Milne Library is currently hiring for the Tech Help and Classroom Technology Positions for Fall 2010. We are looking for motivated, hard-working, and very reliable students with technical experience and good social skills.
CTAs work in Milne Library classrooms assisting faculty and students with technology related questions. They will help instructors with presentations, and assist with library instruction sessions. They will also work at the Service Desk (Circulation Desk) with the Tech Help students. Both groups will provide technical assistance to library students, faculty, and patrons. Duties include checking out laptops from circulation, assisting patrons with printing and networking, helping with our various program suites, answering general technical questions, maintaining the public lab facilities, and assisting with special projects.
Applications can be found on the Milne Jobs Website and turned into the Circulation Desk or with Steve Praino (praino@geneseo.edu) in the Tech Department.
Librarians are always available to help with your research and technology needs.
Working with a group? We can accommodate. Sciences? Got it. Business Stats? Yep. Need help with web sites, podcasting, powerpoint or excel? For sure! Music Media? You know it! And that’s only a taste of the subject coverage available.
Want to contact a librarian right away? Simply fill out a Consultation Request form telling us a bit about your project or research needs, and a librarian will contact you to set up an appointment.
If you still have questions, don’t forget that the reference desk is always a great place to start.
The next three GOLD Workshops (Ruby Certificate) being offered by Milne Library staff begin with MS Access 2007 Level II: Design, Create and Use Queries, taught by Steve Dresbach on Monday, March 22 from 2-3 p.m. in South 328. This latest offering in Steve’s MS Office series will focus on the design and creation of queries (questions) that enable users to select specific information from tables created in MS Access, a database application for entering, storing, retrieving and print data related to a particular topic or purpose.
Next up is Researching Music, a workshop designed to explore the scores, recordings, databases, literature about music and much more that lie within Milne Library's music collection. Do you know where to find them or how to use them? What is RILM or Naxos? Learn the "secrets" of advanced searching techniques, how music resources are organized, and how to easily locate and access them within Milne and beyond. The workshop will be held in Milne 208 on Tuesday, March 23, from 2-3 p.m.
In today's world, the Internet is the information tool used most often, yet students frequently complain about not finding reliable, information-rich websites despite hours of searching. Librarian Sue Ann Brainard will show students how to find "hidden" web pages, and become skeptical investigators and sophisticated searchers, in her Quickly Finding Quality Information on the Web workshop, on Wednesday, March 24, from 2-3 p.m. in Milne 109. (This workshop was previously called C.S.I.: Critically Searching the Internet.)
GOLD (Ruby Certificate) Workshops in Milne -- Week of 3/8
Milne Librarians are offering some excellent GOLD Workshops (Ruby Certificate) during the second week of March.First up is Starting Your Research Project: Using MultiSearch and Other Time Saving Strategies, with co-instructors Michelle Costello and Justina Elmore, on Monday (3/8) 2-3 p.m. in Milne 109. The workshop is intended to help students begin research for class assignments and to introduce them to some of Milne’s important resources and services, including a variety of useful catalogs and databases.
On Tuesday (3/9), from 2-3 p.m. in Milne 208, students interested in learning how to navigate the complex landscape of legal research can attend Tom Ottaviano’s Researching Law workshop. Law and legislation can potentially have a profound impact on much of what we study, yet finding this information is often confusing and difficult. Workshop attendees will learn where and how to find discussion about federal and state codes, information about court cases, and reviews of legislation.
Did you know there were laws governing how you can use the information you find on the internet? Join Sue Ann Brainard on Wednesday (3/10) for her workshop on Ethics and Laws of Information Use to learn how students are constantly making ethical decisions and taking legal risks when using the internet. In this workshop, which will be held from 2-3 p.m. in Milne 109, these issues will be explored using scenarios.
Milne Library has recently purchased a Kindle, Amazon’s electronic book reader, to evaluate its potential utility as a tool for providing library materials. Loaded with about a dozen titles, Milne’s Kindle is available for 4-hour loan to anyone interested in trying it out.
For many years, Milne Library users have had access to electronic versions of books through sources such as NetLibrary, Google Books, and (most recently) Springer. One limitation to these ebooks is that they need to be read on a computer screen, which is hard on the eyes, provides limited interactive capabilities and is not very portable. In response, ebook readers such the Kindle were developed and are quickly gaining popularity. While the Kindle is by far the most popular ereader, Sony and Barnes & Noble now offer competing products, and together they sold three million units last year. Apple’s new iPad promises to be a competitor in this field as well.
