Marywood Library Blog

Ask Here Roadshow

2009-11-02T10:50:00.000-08:00

The Librarians are on the road again. You can now get help with your assignments and other class related projects at a convenient location.

McGowan Building (Curriculum Lab Library)
3-4:40pm on Thursdays
(Oct. 22 and 29; Nov. 5, 12, and 19; Dec. 3 and 10)

Healthy Families Center 229 (conference room) 1-2:30pm on Tuesdays
(Oct. 27; Nov. 3, 10, and 24; Dec. 1)

Please call the Library's Front Desk for more information at 961-4707

Scranton Reads at the Library

2009-09-30T10:28:00.000-07:00

The library has a display of Vietnam War books and DVDs in honor of this year's Scranton Reads Book, The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien.

Scranton Reads is a community reading event organized by the City of Scranton and the Albright Memorial Library. Each year during the month of October, citizens of Scranton get together to read a great work of literature. They participate in book discussions and special events related to the chosen work. Scranton Reads has two main goals. The first goal is to encourage reading among people of all ages. The second goal is to bring the community together through sharing a common experience. (Taken from the Scranton Reads website at http://www.scrantonreads.org/)

You may also pick up tickets to Tim O'Brien's visit to the Marywood Campus at the Library Front Desk. O'Brien's visit is part of the Scranton Reads festivities. Event is free.

For more information, please contact Lizah Ismail at lismail@maryu.marywood.edu or 348-6264.

Library Open House for Grad Students and Faculty

2009-09-18T09:10:00.000-07:00

The library will be hosting an Open House for Grad students and Faculty later this month.

Grad Student Open House
When: Wed Sept 23 and Thurs Sept 24, 4-7pm
Where: Learning Resources Center Rm 318 and 319 (3rd floor of Library)
About: Three one-hour sessions covering overview of library services, specific database demos, FAQs
Bonus: Pizza will be served, and there will be door prizes! (Sponsored by the Grad council).

New Faculty Open House
When: Mon Sept 28, 12-1 and 4:30-5:30
WhereL: Learning Resources Center Rm 318 (3rd floor of Library)
About: Each session will cover overview of library services and resources pertaining to faculty, new services, FAQs

2009-09-11T07:32:00.000-07:00

Ask Here PA is Pennsylvania's new statewide live chat reference service and is a free service to all residents of Pennsylvania, offering live chat reference 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

The Library's Cafe Opens Today

2009-09-08T10:39:00.001-07:00

The Library's Cafe, STUDY GROUNDS, Opens Today.

First Day

2009-08-31T11:29:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Welcome back for those who are returning. And a big welcome to those who are new. A lot will be happening at the Library this Fall Semester. Besides the new Library Cafe, we will be offering new services (such as 24/7 online research help - to be announced, the Library Open House for Grad students and library workshops for both faculty and students. So stay tuned!

The New Library Cafe Name Revealed. We Have a Winner!

2009-04-30T15:44:00.000-07:00

The Library and Dining Services would like to thank everyone who participated in our Name the Library Cafe Contest by submitting a name and/or voting.

The votes have been counted and we are happy to announce that the new library cafe name will be:

STUDY GROUNDS
SUBMITTED BY KELLEY TEEPLE*, Class of 2010
*Winner of the Keurig Gourmet Single Cup Home Brewing System donated by Green Mountain Coffee

Dr. Lloyd Lyter, SSW, and Christine Zwick, Library Staff, will receive a $25 MU Bookstore Gift Certificate for their creative submissions, Cup & Chaucer, and Hard Cover Cafe, respectively.

A drawing for a Green Mountain "cup of coffee a day for a year" was held today. Everyone who entered a name or names in the contest and who did not make it to the finalist round was eligible. We are pleased to announce that Ms. Ann L. Williams is the winner. Winners can call x6260 for details on retrieving their prizes.

Proceeds from the Penny War vote will be donated to Campus Ministry.

