Exhibit in Special Collections

Books and Children in the 19th Century: A small portrait

Children and their books is the theme of the exhibit currently on display in Walker Library’s Special Collections. A variety of books selected from its holdings provide insight into the varied character and appearance of books for children manufactured in the 19th century.

The aim of the exhibit is to present books which demonstrate different ways children (and the adults around them), engaged with books in the 19th century. Whether in the context of home, church or school, books served as a mediator between children and their world during an important formative period of American history.

Highlights of the show include numerous19th century movable books, many never exhibited, as well as one of the smallest books in the collection.

The exhibit will be on display through summer 2010.

Special Collections is located on the 4th floor of the James E. Walker Library.

Exhibit Hours - M - F 8:30 - 4:00

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

In recognition of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month we have a display of interesting books in glass cases near the the first floor elevators. This month honors all Americans with roots in Asia and the Pacific island groups of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. Americans from the diverse cultures of a vast area of the world are included in this month of celebration. The area stretches from Pakistan to Hawaii and from New Zealand to Korea.

For more information check out the official website: http://pacificamericanheritage.gov/.

If you would like to read any of the books in the cases, they will be available when the exhibit is taken down at the end of May.

No hold/recalls after May 7th in Voyager

My boss wants me to make this post “funny” because I’ve apparently been able to do that sort of thing in the past (at least, relatively speaking) but I’ll feel a great sense of accomplishment if I can just make it understandable because it concerns features of our circulation (check out) system that most people have probably never used, and it’s kind of jargony, so as you’re reading, realize that if it doesn’t make sense to you, you don’t have to worry about it. Here we go…

A priest, a rabbi and a librarian walked into a bar and said, "The Library is moving from our Voyager automated library system to a brand new system over the summer. Starting Friday, May 7th, we will be unable to accept holds/recalls for checked out library materials. All holds/recalls not fulfilled or picked up by May 7th will be cancelled. Holds/recalls will become available again later this summer after we switch over to our brand new system."

How many librarians does it take to screw in a lightbulb? And by the way, what is a "hold"? Or a "recall?" Good questions, but let's not go there right now. We'll talk about it again in late summer. If you know what it is and you've already placed one on a book that isn't returned until after May 7, you won't hear from us when it comes back in, so your best bet is to check the Voyager catalog every so often to see when it does come back (in bed).

We apologize for this inconvenience. For further assistance, please contact Circulation, 1st Floor Walker Library, 615-898-2650 (that's what she said!)

The Gubernatorial Forum this Thursday

Thursday, April 29, 2010

7 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.)

Murphy Center


MTSU, in cooperation with the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce, will play host to a gubernatorial forum. Come hear what the candidates for Tennessee's next governor have to say.

Free tickets are still available at the MTSU Ticket Office at Floyd Stadium Gate 1A and the Student Life Office in Room 326S in the KUC.

For all ticket and general information, call the MTSU Ticket Office at 1-888-YES-MTSU (1-888-937-6878).

Earth Day turns 40!

Earth Day was started 40 years ago by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin. He announced his idea for a nationwide teach-in day on the environment hoping that a grassroots outcry about environmental issues might prove to Washington, D.C. just how distressed Americans were.

On April 22 1970, Earth Day marked the beginning of the modern environmental movement. Approximately 20 million Americans participated. Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, Freeway and expressway revolts, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values.

Now Earth Day is observed on April 22 each year by more than 500 million people in countries around the world. Earth Day activities continue to focus on environmental education; local, national, and global policies; public environmental campaigns; and organizing national and local earth day events to promote activism and environmental protection.

Murfreesboro's 9th annual Earth Day Celebration will be this Saturday April 24th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Civic Plaza in front of City Hall on Vine St. Free hot dogs, popcorn and drinks, information on earth-friendly conservation practices, door prizes and information booths. Murfreesboro's Urban Environmental Department will be offering white oak, white swamp oak and red oak trees in gallon-containers on a first come, first served basis. Plus there will be musical entertainment. (Rain location will be in the gym at Patterson Park. People can call 615-494-0407 to see if the event has been moved.)

To get some tips on how to be green see Tip #1, #2, #3.

Group Study Room Reminders

This is a reminder that group study rooms are primarily intended for group study (2 or more people). Single users are welcome to use the rooms as long as a group doesn't need it, but a group may ask that a single user give one up. There are signs posted outside the rooms that explain this policy.

Single users looking for quiet spaces may wish to study in the designated quiet zones on the back of the 3rd and 4th floors.

Also remember that some of our group study rooms can be reserved in advance. See this post for details.

If a conflict arises over a group study room (but surely it won't), please contact the Service Desk on the first floor by calling 898-2817 and choosing option #4, or use the house phones by the elevators; they are routed to the Service Desk.

Group study rooms are denoted with a * on these floor maps.

Chair Fair Results

The results of our chair fair survey have been tabulated!

The overwhelming chair of choice (303 out of 457 total votes cast) was the Alero by Global. We have requested fabric samples for the seat and once we select a fabric and place our order it will about 6 weeks to new comfy seating in the computer lab.

