Category: Announcements

Would You Like a Dog?

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By , October 8, 2007 1:43 pm

Hi. We have a dog that we need to get rid of. Would you be interested in adopting a dog?

He is sweet, has a cute face, and is soft and cuddly (could make a nice warm lapdog in winter). Age is just over 1 year old, size is small-to-medium (14 lbs.), breed is probably half beagle and half rat terrier or Jack Russell terrier. He has all his shots and has been neutered. We have the paperwork for all that but not birth records since he showed up on our doorstep back in May. He is mostly housebroken and he gets along well with the other dog and with children. He’s a nice enough dog, but we already have one and don’t have room for a second one. If our house were bigger and the yard were fenced, we’d keep him, but they’re not and we rent for now, so that won’t be changing.

Here are links to some pictures we took of Buddy this summer:
http://pfitzinger.net/Buddy1.jpg
http://pfitzinger.net/Buddy2.jpg
http://pfitzinger.net/Buddy3.jpg
http://pfitzinger.net/Buddy4.jpg

If you’re interested or know someone who is, please let me know.
Thanks.
Scott Pfitzinger
Irwin Library
940-9219
spfitzin@butler.edu

Public Services Meeting Minutes

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By , October 3, 2007 9:35 am

Public Services Meeting
October 2, 2007

Using Meebo to handle Instant Messaging at the Reference Desk

  • Please be aware that students, faculty, and staff can go to the Ask a Librarian  page to instantly chat with the Reference Desk – end users do not need a specific IM account.  
  • There is a learning curve with using Meebo on the Reference Desk staff side.  Here are some tips:

Pay attention to the tab that you are in; if you want to click on the “quick tabs” such as BU mail, for example, you need to be in a tab other then the Meebo tab.

To avoid opening up multiple Meebo pages, do not click on the traditional “home” picture button to go to the Library’s homepage.  Scott has created a ‘home’ quick tab that will always take you to the Library’s homepage (not open another Meebo page).

Work with Scott if you need assistance with using this or are experiencing problems; Scott is also trying to tweak things to make this work more seamlessly.

LibGuides

As a point of clarification, while all are welcome to experiment with creating LibGuide pages, our vision in using this tool, at first, is to move over the Subject Guides.  While a unit or service area may want to eventually create a LibGuide (ex. ILL), our first foray into this is with the Subject Guides.  

There is now a Reference Calendar under Public Folders in Outlook.  If you are subbing for someone, please indicate it there.  This calendar also provides the opportunity to utilize Group Schedules better.

Announcements/Comments

Donor luncheon is Oct. 15
Sally N. is attending INCOLSA circ. Training Oct. 3
Fall break is coming up; we discussed reduced hours; questioned whether Emily needs to work Wednesday evening (Sally N. will talk to Lewis about)
Sally N. noted that as we start with these PS meetings, she is cognizant that some topics lend themselves more to circ. or reference; she will try to be aware of this and place the topics in the appropriate meetings (reference meetings, PS meetings, etc.); however, there will be times when this demarcation is difficult.

Reference Desk Calendar

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By , October 1, 2007 9:25 am

Hi there. I’ve
created a new Public Calendar in the Library folder, called Reference Desk. It’s
in the same place as the Library Schedule and Personnel Calendar. All librarians
should be able to add entries and edit existing ones, which is the primary
function here.

The reason
we’ve got this calendar is so that we can more easily plan meetings and track
subs. Sally is another of our librarians who likes to use the Outlook calendar
to schedule meetings and by having the Reference Desk calendar listing who’s
working the desk, it’s easier to see if someone’s free.

If you
cannot work a shift and you have gotten a sub, please edit that shift’s entry
on the calendar and replace your name with your sub’s name. Be sure to edit
JUST THE OCCURRENCE, not the SERIES. Unless they’re subbing for you on that
shift for the rest of the semester. 🙂

If you have
any questions or problems using this calendar, please let me know.

Thanks.
Scott

Banned Books Week, Sept. 29- Oct. 6

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By , October 1, 2007 7:51 am

Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read is observed during the last week of September each year. This year it is from Sept. 29 – Oct. 6. 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

Oxford Language Dictionaries Online

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By , September 27, 2007 3:19 pm

Introducting OLDO! The Oxford Language Dictionaries Online.


Instant
access to Oxford’s top-of-the-line, unabridged bilingual
dictionaries!

Oxford Language
Dictionaries Online
features essential language resources never before
available online – fully searchable, comprehensive, authoritative bilingual
dictionaries and unique study materials that provide extra help with learning
and using an expanding range of languages.

  1. Initially offering
    over 1.2 million words and phrases, and over 2 million translations in
    French, German, Spanish and
    Italian
  2. Coming in
    2008
    : Chinese, Russian, and revolutionary pronunciation software
    allowing you to hear native speaker stress and intonation
  3. Unique
    language learning support
    , including usage examples and illustrative
    phrases, grammar guidance, click-through verb tables and pronunciation charts,
    explanations of grammatical terms, and help with spelling and
    pronunciation
  4. Access to
    hundreds of correspondence templates including sample letters,
    emails, and resumes to provide practical help with writing
  5. Regular
    updates every six months ensure that the most current meaning
    and the latest new words are just a click away

You can access OLDO on the Library Website under Databases or just click the link above.

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