Final Exam Week University Library Hours

Sunday  Nov 30th 2.00pm to midnight

Monday Dec. 1st 8:00am to midnight

Tuesday Dec 2nd 8:00am to midnight

Wed Dec 3rd 8:00am to midnight

Thurs Dec 4th 8.00am to midnight

Friday Dec 5th 8:00am to 5:00pm

Is it too early for New Year resolutions?

Tired of hunting and pecking on your keyboard when trying to write a lengthy paper? Wish you could type quickly and effectively? Try powertyping, let me know what you think!

How did you find us?

Good Luck on this weeks finals!

So, here we already at the holiday season. A time for fun, family and shopping. But between this wonderful time and you loom finals week. Well we found some tips for you to get through it!

1. Don’t Panic- this is only a COMPONENT of your final grade. Of course if you have been slacking off all semester, then that is a whole other issue (see my time management post).

2. Don’t be too relaxed- ok so I said don’t panic, not slack off. It may be up to 30% of your grade. Do all you can to be prepared, you know what your weaknesses are!

3. Make time to do your usual routines- especially one that are healthy like exercise. Go for your morning jog, etc.

4. Use the study method that works for you- this is not the time to practice new techniques

5.  Sleep- plenty of it, cramming and all nighters just make you jittery and tired.

6. Don’t procrastinate- if your exam is next week START NOW.

7. Arrive on time- you need every minute of the exam time, plus who wants to be embarrassed and disturbing others?

8. See the second link below on good exam taking.

9. Don’t worry about others finishing first- it doesn’t mean anything. Take the time you need.

10. When you are done, let it go.

And enjoy your holiday! Be safe and we will see you in the spring!

(http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/ohe/library/mental/finals.htm)

(http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/ohe/library/mental/essay.htm)

Celebrate Banned Books

September and October came and went in a blurr. I hope all of you have been productive and well. The library experiencing a very busy semester with new changes like the opening of the John C. Favalora Archive and Museum. We have barely a chance to catch our breath when the “librarian holiday” as I like to call it arrived. Oh yes, banned books week. Once a year, in the last week of September, the American Library Association (ALA) observes the freedom to read. It is a freedom that many take for granted. This years title is Closing books Shuts Out Ideas.

“Banned Books Week (BBW) celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them” (ALA, 2008)

Every year a list is published of the books that have been challenged. We posted this list and some of the book we hold on a display in the reference area of the library.

COME CHECK IT OUT!

It often requires more courage to read some books than it does to fight a battle.
— Sutton Elbert GRIGGS (1872-1930)

Throw it in your backpack…

After speaking at length with my first year students, I realize they all seem to have a common challenge, staying organized! Well I have news folks, most people at some point face this problem until they find a solution that works for them. I am still plagued by post-it notes and a mess of ants I can’t get rid of. But I digress.

Is it surprising that in the age of log-ins, pins, and digital information that we find ourselves frustrated confused and yes..late? I have found, albeit by accident, but why split hairs, a program that claims it will keep track of research, project ideas, forms, procedures, expenses and receipts, and even lunch menus! Take out anyone? Check it out http://www.backpackit.com/examples

Hablas español?

Did you take a year or two of a foreign language in high school? Do you wish you can retain what you learned and be able to improve through practice? Now you can! Learn spanish, or another popular language  with the following free program.

Livemocha is the “social” way to learn a new language. It is an online learning community, with interactive lessons help you track your progress. The neat thing is that your teachers are native speakers! For those of you that are shy they offer self study as well. So far you can choose from the following languages English, French, Hindi, German, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese with more to come.

Buena Suerte¡

Google’s New Open Source Web Browser- Chrome

The buzz in the online community is about the new browser Google has come up with called Chrome, it will compete with Explorer and Firefox. Although the site is not live, word on the street is that the beta version will go live tonight. This is all well and good, but some may wonder what exactly does open source mean? “It is a program in which the source code is available to the general public for use and/or modification from its original design free of charge” (Calgary, 2008).   

Google’s Chrome boasts of:

·     a browser that “will include a JavaScript Virtual Machine called V8

·     will use special tabs

·     an address bar with auto-completion features

·     as a default homepage Chrome presents you with a kind of “speed dial” feature, similar to the one of Opera

·     privacy mode; Google says you can create an “incognito” window “and nothing that occurs in that window is ever logged on your computer

·     Web apps can be launched in their own browser window without address bar and toolbar

·     To fight malware and phishing attempts, Chrome is constantly downloading lists of harmful sites” (Lenssen, 2008)

While the beta version will be using Windows in as many as 100 countries, it will eventually be available for Mac and Linux (BBC, 2008).

