It’s Official! Ribbon Cutting for 24 Hour Room

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

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

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

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

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…

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

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