Technology on Your Own Terms Fall 2010

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August 13, 2010

12:15 pm

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Events, Resources & Technology

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Each semester, the Weinberg Memorial Library and the Center for Teaching & Learning Excellence (CTLE) offer a faculty and staff advancement series called Technology on Your Own Terms. The series introduces University faculty and staff to emerging technologies in a hands-on environment, in order to encourage innovation in the workplace and in the classroom. We’re continuing the series in Fall 2010 with a theme of “Get to Know Google,” featuring workshops on four different Google services. All workshops take place in Rm. 306 of the Library.

Just Google It!
Tuesday, September 14 from 12pm – 1pm

One billion results in 0.27 seconds! When you need information, chances are you use Google™ to find it.  In this workshop, you will learn how Google’s Web search engine works.  You will also learn some tips to help you improve your search experience as well as some of Google’s special features, such as Google Books and Google Scholar. (Taught by Bonnie Oldham, Weinberg Memorial Library)

Google Docs: An Excellent Way to Create, Collaborate on, and Securely Store Documents
Friday, October 1 from 12pm – 1pm

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. (Taught by Dr. Tim Cannon, Psychology/Neuroscience)

Get Where You’re Going with Google Maps
Tuesday, October 12 from 12pm – 1pm

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.  (Taught by Kristen Yarmey, Weinberg Memorial Library)

Does Google Give You A Voice?
Thursday, November 4 from 12pm – 1pm

In this workshop, we will explore Google Voice, a recently-made-public service of the search giant.  Google Voice offers one central phone number, which can be setup to call your other phones based on caller, time of day, etc.  Other features of the service include visual voicemail, personalized greetings, voicemail transcription, international calling, and a lot more.  It is easy to set up… Learn how! (Taught by Eugeniu Grigorescu, CTLE)

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).

End of Summer Library Hours

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August 9, 2010

10:11 am

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News

Image courtesy of Flickr user patwalsh_2000 under a Creative Commons license.

Summer classes have ended, which means just two weeks until the first day of Fall classes. Here are the Library’s hours over the next three weeks:

August 7 – August 20:

Monday – Friday                          8:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Saturday – Sunday                      Closed

Royal Welcome Weekend:

Saturday, August 21                   12 Noon – 6:00 pm

Sunday, August 22                     12 Noon – 11:30 pm

Enjoy the last days of Summer break!

Schemel Forum Fall 2010 Schedule

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August 2, 2010

4:20 pm

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Events, Friends, Schemel Forum

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The Fall 2010 Schemel Forum schedule is here!

As usual, the Weinberg Memorial Library and the Schemel Forum have prepared a fantastic calendar of evening courses, luncheons, and concerts for your intellectual enjoyment.  Like Dr. Denise Fulbrook’s six-session evening course on “The Absolutely Fabulous, Suspiciously Witty Work and Legacy of Jane Austen,” or National Museum of American History director Brent Glass‘s luncheon titled “America Engaged in the World: Cultural Diplomacy Still Works!”

We’re especially looking forward to this year’s University for a Day on October 2, when authors Christopher Hitchens and Jay Parini will discuss “Books and Argumentation” with moderator Attorney Morey M. Myers.

If you’d like to join us for an event, just contact Kym Balthazar Fetsko, our Schemel Forum Events Coordinator, at 570-941-7816 or fetskok2@scranton.edu.

400 Years of the Jesuit Province of Lithuania

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July 28, 2010

3:33 pm

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Exhibits, News

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The Heritage Room in the Weinberg Library will serve as host for the traveling exhibit “400 Years of the Jesuit Province of Lithuania” from July 16 through August 13. The panel exhibit documents the Jesuit presence in Lithuania from their arrival in 1569. By 1579 the Jesuits had founded the University of Vilnius and by its peak, the province had more than 1000 Jesuits, almost 2 dozen schools, and more than 60 Mission stations. The exhibit documents the suppression of the Jesuits in 1773, their survival through the 19th century, and the reestablishment of the Jesuit school and province in 1923. The effects of World War II and the Iron Curtain are also examined.

The exhibit is being held in conjunction with Lithuanian Heritage Day at the Anthracite Heritage Museum and is being provided by the Baltic Jesuit Advancement Board. Lithuanian authors who were formerly instructors at the University will also be featured: Sister Virginia Vytell, CSC, Dr. Antanas Kucas and Juozas Venchas S.J.

You are most cordially invited to attend the reception for the Exhibit on Saturday, July 31st from 5-7 pm, Heritage Room, 5th Floor, Weinberg Memorial Library, University of Scranton.

The Scholarly Side of Mad Men

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July 20, 2010

10:35 am

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Resources & Technology

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If you’re a fan of the AMC television series Mad Men, you’re probably anxiously awaiting the season premiere, coming up this Sunday.  Mad Men isn’t just a television show, though – it’s also a great excuse to do a little independent historical research and gain a deeper, more scholarly understanding of America in the 1960s.

One of the reasons the show is so compelling is that the writers and producers pay very close attention to historical detail, and they often incorporate references to real-life events into the fictional characters’ lives. For example, you might remember the Drapers’ maid Carla listening to a radio broadcast of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s eulogy for four young girls killed in the 1963 Birmingham bombing, or Pete Campbell’s father dying in the American Airlines Flight 1 crash of 1962.  So over the next few days, why not indulge your Mad Men madness by immersing yourself in the 1960s?  The Weinberg Memorial Library can help!

