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News & Events, Recently Read

Libraries Summer Reading List Available

tooth_clawCheck out the Libraries’ summer reading list for 2010.  Now an annual tradition, our staff have submitted a number of title for your consideration.  Many are owned by UST or one of the CLIC libraries, so you can borrow from us if available, or check out your local public library or bookstore.

outliersAt the bottom of the list, we link to prior year lists, so browse to your heart’s content.

Have suggestions of your own? Add them in the comments below.

News & Events

Librarians in black leather? (Chronicle of Higher Education)

You will want to read this article about today’s librarianship from the Chronicle of Higher Education, Thursday, May 20, 2010.

Couple excerpts:

 “It’s not that many of today’s librarians routinely dress in sunglasses and black leather (though some do). It’s that, more than any other class of professionals in higher education, librarians possess a comprehensive understanding of the scholarly ecosystem. They know what’s going on across the disciplines, among professors and administrators as well as students. No less important, they are often the most informed people when it comes to technological change—its limits as well as its advantages.”

“…[Librarians]  understand the chain of events between the butterfly and the hurricane, so to speak, because they have experience with the cultivation of knowledge and with the practical consequences of institutional overreaching. They see the potential of new tools, but they are also the guardians of tradition. From that permanent dialectical struggle, they appear to acquire a mixture of whimsy and wisdom—in addition to a notable taste for eccentric eyewear.

In my experience, librarians almost always pass the beer test: They are among the most likeable people you’ll find at any college. They have the intellectual curiosity of academics without the aloofness and attitude often displayed by professors. If you are a stranger on a strange campus, the one person who will always save you is a librarian. They may still shush you in some places, but librarians will also go to the most extraordinary lengths to help you achieve your scholarly goals without asking for any of the credit.”

News & Events, Uncategorized

Finals pressure starting to build?

We here at the library have many ways to relieve stress during finals.  We have tools that will help speed your research,  services to help you relax, and people just waiting to help you when you get stuck.

summon smallWhen you don’t know where to start your research, I highly recommend our new beta search service SummonSummon allows you to search millions of articles (newspaper, journal, or magazine) and CLICnet all at once – over 200,000,000 resources in a single search box.  I dare you not to find something on your topic.  More about Summon.

refworksRefWorks builds bibliographies for you.  So if you were told to create a bibliography for your final paper in the APA format and have no clue what that means, no worries.  Dump the citations into RefWorks, choose APA and dunzo (ok, check it first to make sure the system did what it was supposed to do).  My point is, RefWorks helps build bibliographies with ease.

coffee bene Give yourself a break and relax with some calming tea from Cafe Bene.  Or wire yourself up for a marathon session with espresso.  Either way, Bene’s got you covered.  Hours | Menu

Chair massages – The Wellness Center is sponsoring chair massages on Thursdays for students this spring semester.  On the first Thursday each month, that’s May 6th for those of you playing at home , the masseuse will be on the first floor of O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library Center – next to  Coffee Bene. On the other Thursdays of the month, the masseuse will be located in Koch Commons. The cost is $6 for 5 minutes or $12 for 10 minutes, and flex dollars can be used.

If you spend more than 5 minutes looking for info on your topic, stop what you’re doing and IM or SMS a librarian – Text send USTLibraries <your message here> to 246246.  We cn save u tym.

News & Events

Films on Demand makes 5,000 videos available via internet

Films on Demand, a database of electronic videos, is the latest subscription to the UST Media Resources Collection. Through Films on Demand, more than 5,000 full-length videos are available for classroom or individual viewing via a Web browser. They are accessible on or off campus using a broadband high speed Internet connection, i.e., cable modem or DSL. (Off-campus users will need to log in with their UST username and password.)

All subject areas are covered in this database, including: psychology, history, literature, languages, engineering, business, art, sociology, and sciences. For video titles, check the UST Media Resources Collection website, CLICnet library catalog, the UST Libraries Databases and Indexes Web page or directly here.

For more information about Films on Demand or how to use it for your classes, contact Cindy Badilla-Melendez, media resources librarian, (651) 962-5464.

News & Events

Reading Friday, May 7: Summit Avenue Review

 

You are all cordially invited!  The publication reading celebrating the 2010 issue of Summit Avenue Review, the student-edited literary and visual arts magazine of the University of St. Thomas, will be held at 3:30 p.m. Friday, May 7, in the O’Shaughnessy Room of the O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library Center.   Free copies of the new issue will be available;  light refreshments too.   We hope to see you.

