Get Where You’re Going with Google Maps

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October 1, 2010

9:48 am

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Events, News, Resources & Technology

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Image courtesy of Lars Ploughmann, under a Creative Commons license

Our Technology On Your Own Terms series continues on Tuesday, October 12 from 12pm – 1pm in WML306 with a workshop titled Get Where You’re Going with Google Maps, taught by digital services librarian Kristen Yarmey:

Many people know that you can use Google Maps to get driving directions from one place to another. But did you know that you can also use Maps to scope out a vacation destination, find the closest Italian restaurant, or make a custom map for a friend or a project?  In this workshop, you’ll explore specialized features and tools available in Google Maps to help you get where you want to go.

Remember, all faculty and staff members are welcome, but seats are limited, so if you plan to attend, please register at www.scranton.edu/ctleregistration (select Special Event). Hope to see you there!

Scranton Smartphone Survey

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September 27, 2010

10:00 am

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SmartphoneSurvey

Students, check your email – you might have a chance to win an iPad or $500!

A random sample of University of Scranton students have been selected to participate in the Scranton Smartphone Survey, part of a Weinberg Memorial Library research project examining how students use their mobile phones.  Students who complete the 10-15 minute survey will have the opportunity to enter a prize drawing — and one lucky student will win his or her choice of an iPad, a $500 Best Buy gift card, or a $500 Apple Store gift card.

So check your email today to see if you’ve received one of the invitations – you’ll have until October 15 to submit your response.

Questions? Send them to Digital Services Librarian Kristen Yarmey at yarmeyk2@scranton.edu.

Here’s what you said about the new 24 hour space

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September 23, 2010

7:05 pm

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Learning Commons, News

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The Library asked for students’ opinions of the 24 Hour Study Space.  This room was constructed in response to student requests.   For our future planning, we want to know what you would like.

Thank you for your comments!

Environment :

You said: It was too cold, it was too hot, or it was just right.
We say: It should be okay now.  Let us know if it isn’t.

Group Study Rooms:

You said: One person takes the room that is intended for a group.
We say: If this happens when Library staff is available, please let us know and we will ask the person to yield the room.

You said: More group study rooms and larger group study rooms.
We say: The Library is looking for ways and places for more group study rooms that will be constructed as funds and space permit.

Furnishings:

You said: More of the cushioned rocker chairs because the wooden ones are too hard.
We say: We are ordering more.

You said: Several people asked for a vending machine for beverages,other asked for a hot water machine.
We say: A soda/cold water vending machine was installed today! There are two water fountains by the restroom. We are investigating the possibility of getting a water cooler that dispenses hot water.

You said: More and higher tables.
We say: All new tables will be higher and we will look at fixing leg room for our current tables.

You said: Love seats for intimate relations, and several people asked for cup holders.
We say:  New chairs will be lounge chairs with tablet arms and cup holders.

You said: Food
We say: Vending machine is in place.

You said: Staplers, hole punchers
We say: Done!

Services:

You said: Several people asked for two sided printing.
We say: We’re trying.  We appreciate students’ interest in conserving paper and trees.  This is very important to us as well. The printer in the new 24 hour room is set to print two sided.  Wireless jobs go to this printer. If you do not want two sided printing, you need to change the default. One of your subsidized prints (or seven cents) is deducted for each side you print.  The expense of printing is the toner more than the paper.  While the other printers in the Library could print two sided, they are not working well with UniPrint.  We will continue to try to provide this service.

You said: Newspapers
We say: These are available on the second floor when the Library is open.

More access:

You said: Have a gate come down for the counter area and then connect the two after hour sections.
We say: We thought about that, but there is no way to close off the stair case leading to the second floor.

You said: Can we have an entrance open on the side of the Library for more convenient access from DeNaples.
We say: If we could use the time machine someone requested, we would go forward in time and connect the two buildings.

You said: Have “after hours entrance” always open.
We say: This exit does not have a gate like the other entrances/exits do so we need to have people leave through the exits with the security gates.

