Library News Blog

From the Fall 2014 newsletter 

This year the Library began subscribing to Psychological Experiments Online, a multimedia collection of documents and videos covering famous experiments in psychology, such as the Stanford Prison Experiment and experiments on conformity and obedience to authority. The collection contains 51 streaming videos totaling 37 hours of viewing time. Videos include lectures, presentations, documentaries, experiment footage and interviews. Notable video titles include Quiet Rage: The Stanford Prison Experiment and Obedience. Some videos are conveniently divided into themed sections which allow a quick and easy navigation. Others include a running transcript. The collection also consists of 538 books and documents totaling over 36,000 pages of content. Documents include reference titles such as Classic Experiments in Psychology, instructional materials and journal articles.

The collection can be searched using the simple keyword search box on the introductory screen or the advanced search screen where users can enter the name of a psychologist, experiment or methodology. Results can be filtered by format (text, video, etc.), content type (documentary, reference, instructional materials, interview, article), and methodology (observation methods, experiment design, and so on). Results can be saved on the Alexander Street Press’s platform and shared through social networking sites and email. Permanent links accompany each item in the collection and citations can be exported to various citation management tools.

Professors have mentioned that Psychological Experiments Online has been useful in classes such as Theories of Personality (PSY 353) and Correctional Psychology (PSY 272, 373). Videos can be assigned prior to class for later classroom discussion or they can be screened in class.

If you have any questions about Psychological Experiments Online, please contact the Electronic Resources Librarian, Prof. Maureen Richards.

Karen Okamoto

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From the Fall 2014 Newsletter

On the first day of classes, people stopped to behold a brand-new addition to their morning commute. Inside Haaren Hall, at the foot of the busiest escalators on campus, a gleaming white wall adorned with glossy mounted photographs stretched the length of the lobby. All along the walkway, students and faculty of today gazed at the students and faculty of yesteryear—sometimes looking at their younger selves, sometimes seeing the old John Jay campus for the first time.

Some of the founding faculty of John Jay (1964)

This is the 50 Years of Educating for Justice exhibit, created and curated by the 50th Anniversary Exhibit Committee, which starred two John Jay librarians, Professor Ellen Sexton (then the Interim Special Collections Librarian) and Robin Davis (Emerging Technologies & Distance Services Librarian), alongside Distinguished Professor Gerald Markowitz (History), Professor Fritz Umbach (History), and Professor Claudia Calirman (Art), in consultation with Bill Pangburn (Anya and Andrew Shiva Gallery). 

The exhibit’s opening ceremony was held on Tuesday, Sept. 2, with thoughtful remarks from President Jeremy Travis, Prof. Markowitz, and Prof. Calirman. The exhibit will remain in Haaren Hall until next fall. 

The contextual essays for each section of the exhibit were written by students with the help of Prof. Markowitz’s book, Educating for Justice, which details the rich and tumultuous history of John Jay College of Criminal Justice. (We hold 10 copies of this book in the Library. The most recent edition can be found in the Stacks with the call number LD2602 .J32 M37 2008.) The images in the exhibit are all from the John Jay College Archives in the Special Collections, curated collaboratively from the archival materials selected by Prof. Sexton and Prof. Tania Colmant-Donabedian, using materials arranged by Special Collections Librarian Prof. Ellen Belcher. Except for scans of newspaper articles, all of the images used in the exhibit are viewable in the Digital Collections. The exhibit itself, complete with the essays, is available online in the Digital Collections. 

Robin Davis

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Sample chat

From the Fall 2014 Newsletter

Got a quick question? Get a quick response! The Lloyd Sealy Library launched a new chat reference service this semester. We offer patrons real-time, one-on-one interactions with librarians through our website, accessible anywhere with an internet connection. 

In the first two months of chat reference, we had 111 questions from the John Jay community, mostly students. Questions ranged from “How do I look up court cases?” to “I need a book on Reserve” to “Where would I find empirical research articles?” We responded in under 1 minute to 73% of chat questions, and under 2 minutes for 87%. Now that’s service!

Chat reference is always staffed by John Jay librarians, unlike many other library chat services—so you always know there’s a John Jay expert on the other end. We use LibraryH3lp software, which is well-supported across browsers and operating systems.

We offer chat reference Mon–Thurs, 11am–5pm, during the busiest times of the day in the library building and on the library website. Chat is part of the suite of communication channels we offer the John Jay community, alongside email, phone, text (SMS), and, of course, the Reference Desk on the upper floor of the Library. 

Robin Davis

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From the Fall 2014 newsletter

The legal battles over reserves continue to play out in the Georgia courts. Georgia State University was sued by publishers in 2008 for “pervasive, flagrant and ongoing unauthorized distribution of copyrighted materials” through the library’s e-reserve system. The university revised its policies, but the case went ahead. On May 11, 2012, Judge Evans in the District Court of Northern Georgia made a ruling sympathetic to the University, finding only a small number of violations and setting out specific guidelines to be used in evaluating fair use of copyrighted material. Her ruling was appealed by the Oxford University Press to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled on October 17, 2014, reversing the decision in the favor of the publisher and remanding the case back to the District Court.

