing it the previous semester. If this happens, simply contact me (John) or our Collection Development Librarian, Keri Prelitz, so that we can re-subscribe to it.
FAQ's on Swank films
Do we have a Swank "subscription package" of films?
Yes and no. Some other universities (UCLA, USC, CSUN, etc.) may have a large subscription package of 500 or more films. But our subscription is more a la carte, where we can pick a limited number of titles to add into our OneSearch catalog each semester.
Can specific films be requested to add to our Swank titles?
Yes and no. If you have a particular film you need to show in your class, or have your students view, you can request it by emailing the Library's Acquisitions Librarian, Keri Prelitz, and Cc. me. We will see if it is available from any of our streaming vendors, not just Swank (so it could come from Kanopy or AVON or Films on Demand or Swank or even digitized if we already have it on DVD in the library). Please note that our Swank subscription only gives us a limited number of titles per semester, and for Fall 2024 the maximum is already nearly reached. So if you submit a long list of dozens of titles, late into the semester, we may not be able to obtain them.
Where can you search for the Swank films we have?
Like our Kanopy and other streaming titles, all our Swank-subscription films are in our OneSearch catalog. On the Swank website, they list their full inventory of over 25,000 films, but once again, we do not have access to all those; we have to request our limited choices a la carte.