K-State at Salina Library

Happy New Website!

In addition to wishing all our patrons Happy Chinese New Year, we want to wish our friendly cohorts over at Hale Library a Happy New Website!

When you click on the Hale Library link on the Salina Library website, you'll see a shiney new website, redesigned with YOU in mind!

This webite still features all your favorite library things, just in new places:

• RefWorks
• Databases
• E-Journals
• LibGuides (course guides)
• Ask a Librarian
• And more!

All of this stuff is awesome for giving you get a jump on your semester research paper (you know you want need to) so if you need help with any of these tools, ask a librarian.

(Do not ask a dragon. Even a talking one. Dragons do not know our card catalog and they tend to set things on fire).

(Disney's Mulan, 1998)

Veggie Tales! Veggie Tales!

Check out the library's awesome Vegetarianism/Veganism DUAL displays! One is full of awesome factoids about why you should choose fava beans over furried friends for your fried fare, as well as cookbooks and magazines to help you embrace a more animal-friendly lifestyle (or anti-plant, depending on your viewpoint). The other is full of fantastic animal-free food you can WIN! Just head into the library and put your name in the drawing. 5 lucky winners will recieve the ingredients to make the tasty treats listed in the display. For more information, contact Linda German in IT, who graciously donated all the materials AND tasty tidbits you can win!

Chat contest winner!

Thanks to everyone who chatted with us last week! Eric Swenson, computer sciences major, was the winner of the K-State Salina Library IM Chat Contest. Eric managed to go 5 for 5 and ask a librarian the Question of the Day each day of the contest! Here he is (showing genuine appreciation) in our Graphic Novel section, showing off his brand-spanking-new $25 Applebee's giftcard.

Faculty, students and staff can use the IM chat box to talk to a librarian in real-time for help on locating library materials or for research strategies from the comfort of their own...anyplace!

Ask Questions. Win Prizes.

Chat with a librarian and win prizes!

To celebrate National Information Literacy Month and the launch of new Instant Message (IM) reference services, the K-State Salina Library will be holding a contest from October 24-28th.

Each day, students, faculty and staff can use the library's IM box to ask librarians the Question of the Day. Just say "I want to win the K-State Salina Library contest!" and ask the question. The librarians will respond with the correct answer and ask for your name and email so you will be entered in the contest. All participants may enter once daily and the names will be entered for a drawing to win Applebees gift cards!

Question of the Day:
Oct. 24: How many books does the K-State Salina Library own?
Oct. 25: How many magazines are at K-State Salina Library?
Oct. 26: How many databases does K-State subscribe to?
Oct. 27: How do I borrow materials from other libraries?
Oct. 28: How many web pages are there on the Internet?

Feel free to also use the box to get research help, such as finding library materials or using the library databases.

Librarians Don't Care

Librarians don't care what you read, as long as you're reading, and we don't think anybody should be able to stop you. That's why every year, we get out our Banned Books Week decorations, decorate our Banned Books Week tree and demand parents, politicians, professors and other generally-nosy neighbors stop tossing perfectly good books like Twilight outta libraries. (Well, maybe not Twilight, but other great classics like The Grapes of Wrath, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and the Harry Potter series.)

In celebration of reading books other people don't want you to read, here is a list of the top 10 controversial books in America:

1. .----------------
2. .------------------------------
3. .----------
4. .------------------------------------------------
5. .------------------------------------
6. .-------------------------
7. .---------------------------------------------------------------------
8. .----------------------------------------
9. .------------------------------------------
10. .------------------------------------------

Oops! Sorry! Somebody doesn't want you to read them!

For more information on Banned Books week, check out:

http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/

For more information on how the American Library Association totally has your back (and for the actual list of books), check out:

http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek/index.cfm

 

 

 

Doing it in the library

Luke Skywalker does it. Harry Potter does it. Batman does it. Frodo does it. Stewie Griffen does it.

But why, OH WHY, do you, dear students, fail to do it?

