A Word from the Dean
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Diane Dates Casey
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What's New at the University Library?
Autumn has actually arrived, and classes are in full swing. The University Library welcomes students and faculty to take advantage of the broad range of services available to help them with their course assignments and research agendas.
Need assistance in refining research questions or identifying appropriate information resources? Librarians are only an email or a phone call away. Contact information for your subject librarian is listed on the Library website. Moreover, tutors from the Writing Center can answer questions about writing and citation styles.
Microsoft Office 2007 software applications and SPSS, as well as other productivity software, are available on the library's computer workstations. Wireless access to the Internet is accessible throughout the public areas of the library.
Intellectual Life Gift
Thank you to the Intellectual Life Committee which donated funds to the University Library for the purchase of award winning novels and films. The display outside the library gives you a glimpse of some of the many exciting titles which are now part of the library’s collection.
New Online Catalog Search Screen
I-Share, the library’s online catalog, now gives users a choice of search screens. The traditional search interface still appears when clicking on the Library Online Catalog link found on the library website. However, in the upper right corner of the traditional interface is located a link called "New catalog interface? Try it now!" This new interface attempts to make searching more graphic and user friendly, like Google and other web searches. Take a few minutes and see what you think!
Faculty Excellence Award Winner
Congratulations to Professor Lydia Morrow Ruetten who received a Faculty Excellence Award at university ceremonies held in September. Professor Morrow Ruetten is head of the Serials/Acquisitions Department and coordinates Public Relations and Fund Raising for the library.
Scholarly Accomplishment
Congratulations to Assistant Professor Michel Nguessan, who is head of the Library Technology and Digital Resources Department. Dr. Nguessan gave two presentations at the World Congress on Onomastics Sciences in Toronto during August. Moreover, he was appointed to serve as secretary of the American Name Society for the next two years.
Additionally, he was invited to join the Canadian Onomastics Society to present papers in French at their annual meetings. The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographic Names also invited him to join their organization because of his expertise in the areas of French and African geographic names.
She’s Back!!!
Retired Professor Beth Hansen Shaw has returned to the library on a part-time basis to help with reference service, information literacy instruction, and collection development, while the library searches to fill two new librarian positions: Head of Reference Librarian and Distance Learning Reference Librarian.
The library faculty search committee is chaired by Lydia Morrow Ruetten and includes Nancy Shlaes, Linda Geller, Paul Blobaum, Michel Nguessan, Janice Washington, Linda Ayala, Sarah Wegley, Carol Machura, William Wilkinson (CBPA faculty), Eric Wignall (COTL faculty), William Kelley (CAS faculty), and Elizabeth Green (CBPA graduate student and Student Trustee).
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Thousands Have Been Moved
A Word from the Dean
A Word from the Dean
GSU Library’s Web 2.0 Course Offered to Staff of Oak Lawn Public Library
Diane Nadler and Sarah Wegley
Diane Nadler, Library Web Manager, and Sarah Wegley, Digital Metadata Senior Library Specialist teamed up this past June and July to teach library staff of the Oak Lawn Public Library about new Web 2.0 technologies and explore how they can be used to improve library services.
Seven students successfully completed the eight-week online course, which covered blogging, social bookmarking, podcasting, wikis, social networking, and more.
Cindy Kelly of Oak Lawn Public Library offered this testimonial, "The staff at the Oak Lawn Public Library benefited very much from this Web 2.0 training package. Through class assignments and discussions, we developed skills which will enable us to provide library services in a more dynamic way than traditional methods can offer. The web products we learned to use are top-notch and available at no cost to our library. We are excited about the potential for library use of this technology and eager to begin using it ‘for real’."
Plans are underway to offer the course to other area public libraries this fall.
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Genealogy Workshops Offered
Pam Taylor
Genealogy is one of the most popular hobbies in the United States. Do you know the names of your great grandparents? Do you know when they were born, where they lived, when they got married, how many children they had or when they died? These are some of the questions that exploring your genealogy can help you answer. Researching our past connects us to our ancestor’s lives, history, and community.
Governors State Library will be offering two free workshops on genealogy. “Genealogy: Starting Your Family Tree,” will be presented on Thursday, October 23, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. “Exploring Free Genealogy Websites,” will be presented on Thursday, October 30, from 1 to 2 p.m.
If you have any questions regarding these workshops or how to register for one or both of these workshops, please visit the GSU library website at http://www.govst.edu/library/t_gsu_library.aspx?id=1055.