Cathy Schappert
Director of Library Services

Winners for National library week:

2009-04-21T09:12:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry to say folks National library week is over. It was a great week packed with fun and excitement and of course yummy delicious treats!!! On behalf of the library, we would like to thank everyone who came to the library and participated in the events. We would also like to congratulate the winners of National Library Week so without further ado:

Tuesday
– Door prize
Jessica Meoni - Mug filled with chocolate
Cheryl Joswick – Mug filled with chocoate
- Guess how many jar
Natalie Camp – Jar filled with candy

Wednesday
– Door prize
Katie Campbell – Mug filled with chocolate
Shannon Palm – Mug filled with chocolate
-Guess how many jar
Stephanie Shehadi – Jar filled with candy

Thursday
– Door prize
Tom Korp – Mug filled with chocolate
Aislinn McNulty – Mug filled with chocolate
- Guess how many jar
Barbara McNally – Jar filled with candy
- Movie tickets
Daiyana Rodriquez
Cheryl Joswick
Kristen Scarpa
Rachael Pry
Matthew Spencer

Friday
– Door prize – Natalie Camp

Library Quiz
Krysta Carpenter - $25 Walgreen card and $10 copy card

Library Survey
Zulfia Qahar – $10 Copy card
Deidre Jones - $10 Copy card
Sarah Ferrer - $10 Copy card

Poster Contest
– Runner up - Marguerite Innes – Flash drive and Mug filled w/ chocolate
- Grand prize – Shannon Palm – iPod

Celebrate National Library Week

2009-04-15T07:19:00.000-07:00

CHECK OUT OUR DAILY HAPPENINGS - all week long during National Library Week April 14-17

Two DAILY PRIZE DRAWINGS!
Take the Library Webpage Survey to win a $10 copy card(three prizes available).
Test your knowledge with the Library Quiz and win a prize (prizes given to first, second and third placed participants).
Attend an Info Session and your name will be put into a raffle for a door prize. Sessions are held at 10am and 3pm Tue. -Thu.
Guess the correct number of candies in the jar and win the whole jar of candies! One winner a day Tue. - Thu.
Take part in the READ POSTER CONTEST and win our GRAND PRIZE - an IPOD SHUFFLE!
Vote for the Library Café name all week via a penny war.
The Library Book sale will go on till Sunday April 19.
Amnesty for overdue library items all week.

Scheduled Daily Events at Marywood University Library:

Tuesday April 14
We are kicking off National Library Week with morning goodies (while supply lasts!) Table of goodies is by the library's front desk.
Also, LIVE MUSIC courtesy of A Fire With Friends, a homegrown band 12-2.
Other Scheduled Events:

Wednesday April 15
Free Pretzels 9-11 (or till supply lasts!), live music from the Lumberjacks, another homegrown band (check them out at http://www.myspace.com/thelumbertruck) 10-12, Storytelling by our very own Annette Fisher 2-3

Thursday April 16
Tasty goodies courtesy of Library Staff 9-11, Coffee tasting 10-3: You can have a taste of what will be on the menu at the new library café, courtesy of Green Mountain Coffee, Game Night 6-9, Free movie tickets to give away! And Free Popcorn, and other snacks. Also, live music from members of A Fire With Friends

Friday April 17
Rita's Ice 11-1, Live music from the Lumberjacks to end our festivities 11-1pm. Drawings and announcements of various prizes!

For more information, please contact our Library Front Desk at 961-4707.

National library week-Tuesday

2009-04-15T05:58:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

National library week is moving ahead steadily in the library. Yesterday was a fun day. Although our pizza tasting event was cancelled due to conflicts, we had some yummy delicious treats cake and cookies.

Today, we have some more treats in the library. We will also be having a candy guessing contest. I know you don't want to see any more candy after Easter, but with finals around the corner, it might be a useful comfort food. Besides, you get to keep the jar! We will also have storytelling from 1-2. If you missed the band yesterday, don't worry they'll be back on Thursday from 6-8.

We are also conducting a survey about the library's website. It's important that we have your opinion, and all entries will be entered into a drawing for a prize. We can't fix a problem if we don't know that it exists. I encourage you to give us your opinions so we could make your life easier. We are here to make your research experience as easy as possible. Help us to do that!

The book sale will continue throughout the week. If you are a bookworm like me, take advantage of it!!!

Remember to look on campus for READ posters, and please don't take them off the walls. People want to try to enter the contest. After the contest on Friday, you could race to collect them. We will hang this year's READ posters around the library. If you want to look at them for reference for the contest, go to the circulation desk.

Well that's all for now, folks!!!

Enjoy the day,

Erin:)

A Reply to the Library Never Has Anything

2009-04-08T08:39:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

I cannot tell you how many times I have heard the pharse the library never has anything or for a school with five doctoral programs with a sixth one on the way, you would think that they would have more library resources. As a graduate student, you will never find me objecting to the library adding to its collection in any way, shape, or form.

