Vista/Office 2007

Change is good. Over the summer, Computer Services will be updating the student computing areas in the Library and Marian Hall 304. Microsoft's Vista and Office 2007 will be installed on these machines.

This upgrade will be ongoing over the summer and should be complete by the time the fall semester begins. We think you'll enjoy the new features available as a part of this software!

If you need assistance in the public computing areas, please don't hesitate to ask. If you're in the library, stop by the circulation desk on the first floor. You can also call extension 6090 or IM marianitc (Yahoo, MSN/Windows Live, AIM) if you get stuck.

Edible Book Display 2008

Edible Book Display 2008
Originally uploaded by marian_library_indy

Did you miss the 2nd annual Edible Book Display presented during National Library Week 2008?

You can now view the display online - just click on the image above and visit the exhibit virtually through Flickr. Start planning now for the contest next April - we'd love to see what you can create. The only limit is your own imagination.

New and Leisurely Reading @Your Library -- and a book review, too!

Great news -- more than two dozen new titles have been added to the Leisure Reading Collection since last we posted.


Here are but a few of the newest titles:

Farewell, My Subaru: An Epic Adventure in Local Living, by Doug Fine
The House at Riverton, by Kate Morton
Armageddon in Retrospect, by Kurt Vonnegut
Certain Girls, by Jennifer Weiner
Unlocked: A Journey from Prison to Proust, by Louis Ferrante
Quicksand, by Iris Johansen

And, if that is not enough, our own Edward Mandity (Information and Instructional Technology Librarian) has written a review of another Leisure Reading Collection offering, The Somnambulist, by Jonathan Barnes.

Give it up for Eddie's review...

The Somnambulist: A bizarre, not so modern mystery

Edward Moon is a "conjurer", an entertainer struggling to preserve what little reputation and income he has left. Among polite society he is now more likely considered a laughingstock than the once promising investigator propelled by his sharpened abilities of examination. Considered past his prime, his Las Vegas-styled evening show, set in Victorian era London, is now only attracting the fanatically faithful. So Moon, along with the Somnambulist, his giant, deathly pale, almost human-like partner in crime-solving and fright inducing sidekick, is bored. Yet that is about to change.

As far as crime solving duos go could this very well be the Victorian era predecessor to our modern day Starsky and Hutch? As far as mysteries go, probably not so much, as Sherlock and Watson might have proven a more apt comparison. At least Watson talked. The Somnambulist, on the other hand, doesn't; he would rather accompany Moon silently grasping his pints of milk.

If such a bizarre introduction to The Somnambulist intrigues you, then by all means delve deeper than the surface just scratched, as this book by Jonathan Barnes turns more curious by the page. But it is as entertaining as it is strange; Moon is as stubbornly cynical, full of snark as he is determined to solve what is the most important threat facing London. And the Somnambulist is, well, the Somnambulist. But will that threat be The Directorate, an assassin known only as The Mongoose, the fun-loving Prefects, or the very literary Chairman itself? Full of intrigue, murder, and curiosity, this story is all wrapped up into a very sharply-written novel. It's dark, creepy, and humorously suspenseful. And it's only the first novel written by Barnes.


Give yourself a break during the hectic, end-of-semester crush and stop by to check out the Leisure Reading Collection. You'll find it on the second floor of the library, on the north wall. We can't let Eddie have all the fun -- or all the books!

Read on...

Adjusted hours for Finals Week 2008

Hackelmeier Memorial Library
Adjusted Hours
May 3 - 9

Friday, May 2 7:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 3 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 4 2:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m.
Monday, May 5 7:30 a.m. – Midnight
Tuesday, May 6 7:30 a.m. – Midnight
Wednesday, May 7 7:30 a.m. – Midnight

Thursday, May 8 7:30 - 3:00 p.m. (Research assistance on 2nd floor)

Friday, May 9 7:30 – 4:30 p.m.

