This year’s Summer Reading Program selection, Three Cups of Tea, tells the story of Greg Mortenson and his amazing work bringing schools to remote areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Check out the library’s resource guide to learn more about Mortenson, the Central Asia Institute, and how you can help.

The Ames Library is happy to announce enhanced online access to Science and Nature is now available directly from the publishers’ web sites!

Science is now available online from 1997 to the most recently published issue.  Older issues (1880-1996) are available through JSTOR (an online journal archive).

Nature is now available online from 2005 to the most recently published issue.  Older issues (1997 to 2008) are available through the database Academic Search Premier.

Both publications offer IWU faculty, staff and students the option to create a personal profile and establish weekly web site updates via e-mail or RSS feeds.  Please note that for off-campus access, you must use the URL’s listed above to connect to the magazine through the campus proxy server.  Using this URL will allow you to sign into the University’s proxy server and access resources as if you were on campus.  You will be asked to log in with your MyIWU NetID and password once per session.

(from the IWU News Blog)

Laura Murray, a senior Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) art major, has been chosen to receive the fourteenth annual Ames Library Art Purchase Award.

Murray’s winning artwork, titled “Design & Music,” is a graphic design poster. Her other pieces in the Senior BA/BFA Art Show included a branding identity, a package design, logo designs, magazine spreads, poster and book layouts and charcoal drawings.

“I feel very privileged to have a piece of work that reflects my college experience at Illinois Wesleyan hanging in a beautiful building where future students can appreciate it,” Murray said.

Since 1996, The Ames Library has purchased a piece of artwork every year from a collection of work done by a senior BFA art student. The chosen piece is displayed on the entry level of The Ames Library for one academic year, after which it is moved to the permanent collection of student artwork on the second floor.

For additional information, contact Robert Delvin, fine arts librarian for The Ames Library, at (309) 556-3003.

To view images of past Art Purchase Award winners, please visit our online collection.

Interested in helping the library understand what you need in order to do your research for class assignments?

Want to receive a $10 gift certificate to the IWU book store?

You can do both!  We need students to participate in the following research activities:

• an interview with an anthropologist (about an hour)
• videotaping your research process (about an hour)
• taking photos of some of your daily activities and favorite places

If you are willing to participate in one of the above activities, please contact Andrew Asher at libstudy@iwu.edu or x3362.

All the Honors Theses from the Tate Archives are now available full-text online.  To view, please visit Digital Commons @ IWU and click on the “Honors Projects” link for your department, school or program.

Student peer-reviewed journals are also online in Digital Commons.  All issues of Res Publica, Park Place Economist, Constructing the Past, The Delta and Undergraduate Economic Review are now available for browsing.  In addition, you can search across all issues of a journal.

If we’re missing any thesis from your department or if you have questions about Digital Commons, please contact Stephanie Davis-Kahl, Scholarly Communications Librarian (sdaviska@iwu.edu).

Attention All Student Tutors!

Are you tired of having to look for a place to work?  Look no more!  There is now a room available in The Ames Library just for you on the entry level floor from 5:00pm to 1:30am Monday through Thursday, and all weekend hours.

Take advantage of this room that is equipped with a computer, printer and whiteboard by reserving it for your tutoring hours.  Reservations can be requested through Resource25.  You will need to ask for the Information Common student to open the room when you are ready to use it.

For additional information please contact the Information Commons at x3350 or Sue Stroyan at x3358 or sstroyan@iwu.edu.

The fall semester has been a busy one here at the library.  Here are some new things we’ve been working on:

• The Ames Library, along with five other Illinois academic libraries, was awarded a grant to study how students study – check out the press release!
• The Thorpe Digital Center has a poster printer for students, faculty and staff to print quality color posters for classroom presentations, poster sessions and conferences.  See the website for our design guide and cost information.
• We’ve changed the location of the Information Desk on the entry level – let us know what you think!
• The Ames Library Catalog and I-Share will now text you with a book’s call number (provider charges may apply).
• Digital Commons is growing – we’ve added nearly every Honors Thesis back to the 1980s, plus Commencement speeches from 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Many of you are getting your final paper/project assignments – don’t forget librarians are available to help you either at the Information Desk, during their office hours, or on AskAmes.  We look forward to helping you!