The librarians and staff of K-State Libraries welcome you back for another great year at K-State, and want to make sure you’re aware of all the amazing technology we have ready for you.
You may see some large, fancy-looking screens in Hale and wonder what they were, and who forgot to put them away. These, my friends, are collaboration stations. And they’re out on purpose, just for you. Plug in your laptop and park yourself in one of the comfy new booths or near our mobile whiteboards with your classmates while you tweak your presentation to perfection, show off the work you’ve done on your group paper, or have everyone plug in headphones to watch a video.
When you need help finding materials or using library resources, but don’t want to lose that great spot you’ve just set up, librarians are ready and waiting to give you a hand via IM. Just look for our Ask A Librarian links and widgets on the libraries’ homepage, various library webpages, and in the Research Help @ K-State Libraries course on K-State Online. We can help you over IM with just about any library question you have, and if you’re in the building, we may even be able to dispatch someone to your location to provide you with in-person help. (We regret that we can’t come to non-Hale locations, because we’d love to see your house or your sweet condo on the beach where you’re doing a semester of study abroad.)
If you’re ready to head out, but you’ve stayed late enough that our Help Desk is closed, or just don’t want to wait in line, haul your materials over to a Self Checkout Station. With a quick swipe of your ID card, you can charge materials to your account by holding them under a bright red laser beam. (You don’t have to admit it, but we know you think that’s really cool.)
In addition to these great resources, we have overhead scanners that can create searchable PDFs of printed materials, tools like RefWorks and Cite It to make managing your research easier, and the ever-popular Get It button linking you to full-text sources wherever they may live. We’re always happy to show you how to use any of the tools and technology we provide, so contact us at the Library Help Desk if you have questions.