Relaxation Zone - 1^st floor Hackelmeier Library

May 4 - 9

April 2 Student Focus Group Session

Focus group student session – 04/02/2008
2 students present

How do you use the library?
- working (library work study)
- hold study sessions for class (Soc. TA)
- general studying
- use the computers (programs not on own computer, faster, printing, etc.)

How do you see your information needs changing?
- database use increases over course of college career
- more interest in learning to use SmartBoards, other technology earlier in college career



What will you need from the library/instructional technology in the next 5 years?
- integrate some sort of library component into Freshman Experience course, so that students have a better idea of what is available to them in the library
- instruction on how to use technology (digital cameras), transfer files, create projects/presentations integrating technology

(discussion about finding ways to better integrate library and instructional services into the curriculum; students would welcome more information about what is available to them)

What new technology would you like to see incorporated into the library/instructional technology?
- touch screen computers are cool
- IM/chat services sound cool, but don’t know that much about it

(students not sure what technology is out there, but are very open to trying new things that might be fun or useful)

What do you like most/least?
- noise is a real problem, can be too noisy to study effectively
- would like to see the cell phone ban back in place
- noisy student assistants make it hard to approach them to quiet other patrons
- football study table is a problem – noisy, not studying, cell phones going off, very disruptive
- too many competing activities in one building – socializing interferes with quiet study, but quiet study doesn’t interfere with socializing, so socializing wins
- comment made was “is it a library or student center? It can’t be both”

- “I like the librarians”!
- The staff is really helpful and accessible
- Leisure reading collection is great
- The emails are fun

Do you have any advice for us?
- comment was made that other students have said the librarians are rude/mean.

Update: New and Leisurely @HML

If you haven’t stopped by to check out (and I mean literally)
the new Leisure Reading Collection yet, perhaps some
of these new titles will tempt you:

Cheer! : Three Teams on a Quest For College Cheerleading’s Ultimate Prize
by Kate Torgovnick
Nonfiction

The author spent one year following three different squads in their quest from tryouts to the National Championship. Now considered an extreme sport by some, competitive cheerleading is not your grandmother’s pom squad.

A Life With Karol: My 40-Year Friendship with the Man Who Became Pope
by Cardinal Stanlislaw Dziwisz
Nonfiction

Written by Pope John Paul II’s personal secretary, this memoir reveals new details of the papacy of Karol Wojtyla, including clandestine ski trips and walks through Rome incognito.

Adam
by Ted Dekker
Fiction

A profiler who has devoted most of his career to tracking a serial killer known only as Eve is targeted to be her first male killing, her first “Adam”. A failed attempt on his life leaves "Adam" with the knowledge he has seen the killer’s face, but the trauma of the event suppresses his memory and hinders the search for Eve.

New books arrive almost weekly. Check back soon for an in-depth review of James Patterson’s latest thriller, 7^th Heaven, also from the Leisure Reading Collection.

Focus Group Sessions

Hackelmeier Memorial Library wants your input. As part of the strategic planning process we are asking faculty, staff, and students to assist us in gathering information to assist in creating the library of the future at Marian College. We are asking ourselves, what kind of impact will the various opportunities and challenges inherent in an "Idea" economy have on future library services? Are there traditional services that require less support while new emerging services require increased support? Input from focus group participants will assist us in identifying the most important issues facing the Hackelmeier Library and Instructional Technology Services and hopefully suggest a means of best addressing those issues.

Faculty Session 1- March 25th Notes

How do you use the library?

• primarily for books, recreation use
• public library use has changed – using web services very often to order items, not browsing
• not using library for work-related research
• feels like the physical space is good for services, students
• have heard some students complain about increased noise
  

How are your information needs changing/will change

• still most comfortable reading from hard copy
• professional work is much more electronic – changing skills to accommodate this.
  Seems to be a need for electronic archiving on campus, but no one seems to be doing it
• Validation of information – concerned that students cannot distinguish good info, especially w/web sources
• would like to see more done to educate all on source evaluation(Freshman Experience discussion, jump-start/stand alone session a possibility)
• CAMs and the library - need to do more/increased presence

What new technology would you like to see in the library/instructional technology?

