May Flowers ... and Crops, Weeds, and Pests

May in Louisiana means flowers... and growing crops ... and weeds and pests a'plenty. Helpful pamphlets and books for the growing season, like "Growing Strawberries in Louisiana" and "Poisonous Plants of the Southern United States" are on display on the 2nd floor of the University Library. All the items on display may be checked out -- really, we have plenty more with which to replenish the display.

Song Contest and Free trials are here!

http://gale.cengage.com/librareo/
This is a Youtube-related contest, and you could win $2500! Click the image for details!

http://www.accessmylibrary.com/libraryweek
Also as promised, Gale is giving us free trials for their databases from the 13-19th. Go here to check them out, and contact me or another ULM librarian to get access to the trial.

Lightning! Wind! Floods! -- Weather Docs

April showers may bring more than May flowers. Spring is a prime time for serious weather, and a good time to check out the University Library's government publications relating to weather. There are books and other materials about: what to do when severe weather threatens or actually occurs (floods, tsunamis, hurricanes); high-tech weather analysis; aviation forecasting; detailed reports on specific storms; how to avoid hypothermia; how to drive a school bus in bad weather; weather statistics; and much more.

For a sampling of available publications, stop by the display on the 2nd floor of the library. Remember: these and many other government publications can be checked out of the library!

Song Contest and Free trials ahoy!

In celebration of its new database, Books & Authors, Gale is holding a song contest, and you could win $2500!

To celebrate the launch of this momentous new product, we invite you and
your patrons to compose a song about your favorite book or author, record
a video of its performance and submit it for a chance to win $5,000 -
$2,500 for you and $2,500 for your favorite library. Post the contest on
your community board to encourage even more entries and have a better chance
at winning a share of the prize money! Visit www.gale.com for complete rules
beginning April 13, 2008.

So if you have any song ideas, start thinking about something! There will be more information on Gale's site later.

ALSO...

We also get a free trial to the database [contact reference for the log-in; we can't give it to the entire internet :-) ]
And Many more databases will also be available for free:

Academic OneFile
Biography Resource Center

British Library Newspapers
Gale Directory Library
Gale Virtual Reference Library
General OneFile
Health & Wellness Resource Center
History Resource Center: U.S.
History resource Center: World
Literature Criticism Online
LitFinder
Literature Resource Center
Nursing Resource Center
Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center: Critical Thinking
Popular Magazines
PowerSearch
Science Resource Center
Small Business Resource Center
Sources in U.S. History Online: The American Revolution
Sources in U.S. History Online: The Civil War
Sources in U.S. History Online: Slavery in America

So look out for that... when the 13th arrives, we'll remind you again.

Help us decorate the Library!

In celebration of National Library Week (April 13-19), we are going to order 10 celebrity READ posters to permanently hang throughout the University Library. You've probably seen these in your public library or elsewhere; each poster implores you to READ and pictures a celebrity with a book that influenced him or her. The current crop of celebrities includes movie and TV stars, athletes, recording artists, comedians, famous scientists, and some real-life heroes.

Since there are almost 50 posters available and we only have space for 10, we're asking YOU the campus community to tell us which ones you'd most like to see in the Library. Please click here to take our poll! You can vote for up to three posters and we will order the top 10. The poll will be live through Friday, March 28, so even if you're swamped with midterms now, you'll still have a chance to vote during Spring Break.

If you'd like to look at the posters before you decide, here are direct links to each of them in alphabetical order (of course!) by the celeb's first name:

Abigail Breslin/Meet Kit: An American Girl 1934
Aishwarya Rai/The Alchemist
Alan Rickman/The Catcher in the Rye
Anthony Hopkins/The Great Gatsby
Ben Roethlisberger/The Giving Tree
Bernie Mac/Armed and Dangerous
Bill Gates/The Old Man and the Sea
Cesar Millan/The Power of Intention
Colin Farrell/Dubliners
Common/The Audacity of Hope
Corbin Bleu/The Cat's Pajamas
Dakota Fanning/Charlotte's Web
Danica Patrick/Sam's Letters to Jennifer
Denzel Washington/Green Eggs and Ham
Dominic Moore and Kevin Weekes (NY Rangers hockey players)/Anansi Boys and Future of Ice
Enrique Iglesias/The Old Man and the Sea
Ethan Hawke/Go Tell It on the Mountain
Ewan McGregor/Beatrix Potter: The Complete Tales
George Lopez/Oh, the Places You'll Go!
Hilary Swank/The Freedom Writers Diary
Ice Cube/The Greatest: Muhammad Ali
Jamie Kennedy/Where the Wild Things Are
Jason Kidd/The Dream Keeper and Other Poems
Jeff Corwin/My Side of the Mountain
John Leguizamo/Conquest: Montezuma, Cortez, and the Fall of Old Mexico
Johnny Damon/A Trip to the Beach
Julia Stiles/Me Talk Pretty One Day
Keira Knightley/Pride and Prejudice
Kelly Ripa/The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Linda Cardell and Kobie (Search and rescue dog)/Emma and the Night Dogs
LL Cool J/The Children's Health Food Book
Margaret Cho/Almost Home: My Life Story
Mat Hoffman/Duck on a Bike
Matt Kenseth/The Testament
Missy Elliott/A Chair for My Mother
Orlando Bloom/Lord of the Rings
Renee Fleming/Anthology of Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales
Rick Bayless/Betty Crocker's Cookbook for Boys and Girls
Robert McGuire (FDNY firefighter)/Fire Fighters
Salma Hayek/Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo
Sasha Cohen/The Kite Runner
Sean Connery/The Spirit of Scotland
Sendhil Ramamurthy/The Tower Treasure
Serena Williams/A Raisin in the Sun
Shaquille O'Neal/Undying Glory
Stephen Hawking/Marilyn Monroe
Tim Gunn/The Magic Mountain
Tony Hawk/High Fidelity
Trace Adkins/Gods and Generals
William H. Macy/Curious George
Yo-Yo Ma/Goodnight Moon