The one thing that many of these people do not realize, however, is just because we don't have something whether it be a book or article, does not mean that we cannot get it for you. For instance, we are a member of PALCI E-Z Borrow. I just call it E-Z Borrow for short because it's easy. E-Z Borrow is a lending agreement for books with all the academic libraries in Pennsylvania along with some in New Jersey and West Virginia. Now you won't be able to get reference books or rare archival materials, but you will be able to get pretty much any other book in about 3-10 days.

Also in terms of articles, we use Rapid ILL. All you have to do is place a request for an article, and we'll search the surrounding libraries for it. Depending on the time of the request and the volume of requests, you could recieve your article that same day or in a couple of days via email. Personally, the longest it ever took me to receive something was a week, but there was a glitch in the system. Now you may notice a field that asks how much are you willing to pay for this item. Don't worry about that field. 99.9% of the time, there is no charge, and we will contact you before doing anything. As I mentioned in a prior post, I am working on my masters thesis. I have literally use Rapid ILL over a hundred times, and I have been only asked to pay once. I ended up finding the article on google scholar for free.

In order to do this all you have to do is have the barcode on the back of your student ID ready and head to the library home page and click on interlibrary loan (I circled the exact location in red in the picture) both EZ-Borrow and Rapid ILL will be on the next page. Click on which one you need and enter your student ID to begin.

As much we all may despite it, not all research could be at your finger tips immediately. Consequently, we all have the responsibility to start our research early to ensure that we have adequate resources for our projects. Remember if you ever need any help getting started you could come by the Ask Here desk, schedule an appointment using the green Research Consultation form, and/or email us at libraryhelp@maryu.marywood.edu.

Until next time,

Erin:)

Library Announces Cafe Naming Contest

2009-04-07T09:24:00.000-07:00

The Library, in collaboration with Marywood University Dining Services, is in the process of planning the addition of a Cafe to the Library for Fall, 2009. In anticipation of this exciting new addition, we are conducting a contest to name the new cafe. Entries will be accepted between Wednesday, April 1st and 11:59 PM, Sunday, April 12. A panel of judges, including the Director of Library Services and the Director of Dining Services, will select the three most creative names from all of the submissions. During National Library Week, April 13-17, the Marywood community will be invited to vote for their favorite name via a penny war, the proceeds of which will be donated to Campus Ministry.

The contest is open to everyone in the Marywood community. There is no limit to the number of entries an individual may submit, however, in the case of duplicate entries, the submitter of the first entry of the name will be declared the winner. Entries will be judged for their creativity and appropriateness. Copyrighted names will not be accepted. Besides bragging rights, the winner will receive the grand prize of a home coffee brewer provided by Green Mountain Coffee. All submissions will be entered into a drawing for a Dining Services gift certificate for a coffee a day for one full year.

An online submission form can be found at
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=iR_2byl2nPhZ04Vtkan4xctQ_3d_3d

So, put your thinking caps on. We look forward to receiving your ideas.

One on One Appointments!!!!

2009-04-07T08:07:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

I do not know about you, but I have a ton of research papers and stuff to do every semester. Many of you come to the Ask Here desk, the reference desk, to get assistance with your research, which is cool because we're here to make your life easier.

I know that sometimes when I am working someone is bound to come up with a topic that I have no clue where to begin and I need to try a couple of things out first. Some people find that annoying and really just want the results and a discussion of the research findings. Other times you want an intensive research session with someone. If you are like me and working on your Masters thesis, it's always nice to have a person help you with your research and make sure you found everything under the sun. Unfortunately, there may be a line, and the reference librarian may not be able to give you the attention you need.

I completely understand this sentiment, and there is a solution for your problem!!!! We have these beautiful green Research Consultation forms at the Ask Here desk. Here is how it works, you fill out the form, and we will assign a reference librarian to give you a half hour appointment to go over your research. The reference librarians here do their research early so you don't have sit there and wait while they tweak the results.

There's no limit on the number of times you could use this resource!!! So drop on by any time and schedule a one on one research appointment.

Until next time,

Erin:)

A Legitimate Wikipedia

2009-04-06T10:15:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

I want to talk to you about a new database that we have on trial called CredoReference. Credo uses about 190 reference books to provide people with introductory information on any given topic. This is different from Wikipedia. As you probably received the lecture time and time again from the reference librarians and professors, anyone from John Doe to Joe the plumber, could write and change information on Wikipedia. Consequently, many professors don't like students using Wikipedia because it is hard to verify the veracity of the information.