• students want chat support/after hours support
• scanning opportunities
• hosting capabilities for webinars, more support for that kind of technology
  (Discussion of scanning issues on campus, in library; want to develop more in this area)
• Is there a need for basic technology training for professional staff?
  not really, except maybe for new staff; most learn what is necessary for the job
  (Discussion: standardization of skills sets – Outlook, etc. – should go through HR mandate)
  
• What do you like most/least about library and instructional technology?
  doesn’t like idea that only faculty are involved with instructional technology; staff may not teach class, but still use the same technology and need support, or are in position of instructing students on using technology (registration, financial aid, etc)
  (Inst. Tech. can work with offices to help them develop training materials, etc)
• extend IT emails to staff
• would like written instructions for using tech classrooms
• tech classrooms should be standardized
• rooms are poorly set up/hard to use
• students are frustrated that faculty do not use CAMS, online grade
• faculty need to do more online – grades, book orders, communications, etc.

Please feel free to post your own comments to this blog.

New and Leisurely Reading @Your Library

Toss aside your workaholic tendencies, throw on a leisure suit and get ready to READ!

Announcing the Leisure Reading Collection @Hackelmeier Memorial Library!

The Leisure Reading Collection is a rotating collection of popular and recently released books that will grow to roughly 250 titles by the end of the year. New titles arrive each month, and once the collection reaches the maximum, older titles will be removed to make room for new titles in the collection.

Best selling fiction and nonfiction, biography, novels, science fiction, true crime and more – there is something for everyone. Stop by the second floor of the library, you can't miss the Leisure Reading Collection.

A sampling of current titles includes:

• Duma Key / Stephen King
• Beet / Roger Rosenblatt
• I Am America and So Are You / Stephen Colbert
• Quiet Strength / Tony Dungy
• The Geography of Bliss / Eric Weiner
• Change of Heart / Jodi Picoult
• Dragons of Babel / Michael Swanwick
• Farm Sanctuary / Gene Bauer
• Book of the Dead / Patricia Cornwell
• Firefly Lane / Kristin Hannah

Once or twice a month, the library website will feature brief descriptions of new books in the Leisure Reading Collection, reviews and recommendations. Look for the Leisure logo; it’s your guide to what’s New and Leisurely @Your Library!

Another new face @ HML

Greetings!

I'm Kata Koppel, another new addition to the library staff here at Marian. I'll be responsible for the usual library duties, answering your questions and helping out with the library technology. I'll also be providing training for faculty, staff and students on new technologies as well as helping with scanning, video editing and more! We have lots of great plans for the library.

About me? I'm originally from southeastern Indiana and have my library degree from IUPUI, but have spent the last 3 years in New Jersey at a small community college. When I'm not working, I enjoy traveling, knitting, visiting historic sites, and going to Broadway shows in New York (my goal is to go to a show in all 39+ Broadway theatres - I'm up to 27!) I'm also working on my Guitar Hero III skills just in case I decide to ever stop being a librarian and become a professional gamer!

Please don't hesitate to stop me and ask for help or just to say hello. I look forward to meeting everyone!

Delayed delivery Chicago Tribune

Due to a change in local distribution, the library will no longer
receive the Chicago Tribune via daily delivery.

Beginning 18 February, 2008 the Chicago Tribune will be delivered
to the library via standard postal service, which may delay the paper
by 2-3 days from publication date.

We apologize for the inconvenience; the decision to change local
distribution methods was made by the Chicago Tribune.

Website Updates - ILL/Hours

This is just a short post to let you know of some recent changes to the library website. In addition to updating the library staff contact information, we have also listed the Spring Semester hours for the library as well as the upcoming dates on which the library will be closed this semester. Also, for those patrons interested in using our interlibrary loan service, you may directly download the pdf request form from our homepage and submit it in person to a member of our staff.

