SUNY Empire Library News & Alerts

Updates from the Library

Welcome to Fall Term 2023!

We've been busy here in the library getting ready for you. Here are some of the big changes we've implemented over the Summer.

Library Website

Regular users may have noticed that the blue drop-down menus for our Subject Guides, Course Guides, and Other Guides are gone. Links to all three have moved to the "Search Tools" section in the left column of the library home page. We've also added our Faculty Guides and Library FAQ to the "Learn" section in the center column of the home page. You can expect a few additional, small things to shift over the coming weeks with the goal of eliminating duplicate links.

Ask a Librarian Hours

After reviewing the data, we noted that library users ask most of their questions between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday; therefore, we have targeted those hours for our Ask a Librarian service. Ask a Librarian is our reference service provided by SUNY Empire librarians. Any time we are not online, your reference questions are being answered via live chat by academic librarians from our global partnership with AskUs 24/7, but you can still email us or leave us a voicemail, if you prefer. You can find our contact details at the Ask a Librarian page.

Textbooks

We have been working with the faculty to add free, unlimited access to many course textbooks. To see if we have yours--or to check out other ways to find your textbooks for free or greatly-reduced prices--visit the Textbooks link under "Search Tools."

Librarian Roles

In an effort to better allocate and align our offerings, librarian roles have shifted as follows:

Librarian: Sara Hull
Title: Librarian and Coordinator for Collaborative Projects, Reference, and Outreach
Liaison to: 1Stop Student Services; Academic Support; AskUs 24/7; Center for Mentoring, Learning & Academic Innovation; Opportunity Programs; Veteran & Military Education; Student Success

Librarian: Dana Longley
Title: Librarian and Coordinator for Library Instruction and Information Literacy
Liaison to: Human Services; Nursing & Allied Health; Psychology & Human Development; Graduate Studies

Librarian: Sarah Morehouse
Title: Librarian and Coordinator for Instructional Support
Liaison to: Business, Management & Economics; Labor Studies; Science, Mathematics & Technology; Arts & Humanities; from Social & Behavioral Sciences, Educational Studies, Social Science & Policy, Interdisciplinary & Multidisciplinary Studies

Librarian: Heather Shalhoub
Title: Librarian and Coordinator for Web Services, User Experience, and Systems
Liaison to: Information Technology Services; SUNY Library Systems

For more information about your librarians, including Shannon Pritting, our Director of Library Services, Open and Digital Learning Assets, visit the Your Librarians page.

Coming Soon: Library Chatbots!

Over the coming weeks, keep an eye out for Blue's friends, Howie, the Library Help Chatbot, and Ebony, the Ebook Help Chatbot. Howie, a hummingbird, is designed to help you find answers to our most commonly asked library questions. Ebony, a raven, is designed to help you find answers to commonly asked questions about using ebooks. You will find Howie and Ebony in most places where library chat widgets already exist. Both chatbots offer the option to exit and chat with a librarian or submit your question via email at multiple points in the conversation. We hope you will check them out and let us know what you think of Blue's new friends!