« October 2006 | Main | December 2006 »

November 27, 2006

Research beyond google: 119 authoritative resources

Click here for a great article on deep web research

Try searching for the same term in a couple of the "Deep Web Search Engines" plus google and compare your results.


Tell us what you found. All students must comment. Thanks!

Blog comments

Something funky is happening with the blog system, where people are not able to make comments. We're looking into it and will try to get things working again asap.

Thanks for your understanding.

This week's trivia question

This week’s trivia is for those who cannot wait for snow and a lot of it. Send your answers to Jerrie at: j-baye@umn.edu


Do other places in the world besides the Great Lakes experience lake-effect snow?

Answer posted at the end of the week.

Flu shots this week

Hello,

Below is an email sent from Boynton Health Service. If you can safely receive a vaccination, please do. In our jobs, we are all in contact with the public. Shots are free to University students and staff.

This year, due to the high volume of vaccine produced, public health
officials are strongly urging everyone who can safely receive an influenza
vaccination to do so. Keep in mind that by receiving a vaccination you
are not only protecting yourself from a serious respiratory infection
but you are also protecting those close to you. Do it for the herd!


The last walk in flu clinics are being held on:
November 27 10 am - 4 pm Boynton Health Service
November 29 10 am - 6 pm Coffman Union Great Hall
November 30th 10 am - 4 pm Boynton Health Service


These clinics are open to all University students, staff and faculty.
This is a free service to all University students, staff and faculty.
There is a $25 charge for all non-university patients.


Clinics this year have been provided through Boynton Health Service,
Employee Benefits, School of Nursing and College of Pharmacy.

November 21, 2006

Finals week -- same schedule

calendar007.gif We will have the same student schedule over finals week as the rest of the semester.

If you can't make a shift because of exam schedules, inform Margaret SOON. She can help with finding a substitute for finals week time, if needed.

All students must comment that they have read this post. Thanks!

We want to hear from you!

Only half of students have made a comment to the following post about Archival finding aids.

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/wilsper/informationcentral/2006/11/find_archives_information_help.html

Please revisit this post and make sure you've commented. Thanks!!

Borrowing Privileges Chart

Check out the 2006-2007 borrowing privileges chart, a good reference when patrons have questions about what they can borrowo and for how long.

http://staff.lib.umn.edu/iads/procedures/bpf_patron_records_borrowing-privileges-guide-2006-2007.pdf

Ad*Access

ad1.jpeg The Ad*Access Project presents images and database information for over 7,000 advertisements printed in U.S. and Canadian newspapers and magazines between 1911 and 1955.

Ad*Access concentrates on five main subject areas: Radio, Television, Transportation, Beauty and Hygiene, and World War II, providing a coherent view of a number of major campaigns and companies through images preserved in one particular advertising collection.

See http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/adaccess/

All students please respond and share something interesting you found in this resource.

Coffee shop

Information from the building facilities manager:

Construction preparation for the Wilson Library Coffee Shop will start Tuesday, 11/21 with anticipated construction completion in 10+ weeks.

The Coffee Shop itself and the patron table seating will be between the two marble pillars back to the west marble wall. Counter high seating with electrical outlets for laptops will be built along the south wall where the public telephone booth configuration currently is and along the west wall leading into the Periodicals/Reserve area. Table height counter w/seating and electrical for laptops will be added to the center area between the entrance doors to the Periodicals/Reserve area.

The project calls for floor core drilling and there may be some other extremely noisy work necessary. As much as possible this work will be done between 6 am - 9 am BUT this may not always be possible.

A rough lay out of the coffee shop is posted on the on the marble pillars --- across from the artificial plants.

Jerrie

Film scanner number 1

Film scanner number 1 is now back and fully functioning. Jerrie

November 17, 2006

St. Paul Pioneer Press received from Nov 17

newspaper.jpg

Starting today, Wilson Periodicals is now receiving the St. Paul Pioneer Press, after having problems with receipt of this title since late October. We will not be receiving back issues, so there is still a gap from October 21 to November 17. However, this gap will be eliminated when the microfilm for this time period is received.

Please let me know if you have any questions about this title. Please refer to previous post about how to help patrons access the gap between Oct 21 and Nov 17.

Answers to this week’s trivia questions

Thanks for both Jacey and Charlie for their responses.

1) What country was ranked by the United Nations as the best country to live in? This country has won the honor for the sixth consecutive year, prompting one government minister to tell its citizens to quit whining about wanting more.
2) What other counties make up the top five?