You said: Any way to keep the 2nd floor open as well—more space, computers, books and good times!!
We say: We need to control access to the second floor collection, desks and offices to times when staff are present.

Wishes:

You said: Color printer
We say: Libraries that have these charge 25 cents a page.  Right now, the Library is opting to subsidize 200 prints per semester (with an additional 50 for those taking Intersession classes)

You said: Kittens; Cuddly cute animal/puppy viewing area (lots of people liked this idea); Swimming pool; Time machine; Headphone station

Compliments (Thanks!):

Best place to study by far after 12:00 am

Love having 24 hour access to group study rooms

I love it in here.   Yay! I heart it so much!  Spacious.  Thanks everyone it’s luxurious.

Excellent.  Gr8 job!!!  Woohoo I like it!  It rocks

Thanks, what a nice way to go!  From the Class of 2010 and all the rest of alumni.

This room is smooth like keystone…you mean Keith Stone

Great for midterm and final study nights

Very convenient now with so many students

Great addition! Quiet place to study!  Congratulations!

You have space to do work and not crammed into the Pro Deo room

Very convenient on weekends being open before noon.

It’s Official! Ribbon Cutting for 24 Hour Room

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September 22, 2010

4:54 pm

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Rita cuts the ribbon

Our new 24-hour study room has been open since the first week of school… but we wanted to have a ceremony!  Today at 2pm, University of Scranton student government president Rita DiLeo cut the ribbon to officially open our newly renovated study space.  During the ceremony, Library Dean Charles Kratz thanked the student government and the University administration (represented by Provost Hal Baillie) for working so hard to make our renovations happen.  As Rita noted at the end of the ceremony, the space is already popular with students – in fact, many students were studying in cubicles and group study rooms during the ribbon cutting itself.

Thanks again to everyone who made our new room possible!  See more photos of the ceremony on our Flickr page.

Student government president Rita DiLeo, Library Dean Charles Kratz, and Provost Hal Baillie at the ribbon cutting ceremony

Dr. Baillie tests out the Library’s new furniture

Google Docs

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September 20, 2010

12:51 pm

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Our Technology on Your Own Terms series continues on Friday, October 1 from 12pm – 1pm in WML306 with a workshop on Google Docs: An Excellent Way to Create, Collaborate on, and Securely Store Documents, taught by Tim Cannon, Professor in the Psychology Department and Director of the Neuroscience Program.

This workshop will introduce you to Google Docs, a service that allows you to create documents that parallel Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. It also allows for the creation of online surveys and the storage of any type of document in a very secure environment. Google Docs offers excellent collaborative opportunities for working on any supported document type with both peers and students, meaning that the tool can be used for course paper submissions, faculty feedback, collaborative student projects, club, or research purposes.



Remember, all faculty and staff members are welcome, but seats are limited, so please register for sessions you plan to attend at www.scranton.edu/ctleregistration (select Special Event). Hope to see you there!

Helen Suzman: Fighter for Human Rights

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September 14, 2010

10:28 am

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Events, Exhibits, News

An opening reception for “Helen Suzman: Fighter for Human Rights” will be held at 5:30 PM on Wednesday September 15. Suzman, over the course of a nearly four decade political career, was one of South Africa’s most vociferous and energetic opponents of apartheid. The reception features a lecture by George Washington University Assistant Professor of Sociology Fran Buntman. The exhibit and reception are sponsored by the Schemel Forum, the Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library, and the Office of Equity and Diversity. Professor Buntman has a specific interest in apartheid and is the author of Robben Island and Prisoner Resistance to Apartheid published by Cambridge University Press in 2003. She will be speaking on “Suzman the Pioneer.” The reception is free and open to the public. The exhibit runs from August 31 to October 25.