Ease into Your Research with Credo

Good news for all you researchers, of either the procrastinating or diligent variety. If you haven’t yet finalized your research for your upcoming term papers, or if you want to get planning for next semester’s research projects, your life has just become a bit easier. HML has just acquired a new online reference solution for all your research needs. Credo Reference is an aggregated, online reference database containing selections from over 240 e-books from academic publishers in all disciplines. See something from their selection of content that we don’t have access to? Well, then just tell us and we can customize the collection to include what you need! In addition to the material you may find, you also have access to the citation information (APA, MLA, Chicago), ready to be inserted into your paper. So if you need that quick information fix or want to put the finishing touches on your dissertation, don’t delay…use Credo today!

New Online Language and Literature Collection

Hackelmeier Memorial Library has just acquired a new online collection of Language and Literature titles from the provider JSTOR. JSTOR is a subscription service which provides libraries collections of archived, full-text content, typically in PDF format. The Language and Literature collection covers disciplines from linguistics to literary criticism, comprising 58 titles in its entirety. As JSTOR is primarily a service that covers archived material, it is also helpful to list a complementary service to which we subscribe called Project Muse, providing more current full-text content. In all, this new collection adds to our already existing Arts & Sciences and Health & General Sciences collections from JSTOR, adding a more comprehensive scope (over 300 titles) for your research needs. Access our JSTOR collections here.

A Visual Dictionary

New tool for all you visual learners out there; if you haven’t already made use of the Merriam-Webster Online dictionary, be sure to check out their new reference resource called the Visual Dictionary Online. It’s great for all those frustrating times where you have an image in your mind but struggle to find that matching word or phrase, or vice-versa. Search by browsing a set of themes, images (there’s over 6,000 for the 20,000 terms listed), or through their index to see just what it is you’re curious about. So when someone asks what exactly it is you mean, now you can show them.

A virtual campus for U

From lectures on the physics of baseball, astronautics and aeronautics at MIT, to concerts of Mozart requiems at Duke, to even recordings of humpback whales, whatever you’re looking for, it might just be found at iTunes U. iTunes U is a relatively new feature from iTunes that allows anyone to access lectures, presentations and other content delivery through the submission of audio and video files from participating educational institutions. The potential for finding supplemental research material, study aids, presentations, or even just an interesting topic is virtually endless. Browse for your content by university, highlights from “beyond campus”, or even from the most popular downloads of the day. Institutions can limit access to what they offer, but generally, most of the content is free for anyone to use.

Don’t worry if you don’t have an iPod; iTunes is a free download that allows people to mange, listen to, or watch content from your desktop. And if you do have an iPod, automatically download your favorite institutions’ podcasts, and listen to them whenever you may be (though hopefully not while in your “non-virtual” class!). Listen/watch for class assignments, your upcoming term papers (remember to cite your sources!), or just for the sake of learning itself! Expand your learning with iTunes U! Perhaps in the future, you just might just see something from Marian listed in the directory.

Attention all biologists

New Resource Alert for all you interested in, well, life itself. A new, freely-available, online biology reference has recently been announced, and with lofty ambitions. The Encyclopedia of Life will seek to serve as the authoritative database for all known and newly discovered species that inhabit our planet. So far the tally is estimated around 1.8 million critters, so the leaders of this project definitely have their work cut out for themselves.

Think about that, though, we know only about 2 million of the world’s organisms. How much remains undiscovered, just waiting to be found and described? Therein appears the essence of this project: to more thoroughly educate ourselves about what we do know about life on Earth and then concentrate on what we haven’t found yet. The project will be up and running around the middle of 2008 with a full, working version ready in about ten years. So for all you taxonomists, catalogers, librarians, and those in-between who just love life in all its forms, set your bookmarks to the EOL.

Increase your CARMA with a new database!