News & Events

Poetry on the Patio #12 in streaming video

Poetry on the Patio #12       If you missed this year’s Poetry on the Patio that was held last Thursday, April 29 – or even if you were able to be there in person – I’m happy to let you know that you can link to this event and enjoy hearing your favorite colleagues reading their favorite poems.   We look forward to seeing you at next year’s Poetry on the Patio.

News & Events

12th Annual Poetry on the Patio, Thursday, April 29 at Noon

You are all cordially invited to the UST Libraries’ “Poetry on the Patio” on Thursday, April 29 at Noon on the patio of the O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library.   We look forward each April to calling attention to National Poetry Month and this will be our 12th poetry reading.  Each year, several members of the UST Community read poems – written by someone other than themselves – that they treasure.  It’s a sharing of the love of poetry by people from all walks of life and all corners of the campus.  It begins at Noon and goes through 1pm –  what a lovely way to spend your lunch hour.   We hope you will stop by, bring your lunch, pull up a chair and enjoy the selections chosen by your UST colleagues and friends.  Hosted by library director, Dan Gjelten, this year’s roster includes Dan Eller, Rachel Wobschall, Brady Narloch, Tom Marsh,  Elizabeth Wilkinson, Mary K. O’Rourke,  Marty Warren, Tom Tommet, and Carmela Garritano.    In addition, we’ll be treated to a chance to hear a few songs by the Show’d Up Band.   We hope you will join us; light refreshments will be provided.  If you have any questions, please call Julie at 962-5014.  Read on for more information on National Poetry Month.   In case the weather is not cooperating, we will hold the event inside the library in the O’Shaughnessy Room, Room 108.

News & Events

Play daily Library Week Trivia!

Do you know lots of interesting and obscure facts that most people would call ‘useless’?  Well prove them wrong by playing the UST Libraries daily trivia contest.  One lucky winner will be chosen from the correct answers to win a ‘valuable’ prize. 

Here is the question for Thursday, April 15th.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is scheduled to open a new 22,500 square-foot Library and Archives in downtown Cleveland this year.  Who is the current Director of Library and Archives for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

Do you think you know the answer? If you do follow this link to the UST Libraries Library Week page to read further rules and answer the question via e-mail in order to be eligible for the prize. And while you are on the Library Week page be sure to check out our other events such as book sales, a golf tournament and scavenger hunts that will continue throughout the week.

Thank you and I hope you all have a wonderful week!

News & Events

Try out Streaming Audio features!

Hundreds of thousands of tracks are available on- and off-campus via your UST user account – stop by the Library Week table in the atrium of the first floor of the O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library and give it a try!   You’ll be pleased by all the music that you are able to access and enjoy so easily.   We will watch for you on Wednesday. April 14, and show you all of the features – stop by between Noon and 1pm. Take a peek here  http://libguides.stthomas.edu/streamingaudio and see the selection that awaits you.
News & Events

Full List of Library Week Events – You’re invited to all!

With a long list of events and activities planned for the UST community, the St. Thomas libraries invite everyone to celebrate National Library Week today through through Friday, April 16.

First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week brings to light and celebrates the contributions that all types of libraries – school, public, academic and special – make to the lives of everyone in the community.

Events and activities for the week include:

Daily online Trivia Contest – Thanks to reference librarians Eric Kallas and Andrea Koeppe, UST Libraries continues its tradition of National Library Week Trivia – now in its 18th year. One winner will be chosen from those who send in correct answers by the daily deadline. Check the library’s Web site for the Trivia Contest rules, questions and summary of the event.

Food For Fines Program – During Library Week, UST library patrons will have the opportunity to donate canned food in exchange for the waiving of up to $50 in library fines at the O’Shaughnessy-Frey and Ireland libraries. This will help patrons relieve their debt to the library and provide needed assistance to the Franciscan Brothers of Peace, a local food bank. One can of donated food will pay off $2 in fines – up to the $50 limit. Food will be accepted for overdue fines only, not for lost or damaged items. Library staff have the right to decline food donations, including those with damaged packaging or dented cans. For more information, call Nathan Wunrow, (651) 962-5498, or Judith Michalski, (651) 962-5456.

What’s happening at the Charles J. Keffer Library in Minneapolis?

