The JKM Library Blog

We are excited to announce that all group study rooms are now equipped with whiteboards for collaborative work. Prior to this semester, only the third floor group rooms had mounted whiteboards. The second floor rooms had either aging chalkboards or nothing at all, making collaborative group work challenging. This has been a project long in the making, and the library thanks ITS for ordering and installing the remaining whiteboards. In addition to the mounted whiteboards, the library has several portable whiteboards on wheels that can be easily moved around and are heavily used by big groups working at the larger study tables. The library has plans to add more of these portable whiteboards in the near future.

September 2020

In order to protect the health and safety of our JKM Library patrons, we have instituted a reservation system for all library seats in the building. This includes our group and individual study rooms, as well as study tables, study carrel desks, comfortable seating, and computer lab seating. Starting Monday, September 14, all patrons entering the JKM Library building will need to have a reservation in addition to presenting their Chatham IDs and temperature screening cards. Spaces should be reserved in advance of entering the library via this link: https://chathamlibrary.libcal.com/reserve/. Use the dropdown menus at the top of the screen to select different library spaces. Additional protocols and requirements are in place as well: Padding has been added to each reservation to allow for air circulation before use by the next patron. Patrons must leave their space promptly at the end of the reservation to allow for that padding to work. Patrons are restricted to 3 hours of reservation time in the library building per day, which can be split into two separate reservations. Reservations may be made up to 28 days in advance. Patrons are expected to wipe down their reserved areas after use. Wipe dispensers have been installed on all four floors of the library (near the elevators plus extra ones in the labs and classrooms). Please do not move furniture, including chairs. It has been arranged for appropriate social distancing. Masks must always be worn in the library building unless alone in a group or individual study with the door closed. No food is allowed in the library building. Drinks with lids are permitted. Meetings with OAAR or Career Development do not require reservations through the library’s system, but if you would like to remain in the library after a meeting, you will need one. Library staff is monitoring adherence to campus health & safety protocols, providing friendly reminders, and following appropriate reporting procedures as necessary. If you have any questions or need guidance while you learn the new reservation system, please contact the library or a librarian. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we make every effort to keep the library as safe as possible for you! 

March 2020

We at the JKM Library hope you’re all staying healthy and taking all necessary precautions to keep others healthy too. We know this is a stressful time, but the JKM Library’s librarians are here for you and your research needs! That being said, we are limited in how we can help. See the FAQ below, and if you still have questions, please reach out to us through the Ask a Librarian chat on our homepage or via email at reference@chatham.edu. Can I get into the library building? The library building is closed for the time being. The 24/7 space is now also closed to the public. If you have an [urgent, immediate, pressing] need to access the 24/7 space, please complete the Computer Lab Access Request Form on myChatham -> Documents and Forms -> Residence Life -> JKM Library Computer Lab Access Request Form. Can I access the University Archives? Not physically, but the archives’ digital collections can be accessed on their website (https://library.chatham.edu/archives)! You may also email your archives related questions to Archivist Molly Tighe at m.tighe@chatham.edu Can I use E-ZBorrow and/or ILLiad? E-ZBorrow is no longer available at this time. ILLiad is available but limited. Our team is working on setting up remote functionality, and right now we’re working off of an automated system. To increase your chances of receiving your item, be sure to include the ISSN in your request form. Only digital items will be processed at this time, nothing physical. Can I return my library items? If you are graduating and are done with your items, please return them to the library via the drop box in the library vestibule if you are able. If you are graduating but have already left campus or if you will be returning to campus, you can return them by snail mail or in person once we reopen. If you have a question or concern, please reach out to Head of Access Services Kate Wenger (kwenger@chatham.edu). Will I get fined due to Coronavirus related late items? No. If you have any concerns about library items being overdue, please reach out to Head of Access Services Kate Wenger (kwenger@chatham.edu) Can I schedule a research appointment? Yes! Librarians are available to work with you one-on-one via Zoom. Please email your subject librarian or fill out this form to make an appointment. Can I still do research? Definitely! You have access to about 70 digital databases, almost over 750,000 full text eBooks, and over 85,000 full text eJournals. You can search almost all of our digital content via the “All Resources” tab on our homepage. You can search for our individual full text eJournals and ebooks via the “Search for eJournal Titles” button on the homepage. You can search for individual databases alphabetically via our “Find Databases” button on our homepage. See our Research Guides in your subject area or for things like primary sources and citation information via the “See Resources by Subject” button on our homepage. Can I access physical books, journals, movies, or other items in the library? No, unfortunately no physical items in the library building are available at this time. Can I call the library and talk with a librarian? Not right now, but you can email us or Zoom with us, or use our chat Can I chat quickly with a librarian? Absolutely! We will be monitoring our Ask a Librarian chat on our homepage during these hours: 8:00 am – 10:00 pm Monday – Thursday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm Friday 1:00 pm – 7:00 pm Saturday 12:00 pm – 10:00 pm Sunday We hope this FAQ is helpful and that we can continue to assist you in all your academic endeavors! Please stay up-to-date on library offerings and announcements by checking our social media pages (@jkmlibrary and @chathamarchives on Instagram, library Facebook, archives Facebook) and our website regularly. 

