Citation Machine in Critical Condition....

feared dead.
Citatation Machine, the popular web site that magically creates MLA and APA format, is down. Here are some alternatives:

• The library has all citation manuals on reserve at the circulation desk and reference desk.
• Here is a page of examples from the library.... and that page has a number of helpful links at the bottom, like the Online Writing Lab at Purdue.
• Ask a reference librarian for assistance.
  

For I'm to be queen of the May, mother, I'm to be queen of the May...

May 1 is many things to many people. At Slippery Rock State Teachers College in 1955, it signified a May Day celebration with a queen and court, a maypole dance, and various recitations on the lawn in front of North Hall. These photos are from the 1955 Saxigena, available in the Reference room.

May 1 is also...

• Law Day
• Lei Day
• Labour Day (in Canada and elsewhere)
• Loyalty Day
• Love Day (in the Czech Republic)

...and the title quote is from Tennyson's May Queene, which you could find in a collection of Tennyson's poems somewhere around PR 5550 F72, if it wasn't the last week of classes and you had a spare second to read for pleasure, never mind prancing around on the lawn in front of North Hall.

A New Database in Town: WDI Online

WDI Online is the premiere data source on the global economy. It contains statistical data for over 550 development indicators and time series data from 1960-2002 for over 200 countries and 18 country groups. Data includes social, economic, financial, natural resources, and environmental indicators. Data selection screens are intuitive and easy to use. Results can be scaled, indexed against a particular year, viewed by percentage change, and charted. These features plus data export options in standard formats like Excel make WDI Online the most useful tool yet for researching developmental data.

You can find WDI Online on the Bailey Library website - select JOURNAL ARTICLES/DATABASES, then select it from the alphabetical list of databases. Or, try your new department portal from the library website by selecting SUBJECT RESOURCE PAGES on the library homepage. WDI Online is only available on campus.

For more information about WDI Online contact the business liaison, Cathy Rudowsky, x2657, catherine.rudowsky@sru.edu.

NOTE: All subscription databases are reviewed on a yearly basis at the time of renewal. Usage statistics are one factor considered before databases are renewed.

Administrative Professionals' Day

Here's a story about a library worker whose shelf reading might pay off...


and here is a big THANK YOU to all the people who keep our library running like a well-oiled machine: Christine, Joe, Kathy, Kathy, Rita, Barb, Kevin, Dorothy Ann, Ellen, Mary, Dorothy, and Sherry.

New Trial Database...

A 30-day trial is now available for SocIndex, a new sociology index available from Ebsco. Please send any comments or feedback to Lynn Hoffmann.

Wanted: A Mint Copy of Electronics magazine, 1965

Librarians are upset with Intel--for broadcasting a $10,000 bounty for the issue of Electronics magazine in which Gordon Moore first stated his famous law about the number of transistors per square inch doubling every year. Unfortunately, this caused a rash of thefts at academic libraries around the world and has had the effect of making this original information inaccessible to future researchers. The librarians wish the offer had been handled more discreetly than a public post on ebay.

We Are Very Proud...

of our student library employees and the contributions they make to the library. Every year, we recognize their scholastic achievements with an honors web page. View this year's crop of library scholars here... created by graduate assistant Sally Hoople and website student assistant Jason Neel.

Author Visit a Big Success...

Arnold and Jaime Adoff visited campus last Wednesday and spoke to a capacity crowd at the Alumni House. On Thursday, they visited Musser Elementary School in Sharon, where they received a warm welcome. Check for photos here...

And a shout out to our sponsors: Dr. Jay Hertzog and the College of Education; Dr. Christophas Walker and the Frederick Douglass Institute; Dr. Diana Dreyer and the Kaleidoscope Arts Festival; Mr. Philip Tramdack and Bailey Library; and Dr. Lee Williams and the Teresa Heinz Endowment. Special thanks to Beth Thompson of Gallery 164 for handling the book sale and signing. The event was organized by Dr. Bernice Brown and Mrs. Melba Tomeo as part of their ongoing effort to bring multicultural children's authors to the campus and community.

I Can't Keep Up!

Seems that I missed World Book Day yesterday...

Saturday Night At the Movies...

Here's an interesting article from Boston.com on the "Books Brothers," Chip and Mike Flaherty, who are responsible for some of the recent films based on children's books, like Holes and Because of Winn Dixie.

Also, here is a link to an obscure library movie starring Parker Posey-- Party Girl--a likable film that combines the underground club scene in New York with the Dewey Decimal system.

Late Nights at the Library....

