WSU Libraries' RSS News Feed

Cummings Honored with Residence Hall Award

coreyj@wsu.edu (Corey Johnson) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:14:48 GMT

Lara Cummings won the October WSU Faculty of the Month Award for the National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH http://www.nrhh.org/). She has worked with the residence halls on campus for several years. Training the RAs on library programs and services and planning programs with them are among some of her favorite activities every year. Last summer she created the library bulletin board kit program in which resident advisors (RAs) sign up for a pre-made library bulletin board featuring information about various aspects of library services and programs. So far this fall she has sent out more than 50 kits that have been posted in the residence halls.

Music Teachers National Association Competition Participants Concert

zbriceno@wsu.edu (Zinthia Briceno-Rosales) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:27:50 GMT

WSU Libraries' Atrium Music Series

Music Teachers National Association Competition Participants will be performing today in the Atrium in the Terrell Library. The concert will start at about 12:15pm.

WSU Libraries' Atrium Music Series is an informal series of concerts that takes place from 12:15 - 1:00pm most Fridays during the academic year in the Terrell Library Atrium (formerly Holland/New Library). The concerts are free of charge. Drop in for all or any part of the concert as your schedule allows. Limited seating is available. Reasonable accommodations are provided upon request with adequate prior notification.

Questions or comments? Contact Shannon Scott at shannonscott@wsu.edu

Are the WSU Libraries HAUNTED? Survey Results

scales@wsu.edu (Jane Scales) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:17:32 GMT

Thanks to everyone who participate in our survey "Are the WSU Libraries Haunted?" Below are the results:

Do you believe the WSU Libraries are haunted?

No - 21.9% Not sure - 48.4 % Yes 29.7%

Have you ever experienced something in one of the WSU Libraries that you could not logically explain?

Yes - 40.6% No - 31.3% Only when using a database 28.1%

What type of unexplained phenomenon have you experienced in the library?

21.9 % Image of a menacing librarian watching me.

14.1% Shelves in the basement of Terrell Library moving!
17.2% Databases infected by poltergeists.

46.9% Elevators behaving strangely.

Other (best answers): Disembodied voices, footsteps, and other noises on the 4th floor of Holland All of the above! And then there is the Library Cat Ghost that runs around here at night. Eeery feelings when alone in the "dungeon" of the library. Inexplicable sounds.....this was in the early 90's when I was a student employee. I saw a old man right beside me on the reflection of the window but when i turned there was nobody there.

Some people have reported that certain books have "called" to them. Have you ever felt this?

15.9% - Yes, certain audio books have called to me.
44.4% - Yes, some books have even influenced my thoughts and actions!

29.7% - I thought so, but it was someone else standing behind the shelf.

You're alone in the library some dark and stormy night. How would you react to the following?

% who answered, "Would send me running!"

42.2% - You sense another presence in the room.

32.8% - You suddenly find a "cold spot" while looking for a book.

38.1% - Certain "ghostly smells" become apparent to you.

78.1% - A gray mist starts floating toward you!

Has this survey scared you?

17.2% - Yes!

46.9% - Who turned the lights out?

35.9% - No, I'm behind spooky occurrences!

If you have any additional information, EVP recordings, or stories that we should know about, please type them below.

Best answers:

Be careful going up the Holland staircase near the second floor where the "Spokane I-90" mural is atthe cars round the curve so fast that someone will get hit one day...

Holland is Haunted. Fact.

My boyfriend and I explore the library at night as an occasional hobby. So far, so good. We come back alive and unharmed every time. Still, I do often sense strange presence(s) in Terrell. Try visiting Terrell late at nightyou will feel as though spirits are watching.

for the smells...check the garbage cans.....for the mist....look above to make sure there was not a leak in the sprinkler system....BOO

My roommate is a creeper

Strange ghostly clicking sounds can be heard in the upper floors of Owen Library. They are often concentrated near small beige boxes labeled "Johnson Controls," which are obviously Ghostly Presence Concentrator Boxes.

Eff my life im scared. I have seen a lot of crap in my lifetime but i can sense the ghosts in the library. Eff it :)

WSU Libraries Seek Student and Faculty Feedback on Service Quality

scales@wsu.edu (Jane Scales) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:54:46 GMT

On November 2, 2009, a randomly selected group of Washington State University undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty will receive an email message from the Dean of Libraries, inviting them to participate in a web-based survey designed to measure library service effectiveness from the perspective of the library user.

The results of this survey will be used in establishing priorities for the WSU Libraries. The combination of local survey results with those of other participating research libraries will allow the WSU Libraries to identify best practices in providing service to the WSU community.

A strong response rate is very important to the accuracy of this survey. Invitation notices will be sent to email addresses in the WSU campus online directory. Email addresses may be updated at the Information Technology Email Forwarding site at http://infotech.wsu.edu/help/HowTo/Misc/emailfwd.html.

Incentives to participate will also be provided. A randomly selected group of WSU respondents will receive a Kindle electronic reader.

The survey, called LibQUAL+, is a large-scale, user-based library service effectiveness tool developed by Texas A&M University in conjunction with the Association of Research Libraries. The Washington State University Libraries participated in a LibQUAL+ pilot study conducted in 2001, and have continued to use this tool on a regular basis to measure library user opinions, with the goal of providing excellent service and support for the WSU community. For more information about LibQUAL+, visit http://www.libqual.org.

CONTACT: Robert Ferguson, Library Data Officer, ferguson@wsu.edu, (509) 335-2520.