  • A Library Week appreciation table will be set up from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, just outside the Charles J. Keffer Library. Everyone is welcome to stop by the table for treats, Library Week activities and a chance to visit with Keffer Library staff.
  • A used-book sale will be held during Keffer Library hours, starting 8 a.m. Monday. Hardcover books are $1 and paperbacks are $.50.

Archbishop Ireland Memorial Library – St. Paul

Browse and shop the Archbishop Ireland Memorial Library book sale anytime during library hours. On Monday, April 12, the sale is open only to members of the UST community, who can enjoy an earlier opening at 7:45 a.m. to accommodate those with early classes. The book sale is open to the public and booksellers beginning Tuesday, April 13. They’ll find a great selection of used theology books and they can also bid on items in the silent auction. The auction ends at noon Friday, April 16. For more information about the Ireland Library, call Betsy Polakowski, (651) 962-5452.

O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library Center

  • Library Week at the O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library Center will open with Dominoes Demo. A new and improved route from last year’s domino debut will kick off the week at 11:50 a.m. today, Monday, April 12. Be there to see the dramatic “nudge” to the dominoes carefully placed at the entrance and leading to the book sale in the O’Shaughnessy Room.
  • Crossword and seek-and-find puzzles: Take a break and have some fun while learning a little about the O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library with these homegrown word games. Thanks to creative library staff, there are two levels of difficulty from which to choose. Stop by the Library Week table on the first floor of the library to pick up an entry form; drop off completed word puzzles at the circulation desk. Everyone who completes them correctly will be entered into a drawing that will take place at 3 p.m. Friday. The winner need not be present to win.
  • Sorted Books Project (new this year): Search the library collection, pull particular titles and eventually group the books into clusters so that the titles can be read in sequence, from top to bottom (limit is two to seven books). Bring the library books that you chose to the O’Shaughnessy-Frey circulation desk to be photographed. At the end of Library Week, staff will choose the most creative entry and the winner will receive a $10 Coffee Bené gift card. The final book clusters will be photographed and posted on the Libraries’ Facebook Page and Web site. See examples of other successful sorted books here.
  • The O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library Week book sale, to be held from noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday in the O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library Center, is open until 4 p.m. today, Monday, exclusively for members of the St. Thomas community and then open to the public through the end of the week. Find some great bargains and little treasures in the O’Shaughnessy Room. For more information about the book sale, call Julie, (651) 962-5014.
  • “Who Wants to Beat a Librarian?” seeks willing contestants. The game will be played at noon Tuesday, April 13, in Room 102, O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library Center. Enjoy four rounds with new contestants each round, pitting the searching skills of novices who will use the latest library search tool, Summon, against highly trained professional librarians who will not be allowed to use Summon but may use any other search tool they can dream up. Event organizers promises prizes, excitement and a fun time.
  • Scavenger hunt, or “Scrabble in the Stacks”: An unidentified pope is missing in the O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library Center. Savvy detectives are needed to uncover the pope’s true identity. The hunt begins at 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 14. Pick up a clue sheet from the circulation desk and follow the clues for locations throughout the library, find your letters in the stacks, and be the first person or group to complete the hunt and win what library staff describe as a “fabulous” prize. For more information call Earl Belisle, (651) 962-5004, or Shiromi Beach, (651) 962-5407.
  • UST Libraries’ “Book Cart Drill Team” will open the second annual O’Shaughnessy-Frey mini golf tourney at noon Thursday, April 15. A special surprise has been cooked up by Shiromi Beach and her student assistants, and everyone is invited to watch the drill team members perform their routine. Then, participate in the mini golf tournament,which will be held from noon to 2 p.m. Thursday. It will not be necessary to sign up in advance for a tee time; simply show up at the circulation desk to pick up a putter and start swinging. The course will run through the reference collection, and a fun surprise will await golfers at the last hole. (Hint: bring your avatar, if you so desire.) For more information, call JoAnn Toussaint, (651) 962-5409.
  • Everyone is invited to the UST Authors Open House and Reception at 4 p.m. Thursday, April 15, in Room 102, O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library Center. This year’s event will feature more than 100 members of the UST community who will showcase their publications from the past year. Stop by and congratulate faculty and staff colleagues on their work and browse the display prepared by O’Shaughnessy-Frey librarian Susan Price. Bibliographies will be made available, and refreshments will be provided. For more information, call Price, (651) 962-5011.

This article was posted in Bulletin Today onMonday, April 12, 2010.