iHub (Information Hub) is here! Library announces new service updates

iHub imagesVisitors to the Library will notice several new changes on the Main Floor.

iHub (Information Hub) Office and Kiosk:
iHub is now the name of the Library service that provides research, technology, and education assistance for UT Southwestern. As you enter the Library, an iHub kiosk will provide answers to frequently asked questions and give directions on how to receive immediate assistance from Library staff, either in person at the new iHub office or virtually via Live Chat or Ask Us online form.

Interlibrary Loan (ILLiad):
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) pick-ups and drop-offs will now be made in the Library Administrative Office on the Middle Floor between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Look forward to a convenient after-hours ILL drop-off box on the Main Floor of the Library soon.

Access Changes:
Effective February 1, 2014, weekend access to the Library will be limited to authorized ID badgeholders only (e.g., UT Southwestern faculty, staff, and students and residents and clinical faculty from Children’s Medical Center and Parkland Health & Hospital System). Open access to the Library will continue to be available to all visitors Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Weekend access for non-badgeholders will be available on a limited basis by special request only. Please complete the Ask Us online form and select “Weekend Library Access Request” from the Subject drop-down menu. An advanced notice is required (minimum 5 days). The weekend appointments are predominantly intended for research assistance or Library group tours.

Library Classroom upgraded with refurbished campus workstations

New Library Computers in Informatics Classroom The Library Informatics Classroom is a valuable, centrally-located campus space for conducting instruction, trainings, mock test sessions, and professional meetings that require computer workstations. Keeping it stocked with the latest technology and software can be a costly venture to the Library’s limited budget.

Charles Robinson and Curtis Wright from the Library’s Digital Services and Technology Planning (DSTP) unit found an innovative, green, and low-cost alternative for this much needed classroom upgrade.

The Library coordinated with campus departments who were upgrading their current computer workstations with newer equipment and faster operating systems and acquired 18 computers and monitors that would have been otherwise slated for dismantling, resell, and destruction. Through this process, the Library was able to replace outdated equipment with “newer” models and software, including:

  • Program upgrades (e.g., Microsoft Office 2010)
  • Larger 24-inch monitors and smaller CPUs for more leg room
  • 4 GBs of RAM for faster operating
  • A new LCD projector

For more information about renting the Library Informatics Classroom for your next professional meeting or training, go to the Library Informatics Classroom Rental Form or email LibClassroom@utsouthwestern.edu.

If you wish to learn more about how your campus department can participate in the re-purposing of current campus technology or furniture resources for business purposes, please contact Gary Quinn in the Office of Inventory Control.

Library staff distribute health information at KwanzaaFest 2013

Kwanzaafest-banner-vertThe UT Southwestern Library staff made a valuable contribution to improving health care in our community through education during HealthFest at KwanzaaFest 2013, which was held at Fair Park. In partnership with the greater UT Southwestern outreach initiative, Claudia DeShay, Ph.D., Antoinette Turner, Jane Scott, and Charles Robinson connected with more than 200 members of the Dallas community – men, women, teens, and children – and informed them about free, safe, reliable health resources on the Internet.  Participants at the two-day event shared their concerns and their hopes for healthier living.