Library Orientation | Colby College Libraries | Colby College

Welcome to campus and to the Colby College Libraries! We look forward to meeting new students and faculty in person this fall.

Follow us on Instagram at #colbylibrariesorientation21 for a series of posts with information about the Libraries, our services, and collections. If you don’t have Instagram, you can explore all of the library orientation Instagram posts below.

For a quick overview, check out Five Key Facts about the Colby Libraries.

#colbylibrariesorientation21

Aug 24

A Colby perk! Sign up for free all-digital individ

A Colby perk! Sign up for free all-digital individual subscriptions to the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and Waterville’s Morning Sentinel. Without a subscription, web access to these useful publications is limited. Link to subscription information in bio.

📷: Thielstrom

Image Description: The mastheads of the print editions of the Morning Sentinel, New Times and Wall Street Journal.

#ColbyCollegeLibraries #ClassOf2025 #ColbyLibrariesOrientation21 #DigitalNewspaper #Newsprint

Sep 10

Whether you’re looking to return a book, check o

Whether you’re looking to return a book, check out a charger, get help printing, ask for directions or simply need a pen, there are staff and students stationed at each service desk to assist you! Visit the Miller, Bixler and Olin service desks for all your library needs 📚

Photo by April Paul

Image Description: A collage of three photos highlighting the library service desks: top photo shows a staff person and student worker at the Miller service desk; bottom left photo shows a student worker at the Bixler Art & Music service desk; and bottom right photo shows a student worker at the Olin Science service desk.

#ColbyCollegeLibraries #ColbyLibrariesOrientation21 #ColbyCollege #MillerBixlerOlin #LibrariesOfInstagram #ServiceDesk #CheckItOut #StudentWorkers

Aug 29

You will find printers, copiers, and scanners in a

You will find printers, copiers, and scanners in all three Colby Libraries: Miller, Bixler, and Olin. Full directions for use are posted beside the machines. Colby's IT department also has guidance on adding connection to specific printers to a computer. Black & white printing is free to the Colby community; copies and scans may be charged to your Colby ID card.

This image? This is our oldest copy machine - not available for use by students at the moment. This is a platen printing press that lives in the Brewster Reading Room in Miller Library. The press (no. 40265) was manufactured by Chandler & Price in 1903. The model is the old style 8” x 12”. The press was operated by Jacob Franklin until 1929 and was donated to Colby by Michael Franklin ’63 and his daughter, Laurie Franklin ’87 (now Laurie Collins). We had the press restored by wolfeeditions in 2018.

📷:: Jacob Sutherland

Image Description: Platen press sits on a tan linoleum floor at an angle with sunlight creating shadows on the floor and across the machine.

#ColbyLibrariesOrientation21 #ColbyCollegeLibraries #ColbyCollege #MillerLibrary #PrintingPress

Aug 23

Use your Colby ID to borrow materials. Loan period

Use your Colby ID to borrow materials. Loan periods vary by type of item. Colby books are usually 28 days with four possible renewals. Laptops and other equipment are also available for checkout. More information is provided under “Services” in the menu bar of the library website.

📷: Thielstrom

Image Description: Hands holding a Colby ID card and the book, The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, reach across a library service desk.

#ColbyCollegeLibraries #ReadBooks #ClassOf2025 #ColsonWhitehead #ColbyLibrariesOrientation21

Aug 25

Colby has over a million e-books. They can be read

Colby has over a million e-books. They can be read on computers or on mobile devices, either on-campus or off-campus. Titles are searchable in our library catalog. Our e-book library guide has more information and tutorials - link in bio.

📷: Thielstrom

Image Description: A student is holding a lit phone that displays Alison Bechdel’s graphic memoir, Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, which has a cover drawing of a snapshot of the author as a child sitting with her father on some steps.

#ColbyCollegeLibraries #ColbyCollege #ClassOf2025 #AlisonBechdel #ColbyLibrariesOrientation21 #GraphicNovel #EBook

Aug 27

Time travel with digital archives! The Colby Libra

Time travel with digital archives! The Colby Libraries have full digital issues of old magazines and tons of other archival material NOT available on the open web. Think about what these magazines reveal about the culture, assumptions, beliefs and attitudes of their time. Whose culture and attitudes? Whose voices are missing? What is not addressed?

