Category: Resources & Technology

Spring 2010 and Groundhogology

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February 1, 2010

3:46 pm

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Hours, Resources & Technology

Photo courtesy of Eric Begin, under a Creative Commons license

At the University of Scranton, we don’t need Punxsutawney Phil to tell us when spring starts.  The stream of returning students and faculty is all we needed to see to know that Spring 2010 has officially started!

Still, if you’re a fan of rodents (or just looking to postpone those class readings for another few hours), there’s a lot to learn about Groundhog Day.  We poked around and found a few fun resources to share on February 2nd:

And don’t forget, if you just can’t wait to know whether or not Phil sees his shadow, this year you can get his prognostication via text message.  Just text “Groundhog” to 247365 (standard rates apply).

Regardless of what Phil predicts, we here at the Library are back on our regular hourly schedule for the Spring 2010 semester. You’ll find us here:

Monday-Thursday 8am – 11:30pm

Friday 8am – 10:00pm

Saturday 12pm – 8pm

Sunday 12pm – 11:30pm

GLBTQ Awareness and Understanding

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January 11, 2010

12:42 pm

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News, Resources & Technology

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In support of President Pilarz’s Scranton Inclusion Initiative, we’ve just added some resources on GLBTQ Inclusion to the Library’s Research Guides wiki.  With these resources, we hope to increase awareness and understanding of GLBTQ issues on campus.

Many thanks to the faculty members of ReSPECT for helping us get our resource list started.  Please let us know in the comments if you have suggestions for other resources to add.

P.S. If you’re unfamiliar with the Scranton Inclusion Initiative, check out the text of Father Pilarz’s announcement, as blogged by alum Rob Swinton.

Stay Alert! Keeping Your Research Up-to-Date

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October 15, 2009

11:27 am

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Events, News, Resources & Technology

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stayalertworskshop_Ad

Our next Technology on Your Own Terms workshop is coming up on Thursday, October 29, from 11:30am – 12:30pm in WML room 306. If you are a University faculty or staff member doing research–this workshop is for you.

In “Stay Alert! Keeping Your Research Up-to-Date,” Bonnie Oldham will explain how to set up e-mail alerts and use Rss Feeds to gather scholarly information.

Seats are limited, so be sure to register (under Special Events).

Fall Break Upgrade Postponed!!

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October 7, 2009

4:17 pm

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Resources & Technology, Systems

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The Technology Support Center just announced that the software upgrades intended for this weekend have been postponed.  This means that email, Angel, and my.scranton will be available over Fall Break.  Library online resources (databases, catalog, interlibrary loan, course reserves) will all be accessible as usual, though the building will still be closed over the weekend.

Here’s the official notice from the Support Center:

The hardware and software upgrades scheduled for October 9 – 12 have been postponed. These upgrades will be rescheduled at a later date. University enterprise computer systems will be available as normally scheduled. As always, information technology questions or problems can be directed to the Technology Support Center can be reached at x4357 or techsupport@scranton.edu

Also, the Library building will be closed from 4:30 pm on Friday 10/9, and will reopen at 8:30 am on Tuesday 10/13 for Fall break. The 24 hour Pro Deo room will be open this weekend. Have a great break!

Really Simple Steps for Managing the Web

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October 5, 2009

3:17 pm

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Events, News, Resources & Technology

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RSS

Our next Technology on Your Own Terms workshop is coming up next Tuesday, October 13, from 12pm-1pm in WML room 306.   If you’re a University faculty or staff member who has trouble keeping track of all of your favorite websites – this workshop is for you.

In “Really Simple Steps for Managing the Web: An Introduction to RSS,” we will explain how RSS feeds and RSS readers can help you manage the abundance of information available on the web. You’ll create a Google Reader account and will learn to import, organize, search, and share up-to-date content from your favorite websites.

Seats are limited, so be sure to register (under Special Events).

Curl up with a Kindle

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September 23, 2009

1:51 pm

1 Comment on Curl up with a Kindle

Events, News, Resources & Technology

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KindleTOYTFlyer

If you’re a University of Scranton faculty or staff member and you love to read, be sure to come to our next Technology on Your Own Terms workshop! “Curl up with a Kindle” will be held on October 1, 2009 from 12pm-1pm in Weinberg Memorial Library Room 306.   CTLE Instructional Technology and Enrichment Specialist Aileen McHale will introduce you to Amazon’s Kindle e-book reader and will demonstrate some of the Kindle’s features, from digital highlighting to note taking.

Seats are limited, so be sure to register (under Special Events).

We Speak Web 2.0!

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July 14, 2009

5:09 pm

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Events, Resources & Technology

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Thanks to all who attended the “Do You Speak Web 2.0?” session here at the Library today.  We had a great time – there were a lot of tough questions about the ins and outs of Web 2.0 that hopefully will lead into even more good conversations in the future.

If you missed the session or would like a refresher, you can see the slides below.   You can also see pictures from the event on our flickr page!

[slideshare id=1717427&doc=doyouspeakweb20-slideshare-090713201619-phpapp01]

Inauguration Day

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January 23, 2009

2:45 pm

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Resources & Technology

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The inauguration of President Obama prompted me to do a little research on the customs surrounding this day. So I used a new research tool that can be found on the Library’s A-Z List of Databases. This new tool, called Credo Reference, is a great alternative to using Wikipedia because it allows you to find authoritative answers that it gets from hundreds of reference books in a broad range of subjects.

Here’s a snippet of what I found in the book, Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary:

Inauguration Day

From 1789 until 1933, the day on which the newly elected president of the United States began his term of office was March 4—now known as Old Inauguration Day. The day was changed to January 20 when the 20th Amendment to the Constitution was passed in 1933. When Inauguration Day falls on a Sunday, the oath of office is administered privately, but the public ceremonies are usually postponed until the following day.

The swearing-in of the president had been held on the East Portico of the Capitol building since Andrew Jackson’s 1829 inauguration. Former president Ronald Reagan changed the site for his inauguration in 1981. Since then, the swearing-in has been held on the West Terrace of the Capitol. This site, which faces out onto the Mall where thousands gather for the event, affords greater visibility for spectators. Reagan reportedly also liked the symbolism of the president facing west, out toward the rest of the country.

Inauguration Day. (2005). In Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary. Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics, Inc.. Retrieved January 23, 2009, from http://www.credoreference.com/entry/5870131.

In addition to providing me with the basic information for which I was looking, Credo also provided me with links to related resources. By clicking on the Our Catalog link, I get a list of books that are in the Weinberg Memorial Library. By clicking on the Academic Search Elite link, I get a list of results from this database. Wikipedia can’t do that!

Credo automatically created a citation for me in APA format, but I could also get my citation in MLA format. And, I can e-mail the citation to myself, or save it in RefWorks. Wikipedia definitely doesn’t do that for you!

Give Credo a try, and when you do, post a comment to let me know how you like it.