For anyone interested in the issues of global warming, carbon emissions and the general state of the planet, there’s good news. A new tool has just been unleashed to help both monitor and measure the top producers and locations of carbon dioxide emitters throughout the world. CARMA, or Carbon Monitoring for Action, has crunched the numbers and compiled a huge, freely-accessible and regularly updated database measuring the CO2 emissions of more than 50,000 power plants and 4000 companies worldwide. Limit your search by power plant, company, geographic region or even compare the emissions of your local power provider with others elsewhere in the world! And if you’re fired up about carbon emissions, whether locally or globally, feel free to participate in their blog. You may ask, and rightly so, how this data is compiled. The CARMA team summarizes just one of its methods:

For several thousand power plants within the U.S., CARMA relies upon data reported to the Environmental Protection Agency by the plant operators themselves as required by the Clean Air Act. CARMA also includes many official emissions reports for plants in Canada, the European Union, and India. For non-reporting plants, CARMA estimates emissions using a statistical model that has been fitted to data for thousands of reporting plants in the U.S., Canada, the EU, and India. The model utilizes detailed data on plant-level engineering and fuel specifications. CARMA reports emissions for the year 2000, the current year, and the future (based on published plans).

Sounds like a very helpful resource. And it’s free (we librarians especially love our free resources)! Who knows, you might just help rejuvenate the planet!

New Face

Hello all you HML stopper-byers. I’m Edward Mandity, a new addition to Marian College, more particularly its library staff. I’m excited to be here, and rather than going straight to the details of what I’ll be doing, I’ll just say that I have the daunting task of filling in for the departed Chadwick Seagraves; roughly though, I’ll be working on the library’s OPAC, digital projects, and whatever else is thrown my way. Suffice it to say, I’ll be around and at your service.

A little bit about myself…after recently receiving my librarian degree (yes, there is a degree) while working at IUPUI’s University Library, I now have the ability to concentrate on my passions in life in addition to being a good librarian: reading Christopher Moore novels, snorkeling, kayaking, watching movies, learning languages, playing video games and traveling. So if you see me running frantically around the stacks babbling incoherently, don’t be afraid to say hello or ask any questions, library related or otherwise. Oh, I’ve been getting a lot of questions as to my name preference. Just to make it easy, call me what you will…Edward, Ed or Eddy. Chances are I’ll stop babbling.

Cavemen or Clan of the Cave Bear?

According to the message board on abc.go.com the primetime show of Cavemen has finally hit its stride. But for those of you of the opinion that primitive Cro-Magnum is a bit “been there/done that” and would rather fill this particular TV slot with some leisure reading check out Whichbook.net a very different sort of reader’s advisor. Whichbook.net guides you to titles not by title but by what you are in the mood to read. Looking for a book that is funny, unusual and short but don’t have a ready title in mind? Set your preferences and Whichbook.net will respond with a list of recommended titles. A singular drawback to Whichbook.net is that the site is operated in the U.K. and many of the titles are British and may be hard to come by. Still the concept is unique and directs you to many titles that might have otherwise been missed.

If Hackelmeier Library does not own the recommended title simply search WorldCat.org. This database is a resource free to all citizens of Indiana and a link can be found on the library’s website. WorldCat.org allows you to search the collections of libraries in your community and thousands more around the world. Once you locate an item of interest you can link to the libraries that own the item and check for availability. Items may be borrowed by either taking advantage of Hackelmeier Library’s interlibrary loan service or the various borrowing partnerships held with local libraries. The interlibrary loan service is free of charge and simply requires patrons to complete a request form for each title requested and turn the form in at the circulation desk on the main floor of the library. Requested items will be delivered to the Hackelmeier library and can be picked up at the circulation desk. Borrowing times vary from library from library and items must be returned in a timely manner. Interlibrary loan requests for newly published titles are difficult to fill but for those of you attempting to avoid the expensive charges of Amazon this free service can’t be beat!

Edible Book Display Photos

Well, if you were in the library a few weeks ago you may have seen the edible book display in person, but we took pictures for those of you who missed it. If it's edible and related to a book, it counts. Enjoy!

See the whole set.