How Can You Help Katrina's Victims?

FEMA today released a list of organizations that are working to aid victims in the hurricane-ravaged south and are soliciting cash donations. Their web site is also a source for current information, especially if you know someone who needs assistance in the aftermath of Katrina.

Trial for Britannica Online...

from Lynn Hoffmann:
We have a trial of the online version of Britannica at http://academics.sru.edu/library/Trial_Databases/05.htm. It runs through September 30.

Web Resources for Katrina...

audio, video, and links, via Resource Shelf.

IM for Research Help

Need some help on a research project? Not sure how to find the article you need for an assignment? You can IM a librarian at AOL screen name SruBaileyLibrary anytime between 9 am and 9 pm Monday through Thursday, 9 am to 4:30 pm on Fridays, and 1 pm to 9 pm on Sundays.

She Works Hard for a Living...

ehrenreich
Originally uploaded by Tomes.

On Saturday, the new freshman class participated in SRU's inaugural one-book program. Author Barbara Ehrenreich spoke to facilitators in the morning, addressed the freshman class in the afternoon, and signed books in the library reference room. Small discussion groups met all over campus. Snaps and props to the Enrollment Services division, Dr. Yale, April Longwell, and Cathy Brinjak for making this event happen... it's a wonderful way to raise awareness of social issues, promote civic engagement, and set an academic tone for our new students. The librarians love all activities that encourage reading!

I have referred to the pathfinder that the librarians prepared previously, but thought some might find this site interesting....the worst jobs in history. There's a quiz to see how well suited you are to professions like bog iron hunter or rat catcher.

Welcome Back...

and we have so much to tell you! First, the library is going to be open extended hours... Sunday through Thursday until 2 am! This initiative was proposed and supported by SGA and will begin in early September. Book circulation and all computers (except laptops) will be available.

Second, the Friends of Bailey Library are planning a used book sale, Sept. 14-16. This year's sale will include hardbacks, paperbacks, audiovisuals, and children's materials. (Big housecleaning in the Instructional Materials Center!)

Stay tuned for more details on both items...

Blog Break...

The blog will return on August 29, as classes begin again. Thanks to all of our devoted readers...

Can't Let the Weekend Go By...

without posting some library miscellanea.

• Love in the Library...a wedding story, via LISNews and flickr.
• The Mighty Librarian...a weighty story, via LISnews and Northeastern University News.
• Unfortunate Children's Books...adults only, via flickr.
• Library Laffs...via flickr.

New Ways to Cite ERIC resources...

From Mesoj, Education Librarian blogger:
Just when you thought it was safe to cite ERIC the same old way...
Since the EDRS (ERIC Document Reproduction Service) is now extinct since ERIC's reorganization, Kate Corby (Education and Psychology Bibliographer of Michigan State University Libraries) has informed the EBSS-L discussion list members of the APA's new preferred citation format for sources retrieved in ERIC. (Thanks, Kate!)
Provided on consultation with the American Psychological Association, following are two examples which we expect will be added soon to the APA Style page:

For technical reports obtained through ERIC online:
Mead, J. V. (1992). Looking at old photographs: Investigating the
teacher tales that novice teachers bring with them (Report No.
NCRTL-RR-92-4). East Lansing, MI: National Center for Research on
Teacher Learning. Retrieved July 21, 2005, from the ERIC database. (ERIC
No. ED346082)

For journal article obtained through ERIC online:
Klassen, R. M. (2004). A cross-cultural investigation of the efficacy
beliefs of South Asian immigrant and Anglo Canadian nonimmigrant early
adolescents. Journal of Educational Psychology, 96, 731-742. Retrieved
July 21, 2005, from the ERIC database. (ERIC No. EJ685035)

New Content in ERIC

ERIC is pleased to announce that the ERIC database at www.eric.ed.gov is now being updated with new 2004 and 2005 education-related materials. ERIC has added 5,400 new bibliographic journal records (320 journal articles are available in full-text), and an additional 1,100 free full-text documents from publishers and organizations that signed new authorization agreements with ERIC this year. More agreements are in progress with previous providers to ERIC and newly identified sources of high-quality education literature. The ERIC database is updated weekly with newly acquired materials.
The ERIC updates add more than 200 comprehensively indexed journals to the database, including titles from publishers such as Blackwell, Taylor & Francis, Baywood, and other distinguished publishers of education journals. Most of the newly added articles are peer reviewed. Peer-reviewed materials can now be easily identified by checking the new "Peer Reviewed" field in the ERIC Search Results.
In addition to indexed journals, ERIC is recognized for its wealth of grey literature resources that are not included in other major databases. Grey literature orginates from a wide variety of contributing organizations, including the U.S. Department of Education, federal, state, and private entities including: the Government Accounting Office, the Education Commission for the States, the Council of Chief State School Officers, Educational Testing Service, the Success for All Foundation, and the Southern Regional Education Board, among others. Submitted materials include research reports, conference papers, dissertations, literature reviews, and other documents in education.
Visit the News section of the ERIC Web site at www.eric.ed.gov for quick links to information on new content, lists of ERIC journals, and other recent enhancements. Notable new features include improvements to the ERIC search function, and Journals Indexed in ERIC. In addition to these features, more enhancements are under development and will be announced this summer in the ERIC Web site's News section.