📷: Proquest Women’s Magazine Archive, a Colby College database (Click on "publications" in the Proquest database to browse)

Image Description: Covers of Sept 1951 Seventeen (girl in purple velvet suit and white gloves), Aug 1972 Essence (two black students in fall outfits walking across a campus), Aug 1940 Better Homes & Gardens (mustached man photographing a butterfly) and Nov 1929 Ladies’ Home Journal (couple with a roasted turkey).

#ColbyCollegeLibraries #Recommended #ClassOf2025 #ColbyLibrariesOrientation21 #vintage #VintageMagazine #archives

Sep 8

Back to School tip! Faculty members sometimes put

Back to School tip! Faculty members sometimes put materials (books, DVDs, etc.) on “reserve“, which means that these materials can be borrowed (instead of purchased) by students in the course, usually for a shortened loan period (2-4 hours). Check the link in bio to search for reserves - or search from the Libraries' home page (in the main search box). Reserve materials are held at one of the three library service desks.

Image: Lareese Hall

Image Description: Reserves stickers (placed on reserve materials) stuck on the outside of a snake plant pot.

#ColbyCollegeLibraries #CourseReserves #ColbyLibrariesOrientation21 #TheMoreYouKnow #BackToSchool #BixlerOlinMiller

Aug 13

We are hard at work getting ready for the fall sem

We are hard at work getting ready for the fall semester!

🎥 Lareese Hall

Image Description: video taken from the Miller Library “porch” of the lawn on a hazy and hot summer day. A yellow tractor with a front mounted bucket drives through the frame from left to right.

#ColbyCollegeLibraries #Millergram #UnderConstruction #ColbyLibrariesOrientation21 #ComingSoon #ColbyCollege

Sep 14

Bixler Library is home to Colby’s Art and Music

Bixler Library is home to Colby’s Art and Music collection, which includes Photography & Art Books, Sheet Music, Music history books, CDs, vinyl records, zines, and so much more!

Video shot and edited by Jacob Sutherland

Image Description: Video opens with text on screen reading “Visit Bixler Art and Music Library” then wipes to a shot of the front doors of Bixler Library. The video then features shots of the various spaces to sit and study before transitioning to a shot of the compact shelving in Bixler, and a patron cranking the handle of one of the sliding shelves. Shots of art books, photography books, biographies, music scores, vinyl records, zines, headphones, CDs, and DVDs flash across the screen before fading to white.

#ColbyLibrariesOrientation21 #ColbyCollegeLibraries #ColbyCollege #BixlerLibrary #ArtAndMusicLibrary #BackToSchool #video #LibrariesOfInstagram

Aug 26

Miller Library is the largest of the three librari

Miller Library is the largest of the three libraries on the Colby campus - which means it has the most books, DVDs, and magazines! Browse through our collection in person, or make a request online and pick it up at the Miller service desk!

Video shot and edited by Jacob Sutherland

Image Description: Video features books on display in the New Popular Books, Colby Authors, and New Books sections on the first floor of Miller Library.

Featured Books:
A History of Islam in 21 Women by Hossein Kamaly
Four Lost Cities: A Secret History Of The Urban Age by Annalee Newitz
Nights When Nothing Happened by Simon Han
Oligarchy by Scarlett Thomas
It’s Garry Shandling’s Book by Judd Apatow
Art At Colby: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Colby College Museum Of Art by Sharon Corwin, Elizabeth Finch, Lauren Lessing, and Joseph N. Newland
Eliza Hamilton: The Extraordinary Life and Times of the Wife of Alexander Hamilton by Tilar J. Mazzeo
Maine in World War I (Images Of America) by Jason C. Libby and Earle G. Shettleworth Jr.
The Boy In The Field by Margot Livesey
Wartime London In Paintings by Suzanne Bardgett

#ColbyLibrariesOrientation21 #ColbyCollegeLibraries #ColbyCollege #MillerLibrary #BackToSchool #video #Millergram #Bookstagram #LibrariesOfInstagram

Aug 23

New to Colby and feeling a little discombobulated?

New to Colby and feeling a little discombobulated? Follow #ColbyLibrariesOrientation21 for research tips, study spots, and other insider info from the libraries. We are looking forward to meeting you!

