From the shelves of Freel Library

Showing 5 of 5 Results

New this spring: Research Help 24/7! Chat online with a librarian at a time that works for YOU
02/22/2022
profile-icon Emily Alling
Library Resources, MCLA Community Resources, How-To

A small owl watches a patron and librarian chat on a laptop computer at 2 a.m. MCLA's Freel Library has joined a 24/7 research help co-operative staffed by hundreds of librarians from participating colleges and universities as well as a team of dedicated co-op librarians.

MCLA's own librarians continue to be available for in-person, virtual, phone, email, chat, and SMS research assistance Sunday evenings, Monday-Thursday daytimes and evenings and Fridays during the day. MCLA librarians remain your best bet for getting help with research for your MCLA academic work.

But when an MCLA librarian is not available, MCLA students, faculty, and staff can now chat with a partner librarian from the co-op 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The partner librarian can answer many questions about using our library, help you get started with your research, and connect you with an MCLA librarian for follow-up as needed.

Please note that our 24/7 co-op partner librarians are only available via chat. You can still get help from MCLA librarians in person or via chat, email, phone, text, or Teams during our regularly staffed Research Desk hours (which you can always find listed on the library's Hours page).

To chat with a librarian 24/7, just visit the Freel Library homepage and look for the "Chat 24/7" button in the Get Help box.

This post has no comments.
Library services update, Fall 2020
11/20/2020
profile-icon Emily Alling
Library Resources, MCLA Community Resources, News

For the latest updates about MCLA campus operations, please visit the college's Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information page. 

Thanksgiving and beyond: With the move back to remote teaching, learning, and work this Thanksgiving, the library will once again move to virtual operations on Wednesday, November 25, with curbside pickup of library materials still available.

Visit Library to Go to get started using the library's virtual collections and services.

Questions? Please call 413-662-5321 or email library@mcla.edu. 

This post has no comments.
Freel Library Statement and Commitment to Anti-Racism
06/09/2020
profile-icon Emily Alling
Library Resources, MCLA Community Resources, News

Freel Library believes unequivocally that Black lives matter. We add our voices to those condemning the continued shooting and killing of Black individuals by police and mourning the lives shattered and lost: Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, David McAtee, Breonna Taylor, Jacob Blake, and too many others.  

The library also acknowledges the insidious effects of the racism that pervades the daily lives of people of color in the United States. It is incumbent upon those who do not live with it every day to learn to recognize and name racism in its many forms and work to undo it. Books are a start, but they are not a substitute for difficult conversations and concrete action. Being nice is a start, but politeness does not necessarily imply understanding or true inclusivity. 

We will work continuously toward creating an antiracist library that is worthy of MCLA's diverse and dynamic community. Steps in this direction include: 

  • Seeking out, listening to, and inviting accountability from students, staff, and faculty of color; incorporating what we learn into library services, collections, facilities, and policies  

  • Empowering our community to understand and work toward identifying and dismantling systemic racism and personal biases by providing information and encouraging dialogue (Our Anti-Racist Resources Guide is a beginning) 

  • Using our role as selectors and disseminators of information, literature, and scholarship to amplify BIPOC voices 

  • Including Black-owned businesses among the vendors from whom we purchase books 

  • Being intentional about recruiting and hiring more people of color to work in the library 

We hope that you will share your thoughts, experiences, and questions with us. Use our general library contact information, or reach out directly to Associate Dean for Library Services, Emily Alling. 

In solidarity, 

The staff of Freel Library 

Alishia Alther
Danielle Christensen
Emily Alling
Glenn Lawson
Kate Flower
Laura Dear
Pamela Contakos

This post has no comments.
Access to premium content from the Chronicle of Higher Education for all MCLA faculty, staff, and students
04/16/2020
profile-icon Emily Alling
Library Resources, MCLA Community Resources, News

undefined

The library is pleased to be able to provide access to premium content on the Chronicle of Higher Education to all MCLA faculty, staff, and students. 

You can read premium content in one of two ways:

  1. Create an account on the Chronicle site using your mcla.edu email address, and make sure to be logged in to that account when you visit chronicle.com; OR
  2. Use the following link, which will prompt you to log in with your A number and password: https://libproxy.mcla.edu/login?url=https://www.chronicle.com/

Please let the library know if you have any trouble accessing the subscription.

This post has no comments.
COVID-19 Update: No in-person services for now; staff and collections still here for you
03/23/2020
profile-icon Emily Alling
Library Resources, MCLA Community Resources, News

Libraries bring people together. And, heading into this strange new normal, we will continue to do so. 

Right now, though, bringing people together in person is just not in the community’s best interest. 

It feels counterintuitive, and it makes us as sad as it makes you. Seeing you every day is the best part of our jobs, and we already look forward to the day you can return. 

Until then, we won't be able to welcome you to Freel Library for in-person visits.  

But: We are still here for you!  

  • Library staff remain available Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m via phone (413-662-5321) and email (library@mcla.edu).  

  • Beginning on Monday, March 30, librarians will also be available from 5 p.m. - midnight Sunday through Wednesday via our Ask Us service, where we can answer questions via chat, email, phone, or text.  

  • You can also set up a one-on-one appointment with a librarian via Skype, where we can share screens and have the next best thing to an in-person interaction.  

  • Our helpful FAQ is available 24/7, and we’ll be adding to it in the days to come. 

Our Library to Go page is a quick introduction to library collections you can use from off campus, including: 

...and more! The full library website will lead you to even more resources.  

You can hold on to your MCLA library books and DVDs: we are suspending overdue notices and will not bill for items during this time.  

We hope you’ll follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, where we’ll continue to build community around information. 

Many of us feel uncertain, frightened, and overwhelmed right now. But, if we all reach out for help when we need it and support each other however we can, we know the MCLA community will get through this together.

  

 

This post has no comments.
Field is required.