Student Actors Needed for Library Promotional Video

coreyj@wsu.edu (Corey Johnson) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:34:50 GMT

The Libraries are seeking some volunteer student actors for a library promotional video. Please contact Corey Johnson at coreyj@wsu.edu if interested - briefly describe prior experience.

National Information Literacy Month and a Special Invitation!

coreyj@wsu.edu (Corey Johnson) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:02:18 GMT

October is National Information Literacy Month as recently declared by President Obama. Information literacy is increasing being recognized as a critical skill to be taught at all levels of the educational spectrum..

The event will be Thursday, October 22, from 9-10:30am, in Terrell 20.

Anyone from the university community is invited to attend this event.

Mark your calendars! Dr. Carol Anelli will be the guest speaker at this fall's Library Instruction Update.

Dr. Anelli is an Associate Professor of Entomology, Honors College Thesis Director and Honors College Faculty Fellow. She has won numerous teaching awards including the Sahlin Faculty Excellence Award for Instruction (WSU's top teaching honor). Dr. Anelli is a strong supporter of the Libraries and has collaborated with librarians in many of her teaching endeavors. Come hear her message and enhance your teaching skills.

The WSU Library Instruction Program is centrally about developing information literacy.
Information literacy is one of WSU's Six Goals of the Baccalaureate.
Read President Obama's Proclamation.

Constitution Day and Citizenship Day

coreyj@wsu.edu (Corey Johnson) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:00:30 GMT

Constitution Day and Citizenship Day is Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009. An exhibit about the U.S. Constitution is on display in the Terrell Library Atrium from Monday, Sept. 14 to Friday, Sept. 25. The WSU Libraries web page about Constitution Day http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/govdoc/constitutionday.html provides links to the text of the Constitution as well as interpretive material, lesson plans, a bibliography, and other resources.

Win the Victory: WSU Football History and Digital Films Exhibit at MASC

markoe@wsu.edu (Mark O'English) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 10:41:20 GMT

The Washington State University Libraries Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC, located off the Atrium, one floor down in the Terrell Library) is currently showing an exhibit sharing the origins and history of the school's football program, dating from before the school's first game on November 18th, 1894 through to their second Rose Bowl appearance in 1931. The exhibit includes programs, ticket stubs, photographs, and many other documents, but the centerpiece of the exhibit is a large-screen television displaying some of the fruits of a digitization project which has resulted in about nineteen Apple Cup games dating from 1929 to 1978 being placed online for public viewing (along with the previously digitized 1916 Rose Bowl game).

Win the Victory: The Early Days of the Football at Washington State will be open for viewing during MASC's regular hours, Monday - Friday, 8:30 - 4:30. In addition, on home football Saturdays the exhibit area will be open from four hours before gametime until kickoff (as the Terrell Library will be closed Nov. 21st for Thanksgiving week, the exhibit will not be open before the OSU game).

An overview of the exhibit and digital versions of a selection of the materials displayed can be seen at http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/holland/masc/masctour/football/index.html

The football films can be viewed through a menu in the films section on the exhibit page above, as well as on a WSU Football Films Digital Collection page at http://kaga.wsulibs.wsu.edu/cdm-football/

Zotero and EndNote Classes (and more!).

scales@wsu.edu (Jane Scales) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:19:25 GMT

For other research classes scheduled with HRS, visit this link.

Learn about Zotero and EndNote this semester!

All sessions mentioned below take place in in the Terrell instruction lab (1st floor).
Questions about Zotero sessions? Contact oenglish@wsu.edu.

The Next EndNote classes will be held:

(Pullman campus) Tuesday, Sept 29th EndNote for Beginners (10:30 to 12:00)

(Pullman campus) Thursday, Oct. 1st, EndNote w/library Databases (10:30 to 12:00)

AMS session to Extension and Learning Centers: EndNote for Beginners
Friday, Oct. 2nd (9:00 to 10:00) Session 2063

(Pullman campus) Thursday, Oct. 8th, EndNote: Cite While You Write (10:30 to 12:00)

Please register for the EndNote sessions by:

1. Click the a course description link above.
2. Click the 'Sessions' link at the top of course description page
3. Scroll to the bottom of the next page and click the preferred Session Number:
4. Scroll to the bottom of the next page and click 'Enroll Me.'

If you have an email address associated with your WSU Online Learning Account you will receive an immediate confirmation of registration as well as an emailed reminder shortly before the session date.

Need help enrolling? Contact hrstraining@wsu.edu

For other questions about EndNote, contact scales@wsu.edu.
For other classes sponsored by the Libraries and HRS, visit this page.

For other classes scheduled with HRS, visit this link.

Interlibrary Loan Fee to Be Eliminated

scales@wsu.edu (Jane Scales) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:59:59 GMT

Since recent budget cuts have hurt departments all across the University, the Libraries would like to show our continued support for the university community by improving your access to collections outside WSU.

The $3 fee for interlibrary loan has always covered just a fraction of the actual cost to the Libraries, which is closer to $50 per transaction. Another service, Article Reach, has allowed us to provide subsidized access to journal literature over the past two years without charging the user, and this service has been very popular. Here is the very good news:

Effective August 15, 2009, all WSU faculty, staff and students will be able to request copies of journal articles that the WSU Libraries do not own without paying the $3 fee.

Requests for books and other items that must be returned will also be available at no cost to the user, and whether they arrived as an Interlibrary Loan or are from a WSU collection, they can be delivered to WSU office locations. Graduate students who are able to receive mail at their departments or who have stable office addresses can also request items this way. This service will be rolling out later in the month.

The Libraries are excited to offer this expanded level of access to materials in support of the research and instruction missions of the University. If you have questions or comments, please contact Jill Palmer, Manager, Access Services (palmer@wsu.edu).