Based on criteria that included life expectancy, education and income, the U.N. human development index listed Norway as the best place to live for the sixth consecutive year.

Numbers two – five are Iceland, Australia, Ireland, and Sweden. The United Sates came in seventh following Canada and Japan.

Due to the holiday, there will be no trivia question next week. Jerrie

November 16, 2006

Fun facts to have on hand

After graduation are you
• Thinking of moving to another state and saving some money?
• Wanting to purchase books that are not required for a course?
• Going fishing somewhere in the Great Lakes?
• Possibly taking some steps to become more “green” in your life?


If so, you may want to consider the following fun facts courtesy of the Sierra Club.

The Bank of America has begun handing out checks of $3,000 to employees in Boston, Los Angeles, and Charlotte, North Carolina who buy a hybrid car. In doing so, the company joins other go-green companies such as Timberland ($3,000 per hybrid driving employees) and Google ($5,000 to employees when they buy any vehicle that gets 45 miles or more to the gallon).

Random House (largest publishing company in the U.S.) has announced that by 2010, 30 percent of the paper in its books will be recycled. The company controls 13 percent of the adult trade book market. Yippee for the trees!

Michigan has taken matters into its own hands and has set new rules that will cut mercury emissions from coal fired powered plants by 90 percent by the year 2015. Illinois and Minnesota are among other states that plan to take similar action. Go ahead – plan a future fishing trip for Lake Michigan. You can eat what you catch without worrying about losing brain cells!

Scheduling Change on Sundays

There has been a schedule change on Sundays. The new schedule is posted in the office.

I have not emailed a copy of the revised schedule to everyone, since this change does not affect many students.

Please see me if you would like a copy.

References for scholarships, jobs, internships...

If you would like to use us as a reference, you must complete an authorized release form. This allows us to talk to outside employers or entities about your work performance. The release is good for one year from the date it is signed.

See Margaret if you may need to use the Library as a reference in the next year. I will get a copy of the form for you.

It's especially important to do this if you are graduating, applying for scholarships or looking for an internship or job. Having the form signed in advance can be a definite advantage when you're in the midst of a job/scholarship/internship search -- so do it now if you'll need a reference in the near future.

jobsearch.jpg

All students must comment that they have read this post. Thanks!

November 15, 2006

Find archives information & help patrons do it too

findaid_sized.JPG

After considerable planning and implementation efforts, Archives and Special Collections (ASC) and the Digital Library Development Lab are pleased to announce the release of the Online Finding Aids system at: http://discover.lib.umn.edu/findaid/ .

This system unifies for searching and browsing over 3,300 Encoded Archival Descriptions (EAD). This makes it among the largest collections of finding aids by a single institution in the country, and will significantly enhance the potential for researchers to discover specific materials held deep in our archival collections.

More about the "EAD Implementation" project, as well as about EAD itself, can be found at: http://wiki.lib.umn.edu/Staff/FindingAidsInEAD.

Search for a topic that interests you and make a brief comment about what you found. All students must comment and include a tidbit about their search results. Thanks!

Department of Art Holiday sale

Looking for a unique, one-of-a-kind holiday gift?


The University of Minnesota Arts Quarter is hosting its first annual Holiday Art Sale in the West Building of the Regis Center for Art, Thursday December 7th and Friday December 8th, 2006, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day. A wide variety of original student artwork will be available for purchase, including ceramics, prints, photographs, paintings, and more. Arts Quarter is a student arts organization and proceeds not only benefit the student artists but will go towards future shows and different art events held on the West Bank Arts Quarter. Cash and check will be accepted. All sales are final.

Jerrie

November 14, 2006

Newspaper front pages

Look at today's front pages from around the world.

Pretty cool.

http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/

Good tool to pass along to Library patrons who are looking for news sources!

This can be accessed off of the www.lib.umn.edu/journalism and clicking on "Newseum - Interactive Museum of News" link. At this site, click on "Today's Front Pages" to access this tool.

Month of kindness food drive

openarms.gif

Wilson Reserve & Periodicals will celebrating the U's "Month of Kindness" by collecting non-perishable food items. If we meet our goal of at least 50 items (that's around 2 per person), students and staff will receive a surprise treat Dec. 6 - 8. Donations will be accepted at Jerrie's desk through Dec 10, and we will also have a donation jar if you choose to contribute change or cash -- every little bit counts!