Many commentators have been assessing what the latest ruling means for library reserves services. The decision has weakened considerably the relevance of the 1976 “Classroom guidelines,” to the point where many observers say they are useless. However the decision reiterated the importance of the “four factors” we consider in deciding whether or not our copying of materials is fair. These four factors are written into Federal copyright law, Section 107 of title 17, U. S. Code:

1. The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes
2. The nature of the copyrighted work
3. The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole
4. The effect of the use upon the potential market for, or value of, the copyrighted work

At the Lloyd Sealy Library, we continue to follow the Georgia State University case, as do libraries across the country. As the Minnesota-based copyright librarian Nancy Sims points out in her blog, “It may also be worth remembering that none of this legal interpretation is binding law outside of the 11th Circuit (Alabama, Florida, Georgia). In other states, we can look to these opinions for guidance, but we can also explore different paths.”

References

• Starr, M. GSU Library Copyright Lawsuit.
• Sims, N. (2014). 11th Circuit Rules On Georgia State Fair Use Case. 

Ellen Sexton

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From the Fall 2014 newsletter

For the second year in a row, the Lloyd Sealy Library doubled as a Time-Traveling Detective Agency to solve a cold case using real historical sources. Forty-five first-year students worked in 17 teams to solve the Murder Mystery Challenge, led by Peer Mentors from the Student Academic Success Programs (SASP). The teams built up their library research skills as they solved each clue—finding a 1921 New York Times article about a Midtown murder, for example, or hunting down a book in the stacks by call number.  Student feedback rated the activity highly. Responding to the survey afterward, one student wrote, “It was a fun and educational experience, although I think having the Challenge in the library might have possibly distracted other students at the library by piquing their curiosity as to what we were up to!” Another student wrote that she wished the Challenge had more clues. On a scale of 1-4, students rate the fun level as a 3.75.More importantly, students reported that they learned library skills—“I learned how to navigate the library,” “I learned how to do an APA citation,” and so on—and the work they turned in supports their claim.

Basic library research skills were covered: finding a newspaper article; finding a scholarly article; finding a source in the article’s footnotes; searching for a book in the library catalog; finding the book in the stacks; and citing a book correctly in APA format. In addition, bonus questions asked students to find a secret message hidden within the APA citation and to post photos on various social media channels of their team looking “sleuthy” with Lil Jay. (See photos at left.) In total, the most points students could get was 125. Eleven teams scored over 100 points — not bad for junior gumshoes!  We awarded prizes to the top 3 tiers of the point spread. Prizes included Amazon gift cards, a VIP lunch in the Faculty Lounge, Starbucks cards, movie passes, and New York Times swag. 

This fall’s Murder Mystery Challenge was an improved version of last year’s. Revisions were based student feedback. In 2013, students felt the Challenge relied too much on using computers, as they had to read clues on a special website, find information online, and input their answers in a page-by-page web form. This year, the clues and answer fields were included in a colorful printed packet, along with some “hint” materials, like a map of the library. As with most library research in the 21st century, many clues did instruct the students to find information online—but encouraged the students to take turns at the computer. Using a paper packet felt more like completing a scavenger hunt than filling out a form. In addition, teams had 4-5 students last year, but some students felt left out because there wasn’t enough for everyone to do. So this time around, students worked in teams of 2-3, which created a more intimate and intense setting for team learning. 

The Murder Mystery Challenge was created as an event for first-years in partnership with SASP. It was organized by Robin Davis, Marta Bladek, Nancy Yang (SASP), and Shelley Germana (SASP). Robin Davis wrote the Challenge using a real 1922 trial transcript held in the library, and prizes were sponsored by the Faculty-Student Engagement grants from the Division of Student Affairs, paid for through the Student Activity Fee and with support from the Office of Student Life.

Keep an eye out next fall for the Murder Mystery Challenge! 

Robin Davis

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From the Fall 2014 newsletter

This fall, the Library classroom has undergone some major changes. A new projection system that includes four interactive whiteboards, along with the comfortable new chairs, will definitely improve the learning experience of students. The 36-seat classroom is mostly used for library classes and workshops taught for courses for which students are required to complete an extensive research project. While 100-level sessions introduce students to the academic library and basic searching principles, higher-level sessions aim to prepare students to undertake more complex projects involving specialized resources within and beyond the Library. Now, freshmen and seniors alike will get to learn about the wealth of information sources in a visually attractive setting that allows for a more engaging, interactive instruction, well suited to the increasingly multimedia-rich content of library databases.

The interactive whiteboards, a high-quality projector, and sound system were purchased with Tech Fee funds. After the Library’s proposal had been accepted, we thoroughly researched vendors and their products, making multiple site visits to assess available systems prior to purchasing. CLSS Director Raymond Jiggetts provided his expertise and feedback all along; he also oversaw the installation itself.

The model we ultimately chose accommodates a variety of teaching styles: because the interactive features are optional, it supports the more traditional instruction methods while also allowing for more experimental kinds of classes. All librarians have been trained in using the new boards and their fall semester workshops have benefited from this new technology.

