New Trial Database

Bailey Library has a trial (10/19-11/18/04) for the Oxford Dictionary
of National Biography Online.

The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (DNB) Online is an illustrated collection of 50,000 specially written biographies of the men and women who shaped all aspects of Britain's past, from the fourth century BC to the year 2000 (excluding living people). The online edition includes all articles from the original print edition (1884-1990), most rewritten. New biographies will continue to be added.

The American equivalent, American National Biography, is available through the Library's Journal Article Database page.

The link can be found on the Library's database trial page.

Comments and feedback to Lynn Hoffmann please....

Read more about the Curse of the Bambino...

BOOKTIP: A quick search of the online catalog unearthed these treasures:

• A history of the Boston baseball club (1897) by George V. Tuohey. GV 865 R8 W3
• The encyclopedia of major league baseball team histories (1991) by Peter C. Bjarkman. Includes a chapter on the Boston Red Sox and "baseball's most potent myth". REF GV 875 A1 E53 1990
• Babe Ruth, his life and legend (1974) by Kal Wagenheim. GV 865 R8 W3
• The Babe Ruth story (1948) by Babe Ruth, as told to Bob Considine. GV 865 R8 A3
• Babe Ruth: the big moments of the big fellow (1947) by Tom Meany. GV 865 R8 M4

Read the blog of an ebullient Red Sox fan at The Curse of the Bambino...

Just in time for Halloween...

The Moonlit Road
"Ghost stories and strange folktales of the American South, told by the region's most celebrated storytellers. ... The Moonlit Road is also an online storehouse of Southern culture and folklore. Follow the 'cultural background' links from the story pages to find out more about where each story comes from." The stories are provided in text and in streaming audio files. Registration (free) required to access the archived text versions; the audio versions are not archived.

Knowing Poe
Be still, my telltale heart...this excellent online learning experience was produced by Maryland Public Television. Turn up your speakers and enjoy!

Wiki Wiki = Quick in Hawaiian

A revolution is underway in the reference section (and collaborative authoring and editing are behind it all)...read more about the wikipedia here.

From the Archives...

Homecoming 1956, as pictured in the 1957 Saxigena...

Yearbooks and other historical documents relating to the University can be found in the Archives Department, recently relocated to Room 318, on the third floor of Bailey Library. Contact Librarian Judy Silva or Kevin McLatchy for more information.

Business Source Premier Presentation

ABI/Inform, a ProQuest product, will no longer be available beginning November 1, 2004. Instead, Bailey Library offers access to Business Source Premier (BSP), an EBSCO product. SRU is not alone in making this transition as universities across the country are also replacing ABI with BSP. Here is a list of just a few: University of California, Rutgers, Boston College, Ohio State University, and Denison.

We would like to invite any interested individuals to a Business Source Premier (BSP) presentation on Monday, October 25 at 3:00 in Eisenberg 119. An EBSCO representative will provide a comparison of ABI and BSP, an overview of other universities making the change and the reasons why, as well as BSP training. The presentation will be under an hour, and the representative will stay around to answer questions and/or provide more training.

We hope to see you all there!

Marjorie Stephenson Scholarship Tea

Marjorie Stephenson was a professor and librarian at Slippery Rock University from 1971-1978 and made provision in her will for undergraduate scholarships, with priority given to diverse applicants. This year's outstanding recipients--Namiko Tsukidate, Laurel Mitchell, Charnese Jackson (pictured left to right) and Jorrell Kemp--were honored on Wednesday, October 20, at a tea held in the Special Collections room. More information on the Stephenson scholarship here....


Photo by Karl Schwab, University Public Relations

Become a Bestselling Novelist in 30 days...

The goal of this literary project is to write a 50,000 word novel between midnight on November 1 and November 30. The site includes a word count tool and motivational forums.

http://www.nanowrimo.org/modules/cjaycontent/index.php?id=29

From the All Things Google Dept.

Google Desktop Search Launched
Google released a new Google Desktop Search tool recently that allows people to scan their computers for information in the same way they use Google to search the web--including the ability to search email in Outlook.

Map of the Month

Each month the Pennsylvania State Data Center, which serves as the official source of demographic and economic data for the Commonwealth, designates a Map of the Month. These maps, which provide diverse data on a variety of subjects, are linked from the Data Center's home page at http://pasdc.hbg.psu.edu/index.html. Simply choose the What's New link on the left side of the page--from there you can link to a list of these helpful maps. This month's map, which depicts the kinds of voting systems available in each of Pennsylvania's counties, is a timely example.

Recommended Reading...

The National Book Foundation
This organization's programs include the National Book Awards and National Book Month (both held in October). The site features lists of award winners from 1950 to present (some with links to essays and acceptance speeches), reading lists and trivia for National Book month, features such as "100 Life-Changing Books" and "The Book That Changed My Life," and information about the organization's other programs and publications.

from the Librarian's Index to the Internet

Pumpkins...

Little kids and pumpkins were rolling all over the second floor of the Library on Saturday. Read more about the Early Childhood club's successful event...

Pumpkins and More...from the Librarian's Index to the Internet, a classified index to reliable, authoritative web sites.

Library Lookup Bookmarklet

Here's a neat trick--by dragging this bookmarklet SRU Library (a combination bookmark and java applet) to your Internet Explorer Links toolbar, you can automatically check a book you have found on amazon.com to see if it is in our online catalog. You may have to right click the Links toolbar to unlock it. Want to know how it works and why? Check out Jon Udell's library blog, Library Lookup...

Bailey Library ... why do we have satellite dishes on the roof?

WELCOME

Welcome to the Bailey Library blog, an experiment in campus communication. It works like this...we post library news and events, tips on using library and internet resources, reading recommendations, various bits of library arcana...and you get to comment (without being shushed).