📷: Colbiana collection at Colby Libraries’ Special Collections

Image Description: A black and white photo of an athlete performing a high jump, caught from below mid-twist. The perspective obscures the athlete’s head and makes it look as though their limbs are all facing different directions. A large, fluffy cloud fills most of the background.

#ColbyCollegeLibraries #ColbyLibrariesOrientation21 #HighJump #SpecialCollections #Archives #Colbiana #ColbyCollege #Welcome

Aug 31

It’s move-in day for first-year students … wel

It’s move-in day for first-year students … welcome to all! In this 1987 photo, parents are helping to unload a car full of their child’s belongings.

Image Attribution: Special Collections & Archives

Image Description: A black and white photo shows two parents unloading a car. One parent is holding a box with a tennis racket on top, while another parent holds a milk crate in one hand and with the other reaches for items located in a container on top of the vehicle.

#ColbyCollegeLibraries #ColbyCollege #LibrariesOfInstagram #MillerBixlerOlin #MovingIn #FirstYearStudents #Colbiana #SpecialCollections #ColbyLibrariesOrientation21

Sep 2

Did you know that the Bixler Art & Music Library h

Did you know that the Bixler Art & Music Library has a media lab? Here you’ll find flatbed scanners and computers with Adobe Suite, Garage Band, Sibelius and Audacity. There is something for all your art and music needs!

📸 by April Paul

Image Description: An angled picture showing the Bixler Media room. Inside the room are two long rectangular tables. There are four apple computers on each side of the tables for a total of eight computers on each table with an accompanying mouse and keyboard. In front of each computer is a chair. You can see the login screen on the eight computers that are facing the camera. On the wall to the left side of the computers there are two square black and white pictures hanging. There is a projector hanging down from the ceiling. The project is projecting an image onto a chalkboard onto the wall in front of the room.

#ColbyCollegeLibraries #ClassOf2025 #ColbyLibrariesOrientation21

Sep 1

Special Collections & Archives (SC&A), located in

Special Collections & Archives (SC&A), located in Miller Library, is the college’s repository for historically and culturally - significant materials that date from the 12th to the 21st centuries and represent a wide range of formats.

New collecting priorities in Special Collections include ephemera, activist materials, zines, and artists’ books with a focus on social, racial and environmental justice. The College Archives collects and permanently maintains institutional records to promote knowledge and understanding of Colby's origins, programs, and goals and actively seeks to represent all voices in the Colby community.

If you want to take advantage of any of these resources, contact a staff member to set up an appointment! There is a link on our home page to SC&A resources and staff.

Video shot and edited by Jacob Sutherland

Image Description: Video begins with a Special Collections & Archives sign featuring an illustration of a swan before travelling to the entrance of the Special Collections & Archives department. After entering the room, the video features the display case containing John James Audubon’s “Birds Of America”, then a student studying in the Robinson room, and then an assortment of various items from the collections.

#ColbyLibrariesOrientation21 #ColbyCollegeLibraries #ColbyCollege #MillerLibrary #SpecialCollections #BackToSchool #Archives

Aug 28

Our newest playlist - 9 of 2021 - has arrived just

Our newest playlist - 9 of 2021 - has arrived just in time for the weekend. We are "ColbyCollegeLibraries" on #Spotify. Link to #playlist in bio.

📷: Colbiana collection at Colby Libraries’ Special Collections

Image Description: Image of a student in Colby's radio station in 1981. Image shows the back of a student operating equipment in the station. To the left is a record player and to the right is the console. The student is looking at and operating the console. There are notes and papers in front of the student and off in the distance.

#ColbyCollegeLibraries #ColbyLibrariesOrientation21 #MusicForLibraries #LibrariesOfInstagram #music #SpecialCollections #Colbiana #RecordPlayer #RadioStation #ClassicRadio #VintageSlideShow #CollegeRadio

Sep 7

Colby Libraries belongs to a network of libraries

Colby Libraries belongs to a network of libraries to help our community access materials. It is not just about what we have on hand - but what we have access to across the state (and the world!). One network is CBB - Colby, Bates, and Bowdoin - and because our libraries work together and share a catalog, resources from all three schools will show up in your initial search for physical items. You can request items from Bates and Bowdoin by choosing "CBB Request" in the search result.