  • If you want more information about a historical reference made on the show, you might want to use our e-book version of The Historical Dictionary of the 1960s (edited by James S. Olson) to fill in the holes.  And you can also use our Credo Reference tool to search for encyclopedia or dictionary entries about any historical event.
  • To get a feel for 1960s print advertising, try browsing through the Historical New York Times – the Library’s subscription means that University community members can access this database for free.  You can also find digitized 1960s issues of Life Magazine online, courtesy of Google Books.
  • For insight into Betty Draper’s life as a desperate housewife, you’ll definitely want to read Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique.  If you’re more interested in the working girl characters of Peggy Olson or Joan Holloway, request Helen Gurley Brown’s Sex and the Single Girl via PALCI E-Z Borrow for a glimpse at 1960s-style dating.
  • Richard Yates’ novel Revolutionary Road is a famous portrayal of marriage in the 1950s, which might help you understand why the characters struggle to deal with the changing expectations of the 1960s.
  • Season 4 will take place starting in November of 1964 – the month that Lyndon B. Johnson defeated Barry Goldwater in the presidential election.  The Weinberg Memorial Library has several books about Johnson’s presidency that you can browse – and you might find Theodore White’s The Making of the President, 1964 worth a read.
  • The Library also has copies of several books that Mad Men characters have mentioned (or have been seen reading) over the past three seasons – like Frank O’Hara’s Meditations in an Emergency, Leon Uris’s Exodus, David Ogilvy’s Confessions of an Advertising Man, Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, and Mary McCarthy’s The Group.
  • If you need to catch up on Seasons 1, 2, or 3, you can borrow the DVDs from our colleagues over at the Albright Memorial Library.

If you’re looking to do more in-depth research on the 1960s, you’ll definitely want to visit our collection of history-related scholarly databases.  And don’t forget, if you need help, you can always ask a librarian.  Happy viewing!

Resources will be unavailable 7/9-7/10

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July 6, 2010

3:42 pm

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News, Systems

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Due to the construction of a new Data Center in Alumni Memorial Hall, substantial modifications to electrical services will require downtime affecting nearly all Information Resources services. The power shutdown will begin at 11 p.m. on Friday, July 9, and end at 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 10.

Internet service, e-mail, ResNet and all enterprise services such as Banner will not be available during the power shutdown. Users outside of our campus will not be able to reach online services with the exception of our emergency website. Cisco Voice over IP telephones will be functional during the maintenance window. Please plan accordingly.  Let us know if you have any questions or if we can help you out in any way!

Recycling in Style

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July 6, 2010

3:28 pm

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Green Weinberg

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You might have seen in one of our earlier posts that the Weinberg Memorial Library recently started a Green Team.  We’ve wasted no time getting started on making the Library a more sustainable place to study and work.

This month, the Library purchased new WedgeCycle recycling bins to encourage our patrons to separate their recyclable paper, bottles, and cans from other non-recyclable waste.  We’re hoping that the bright colors (blue for bottles & cans, green for office paper, brown for trash) and clear labeling will remind everyone to think before they toss.

You’ll find our new recycling bins on each floor of the Library.  We’ve put them in what we think are the most convenient locations for students – so if you see someone about to throw away a plastic bottle or a stack of office paper, please remind them to look for the recycling station instead of the trash can!

Hours for July 4th Weekend

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July 1, 2010

8:00 am

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Hours

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The 4th of July is upon us, and this means limited hours in the Library for the holiday weekend:

Saturday-Monday, July 3rd-5th the Library will be Closed.

We will reopen at 8 am on Tuesday, July 6th, and resume our regular hours.

Enjoy the festive weekend! Happy Independence Day!

(Photo courtesy of Flickr user Why Tuesday? under a Creative Commons license.)

PaLA Awards Nomination Deadline Quickly Approaching!!!

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June 28, 2010

6:30 am

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News

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Come August 15th it’ll already be too late to nominate your favorite librarian for an award, so it’s best you do it now!

Submission Deadline: August 15, 2010

Categories:

  • Distinguished Service Award: Highest award the associate gives. It may be awarded annually to one person in recognition of exceptional meritorious service to libraries of the Commonwealth.
  • Certificates of Merit: These are awarded to individuals making outstanding contributions during the last five years in Pennsylvania.
  • Elected Official Award: This award may be given annually to an elected official or officials for exemplary support of library service in Pennsylvania.
  • New Librarian Honors Award: Honors a librarian who has been in the profession fewer than six years. It recognizes the originality and inventive ability of a new librarian who devises new and improved methods in library service on a statewide or local level.
  • Trustee of the Year Award: Presented to a public library trustee in recognition of outstanding leadership and service to library development at the local, system, district, and/or state level.
  • Library Support Staff Recognition Award: This award is presented to a library that has consistently encouraged and supported participation in career development activities, particularly those of PaLA for the support staff in Pennsylvania libraries. Nominations should be in the form of a statement of the library’s activities. (A little clarification on this award: It is presented to a library not to a staff member. Does your library provide you with opportunities to develop your library skills through continuing education opportunities? Does your library allow you to attend PaLA conferences and Chapter Meetings as a Support Staff member? Does your library provide you with opportunities to take classes on library related activities or in areas which you can use on the job? Then tell us how that support helps you on your job and give a little recognition to your library.

Nominating is now easier than ever, thanks to the new online form.

2010 Award Nomination Form

Simply fill it out and click submit… It’s that easy!