University Library News - University Library at Florida Gulf Coast University

A student in a class that used a library course reading list told us in a survey:

I love the reading list!! In my previous classes, professors typically linked readings in Modules or in their syllabus or under specific assignments. And, each professor seemed to have a different way they liked to link readings to their course which made the readings difficult to find and harder to plan ahead if there was a longer reading assignment. Being able to see the dates by which the readings are due is great, and marking them as done afterwards feels really satisfying. I like that all sorts of media can be linked to the list. Articles, yes; but also videos and podcasts!

Students are saving money on textbooks by using library-owned materials or Open Educational Resources (OER) in the reading lists instead of buying textbooks. The library has purchased more electronic copies of textbooks in the past year, increasing potential savings to students by over $100,000 from last year. Unfortunately, many textbooks are not available for the library to buy as ebooks because of publisher limitations. If every student in every class since Spring 2023 that had an electronic copy of their textbook in a library reading list skipped buying that textbook, the library could have saved students $1.9 million dollars!

More students and faculty are using the reading lists in Fall 2024 more than ever. The graph to the right shows that potential savings based on the course reading lists that have been actively accessed by students has doubled over last Fall. This means more faculty are using links to the reading lists in their Canvas courses and more students are using them to look at course materials for free!

Faculty members told us:

“I love how it is easily integrated into canvas and that it offers ways to organize the content. In addition I love that this allows students to not have to spend money on textbooks."

and

“I absolutely love being able to reuse the list each year.”

You can learn more about course materials lists provided by the library from our handy online guide (designed for faculty) or you can start browsing the course materials lists to see them for yourself (FGCU login required).

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Library Course Material Lists are Making an Impact

Faculty members are saving time and students are saving money with library course materials lists. FGCU Library has ramped up use of the course reading lists platform (Leganto) in the past year, and we are seeing positive results! A student in a class that used a library course reading list told us in a survey:I love the reading list!! In my previous classes, professors typically linked readings in Modules or in their syllabus or under specific assignments. And, each professor seemed to have a different way they liked to link readings to their course which made the readings difficult to find and harder to plan ahead if there was a longer reading assignment. Being able to see the dates by which the readings are due is great, and marking them as done afterwards feels really satisfying. I like that all sorts of media can be linked to the list. Articles, yes; but also videos and podcasts! Students are saving money on textbooks by using library-owned materials or Open Educational Resources (OER) in the reading lists instead of buying textbooks. The library has purchased more electronic copies of textbooks in the past year, increasing potential savings to students by over $100,000 from last year. Unfortunately, many textbooks are not available for the library to buy as ebooks because of publisher limitations. If every student in every class since Spring 2023 that had an electronic copy of their textbook in a library reading list skipped buying that textbook, the library could have saved students $1.9 million dollars! More students and faculty are using the reading lists in Fall 2024 more than ever. The graph to the right shows that potential savings based on the course reading lists that have been actively accessed by students has doubled over last Fall. This means more faculty are using links to the reading lists in their Canvas courses and more students are using them to look at course materials for free!Faculty members told us:“I love how it is easily integrated into canvas and that it offers ways to organize the content. In addition I love that this allows students to not have to spend money on textbooks." and “I absolutely love being able to reuse the list each year.”You can learn more about course materials lists provided by the library from our handy online guide (designed for faculty) or you can start browsing the course materials lists to see them for yourself (FGCU login required)....

A Taste of the Past

By Victoria Jones, University Archivist(Two pages from Kochrecepte, a hand-written German cookbook) November is the perfect month to highlight historic cookbooks! With the holiday season on the horizon, you can get some food inspiration from the past by trying out cozy and comforting recipes that have stood the test of time. Some people may be surprised to learn that University Archives and Special Collections houses a selection of vintage and historic cookbooks within our Rare Book collection. But it’s true! In the same way that we keep and preserve rare books related to Southwest Florida history, we also keep and preserve cookbooks. Why Keep Cookbooks? While it may seem unusual for us to collect cookbooks, there is a reason! Historic cookbooks can serve as small, delicious time capsules. They highlight the way that agriculture and our relationship with food has changed in a particular area based on the ingredients within the recipe. Vintage cookbooks can also tell the story of technological innovation by documenting the introduction and accessibility to tools like electric stoves, hand mixers and even air fryers. A lot about a community can be understood from what food its members eat, how they eat, and when they eat it. Try Some Vintage Recipes (Cover of Evelyn Luettich Horne’s community cookbook, published by the Estero Historical Society) Below are two traditional recipes from Evelyn Luettich Horne. Born on Mound Key in 1922, Evelyn grew up in Lee County. Her grandmother was a member of the Koreshan Unity, and she lived through and saw the rapid changes to Southwest Florida before her death in 2007. Be sure to let us know if you try one and what you think of it. You can also visit University Archives and Special Collections on the third floor of the Wilson G. Bradshaw Library for more historic cookbooks and vintage recipes! Sauerkraut Casserole This older recipe calls for ingredients that are to be provided in “No. 2” cans. A No. 2 can would contain about 2 ½ cups. 1 No. 2 can sauerkraut 1 No. 2 can apple slices, undrained ½ cup brown sugar, packed 2 tablespoons vinegar ½ cup onion, chopped 1 stick butter Topping: Kielbasa, 2 lengths (about 1 ½ pounds) ½ cup brown sugar, packed 2 teaspoons prepared mustard Instructions Combine sauerkraut and undrained apples with brown sugar, vinegar, and onion. Dot with butter. Lay Kielbasa on top and cover with brown sugar and mustard. Bake uncovered at 400 for 40 minutes. Serves 6. (The Sisters' First Table from the Koreshan Unity Collection) Perfect Pecan Pie 3 eggs 2/3 cup sugar 1/3 cup melted butter ½ teaspoon salt 1 cup light corn syrup 1 cup pecans, shelled and halved (or chopped) Instructions Beat together all ingredients except the pecans with a hand mixer. Stir in pecans. Pour into pie crust and bake at 375 for 40 – 45 minutes until set. ...

FGCU Librarians would like to hear your thoughts on AI!

On Monday, Nov. 18 (students), and Thursday, Nov. 21(faculty and staff) from 11 a.m. - noon, we will be hosting virtual town hall meetings that will discuss the ways AI is being used. We’re using this forum to understand what AI is being used for, what people's feelings are about it and what training needs to be done on campus. The information we gather will guide us in establishing future training and discussion opportunities. To inform our discussion, please consider taking the time to fill out the following brief survey: SURVEY. Please register on the library’s website (CLICK HERE). We hope you participate in this discussion, and we look forward to hearing your thoughts! ...

Visit the Photo Booth for Quick Pics!

The photo booth located across from Starbucks in Library East allows users to take passport photos, visa photos, portraits and more all at a low cost. Provided by Passport Photo Booth and DNP Photo Imaging, the photobooth is quick, easy and convenient. After users enter the photo booth and close the curtain for privacy, instructions for each specific photo are provided on the screen in front of them. Retakes are unlimited to ensure that users select a photo they are satisfied with. Payment occurs only after a photo is selected to be printed. All major credit cards, as well as Apple Pay, Google Pay and tap-to-pay, are accepted. Users also have the option of purchasing a digital copy of their photo at the time of checkout. Passport and visa photos cost $12.99, portraits cost $5, printing photos from a phone cost 50 cents a piece, and fun photos such as photo strips and cards cost $5. Say goodbye to your trip to the pharmacy or office store and pose, pay and print at the FGCU Library! ...

Library Course Material Lists are Making an Impact

Florida Gulf Coast University Library