Friends of the University Libraries Event: Annual Meeting: Salute to a Grand Old Lady

May 14, 2013, 2 p.m.
111 East Hall

NOTE: Just recently the tour has been expanded to include the four buildings on the original quad.  North Hall, West Hall, Speech Pathology, and East Hall will be part of the tour. All are welcome to attend.

The Friends Annual Meeting will be on May 14, 2013, at 2:00 pm at 111 East Hall (WMU Archives and Regional History Collections). This event will serve as a final salute to the building which has housed the collection for a "temporary" 20-plus years. In fall 2013, the WMU Archives and Regional History Collections and the remote storage of the University Libraries will move into the Zhang Legacy Collections Center. Be prepared to learn about the original uses of some of the East Campus buildings and the preparations for moving the collections.

Coffee and Snacks for Finals 'Crunch Time' in Waldo Library

Late night studying in Waldo Library Sunday and Monday will be supported with free beverages and snacks. In the lobby volunteers will be serving coffee, tea, water, popcorn, and donut holes 10 pm - 2 am. Thank you to the sponsors: Kalamazoo 10 Theaters and Sweetwaters Donut Mill. Good luck with exams!

Exemplary Library Staff Win Awards

University Libraries is proud to have two staff been named as Western Michigan University’s 2013 Make a Difference Award winners. Receiving the awards are Alison Thor, the Coordinator of Reference Services, and Faizan Haq, Coordinator of Science Reference, for their dedication and positive impact through work performance and expertise. The pair will be honored at the Award Ceremony Reception on Monday, April 15, at 2 p.m. in Bernhard Center room 157.

The WMU Make a Difference is a campus-wide peer-to-peer program that recognizes WMU staff for exceptional service and accomplishments. Up to fifteen members may be selected by multiple peers for each of the two semiannual award periods—fall and spring. Faizan Haq demonstrated a major service-oriented commitment to the CMS website project and in assisting engineering students. Alison Thor was nominated by multiple peers for exemplary attitude, great smile, and willingness to go above and beyond the call to keep the Reference Services Department running smoothly and efficiently.

Friends of the University Libraries Event: The Columbian Exposition:  Dr. Diane Dillon

April 9, 2013, 3:30 p.m. (note corrected time)
1260 Chemistry Building

On April 9, 2013, at 3:30 pm in Room 1260 in the Chemistry Building, Dr. Diane Dillon (Director of Scholarly and Undergraduate Programs  at the Newberry Library) will present "The Devil is in the Details: History and the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893." Because some attendees stayed in Kalamazoo, and many local citizens journeyed to the event, the Archives and Regional History Collections have artifacts from the Exposition which will be displayed to accompany Dr. Dillon’s talk. The exhibition of artifacts will be on the Third Floor of the Upjohn Rotunda of Waldo Library.

Your feedback on WMU Libraries is important, plus there are prizes

Take the survey March 11 through April 8
Win Prizes

All students, faculty, and staff at Western Michigan University are encouraged to participate in an important online survey, called LibQUAL+, being conducted this month by the University Libraries. LibQUAL+, conducted only once every three years, is an electronic survey presented by academic libraries nationwide.  Comparative national data allow libraries to improve services to faculty and students whom they serve. Those who complete the survey, which takes about 10 minutes, have the option of entering a random drawing for an iPad4 or one of three $100 pre-paid Visa cards.

"The survey will help us better understand student, faculty, and staff information needs and any concerns they might have with respect to our services," says Dr. Joseph G. Reish, dean of University Libraries. "We would like to improve our collections, accessibility to materials, and services provided for our users.”

The survey is available from March 11 through April 8, 2013. If there are questions or comments please email: lib_qual@wmich.edu. For more information and to take the survey, go to: www.wmich.edu/library/libqual.

Library Workshop for Graduate Students –
Advancing Your Research Skills for the Digital Age

March 21, 2013, 1-4 p.m.
Education Library, 2300 Sangren Hall

Graduate students will gain valuable insights into doing research more efficiently. Please register with the Graduate College to reserve your spot.

Breakout sessions will focus on different topics:

• Beyond JSTOR: for the humanities, for the social sciences & education, and for the sciences

• Dissertations before and after: has your topic “been done before” and what to do once it is written

• Books beyond the library walls

• Mapping services

• Patent searching

• Digital scholarship

• Make your publications count!

• Start your professional digital portfolio using ScholarWorks

• Census data resources

• Congressional sources

Note: Some sessions will repeat   Link to more information (pdf)

Friends of the University Libraries Event:
Behind the Scenes Tour of the New Education Library

March 7, 2013, 4-6 p.m.
2300 Sangren Hall

On Thursday, March 7, 2013, from 4-6 pm, Dennis Strasser and Brad Dennis, librarians in the Education Library, will host an event to introduce the Friends to the Education Library in the new Sangren Hall.

Spring into Research Night

February 19, 2013, 4-10 p.m.
Dwight B. Waldo Library

WMU Libraries welcomes students to bring their research assignments to "Spring into Research". Come before you break for the beach to an event complete with tropical refreshments. This drop-in session will be held on Tuesday, February 19 from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Waldo Library. Students will receive help through all or part of the process of a research project by librarians, Writing Center staff, and other WMU experts. Help will be available on narrowing/defining a topic, finding reliable and/or scholarly information, organizing paper format, and appropriately citing sources. Participants are asked to bring a hardcopy of the research assignment to these one-on-one consultations. We want to help our students do their best work and learn about the great materials available through the library.

Appreciation goes to these supporters: The College of Arts and Sciences, Writing Center, Lee Honors College, Haworth College of Business, and the Friends of University Libraries.

Also to note: Research assistance and writing help are always available at Waldo Library's Central Reference Desk, 387-5178, and the Writing Center, 387-4615.

David "Sonny" Lacks and Family

February 11, 2013, 4:30-8 p.m.
Fetzer Center Auditorium

David Lacks and another member of the Lacks Family will be participating in a question-and-answer session regarding the University Common Read book, "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks."  Book signing to follow.  Open seating.

Research Writing and Ethical Choice: A Panel Discussion of Rebecca Skloot's "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks"

January 30, 2013, 4 p.m.
University Center for the Humanities, 2500 Knauss Hall

Panelists: Elizabeth Bradburn, English; Sue Ellen Christian, Communication; Linwood Cousins, Social Work; and Ann Miles, Sociology. Moderated by Jil Larson, English.  Sponsored by the Center for the Study of Ethics in Society.

The WMU Libraries website will have a new look

December 2012

As the use of mobile devices to access web-based services is greatly increasing, University Libraries' website has undergone a redesign to improve accessibility for users with hand-held devices.  The reformatting is part of a project undertaken across the University.  Responsive Web design will better accommodate the wide variety of devices employed by students, faculty and community members.  A growing number of sites at WMU have already been migrated into the content management system and responsive design, including the College of Fine Arts, WMU News and more than a dozen others.

With respect to the homepage and top pages of the principal sections of the website of University Libraries, users will rediscover the same major content areas.  The formatting will be different.

Dean Joseph Reish encourages faculty, staff, and students to familiarize themselves with these changes by taking time to investigate them and then inform their friends and colleagues about how the look and dynamics have changed to accommodate our 21st century users.

For support, you may wish to click on the “Ask A Librarian” service: http://wmich.libanswers.com, a link on the home page and top pages throughout the site.