Every semester, there are some students who refuse to ask for help when they need it. Frightened freshmen unaware of our awesome capacity to find peer-reviewed articles, sheepish sophomores who can't quite remember what they learned when the librarian visited their class, jeering juniors who think they know everything about everything in the library and stupified seniors who suddenly need industry-specific sources they've never heard of until now.

Ask a librarian.

Don't wait until the last minute, find a librarian and get some help! (Ok, even if you wait until the last minute, we'll still help you.) There is no shame in saying "My teacher needs me to find X but I don't know what X is, can't spell X and I'm not even sure X is real." Turns out, the librarians have probably helped students just like you with that assignment before and we have a good idea of what your teacher is wanting, or we can make a good guess. We're into the 5th week of the semester, so if you haven't wandered around the library yet, get in there and get some library-tastic assistance. Not on campus? Email libhelp@salina.k-state.edu for help over the interwebz.

 

Newish New-ness

Hurrah! School has started and we've finished putting our new shelving up and while only new-ish, the Library Lounge has moved to its new location. Check out our new and new-ish graphic novels, magazines and newspapers, as well as the newest of the new bestsellers. We can't wait to see new and new-ish students hanging out in our library!

You can move it! Move it!

The compact shelving is FINALLY installed, the books are back on the shelves (thanks to our volunteers!) and 20,000+ titles are ready for you to browse at your leisure! We couldn't be happier (or tired and sore) and we want you to stop by and check out the new system for yourself. It's pretty hip and space-agey, so go ahead: Push the button.

 

He like to move it, move it! She like to move it, move it!

We're taking a break to post the updates of our moving project, which kicked into gear after the nice three-day weekend. We have people working from literally the floor to the ceiling so check out the progress below. Please forgive our noise and mess, the awesomeness will be worth it this fall!

WE ARE STILL OPEN REGULAR HOURS:

8am-8pm M-TH, 8am-5pm F.

We still have computers available, DVDs for checkout and, as always, helpful librarians who are ready to battle the evils of censorship and illeteracy help you find what you need.

 

We like to move it! Move it!

Ha! Just try not to sing the song from Madagascar as you read this awesome update about K-State Salina's Moving Project!

Yes, we're making all sorts of noise but we're trying our best to stay quiet!

Yes, we're hauling books out by the cartload to store in the labs (Electronic and Manufacturing) as we tear down old shelving to make way for awesome compact, "movable" shelving.

No, we didn't "suddenly decided to go with e-books because print books are like, so 2000, and everything's on the Internet, right, so you're getting rid of all of them?" (actual quote from a student patron). We <3 books, print or not.

Check out the pics below to see some of our progress. We've moved approximately 10,800 books so far, so we're half way (not all of our books are moving)!

First Shelf-full

First Shelf-empty!

Stacking the books in TC142

Oops! We're full!

Shelving torn down for sale on Purple Wave

On to filling up TC139!

Peeta and Gale cast for upcoming "Hunger Games"

Lionsgate has confirmed that Josh Hutcherson has been tapped for the role, Deadline reports. It's a crucial one: Peeta is Katniss' fellow competitor/love interest as the 16-year-old girl is forced to compete in a brutal government-sponsored, televised battle.

The “Kids Are All Right” star was reportedly going against Alex Pettyfer (“I Am Number Four”), Hunter Parrish (“Weeds”) and Liam Hemsworth for the job.

While Hemsworth (“The Last Song”) won’t play Peeta, he will play Katniss’ childhood friend Gale Hawthorne. As Entertainment Weekly points out, Hemsworth won't have as large a part in the first film as Hutcherson, but if Hollywood indeed adapts the full trilogy, then there's more of Hemsworth coming down the line.

See pics of our leading men at http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2011/04/05/josh-hutcherson-liam-hemsworth-join-hunger-games/

Other confirmed cast members:

• Elizabeth Banks has been cast as the pink-haired, sadistically bubbly Effie Trinket, who serves as an escort for District 12 tributes Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark.

• The widowed Mrs. Everdeen, a victim of the totalitarian government of the story's dystopian future, will be played by Paula Malcomson.

• Willow Shields will play Katniss' delicate and much-loved younger sister, Primrose Everdeen.

• Tall and beautiful, Glimmer is still quite deadly and will be played by Leven Rambin.

