Where did this semester go?

Fall semester has passed way too fast or at least it has for us in the Library!  Final exams are now upon us and will end December 14th which is just a couple of weeks away.  We will maintain our current operating hours as posted on our website and the board outside the Library and hope to see you come in for a quiet place to study and prepare.  Then, it is time for you to relax and enjoy the holidays . . . until your return on January 17, 2012.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Where has this semester gone?  It just seems like yesterday we were welcoming you back to campus and now, the holiday season (and finals) are upon us.

I wanted to remind you of our operating hours during the Thanksgiving holiday.  The hours are:

Wednesday, November 23rd, 9:00 a.m. - Noon
Thursday-Friday, November 24th-25th  - Closed
Sunday, November 27th - reopen from 2:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday with your family and friends as you remember to give thanks for all that we have received.

HR Magazine

The latest edition of HR Magazine arrived in the library today and the cover article, "Paths to the Top" should be of particular interest to our business students who are considering HR as a career path.  There is a spotlight article on Mirian M. Graddick-Weir's career journey that truly brings home the importance of understanding how a business operates both from inside HR as well as outside HR.

Also, included are links to how HR can use social media tools and techniques in their job whether recruiting, hiring or updating employees on their benefits to having social media tools as part of one's resume.

Come to the Library Magazine Rack and review this issue as I highly recommend it!

Harvard Business Review, Fortune, Economist and MIT Sloan Management Review

Have you browsed the magazine section in the library lately?  The latest editions of our business magazines really have great articles for you to read and perhaps give you a break from cramming for that next exam or finishing a project.

Fortune (Nov. 7^th issue) includes a book excerpt from one of the latest books on Steve Jobs.  The title of the book is Steve Jobs: the Biography by Walter Isaacson which is also on order for our library.  However, this particular book section focuses on the relationship between Bill Gates and Steve Jobs – very interesting as you read about the parallels in their lives.  In the same issue is a section on the 40 top business stars under 40.  It won’t surprise you that Mark Zuckerberg is on the list but seeing others may just inspire you as well whether an entrepreneur, to working for a large corporation or a government agency.

The Economist (October 29^th) has a really strong yet short article on the economic crisis in Europe.  We are all hearing it so much in the news but this article really outlines the issues well.  

Harvard Business Review (November 2011) focuses on what great companies do differently.  There is an article on what businesses can learn from organized crime such as exploiting the long tail, money isn’t the only incentive, outsource to specialists and use new groups to create opportunity.    There is also a great read on “What every CEO needs to know about the Cloud”.

Finally, MIT Sloan Management Review (Fall 2011) puts the spotlight on the “Age of the Consumer-Innovator” and what companies can learn from consumers when it comes to product development.

Come browse more business magazines and newspapers we carry – we may have just the article you need for that final paper or project as well helping you be the informed business student!

Mitchell College of Business Library - new website!

Greetings, we launched our new website today and hope you will come try it out!  While the overall look and feel has changed, you will see the usual links to USA Home, USA Library, MCOB Home and the resources in the library.

Pay close attention to the "Resources Guide" across the top navigational bar where our business resources are organized by topic.  In this guide, you will also find the various course guides you will need as you take MGT 300 or MKT 541, etc.

We will be happy to give you a demonstration in the library and I do welcome your feedback via the feedback mechanism in the Resources Guide.

http://www.southalabama.edu/univlib/mcob/

Steve Jobs

I expect there will be many books and articles written on Steve Jobs and we will carry most of them as they become available.  Two magazines came in today that are focused on his amazing life's story.  One is the Economist (October 8-14th issue) and the second is a magazine from Bloomburg Businessweek that is totally dedicated to him.  As you have time, come to the library and browse our magazine section to read these articles.  I will make you aware of the new books as they come in as well.

Browsing the Stacks

I noticed a young man in our library yesterday really browsing our stacks and taking notes.  I did not want to interrupt him but after he stayed for some time, I had to walk over and ask him if he needed any help.  His response was that he had searched the USA Catalog and was amazed at all the holdings we had at the MCOB Library on social media, search engine optimization, B2B strategies with social media and ROI when businesses implement social media.  He wanted to write down the information of books for his own library but as well to check out and read.

This kind of exchange between a librarian and a patron makes the day so worthwhile.  Come visit us, browse the stacks and have your own moment of finding just what you need!