Students in Prof. Chris Pruszynski’s communication seminar (COMN 391) this spring will be using and evaluating the Kindle from technological and pedagogical perspectives, and feedback from the students’ “experiment” will be extremely useful in the Library’s overall assessment.
Three GOLD workshops (Ruby Certificate) will be held this week in Milne, beginning with Microsoft Access 2007 Level I: Design, Create, and Use Tables on Monday (3/1) from 2-3 p.m. in South Hall 328. Steve Dresbach, Technology Instructor, will focus on the design and creation of tables used to store a collection of related information in a rectangular arrangement of rows and columns.
On Tuesday (3/2), Librarian Sue Ann Brainard, is offering Reading Between the Lines: Detecting Bias in the Media, an introduction to becoming media literate, i.e. knowing how to evaluate and analyze mainstream and alternative media for objectivity, accuracy, and authority. This workshop, (previously called Media Literacy) will show how to identify bias by looking closely at the language used by news media. The workshop will be held in Milne 208 from 2-3 p.m.
Citing Sources in the Sciences will round out the week, on Wednesday (3/3) with Bonnie Swoger, Sciences and Technology Librarian. Participants will review the citation styles commonly used for papers in science classes at Geneseo: APA(American Psychological Association), CSE (Council of Science Editors), NLM (National Library of Medicine), and ACS (American Chemical Society). Styles covered will depend on workshop participants' needs. After an overview, the focus will go to citing online journal articles, books and websites. Participants will learn about online resources for future help, and gain practice in the citation style of their choice.
Several Milne Librarians interested in using mobile technology for the Library took part in this year's Handheld Librarian II Online Conference February 17th and 18th.
Topics ranged from trends and "social reference" (and how libraries fit into it) to "iPhone/Mobile Applications for Digital Library" to building a mobile site to mobile tagging, including QR codes and were included in topic tracks for Mobile Reference Service, E-readers, Mobile Apps, Marketing, Websites, and Content for Library Mobile Sites.
Currently Milne offers very basic access through our Milne Library Mobile page. Have you used the mobile page? What was your experience like? If Milne were to offer extended mobile services, would you use them? If so, what would be the kinds of information and services you'd like to have access to through your cell phone? Tell us in the comments!
Easier Access to Chemical Information: SciFinder is now on the web
SUNY Geneseo students, faculty and staff can now access chemical information via SciFinder on the web.
In order to use the new version of SciFinder, users must first register. Once registered, users can easily access SciFinder via any web browser.
This new web version of SciFinder has the same robust search features, including the ability to find chemical substance information, search for chemical literature, and search for chemical structures.
New features include the ability to save searches and get email alerts when new items matching a search are added to the database.
The client (stand alone) version of SciFinder will still be accessible through early October, at which time our access will be cut off.
Please contact Bonnie Swoger (585-245-5593) if you have any questions about accessing or using the web version of SciFinder.
One of the most time consuming tasks that needs to be completed after writing and before turning in a paper is the formatting of the Works Cited section. Zotero is here to help. Using this add-on, you can save and sort the references for your paper, insert an appropriate citation, and format your bibliography in any of thousands of bibliographic styles (everything from the typical APA and MLA styles to styles from specific journals).
Students can appreciate the amount of time this will save while their professors will like seeing a correctly formatted bibliography.
The LibX toolbar for Firefox and Internet Explorer.
This extension can help you find resources more quickly.
First, it allows you to search the Milne Library catalog, GLOCAT, right from the toolbar.
Second, no matter what webpage you are looking at, the tool bar will insert a link for any resources it finds, connecting you to the materials available through Milne Library. For example, when searching Amazon.com, the LibX toolbar will allow you to easily check to see if Milne Library owns a copy of the book you want. Or if you find a journal article cited on a webpage, you can easily get access to the full-text article.
At the end of the Spring 2008 semester, Milne Library will be phasing out ERes and using myCourses for all electronic reserves. ERes will continue to function until May 18, 2008. Beginning with Summer 2008 classes, all electronic reserves will be put into myCourses.
If you prefer to have the library staff manage your electronic reserves, we will be glad to continue to do so. Otherwise, you may put your materials into MyCourses yourself. (See our "How to" guide [PDF]). If you choose to have the library manage your reserve materials for you, they will appear in a folder titled "Electronic Reserves" under the Course Materials tab within each course.
Anything you have in ERes at the end of the Spring semester will be archived. The archived data will be recoverable by Milne Library staff if necessary. If you wish to have those materials transferred to myCourses, please contact Mary Fran Tiede at 245-5036 or via email.
If you have any questions, please contact Sonja Landes via email or phone (245-5537).
