Archive for April, 2007

A Successful Book Sale!

Published by kyle on April 30, 2007 in around the library. 0 Comments

We’re pleased to report that the 10th Annual Friends of the Library Book Sale, held April 16-19, raised over $3,000! As much as we’d like to run off to the casino and gamble the night away, we’ll be a little more practical with the money. The funds raised are deposited into the Library Acquisition Endowment Fund, which supports Library purchases. The Friends of the Library’s website features previous acquisitions from this account.

We’d also like to recognize the hard work of the Book Sale Committee (Patty Fragola, Peg Murray, Doreen Acker-Ritter and Martha Stephenson) and the volunteers that make this event the success that it is!

Working out… at the Library?

Published by kyle on April 27, 2007 in around the library and around the world. 1 Comment

Youtube has some real gems. And since it’s Friday, we’d like to point a rather amusing video that was found when browsing for entertainment. This video was made at Arizona State University in 1987 - can you say ‘retro’?

In honor of its twentieth anniversary, we present the Betty Glover Workout Tape!

Research Paper Season - Documenting Sources

Published by kyle on April 26, 2007 in online @ the library and tips for research. 0 Comments

It’s that time of the semester again, and regardless of your major, you’ve probably got a research paper. After a semester (or the day night, either way) spent researching to construct a fantastic essay, you have to prove that you did just make up everything that you wrote. All that research must be documented in the form of a works cited page or reference list. No one gets out of this part of the research process, not when you’re in school or out in the real world.

Did you know that you can use the Library’s databases for this part of the process as well? Many of our databases, such as the databases from EBSCOhost and Proquest, will actually format citations for you? Just another reason why you should use them!

Here’s how in EBSCOhost:

  • Find an article or articles that you would like to use in your research.
  • When viewing the result list, click on the folder icon to the right of the citation to Add to Folder.
  • Scroll to the top and click on the link for Folder has items.
  • This page should list all of the sources you’ve selected. You can choose to e-mail, print or save those citations. Click on your preferred method.
  • From this page, you should see to the right the options for citation format. The second drop-down menu allows you to select a particular style, i.e. APA, MLA, etc.
  • Depending on which option you selected, click on Print, E-mail or Save in the left corner.

Just as with any automatic process, you need to make sure that the citations are properly formatted. It’s still a whole lot easier than starting from scratch, no?

Happy Belated Birthday, Library of Congress!

Published by kyle on April 25, 2007 in around the world and info.gov. 0 Comments

The Library of Congress, the largest in the nation with over 30 million volumes, turned 207 yesterday. It was in 1800 that Congress allocated funds of $5,000 to start a library, which began with 740 books and three maps. If only that same amount of money could do that much now.

So how does a library such as the Library of Congress celebrate their birthday? By starting a blog, of course!

Government Printing Office logo

The University Library is a federal depository with many federal, state, local, and international documents on a variety of current and relevant issues available to you in print, microfiche, CD-ROM, and electronically. Come check out your government at the University Library!

New Stuff Tuesday - April 24

Published by kyle on April 24, 2007 in around the library and new stuff tuesdays. 0 Comments

This week features two books about famous people and the lives they lead out of the spotlight.

Private Lives, Public Consequences: Personality and Politics in Modern America

Private Lives, Public Consequences:
Personality and Politics in Modern America
William H. Chafe
E743 .C425 2005
New Book Island, 2nd floor

Chafe, faculty member at Duke University and respected historian, writes about how the private lives of some of the most distinguished politicians of the twentieth century shaped their political careers. Not all come from dynasties like the Kennedys and the Bushes, and this book demonstrates that these individuals led ideal lives. The author argues that it is the adversity which these individuals face that contribute to their greatness as leaders of our country. Politicians profiled include the Roosevelts, Nixon, Reagan and the Clintons.

3000 Years of Great Athletes Whose Sexual Orientation Was Different

The Lavender Locker Room:
3000 Years of Great Athletes Whose Sexual Orientation Was Different
Patricia Nell Warren
GV708.8 .W373 2006
New Book Island, 2nd floor

Several former athletes have made headlines in the past months by coming out of the closet, waiting until after retirement to clear the air about their sexual orientation. It may make you wonder, who else is hiding? The Lavender Locker Room, as its subtitle declares, explores three thousand years of history and the athletes that dared to play by different rules. The book is written as more of a narrative, with the author taking tangents on topics like Brokeback Mountain, Troy and Harry Potter. Great light reading and informative at the same time.

