BSN exhibit opened!

Posted by on April 14, 2010 No comments
Mrs. Chase with Prof. Hilton's class, Weiss Hospital, Short Term 1977

Mrs. Chase (front, center) with Prof. Hilton (top, right) and class at Weiss Hospital, Short Term 1977

The first floor of Ames Library now holds uniforms, photographs, documents and artifacts celebrating five decades of the Baccalaureate program for Nursing education at Illinois Wesleyan — one of the first of its kind in the country. This exhibit is free and open to the public and will run through the end of April.

An online collection of photos, documents and even an oral history with Dr. Mary Shanks, credited with seeing that the BSN was firmly grounded within the liberal arts tradition, are available through http://www.iwu.edu/nursing/anniversary/Photos.shtml. These are permanent collections.

Using Technology to Teach Contemporary Political Conflicts

Posted by on March 29, 2010 No comments

March 31, 2010

4:00 pm – 5:15 pm

Thorpe Center, Ames Library

Can YouTube, Facebook, or Second Life teach us new ways of exploring the dynamics of protracted political conflicts, such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? The objective of this session is to explore new ways of using technology to expand our intellectual and pedagogical understandings of conflicts. For example: does Palestine exist in Second Life, and if so, what does it look like? What are the Israeli/Palestinian narrative representations on YouTube, and how can those skew American public opinion? What role, if any, does web 2.0 have to play in how we teach and learn about the dynamics of conflicts?

In this session, Ronnie Olesker , Assistant Professor of Government at St. Lawrence University, will present how she has incorporated the technologies above into her teaching about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in particular, and what avenues of further research she continues to explore. She will then facilitate a discussion on ways in which user-generated media can affect conflict dynamics and the way we teach conflict in the classroom.

This NITLE session, sponsored by The Ames Library and the Teaching, Learning and Technology Roundtable, is open to faculty, staff and students.

Design a New Banner for Digital Commons

Posted by on March 22, 2010 No comments

The Digital Commons Team at Ames Library invite faculty, staff and students to redesign the banner for Digital Commons (pictured above).  We’re looking for a banner that communicates the intellectual vibrancy and creativity of students, faculty and staff in our campus community.

Digital Commons @ IWU is an online archive of student and faculty work that reflects the nature of the intellectual, creative and scholarly culture of our campus. DC@IWU serves also as the central location for University records and campus history.  For our goals, please visit the Digital Commons homepage.

When we think of DC@IWU, words that come to mind are: open access, sharing, scholarship, intellectual, creative, preserve, students, faculty, scholarship, community, excellence, safe, secure, findable, citable, easy to share.

Required Technical Criteria

Size: 980px wide and 125px in height

Format: Please submit your entry in Illustrator. The winning entry will be converted to jpg for the web.

Other: Please reserve a 520 pixel area on the left hand side of the banner for the banner text. The banner text changes as you move through the different collections in Digital Commons. For example, the home page banner text reads “Digital Commons,” but the text for the alumni magazine reads “Illinois Wesleyan University Magazine“

Prizes

The winning entry will be the new logo for Digital Commons @ IWU and will be used for print marketing materials as well. Visa gift cards will also be given to the winning entry, second place and third place.

Submission of Entries:

Please send your entry via email to: Stephanie Davis-Kahl at The Ames Library.

Deadline/Announcement of winner:

The deadline for entries is 11:59 pm on Monday, April 12. The winners will be contacted via email and announced on the Ames Library Blog on Friday, April 23, 2010.

Judges

Members of the Library Advisory Committee, University Communications and the Digital Commons Team will judge entries and select the winners.

Questions?

Please contact Stephanie Davis-Kahl.

Snow day researching

Posted by on January 6, 2010 No comments

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!

Posted by on January 6, 2010 No comments

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

Posted by on November 23, 2009 No comments

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

Posted by on November 5, 2009 No comments

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!

Corrections to APA Style Manual

Posted by on October 28, 2009 No comments

The latest edition of the APA Style Manual has a large number of errors.  The library is working on getting replacement copies from the second printing.  Until then, a list of corrections can be found online at on the APA Style website.  The APA Style Blog is also a helpful source of information about the new rules, including use of DOIs, citing Twitter, Facebook, and Kindles, and new reference list style for works with more than seven authors.

Hear the John Adams talk by Dr. Weis

Posted by on October 14, 2009 No comments

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”

Posted by on September 29, 2009 No comments

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!