August 2017

Have you ever noticed that a few of the group study rooms in the JKM Library are named? Have you ever wondered why or whom they are named for? The Chatham University Archives & Special Collections is thrilled to help solve these questions with our new exhibit, A Room with a View to Chatham History, which explores the lives of the individuals who’ve been honored with a room named in their honor at the JKM Library. History on view in the Elliott Room, JKM Library With this exhibit, on view in each of the named study rooms, we invite you to explore the legacies of Dr. Mary A. McGuire, Dr. Mable A. Elliot, Dr. Edgar M. Foltin, Laberta Dysart, and Arthur L. Davis. Each of these Chatham professors made significant contributions to their field of expertise and contributed to the development of Chatham as we know it today. Dr. Mable Elliot and the Elliot Room One of the most notable professors honored as the namesake for a study room is Dr. Mable A. Elliot, Professor of Sociology from 1949 until 1965 (Room 201). Dr. Elliot earned three degrees from Northwestern University (bachelor of arts, master of arts, and doctor of philosophy). Appointed as an adviser to the U.N. Commission on Social and Economic Affairs, Dr. Elliot was also the first women elected president of the Society for the Study of Social Problems (click here for more info). Dr. Elliot was described as both a feminist and a pacifist, and her criticism of U.S. criminal policies and anti-war activism led to the creation of an FBI file which was maintained for over 30 years. Interested in learning more about Dr. Elliot? Biography of Dr. Elliot in the JKM Library book collection Take a look at the book Mabel Agnes Elliott: Pioneering Feminist, Pacifist Sociologist in the JKM Library collection (click here to find it in the library catalog). Laberta Dysart and the Laberta Dysart Study Room Some members of the Chatham Community may be familiar with Laberta Dysart, namesake for Room 202, as author of the first history of Chatham, Chatham College: The First Ninety Years (available online through the University Archives here), but her contribution to Chatham does not stop there. A professor of history at Chatham from 1926 until 1958, she was active in Chatham’s Colloquium Club and in the local chapter of the American Association of University Professors. The University Archive’s Laberta Dysart Collection, click here for the collection finding aid, contains a variety of records documenting her impact on the university, including an article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about her retirement, an award honoring her service to Chatham, and the eulogy delivered by a former student and longtime friend, Eleanor Bartberger Dearborn `31, at a campus memorial held in her honor. Pittsburgh Post Gazette article in honor of Labaerta Dysart’s retirement. Chatham College Centennial Award given to Laberta Dysart Eulogy for Laberta Dysart written by Eleanor Barbeger Dearborn ’31 The Chatham University Archives welcomes further research on these individuals, on the history of campus, and how the Chatham community continues to shape the environment. Stop by the library to view A Room with a View to Chatham History or contact the University Archives at x1212 or M.Tighe@chatham.edu for more information.  

October 2016

Meet Chatham’s newest monster friend, JK Mellon! Born at the Eden Hall campus, JK now lives a happy life at the library, where it feeds on returned library items. Library Access Services Aides, Cheyenne, Delenn, and Sophie, created this lovable creature in celebration of the autumn and Halloween season. Come stop by and see JK Mellon for yourself, take your picture with it, feed it the library items you need to return, and give us any suggestions about future decorations!
 

August 2016

If you need a place to study late at night after the Library closes, or if you need to print out your paper after finishing it at 2:00 AM, check out our 24/7 Lab! 24/7 Lab The 24/7 Lab is a computer lab which is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It can be accessed via a door in the glass vestibule which can be opened using your student ID! Entrance to the 24/7 Lab After the library closes at midnight (or at 7 PM on Fridays and Saturdays), the 24/7 Lab is extended from the one computer lab room to include Room 103, LCC1, and the large Library lab. This provides a variety of open tables and computer access as well as group study and individual spaces. Room 103 LCC1 Library Lab 101 The nearest bathrooms to the 24/7 Lab are located in the Eddy Theater Lobby. For your comfort and convenience, the Eddy Theater Lobby will be open. The Eddy doors nearest the Library will remain unlocked as well as the wheelchair accessible entrance on the other side of the building. Eddy Theater Lobby Entrance We hope that the 24/7 Lab proves to be useful to you! Happy studying and be brilliant! 