You can expand your search even more by clicking on the MaineCat icon on the search results page to request materials from libraries across Maine. All of these items can be picked up at the Miller Library service desk.

Have questions? You can email us at libraries@colby.edu.

Image Attribution: Steven Guzzardi Flickr (CC BY-ND 2.0) https://flic.kr/p/q2Kpyk

Image Description:
A figure in a field holds a tower of books that covers their face and extends skyward. One book flies off to the left.

#ColbyCollegeLibraries #ColbyLibrariesOrientation21 #CBB #MaineLibraries

Sep 7

Once the tallest building in Maine when it was bui

Once the tallest building in Maine when it was built in 1939, Miller Library is a well loved icon in the center of campus. The clock tower at the top of Miller is a precise and well cared for machine that is off limits - except for the occasional tour - but a reminder that time marks our past, present, and future.

Today is convocation - the beginning of the academic year. Each of our three libraries are open at least 100 hours every week - and our open hours are listed on the library website. Even when we are closed, many of our resources are available online 24 hours a day.

We would like to take this time to again welcome our newest community members - new students, faculty, and staff. Welcome back to the rest of the Colby community.

Video by Stephanie Frost

Image Description: A video of the inner workings of the clock in the Miller Library Tower - with an interior timepiece at the center of the frame and the back of an exterior clock face in the distance. The ticking of the mechanism can be heard in the video.

#ColbyCollegeLibraries #Millergram #ClockTower #TimeKeepsOnTicking #ColbyLibrariesOrientation21

Sep 8

We have hundreds of movies, documentaries, and tel

We have hundreds of movies, documentaries, and television shows on DVD! Most videos are in Miller Library but some are in Olin as well. At Miller we also have USB disk drives, USB-C adapters, projectors, HDMI cables, and anything else you might need for your own movie night!

Video shot and edited by Jacob Sutherland

Image Description: Video opens with text on screen reading “Did you know you can check out DVDs at the library?”. A DVD copy of “Mad Max: Fury Road” gets pulled off the shelf, checked out, and opened. Text on screen reads: “Need a USB disk drive?”. An external USB disk drive then gets checked out and plugged in to a laptop, and the movie plays on the laptop screen. Text on screen then reads: “Want to make it a viewing party?”. A projector is then checked out, plugged in to the laptop, and the movie is projected onto a wall. Text on screen then reads: Check out DVDs, Disk Drives, Projectors, Adapters, and more!”

#ColbyLibrariesOrientation21 #ColbyCollegeLibraries #ColbyCollege #MillerLibrary #CheckOutMovies #BackToSchool #video

Five Key Facts About the Colby Libraries

Colby has three libraries. Bixler (Arts and Music), Miller (Humanities and Social Sciences), and Olin (Natural Sciences, Environmental Science, Mathematics, and Computer Science). We also have a beautiful Special Collections and Archives space in Miller Library.
The Libraries’ website is your portal to finding general information about the Libraries and exploring and locating resources for your research. You’ll find research guides by subject, or by course, and general guides to conducting research and using research-related tools and resources. There are also pages for students and for faculty that list relevant services and resources.
There are lots of friendly, knowledgeable professionals in the Libraries. Reach out to a library subject specialist for research help • Stop by the service desk in any branch to ask a general question or check out materials • Use our Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service to request items from other libraries.
We have a wide variety of spaces to meet and study. Offering the largest number of spaces, Miller Library has a quiet Reading Room and individual study carrels as well as large, open, collaborative spaces and group study rooms. Olin Library provides lots of quiet study spaces with scenic bay windows. At Bixler Art and Music Library, you’ll find a relaxing atmosphere, along with a media lab for access to design and music programs. Public computers, printers, and copiers are available in each library.
We provide access to an incredible number and variety of materials in the physical Libraries and even more online. In addition to print and online books and journals, we also offer films, music and music scores, audiobooks, and much more. You can search for specific titles or discover new information and resources via the search box on our home page. If we don’t have what you need, we borrow (and lend) materials with libraries worldwide. You’ll need your Colby Card to check out materials and your Colby username and password to access our online resources. You’ll also find rare and unique print materials and artifacts in our Special Collections and Archives. Check out Digital Commons for digitized versions of many of those same unique collections, as well as examples of Colby scholarship and many College publications.