• Rue, the 12-year-old District 11 tribute who reminds Katniss of her younger sister, Prim, will be played by Amandla Stenberg.

“Hunger Games” will arrive in theaters on March 23, 2012. (Hey SGA, maybe this is the movie you should pick for Student Night at the movies! Just sayin'...)

 

Brawl in the Library

 
As we wind down towards the end of the semester, we understand the occassional need to call your advisor about registering for classes, the registrar's office about transfering classes, your mom to tell her you scored a summer internship or your roommate to tell them you'll be studying late into the night.

However, PLEASE be courteous to your fellow library patrons and take your call out into the Tech Center Lobby, or better yet, outside (the lobby just funnels the sound back into the library). Trying to find last minute sources, get math tutoring or take an online quiz is easier in a quiet environment.

We'd hate to see a brawl over cellphones like at the University of Missouri-St.Louis. Library ninjas have to be released and then rounded up, campus security will want a written report (probably in triplicate) and you never know when those pesky papparazzi will be around to snap a photo of it...

Celebrate National Library Week!

April 10-16th is National Library Week!

Celebrate by using library databases, e-journals, checking out DVDs, reading a newspaper or magazine or those awesome things with pages:

Jennifer Lawrence tapped for Katniss in Hunger Games adaptation

Image from Winter's Bone

Lionsgate confirmed 20-year-old Jennifer Lawrence, whose excellent work in Winter’s Bone earned her an Oscar nomination, has landed the coveted role of Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games. In director Gary Ross’ adaptation of the first installment to Suzanne Collins’ beloved trilogy, Lawrence will play the 16-year-old tribute from District 12 who’s forced by a vicious government to participate in an annual reality TV death match. The Hunger Games hits theaters March 23, 2012.

Now, who's up for Peeta and Gale?

Check out the top contenders here!

It could happen to you

No. 3 BYU dismisses player for honor code violation

 

With warmer weather causing spring fever on campus, many students are longing for lazy afternoons spent outside enjoying the breeze, rather than indoors working in the labs or in the hanger. Don't let the temptation to cut corners or take shortcuts ruin your academic career in exchange for one nice day outdoors!

Undergraduate and graduate students, when they register, acknowledge the jurisdiction of the K-State Honor System. The policies and procedures of the Honor System apply to all full and part-time students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate courses on-campus, off-campus, as well as online. A component vital to the Honor System is the inclusion of the Honor Pledge, which applies to all assignments, examinations, and other course work undertaken by students.

"On my honor, as a student, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this academic work."

Cheating the system cheats you, and while you may or may not be a student athlete, the consequences will have an impact on the rest of your education. So think before you copy a presentation, buy a term paper or cheat on an online quiz just to save a little time. Sanctions like an XF on your transcript, having to spend more time and money to retake a course (and pushing back graduation), or dismissal from K-State are real possibilities for vilolaters. It could happen to you.

 

 

How cold IS it?

Due to the weather trends of snow consistently falling on each and every Tuesday/Wednesday for the last several weeks, we thought you could use some humor to keep you warm trudging from your building to the nice, toasty library.

So, K-State, HOW COLD IS IT?

It's SO COLD:

• Grades seem to be improving at school - when you apply the wind chill factor, a 57% looks like 93%!
• Students are telling the most awful lies about why they can't make it to class - hoping their pants catch on fire!
• Facilities had to salt the hallway between Tech East and Tech West!
  
• The cafeteria is only handing out plasticware. Some people are walking around with spoons or forks stuck to their tongues after breakfast this morning!
• When we milk the cows, we get (Call Hall) ice cream!
  
• Students are using flannel netbooks!
• The bookstore is selling giant keyboards so people can type with mittens!
• Apple is introducing something called the iScarf!
• People are buying SIFE coffee as handwarmers for the long trek to the AERO buildings, one cup for each hand!

Got another K-State "It's so cold" joke? Post it below or email hblackbu@ksu.edu.

eBooks for iPads, iPhones, Blackberries, Androids and more!

Santa bring you a new igadget?

Bag a techno deal at a post-holiday sale?