The library is looking for talented and knowledgeable students who can work as TechHelp. These students are responsible for maintaining the working order of the computers, printers, and all other equipment in the library. These students also assist the library patrons in all functions of the equipment.
The ideal candidate is hard working, can learn quickly, and must have plenty of charm, charisma, and patience. This candidate must also have experience with computer hardware and operating systems. The main focus of this position is customer support.
We are currently looking to hire 3 or 4 students for the fall semester. Interviews will be begin later in the spring. If you are interested, please visit the TechHelp desk in the library and ask for an application.
For additional information about TechHelp Student duties, please email Steve Praino.
Chris Avenir, a Ryerson University Freshman in Toronto, Canada, is facing 147 counts of academic misconduct for running an online chemistry study group via Facebook last term, where he and 146 of his classmates swapped tips on homework questions that counted for 10 per cent of their final grade. As administrator of the study group, he is bearing the brunt of the accusation.
Today's Toronto Star reports that College officials are currently silent on the matter pending further investigation but that students are in an uproar over the situation. How is discussing the questions via Facebook's forum any different from meeting in the "Dungeon" - a Ryerson basement study room used by engineering students to study and network in this same manner for years?
Is this truly a case of misusing networking technology to "gain academic advantage" or yet another clash of Luddite Professor vs Wired Youth? The results are going to be worth following as we sort through another layer of the consequences of being hyper-connected in an Internet World.
Tell us what you think by taking the poll, or make a longer comment here!
New Technology Specialist joins Milne Library staff
Milne Library welcomes our brand-new technology specialist, Steve Praino, to the staff. Steve officially works for CIT, but is based in the library. Steve will be responsible for the library computer labs, installation of computer software and technical support. Steve grew up in Massachusetts and attended RIT, graduating in the fall of 2007 and receiving his B.S. in Information Technology with a concentration in Interactive Multimedia and a minor in Psychology. Steve's outside interests include watching movies, gaming, restaurants and wine tasting. He also builds PCs and one day hopes to own his own business building computers.
Next time you visit the library, stop by and say hello to Steve!
Check out the new Friends of Milne Library website
Attention alumni, students and faculty! Milne Library proudly unveils the Friends of Milne Librarywebsite to our friends and community members.
The Friends is an active group of library lovers who generously donate time and money to Milne and the library's mission in supporting the academic community's research and technology needs. New features include a brand new "look", easier navigation, beautiful graphics and lots of photos, updates and member information!
Please contact Liz Argentieri, Coordinator of the Friends of Milne Library, for further information about the group and the new website.
The Google Operating System Blog recently polled its readers about which search they prefer. The twist was that they had users perform searches using each service in a modified form, so that is was impossible to tell (based on appearance) which search was which. Preferences were (theoretically) based purely on search results. You can read the original post, and the poll results. Google won with 1041 votes, followed by Windows Live with 711 and Yahoo! with 604. (Users were allowed to vote for more than one if they felt that the search results were equally good.)
This poll isn't scientific, and there are numerous flaws with the methodology, but it raises some interesting questions. Google searches account for about 53% of all searches performed (see Search Engine Watch). This falls in line roughly with the results of this poll, but not with the public perception that we "google" everything. The poll results are also surprising given the Google-centricity of the blog: Google won, but not by a lot.
So, why do you use the search engine you do? Convenience? Ease of use? Quality? Force of habit? Format?
Why not take a few minutes to try out some other search engines and think about what you like? Try a visual search like KartOO or check up the updated features on Ask.com. If you decide to stick with your old search engine, what makes it a better engine for you?
In this video clip, the leader of the Imaging Team on the Cassini mission to Saturn, Carolyn Porco interprets and shares the pictures coming back from this fascinating planet, its rings and its moons. And it might even include liquid water...
The Ruby Certificate gives students the opportunity to learn better research skills, effectively evaluate internet resources and use information in a more proficient manner.
Mr. Dresbach will be teaching some new optional courses in the use of audio, video and templates in PowerPoint presentations, creating newsletters and advanced formatting in Word, and finding audio and video clips on the internet. Classes in Excel will be offered by Laura Cook, Manager, Instructional Technologies, from the Computing and Information Technology office.
Completion of eight workshops, four required and four elective courses, will earn students the Ruby Certificate. In addition to becoming better researchers, students will be able to demonstrate to future employers their skill at finding, evaluating and using reliable information.
Milne Library is currently hiring for the Tech Help and Classroom Technology Positions for Fall 2010. We are looking for motivated, hard-working, and very reliable students with technical experience and good social skills.
One of the most time consuming tasks that needs to be completed after writing and before turning in a paper is the formatting of the Works Cited section. 