We are just 2 short days away from the first day of classes. This weekend the University will be giving new students a Royal Welcome, and then it’s back to business here in the Library. Below are the Library hours for Fall 2009, beginning on Monday, August 24th:
Monday-Thursday, 8:00AM-11:30PM
Friday, 8:00AM-10:00PM
Saturday, 12 Noon-8:00PM
Sunday, 12 Noon-11:30PM
And note also, the Library will be OPEN on Labor Day weekend, and on Labor Day itself (Monday, September 7th) from 12 Noon-11:30PM.
And as usual, the 1st floor Pro Deo Room is open 24 hours, 7 days per week.
We wish you a great start to your semester, and look forward to meeting/seeing everyone!
Need to print that syllabus, those lecture notes, that paper? You can do it in the Library! We have two UniPrint stations (one on the First Floor, in the Pro Deo Room, and one on the Second Floor at the top of the stairs) for printing from computer workstations.
To cover the cost of paper and toner, the Library does charge a small fee for printing from our stations – 7 cents per page, debited from your Royal Card account. However, to make sure you start the semester on the right foot, the Library subsidizes your first 200 prints each semester!
We get a lot of questions about printing, so here are a few details:
The Library subsidizes your first 200 prints in the Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 semesters.
If you’re taking an Intersession class, you’ll also get your first 50 prints subsidized in January.
Your subsidized prints should be available on your Royal Card starting with the first day of classes.
Unused subsidized prints “roll over” from Fall and Intersession into Spring… but any prints that are unused by the end of summer do not roll over into Fall 2010.
We do not subsidize photocopies.
When you send a print “job” to the UniPrint system, it will stay in the print queue for 2 hours – so make sure you go to the station and print it out before it expires.
If you are having trouble printing, ask for help at the Reference Desk!
Please remember to “think green” and print only what you need. If you’re printing PowerPoint slides, think about printing 6 slides per page – you’ll save 5 sheets of paper.
P.S. You asked us for wireless printing- and we’re working on it! We’re testing it right now and will let you know when it’s ready to go.
Update: Wireless printing is now available for most PCs. We’re still working on Macs and 64-bit Vista computers.
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 Weinberg Memorial Library’s Schemel Forum has just released its Fall 2009 schedule, and as usual, there are several great opportunities for University and local community members to learn, think, share, and discuss. This year, offerings include three evening courses, five luncheon seminars, and the second annual University for a Day.
One of the Forum’s highlights will be a lunch seminar on “U.S. Foreign Policy: Ten Months into the Obama Era,” presented by Scranton alum Harvey Sicherman of the Foreign Policy Research Institute. (Side note: we couldn’t resist looking Dr. Sicherman up in the 1966 Windhover. Not only was he a Dean’s List and Honors student, he also worked on the Aquinas and the Royals’ Historical Society’s semi-annual publication of Retrospect.)
We’re also looking forward to Atty. Morey Myers’ evening course on “Church & State or Church v. State?,” since his series last fall on the AmericanPresidency was so engaging.
For more information or to register for Schemel Forum events, contact Kym Fetsko at 570-941-7816 or fetskok2 [at] scranton [dot] edu.
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!
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.