Women's History in Documents Display

Celebrating Women's History Month, there is a new display of government publications relating to contributions made by, and changing status of, women in the United States. The display is located on the second floor of the University Library, near the stairs.

In addition to the featured materials on display--all of which circulate--there are also excellent reference materials relating to women's history in the federal collections, 2nd floor. One fine publication is "Women in Congress, 1917-2000," SUDOCS number Y: 1.1/2: Serial 14903. This 1,000 page resource contains short biographies and photographs of women who have served the nation as legislators.

On a bleary Monday morning: some advice

The night supervisor told me he had a rather rough night at work last night. Lots of people in the library forgetting they were in a library, mainly, but something happened that threw him for a loop. Bearing in mind that he's only worked here since this past summer, he hasn't encountered every possible problem and/or emergency, but last night something happened that most of us haven't dealt with, even someone like me who's been here almost five years: someone dropped a study room key down the gap between the floor and the elevator, which means there's a study room key at the bottom of the elevator shaft.

Well, folks, this presents a problem. It's like those people who, while walking across the bayou, manage to drop their keys down the gaps in the bridge, or over the railing. It's just about impossible to retrieve them.

So, folks, some advice: be careful with study room keys. Put them in your pocket, purse, or backpack, until you get to the Circulation Desk to turn them in. Likewise, when crossing the bayou, also keep your keys safe!

Happy Anniversary, University Library!

Actually, it is "Happy Anniversaries!" The year 2008 marks the University Library's 60th anniversary as a member of the Louisiana State Documents Depository Program, and its 45th anniversary as a member of the Federal Depository Library Program.

Since December 11, 1948, the University Library has received copies of all State of Louisiana publications. The University Library is a "selective" depository for federal documents, which means that the Library does not receive all federal publications, but only those deemed most suitable to the purposes of the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Currently, the library receives about 35 percent of all federal documents distributed by the U.S. Government Printing Office.

The University Library and Government Publications Department will be celebrating these anniversaries with special events and activities throughout 2008.

For more information on the state and federal collections available through your library, please visit the Government Publications Office, Room 210, or check out the website, http://www.ulm.edu/~govdocs.

Tax forms and FREE tax software online!

Tax season is upon us and we've had several people ask us for tax forms at the Reference desk. Although we do not have hard copies of tax forms in bulk, any federal form you may need can be printed from www.irs.gov. The most frequently requested forms, including 1040 and 1040EZ, are directly linked in the upper left column; if you need a form not listed there, click on "More Forms and Publications," then "Form and Instruction Number."

Louisiana income tax forms can be printed from the state Department of Revenue's website, while forms for all other states are accessible through the Federation of Tax Administrators.

In addition, most students probably qualify for the IRS Free File program, which allows you to use tax preparation software such as TurboTax or H&R Block TaxCut for FREE on your federal tax return! If you use Free File, you will not need any federal forms at all as your return will be e-filed. Free File does not cover your state taxes, so you would still need to file those forms separately.

Black History Month Display

There is a new display of books relating to black history month on the 2nd floor of the University Library, near the elevators.

Don't forget: there are many more physical items, but also electronic resources, and texts on microfilm, which may be located through the iLink online catalog.

Reminder, Patrons: Mardi Gras Break!

Just wanted to remind you guys that Mardi Gras Break begins this Friday at 1pm, when the whole campus closes. We will be closed Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, February 3 through February 5.

We will reopen Wednesday, February, at 7:30am and remain open until 5:30pm. Classes and regular library hours will resume Thursday, February 7.

If you're planning to attend Mardi Gras in New Orleans, please be safe and have fun!

