Nuclear Power in the US

Just as the US was moving toward a renewed nuclear power plan in order to curb greenhouse gases produced by coal-derived energy, the horrible tragedy in Japan -- which began as a natural disaster and quickly expanded to a nuclear crisis -- has the public and politicans rethinking nuclear's future in this country. Once you get beyond the emotions of the moment, you may find yourself wondering exactly what the nuclear landscape is like at this moment. And what are the key issues being debated by policy makers? Here are some sources to give you a little background.


Where are the US nuclear reactors?

More Maps and Data
Reactor locations and seismic hazard in the US
Nuclear Europe
Top Ten nuclear reliant countries


Current Debates and Considerations
Nuclear Energy Topic Guide from the New York Times
Managing Nuclear Waste from CQ Researcher (may require login)
Does the US Need More Nuclear Power? from US News and World Report

Learning Commons Furniture Showcase

As you have probably noticed, the library is undergoing some changes in the 1st floor reference area. We will be placing several different types of tables and chairs in that space, and now we want to show you a few options for the more casual seating configurations.



We are trying to be as "green" as possible during this renovation, and you will be hearing a lot about our sustainable furnishing choices. What's cool about these chairs is that they are Greenguard certified, are made of 80% post consumer content, and are designed to last in a commercial environment for a decade. Also, they are easily disassembled so that we can send off an arm or cushion for replacement or repair as necessary. This saves money and resources, since we don't have to replace an entire chair as damage occurs.



Come by in the next week to sit on them, bounce the cushions, try to nap, etc, and give us some feedback. We will likely use a mixture of styles throughout the renovated zones. Keep in mind that these are just samples and do not necessarily represent our final upholstery choices.



The chairs are on display in the echo dome, past the elevators on the first floor. You can give us your feedback here.

Digital Media Studio Open House

Faculty,

We invite you to come to the Digital Media Studio Open House on Tuesday, March 22. We will be there from 8-4.30 to showcase the equipment and services we offer. We will have some program demonstrations as well as an opportunity to brainstorm about how the studio can help your students create vibrant, media rich projects. Oh, and we will give away stuff (including candy). So drop in and check us out.

Women's History Month

from Discovering American Women's History Online

March is Women's History Month, and there are several events taking place on campus through this and next month.

To dig a little deeper, check out the library's Women's Studies resource guide. It feature feminist and women's history periodicals, as well as digital collections of primary source materials dating back to the 16th century. Discovering American Women's History Online is an award-winning digital collection maintained by MTSU librarian, Ken Middleton.

If you're looking for some good books to read, check the Infosearch catalog by author or title. Check out these (by no means exhaustive) lists of great female writers.

Hug your mama, granny, sister, girlfriend, or yourself, and celebrate women's history.

time change

Yes, the most dreaded night of the year is here, when we lose an hour of sleep as Daylight Savings Time starts. Don't forget to set your clocks forward an hour on Saturday night (March 12). We'd hate for you to be late to class (work, breakfast, etc.) on Monday!


=============
photo credit: alancleaver_2000 on Flickr!

Website Security Error

This week when you click on a database link from the library homepage, you may encounter this error screen:

Click Continue to this website to gain entry into the database. We promise nothing bad will happen if you do.

We will fix this annoying research roadblock as soon possible.

Downloadable E-books

Some of the ebooks in our NetLibrary collection are now available for download to your laptop or selected ereaders and mobile devices. You can find ebooks in the Infosearch library catalog as well as directly in the ebooks databases (NetLibrary and Ebrary are the largest.)

Here is what you will see when you find a downloadable ebook in NetLibrary (you must click on View Details in a search result list):

You'll need to create a free account to download books, and an additional software download (Adobe Digital Editions) may be required. The book will be accessible to for 3 days and then it will become locked, though you can access it again online through the NetLibrary database. The ebook downloads work well on a computer, and they are supposed to be transferrable to several devices, but this librarian couldn't get one to work on an iPhone. If you have luck getting one on your Nook, Sony Reader, or other compatible device (not the Kindle, though) let us know.

Spring Break Hours

Yes, that's right. While some of you are lying on the beach sipping fruity beverages, we will be here preserving the life of the mind (come on by... it'll be quiet!). Here are the library Spring Break hours:

Sat, March 5: 8:00-5
Sun, March 6: closed

Mon-Thurs, March 7-10: 8-4:30

Fri and Sat, March 11-12: closed

Sun, March 13: 1pm - midnight

See library hours for the whole semester.

Have a restful and/or productive Spring Break.