May 30, 2009
Technical Difficulties
If you read the post from yesterday, you probably noticed that there was a great deal of inconsistency in the font size, style and formatting. I have heard from an expert (Thanks, Keeta!) that copying and pasting from a word document can be problematic. My apologies for the unpleasant and unprofessional look of the post.
I will be looking at using clickers for instruction and assessment in the coming weeks. I am very excited about using these in my bibliographic instruction and also about possibly including training on these in some upcoming workshops. More to come on this later!
Have a great week-end!
May 28, 2009
New History Resource online
History Professsors and student researchers will be very interested in a new resource available on the library website. The library has puchased a new product, the 19th Century British Pamphlets Collection.
The 19th Century British Pamphlets Collection includes more than 20,000 of the most significant pamphlets from UK Research Libraries-UK here not referring to the University of Kentucky, but rather the United Kingdom;0)
To view these pamphlets, take a look at the JSTOR database, accessible through the library website. The pamphlets are also available via this link:
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/participate/other/britishPamphlets.jsp
A trial version of this product was available this past spring and was used by several students in World History courses. Primary documents are in high demand for this course, so the resource was very well used and well appreciated.
For more information on the product, take a look at this link:
http://www.jstor.org/templates/jsp/_jstor/templates/info/participate/other/britishHandout.pdf
Although the link to the pamplets in JSTOR indicates that this is a free trial, set to expire in June, the library has purchased the product and access will continue throughout the 09/10 academic year. Students of history often come to the reference desk looking for primary documents and we are thrilled to offer this wonderful resource!
Enjoy!
May 27, 2009
Library Centre
Congratulations to Lara Hebbeler, one of our graduating seniors, for suggesting the winning Blog name of “Library Centre”! Lara is the winner of a $25 grand prize. Thanks, Lara!!
The library is quiet today. After all of the recent buzz and hum of the last few weeks it is hard to adjust to the lack of activity in our building.
Although our students are gone for the summer, the librarians will be working on several projects in the coming months.
A faculty workshop on designing research assignments, finding and using materials in the library and developing a video or web-based assignment will be offered on June 18 and 19.
To read more about this workshop, or to sign up to attend, click here:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=cGJWaDBWSTd0MGVYbi12RFN0Y1RMTHc6MA
Check out the blog this summer for information on what your librarians are up to and to find some tips and tricks that will be useful to you as you plan for your coming semester.
Happy Summer!
May 20, 2009
Good Luck
The library staff would like to offer congratulations and thanks to our graduating senior student workers:
Yanni, Zuhdi, Lucas, Molly, Lara and Ishraq!
We wish you a bright and beautiful future and appreciate all the services and smiles you have provided over the years to the staff, faculty and students of Centre College.
We will miss you!!
May 15, 2009
Exam Stress
Finals Week. The library is packed, students are jazzed on coffee and chocolate. The energy and stress level is palpable. Feeling a bit of stress or anxiety before, during, and sometimes after an exam or project is normal. Here are a few tips for dealing with this inevitable visitor during finals. Just a clue: I am the mother of teenage boys, so you might have heard a few of these before. Another clue: I just finished my Master’s degree a few months ago, so some of these tips might surprise you;0)
1. Get enough rest. Have you ever tried to prop yourself up with your Calculus book in the library and come to with a snort to find that you have drooled all over yourself? Embarassing and not effective.
2. Eat balanced meals. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains are all important when you want to perform well. Protein is important for longevity. Now, add massive doses of chocolate and caffeine.
3. Take a break. Sometimes doing something different for a few minutes or a few hours will help you to refresh and refocus and you will be able to approach the problem with a chance at a new insight. Take a walk, talk with a friend, watch a movie, (your choice here) and then come back and tackle that issue again.
4. Get help. Do you need a tutor? Are you struggling so much with one course that others are suffering? Get help from your professor or from a friend who is doing well in the class. Do you need sources? Ask a librarian. The Writing Lab offers free proofreading and consultation services-use them!