Some ideas of what to donate:
* Breakfast bars & other breakfast foods
* Snacks like microwave popcorn, nuts, candy
* High protein foods like canned beans, chili, jerky, canned meats
* Must be non-perishable
* Must be at least 6 months to a year from the expiration date
* Pocket change

The food and cash we collect will be donated to Open Arms of Minnesota, a charitable organization that delivers meals to people in the metro area who are living with chronic illnesses - HIV/AIDS, Breast Cancer, ALS and MS. Many are not able to leave their homes, and Open Arms is their sole source of food and nutrition. Volunteers deliver meals on a daily basis, also bringing cheer and warmth into each person's life.

From the Open Arms website, here is further information about what they accomplish:

"We are proud and excited to be able to provide more than 500 meals to clients each weekday. We delivered nearly 112,000 meals in 2005. In the first six months of 2006, we prepared 66,815 meals, which is 15,000 more meals than in the same period of 2005. Thanks for your support as we deliver food, support and hope to people with HIV/AIDS, breast cancer, MS and ALS in the metro area. With your help, we continue to meet the need."

November is celebrated as the "Month of Kindness" at the University of Minnesota. Students, faculty & staff across the University have spread kindness through service projects, fundraisers, food drives, and clothing drives. Visit Month of Kindness at the U of MN for more information.

November 13, 2006

Popular reading @ Wise Owl Cafe (Walter)

POP_Cover.jpg

A new Popular Reading Collection has jsut been unveiled in the Wise Owl Cafe at Walter Library. Below are a few things the Walter Library Circulation Staff wanted to share with Service Desks throughout the libraries about the new collection:

--The books are shelved by the Author's Last Name in the Wise Owl Cafe in the Basement of Walter Library.
--The item records are not available through the public's view of MNCAT. If staff want to see what titles are available, they could do a search in Aleph "wsc=tscipop" for a list of titles.
--No recalls or renewals are allowed.
--These books have a 2-week loan period.
--Books can be checked-out to U of MN Students, Staff and Faculty. If others try, they will be blocked.

If these books are returned at the desk or book returns please check them in as usual and put them on the "Return to Circulation" shelf. They will be routed back to Walter Library.

Film scanner number 1 removed

The hard drive in film scanner # 1 in the newspaper room failed late last week and has been removed.

It will take approximately one week to replace. Until that happens, there is only one working scanner in that area. The machine can still be used to view microforms, just not scanning. Jerrie

November 10, 2006

Trivia question of the week

Following last week’s trend, we have another question related to current events.

This week we have a two-part question.
1) What country was ranked by the United Nations as the best country to live in? This country has won the honor for the sixth consecutive year, prompting one government minister to tell its citizens to quit whining about wanting more.

2) What other counties make up the top five?


Once again, please send your answers to Jerrie at j-baye@umn.edu

St. Paul Pioneer Press

newspaper.jpg

We have not received the St. Paul Pioneer Press since October 21, 2006.

We are having problems with the vendor who has normally sends us this newspaper. Until this problem is resolved, issues since October 21to the present are not available to Library users.

What if someone needs the St. Paul Pioneer Press?
1) Online database. Users can access this newspaper electronically through an online database. It is updated weekly so may not have the past few issues. Search for "St. Paul Pioneer Press" in MNCat Journals Catalog or e-Journals to access it electronically.
2) Pioneer Press website. Go to twincities.com (the St. Paul Pioneer Press website) to access the paper. This does include today's and the most recent issues. After viewing a few articles, users are prompted to "become a member," which is free.
3) Paper copies at Magrath. Magrath Library (St. Paul Campus) is currently receiving this paper, and they keep the paper copy for the last four weeks. However, they have recently had problems with issues going missing or being vandalized, so call ahead(4-2233) to make sure what the patron needs is actually there.

NOTE: The Journalism Library has not received the St. Paul Pioneer Press since October 20. MNCat says that Journalism Library has the paper for the last 10 days, but this is not true at this time. Do not send patrons to the Journalism Library to get this paper.

Trivia answer

What crucial test did the incoming U.N secretary-general recently pass with much praise from the president of a western European nation?

Parlez-vous francais? If you want to be the U.N secretary-general, the answer better be – mais oui !

French and English are both working languages of the U.N. and France insists that all U.N. secretary-generals speak the diplomatic language of French. After detailed research, Charlie provided the correct answer. Way to go Charlie !


