Prof. Donna Ramos and her official retirement chair
Today, the Library faculty and staff gathered to celebrate the retirement of Asst. Professor Donna Ramos, who has been the Weinberg Memorial Library’s cataloging librarian for 35 years. At the luncheon, Library Dean Charles Kratz and Library Chair Betsey Moylan spoke about Donna’s commitment and dedication to her work. Prof. Ramos was also presented with the “Ramos Gate,” a tribute to cataloging, retirement, and gardening handmade by Library staff member Barb Evans and a team of Library student workers, as well as an official University of Scranton chair.
We hope that Prof. Ramos will now have plenty of time to work in her garden, even though she will be greatly missed by the entire Weinberg Memorial Library family.
The library has been anxiously waiting for the return of students and faculty all summer long. In order to show our appreciation for our wonderful students, staff, and faculty the library has undergone some upgrades in order to make your visit more enjoyable!
1. New Gates.
The new gates and new placement.
The library has removed the old gates which were causing false alarms and replaced them with new models to help alleviate the problem. The new gates have been moved to a new location closer to the stairs.
2. All New Computers!
2nd Floor Computer Lab
Every terminal in the library has been replaced with a new computer that boasts a faster processor, more memory, and a flat screen. You’ll definitely notice the rooms look much less cluttered now — compared to the old computers these one’s barely take up any space.
2. New 1st Floor Study Space!
1st Floor Study Area
Library staff and student workers tirelessly moved and rearranged those heavy bound journals in order to make as much room as possible. The new 1st Floor / Bound Periodical study space is a wondeful new addition to the library and I’m sure it will be a hit when school starts!
3. New and Improved 2nd Floor / Reference Department Study Space!
"Table with a view please."Just like a coffee house.
Friendly arrangement allows you to sit in a large group with your friends, read while occasionally glancing out the window, and/or sit in our lounge chairs positioned to face each other with a coffee table in the middle.
4. New tables are technology friendly!
Built in outlets!
In the new study areas there are new tables. There are two major improvements with these tables. These tables allow you to get your legs underneath them — unlike the old tables there is no lip on these. Also, there are built in outlets, so now you can plug your laptop in and not have to worry about finding a wall outlet close to a table.
Most of these improvements were made due to Students’ and Faculty’s suggestions on the LibQual+ Survey which was sent by email last Spring. The Library is always looking to improve itself and make it more user friendly. So, please remember, if there’s something you think would be an improvement, and we are able to do it, then we will try our hardest to make it a reality.
No, The Weinberg Library does not USUALLY purchase textbooks. Textbooks are often updated every year, making them outdated much more quickly than the typical library book. On the slim chance that we may have acquired the textbook for your class, it would be listed in the Online Catalog. To check, simply access the “Our Catalog” link from the Library’s homepage and type in the exact title of the textbook (editor or author is helpful, since most textbooks have generic names such as Fundamentals of Psychology, Microeconomics, etc.)
Length of loan can also be problematic, since books circulate for one month, and you need your textbook for an entire semester.
You may also try E-Z Borrow (PALCI), a direct borrowing service found as a link from the Library’s Homepage. Your Royal Number is your login for this service.
The University of Scranton’s Information Security Office has released a memo warning the University community about the Koobface worm.
Here’s the official word:
The University’s Information Security Office has received official notice from the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team about the increasing threat of the Koobface worm. This computer malware targets users of social networking sites such as facebook.com, friendster.com and myspace.com with the intent of stealing personally identifiable information and credit card information. There are approximately 60 reported Koobface variants, all of which entice users to click on a link to a fake video hosting website with messages such as “This is a video of you on the street.” These messages can appear to be sent from someone the user knows whose profile has already been compromised…
Users are advised to ignore messages similar to the one above and refrain from clicking links in unsolicited message, even out of curiosity. For more information about this and other malware threats, please contact security@scranton.edu.
You can find more information about Koobface from McAfee or Symantec.