The 6 winners of our chair fair have been selected (from a random drawing) and they won restaurant, gas card and book store gift certificates.

As for the most important feature in a chair, 284 of you listed back support, followed closely by padded seat with 258. Only 29 of you listed being made green as an important feature :(.

The selected chairs are green, though not as green as some of the others that we displayed. Here is what we know:

1. The fabric is from Momentum fabrics and made from rapidly renewable sources, as well as GreenGuard certified.

2. The chair is GreenGuard certified and made from recyled content and fully recycleable at end of life. Global does their recycled content by tonnage not chair, so we don't know the amount per chair.

3. The chairs have reduced packaging and recycleable packaging so we don't get 80 chairs wrapped in 35 pounds of Styrofoam and plastic bags.

We had a lot of feedback and questions from students that we didn't want to let pass, so here are responses to common questions. We're very appreciative and impressed that you're thinking about these issues.

1. Aren't the current chairs we have just fine? No, they really aren't. Over 40 of 74 in the lab are broken, and 10 are just plain missing.

2. Why are you spending money on chairs when the university budget is in such a state? Shouldn't we be saving the Philosophy department instead? The thing is, there are preset budget categories. The equipment budget for the library can only be used for library equipment. Even if we didn't spend it, we couldn't give it to other departments. And if we did, it wouldn't be enough to change anything -- we are talking less than 1/2 of one person's salary for one year. For us, keeping the library comfortable, usable and relevant is what we are charged to do, and why we have a teeny budget to do it. We do have some large projects we want to undertake but due to budget constraints we are currently exploring grant opportunities.

3. Are these chairs good quality? If we're spending all this money, they'd better last. Let me put your mind at ease. These chairs are selected for heavy use, and they have a 10 year warranty. The seat fabric will last even longer and is designed to resist staining, tears and punctures (but please don't try).

We will let you know when the chairs arrive so you can try them out. Thank you for your input.

(Very) extended hours for exams

We heard you! The Library has extended its already extended exam hours to give you more time to study or finish that paper. On study day and exam days we will open early at 7am and close late at 3am. See specifics below.

Now before you go asking why we can't just be open 24 hours, hear this: we don't have that many staff members. We're going to have to mainline the existing late-night people with Red Bull and sew their eyelids open to keep the place open this long, but hey, we're proud to do it. No taunting the old folks if they nod off, though -- just give them a gentle nudge, ok?

Here are the extended hours:

Sunday, April 25 - 1pm-1am
Mon-Thurs April 26-28 - 7:30 am - 1am
Thursday, April 29 (Study Day) - 7am - 3am
Friday, April 30 - 7am - 5pm
Saturday, May 1 - 8am - 5pm
Sunday, May 2 - 1pm - 3am
Monday, May 3 - 7am - 3am
Tuesday, May 4 - 7am - 3am
Wednesday, May 5 - 7am - 3am
Thursday, May 6 - 7am - 3am
Friday, May 7 - 7am - 6pm
Saturday, May 8 Graduation!!!! Closed

To see the full Library hours click here.

Starbucks café inside Walker Library will be open longer hours too!!!!

Brought to you by the Walker Library and your Student Government Association Resolution 8-10-S.

Shhh.... Students Working

Reminder: In response to student requests, we have created Quiet Zones on the third and fourth floors of the Library. These may be just what you need as the end of the semester approaches. The Quiet Zones are study areas where you can review notes, work on papers, or find information free from distractions. Look for these areas when you need to concentrate.

In the Quiet Zone, talking should be kept to only the occasional whisper and there should be no loud music blaring from earbuds or talking on cell phones. If you need to use a cell phone, please move to the area around the stairway.

Help us keep these zones quiet by reminding other students of their purpose. If you feel uncomfortable approaching noisy users, you can call for backup. Use the chat, text or phone options on this page, and let us know exactly where the offenders are and give a brief description of them. If you call the phone number, select the Service Desk option. You can also use the house phone near the elevators. These are routed to the Service Desk. We'll send a library staffer up to check it out.

Library Green Tip #3: Conserve electricity and water

April is Earth Month, so we'll be offering periodic tips on how you can help save resources while working in the library.
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#3 Conserve energy and water

• Turn off the lights in the group study rooms when you leave.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevators.
• Don't let the water run when you wash your hands or brush your teeth. Yes, a lot of people brush their teeth in the library.
• Don't flush every time you use the toilet. (Ok, maybe leave that one for home).
• Staff: turn off your computers when you leave in the evenings and set your computer to an energy saving mode for when you're away from your desk

Can you think of any other ways to conserve electricity or water, either on campus or elsewhere?

#2 Printing Tips and Tricks

#1 Recycle Here

Library Green Tip #2 -- Double-sided printing and Powerpoints

April is Earth Month, so we'll be offering periodic tips on how you can help save resources while working in the library.

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#2 Conserve Paper

Double Sided Printing: You've probably noticed that the library printers are set to print on both sides of the paper, and that's a great paper saver, unless you are required to print single-sided for a class assignment. You can temporarily reset printing to single-sided this way: From the Print box, select Properties or Preferences. From the Printing Shortcuts tab, select General Everyday Printing instead of Two Sided (Duplex) Printing. Remember to do this ahead of time, and you won't waste paper by having to reprint. Also, try asking your prof if he/she will accept double sided printouts. You may be surprised.