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Free Computer Workshops
Helen Benos
The library is continuing the tradition of offering free computer workshops to the faculty, staff, and community of Governors State University. We will be offering Excel, PowerPoint, Scholarly Publishing Process, Grant Writing for GSU Grant Writers, APA Style Citations, and Formatting Papers in APA Style. In addition to the aforementioned workshops, we will be offering some new and exciting workshops such as:
- Blogs & Microblogs, Diane Nadler
- Microsoft Office Publisher, Lynn DiMaggio
- Bookmarking, Diane Nadler
- Mobile Web, Diane Nadler/Sarah Wegley
- Firefox, Diane Nadler
- Photoshop, Judy Hanacek
- Genealogy, Pam Taylor
- Genealogy Websites, Pam Taylor
- Selling Books on Amazon, L. M. Ruetten
- Advanced Blogging: Taking Your Blog to the Next Level, Sarah Wegley/Pam Taylor
The workshop schedule is updated frequently and can be accessed from the library’s homepage.
Please join us in D2401B for the workshop of your choice.
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Thousands Have Been Moved
Nancy Shlaes
How many people does it take to move over 100,000 books in six weeks? All of the library staff in the University Library! Leading this massive effort were circulation staff members Linda Ayala and Nicole Hernandez. "It was a bigger task than I could have ever imagined, but in the end it was totally worth the effort," said Ms. Hernandez. "We have removed obsolete books, organized the shelves, and made room to welcome new additions to our collection.
"We work very hard to make it as easy as possible for you to locate the items you seek. The shifting process has improved this by eliminating overcrowding and allowing us to verify the order of the books on the shelves. Our library has a wealth of resources available to students, staff, and our community. I hope you all take the time to visit the library and appreciate the array of services and resources available to you."
Many thanks to library staff members below and those not pictured.
Back Row: Judy Hanacek, John DeYoung, Terry Rickhoff, Carol Machura
Middle Row: Lynn Dimaggio, Karen Evans-Thomas, Janice Washington, Erin Engelbrecht, Sarah Wegley, Lydia Morrow-Ruetten, Michel Nguessan, Eric Nicholson
Front Row: Yingyi Zheng; Nancy Shlaes, Susan Bell
The shifting project was a huge undertaking and would not have been completed without the extra hard work and dedication of the library staff. Thank you all for your efforts!
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Life in Libraryland
Library Anxiety?
Lynn DiMaggio
It’s a new school year at GSU, and you know where you have to go. The knot in your stomach tightens as you walk up the stairs. Your heart pounds. Your head throbs. Little beads of perspiration appear on your forehead. You reach the top of the stairs, wishing you were anywhere but here. You walk in, and horror of horrors, there they are: tens of thousands of books and journals—not to mention scores of computer databases—full of information. How are you going to find what you need in all of this? You want to run out screaming, but you have to start a paper. Relax, you're very normal. You (and many thousands of others) suffer from "library anxiety." Yes, it's a real thing.
Some college students experience a feeling of inadequacy when faced with doing research in the library, and their anxiety grows because their perceived inadequacy would be revealed by asking for help, according to Constance Mellon (1986) in "Library Anxiety: A Grounded Theory and its Development," College and Research Libraries, 47(2) 160-165.
But don’t worry, Governors State University Library staff members are here to help. Also, here are a few hints to help you conquer your fears (from the University of Arkansas Library website):
- You don't have to be an expert to use the library, just willing to learn.
- There are no "dumb" questions, only unasked ones.
- Sometimes, doing research with a study partner can help.
- You only will be dealing with a small part of the library and its materials at any given moment, so don’t be overwhelmed. You don't have to understand it all at once.
- Practice improves performance (you don't have to be perfect).
- Start early to give yourself time and mental room to adjust.
- Ask for help—from friends, from instructors, and from library staff. With a little help, you’ll be fearless and researching like a pro in no time!
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Welcome Back Judy Hanacek
Helen Benos
The Reference Department would like to extend a special welcome to our newest Senior Library Specialist, Judy Hanacek, who returns to us after a 22-year hiatus. Judy worked in our library for approximately seven years (1979 to 1986) in the Circulation and Cataloging Departments. During her absence, Judy raised her family and pursued careers in graphic design and secondary education.
Even though Judy has been here only two weeks, she has immersed herself in the daily operations of the Reference Department. In addition to working scheduled hours at the reference desk, she has completed several projects for the reference librarians and designed a beautiful table for Welcome Days. In her spare time, Judy has been preparing to teach a workshop in Photoshop! Anyone interested in signing up?
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Friends Corner
A message from our Presidents
Jim Nugent, Co-President
The Governors State University Library has been central to the intellectual life of the GSU community for just under forty years. It has grown as the university has grown. In the broader vista, libraries have been at the heart of our shared human journey for almost four thousand years, and they have served at the core of America’s colleges and universities for almost four hundred years. Contrary to some folks' expectations, libraries aren’t going away and they won’t be eclipsed by the Internet and visual media. Libraries are being challenged; their mission is expanding rather than contracting.
