Welcome New Faculty and Academic Staff 

Summer 2009

TO: New Faculty and Academic Staff

FROM: Anita Evans, Library Director (5-8805; evans.anit@uwlax.edu )

RE: UW-L Murphy Library Resources in Support of Instruction and Research

Welcome to UW-La Crosse!

We know you will find Murphy Library to be one of the most important resources on campus for fostering student academic success and supporting your research and curricular development endeavors.  This "Essentials" website developed by Stefan Smith, Outreach Librarian, will introduce you to your librarian colleagues and the many resources and services available at the Library. We also invite you to visit the Library for a firsthand look at what the Library has to offer and to make a House Call appointment for a more in-depth discussion with a librarian about the wealth of Library information available to you.  You also can sign up for an opening week individual consultation in the Library on Thursday, September 3, from 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. 

The Library’s website is your fast access gateway to electronic information 24/7.  Over the last year librarians have worked on a comprehensive redesign of the website which has made it more user-friendly.  Please note that there are web pages designed specifically for faculty. Your comments on the website or other aspects of library services are always welcome. 

Beyond those resources which reside or are made available electronically in Murphy Library, you can easily access research materials across UW System Libraries. Within the Library’s Endeavor catalog is a borrowing module which allows you to directly request books from other University of Wisconsin campuses.  Through the Library’s interlibrary loan system, ILLiad, electronic documents are delivered to your desktop.  Also, a growing number of digitized resources are available locally and through the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections. 

Librarians and staff have developed a number of services to help you and your students identify relevant materials. Subject guides list the most pertinent multidisciplinary or academic department Library information resources. You can schedule information literacy classes for your students to help build their critical thinking and library research skills or find a course reserves form on the forms web page.

Librarians work closely with faculty to select books, periodicals, DVDs and other formats essential for your teaching and research. We invite you to partner with us to identify key materials that support your academic discipline.

Over the last few years all of us in the Library have been rethinking how building spaces are used for every kind of learner.  You will find on the first floor a Collaborative Learning Information Commons where students can work together in groups using tablet PCs checked out at the circulation desk.  Meet with colleagues or students in Murphy’s Mug, the Library’s café which features Caribou Coffee products and light refreshments. 

Again, welcome. Do not hesitate to let any of us know how we can assist you with your teaching and research endeavors.

 Anita Evans, Library Director

Email: evans.anit@uwlax.edu
Phone: 608 785-8805