Protect Your Stuff!

Caution! There has been an increase in thefts and other crime in the library. Never leave your backpack, books, or other personal belongings unattended in the library.

Some statistics will help illustrate the point.
In September and October we had 22 police reports for theft, vandalism and assault. Examples of stolen items include bicycles, calculators, book bags, wallets, laptops, books and credit cards. Report aggressive or offensive behavior from other patrons to the service desk, don't try to address the problem yourself. Be careful at night and don't walk alone on campus. If you can't go with a friend, use Raider Escort. There are bad people out there, so be smart!

Instead of reading the book, try watching the movie

We have thousands of books and articles to help you with your history research, but the best way to connect with history is to watch how it happened. Find American History in Video on the History Information Sources page or in Databases A-Z list. This collection consists of 2,000 hours and more than 5,000 titles all streamed to your desktop. The collection includes awesome documentaries from the Discovery Channel, History Channel, and A&E, as well as old newsreel and government films. You can literally see history in the making. Imagine the perspective you will gain when you see actual footage of emigrants arriving in America or listen to Martin Luther King speak. Transcripts of documentaries are available to print, and the database is easily searched by era, topic, place or person. If you need more assistance or have questions contact the reference desk.

ShareFair - Wednesday, October 27

ShareFair, an annual showcase of innovative instructional approaches sponsored by the Information Technology Division and the Learning, Teaching & Innovative Technologies Center (LT&ITC), will be held this Wednesday, October 27, in the LT&ITC, room 348 of the Walker Library.

ShareFair showcases a multidisciplinary array of instructional technologies effectively used by teachers at MTSU. Participants from the various campus faculty learning communities will be represented and instructional technology specialists will be available to demonstrate new learning/teaching tools. ShareFair will also include the announcement of the winner of the 2011 Award for Innovative Excellence in Teaching, Learning & Technology.

Sessions are from 10:00 am to noon and 1:00 to 3:00 pm. No need to register--just stop in! Visit the LT&ITC calendar of events for a complete schedule of the day.

On display in the Echo Dome...

Plug-in Hybrid Retrofit Kit

On display in the Walker Library through the end of October is an invention by Dr. Charles Perry, electrical engineer, Professor and holder of the Russell Chair of Manufacturing Excellence at Middle Tennessee State University. He is now working with Paul Martin III, automotive engineering expert, to patent this invention.




















This invention will allow practically any car to be converted to a plug in hybrid for $5,000 or less. The device is an electronic motor that fits inside the wheel hub of the front wheel hubs of your average car. The retrofit kit is intended for around town driving and could double drivers’ gas mileage.

Dr. Perry and Mr. Martin are currently working on producing a working prototype in conjunction with Tennessee Tech University.

Homecoming 2010

Homecoming 2010 is a time for current students and faculty to join with alumni and the community in celebrating the past, present, and future of MTSU.
Activities this week:
October 20-22 Swap Day
KUC Lobby, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Thurs. October 21 Horseshoe Competition
Rec Center, 5:00 p.m.

Fri. October 22 Chili Cook-off / Corn Hole Competition
Murphy Center Forest, 5:00 p.m.

Fri. October 22 NPHC Step Show
Murphy Center, 7:00 p.m.

Sat. October 23
Homecoming Parade, Middle Tennessee Boulevard, 11am
The parade begins on Maney Avenue, following Main Street and Middle Tennessee Boulevard past the Alumni House to Greenland Drive.

Raider Walk, Walnut Grove, 1:15 pm
Join the Band of Blue, MTSU cheerleaders and Lightning to rally for your Blue Raider football team as it prepares to bring home a homecoming victory.

MTSU vs. LA Monroe, Floyd Stadium, 3:30 pm
Students get in FREE with I.D.

For a look at homecomings past, check out the newly digitized Midlander Yearbooks.

Library Author Lecture Series - LOST

What Was Lost?

Where Television’s Most Extraordinary Series Came From and Where It Took Us

David Lavery, Professor of English at MTSU will be discussing one of the most captivating television series of all time, LOST. Come get an inside look at this fascinating drama.

Thursday, October 28

State Farm Room, BAS rm. 102

7 p.m.

Free and open to the public

Professor Lavery is the author/co-author/editor/co-editor of over twenty books about television (two on Lost), he has lectured on TV in Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, the UK, Ireland, Portugal, and Germany. In 2006, he received the MTSU Distinguished Research Award.

For more on the subject, check out these books in InfoSearch!

Google Your Way to Scholarly Articles

If you've attended one of the library's instruction sessions -- say, through your English 1020 or U1010 class -- you've probably heard us tout the articles in the library databases as superior to what you can find in a web search. And while that's mostly true -- after all, anyone can post anything on the web -- you can use a specialized Google search, Google Scholar, to tap into the many of the library's scholarly subscriptions through an easy search engine.

To use Google Scholar on campus, you simply go to http://scholar.google.com/ and start searching. Your search results will include articles that you, as an MTSU affiliate, can access for free, as well as materials to which we are not subscribed. To check for access, look for a link to Full Text at MTSU to the side of the citation.



Or you may see Check MTSU Library below the citation. This will allow to look for other means of access, including print access in the library.

If you are searching off-campus, you will need to set your Scholar Preferences from the top right corner of the screen.

Search for Middle Tennessee State University and check all of the resulting boxes. This will allow you to log in to access the articles that require an MTSU affiliation.

So there you have it! You can get (much of) the good stuff while feeling like you're bucking the system. And the next time your librarian tells you that you can't Google your way to quality sources, you can smile knowingly at the truth.

New printers in the EIC

Christmas came early in the Walker Library. We have three new printers in the EIC (computer lab on the first floor).
They even have that new printer smell. Come and have a smell, they won't be new for long.

Learn about Library of Congress Primary Sources

The Learning, Teaching, and Innovative Technologies Center is hosting a workshop for faculty by Dr. Stacey Graham on Teaching with Primary Sources.
The workshop will help faculty use the Library of Congress website to find primary sources to use as educational tools.
Register today and learn how to enhance your curriculum with primary source material.

October 7th National Day of Action to Save Public Education

Thursday, October 7th, MTSU students will participate in a nationwide effort to defend public education from budget cuts.

The event will take place at the KUC knoll from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. Learn more about MTSU involvement at
http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=117407174984341 as well as the efforts of students, faculty and campus workers across the country at http://www.defendeducation.org/.

Blackout Game

Blue Raiders vs. Trojans

Tuesday, October 5

7:00 pm

Floyd Stadium

Students get in FREE with their ID.

The highly-anticipated Blackout game for the MTSU football team. The Blue Raiders will be taking on the University of Troy Trojans. This game is Blackout Night, so everyone wear your blackout t-shirts! Kickoff is set for 7 PM on Tuesday and the game will be shown nationally on ESPN2.