I know some students are addicted to Wikipedia and use it regularly despite this issue. Don't worry. I'm not going to give you the lecture again or criticize you for using it. Instead, I am going to tell you to try Credo. Everything there is legitimate and verified.

Plus, there is a really cool feature called the concept map. Say your professor gives you a topic that you have no clue what he or she is talking about, or you cannot seem to find anything about your topic, clicking on the concept map will link your topic to things closely related to your topic. In addition, it gives you a visual representation of the topic--take a look at the picture.(Double click on the picture, so you could take a closer look!!!) It also keeps track of your past research.

Mind you, this is only a trial, and access to it may be gone any day now. If you like it, however, tell us!!! Although we would love to get every database under the sun to help you with your research, we have a responsibility to use our funding wisely to benefit as many students as possible. Input from professors, students, and staff is one of the few ways we have to decide whether to obtain a database for students. If you are like me and am head over heels in love with this database or if you do not like it, let us know at libraryhelp@maryu.marywood.edu.

Until next time,

Erin:)

Introductions and National Library Week

2009-04-02T13:27:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Welcome to the Marywood University's library blog! My name is Erin Dunleavy, and I am the graduate assistant to the reference department. I am a confirmed library geek, and I am proud to admit it! I have been asked to start writing about my insights and what is going on here in the library from a student/library perspective. I plan to contribute regularly and keep you up to date as much as possible.

Now that the introductions are done, I have a lot to tell you. You probably received and will continue to receive a number of emails about National Library Week. So what are we doing with this National Library Week? We are pretty much having a week long celebration here to honor the library and its patrons.

What does mean to you? Well on the academic side, if there's any question about the library that you have, you can find out the answer by attending our information sessions. (Not that you couldn't do that any other day!) You can test your library skills with our library quiz. A prize will be given to the top three.

Also, if you have any overdue books, we are granting amnesty that week to our patrons. Furthermore, if you have a pet peeve with the library, you could let us know because we will be conducting a library survey that week.

On the fun side, we will have yummy delicious treats all week from pizza to coffee, to Rita's ice, etc. We will also have games, live music, and a number of prizes throughout the week. Plus we be having a week long book sale.

This is generally what is going to be happening during the week. On each day, I will post the specific events taking place here in the library.

Erin:)

Library Announces Cafe Naming Contest

2009-03-31T12:09:00.000-07:00

The contest is open to everyone in the Marywood community. There is no limit to the number of entries an individual may submit, however, in the case of duplicate entries, the submitter of the first entry of the name will be declared the winner. Entries will be judged for their creativity and appropriateness. Copyrighted names will not be accepted. Besides bragging rights, the winner will receive the grand prize of a home coffee brewer provided by Green Mountain Coffee. All submissions will be entered into a drawing for a Dining Services gift certificate for a coffee a day for one full year.

An online submission form can be found at
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=iR_2byl2nPhZ04Vtkan4xctQ_3d_3d

So, put your thinking caps on. We look forward to receiving your ideas.

Ask Here Roadshow

2009-02-07T07:23:00.000-08:00

Beginning the week of February 9, librarians will begin to regularly visit McGowan and Nazareth Halls to assist people with their research needs. We will be prepared to help with our knowledge and a laptop computer. I hope that you will stop by and see us. Our easy-to-remember schedule is as follows:
--Mondays from 1 to 2:30pm in the 2nd floor common area in Nazareth Hall
--Thursdays from 1 to 2:30pm in the 1st floor common area in McGowan Hall
We will follow this schedule throughout the spring semester when classes are in session.

Credo Reference - a trial database

2009-01-30T11:50:00.000-08:00

Credo Reference is an online reference library that provides access to 120 reference books such as dictionaries, encyclopaedias and quotation books that cover a wide variety of subject areas. So although this site is not specific to biography, it can search for biographical information from a variety of subject areas. The biographical section itself searches through 'Debrett's People of Today', The Macmillan Dictionary of Women's Biography' and 'The Penguin Biographical Dictionary of Women'. By selecting the browse feature, you can take a look at all the books CREDO Reference has access to under the specific subject headings.
For trial access, please login with Username: user@marywood.edu and Password: trial

Please let us know if you think it is a useful source that Marywood library should have.

