Copyright and "Fair Use" in Education

Students and faculty may benefit from the following document prepared by Temple University's Media Education lab: Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education.

The authors state that the document is intended to help "educators using media literacy concepts and techniques to interpret the copyright doctrine of fair use. Fair use is the right to use copyrighted material without permission or payment under some circumstances — especially when the cultural or social benefits of the use are predominant."

What Do YOU Want? Louisiana Technology Survey

LALINC (Louisiana Academic Library Information Network Consortium) is conducting a brief survey to gather feedback on what features are really important to you in an online library catalog. The survey answers will help Louisiana's academic libraries select and configure the catalogs to best meet your preferences and expectations.

Click here to take the survey.

Thank you for your time!

New ULM Government Documents Blog

There is a new University Library blog: "Government Information Resources at ULM Library." The URL for the blog is http://govdocs-at-ulm.blogspot.com/.

We welcome your comments and suggestions.

Thefts in the Library

Hello everyone!

Just today, two different students who left their belongings unattended in the Library for a short time have had their textbooks stolen. We're thrilled that you feel at home here, really we are--but you should all be aware that we cannot guarantee the security of your possessions. Please keep everything of value with you at all times while you're in the building, even if you're just getting up for a minute to use the restroom or find a book on the shelves.

ULMPD officers are investigating the thefts, but they and we (the Library staff) would much prefer to prevent crime rather than deal with the aftermath. Thanks!

Register Your Phone with FTC "Do Not Call" Center

Tired of annoying calls from telemarketers?

Want them to STOP?

Just call 1-888-382-1222 (TTY 1-866-290-4236), from the number you wish to register, or register online at WWW.DONOTCALL.GOV. It just takes a few seconds.

READ posters are up!

Remember waaay back in March when we asked you to vote in our poll about which Celebrity READ posters we should get to decorate the Library? Well...it's taken a while due to ordering issues, but the posters are finally here and displayed throughout the building! These are our ten poll winners, along with their locations in the Library:

1. Orlando Bloom/Lord of the Rings--1st floor, near computers west of Circulation
2. Keira Knightley/Pride and Prejudice--1st floor, above McNaughton Collection (leisure reading books)
3. Denzel Washington/Green Eggs and Ham--2nd floor elevator hallway
4. Kelly Ripa/The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe--near entrance to Government Documents/Media Services
5. Hilary Swank/The Freedom Writers Diary--3rd floor elevator hallway
6. Trace Adkins/Gods and Generals--3rd floor west of stairs
7. Anthony Hopkins/The Great Gatsby--4th floor elevator hallway
8. Renee Fleming/Anthology of Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales--4th floor near Curriculum and Juvenile Collection
9. Dakota Fanning/Charlotte's Web--5th floor near Monroe Garden Study Room
10. Ewan McGregor/Beatrix Potter: The Complete Tales--5th floor elevator hallway

Be sure to look out for your favorite! And in case you're wondering...yes, we do have all of these books except for Beatrix Potter and The Freedom Writers Diary in the Library. If you'd like to read them, you can look them up in the Library Catalog or just ask us at the Reference Desk.

Complete results of the poll with all 51 posters can be viewed here.

Learn about saving the Environment with EBSCO!

EBSCOHost's GreenFile has recently been made accessible at ULM! It has articles about humanity's complicated relationship with the Environment.

It can also be accessed here:
http://www.greeninfoonline.com

Voter Registration Deadline: October 6th

For information on how to register to vote in Louisiana, visit www.geauxvote.com .

Louisiana rules for student voter registration:

"Students may use their home residence address within the state or their school address for voter registration purposes. Out of state students are allowed to use their school address in Louisiana if they want to be a voter in this state." (R.S. 18:101(C))

Voter registration forms available online at http://www.sos.louisiana.gov/tabid/457/Default.aspx

Give Us a Piece of Your Mind!

Really ...

We want to know what you think about us.

If you are part of the ULM community, the University Library faculty and staff want to provide you with the best possible facilities, materials, and services that do not merely meet your needs, but actually exceed your expectations.

But, we can't do it alone: we need your help! Tell us:

What do you think we are doing right?
What are could we do better?
What aren't we doing that you would like us to do?

Please click here to take our survey!

We thank you for your time!

Ebrary

Ebrary can now be used off campus.

You are Invited!

You are invited to a ULM Library program, "Celebrating 60 Years of Documents," and a reception, Thursday, Sept. 25th:

Program 1:00-3:30, ULIB Conference Center, 7th Floor:

Ms. Charlene Cain, LSU Law Library,
“The Cornerstone of Democratic Values: The Librarian's Role in Access to Government Information”

Ms. Lori Smith, Southeastern Louisiana University,
“Government Sources 101: An Introduction to Online Government Publications and Web Sites”

Reception 4:00-5:30, ULIB Special Collections, 5th Floor:
• Cake and punch
• Constitution Day Essay Contest Awards

Please join us!

September 17th is Constitution Day

What is "Constitution Day"?

On September 17, 1787, the U.S. Constitution was signed by thirty-nine delegates to the Constitutional Convention. We commemorate the birthday of our country's most important document, and the courage of the founders, every year on the anniversary of the signing. As expressed by the National Constitution Center, "Now Constitution Day is a time for us to continue their legacy and develop habits of citizenship in a new generation of Americans." (http://constitutioncenter.org/ConstitutionDay/)

At ULM University Library we are marking Constitution Day 2008 with a special web page (http://www.ulm.edu/govdocs/constitution-day--2008.html), displays on the first floor of the University Library (including copies of the Constitution that you may check out), and an essay contest. (Contest winners will be recongnized at the reception in the University Library on September 25th.)

