2012-04-26

The Business and Economics Library at the University of Illinois will permanently close to the public at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 11, 2012.  While the familiar space is going away, the core services and relationships with library personnel will remain or be extended. The Library will continue to support business-related research and information discovery through a program of Business Information Services that will include both “embedded librarian” service programs and participation in the online Ask-A-Librarian services.  The Library will continue to acquire new print and digital materials in business, economics and related fields and the existing liaison relationships for the department will remain unchanged.   Specifically, users will still be able to find the following assistance for their research needs:

• Becky Smith ( becky@illinois.edu ) will continue to offer consultation hours for faculty and doctoral students in the new College of Business Digital Research Library (DRL), located on the first floor of Wohlers Hall across from the North elevator.  Going forward, Becky will also have office consultation hours in the Main Library, participate in the Ask–A-Librarian virtual reference services, and coordinate the business online resources and web presence in consultation with other BIS librarians. Becky remains the Library’s contact person for any students and faculty in Organizational Design, Strategic Management, Corporate Governance, Business Process Management, and Marketing, and for studies in real estate, insurance, and taxation.  Faculty or students who have worked directly with Becky in the past may continue to seek her assistance on any topic.
• Yoo-Seong Song ( yoosong@illinois.edu ) will continue to offer embedded services within the School of Labor and Employment Relations.  He remains the Library’s contact person for Labor and Employment Relations, Business Career Services, programs in Technology Management and International Business, and studies in industrial relations and human resources management. Going forward, Yoo-Seong Song will also be offering reference and consultation hours as a member of the new Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library (SSHEL), which will be located in the Main Library, Rooms 100 and 101 (the site of the former Business and Economics Library) as well as contributing to the Library’s virtual reference services. He will also become the Library’s contact person for students and faculty in the Department of Economics.  Faculty or students who have worked directly with Yoo-Seong in the past may continue to seek his assistance on any topic.
• Carissa Phillips ( choller@illinois.edu ) will continue to offer consultation hours in the Market Information Lab in the Business Instructional Facility.  She remains the Library’s contact person for students and faculty in the Department of Finance and in Entrepreneurship, as well as experiential programs such as Illinois Business Consulting and the Global Consulting Program. Going forward, Carissa will be contributing to the Library’s virtual reference service as well as offering reference and consultation hours as a member of the Data Services group within the Main Library’s Scholarly Commons, which is located in Main Library, Room 306. She will also be the Library’s contact person for students and faculty in the Department of Accountancy and for Information Systems/Information Technology.  Faculty or students who have worked directly with Carissa in the past may continue to seek her assistance on any topic.

The University Library appreciates the support of the College of Business, the School of Labor and Employment Relations, and the Department of Economics, and looks forward to continuing to serve its patrons’ teaching, learning, and research needs on campus through continued financial support for the physical and virtual collections that support their academic activities.  The University Library would also like to acknowledge the Business and Economics Library staff who have delivered excellent service. Their hard work is especially appreciated during this transition.

Individual questions about this transition may be directed to Sue Searing ( searing@illinois.edu ), Interim Associate University Librarian for User Services.

Users can still access the BEL portal or BEL’s resources at www.library.illinois.edu/bel/ during this transitional period.

Do you have a story you’d like added to the Library News & Events? If so, please contact Heather Murphy ( hmurphy@illinois.edu ).