LIS eNewsletter (monthly)

Keeping you in touch with Library and Information Services

LIS eNewsletter May 2008

Keeping you in touch with Library and Information Services.

• Staff profile: Barbara Doyle-Wilch
• How to: Off-campus access to LIS Resources
• For you to use: Change your password
• e-Resource: 1,400 more journals on-line
• Current issue: Filesharing & Internet privacy
• Announcements

Staff profile: Barbara Doyle-Wilch, Meredith Dean of Library and Information Services

Are you about to leave for the summer? Do you work on campus but live elsewhere? If so then you'll want to know that many library and computing resources are accessible from off-campus with a username and password. Here’s how to get to them:

• Tigercat and other networked drives:
  Log in to http://go.middlebury.edu/netstorage
• Email:
  Log in to http://go.middlebury.edu/mail
• Research databases (e.g., JSTOR):
  Use the links at http://go.middlebury.edu/indexes and enter your Midd username and password when prompted. Once you’ve logged in for one database, your login will remain active for other databases you access during that session.
• Electronic journals (e.g., Science):
  Use the links at http://go.middlebury.edu/journals and enter your Midd username and password when prompted. Once you’ve logged in for one journal, your login will remain active for other journals you access during that session.
• Book renewals:
  Go to My MIDCAT (http://go.middlebury.edu/mymidcat). View the items checked out to you and select those which you'd like to renew. Please contact Library Circulation (below) with any questions about renewing, returning or borrowing.
• Interlibrary Loan -- articles:
  If you’re away from campus in a study abroad program or on sabbatical, you may request electronic delivery of articles. Requests can be placed from many of our research databases, and articles will be sent to your ILLiad or MyMidCat account. You also may go directly to ILLiad (http://go.middlebury.edu/ill) or NExpress (http://go.middlebury.edu/nexpress) to place an article request. (Please do not request books when you will not be available to pick them up in Middlebury.)
• NExpress direct borrowing (and returning):
  If you're visiting any of our partner libraries, just bring your MiddCard and you'll be able to check their books out. You can return the books to a NExpress library too. Search all NExpress libraries at http://go.middlebury.edu/nexpress, or search individual library catalogs here:
  Bates College : Library : Catalog
  Bowdoin College : Library : Catalog
  Colby College : Library and Catalog
  Middlebury College : Library : Catalog
  Northeastern University : Library : Catalog
  Wellesley College : Library and Catalog
  Williams College : Library : Catalog
• RefWorks:
  For the access code which will allow you to use RefWorks from off-campus, log in to Group Code (off-campus access to RefWorks).
• Campus Directory:
  To view entries in the campus directory as if you’re off campus (some information in the directory may be hidden from the general public), go to the directory (http://go.middlebury.edu/directory), click “Log On” at the bottom of the page, and enter your Midd username and password.

Questions? Ask us!

On June 2nd, 2008, all network passwords (including email) that have not been changed in six months will expire, and the setting of a new, more secure password will be required. Watch for the all-campus e-mail which explains why this is necessary for the continued security of our network, and details the new password rules. If you’re going to be off-campus this summer, we recommend that you set your new password before you go. If you use a laptop, we strongly recommend that you change your password while you are here on campus, connected to the campus network via an ethernet cable. This will save you time and effort later and eliminate multiple layers of passwords for your computer.

To change your password now, you can go to http://go.middlebury.edu/activate

Please call the Helpdesk at ext. 2200 with any questions or problems with changing your password.

Good news in e-journals! We've just entered into an agreement with Springer-Verlag which gives us online access to almost 1,400 more Springer titles in addition to the 40 Springer titles to which we currently subscribe. Springer is a major publisher of science and social science journals.

The roster of titles available to us includes Springer-owned, currently-published titles. Our online access for each title starts with 1997, assuming the journal goes back that far. There are some titles on SpringerLink that are owned by others, for example learned societies, which Springer publishes on their behalf. We do not have access to some of these non-Springer-owned titles.

To find out if a journal is now available online, search for it in our A-to-Z list

In response to a question asked by some students, we thought it important to point out that the College does not provide information about network activity to outside agencies. The entertainment industry uses firms such as Media Sentry  to monitor the internet for P2P traffic of copyrighted materials. Internet addresses from computers "sharing" materials are available at the "receiving" end. Just as a single user can download material and determine its origin on the internet, so can this company. Media Sentry does not know the personal identity of the student associated with an internet address. It provides information such as the following:
 
  Infringing Work: Carrie Underwood JUST A DREAM
  Filename: 04 - Carrie Underwood - Just A Dream(1).mp3
  First Found: 29 Apr 2008 08:37:35 EDT (GMT -0400)
  Last Found: 29 Apr 2008 08:37:35 EDT (GMT -0400)
  Filesize: 6,286k
  IP Address: 140.233.206.70
  IP Port: 3645
  Network: Gnutella
  Protocol: Gnutella

Under College policy and procedures suggested by copyright law, LIS notifies a user when we receive such an allegation. We identify the on-campus user from specialized system logs that record which computers use which internet addresses (IP Addresses). The logs are available only to a few LIS system/network administrators who are bound by confidentiality agreements. We have a privacy policy that guides privacy of information on campus computer systems.

In general, as you likely are aware, little is truly "private" on the internet. For example, Google caches your searches; websites capture your computer's internet address, as well as text strings that you input as searches or when filling out a form; bank account and credit card numbers unless entered into a 'secure' site could be detected; and even email (unless you encrypt it through options in your email program) could be monitored as it traverses the internet. Please note, though, that LIS makes every effort to secure its servers, including TigerCat, Ocelot, and Banner, to on-campus, authorized users only.

• Library hours during exam period: May 5 - 19.
  Main: 24 hours
  Music: regular hours
  Armstrong: regular hours, with extended hours:
    Fri, May 16, 8am-midnight
    Sat, May 17, 10am-midnight
  
  see complete library hours.

• Lock up your laptop: recently holes have been drilled in the study carrels in the Main, Music and Armstrong Libraries. Now laptops can be temporarily locked in place, using cables sold at the College Store. Laptops have been stolen from the library when students left them for just a few minutes, to go get coffee, search for a book, etc. LIS doesn't loan out the locks because, like helmets for bike riders, they are personal safety/security devices. If you own or use a laptop it's worth investing in one for routine use now and in the future.