Combine your giftcards from distant relatives into a spending spree at a big box store?

We're betting you need some awesome eBooks, audiobooks, classic movies and guilt-free downloadable music to fill the vast, unused megabytes on your new device. Check out Overdrive, a free site providing a wealth of fiction, non-fiction, and children's titles. Stop by the library to get your FREE State Library of Kansas card and you're on your way!

Overdrive - Free Audio and eBooks, movies and music, provided by a subscription paid for by the the State Library of Kansas.

Need help loading Overdrive eBooks or music onto your iPod, iPad, iPhone, MP3 player or Sony eReader? Check out these helpful videos created by the State Library of Kansas.

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm1AjzdRKxQ

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19J_23cjzvw

 

For more eBooks and nifty downloadables, check out our Free Online eBooks page.

WARNING: Graphic Trailer for Hunger Games

This book trailer for Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games landed a spot on School Library Journal's Top 10 Videos of 2010.

It is graphic.

It is violent.

It will make you swoon through 10 emotions in its 10 minute running time.

It. Is. Amazing.

If you haven't read The Hunger Games as part of the 2010 K-State Campus Wide Read, it's not too late. Stop by the library and borrow a copy.

 

*This is NOT the official Lionsgate trailer for the movie due out in late 2011.

Write or Die

It's Dead Week.

Papers are due.

The coffee isn't strong enough.

Try Write or Die by Dr Wicked.

Type in your word count goal, time limit (10 minutes to 2 hours), pick a motivation mode (Gentle for newbies or Electric Shock for those of you REALLY under the gun) and start typing! When you stop typing, the clock starts ticking down before an alarm goes off to keep you awake, uh, on track.

Just don't forget to cut and paste your work into a document and save, save, save!

It's not too late to get reseach help!

Robot librarians

What if librarians were robots? 

Would we still provide the same level of service?

What if students were robots?

Would they still ask the same questions?

Check out this reference interview between two robots and see if anything sounds familiar....

 

 

If you need research help, stop by the library where a (non-robot!) librarian would be happy to assist you!

Want to make your own cool vids like this for free? Check out www.xtranormal.com.

Feed a Vet Day

Happy Veteran's Day!

Did you know K-State at Salina was voted a 2010-2011 Top Military-Friendly School?

We support our vets and their educational endeavors!

Check out the Veteran's Day activities sponsored by the Multi Cultural Committee (MCC). Pie and other desserts were handed out, as well as K-State Veteran buttons. Math instructor John Heublein also gave a presentation in the cafeteria over the noon hour.  Thanks to all who came out and showed their support!

Have you had your academic Wheaties today?

Students Lack Basic Research Skills, Study Finds

Read the full article here.

 

According to the latest Project Information Literacy Progress Report, 84 percent of students say that when it comes to course-based research, getting started is their biggest challenge. The three sources cited most often by students were course readings, search engines like Google, and scholarly research databases. Only 30 percent asked a librarian for research help.

Say what!?! Only 30 percent of you awesome people are asking for help finding appropriate databases, generating keyword lists, creating Boolean search strings, using citations to track down articles, putting together citations and locating books in other libraries for inter-library loan?

K-State Librarians would love to help you on every aspect of your research! If you need a little nudge in the right direction to get off to a good start, a set of fresh eyes when your stuck in the middle or an extra boost to see you through in the end, we're here for you! 

Time to study like a scholar, scholar!

 

We're six weeks out from the end of the semester, people!

Are you ready for:

• Mountains of homework deadlines?
• Papers requiring scholarly sources?
• Citations styles you're not used to?
• Finding a space to gather for your big group project?

If you're needing a quiet space to work, a room to practice your presentation, help with citations or just a cup of coffee to keep you going, head over to the Library!

We'll be waiting for you, scholar!

Celebrate Religious Freedom Week!

The K-State at Salina Multicultural Committee invites you to celebrate Religious Freedom Week. Stop by and see the display board located outside the library. Think you know a thing or two about world religions? Take the quiz on the board and check your answers against the correct ones in the document below.

Download Religious Literacy Quiz-Answers