Category Archives: Ames Highlights

Summer Hours For Ames

Our summer hours, posted online, begin Tuesday, June 1.  Also, we will have a scheduled power outage during the afternoon of Wednesday, June 2.  The building will be open, but not all services will be available.

Don’t forget that you can use our online resources from anywhere in the world over the summer!  We hope you have safe and enjoyable travels, and look forward to seeing you back in the fall!

Congratulations to Michael Gorman and Linda Martin!

Congratulations to Michael Gorman, senior Computer Science major (with an “unofficial” concentration on graphic design) for his winning re-design of the Digital Commons banner!  The judges thought Michael’s design was “clean and sharp,” and communicated “a feeling of openess and access.”  The new banner will be used in both online and print marketing materials.

Linda Martin, senior English major with a minor in Psychology, won second prize for her re-design.  Judges thought her entry “had a nice energy and seemed to reflect a transfer of ideas and information.”

Thank to Michael and Linda for their entries, and thanks also to the judges of the contest: Joanne Diaz (English), Mark Criley (Philosophy), Bob Geraty (Admissions), Gary Schwartz (University Communications) and Karen Schmidt (Ames Library).

Snow day researching

So there you are, stuck at home on a snowy day with nothing to do…don’t despair, you can still use the library’s electronic resources!

If you can get to the homepage you can click on any of our e-resources and then a login page will automatically open. Simply use your login as if you were on campus and the next page you’ll see is the database you requested.

If you have any troubles, you can always contact us by the chat box located on the homepage or by calling 556-3350 for help.

Happy researching 🙂 but don’t forget to get out and have some snow day fun, too!

Think GREEN!

Free printing is an attractive benefit for Ames Library patrons but please consider some environmentally friendly steps you can take to help reduce paper usage on campus AND in the library: http://www.iwu.edu/library/support/print_smart.shtml

Conscious printing is one way we can all help lessen our impact on the environment. Library staff have also taken the following steps to decrease The Ames Library’s environmental footprint:

  • Printing & Mailing Services Office replaced our old Xerox machines with 7 Canon/Xerox multifuctional devices which offer a scan-to-email function in addition to printing traditional photocopies. All staff know how to use these features and are willing to train anyone interested in them! The power saving mode is also activated on these machines and they have been set to print and copy at their lowest ink-use settings.
  • All printers in The Ames Library default to double-sided mode with the toner at the lowest possible setting. We purchase recycled paper made of 30% post-consumer fiber from the campus Printing & Mailing Services Office and our building custodians from Physical Plant recycle all paper that makes it into the appropriate containers.
  • Public computer monitors go to power saving mode after 15 minutes of inactivity.
  • All public Laser printers in the building also utilize power management features, and a power saving mode is enabled after 30 minutes of inactivity.
  • Excess black is cropped out when scanning documents for electronic reserves. Extra black requires unnecessary amounts of toner/ink if electronic reserves resources are printed out. See http://www.iwu.edu/library/support/print_smart.shtml for other ways to Print Smart!
  • The Instruction Lab, Project Rooms, and half of the computers at Scholarly Workstations and in the Information Commons are shut down for the summer and during Winter break in order to reduce energy consumption; when the building is closed for extended breaks and 3-day weekends, all public computers and printers are shut down and staff are reminded to turn their office systems off.

Thanksgiving Hours

Hours over the Thanksgiving Break are as follows:

  • Tuesday, November 24th: 7:45 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
  • Wednesday, November 25th – Saturday, November 28th: CLOSED
  • Sunday, November 29th: 6:00 p.m. – 1:30 a.m.

If you need research help, a librarian will be available Sunday, November 29 from 7 pm – 9 pm.

Have a relaxing few days off!

Faculty Research Grant

The Ames Library sponsors an annual Archives Exploration and Research Award designed to increase faculty awareness of archives and special collections material available on campus; the award is also a means for encouraging integration of this material into faculty members’ coursework and research.

Applications are accepted on the deadline dates for any of the three review periods for ASD and CD grants. Upcoming dates in this academic year are December 7, 2009 and March 22, 2010.

The Faculty Development Committee approved a program description and submission guidelines document and will act as the review authority.

Tate Archives & Special Collections has launched a blog describing collection highlights and offering links to known portions of the collection. Many unexplored corners in the vaults on the 4th floor await! You can subscribe to keep up-to-date with new additions to the Archives & Special Collections blog or you can stop by the 4th floor and ask in person!

Hear the John Adams talk by Dr. Weis

If you missed Mike Weis’s September 29 presentation on John Adams and the Origins of American Diplomacy in The Ames Library, now is your chance to catch it online! ISU’s Milner Library recorded it and provided this link to their streaming server.

The September 29 event was IWU’s contribution to a panel exhibit currently on display at Milner Library. If you haven’t seen the exhibit yet, Sunday is your last chance!

“A sneeze travels 20 feet”

That is a health-awareness slogan spotted by one of our librarians in a local school and a helpful thing to remember as we approach the time of year when we’re all cooped up inside. Then there’s the added joy that thoughts of the upcoming flu season bring!

Lots of flu news has been in the headlines this year, so we thought a collection of advice and links on the topic would be useful. We made a resource guide with lots of things to think about, but our take away message to all staff and visitors at The Ames Library is to consider your own health as well as the well-being of those around you by remembering these tips:

1. Sneeze into your elbow (kleenex can’t stand the pressure!)

2. Wash your hands frequently (there’s also a supply of alcohol wipes at the 1st floor information desk in the library if you want to wipe down a keyboard)

3. Go to IWU’s Arnold Health Service if you have a fever or need medical advice.

A visual representation of this message was designed by one of our talented Ames Library Student Assistants. Click on the image below to get a halfsheet-sized poster you can put in your room or office for others to see!

So take care of yourself and make sure you ask for help if you feel under the weather this winter!

“John Adams and the Origins of American Diplomacy”

Illinois Wesleyan University Professor of History W. Michael Weis will present “John Adams and the Origins of American Diplomacy” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, September 29, in Beckman Auditorium in The Ames Library. The event is free and open to the public.

Weis will speak on the significance of Adams as a founder of the U.S. diplomatic efforts across the Atlantic, including his work developing treaties and keeping the country out of war in the aftermath of the French Revolution. A specialist in U.S. foreign relations, Weis has been a member of the Illinois Wesleyan faculty since 1988.

More information on this event is available in the full news release by University Communications.

Author Louise Erdrich to visit IWU.

The Ames Library is pleased to announce that author Louise Erdrich has been selected for the 8th Annual Ames/Milner Visiting Author Program.

Ms. Erdrich will be on campus the evening of Thursday, October 22nd 2009.

3:00 – 4:00 Presentation and Q and A, Milner Library, Illinois State University

7:30 – 8:30 Presentation, Presser Hall, Illinois Wesleyan University

8:30 Book signing, The Ames Library Illinois Wesleyan University

If you have questions or would like to reserve seats for your class, please contact lduke@iwu.edu.

Louise Erdrich is the author of twelve novels as well as volumes of poetry, children’s books, and a memoir of early motherhood. Her debut novel, Love Medicine, won the National Book Critics Circle Award. The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse was a finalist for the National Book Award. Her most recent novel, The Plague of Doves, a New York Times bestseller, received the highest praise from Philip Roth, who wrote, “Louise Erdrich’s imaginative freedom has reached its zenith—The Plague of Doves is her dazzling masterpiece.” Louise Erdrich lives in Minnesota with her daughters and is the owner of Birchbark Books, a small independent bookstore.

http://www.harpercollins.com/authors/2905/Louise_Erdrich/index.aspx