It's been a while...

... a lot can change in a month, a week, an hour. Mediocre research can become stellar research in a matter of minutes. Now that Shad-Fack is open 24 HOURS, you can visit us anytime, and discover new and better ways rescue research papers. Stop by the Ask Me desk before you reach for that dreaded Wicked-Pedia!

- Andy

Peace of Mind

With all the possible resources, it can be hard to know if you've found ALL of the good stuff. Reaching a level of contentment with a research topic can seem elusive. It may not be possible to find EVERYTHING, but librarians can get you mighty close! Make an appointment with a librarian. We can help you find good print and online resources, and possibly provide some peace of mind.

A Room of One's Own

Many students have told us that the Library could use more group study rooms, and we are happy to tell you that two have been added to the back of the first floor. Both rooms have a large study table, six chairs, overhead lighting, a white board and vintage College photos on the wall.

You can reserve the new rooms (and the 3rd level rooms), and borrow markers and erasers for the white board at the Circulation desk. Enjoy!

Library ... Unplugged!

The plugs have been pulled; the campus is dark. Yet, a light still shines on the Library website! Be sure to check Frequently Asked Questions to learn how to connect to Library resources when off campus. Also, Ask Andy will be available if you have any basic research questions.

Now, if you're all caught up on your classwork, go out and enjoy those autumn leaves!

Sounds of Silence, pt. 2

As you may already know, the 2nd and 3rd levels in Shadek-Fackenthal are quiet study floors. What's interesting is that the entire Library seems to have gone silent, to the point where students are a bit concerned that they are being too loud on the Ground, First and Mezzanine levels. Best bet is to use your best judgment. If you are on the first 3 levels, and if conditions allow, feel free to talk (using library voices of course!). You can also reserve any of our the group study rooms - 4 rooms on the first level, and 3 on the third - at the Circulation Desk.

What's up .DOC?

There have been some problems viewing/editing/printing files on Library computers. Sometimes it's a network issue, but many times there are problems with the way files are handled. This is most noticeable with Word, since most files are .DOCS. Here are a few tips...

- always move files using eDisk or a memory stick, NOT webmail
- be sure files have the proper extension (Word - .doc, Excel - .xls, Powerpoint - .ppt)
- keep file names to eight characters or less, with no spaces or strange punctuation

This term, networking might be a bit faster and opening Word files may be a bit speedier, but give yourself plenty of time to launch and print files. While the Library staff can be magical, we may not be able to perform every miracle in those 5 minutes before class.

5 random pictures

An irregular feature of random Library and College pictures, all taken on the same day.

Setting Summer Sun

Shorter days and cooler mornings can only mean one thing, the start of another Fall term. So much has happened at F&M over the summer, its hard to know where to begin - new tennis courts, lots of interesting digging in front of North Ben, and an almost full roof on the Life Sciences building. If you're a returning student, take a trip over the rusty Armstrong bridge and take a look at College Row.

For new students, the best, first view of campus would be the Library! After you've moved in, stop over with your roommate and we'll give you the grand tour. Oh, and don't tell anyone, but coffee from Jazzman's, sipped while sitting out on Manning Green (front of Library) can be quite pleasant.

(click on picture for larger view of sunset, Berkshires)

*NEW* Library resources

The ARTstor Library's
initial content includes approximately 500,000 images and its software tools support a wide range of pedagogical and research uses.

American Broadsides and Ephemera
Fully searchable facsimile images of approx 15,000 broadsides (political materials) printed 1820-1900 and 15,000 pieces of ephemera printed 1760-1900.

Early American Newspapers
Fully searchable, cover-to-cover reproductions of more than one million pages from more than 650 historical American newspapers, covering titles published 1690-1876.

Clase and Periodica
CLASE indexes documents published in Latin American journals specializing in the social sciences and humanities. PERIODICA covers journals specializing in science and technology.

Westlaw, Campus Research
Includes superior law-related resources, including both primary law and analysis plus news databases arranged topically and geographically. Agree to "Terms of Use" to start search.

XReferPlus -
Digital reference library containing 100 high quality reference books from leading publishers: dictionaries, thesauri, encyclopedias, quotation books, and subject-specific titles.

24 hour power

The angst, the stress, the glory, and THE PICTURES from this term's Shadek-Fackenthal "24/7" extravaganza.

Drive safely, have a great summer, and please ... GET SOME SLEEP!

Word of wisdom

That's right, only one word, and that's....

SAVE

your work! Computers can crash, and eDisk can take a hiatus - and at the worst possible time. With MS Office applications, you can go to Preferences and establish Autorecover, but the best possible strategy is to SAVE CONSTANTLY. Also, its a good idea to periodically restart your computer, and re-establish your eDisk connection.

The campus-wide issue with slow launching Word/Excel/Powerpoint will persist through the end of the term. After many minutes, these applications will open, and will work fine, so be patient.

Please see the ASK ME desk if you are stuck with any computing or research concerns.

It's all about image!

There has been tremendous growth in the number of quality image resources, and an increased interdisciplinary demand for images in research.

Please review this fine resource for library-supported and open-web image resources.

Consult with our Visual Resources Librarian Louise Kulp if you have questions about finding or using digital images.

Friends of the Library Event

(click on pic for larger view)

On April 6, Kathleen Spencer, Adjunct Classics professor and College Librarian Emerita, gave a wonderful talk on the guidebooks of Rome. The packed audience, including students from the most recent class trip, learned about the city's history, architecture, religious and political machinations, all through the various guises of guidebooks from 300 A.D. to present day.