PowerPoints: Did you know you can print more than one PowerPoint slide on each page? You can print 2, 3, 4, 6, 0r 9 on one page by doing this: from the Print box, look in the lower left corner for Print What. Choose Handouts instead of Slides, and choose how many to print on one page.

If you're pulling a PowerPoint from D2L, you may have to save it to the computer you're working on before you can get this option. Simply choose Save instead of Open when you click on the ppt.

#1 Recycle Here

This Week on Campus

Tuesday, April 13

Choosing Your Major, a workshop from the Academic Support Center

Wednesday, April 14

Author Kathy Reichs at 7:00 at Murphy Center, presented by the Forensic Institute for Research and Education

Friday, April 16

"Appalachian Roots" a play by the MTSU Theatre Group

National Library Week 2010

April 11 - 17

First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April. It is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation's libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support. All types of libraries - school, public, academic and special - participate.

History

In the mid-1950s, Americans were spending less on books and more on radios, televisions and musical instruments. Concerned that Americans were reading less, the ALA and the American Book Publishers formed a nonprofit citizens organization called the National Book Committee in 1954.

In 1957, the committee developed a plan for National Library Week based on the idea that once people were motivated to read, they would support and use libraries. The first National Library Week was observed in 1958 with the theme "Wake Up and Read!"

See the display of our favorite books about Libraries, 1st floor just past the elevators.

Author Kathy Reichs, April 14

The Forensic Institute for Research and Education is bringing novelist and producer of TV's Bones to campus for a free lecture on Wednesday, April 14. Details are here.

If you want to bone up (har har) on Reichs works before the lecture, you can find several of her novels on the 4th floor of the Walker library at 813.54 R272.

Seen the 3rd floor construction?

Here's what's going on...

To better serve the faculty, the Learning, Teaching and Innovative Technologies Center (LTITC) at MTSU will re-locate into the James E. Walker Library soon.

The LTITC connects professors with the latest instructional methods, including technologies, which can make the classroom experience more enlightening, as well as the expertise to use that technology most effectively.

The newly- relocated center will provide plenty of room for the center’s many resources, including workshops, learning sessions and other professional development activities designed to improve the quality of instruction. In addition to its convenient access to the other learning centers in the library, the center will lend itself to both small and large groups and will offer a lounge area for informal discussions.

The center is currently in Room 214 of the Telecommunications Building. A minor doorway modification is the only work necessary to get the 3rd floor space ready for the LTITC to move in sometime near the end of the Spring semester!

In its new location in the Library, the LTITC will maintain its regular hours, which are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. For more info on the LTITC click here.

Library Green Tip #1 -- Recycle here

April is Earth Month, so we'll be offering periodic tips on how you can help save resources while working in the library.

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#1 Recycle your beverage containers and unwanted paper. The library now has plastic bottle and aluminum can recycling bins on each of the 4 floors of the library. The 1st floor containers are located in the EIC (computer lab) near the printers. The drink bins on the upper floors are located just past the elevators near the computers. Make sure you uncap bottles before you deposit them, and don't stick paper, food, or anything else in the bottles. A lot of contaminated bottles could cause a whole bin to get trashed rather than recycled.

You can also recycle unwanted paper in bins near the printers on all four floors.

Workshop: Choosing a Major

"What's your major?" Chances are, you'll hear that question countless times before you graduate. Some students know exactly what major they will choose and have their career path planned out when they enter college. Most students, however, need to do some exploration before they decide on a major.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010
3:00-4:00pm

Tuesday, April 13, 2010
4:30-5:30pm

Both sessions will take place in Cummings Hall Classroom 107

Click here for more information about the Academic Success Series brought to you by the Academic Support Center.

Information presented at previous sessions is now posted on the same website.

InfoSearch is coming!

We are in the process of converting to a new Integrated Library System and catalog called InfoSearch. What does this mean for you? InfoSearch has many benefits such as:

• A Google-like search


• Spell check and “Did you mean” help


• RSS feeds on searches of interest


• Simple and advanced search options

As the launch date approaches we will post helpful demonstrations and updates on the changes. You can follow our progress on Twitter, this blog, or by checking our Facebook page. We want everyone to be comfortable and knowledgeable about our new stimulus funded system.

Career Search for Dummies: A Reference for the Rest of Us

The MTSU Career Development Center is offering programs throughout the month of April for resume preparation, networking, and job searching.

--Interactive Resume Workshop: April 6-7 from 1 to 2 p.m. (BAS S137 Computer Lab)Lightning

--JobSource + Networking: April 13-14 from 12 to 1 p.m. (BAS S137 Computer Lab)

--Resume Drop: April 20-21 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (KUC 328)

Plus, get a chance to network with employers and organizations exhibiting green initiatives at the first-ever Green Expo, April 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (KUC Knoll).

For more information, visit the Career Center’s website: www.mtsu.edu/~career.