There is ongoing "discussion" about a pilot project to extend the library's hours to 2:00 am, Sundays through Thursdays, in the fall. Check out the online Rocket for some opinion... Read the Library Director's reply... And as always, you are invited to post a comment below.

Dogwoods in Bloom...

And posted on Flickr...a free photo hosting site..share, search, sort. Dogwoods in Bloom and Accompanying Music (from NPR)

A Bounty of Bloggy Goodness...

Time to spring clean the blog closet:

• The Acronym Finder
• James Madison Online (from the New York Times)
• Ten Tips for Donating Your Old Computer or Donate Your Old Cell Phone (from Tech Soup and Lifehacker)
• Beautiful Jim Key, a horse that could read
• Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day
• MoOM: The Museum of Online Museums

Do Libraries Still Matter?

A report on the past (Andrew Carnegie's program to provide libraries across the country) and the future (are we still relevant?) is provided in this issue of Carnegie Reporter.

You can voice your opinion about the future of the library at today's open forum, 3-5 in the Special Collections room.

Coming in Last...

We missed the 109th Boston Marathon on Monday. If you would like to catch up, check some of these resources:

The Boston Marathon Site
Marathon Training by Joe Henderson. GV 1065.17 T73 H45 2004
The Olympic Marathon by David Martin and Roger Gynn. GV 1065 M39 2000
Training Distance Runners by David Martin and Peter Coe. GV 1065.17 T73 M37 1991

A marathon of a different type is depicted in:
Dance of the Sleepwalkers: The Dance Marathon Fad. GV 1623 C25 1993
They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (starring Jane Fonda) VC 2966

A Busy Week at the Library... Please Join Us!

• Monday, April 18: Joe E. LaRocca, a native of North East, and a 1953 graduate of Slippery Rock Univesrity, will return to his alma mater for three days, starting Monday [April 18] to detail his recently published book "Alaska Agonistes: The age of Petroleum," subtitled "How Big Oil Bought Alaska." Mr. LaRocca will be speaking in the Special Collections room of the Library at 2:00 pm. More info here...
• Monday, April 18 and Wednesday, April 20: The SRU Future Library Committee will hold two forums open to students, faculty and staff about planning under way now to renovate Bailey Library. This is a chance to say what you think about the library today and to tell how you think the library should be upgraded for the future. The forums will be from 7 to 9 p.m. April 18 and 3 to 5 p.m. April 20 in the library’s Special Collections Room. More info here...
• Wednesday, April 20: Award winning children's authors Arnold and Jaime Adoff will appear at the Alumni House from 7:00 to 8:00 pm, sponsored by the Library, the College of Education, the Frederick Douglass Institute, Kaleidoscope Arts Festival, and the Teresa Heinz Endowment. A book sale and signing will follow the presentation and refreshments will be provided. More info here...

Mystify Your Friends...

Student library worker Abe Burnsworth shared the following mathematical puzzle:

Grab a calculator and enter the first 3 digits of your phone number (not your area code);
Multiply by 80;
Add 1;
Multiply by 250;
Add the last 4 digits of your phone number;
Add the last 4 digits of your phone number again;
Subtract 250;
and divide it all by 2.
You should recognize the result.

For more baffling math action, check out Kepler's conjecture: How some of the greatest minds in history helped solve one of the oldest math problems in the world (QA 93 S97 2003) or Anno's math games (793.7 A6154). And if you can figure out how this trick works, please tell us!

It is Friday after all...

And time for more irrelevant library news!

Here's a survey on tattooed librarians....

more here...

Hear Groucho Marx's immortal tribute to Lydia, O Lydia, the encyclopedia...Lydia, the queen of tattoo...here.

or better yet, borrow the entire film classic, A Night at the Opera, remastered on DVD, from the IMC (DVD 156.)

No Poem as Lovely as a Tree...

Here are resources for Arbor Day, Earth Day, the Earth Day Network, and Earth Day Every Day.

It's National Poetry Month..

Take a poem to lunch.

Or check out this free poetry resource from Gale, The Poet's Corner.
Or read this newly discovered poem by Tennessee Williams. He wrote it in the back of an exam booklet when he was in college.
Or check out this official National Poetry Month site from Infoplease.
Or check out one of thousands of poetry books from the library, sit in the sun, and enjoy.