Next week’s trivia will be posted later today. Be sure to check back.

au revoir. Jerrie

November 09, 2006

Money money money

Money_Bags-small.jpg Direct deposit makes it easy for you to get your paycheck quicker and faster. The money goes right into the bank account of your choice. No waiting to pick up your check. No finding time to cash it or take it to the bank. It's quick and easy, and we encourage you to look into it, if you haven't already done so.

To bring the magic of direct deposit into your life today, simply go to http://onestop.umn.edu and click on the secure "Direct Deposit" link on the right-hand sidebar.

Let full time staff know if you have any questions about how to take advantage of this feature.

November 08, 2006

Reserve check-out - another problem

IMPORTANT:

OK, now Aleph is having another problem.

After 4 pm, it checks 2-hr loan reserve books out for just 2 hours, not overnight.

So, you must change the date manually using the "CHange Date" button after 4 pm.

Before 4 pm, things are fine. The 2-hr reserve books are loaned for 2 hours; hence, no problem.

All students comment to indicate you have read this post.

Change date for 2-hr loan Reserve Checkouts

VERY IMPORTANT:

Aleph is having a problem.

As a result, all 2-hour loan reserve items are being checked out for an extra DAY. This is a big problem.

Here is the fix: When you check out a 2-hour item, change the due date using the "Change Date" time to be the correct date.
-- 2 hours later same day if before 4 pm
-- 9 am next day if after 4 pm

You should only have to change the date, not the time.

We will alert you when this problem has been fixed and manually changing the date is no longer necessary.


All students please comment that you have read this.

November 06, 2006

Current awareness trivia

What crucial test did the incoming U.N secretary-general recently pass with praise from the president of a western European nation?

Email your answer to Jerrie at j-baye@umn.edu

The answer (according to the Associated Press) will be posted at the end of the week.

November 03, 2006

Security cameras coming to town...

SecurityCameras.jpg

The following is a note from Sharon Folk, building manager at Wilson Library:

The installation of the surveillance cameras in Wilson Library will begin 6 am Monday 11/06/2006. The project could take 8+ weeks. Tradesmen will be working throughout the building installing electrical conduit, NTS wiring and equipment installation. There will be floor core drilling and hammer drill (through the walls) work which is very loud. They will try to do most of the drilling between 6 am - 9 am. Know that they may need to do drilling at other times also.

While the cameras will be installed only in public areas in order for the conduit and wiring to be connected to the surveillance equipments it will be necessary for the tradesmen to work in the ceiling area of many staff areas. Everyone working on this project knows to have ID with them.

Always feel free to question anyone in your area and to contact any full-time staff with questions/comments/concerns.

Note: The cameras will be installed in all the main public elevator lobby areas plus a camera by the S30 door covering the public hall, the basement hall just beyond the restrooms showing the hall, in first floor and basement lobby covering the library entrances and one in the back area of GPL.

November 02, 2006

Security cameras

SecurityCameras.jpg

Below is a message sent by Wendy, the University Librarian about upcoming installation of security cameras at Wilson Library. Please ready carefully.

I want to bring to your attention a project that is about to begin, an effort that we hope will be of value as part of our work to ensure a safe/secure environment in our libraries.

We have been given the opportunity, through a larger West Bank project, to install surveillance cameras in Wilson Library. Work will begin shortly to install 11 cameras in Wilson. This is part of a University-wide video surveillance program, coordinated by the University's Public Safety office. Cameras are focused on public areas in plain view (stairwells and elevators, lobbies, and public corridors). Camera data are monitored by campus Central Security staff consist with University policies and reasonable expectations of privacy as defined by law. The recorded data are stored in a secure central site with access by authorized personnel only.

Central Security staff tell us that the presence of surveillance cameras is a major deterrent for illegal and disruptive behavior. In addition, the recorded data (which is stored for 30 days) serve as documentation that can be released (only to authorized personal) as part of a criminal investigation or court proceedings.

If you have questions, please talk to Margaret or any Reserve/Periodicals full-time staff.

Wendy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wendy Pradt Lougee
University Librarian / McKnight Presidential Professor
University of Minnesota

November 01, 2006

In the Periodicals Room, there is only light!

What's the last thing to do before closing the reserve desk? Flip all of the light switches off, right? Nope! Make sure that you only flip the switch with orange tape on the far left; the other light switches control the lights in the whole periodical room, and that stays open as long as Wilson Library is open. On sleepless nights, I have seen the Library after close, and I think the lights stay on through the night. So, as I said, in the Periodicals Room, there is only light!

The views and opinions expressed in this page are strictly those of the page author. The contents of this page have not been reviewed or approved by the University of Minnesota.