Thanks to the Office Planning and Capital Projects, we have been able to complement the projection/sound update with the addition of bright new chairs. Exchanging our old, well-worn chairs with new ones wouldn’t have been possible without the assistance of Holly Kallman, Sara Cuya, and Kishel John, who guided us through the process, assisted in the chair selection, communicated with vendors and oversaw the delivery. We are grateful for all their help.

Marta Bladek

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From the Fall 2014 newsletter

Larry Sullivan’s review of the Morgan Library and Museum’s exhibition, Edgar Allan Poe: Terror of the Soul was published in the Spring 2014 newsletter of the Society for the History of Authorship, Publishing, and Authorship (SHARP). His review of the Morgan Library’s exhibition Marcel Proust and Swann’s Way: 100th Anniversary appeared in the Spring 2013 sharp newsletter.

Ellen Belcher completed her dissertation Embodiment of the Halaf: Sixth Millennium Figurines from Northern Mesopotamia and graduated with a Ph.D. from the Art History and Archaeology Department of Columbia University on October 15, 2014. In January 2014, she presented the paper “Identifying Late Halaf in the Syrian Jazirah” at the annual conference of the British Association of the Ancient Near East at Reading, UK. With Karina Croucher (Bradford University, UK), she co-presented the paper “Exchanges of Identity in Prehistoric Figurines” at the 9th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, in Basel, Switzerland on June 9, 2014. She delivered another talk on “Identifying Female in the Halaf: Prehistoric Agency and Modern Interpretations” at the European Association of Archaeologists Annual Conference in Istanbul, Turkey on September 12, 2014.

Marta Bladek published “Bibliometrics Services and the Academic Library: Meeting the Emerging Needs of the Campus Community” in College & Undergraduate Libraries (21.3/4).

Julie Turley’s short story “Testing” appeared in the summer 2014 issue of Gambling the Aisle. Her story “Night People” is in the current issue of the literary journal Phantom Drift.

Jing Si Feng, Maureen Garvey, and Louis Muñoz joined us as adjunct librarians. Marilyn Rivera joined our Technical Services Department on a full-time basis.

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Detail from Lawes’ edition of “Fairburns Abstract of the New Metropolitan Police Act, Passed June 19th, 1829...”

From the Fall 2014 newsletter

New York Police Commissioner William Bratton has consistently stated that he follows Sir Robert Peel’s nine principles of policing. These ethical standards of policing were set forth in early nineteenth century England and include the idea of community policing, the proper use of force, the protection of citizens, and proper and civilized ways that the police interact with the public. Peel, the “father of modern policing,” was Prime Minister of Great Britain twice and a politician and statesman all of his life. Peel created London’s police force in 1829. The first police were almost immediately termed “Bobbies” or less generously, “Peelers.” The creation of the police force was promulgated in “The Metropolitan Police Act of 1829.” This information is not new to historians of England or of the police. But we have found in the Warden Lewis Lawes of Sing Sing Archives in the Lloyd Sealy Library a unique “grangerized” edition of “Fairburns Abstract of the New Metropolitan Police Act, Passed June 19th, 1829...” This is an extra-illustrated copy of a common pamphlet. The term “grangerize” comes from James Granger (1723-76), whose five-volume Biographical History of England included many blank leaves so purchasers could illustrate the volume to their own liking. The technique was used as early as the 17th century, but the term “grangerized” stuck. Our fascinating copy includes Warden Lawes’s bookplate (with the prison librarian bearing Lawes’s likeness), a manuscript from Peel, an illustration of a “Metropolitan Police Man,”, five steel engravings of Peel, and a colored engraving of a “Bobbie” questioning a young street urchin that he accuses of loitering (left). This outstanding little book illustrates once again the treasures found in the Special Collections Division of the Lloyd Sealy Library.

—Larry E. Sullivan, Chief Librarian

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Recently installed in 2018: A charging table with Qi (wireless charging), USB ports, and outlets. 

Find this charging table in the Niederhoffer Lounge (first floor).

Check out Lightning and Micro-USB chargers at the Reserve Desk or Reference Desk.

Our charging table is located on the library's upper level by the scanners.

Tech specs: 4 Apple Lightning, 3 USB-C, 4 outlets.

Charging hubs are now on multiple tables throughout the library!

Tech specs: power outlets and USB outlets.

Check out Lightning and Micro-USB chargers at the Reserve Desk or Reference Desk.

***

In a recent In-Library Use Survey, students gave us the lowest ratings for power outlet availability in the Library. It was a big problem. So Prof. Karen Okamoto (ILL Librarian) put in a Tech Fee proposal, compared different products, and now have many more outlets for students to use. Power up, John Jay!

Updated March 7, 2018

Due to necessary electrical work in Haaren Hall, the Library building will be closed on Sunday, October 26, 2014.

All online resources will remain available but may suffer brief interruptions.

From 12pm to 5pm on Sunday, a John Jay librarian and lab assistant will be available for consultation in room 1404N, the computer lab in North Hall.

In addition, from 12pm to 5pm on Sunday, you can contact a librarian...

• by phone: 212-237-8246
• by text: 917-746-6391
• by email
• on chat