Georgia Tech Library News

The Georgia Tech Library & Information Center is undergoing a comprehensive software transition in conjunction with a mandated University System-wide effort to place all 35 university and college libraries on the same computer system. The upgrade, to take place from late November through January 2001, will not interrupt service to students and faculty, and adjustments are being made to minimize any temporary inconvenience.While the new system is being customized, the Georgia Tech Library will not levy standard overdue fines, beginning Monday, November 27. Students will remain responsible for existing fines of $10 or more. When the system becomes operational in late January, Tech students will once again be responsible for accrued fines. Students, faculty and staff are urged to return all books on or before the due date.

An immediate benefit of the upgrade is that Georgia Tech users will be able to renew books online. Some time in 2001, users will be provided a streamlined system for identifying and ordering books held among the University System institutions.

For more information, please contact the Circulation Desk at 404-894-4500

GTEL®, The Georgia Tech Electronic Library will have it’s operating system upgraded during mid-term recess, Monday, October 23 – Tuesday, October 24, 2000. GTEL® will be down during this time.To make as many GTEL® resources available as possible, a temporary home page will be available including links to the catalog (Library in-house use only), Galileo, E-Journals (on campus use only), web databases (on campus use only), Government Information, and Ask a Librarian. The temporary home page URL is http://ibid.library.gatech.edu/~gtel/

Electronic Reserves, Subject Guides, Electronic Document Delivery requests, Architecture Web pages, Internet Resources, and the GTEL® telnet version will NOT be available during the upgrade.

Please plan accordingly for this downtime.

The GrayLIT Network is a portal for technical report information generated through Federally funded research and development projects. Federal R&D Project Summaries is a portal to information about Federal research projects. These new services may be accessed at the FDLP Electronic Collection.

Georgia Tech’s Library and Information Center and School of Chemistry and Biochemistry are pleased to announce that they have partnered to provide campus-wide access to SciFinder Scholar for all Georgia Tech faculty, staff and students. Based on client / server technology and utilizing a user-friendly graphical interface, the SciFinder Scholar client provides web access to a number of Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) databases.

Georgia Tech’s license provides access for 5 simultaneous users, 24 hours a day. Our license also includes the Substructure Searching Module (SSM).

For additional information about the product as well as information about downloading the SciFinder Scholar Windows and Macintosh clients, see Georgia Tech’s SciFinder Scholar web page. This web page may also be accessed from the GTEL® databases web page.

Tech students are benefiting from a change in the due date policy for books checked out from Georgia Tech Library. As of January 2, 2001, graduate and undergraduate students began checking books out for semester-long loan periods, rather than the previous three to four week period. Books with current due dates that were checked out before January 2, 2001 have been adjusted to reflect the new due date of June 30, 2001. The semester-long loan period is intended to relieve students of the pressure to renew books throughout the academic term.With extended due dates, students will be able to renew each book charged to their account three times. At the end of the third renewal (approximately one academic year) books must be returned to the circulation desk to be discharged or re-charged if students want to retain them.

With the Library migrating to a new computer system, policies for delinquent borrowers have also been revised as indicated below.

Standard Overdue Fines Suspended for GT Students; Some penalties apply

Overdue fines are no longer charged on books, with the exception of recalled books.

$2.50 per day for overdue recalled book / $1.00 per hour for overdue Reserve book
The maximum fine for either overdue recalled or Reserve book is $25.
Lost books are cost-of-item plus $35 processing fee
Library privileges are suspended if books are more than 7 days overdue.
Circulation privileges are suspended and a registration block may occur when cumulative fines and / or bills reach $10.

HELPFUL REMINDERS

1. Items are loaned to all Georgia Tech students for the entire semester

2. Each item may be renewed a maximum of 3 times over the telephone if not overdue or needed by another borrower.

3. When the maximum renewal limit is reached on a book, or when the book is overdue for more than 7 days, it must be brought in to the circulation desk for renewal.

4. All loaned books are subject to recall after 21 days from ORIGINAL charge date.

5. Books may be recalled at ANY TIME if needed for Reserves.

The Library is under no obligation to send overdue and pre-renewal notices. We do so as a courtesy.

Night owls and “last minute Annies” can now escape dorm distractions and noisy neighbors by seeking refuge in the Georgia Tech Library & Information Center. A long-anticipated, all-night study hall is now available to Georgia Tech students and employees from midnight to 8am, Sundays through Thursdays, whenever school is in session.Access to the Library during study hall hours is provided through the disabled access door in the rotunda. This door is now fitted with an intercom and camera. Students and employees must announce their presence and produce a BuzzCard in order to gain entry. Only Georgia Tech students and employees will be allowed to enter or remain in the Library after midnight, while all non-Georgia Tech visitors will be required to leave.

Traffic will be restricted to the first and second floors west and the ground west tunnel for refreshments and restrooms. All books must be checked out by midnight as no services will be provided during study hall hours, other than a debit card-operated photocopy machine on first floor west.

For more information, call the Library Information Services Department at 404-894-4528.