5. Manage your time well. Need to write a fifteen page paper? It is probably not a good idea to start this two days before it is due. Remember, if something goes wrong (you need to order materials via interlibrary loan, you can only find one book related to your creative topic, your computer blows up) you need some time to deal with these unforeseen glitches. You will also need time to revise that paper as it is unlikely that your first attempt will be perfect (and if you are the exception to this rule, I would like to hire you to tutor my son!) Likewise with an exam. Studying for your exam should have started at the beginning of the term. If you have two exams on one day, devise a study plan for yourself well ahead of time so that you have enough time to devote to both topics.
5. Have some fun. You know the saying: “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”. Dull in this case not meaning boring, but dimwitted;0) Celebrate your accomplishments. Take short, rewarding breaks from studying to motivate yourself. You know what you like to do. I used to surf funny youtube videos at 2am and then share them with my son the next day. Maybe you like to knit or run or play soccer? I also found that playing music LOUDLY and dancing around my living room helped. This had the added benefit of embarrassing my son. Take some time to do a little bit of what you love.
Now that I have given you my short list, here is a link to another list of stress relieving tips.
http://www.spunout.ie/health/Education/Exams/Exam-stress
Remember that feeling a little bit of stress is normal and will help you to do your best. If you are feeling completely overwhelmed, visit the counseling center.
Good luck on those exams!
May 13, 2009
Saving your Document
What a relief! You have finished editing your paper for the final time and you have saved it to the library computer and will go get some dinner before you print it off to turn it in. When you come back to the computer, the paper is nowhere to be found! What happened!?!?!?
If you are working on your paper and need to save it, you must use the “save as” function when attempting to save the document. When the “save as” function is chosen, you can choose the destination that you want your paper to be saved to. Do you want to save to “My Documents”, or your server space? If you just choose “save” and walk away, you have not pointed the document to a reliable spot. Once you log out of that library computer and another person logs in, your paper has effectively disappeared. This quite often happens when a patron has opened a document from his or her e-mail and does not use “save as” to save those changes.
Another good rule of thumb is to save that document in several places: Your server space, a thumb drive, your e-mail. If you have the paper saved in multiple locations, you are less likely to lose it.
Click on this link to see a very short video demonstration:
http://www.screencast.com/users/carfrey/folders/Jing/media/216acfe9-ad85-4fa5-a80e-bbcd0e129f50
Good luck drafting, and saving, those final papers this week!
Study space during finals
The library is open extended hours for finals beginning Wednesday, May 12. Click here to see the library hours: http://www.centre.edu/web/library/about/hours.html
As you may know, the library is prime real estate during finals and it can be difficult to find a spot to study. SGA posted the following notice in Notesworthy this week:
Need a place to study for finals? In addition to the 24-hour study rooms already set aside by SGA (Olin 108, 109, 128 and Young 102, 154, 156) the following rooms will be available for student use:
Crounse 301, 302, 313, and 316
10 p.m. – 2 a.m. (Wednesday, May 13 – Friday, May 15 and Sunday, May 17 – Tuesday, May 19)
6 p.m. – 12 a.m. (Saturday, May 16)
Crounse 315
5 p.m. – 2 a.m. (Wednesday, May 13 – Friday, May 15 and Sunday, May 17 – Tuesday, May 19)
5 p.m. – 12 a.m. (Saturday, May 16)
Crounse 401, 405, and 468
6 p.m. – 2 a.m. (Wednesday, May 13 – Friday, May 15 and Sunday, May 17 – Tuesday, May 19)
6 p.m. – 12 a.m. (Saturday, May 16)
Students are asked not to use to projection equipment. If their are reports that the rooms are being misused, this privilege will be lost. Thank you and good luck on finals!
—Jacob Raderer
The Catholic Center at Saints Peter and Paul Church will also have space available.
24-hour Study Rooms at Saints Peter and Paul, May 13 to May 20. The Centre Catholic Community and Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church would like to invite all Centre students to study at the church during finals. Parishioners will donate lots of brain food for students to munch on while they study and several rooms will be available. The church is located at 117 West Main Street (next to Burke’s Bakery) and the study rooms are in the Catholic Center, which is directly behind the church. Join us for a short prayer service in the chapel (located in the Catholic Center) on Wednesday, May 20 at 7 p.m. E-mail melissa.raley@centre.edu if you have any questions.