The theme of this first annual Constitution Day essay contest, open to all students at ULM, is "The Freedom to Express Yourself." For essay requirements, contact Dr. Joshua Stockley, stockley@ulm.edu, in the political science department. Essays are to be turned at the University Library reference desk no later than 9 p.m. on Monday, September 22nd.

Come Celebrate With Us!

On behalf of Dean Smith and the University Library, you are invited to attend an upcoming program, "Celebrating 60 Years of Documents."

The University Library is celebrating its 60th year as a proud member of the Louisiana State Documents Depository Program, and 45 years as a member of the Federal Depository Library Program. In commemoration of these two milestones, the Library is hosting an afternoon of activities on Thursday, September 25th. We would be honored to have you as our guest.

Events begin at 1:00 p.m. in the University Conference Center, on the 7th floor of the University Library building. The program will commence with two expert speakers: Ms. Charlene Cain, Head of Access Services, LSU Law Library, an expert on intellectual freedom, will share her expertise on “The Cornerstone of Democratic Values: the Librarian’s Role in Access to Government Information.” Next, Ms. Lori Smith, Government Documents Department Head, Sims Memorial Library, Southeastern Louisiana University, will showcase federal and Louisiana resources in “Government Sources 101: An Introduction to Online Government Publications and Web Sites.”

These excellent presenters will be followed by a reception at 4:00 p.m. — complete with dignitaries and, of course, a special cake — in Special Collections, on the 5th floor of the Library. There will be displays throughout the Library to be viewed at your leisure; Library tours will be available upon request.

For more information, please contact Dr. Karen Cook, Government Documents Librarian, at kcook@ulm.edu, or call the Government Documents Office, 318.342.1066.

We hope to see you at the Library!

Back to School! Education Resources

Educational resources for students, teaching faculty, parents, and researchers are being featured in the University Library, 2nd floor. There are picture books for children, materials in and about Native American languages, a desk reference on the "No Child Left Behind" Act, a book about segregation in America's public schools, and more.

Please feel free to remove these books from the display area, to read in the library or to check out for use in your dorm, office, or classroom. There are more where these came from! (We will be delighted to re-stock the display.)

Draft Comprehensive Plan for the City of Monroe

A copy of One City, One Future: Draft Comprehensive Plan for the City of Monroe is being made available for public review at the Circulation/Reserve Desk in the ULM University Library. Please just ask the Library staff or student worker to retrieve the Comprehensive Plan.

LearningExpress Library-New Web Resource for ULM

ULM Library is happy to announce the addition of LearningExpress Library as a web based resource for our patrons. LearningExpress Library is a comprehensive, interactive online learning platform of practice tests and tutorial course series designed to help patrons-students and adult learners-succeed on the academic or licensing tests they must pass. You'll get immediate scoring, complete answer explanations, and an individualized analysis of your results.Some of the featured resources include: Business Writing Skills Success, E-Books, Graduate School Entrance Exams, Health Careers, Job & Career Test Preparation, Job Search and Success Skills, Math Skills Improvement, Reading Skills Improvement, Resume and Interviewing Success Skills, Sills Improvement Courses, Skills Improvement with Spanish Instructions, Teaching, Technical and Career College Skills, TOEFL Preparation, U. S. Citizenship, Writing Improvement Program eFolio: College.The link to LearningExpress is included with my posting and on the ULM Library Homepage under Library News & Announcements section.

A Reminder - Change in Hours of Operation

So this week marks the end of the first summer semester. Tomorrow, in fact! Good luck on final exams! Summer II will start July 7th. So tomorrow and next week: we won't be open long hours. We'll be open 7am to 5:30pm Monday-Thursday, 7am to 1pm Friday, and closed on weekends. But once Summer II starts, we'll be open until 10pm Monday-Thursday, 7am to 1pm on Fridays, and 6-10pm on Sundays.

A little break in between semesters is a good thing. It's very easy for library faculty and staff to get burned out; unlike most regular faculty, we're 12-month, which means our big break comes at Christmas, when the library actually closes for Christmas and New Year's. Otherwise, we're always open, year-round. We close two days for Mardi Gras, Fall Break, and Easter. But we're open during Spring Break. And when you consider that we have staff that works evenings and nights, you really have to consider that we need a little easing up on our workload from time to time! Library staff/faculty are people, too. Just like other staff and teaching faculty (Freudian slip: I typed faulty, but that includes me, too). We're all human, we have good days and bad days; problems, challenges, triumphs, successes. It's easy to forget that, I think; we would all do well to bear that in mind.

New ULM Warhawk Statue

The new ULM Warhawk statue has been installed, and we have pictures of the event!
Click here to see them on Flickr

These are not ULM official press photos... these are from The ULM Library.

By the way, Flickr is also where the picture in our top banner comes from, if you ever wondered what the whole thing looked like:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/39667315@N00/1106387352/

Database login change

If you've ever logged in to use the Library databases from off-campus, you may recall that you had to use your Social Security Number as your login name, unlike many other ULM applications where you use your CWID. As of yesterday, May 13, 2008, that has changed: your username for the Library databases is now your CWID. This includes article databases like EBSCOHost, LexisNexis, and J STOR, as well as the Library catalog (iLink, where a username is required for things like placing holds and seeing what you have checked out).

Your PIN has not changed; it's still your 2-digit birth month and 2-digit birth year (for example, March 1988 = 0388). If you have any problems logging in, give us a call on the Reference desk at 342-1071.

Free Stuff! For You! From the Federal Government

There is a new distribution area for give-away Government Publications on the second floor of the University Library , North side, near the windows. There are a variety of freebies (pamphlets, consumer information sheets, guides to finding medical information, handbooks, bookmarks, and other items) in or around display racks on tables (near the Office of Assessment and Evaluation).

Please help yourself--but, please, don't take more than one of any single publication--other taxpayers may also be interested!