Dear College of Marin Faculty:
Finals week is upon us and I have several updates—
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The Latest on Fall Semester Planning
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Surveys
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Bookstore Information
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Library Information
The Latest on Fall Semester Planning
As you know, Fall Semester will mostly be online. We are working with Chairs and others to finalize the few courses in Career Education, Health Sciences, Life & Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences, Fine Arts, and Kinesiology that will have some modified, minimal in-person component. Thank you for the creativity and flexibility involved in creating the safest workable Fall Semester possible given the ongoing nature of the pandemic and expected local health orders.
For those teaching in the fall, your dean will be in touch in the next day with details about the summer training for online teaching. Additionally, adjustments to the online schedule of classes will be forthcoming and will include replacing building/room information with “online” designation for most courses and adjustments for those lab courses mentioned above to more accurately reflect their “hybrid” nature. Students will be informed when changes occur. The originally scheduled dates/times for courses will be maintained on the schedule—and all courses must have any synchronous component taught within the published date/time window. If synchronous content is reduced—or moved to exclusively asynchronous—let your dean know.
A COVID-19 Task Force, led by Jeff Marozick, our Campus Police Chief, will be making recommendations relating to the logistics of the limited in-person classes noted above as well as further ‘re-opening’ of the campuses as we head toward fall semester. We should anticipate most areas of the College will continue to provide services remotely (at least primarily) for now-and possibly into the fall. More to come on these many logistical considerations in the coming weeks.
Surveys
If you have not yet completed the survey sent from Holley Shafer in PRIE, please do so. The information will help us support you and your teaching as we head into Fall Semester. If you have not received the survey, Holley can provide it directly to you if you email her at: hshafer@marin.edu .
Also, please encourage your students to complete the similar survey sent to them. The message they have received is titled, "Help COM by doing a survey on your online course experience, enter to win an Amazon gift card."
Bookstore Information
Textbook and Reader Adoptions
Karen, our Bookstore Manager, said she has received very few textbook adoption requests from faculty for summer and fall. It is most critical the summer adoptions are submitted ASAP.
Textbook Rental Returns
Students have two options for returns:
- Students may mail their books back using a free prepaid FedEX label that will be sent automatically to the email address they provided when renting the book.
- Karen is working on a Pick Up and Drop Off option once local health orders allow the Bookstore to open with curbside service.
- The deadline for returning books has been extended to June 6.
Reprographics Readers
Karen works directly with Reprographics on COM printed materials. Faculty just need to make sure they turn in their adoptions for these type of materials using the established process.
Curbside Service and Online Ordering
As soon as local health guidelines allow the COM Bookstore will allow contactless curbside pickup for orders. Online ordering and shipping is available now.
Library Information
New Resources in the Library:
- DigitalTheatre+: Over 1000+ full-length productions and educational resources, including documentaries, masterclasses, lectures, study guides, practical workshop guides and encyclopedia entries on the teaching and study of performance
- Kanopy: On-demand streaming video platform offering films and documentaries. We’ve adding funding so you can stream more, for free!
- The Chronicle of Higher Education (Online): Unlimited access to The Chronicle, from any device, for free! You’ll see a MyCOM log-in when you click that link; log-in and read away!
- EBSCO eBooks (coming soon)! This collection will provide access to over 200,000 academic eBooks through the Library’s SuperSearch database. See the attached PPTX for more info.
Other eBook Collections:
- Textbooks: Due to COVID-19, some publishers have made textbooks available for free, online. We don’t know how long these materials will be available, but you can check our LibGuide.
- eBooks collections available through MARINet (items in these collections will appear in a COM Library catalog search. Start on the Library's Kanopy website and select the tab for “Library Catalog,” then filter by format in the left menu).
- OverDrive: MARINet’s largest collection of fiction and nonfiction. Over 45,000 eBooks, eAudiobooks, and eVideos.
- Enki: Over 70,000 titles, including books from independent publishers, classic novels, and bestsellers before they become bestsellers.
- Safari Books Online: The latest eBooks and videos, including over 6,000 titles on technology, digital media, and business.
Returning Library Textbook Program (LTP) Books and Other Materials:
- LTP Books can be returned during our “Parking Lot Drop Off Days” in Parking Lot 3:
May 21-22, 10 am – 2 pm
May 26-27, 12 pm – 4 pm
- Non-LTP books and other materials currently checked out from the COM Libraries can be kept until libraries re-open for in-person service. Due dates for COM Library materials are being extended until in-person service resumes. Students and other patrons do not need to do anything to make this happen. There will be no fines or late fees assigned during this period. Please disregard any late notice emails should they occur. If you have concerns or any problems related to this, simply come to the library once in-person service resumes, or email KMcsween@marin.edu. Note that all book drops are locked until in-person service resumes.
Thank you for your ongoing commitment to our students. It truly is appreciated. And as always, if there is ever anything I can do, please let me know.
Jonathan Eldridge
Assistant Superintendent/Vice President of Student Learning and Success