Marywood Library's Annual Fall Festival

2008-10-28T12:37:00.000-07:00

Get Caught In The Web of Knowledge at the Library all this week (Oct. 27-Oct.31) and join the library in welcoming its first annual Fall Festival. Get informed while you enjoy food, fun and prizes!

Stop by for:
• Snacks and refreshments 9-11AM on Monday/Wednesday/Friday and 4-6 Tuesday and Thursday (while supplies last!)
• Halloween Candy Hunt - find the lucky candy to win a prize (Tuesday-Thursday)
• 20 minute information sessions on the library's new social sciences database Web of Knowledge, and Endnote Web, a program that helps cite and format your sources (ATTEND A SESSION AND YOU MAY WIN A PRIZE!)
• Live music provided by Marywood students Chris Errante and Paul Rosato.
• Halloween Costume Contest - THREE CASH PRIZES TO BE WON on Friday, Oct. 31.
For more information, please contact the library front desk at 961-4707.

Check Out Our Halloween Display!

2008-10-21T08:11:00.000-07:00

Stop by the library and check out our display featuring Halloween books and movies. Some Halloween favorite movies we have are the following: The Exorcist, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Signs, The Sixth Sense, and some Alfred Hitchcock films!

Library Titles on Human Rights

2008-10-02T07:36:00.000-07:00

Available here is a list of library items on Human Rights that have been published in the past five years.

Graduate Fair Winners!

2008-09-12T07:08:00.000-07:00

We would like to announce the winners from this week's Graduate Fair! The following students have won a $20 copy card from our random drawing:

Melanie Clark
Liz Richmond
Mary Tupaj
Marguerite Innes
Amy Grocki
Tatiana

New Arrivals

2008-09-03T06:56:00.000-07:00

Stop by and check out some of the new arrivals this week now on display:

Why there's antifreeze in your toothpaste : the chemistry of household ingredients 1st ed.
Field, Simon (Simon Quellen)

Senator Obama goes to Africa [DVD]

My stroke of insight : a brain scientist's personal journey 1st Viking ed.
Taylor, Jill Bolte

Apollo's fire : igniting America's clean-energy economy
Inslee, Jay

Sustainable ethanol : biofuels, biorefineries, cellulosic biomass, flex-fuel vehicles, and sustainable farming for energy independence
Goettemoeller, Jeffrey.

The serial killer files : the who, what, where, how, and why of the world's most terrifying murderers 1st ed.
Schechter, Harold

Electoral realignment and the outlook for American democracy
Paulson, Arthur C

Mediating American autobiography : photography in Emerson, Thoreau, Douglass, and Whitman
Meehan, Sean Ross

New Database: ISI Web of Knowledge

2008-08-21T08:19:00.000-07:00

ISI Web of Knowledge contains:

13,000 journals
23 million patents
192,000 conference proceedings
9,100 Web sites
5,000 books
2 million chemical structures
Over 100 years of backfiles
40 million cited references added annually
256 subject categories in Science, Social Sciences, and Arts and Humanities, covering the full range of scholarship and research.

ISI Web of Knowledge offers these benefits:

If you publish, you'll find high impact articles upon which to base your articles — increasing the quality and credibility of your published work, resulting in more publication in more prestigious sources.
If you research, you'll be able to quickly identify potential collaborators with prolific, significant citation record. And tracking your own citation record will help you demonstrate your work's impact on your field.
If you teach, your students will be assured of using the highest quality resources — finding valuable information in journals they may not have the knowledge and experience to seek on their own.

If you are on campus you can log in from ISI Web of Knowledge

Notable books for summer reading

2008-05-22T11:42:00.000-07:00

In case you missed it, the American Library Association's review magazine, Booklist, announced its annual Notable Books for 2008 in March. Perhaps you will now have the time to dive into one or more of these wonderful works:

Nonfiction

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. By Barbara Kingsolver.

The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science. By Natalie Angier.

Einstein: His Life and Universe. By Walter Isaacson.

Gertrude Bell: Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations. By Georgina Howell.

Oil on the Brain: Adventures from the Pump to the Pipeline. By Lisa Margonelli.

When a Crocodile Eats the Sun: A Memoir of Africa. By Peter Godwin.

The Zookeeper’s Wife: A War Story. By Diane Ackerman.

How Doctors Think. By Jerome Groopman.

Super-Crunches: Why Thinking-by-Numbers Is the New Way to Be Smart. By Ian Ayres.

The World without Us. By Alan Weisman.

Fiction