—Melissa Raley
Good Luck on those finals!
May 10, 2009
Stressed?? Check out a stressbuster!
Feeling pushed, pinched and perhaps perplexed??
Final exams, projects and papers are looming large in the next few weeks. The library staff have purchased a few stressbusters which might help to take the edge off a bit. If you find yourself stymied by that Chemistry problem or your brain is unable to hold one more thought when you are studying for your exam, stop by the circulation desk and check out one of our low-tech stress relievers. Color a picture, complete a Sudoku puzzle, work on a crossword puzzle or design an origami creature. Sometimes just taking a break from the task at hand can leave you refreshed and renewed and ready to tackle your studies anew. The community puzzle at the reference desk is also at hand for a quick change of pace. Sometimes slowing down and engaging the creative side of your brain for a few moments is just as necessary as cramming for that test.
May 8, 2009
Library Hours for Finals Week
The library will be open extended hours during Finals Week. Thank you to the library staff, in particular Lanna McAninch and Amy Watson, for putting in extra hours this week!
Here are the library hours for finals, graduation, and summer:
Day of the Week Library Hours
Finals
Wednesday, May 13 7:45am – 2:00am
Thursday & Friday, May 14 – 15 7:00am – 2:00am
Saturday, May 16 7:00am – Midnight
Sunday, May 17 9:00am – 2:00am
Monday & Tuesday, May 18 – 19 7:00am – 2:00am
Wednesday, May 20 7:00am – 5:00pm
Graduation
Thursday, May 21 8:30am – 4:30pm
Friday, May 22 8:30am – 4:30pm
Saturday, May 23 CLOSED
Sunday, May 24 12:00pm – 5:00pm
Summer
Monday – Friday 8:30am – 4:30pm
Saturday & Sunday CLOSED
Name our Blog
Don’t forget, the library is offering a $25 gift certificate to the winner of our “Name the Library Blog” contest!
Best of luck on your finals!!
May 5, 2009
Library Blog-We need a Name!
Good Day!
The library staff will be posting information several days a week to our new Library Blog! We will share information on new resources, staff bios, new services, film, music and literature reviews and many other items of interest to faculty and staff and students. Please feel free to send a question, concern or interest our way and we will incorporate these into our weekly posts.
Since the Blog is brand new, we need a catchy name for it. Please submit your creative ideas for a Blog name and be entered into a drawing for a $25 gift certificate to the establishment of your choosing.
Please submit your Blog names to carrie.frey@centre.edu or submit by sending a post to this blog.
Spotlight on Reference Services
In this first post, we will highlight our reference services. In January, our Electronic Resources Librarian, Lesley Jackson, helped to implement a new reference service. The reference librarians now offer Chat Reference Services, aka Ask-a-Librarian! You may ask a question from the library homepage using the Meebo widget. This service can be accessed from a library computer or from your personal computer at home or in your room. Chat reference is a great resource for a quick question, such as a suggestion for what database to search in or for a definition or for a suggestion from a librarian for a reference work or other resource. For more information on using Meebo, click here:
http://www.centre.edu/web/library/about/referencechat.html
or contact the Electronic Resources Librarian: Lesley Jackson.
Traditional one-on-one reference services are also available. Your reference librarians are: Carrie Frey, Mary Beth Garriott, Bob Glass, and Lesley Jackson. The reference desk is staffed from 8:30am-10pm Monday-Thursday; 12pm-6pm Saturday; and 12pm-4pm and 7pm-10pm on Sunday when classes are in session. When classes are not in session, a reference librarian is available from 8:30am-4:30pm.
Phone reference and e-mail reference are also provided.
Carrie.frey@centre.edu; 5275
Marybeth.garriott@centre.edu; 5277
Lesley.jackson@centre.edu; 5280
We are here to help you!!