What do you think? Are more choices better? Does Google now have control over too much? Why or why not?  I look forward to seeing your responses.

This will be the site address, although as of right now it is not up.

  

http://www.google.com/chrome

 

(2008), from Calgary Commerce Services Web site: http://www.calgary-ecommerce-services.com/glossary.html

(2008). Google launches internet browser . Retrieved September 2, 2008, from BBC News Web site: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7593106.stm

Lenssen, Philipp (2008). Google Blogscoped. Retrieved September 2, 2008, Web site: http://blogoscoped.com/google-blog.html

Swisher, K (2008). The Entire Google Chrome Browser Blog AnnouncementPosted at 2:15 PM PT on September 1, 2008 . Retrieved September 2, 2008, from Boomtown Web site: http://kara.allthingsd.com/20080901/the-entire-google-chrome-blog-announcement/

 

 

 

 

 

Attention Scrabble junkies!

If you are addicted to Scrabble, you can now play the game electronically at Tuxwordsmith for free, in many languages. You get English Scrabble, French Scrabble, German Scrabble, Italian Scrabble, Greek Scrabble, Latin Scrabble, Dutch Scrabble, Swahili Scrabble, Spanish Scrabble, Russian Scrabble, Ukranian Scrabble, Swedish Scrabble, Icelandic Scrabble, Norwegian Scrabble, Finnish Scrabble, Brazillian-Portuguese Scrabble, Arabic Scrabble, Hindi Scrabble, Turkish Scrabble, Czech Scrabble, Kurdish Scrabble, Hungarian Scrabble …whew thats alot of scrabble!

Sláinte,

-stublogger

Stars are the limit!

Astronomy comes alive using a free simulation software that let’s you explore our universe in three dimensions. Its called Celestia and it is free! Travel the stars, the zoom feature lets you explore space across a huge range of scales, it comes with a huge catalog of stars, galaxies, planets, asteriods, comets and spacecraft. And you can add dozens of installs.

Get control in of your time!

Time Management is a skill

A new start to the semester brings new classes, new professors, perhaps a new job, and add that the obligations to friends and family. How will you remember it all? How can you get it together before you forget something important? Dustin Wax, a contributing editor and project manager at lifehack.org and a Professor of  anthropology and women’s studies in Las Vegas, NV came  up with a four part system that will organize your time. His step by step system is found at the following address. http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/12-hours-to-better-time-management.html

And that is what I am doing this weekend!

Nice to have all of you back have a great and productive fall semester!

“To know where you can find a thing is the chief part of learning”

That was an anonymous quote. And is very true especially in the library. How many times did we hear “I can’t find the reference desk” (space was not clearly marked) , “we need more power outlets”, “we need more study areas”.

So this summer we dedicated  hours (and hard work) to the re-organization of many sections of the library, so that you can have a comfortable and attractive place to learn. The reference area is the most obvious effort, the reference desk has moved to give users more privacy when asking questions. The reference computers now have full Microsoft products such as Word and Excel (previously available only upstairs in the lab). There is a new audiovisual space where all of the reference videos and DVDs are together. There is a new study area behind the reference desk. All of the electronic resources such as the microfilm reader, TV & VCR, and the fax are together at the end of the reference area.

Upstairs there are new power outlets so that you can plug in your laptops. Even the library cafe got a makeover! Pictures are available on our facebook page. Are you a library fan? If not do so today so that you can get regular updates about what is new at your library.

More changes to follow…

STU Library now on Facebook

Visit us on our Facebook Page !

Is Google Making Us Stupid?

This is the title of the cover for The Atlantic magazine.  Stop by the periodicals section

and tell me what you think of Mr. Carr’s article.

Image taken from http://stfrancis.tumblr.com/

Stop World Hunger While Improving Your Vocabulary

Need to formulate your ideas better? Improve the quality of your communications? Obtain better grades? Free Rice is an organization that donates 20 grains of rice through the UN World Food Program to help end hunger for every word you answer correctly. There are several layers of difficulty and the database adjusts itself to your level of skill while helping you improve. There are 60 levels in all! The rice is paid by the sponsors found on the bottom of the screen. So what are you waiting for start learning today and help stop world hunger!