Wall Street Journal trial

Carita Alexander has found us a trial version of the WSJ that will last until February 27th.

To log in to your trial, go to:
http://trials.proquest.com/ptc?userid=2529628

The password? Well, I wouldn't feel comfortable telling it to just anyone, but here's a hint: You know when someone puts a mat outside the front door? It's what the mat usually says.

Various things for the CBA

I've talked with various people at the CBA about their resources (mostly Finance). Here are some answers to questions they had:

Carita Alexander and I have figured out that EBSCO host does have access to the Journal of Finance in EBSCOHOST, from 1948 to the present. There's a limit to what can go here, though; it has to be out for a year before it appears in full text here. Otherwise, there is only an abstract. That's a limit set by the publisher of the journal.

Speaking of EBSCO, It has been suggested that we think about getting a different version of EBSCO's Business Source database, to see if one of the other versions might be better. Here are links to what EBSCO says about their products:

Business Source® Elite
Business Source® Complete
Business Source® Premier

I've looked at the list of titles for each, and in a nutshell Business Source Complete, which is what we currently have access to, has the largest number of titles.

Still speaking of EBSCOHOST... Ever tried the Enhanced Business Searching Interface (the link for that appears right under the normal Business Source completes link in the database list)?
Being used to and fairly happy with normal EBSCO, I never looked until recently myself. This provides faster access to specific kinds of resources:

I don't know if that's going to be of any help at all, but I sort of like it.


I've also taken a closer look at D&B Key Business Ratios as a provider of business ratios, which has solicited us. They say that they have 14 Key Business ratios. I'm unsure if I'm interested in this product, but it is one to consider.

About the Wall Street Journal...
When I heard the fairly shocking news that Rupert Murdoch acquired the WSJ some weeks ago, I thought 1) I really hope this doesn't destroy its integrity and 2) I wonder if that's going to complicate getting a new subscription? I've contacted the WSJ's customer service about options for access, and I'll have more to to say about that when they reply.

I've also asked Standard & Poor’s about electronic access to their Industry Surveys, which we have in print up to 2006.

Random Factoid: Vodka for Cleaning

The Dean and several of us reference librarians were chatting a bit this morning, which led to a discussion of cleaning habits. Some of us are more obsessive-compulsive than others, which led to a discussion of ways to clean clothes.

I shared this method of cleaning costumes that I learned from a costumer: sometimes costumers will spray costumes with vodka to "clean" them or freshen them up, when there isn't time to wash or dry-clean costumes between performances. The vodka dries quickly, doesn't leave behind any kind of scent, and kills bacteria, which cause smells. And it doesn't matter which vodka you use, so it could potentially be more cost-effective than frequent dry-cleaning!

And that's a random factoid from a librarian. :D

Coming Up Soon: Mardi Gras Break

So, library patrons, we are approaching one of the first big breaks of the semester: Mardi Gras! We will have special hours during Mardi Gras, which are posted on the ULM Library Homepage, but just in case you miss them: we will be closed Sunday, February 3, through Tuesday, February 5. We will reopen Wednesday, February 6, at 7:30am and remain open until 5:30pm. Classes - and regular library hours - will resume Thursday, February 7.

Anybody want to share their Mardi Gras break plans? I know this librarian is going to attend some parades and spend some time with family and friends!

Welcome back, library patrons!

Welcome back, returning students, faculty, and staff! Welcome, new students, faculty, and staff! I am sure we are all looking forward to the spring semester! Anybody want to share their New Year's Resolutions? Hopefully they will include devoting more time to studying, especially at the library! :D

January Book Display: Wild Diversity of Books From Your Federal Government

There is a small display on the 2nd floor, University Library, exhibiting the variety of interesting books published by the federal government: travel books, art books, a Hebrew diplomatic dictionary, quilting, folklife, water conservation, aviation, educational statistics, military hardware, etc., etc.

The books are on display near the central stairs on the 2nd floor (to the left of the elevator lobby).

All of the books on display--and hundreds of thousands more--government publications may be checked out by students, faculty, and staff, just like any other book. All the federal materials are listed in the iLink online catalog.

Check 'em out!

New U.S. Census Map Shows Congressional Districts

During this 2008 election year, you may find it interesting and illuminating to look at a new map issued by the U.S. Census which shows all the federal congressional districts.

The map has been posted on the north (exterior) wall of the University Library, on the 2nd floor, just beyond the map cases.

Enjoy!

Admin functions

All library personnel who can create posts on this blog now have admin privileges.

You'll Be Missed, Glenn!

Today we had a party for Dr. Glenn Jordan, professor of history and Head of Special Collections & Archives here at the University Library. It was a surprise retirement party - it had to be a surprise, otherwise he'd run away (or so he said). Enjoy this PowerPoint slideshow of Glenn's Party!

Glenn, we'll miss you! Enjoy retirement, but don't be a stranger!