It’s been a busy year in the Library, with two important Library staff transitions. You may recall that last year at this time, we bid a fond farewell to Katie Duke, Coordinator of Information Literacy, and welcomed George Aulisio as our new Part-Time Reference Librarian. This year saw us searching for a Librarian to take Katie’s place, and our very own Bonnie Oldham turned out to be the best candidate for the job! This meant Bonnie’s position as Distance Learning Library Services Coordinator became vacant, and after yet another search (this time with one of the largest applicant pools ever seen at the Library), our joy was doubled when George emerged as the top candidate for this position. And so, we welcome (back) Bonnie and George, each in a new job role — Bonnie as Information Literacy Coordinator and George as Distance Learning Library Services Coordinator!
Bonnie and George in their 2nd floor office in the Weinberg Memorial Library
Bonnie was born in Harrisburg, PA, and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia. She has lived in Georgia and New Jersey, and twenty years ago she returned to Pennsylvania, where she has remained ever since. She currently resides in Shavertown. She received her undergraduate degree (A.B.) in History from Chestnut Hill College, her Master of Library Science degree from Kutztown University, and her Master of Science in Organizational Management degree from Misericordia University. Bonnie brings 19 total years of experience in academic libraries to her new role as Information Literacy Coordinator.
George grew up in Old Forge, PA, and still calls Old Forge his home. George received his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy degree from Bloomsburg University, his Master of Library Science degree from Drexel University, and is currently pursuing his Master of Liberal Arts degree at the University of Pennsylvania.
If you are a student or faculty member in the Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Exercise Science and Sport, or Nursing Departments, then Bonnie is the Librarian you will want to get to know. She is the collection development and information literacy liaison to these departments, just as George is the liaison to the Philosophy, Communication, Mathematics and Computer Science Departments. Both are especially looking forward to working more with faculty and students in their collection development areas.
In her free time, Bonnie enjoys cooking and doing crafts – for example, five years ago she made her daughter’s wedding dress. George, who has a deep thirst for knowledge, spends much of his free time pursuing his studies; however, he also enjoys yard work, including cutting the grass and trimming the trees. Both enjoy reading (what librarian doesn’t?), and both can be found sharing the same 2nd floor office in the Weinberg Memorial Library. George can be found in the Library most evenings of the week, Sunday through Thursday, while Bonnie is easiest to find during the day, Monday through Friday. Feel free to stop by and say hello to them – they both welcome visitors!
The Weinberg Memorial Library is closing at 10:00pm today for the Fourth of July weekend. We’ll reopen on Monday, July 6, at 8:00am. Enjoy the holiday!
P.S. Looking for a place to celebrate? The Scranton Times-Tribune has a guide to NEPA fireworks displays.
The Library would like to invite all University of Scranton employees to two workshops that will be held in July.
Researching the Moving Image This workshop, presented by Kevin Norris, will look at some of the new developments that Web technology and social networking have brought to researching the moving image and motion pictures on the Internet. Attendees will explore some of the more useful and interesting Web sites and networks.
Light refreshments will be served.
When: July 8 from 2:00pm to 3:00pm Where: Room 306 in the Weinberg Library
Do you speak Web 2.0? Presenters Kristen Yarmey-Tylutki and George Aulisio will introduce attendees to the language of Web 2.0. A few of the topics that will be included are photo sharing, Facebook and Twitter.
Light refreshments will be served.
When: July 14 from 2:00pm to 3:30pm Where: Room 306 in the Weinberg Library
Commencement Weekend - photo by Pat Savitts, WML Access Services Coordinator
This weekend, the University of Scranton conferred 856 undergraduate degrees, 642 master’s degrees, and 35 doctorates. Congratulations to all of our 2009 graduates!
You can read the Scranton Times-Tribune’s coverage of commencement here and here.
In March, our University community was invited to give feedback to the Library by participating in our LibQUAL+ survey. As a thank you to those who took the time to respond to our questions, we held a drawing for three prizes. Our lucky winners were students Shawna, who took home a new digital camera, and Scott and Pete, who both won an 8GB flash drive.
We’ll be using the results of the survey to help us improve Library programs and better serve the University community. Many thanks to Shawna, Pete, Scott, and all who participated!
P.S. Even if you didn’t get to fill out a LibQUAL+ survey, we still want to know what you think about the Library! You can give us feedback by commenting on this blog, leaving us a message in our Suggestion Box, or posting on our Facebook wall.