The Friends of the Library was organized in 2006 to provide additional support, resources, and services to scholars and community members. My wife Becky and I look forward to serving as co-presidents of the Friends of the Library for the coming year. It will be a pleasure to work with the GSU library staff and with the members of the Friends of the Library organization to enhance the work of the Governors State University Library.
Congratulations are in order for Ralph W. Ginn, D.D.S., the outgoing president of the Friends. Under Ralph’s leadership the Friends developed into a mature organization with a year long record of real accomplishment.
The GSU Library is a valuable intellectual resource here in the Chicago Southland. During the coming year, we see the Friends of the Library working to increase this valuable resource while spreading the word to the broader Chicago Southland community about this untapped resource in their midst.
A Message from Our Past President
Ralph W. Ginn, D.D.S., Past President
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| Diane Dates Casey and Ralph Ginn |
To the Friends of the Library,
I would like to thank all of you for your support the past year. Our first year on campus was a very successful one. Our accomplishments were many and the help from those who have volunteered, and donated their time so graciously made our efforts payoff.
At this time I would like to ask for continued support for our new board members (Jim and Becky Nugent, Kelley Nichols, Dianne Kronika, and Jean Malloy). It will be a refreshing change. New ideas, new faces, new energy, but the same vision; to enhance our university library.
This would be a great time to renew your membership and to become an active member. Feel what I have felt. A sense of self accomplishment of becoming a part of the solution.
Your Friend and Past President, Ralph
New Officers
Lydia Morrow Ruetten
By now you’ve probably determined we have new board members. At our meeting in August, Jim and Becky Nugent were elected Co-Presidents, Kelley Nichols as Vice-President, Dianne Kronika as Secretary, and Jean Malloy as Treasurer.
New Donor Category
Lydia Morrow Ruetten
Students and seniors (60+) can become a friend for $5. Pick up a brochure in the library, or check out our webpage (www.govst.edu/library/friends).
Fundraising Auction & Activities
Lydia Morrow Ruetten
Mark your calendar for October 14–16, 2008. The Friends are planning one of their largest fundraisers to date.
We will begin our activities with a bake sale on Tuesday, October 14, at 11 a.m. Our focus will be on chocolate.
On Wednesday, October 15, we will have our long-awaited auction beginning at noon and ending at 7 p.m.
We will wrap up on Thursday, October 16, with a book sale. Friends of the GSU Library are invited to preview the items from 11 a.m.-noon (bring your cards). The book sale will be open to everyone from noon to 7 p.m. Friends' applications will be available at 10 a.m., or pick one up in the library or see our Friends website.
Friends Quilt
Dianne Kronika
Work continues on the Friends of the GSU Library 34" x 64" bookshelf quilt, which will hang prominently in our library. Some books remain unclaimed. So, you still have time to remember a special occasion or honor someone by making a donation of $50 and having a book "placed" on the shelf.
If you have a favorite piece of material to be used, we would be happy to use it (3" by 12" minimum please). Please note that if the fabric is "busy" it will be more difficult to read the title.
If you would like more information, check out the Friends website or contact Susan at 708-235.7500. Your donation is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Blood Drive
Kelley Nichols
The Friends are sponsoring a blood drive on Thursday, October 30 from 2 to 6 p.m. in E-Lounge. To reserve your spot, contact me at the University Park Public Library by calling 708.534.2580 or universityparkpld@yahoo.com. Every donor will receive a pair of scrub pants.
Friends of Mysteries
Becky Nugent
Hello all! We have changed our meeting time to the fourth Wednesday of the month this fall. Join the Friends of Mysteries in the Cafeteria at noon on September 24 to discuss The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons by Dan Brown.
In October, we will meet on the 22nd to talk about The Thirteenth Knight by Allen Gordan in the Cafeteria. On November 26, we will meet in the Cafeteria to discuss The Yiddish Policeman’s Union by Michael Chabon. At that meeting, we will decide the reading list for the remainder of the academic year. Join us for a lively discussion.
GSU Writers Group
Lydia Morrow Ruetten
The Novel Writer's Knock-outs and the Children's Authors Wannabes have merged. The new name of the group that is on the table is GSU Writers Ink. The group will meet in October.
At the next meeting, a regular meeting schedule will be set up, the name of the group will be determined, and a new leader of the group will be decided. If you would like to read any of your materials to the group for feedback, please bring this with you. Check the Friends website for the next meeting date/location.
Inkjet Cartridge Recycling
Susan Bell
The library continues to collect inkjet cartridges for recycling. Cartridges can be dropped off in the container at the circulation desk. Thank you to those that have contributed so far.
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