Nickel and Dimed Pathfinder...

NDBanner
Originally uploaded by Tomes.

A reminder...if you are participating in the first year one-book program activities on August 27, you might find our pathfinder useful for author information, book reviews, discussion questions, background issues, and tips on leading book discussion groups.

The pathfinder was prepared by Librarians Martina Nicholas, Cathy Rudowsky, and Melba Tomeo. Librarian Lynn Hoffmann also contributed an annotated bibliography of Barbara Ehrenreich's articles and other works.

Quiet in August...

Belfast Library
Originally uploaded by alittam.

Bailey Library is pretty quiet in August when summer sessions are over... but here are some stories about other libraries, other campuses... (The photo of Belfast Library comes from flickr.com, the free photo-sharing site.)

The College Library of Tomorrow, from CNet...

OCLC (Online Computer Library Center, headquartered in Ohio ) helps bring state-of-the-art technology to Iraq's libraries from Resource Shelf...

From today's Chronicle of Higher Education, professors lament their students' use of the Internet for research and praise their own use of the Internet for research...

Annual Pennsylvania Data User Conference

I received an announcement from the Pennsylvania State Data Center today about an upcoming conference September 20 at the Holiday Inn Harrisburg/Hershey. According to their release, the conference is "Pennsylvania’s most comprehensive single-day forum for the latest research and developments in demographic data."

"The annual, day-long event," the release continues, "includes multiple breakout and training sessions designed to inform data users of the most up-to-date technologies and procedures for locating and utilizing Pennsylvania data. Experts will address many topics ranging from information resources to public policy implications and economic/community development issues.
The conference is also an opportunity for those attending to become familiar with the American Community Survey (ACS), a major part of the Census Bureau’s re-engineered 2010 census plan. ACS, which has already begun a phased rollout, will replace the census long form currently collected every 10 years and will provide yearly socio-economic data.
The keynote speaker for the conference will be Dr. Martin Shields, director of the Center for Economic and Community Development and assistant professor of agricultural and regional economics at Penn State. Dr. Shields will discuss Update on PA: The Road to 2005, The Economy, Jobs, Income, Population, and Forecasts. This publication is the 17th in an annual series intended as a ready reference for business, banks, development groups, public officials, educators, and concerned citizens.
The opening speaker, Dr. Linda Jacobsen, is Director of Domestic Programs at the Population Reference Bureau in Washington, D.C. The bureau is a leader in providing timely and objective information on U.S. and international population trends and their implications. Dr. Jacobsen will discuss an upcoming bulletin that the Population Reference Bureau is publishing on the American Community Survey.
Breakout sessions will include: agricultural statistics, the 2002 Economic Census, and the current population survey of rural Pennsylvania. Additional sessions will explain to data users the different sources available to help locate elusive data from past censuses and provide an in-depth analysis of migration data.
For registration and information, visit the web at http://www.pasdc.hbg.psu.edu."

Librarians Rule the World...

glasses
Originally uploaded by Tomes.

is the title of a song found here... via the Librarian in Black blog, via Blake Carver's LIS News, via a blog site called "Songs to Wear Pants to," where someone will write a song on any subject at your request.. It's only 37 seconds long and pretty darn catchy. Sing along, if you like... or you can dance if you want to...

More Pittsburgh News...

Stephen Foster's Sketchbook has been digitized by the University of Pittsburgh's Digital Library. Readers can browse the lyrics, music, and notes for 64 songs, some unpublished. Enjoy the works of America's first composer...

The Invisible Library...

catalog
Originally uploaded by Tomes.

A catalog of books that only exist within other books...pseudobiblia!

sent in by Sean McGurr, graphic novel author and reviewer

For First Years...

• Design your dorm room online.... from the Washington Post
• What to Bring... from SFGate.com
• Be grateful it is 2005, not 1942, when freshmen had to wear beanies and a sign around their necks...