Thursday, April 29, 2010

Duplex printing

As many of you have discovered, the new printers on the 2nd floor are set to duplex printing, meaning that by default they print on both sides of the paper. This is good for the environment and generally a good thing.

However, if you need to print only on one side, you have two options.

First, print to printer 22.

Second, continue to print to printer 21 but follow these directions:
1. Hit Print.
2. Go to Properties.
3. Change Duplex Setting (from Open to Left) to Off.
4. Hit OK.

If you have questions, feel free to ask a lab consultant.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Library Tip: Protect Your Valuables

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:jf_EU2wXRjFiiM:http://www.northstar-security.org/Images/secuirty_guard.jpgThe end of the semester – more than any other time – is when you should take extra care to protect your valuables.

Don’t leave backpacks, purses, MP3 players, computers, textbooks, or other valuables unattended. They could disappear before you know it.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Introducing the Book

This video is a favorite of ours. It was originally taken from the show "Øystein og jeg" on Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK)in 2001. With Øystein Backe (helper)and Rune Gokstad (desperate monk). Written by Knut Nærum.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Extended Hours for Finals

Andruss Library will be open the following extended hours in preparation for and during finals:

Saturday, 4/24: 9am-7pm
Sunday, 4/25: 10am-12midnight
Friday, 4/30: 7:30am-9pm
Saturday, 5/1: 9am-9pm
Sunday, 5/2: 10am-12midnight
Friday, 5/7: 7:30am-6pm

Also, an after-hours study room will be open from 12midnight-2am during finals week, from Sunday 5/2 through Thursday 5/6.

A complete listing of our hours can be found here: http://guides.library.bloomu.edu/hours.

You Spoke: Facebook & MySpace

This is the fifth in a series of posts to respond to findings from the LibQual 2009 survey.

Several students wrote comments in the LibQual survey asking for the library to restrict the use of Facebook & MySpace on library computers. These students were frustrated that they couldn't find a computer to do classwork, because others were using them to update their Facebook or MySpace accounts.

While we sympathize with these frustrations, the library has not attempted to censor Internet access in the past, and we don't wish to do so in the future. It is difficult to implement a policy restricting certain websites, because it can be hard to know when to stop. Should we also restrict sites like YouTube? Also, many organizations at the university use Facebook and similar sites as a means to communicate; restricting access would cause difficulties to their members.

We remind all of our patrons that the library's primary mission is to support the educational goals of the university. All of our resources, including the computers, are intended to do that.

Monday, April 5, 2010

You Spoke: Textbooks

This is the fourth in a series of posts to respond to findings from the LibQual 2009 survey.

Several students wrote comments in the LibQual survey asking for the library to have copies of the textbooks that they use in their classes.

The library has not gotten copies of textbooks because the role of the library is to buy additional resources that students, faculty, and staff need to support their research. So, rather than using all of our money to buy copies of textbooks, we use that money to buy online journals, databases, print books, and ebooks that can be used when writing papers, giving presentations, and conducting other projects. Not buying textbooks is common practice among academic libraries.

Of course, many professors do put copies of their textbooks on reserve in the library, and we are happy to assist them in doing that. Our homepage lets students check to see if their textbook is on reserve and lets faculty put items on reserve.

Friday, April 2, 2010

Take 10 for the Census

Yesterday, April 1, was National Census Day.

Have you filled out your Census form yet?

Here's an interactive map that will let you know how well any community is participating in the Census: http://2010.census.gov/2010census/take10map/.

The map is updated daily. As of today, April 2, Columbia County's participation rate is 60%. That's above the national average of 54%.

If you have questions about filling out your form or you have not received a form by April 12, call 1-866-872-6868 (English)/1-866-783-2010 (TDD) or find help on the Census 2010 website: http://2010.census.gov/2010census/.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Need tax forms?

It's that time of year again. Here are two links to get you started:

http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/index.html
Download federal tax forms, instructions, and other federal tax information from the IRS.

http://www.revenue.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/revenue_home/10648
Click on the "Forms & Publications" tab to download Pennsylvania state tax forms, instructions, and other state tax information from the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue.