Comments Off on Banned Books Week: Sept. 27 – Oct. 4

By Scott Pfitzinger, September 26, 2008 1:47 pm

Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read is
observed during the last week of September each year. This year it is
from Sept. 27 – Oct. 4. Observed since 1982, the annual event reminds
Americans not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted.

Banned Books Week (BBW) celebrates the freedom to choose or the
freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be
considered unorthodox or unpopular. It stresses the importance of
ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints
to all who wish to read them. After all, intellectual freedom can exist
only where these two essential conditions are met.

Between 1990 and 2000, of the 6,364 challenges reported to or recorded by the Office for Intellectual Freedom:

• 1,607 were challenges to “sexually explicit” material (up 161 since 1999)
• 1,427 to material considered to use “offensive language” (up 165 since 1999)
• 1,256 to material considered “unsuited to age group” (up 89 since 1999)
• 842 to material with an “occult theme or promoting the occult or Satanism” (up 69 since 1999)
• 737 to material considered to be “violent” (up 107 since 1999)
• 515 to material with a homosexual theme or “promoting homosexuality” (up 18 since 1999)
• 419 to material “promoting a religious viewpoint” (up 22 since 1999)
• 317 to material involving “nudity” (up 20 since 1999)
• 267 to material involving “racism” (up 22 since 1999)
• 224 to material involving “sex education” (up 7 since 1999)
• 202 to material considered to be “anti-family” (up 9 since 1999)

Links

Proclamation from the Butler Libraries
Quotes relating to Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week 2008
Banned Books Week Video: I’d Like to Find *BLEEP*
Why Banned Books Week?
The Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2007

The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000

Google Book Search’s Banned Books Page
American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression

Comments Off on LibGuides Difficulties

By Scott Pfitzinger, September 24, 2008 10:39 am

Lately several librarians have been having problems with LibGuides. Specifically, things not displaying (or not displaying correctly) in Internet Explorer. I think just about all of the problems have arisen from copying/pasting from MS Word into LibGuides. Word carries with it a LOT of extra unseen code that apparently Internet Explorer doesn’t know how to handle. Ironic, since they’re both made by Microsoft.

Anyway, the solution is to NOT paste directly from Word into LibGuides. Instead, there’s a button on the LibGuides toolbar (when you’re entering text) that says “Paste from MS Word.” Use that button and paste into the text box that pops up. This will strip the pasted text of all the MS Word coding and let all web browsers display it properly.

Comments Off on E-Books

By Scott Pfitzinger, September 18, 2008 11:02 am

The recent discussions about E-Books and getting to them has prompted me to create a new webpage for them. Go to the library website, click on “More Research” and you’ll see a new E-Books link under the Catalogs category. Please take a look and provide some input on the following questions.

1. Does this page suffice for gathering E-Book links?
2. Is anything missing that should be on this page?
3. Should we add a link to this page on the FRONT page? (Do we want to promote them enough to put a link on the front page of the website?)
4. What about “databases” that are more like “e-books?” (Compare Oxford Music Online, World Almanac, etc.)
5. Should we remove items like Credo Reference and NetLibrary from the “Databases” list and only have them on the “E-Books” list?
6. Any other questions or concerns?

Thanks very much for helping us improve this service.
Scott

Comments Off on Reference Updates

By Scott Pfitzinger, September 12, 2008 8:52 am

The computer in Reference with a scanner attached has been replaced. It is now a new computer that’s the same model as the rest of the Reference “lab.” But it’s still separate from that image and still does have the scanner attached. I worked with it Wednesday night and got it configured, so now it’s safe to say that we have a working scanner again.

Also, the Student Reference Assistants (and anyone else working the Reference Desk if they want) will be shelf-reading the Reference Collection over the course of the semester. We have a pink slip of paper that shows where the shelf reading ended last time, so others can know where to start. Please leave this slip sticking out wherever you may find it (unless you’re doing some shelf reading). 🙂

We’ve added LCEasy to the Reference Desk computer. It’s a program that helps people learn (or refresh) how to shelve books properly according to LC Classification. Brad has been using this with the Circ students and now our Reference students will have the same program. They should be working their way through it before starting shelf reading. If you’re interested in testing your own shelving skills or refreshing your knowledge of proper LC book order, feel free to use the program on the Reference Desk computer (but not during our normal hours of service, please).

Comments Off on LibGuides Tips

By Scott Pfitzinger, September 4, 2008 10:45 am

Here are some updated tips for LibGuides, based on how the system is working now and what options we have.

First, many people have difficulties getting lines of text to space properly. Here’s a quick tip for working with them. Use <ENTER> to start a new paragraph and use <SHIFT-ENTER> to start a new line but still keep it part of the same “paragraph.” Paragraphs have a little space between them by default, so if you want lines to start new but not have that space, use the Shift-Enter.

If you link to a database and need to use the Proxy Server, please DO use the check box for “Add proxy URL to the front of this link.” Do NOT just manually enter the proxy info at the beginning of your link. This will allow us to maintain consistency and if anything ever changes with regard to our proxy address, we can easily change everything at one time.

For more interaction with students (and faculty), try a “User Link Submission” content box. People using the Guide can then submit their own links on the topic.

“Books from the Catalog” content boxes allow you to display recommended books complete with pictures of the covers. You’ll need the ISBN-10 number, then click the Amazon logo to add the picture. Call number will not automatically link to the catalog. If you want to link to the record follow the instructions below about creating a link to the catalog.

The simplest way to create a link to a record in the catalog is to use the following URL and replace the ######### with the System Number.
http://hickory.palni.edu:4505/F/?func=direct&doc_number=#########&local_base=plnbup 

For more details and options on linking to the catalog, visit http://libguides.butler.edu/content.php?pid=1686&sid=8243

You can remove your profile info from an individual page if you like. While you’re editing the page, just click the X in the corner of your profile box.

You can also have multiple editors of one LibGuide now. The pages should show the profile of the person who created that page and you can add up to three other people as editors of you LibGuide. This feature can be found under “Guide Options” in the top right corner of your Admin view.

If you have other tips, suggestions, comments, etc., please comment on this post and share your expertise!
Thanks.
Scott