Changes to Campus Research & LexisNexis

Published by kyle on April 23, 2007 in online @ the library. 0 Comments

If you have used Campus Research or LexisNexis before, you may be in for a surprise when you use it in the future. Westlaw has tweaked the search interface for Campus Research with subtle changes. They have added a Basic Search and an Advanced Search, common among other library databases. Additionally, you can search up to ten different legal categories at once, such as American Law Reports and Supreme Court Cases. The left navigational bar still contains shortcuts to popular features like the legal guides and famous documents.

While Westlaw took the subtle route, LexisNexis has completely redesigned the LexisNexis Academic search interface. It is currently in the beta stage of development, slated for full release in July. The new release will include more content and more search capabilities. The current version requires that you switch from different “Search Forms” to find different information. The beta version streamlines the process, allowing you to search national and world news at the same time, among other things. You can try out the beta version by going to LexisNexis Academic and clicking on the Try the Beta release now… banner at the top.

Campus Research from Westlaw

LexisNexis Academic from LexisNexis

We’ve Still Got Books For Sale

Published by kyle on April 20, 2007 in around the library. 0 Comments

Thought you missed the book sale? Well, technically, you did. But there’s still plenty of books out in the lobby for the picking. Prices have been slashed and you can even fill up a bag and take it all for $5. Now that’s a deal.

COME SUPPORT YOUR LIBRARY!

Tech books online

Published by kyle on April 19, 2007 in around the library and online @ the library. 1 Comment

Safari logo

The Library is pleased to announce its newest addition to the growing collection of online resources, Safari Books Online! Through Safari, you can browse and read approximately one hundred titles of core information technology books “cover-to-cover” from respected publishers such as O’Reilly, Microsoft Press & Adobe Press.

Don’t think that only programmers and IT professionals will find these useful. Have to put together a web page for class? Try HTML, XHTML, & CSS, Sixth Edition: Visual QuickStart Guide. Crazy about putting photos on Flickr? Get the most out of it with Flickr Hacks. Can’t stop looking at the Great Wall of China on Google Maps? See what else you can do Google Maps Hacks. To see all the titles you can access, click on Library on the top navigation bar to browse or use the search box and select My Bookshelf.

Thanks to the Information Technology & Business Education department for helping to get this great product!

Safari Books Online

Day of Silence - not just in the library

Published by kyle on April 18, 2007 in campus connection. 0 Comments

Some of you may noticed that campus is quieter today than most, not just in the library. As part of Pride Week, IMPACT, the campus LGBTA student union, is taking part in the National Day of Silence, an event “to echo the silence the L[esbian] G[ay] B[isexual] T[ransgender] and ally students face each day.” The event started back in 1996 at the University of Virginia and has grown into an international event, with support of the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN).

Want more information? Harris Interactive, in conjunction with GSLEN, conducted a survey in 2005 about the issue of school bullying with regards to sexual orientation and gender identity. The full report is available on GLSEN’s website.

Furthermore, the Library has plenty of materials about the LGBT community in general - you can search in the catalog or just browse the shelves. The majority of the items will begin with the call number HQ12-449, which pertains to the sexual life.

New Stuff Tuesday - April 17

Published by kyle on April 17, 2007 in around the library and new stuff tuesdays. 0 Comments

Just like music being released on Tuesday, this weekly column will highlight some of the Library’s latest acquisitions on, you guessed it, Tuesday.

Now, for the first New Book Tuesday:

who can say it, who shouldn't and why

The N Word: Who Can Say It,
Who Shouldn’t, and Why
Jabari Asim
E185 .A85 2007
New Book Island, 2nd floor

Jabari Asim, deputy editor of the Washington Post Book World, takes the reader on a journey through four hundred years of history of the n word, from its origins in an essay by Thomas Jefferson to its current usage by hip hop artists. Asim states in his introduction that the subject of the book is “how whites from all levels of society worked to keep us there — through a combination of custom, law, myth, and racial insult.” With chapters such as “N*ggerology” (Parts 1 & 2), “To Slur with Love” and “N*gger versus N*gga,” the author illustrates how the epithet continues to “keeps blacks at the bottom of America’s socioeconomic ladder.”

So who can say it and who shouldn’t? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

how revolutionary was the digital revolution?

How Revolutionary Was the Digital Revolution?
Edited by John Zysman & Abraham Newman
HC79 .I55 H686 2006
New Book Island, 2nd floor

This volume, edited by professors from UC-Berkeley and Georgetown University, examines the new era, one in which borders no longer translate into barriers. The book focuses on technological change and its effects on governments, corporations, markets, and individuals from around the world. Topics include offshoring, copyright in the digital context, and mobile technology as a new case for the analysis of market evolution. Anyone curious as to how much (or little) technology has transformed our world will find this work intriguing, as it covers a lot of ground.