The Ames Library will open at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 8 and Sunday, December 9, to support student preparation for exams. The library continues to look at our building use through our “people counter” software. Good luck on finals!
Tremont 4th Graders like the library
Posted by Karen Schmidt
on November 5, 2012
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The Ames Library appeals to students of all ages. Tremont Illinois 4th graders visited the library on Friday, November 2. Among their favorites: the Sumo chairs, wall-writing in The Thorpe Center, and the incunable in our Archives. Many of the 75 students said they are now inspired to work hard and come to IWU when they graduate form high school!
Kindles Available for Check-out
Posted by Karen Schmidt
on October 29, 2012
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The Library has Kindles available for check out, pre-loaded with best sellers and titles of interest to campus. These are great to take for trips, and you can download free titles or items from your own Kindle account – these personal items are removed when you return the Kindle. If you have titles to recommend, send them our way by clicking on the “Make A Suggestion” link on our library home page. Kindles are available at the library circulation desk.
Happy Open Access Week!
Posted by Stephanie Davis-Kahl
on October 22, 2012
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This week celebrates Open Access (OA), a global movement to ensure that research is available to anyone, anywhere, anytime. Peter Suber, OA rock star, defines it as “digital, online, free of charge, and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.” (OA Overview) We support OA at IWU in a few different ways: first, by educating faculty, staff and students about their rights to share their work; second, by developing and maintaining Digital Commons @ IWU, our online archive of scholarship and creative activity; third, by supporting and hosting IWU’s undergraduate journals; and fourth, with memberships in the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) and the Alliance for Taxpayer Access (ATA).
To learn more about Open Access and its core components, please check out the newly published HowOpenIsIt? brochure, developed by the Public Library of Science (PLoS), SPARC, and the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA). (Kevin Smith’s blog post on “Three things OA is not” is also a great read!)
If you’d like to hear more about Open Access, Digital Commons @ IWU, or how you can share your work more openly, please let us know!
Library Events for Homecoming 2012
Posted by Karen Schmidt
on October 8, 2012
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Welcome back, Titans! The Library has a number of events to celebrate Homecoming and the 10th Anniversary of the Ames Library. For more information, please see our events schedule, and you can also check out our digital exhibit about the history of our lovely building.
Humans vs Zombies 2012!
Posted by Stephanie Davis-Kahl
on October 1, 2012
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Good luck to all participating in this years’ Humans Vs Zombies game! As you know, Ames is a designated Safe Zone, but we’ve pulled together a list of helpful resources that could potentially save your life in the event of a actual zombie attack.
Center for Disease Control’s Zombie Preparedness Guide (complete with Educator Resources, the Zombie Novella, and Zombie Preparedness Posters)
ThinkGeek.com’s Supplement to the CDC’s Guide (products and gadgets that could aid in your survival)
The State of Zombie Literature: An Autopsy (from The New York Times)
Suggested Reading/Viewing: I Walked with a Zombie, Night of the Living Dead, Welcome to the Dead House (all at the Ames Library)
Sumo chairs – The Best Seats in the House
Posted by Karen Schmidt
on September 17, 2012
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Sumo chairs – found on the 3rd floor of the Library’s Thorpe Center – are becoming the favorite seats in the house for many. The choice of gamers, researchers and cat-nappers alike, Sumo chairs in Thorpe provide a good view of the Head of Aphrodite. More Sumo chairs are expected this year. Where would you like to see a Sumo?
Posted by Karen Schmidt
on September 10, 2012
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Students asked, we delivered: students have asked for a Quiet Floor in the library, a place where they know they won’t be interrupted by groups talking. The library is trying out the 4th floor for its Quiet Floor this semester. Signs will be posted and the quiet will be self-policed. Any problems can be reported to the University Librarian’s office during week days (201 Library) or to the Building Aide (located at the Circulation Desk) at other times.
Places & Spaces around Ames
Posted by Stephanie Davis-Kahl
on September 4, 2012
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One of the great things about the library is the choices for study and conversation spaces.
Here are a few of our favorites:
The Minor Myers jr Honors Collection resides in what students call the “Beauty and the Beast” room. The Collection includes award-winning books from a wide variety of organizations and disciplines, including poetry, biography, cookbooks, children’s literature and fiction.
The Thorpe Center offers comfy seating, Mac computers, and a great view of the Ames Plaza.
Using whiteboard paint, we transformed three small walls in Thorpe into a large whiteboard, complete with seating.
If you need to meet with a study group, you can reserve one of our three project rooms by calling Help@Ames (x3900). Each project room has a computer, screen and seating for 3-4 people. We also have group study rooms on the second, third and fourth floors of the library which are first come, first serve.
Help@Ames, located on the entry level near the Information Commons, provides both research assistance and technology support during library hours. You can learn about starting points for library research, connect with a librarian, install your wireless client, or reserve a project room at the Help@Ames Desk.