TWU Librarians at TechNet 2009

Several TWU Librarians recently attended TechNet 2009: The Second Annual North Texas Conference on Library Technology which took place Thursday, May 7, 2009, at the Lockheed Martin Recreation Area in Fort Worth, Texas.

At TechNet 2009 librarians attended sessions covering topics on E-Government, IM Reference; New Tools and Gadgets; Web 2.0, 3.0 and More; Universal Access, Adaptive Technology and Alternative Formats; Digitization; North Texas ILS Consortium; Adobe Photoshop; and Open Source.

TWU Librarian Greg Hardin, was a presenter for the session, The Social Web: Why It Matters to Librarians with Lilly Ramin, University of North Texas Librarian and Virtual Reference Coordinator, and Shaun Seibel, Library Specialist & web designer for the UNT Discovery Park Library.

-- Greg Hardin & Connie Maxwell

May is Asian Pacific American (APA) Heritage Month

May is Asian Pacific American (APA) Heritage Month — a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. The following web site provides some helpful links and additional information on APA Heritage Month: http://www.infoplease.com/spot/asianintro1.html

The APA Selected Bibliography, created by Jimmie Lyn Harris, includes books from 2006 - 2009 (with summary and pictures when available) and a journal list.

--Jimmie Lyn Harris, Connie Maxwell

Waste for a week!

As part of Earth Day 2009, the Reference Department and the TWU library kicked off its Green Campaign with "Our Waste for a Week". In an effort to make students aware of how much paper was being wasted, paper that was normally taken to be recycled was saved for a week. The Reference Department saved paper from April 15^th-22^nd, and collected 5 full boxes of computer print-outs that were left in the information area.

  
The Circulation lab collected paper from April 23-30^th and collected 4.5 boxes full of paper. Most of the print-outs were duplicates of research papers, web documents, emails and Power Point presentations. The program was effective in making students aware of how much unnecessary printing was being done. The library will continue to promote ways to do effective research, and help the environment.

The following is a sampling of websites to help us celebrate, preserve, and enjoy a greener earth:

http://www.earthday.gov/
http://www.epa.gov/earthday/
http://www.epa.gov/epahome/scitech.htm
http://www.epa.gov/lawsregs/
http://earthday.envirolink.org/
http://www.earthday.net/greengeneration

--Andy Tucker, Connie Maxwell

Faculty Recognition Day

Faculty Recognition Day Honors Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Texas Woman's University Libraries and Friends of the TWU Library honored faculty authorship, editorship, and artistic works for 2008 on Faculty Recognition Day, held in the Blagg-Huey Library on Monday, April 20, 2009. Sherilyn Bird (pictured below, left), Director of TWU Libraries, welcomed attendees to the exhibit and reception and noted the popularity of the program since its inception in 2007. She then turned the program over to Dr. Kay Clayton (pictured below, right), Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

  

Dr. Clayton noted the following faculty achievements for 2008:

*Eighty-three faculty members submitted 113 publications that included books, book chapters, encyclopedia articles, and journal articles.

*The program includes citations for 207 presentations delivered at conferences and before scholarly bodies in 31 states and 12 countries.

*Creative works are represented by one compact disc and one performance program

*Faculty research focuses on diverse issues, many impacting women, such as domestic abuse, community health and nursing in the Middle East, literacy improvement in the bilingual classroom, globally distributed decision making, game theory, and online teaching and learning.

Kimberley Johnson of the Woman's Collection spoke for other library personnel who assisted with the program when she wrote, "It has been a delight to work on this exhibit. To be honest, I feel honored to have had the opportunity to work on an exhibit that features the scholarship and hard work of our dedicated faculty."

--Carolyn Poole

The Secret to Finding a Quiet Place in the Library

On a sunny day, you hear the click-clack-click of someone's cute sandals or the flip-flop-flip of another person's flip-flops going across the terrazzo. On a rainy day, you hear the squishing squeaking sound of sneakers or rain boots. It seems like every few minutes the telephone is ringing and you hear "Blagg-Huey Library information desk this is Pleasant Voice, how may I help you?" Not to mention, there always seems to a group of students sitting at a table talking. You also notice the voice of a library staff person in the reference area helping a student with the databases at the workstation next to you. You are really glad the library staff members are so helpful because you may need help later, but this day with finals approaching you wished it was quieter and wonder, "Where should I go?"

The First Floor

Try the carrels on the left side of the library along the walls. Most of the carrels are near windows and have a nice view of the campus greenery. Remember, you can check out a laptop at the Circulation Desk.

The Second Floor

Stay away from the rotunda. Although it is aesthetically pleasing, all the noises from the 1^st floor go straight up the rotunda. The carrels along the walls provide a quieter spot. You and a few of your quieter friends could reserve one of the larger group study rooms.

The Third Floor

The 3^rd floor is by far the quietest place in the library but we have designated half the area as library's official "Quiet Area." There are individual study rooms in this area as well. There are absolutely no study groups or cell phones allowed in this area.

Please remember to speak to a library staff person if it gets too noisy on any floor even if this means asking the staff person to lower his or her voice. You probably will not find a TWU library staff member that will shush people with an index figure over his or her mouth like the stereotypical librarian, but he or she will ask other library users to lower their voices when you ask.

For more information on Study Areas go to http://www.twu.edu/library/lockers-study.asp.

--Annita Owens