Walter Gantz, August Leaves of Class Winner

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September 14, 2010

10:16 am

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Friends, News

Walter Gantz of Scranton, PA won $20 in gift certificates to Gourmet Family Restaurant, a 3-month health club membership to PRO Fitness Club, a $50 gift certificate to Nada & Co. and a $25 gift certificate to Personal Touch, a Soap Box Gift Basket and journal from Borders and a Crabtree & Evelyn Gift Basket from Maria’s Corner, a $50 gift certificates to Patsel’s, a $50 gift certificate to Bistocchi’s Restaurant, a $50 gift certificate to Farley’s, a $25 gift certificate to T.G.I. Friday’s, a $50 gift certificate to Settler’s Inn, a $20 gift certificate to the Windsor Inn, a $25 gift certificate to the Viewmont Diner, a $30 gift certificate to Six East Restaurant, a $100 Silver Membership to the F.M. Kirby Center, 4 tickets to Roba Family Farms, a $20 gift certificate from Weis Markets, a $25 gift certificate from Wegmans, a $50 gift certificate from Debbie’s Flower Boutique, Inc., 10 lessons from Summit Yarn Design Studio. 2 theatre subscriptions to The University of Scranton Players productions and 20 – $5 gift certificates from Aramark, and a certificate for two complimentary meals at Keystone College Chef’s Table.

Special note: Leaves of Class XIII Drawing tickets will be available soon!

Wireless Printing

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September 13, 2010

9:31 am

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News, Systems

Some students have reported that they are unable to install the software necessary for wireless printing. The download on the My.Scranton Library Tab is for a 32-bit system. If you have a laptop with Windows 7 that has a 64-bit system, the Technology Support Center is working on the installer for this system which they hope to have completed by the end of September.

We Want You…

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September 10, 2010

5:19 pm

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to tell us what you think about the new 24-hour space. We’re interested in your opinion…

The request for additional 24-hour space came from students. Tell us what you think and what you’d like to see in the future. We have placed several large sheets of paper and markers in this new space on which you can write your comments. Or, you can leave a reply to this blog post.

(Image: pointing-finger, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from purpleslog’s photostream)

Update on Peer-to-Peer File Sharing

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September 9, 2010

8:47 am

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This morning, the University’s CIO Jerry DeSanto sent out a reminder to all University community members about peer-to-peer file sharing.  We’ve posted about this before (see “What Students Should Know about Peer-to-Peer File Sharing”), but it’s such an important issue that it bears repeating. There were also some new regulations that took effect over the summer that students and faculty should be aware of.

Don’t forget: if you have questions about copyright, you can always ask a librarian!

Here’s the text of VP DeSanto’s email:

Members of the University Community:

Greetings from the Planning and Information Resources Division —  We have been hard at work during the summer months making improvements to the classrooms and computer labs, data center, enterprise applications and related services used to conduct the work of our campus community. Our technology infrastructure allows us to share resources and collaborate with each other and colleagues around the world in numerous, productive ways. I want to remind you that, while using the University’s technology resources, we have all agreed to abide by the Code of Responsible Computing and Student Computing Policy.

On July 1, 2010, final regulations from the federal government specific to the use of peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing applications within colleges and universities took effect. Peer-to-peer file sharing is widely used to exchange files, most commonly music and video; however, the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material may subject the individuals involved to civil and criminal penalties.  In general, anyone found liable for civil copyright infringement may be ordered to pay either actual damages or “statutory” damages affixed at not less than $750 and not more than $30,000 per work infringed. For “willful” infringement, a court may award up to $150,000 per work infringed.  Willful copyright infringement can also result in criminal penalties, including imprisonment of up to five years and fines of up to $250,000 per offense. Colleges and universities can be required to identify offenders within their network(s); The University of Scranton will comply with any court orders it may receive.

The University limits the amount of bandwidth allotted to peer-to-peer applications in order to ensure the availability and integrity of our network and services. In addition, we prohibit the use of those aggressive peer-to-peer applications that utilize excessive network resources or are known to carry mostly illegal content. As stated in the University’s Copyright Compliance and Peer-to-Peer File Sharing Policy , individuals who are in violation of policy will be subject to disciplinary action, which may range from written warnings, fines, counseling, and/or suspension of network access. If you have any questions about this please contact the Technology Support Center at 941-HELP (x4357).

Best wishes for a very rewarding academic year.
Sincerely,
Jerome P. DeSanto
Vice President for Planning and CIO