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Fall 2021

Fall 2021

In Plain Sight: Updated Physical and Virtual Library Spaces

Ebsco Room
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EBSCO Room: Ground Floor

The EBSCO Room, also known as the instruction room, has been completely renovated with new furnishings and technology. It now features five groups of tables each with student workstations and a display monitor. We are eagerly awaiting the finishing pieces for the room. However, it is already in use, hosting instructional sessions for a broad range of disciplines.
Digital Media Lab
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Digital Media Lab: Ground Floor

The Digital Media Lab moved to the ground floor next to the EBSCO Room. The new space allows for more room for students and classes to work on digital projects in the computer lab area that features 16 new iMacs, 6 scanners, and a large monitor for presentations. And it includes separate spaces for 3D printing, laser cutting, and virtual reality. Students and classes are already enjoying this new space.
Anna Milner Archives and Special Collections
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Archives & Special Collections: 2nd Floor

The Anna Milner Archives and Special Collections has moved from the ground floor to the top floor. Its new location provides more space and is conveniently located next to the Pat Scales Special Collections Room. This a huge benefit as holdings continue to grow and the space sees increased use.

computers in the Sound lab
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Sound Lab/Testing Room: 1st Floor

While the Sound Lab is not a new space, we have added to its functionality. The room features two computers, one for sound recording and the other for test taking. This testing computer is configured for Respondus and ProctorU monitored testing. Students can reserve this room to take tests assigned by their professors or to complete other online exams like the Praxis.
Barbara Belisle Group Study Room
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Barbara Belisle Group Study Room: 1st Floor

A new study room, the Barbara Belisle Room, has been added to the first floor of the library. It includes a table with a charging dock, 5 chairs, and a white board. It can be reserved for working on group projects, study sessions, and more. It has proven to be a popular room this semester.


Special Note:

The room is named in honor of Barbara Belisle, who was a devoted Shelby County English teacher and also served as the night circulation manager at Carmichael Library for many years.

library website screenshot
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Carmichael Library Website

The Carmichael Library website has has some noticeable updates. First, the homepage has been reorganized to draw attention to the search box. And purple panels on the left-side of the page have been added to highlight the library hours and provide a quick links section for frequently used content and services. Also, several sections within the Archives and Special Collections page have been redesigned. Check out the new Digital Collections and Pat Scales Collections pages!
Website panel with Reserve a Space highlighted
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Did you know you can reserve a space? Just go to our website.

Many of these spaces can be reserved. Just go to the library website and click the Reserve a Space link the in the left side panel. Or you can find the Reserve a Space page under Services in the library menu bar.


*If you are an instructor and would like to reserve a room for library instruction, please use the Register for Instruction form.

Letter from the Director: Charlotte Ford

paper and pen
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We’ve been busy! This past summer, renovations to several areas of the library were completed, thanks to the generosity of library donors and the invaluable support of UM’s Physical Plant and IS&T departments. As detailed in the “In Plain Sight” section of this newsletter, Milner Archives has relocated to the top floor of the Library, with new office space, work areas, and archival stacks on both sides of the Pat Scales Special Collections Room. The Digital Media Lab has relocated to the space previously occupied by Archives on the ground floor of the building, with additional room for the Mac Lab, 3D printing and laser cutting facilities, and a virtual reality / augmented reality space. The EBSCO Information Literacy Instruction Room has been upgraded to a premium technology classroom and new “smart lift” desks have been purchased to create a flexible instruction and meeting space. All three areas have received new carpeting, fresh paint, and LED lighting, and new windows have been installed on one side of the library building to provide environmental stability for the University’s archival collections.


These changes have all been made with our library users in mind. The library exists to serve our students, faculty, and staff, and we want to offer inspiring spaces for research, learning, and creative work. Though we’re still in the midst of the pandemic, we are happy to see more students back on campus this year, to have more classes in the library for instruction, and to welcome the general public back into the building. If you haven’t been in the library for a while, please stop in and ask to see one of our newly renovated spaces. You may be pleasantly surprised!

Staff Spotlight: Ms. Nicole Adelle Rich

Nicole Adelle Rich
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Nicole Adelle Rich is the new Circulation Supervisor at Carmichael Library. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology/Sociology from Mills College and a Master’s degree in Library Science from San Jose State.


She recently moved from California with her five dogs, two parrots, two snakes, five turtles, a cat, and a very patient sister and is thrilled to have been given the opportunity to work in an Academic Library.

Grace Hancock
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Student Spotlight: Grace Hancock

Grace is a senior majoring in Communication Studies who has worked at Carmichael Library for over a year where she assists at the circulation desk and research help desk. To learn more, read her UM Student Spotlight article.