August 26, 2015

Library Closing at 5pm Friday Aug. 28
The Library will close at 5pm this Friday, August 28 so that the carpets in the building can be cleaned. Regular hours will resume on Saturday.
We apologize for the inconvenience.

August 2015

Library (and 24/7 space) CLOSED Monday August 10
The JKM Library, including the 24/7 study space, will be closed all day this Monday, August 10 due to a planned power outage.
Reference Librarians will be available to assist you with all your library and research needs during the hours of 8am to 10pm. To contact a librarian:
IM us at JennieRef, or use the chat box on our website.
Text us at (724) 919-4645
Email us at jkmref@chatham.edu
To contact a specific librarian, use the following email addresses:
Jill Ausel, Library Director: jausel@chatham.edu
Am Lee Heinlen, Access Services Librarian: aheinlen@chatham.edu
Dana Mastroianni, Reference and Web Librarian: dmastroianni@chatham.edu
Dan Nolting, Head of Technical Services: dnolting@chatham.edu
Molly Tighe, Archivist and Public Services Librarian: mtighe1@chatham.edu
Kate Wenger, Reference Librarian: kwenger@chatham.edu
Please note that this power outage includes most campus classroom buildings and all computer labs. We have checked with IT, and it is extremely unlikely that any lab
space or printers will be available for student use on Monday. If you need computer or printer access, please make sure to do so off-campus or get everything done the day before.
 

April 2015

As of April 13 [2015], the 24×7 lab will be extended to include rooms 103, LCC1, and the large lab (101) during the hours the library is closed. This provides you with a variety of open tables and computer access as well as group study and individual spaces.
We’re sure many of you are thinking “Great! But where’s the bathroom?” For your comfort and convenience, the Eddy Theatre lobby will be open. The Eddy doors nearest the Library will remain unlocked as well as the wheelchair accessible entrance on the other side of the building.
Please note that during the summer, there will not be an expansion – only the original 24×7 room will be available. The doors to Eddy will remain open, however.
[Note: Updated 5/11/2015 to state that the expansion will not happen during summer]

March 5, 2013

January 2013

March 28, 2012

March 26, 2012

March 22, 2012

March 20, 2012

March 16, 2012

Mar 15, 2012

March 14, 2012

March 13, 2012

February 2012

We’ve had a few questions from some of you who will be spending Spring Break catching up on schoolwork. Never fear, we’ll be here. Our library hours stay the same over Spring Break, and the librarians will be just as available as they always are to help you with your research. So, if you have work to do over break, why not do it at the library? Our hours are:
Monday – Thursday: 7:45am – midnight
Friday: 7:45am – 7pm
Saturday: 8am – 7pm
Sunday: noon – midnight
 

October 12, 2011

The JKM Library will be open during regular hours for Fall Break:
Monday-Thursday: 7:45am – midnight
Friday: 7:45am to 5:00pm
Saturday: 8:00am to 7:00pm
Sunday: noon to midnight
Enjoy your time off! If you need us, we’ll be here.

August 2011

Are you sick of trying to plug your laptop or notebook into a wall socket and coming up short? Want to put an
end to having to rearrange the furniture to reach an electrical outlet in the JKM Library? Then come to the
Circulation Desk with your Chatham ID and check out an extension cord! You can check out an extension cord
for 4 hours with one 4 hour renewal (for use in the Library only). No heavy lifting required!

January  2011 

Jennie King Mellon attended the Pennsylvania Female College, now Chatham University, in the late 19th century. She married Richard Beatty Mellon, the brother of the established Andrew W. Mellon, and raised two children, Richard King Mellon and Sarah Scaife Mellon. Jennie King Mellon and her family resided in a 65 room mansion on Fifth Avenue in Shadyside in the area which has since become Mellon Park. Her spirit and love for nature are still seen today seen in the two large gardens facing Beechwood Boulevard. The Mellon family is also well-known for their philanthropical efforts through charitable foundations, including the Sarah Scaife Foundation and Richard King Mellon Foundation, which primarily support culture and community development in the Pittsburgh region.