Ask a Librarian

Whippany Park Library offers a wide range of professional information services for students, faculty and staff. Help is always available, and there is no such thing as a "dumb question."

 
 Q-and-A NJ
Chat live with a network of experienced New Jersey librarians to ask a question about research and get a live answer, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Q-and-A NJ works like IM, with a screen to the left where the librarians show you the screens of the sites and databases they are using to search for your answer. Use your public library barcode to log on.

 
Morris County Library
Type in your question and have it answered via email by one of eleven Morris County librarians, both during and after library hours. Also lists the phone numbers of the county library if you wish to call instead.

On-Demand Library Services for Students

At the Whippany Park library,
you can learn to . . .

  • Troubleshoot a technology problem
  • Learn or review a technology skill
  • Find a book, fiction or nonfiction
  • Find a magazine or newspaper article
  • Find information for reports and homework
  • Receive individual or group research assistance
  • Determine which databases to use for your courses
  • Log onto WP's library databases from home
  • Learn to improve your search engine results
  • Request a book or article from any library in the U. S.
  • Log onto 24-hour research help and online tutoring

 

On-Demand Library Services
for Faculty and Staff

Teachers can
"Ask Us Anytime" for . . .

  • Help with Research
  • Library Q & A
  • Technology Q & A
  • Lesson Planning Resources
  • Project Planning Assistance
  • Requests for Current Events Articles
  • Requests for Teaching Articles

Teacher PIPs . . .

  • meet once a week for personalized tutoring
  • use what you learn in the classroom
  • learn skills to help complete the National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers

Scheduled Library Services for Faculty and Staff

Teachers, "Please Make an Appointment" for . . .


Whole class instruction for your students
Teachers can request that the librarian can teach their students how to use various online and print library resources, how to structure their research process, how to find quality information on the Internet, and more. User education is also available in your classroom or in the computer lab for assistance with technology topics like advanced PowerPoint skills, Excel spreadsheets, web page design and more.		 
Audiovisual and computer equipment loan
Teachers can borrow computer equipment for use in their classroom, such as a computer cart with laptop and data projector, a cart with a document camera and projector, and a Smart Board on wheels. Teachers can also borrow audiovisual equipment such as televisions with VCRs and DVD players, CD or audiocassette players, overhead projectors and more. Advance reservations are almost always required.


Small group instruction for your students
Teachers can arrange for small groups of students with specific projects to receive advanced or remedial instruction on database research, Internet graphics, interlibrary loan, and more. You or your students may also call the library from your classroom to request assistance of any kind. Please give as much advance notice as possible for a classroom visit to help avoid scheduling conflicts.

 Requests for videos/DVDs from Morris County Media Services
Teachers can borrow videos and DVDs for their classes from Morris County Media Services. Teachers can borrow videos, search the 300+ PBS video database online, and browse the catalog of video holdings from the library's "Other Libraries" web page. Teachers can even borrow a StarLab Portable Planetarium! Order items a week in advance, please.

Individualized library/technology tutoring for yourself
Teachers can request regular library research or technology tutoring appointments on topics of their choice, taught one-on-one or in small groups. The librarian will design a series of tutoring lessons specifically for the pace, prior knowledge, interests and personality of the adult learner. Skills a re sequenced incrementally and reviewed frequently, whether your lessons are weekly, monthly, or "tomorrow, period 7."		 
Requests for books via Interlibrary Loan
Teachers can request any book they know exists and have it delivered to the Whippany Park Library. Because book delivery (from around the country!) can take up to two weeks, teachers should submit requests for interlibrary loan books or hard-to-find articles as far in advance as possible. Teachers can also request multiple copies of a book for whole-class or small-group reading projects.
Lesson/unit planning and curriculum revision assistance
Teachers can team-teach a lesson, unit, or skill sequence with the librarian in any subject area. With cooperative lesson planning, teachers can learn new skills and "turn-key" them to students using modeling and collaboration. In addition, teachers can consult with the librarian for ideas on infusing into their curriculum new technology skills or new teaching and learning methods for their subject areas.


Job-Embedded Profssional Development
Meet with the librarian for a series of developmentally-appropriate technology lessons. Many of your have taken advantage of this free tutoring already. To insure success, set aside a particular time to learn each week; make a regular commitment to learn over a period of a few months; practice after the lessons by actually using what you learn on the job, and ask for help before a classroom demonstration or as soon as a question comes up.