Here at Carmichael Library, we truly appreciate our student employees. We could not operate without them! They allow us the ability to offer services 7 days a week, totaling over 90 hours of availability to the campus community.

On Display: Hispanic American Heritage Month

In celebration of Hispanic American Heritage Month, Carmichael Library has curated resources including


  • books (for children and adults) and e-books
  • DVDs and streaming films
  • online resources


Stop by in person or online to see our display!

display board with interactive elements and codes
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Interactive Elements

Scan the codes to access digital content.
full display show books, dvds, and digital content
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Full Display

Everything on display can be checked out or accessed online.
display of DVDs
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DVDs

One panel includes a selection of DVDs from our AV collection.

Digital Spotlight

Google Scholar logo
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Get Full-text with Google Scholar

Did you know that you can access full-text articles from UM library databases when you search Google Scholar? If you are on campus, the full-text links will automatically show up. And with a simple one-time set-up process, you can access these links off-campus too. Instructions for setting up Google Scholar and accessing full-text can be found on the Google Scholar link on the library homepage and on the Distance Education guide. Or access the instructions directly here.

Featured Digital Resources: Chidren's Lit & Streaming Films

TeachingBooks logo
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TeachingBooks

Provided statewide by the Alabama Virtual Library, this database provides instructional resources related to children's and YA books. Carmichael Library has created over 30 interactive TeachingBooks lists featuring books in our Youth and Pat Scales Collections. To view the book lists, go to the Pat Scales page of the Archives website and click on the Book Lists tab.

Database Link

Kanopy logo
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Kanopy

Carmichael Library patrons have access to streaming movies through Kanopy. These films cannot be streamed in public, but can only be viewed in a classroom setting or by individual students and faculty. Faculty can request a film by emailing melcheras@montevallo.edu. To view the catalog, visit https://www.kanopy.com/catalog.

Mobile Instructions | Database Link

Swank Digital Campus screenshot
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Swank

Carmichael Library patrons have access to streaming movies through Swank. These films cannot be streamed in public, only in the classroom setting and by individual faculty and students.
For usage information, go to the Swank Digital Campus guide.
Faculty can request a film by emailing melcheras@montevallo.edu.
To view the Swank catalog, go to https://www.swank.com/digital-campus.

Instructions | Database Link

New Books

The library has hundreds of new books available, here are just a few to add to your reading list.
1. Just As I Am: A Memoir by Cicely Tyson

2. Fifty Words for Rain: A Novel by Asha Lemmie

3. The Highest Tribute: Thurgood Marshall's Life, Leadership and Legacy by Kekla Magoon

4. Ridgeline by Michael Punke

5. Last Witnesses: An Oral History of the Children of World War II by Svetlana Alexievich

6. Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker

7. World Travel: An Irreverent Guide by Anthony Bourdain and Laurie Woolever

8. A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabelle Allende

Did you know we have children's books?

One of the featured new books, The Highest Tribute, is a picture book that is part of our Youth Collection located on the first (main) floor of the library. This collection includes over 11,000 children's and young adult books that are available for check out. To learn how to search for books in our Youth Collection, watch the video below.
ENG 310: Searching for Children's and YA Books

New DVDs

Many new DVDs, including the ones featured here, have been ordered and will be available for check-out soon!
1. Minari written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung

2. Lovecraft Country (HBO limited series)

3. Promising Young Woman written and directed by Emerald Fennell

4. The Father directed by Florian Zeller

5. The Kid directed by Charlie Chaplin (Criterion Collection)

6. Soul written and directed by Pete Docter, Mike Jones, and Kemp Powers

7. Judas and the Black Messiah directed by Shaka King

8. Watchmen (HBO limited series)

Streaming Videos Examples
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Streaming Films

UM students, faculty, and staff can stream these films (plus more) through the library Library. Just select Swank from our databases list and enter your UM credentials. Or, use this direct link.

News from Archives and Special Collections

Our librarians have launched a digital project with three goals:


  • promoting the children's and YA books in the Youth and Pat Scales collections
  • creating interactive children's and YA lists to identify books in our collections
  • linking our youth books to multimedia resources including lesson plans, author videos, award information, and more.


The tool we used to accomplish these goals is TeachingBooks, a multimedia resource provided state-wide through the Alabama Virtual Library. The database provides instructional, promotional, and informational resources related to children's and YA books. The lists can be found on the Pat Scales Special Collections page of the Archives site. Just click the Book Lists tab to view over 30 thematic book lists. Our lists will continue to grow as we add new books and topics.


Faculty are encouraged to contact us to learn more about how these lists can be used to support instruction. Our librarians can build custom lists aligned with your curriculum. And, we can provide instruction to students on using these lists and building their own.

Sheila Brandt
Sheila is using Smore to create beautiful newsletters