Finals Week Hours for Fall 2009

Adjusted hours for finals week, Fall 2009

Friday, 4 December 7:30 am - 9:00 pm
Saturday, 5 December 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Sunday, 6 December 2:00 pm - 1:00 am
Mon - Wed. 7-9 Dec. 7:30 am - 1:00 am
Thursday, 10 December 7:30 am - 10:30 pm
Friday, 11 December 7:30 am - 4:30 pm

iTunes U @ Marian U

Cool new resource to check out: Marian now offers access to recent lectures and course content through its portal on iTunes U, a subsection of the music and video download behemoth.

Download, stream, or subscribe to your favorite content that's generated right here on Marian University's campus. Our new iTunes U portal is designed to help you make your access to all things Marian as mobile as possible. More content is being added, so be sure to visit frequently!

Access iTunes U from the library's website here.

Using Wikipedia

From an information literacy framework, what can we learn from this recent Internet hoax?

"The moral of this story is not that journalists should avoid Wikipedia, but that they shouldn't use information they find there if it can't be traced back to a reliable primary source," said the readers' editor at the Guardian, Siobhain Butterworth, in the May 4 column that revealed Fitzgerald as the quote author.

Wikipedia can be useful information tool, but only if you can confirm the information from an external primary source.

Quiz Answers

Answers to the librarian quiz:

1. Kelley. It’s quite a skill, really. Good for starting campfires.
2. Sr. Rachel. She really doesn’t look like she eats bugs, does she?
3. Kata. Although she retired from the mermaid biz years ago, shiny aqua wool has been spotted in her knitting kit. Methinks she is contemplating a comeback…
4. Elizabeth. The pins come in handy for sewing projects.
5. Srs. Joel and Pat. Is there nothing the sisters’ can’t do?
6. Eddie. David Blaine’s got nothing on our Mr. Mandity.

For more information and interesting reading relating to the world of carnivals, sideshows and geeks, check out some of these resources:

Ackerman, Louise m. Carnival Talk. American Speech, 35:4 1960, pp 308-309.
<http://www.jstor.org/stable/453788>

Nickell, Joe. Sideshow! Carnival Oddities and Illusions Provide Lessons for Skeptics. Dec. 1999. Skeptical Briefs. 07 April 2007.
< http://www.csicop.org/sb/9912/i-files.html>

Coney Island Circus Sideshow – check out a real ten-in-one circus sideshow and learn more about the Sideshow School!

Freak show defined, and more!


Thanks for helping us celebrate National Library Week 2009!

Twilight @Your Library -- finally!

Yup, that’s right. We have “Twilight” on DVD in the library. A promise is a promise, after all.

Now, don’t everyone race over here at once. We have one copy, the call number is 1669V, and you all have to share. Remember sharing? Crayons in kindergarten, swings in elementary school, Wii sets with your siblings (and parents!)…If you are lucky enough to snag the library copy of Twilight off the shelf, be kind and return it in a timely basis so others may enjoy it as well. Don’t make me turn this library around and go home!

Now, for those of you whose tastes might not include angst-ridden teen vampires, perhaps you would enjoy one of these other new additions to the library DVD collection:

Bolt 1670V
Milk 1674V
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas 1673V
Rachel Getting Married 1672V
Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist 1677V
Bottleshock 1675V
The Changeling 1671V

…and yes, when “New Moon” comes out on DVD, the library will get a copy. We promise (again).
But you have to wait for the movie to be made, released in theatres, pirated overseas and finally released in the U.S. Sorry, but that’s how it works.

Stay tuned!

Visual Resumes are Opening Doors for New Grads

posted by Kelley Griffith

I was flipping from one radio station to another on my drive home yesterday evening and landed on NPR just in time to tune in to All Things Considered. I was particularly struck by the report on the increased use of Visual Resumes among young professionals and new college grads. Visual Resumes utilize social networking sites and multimedia to create a dynamic online resume. Young professionals and new grads are turning to Visual Resumes to promote their myriad skills.

Many perspective employers gather additional information about job candidates by using social networking sites such as Blogs, MySpace, Facebook and YouTube. The Visual Resume allows candidates to direct potential employers to organized and well thought out sites that best represent their skills. The Visual Resume works best as a networking tool but a link can be included in a static print resume to encourage perspective employers to dig a little deeper. Free resume building sites include VisualCV, Zolio, and GigTide.

The library has a variety of tools and resources to assist students in building online resumes. Students may borrow digital still cameras and digital video cameras from the library. Training on setting up and using blogs, podcasts and Facebook can be requested. Technology librarians can also assist student in using our video editing and podcasting software. Feel free to contact Edward Mandity or Kata Koppel for assistance.

Spring in Seattle & Board Games@Your Library Kelley Griffith 3/13/2009

It's not technically spring but the temps have been bouncing from one extreme to the other this week and I've decided to observe spring in my tiny corner of the world. Kata, Eddie and Elizabeth are off to Seattle attending the Association of Research Libraries Conference. I'm here at home minding the books and with way too much free time on my hands. The very idea of "too much time on my hands" generally creates a state of consternation within the library staff. I tend to develop some of my better grandiose plans when no one is around to administer a reality check. Sr. Joel and I have been watching over the HML for the last three days and I have had an inordinate time to plan. National Library Week is a month away and this may be the best celebration yet. Everybody loves a petting zoo, right?
Anyway, our greatest achievement this week has been cataloging and making board games, courtesy of the MC Gaming Club, available for circulation. In all modesty my contribution was simply pointing to the shelves where the items should be placed. Sr. Joel was responsible for all other aspect of processing these items. The collection includes, Twister, Apples to Apples, Chinese checkers, chess, Clue, Risk, Pictureka, and many more. To view a title list search the Reserve Collection Catalog, type in "student council" in the text box and search by Professor. Board games will circulate for one week and will be treated like any other library material. Lost items will be subject to replacement fees, replacement cost + 5.00 processing fee.