Read a Life

I really enjoy a good autobiography. I've had memoirs on my mind because I'm currently reading Barbara Bush's 1994, Memoir (available at E883.B87.A3.1994 in Bailey Library). Whether or not you agree with her politically, she has lead an intriguing life..from post World War II wife of a Yalie, to two years in China in the early 70s, to one term in the White House. Her experiences provide sometimes fascinating insights into political and social Washington, diplomatic life behind the Iron Curtain, and travel, travel, travel. Other autobiographies that have challenged and/or intrigued me and that quickly come to mind include Joan Anderson's A Year by the Sea: Thoughts of an Unfinished Woman (F72.C3.A73.1999x), Anne LaMott's Traveling Mercies, and Lauren F. Winner's Girl Meets God (the last two available in the Bailey Library Reading Room). Way back when (in high school actually), I read Eldridge Cleaver's Soul on Ice (E185.97.C6) and couldn't put it down. Another that touched me was James McBride's tribute to his mother, The Color of Water.
I'm always open to book suggestions...anyone have any autobiographies you'd recommend I read? I firmly believe that you can always learn something from another's life experiences!

Arnold and Jaime Adoff to Visit...

Noted children's poet and editor, Arnold Adoff, and his son, young adult author Jaime Adoff, will be visiting our campus next Wednesday, April 20. The Adoffs will be speaking at the Alumni House from 7:00-8:00, with a book sale and signing to follow. Arnold Adoff was one of the first to publish multicultural poetry for children. On Thursday, they will be visiting Musser Elementary School in Sharon.

This event is co-sponsored by the College of Education, the Frederick Douglass Institute, Bailey Library, the Kaleidoscope Festival, and the Teresa Heinz Endowment. Dr. Bernice Brown, Elementary Education, and Melba Tomeo, Education Librarian, organized the event.

Find out more about the Adoffs here and here.

Let's Get This Party Started...

Free access to 30 Thomson Gale databases for National Library Week!

Yahoo by a Nose...

The 5th annual search engine awards....

On a Lighter Note...

unless you are counting carbs and calories, today's strange Friday news...edible books. Apparently, the festivities are part of the upcoming Library Week celebration.

Hint: National Library Week, April 10-16. We accept gifts. Believe it or not, there are National Library Week e-cards available here.

4-Alarm Fire at Homewood Carnegie Library...

An electrical fire broke out at the recently renovated Homewood branch of the Carnegie Public Library in Pittsburgh today.

Future Library Committee to Hold Open Forums...

The SRU Future Library Committee will hold two forums open to students, faculty and staff about planning under way now to renovate Bailey Library. This is a chance to say what you think about the library today and to tell how you think the library should be upgraded for the future. The forums will be from 7 to 9 p.m. April 18 and 3 to 5 p.m. April 20 in the library’s Special Collections Room (second floor). The committee began meeting in January to plan the library renovations. The committee is considering the existing building's qualities and is writing a plan to make the future library functional, flexible, inviting and fun. Those with additional views are welcome. For more information e-mail Philip Tramdack, library director.

Tax Man...

Here's a link to free filing, if you qualify, courtesy of your friendly IRS and Lifehacker.

Also, the Library home page has links to all forms, instructions, etc. and our friendly Government Documents librarian sets up a table of paper forms right outside of the reference room every year (thanks, Jane!) -- now you have no excuse--the April 15 deadline is looming.

If you recognize the headline on this post as a Beatles song, find the lyrics here and here and here...and sing along.

Pulitzer Prize Winners

The Pulitzer Prize winners were announced on Monday. Check here for the winners in letters, drama, and music.

In John Steinbeck's birthplace...

a community struggles to save its public libraries from budget cuts. From the New York Times.

So Many Search Engines...

...so little time.





Try this combination of Google and Yahoo, producing side-by-side results or check out this listing by Phil Bradley via Lifehacker--a search engine for every occasion.

Research Paying Off...

The best-selling doctoral dissertations of 2003...

Are you a "C" student? Or a Klingon?

This feature from MS-NBC discusses some of the oddball scholarships available for college students, including David Letterman's financial aid for Ball State students majoring in communications with a "C" average, $500 available to language students from the Klingon Language Institute, $1500 from the American Sheep Industry for knitting an outfit, and $5,000 for creating a prom ensemble from duct tape.

If none of the above applies to you, ask a friendly reference librarian to help you search for something more appropriate.

UPDATE: The Twinkies Scholarship!

It's All About Us...

What do librarians do all day? Find out in the Occupational Outlook Handbook or A Day in the Life of a Happy Librarian from NPR...
Think you have the right stuff? Check out library schools all over the U.S. and Canada.
Recommended reading from librarian.net... The Librarian, a new thriller about stealing a presidential election, and The Feel Good Librarian, a blog from a reference desk in a midwestern library, reflecting on the ups and downs of daily library life.

One more..."When Spring Comes to the Library" and other library songs from Rob Lopresti.

Spring forward into that good night!

And here's why... from the Librarian's Index to the Internet.