And, as only Kathy could say, "Roma, non basta una vita" or "Rome, a lifetime is not enough!"

A few questions with ... Shauna Lehman

Just a few questions with our super-star, senior, library student assistant ... Shauna!

1. What's your year, major and hometown?
I'm a senior, a Business Admin and Astronomy double major, and I'm from the small town of Orwigsburg, PA.

2. How long have you worked at the library?
I have worked at the library for 4 years.

3. What do you enjoy about working at the library?
The staff!! The staff here really is excellent. They're so down-to-earth and willing to help however they can - and fun!

4. What was the last book that you read just for pleasure?
"Undead and Unwed" by Mary Janice Davidson.

5. If you were to write a book, what would its title be?
"Noncommital - The Difficulties of Wanting It All"

Sounds of Silence

For years students have been asking for comfortable, QUIET space in the Library.

Started Monday 3/20, the Shad-Fack quiet study area was moved to the back of the 2nd and 3rd floors. The ground floor had been the quiet area, but there weren't any tables for groups, lighting was poor, and security was a concern.

Upper levels of libraries tend to be more quiet. There are a number of larger tables, and lighting is much better. Until the campus switches over to AC, on warm days these floors will be warmer.

We will depend on students to self-police these areas. If someone is noisy, kindly ask that they please keep it down. You can certainly ask staff for help, but these sorts of policies are always best enforced by peer pressure.

There have been furniture moves to encourage quiet study. Let us know how this works.

Enjoy the silence!

Hairstyles from the 60s 70s 80s & 90s!

Full-text online access to the student newspaper has been expanded to include 1964-1987, in addition to existing coverage through 2001. There are plans to convert 1940-1963 next.

The College Reporter is a terrific resource for research in the areas of popular culture, as well as local and college history

The word on Word

You may have noticed that when you eDisk login at any of the Library or Martin Workroom computers, Microsoft Word has been SLOW to launch. This is a known problem, which has nothing to do with the integrity of your files. Computing Services is aware of the issue, and is working to find a cure. In the meantime, allow Word to slowly open, then edit and SAVE files like normal. ALWAYS save to your eDisk Desktop, NOT to the local Microsoft Office folder.

In other other news... GoPrint print management was a success last term. Overall printing was reduced 35%, with a LOT less waste. Stop by the ASK ME desk if you have any questions about your printing account.

Wikis and whatnot

There's a lot of good, free stuff on the internet, but also a lot of incorrect stuff. The trick is to understand where the info comes from. Wikipedia, for instance, has become quite popular. Google tends to shoot Wikipedia hits straight to the top of a search. Started by a broker and a philosopher in 2000, Wikipedia was intended to be a source where anyone can contribute, with the intent that entries might improve over time. Contributors are supposed to register, but this doesn't prevent abuse or vandalism. Some of the most frequent authors include high school students. Robert McHenry, former editor of the Encyclopedia Britannica, likens Wikipedia to a, "public restroom, you never know who has been using the facilities."

The intent of Wikipedia is noble, "free information for the world." But the value of any wiki (software that allows users to create and edit web pages using any browser), should be kept in perspective.

Use Wikipedia and Google as tools to brainstorm. Then use valuable Library-supported resources like JStor or Lexis-Nexis to gather peer-reviewed materials, where it's much more likely that reputable fact-checking has occured.

New & improved

ABC-CLIO has upgraded two of our more popular databases, America: History and Life and Historical Abstracts While both resources have HISTORY as a focus, both are excellent for awide range of disciplines.

Neither resource is full-text, but a link to full-text may be available if we subscribe to full-text for the journal title. If a link is not present, we may still have access. Always check Journals, Magazines & Newspapers @ F&M to see if we own a title - online, print or microfilm.

Choose Interlibrary Loan, then Request an Article, to obtain an article from another library if we don't own the journal title.

the HEAT man, the HEAT!

As you know, its been unseasonably warm outside, which doesn't really help the temperatures inside. Some time during the Fall, college facilities turns on the heat for the ENTIRE campus, and doesn't turn it off till some time in the Spring. This means if we get 50-plus degree days outside, the Library gets warm, and progressively warmer as you go upstairs.

The rest of this week is supposed to stay around 50 for highs, so the Library will remain warm, till maybe next week when we might again see 20-40 degree days.

Only suggestion... dress in layers!

*NEW* reference resource

xreferplus is a digital reference library that places a world of factual information at your fingertips. Containing 100 high-quality reference books from the world's leading publishers: dictionaries, encyclopedias, thesauri, and books of quotations, not to mention a host of subject-specific titles covering everything from the arts and literature to technology.

Xtreme Ben

In case you're feeling instant-nostalgia for BEN300, you can visit this wonderful website...

"In order to commemorate Benjamin Franklin's 300th birthday, the Government Printing Office (GPO) has enhanced Ben's Guide to U.S. Government (http://bensguide.gpo.gov). Help Ben blow out his birthday candles and then enter the new mini site, Learn About Ben. Read the expanded biography of Ben the statesman, Ben the inventor, and learn about his childhood. Link off to other Ben Franklin Web sites, play a few games, or peruse the list of books about Franklin."

choose Comments for more...

Brand new term

Hope everyone had a restful time off. Of course the "Franklin Experiment" is in a few days, that should be fun. The Library staff returned January 3rd to get everything ready for the new term. ASK ANDY on IM is back in business. As always, if you have questions about anything, feel free to ASK. If you'd like to spout off anonymously, TELL US! is also available.



In case you missed it, 24 Hour pics from last term.