Submitted September 12

http://www.wheatoncollege.edu/library/

            In addition to using the Buley Library, I plan on finding a lot of research at the Wheaton College Library, both online and in person.  This will actually provide me with the opportunity to become familiar with the library’s new website, which underwent changes this summer.  The main page of the library’s website has a block to enter in search information (either by title, keyword, subject, or author).  Once the search criterion is submitted, users are taken to the Helin Library Catalog.  Wheaton College recently joined the Helin consortium, which consists of nine other college and universities in the Massachusetts/Rhode Island area.  The beauty of the Helin catalog is that if Wheaton does not have the material I am looking for, I can see what, if any, surrounding libraries own the material.  (If I still cannot find the needed material, I can then request it through interlibrary loan.)

            The Wheaton College Library’s home page also makes it easy to search for journal articles.  From the home page, I can search for journal articles by subject or, if I already know the title of the journal I wish to examine, alphabetically.  If I am unsure about what type of articles are in a specific journal, a brief description of the journal’s contents is given underneath each title.  Similarly, each journal is color-coded according to whether access is restricted to Wheaton users, whether it is protected by a password, or whether can be accessed worldwide.  Once I have found a specific article, I can see whether the full txt is available, or whether I have to request the article through interlibrary loan.

            It is difficult for me to judge how user friendly the Wheaton College Library’s website is, as I have been using it for years.  It will be interesting to see how user friendly the new Helin Library Catalog is.  Perhaps since I will be using it to find my own research, I will then have a better understanding of how to service patrons who might seek my help when I am working at the reference desk.