Thursday, April 28, 2016

Made in The Maker Spot

Since our Maker Spot opened, we have had some pretty cool stuff to print on our 3-D printer! Below are just a few of the things our Tarleton community has designed or found to print:

 


If you want join in the fun here are some resources to get you started:
TinkerCAD  - A free 3-D design program that you can use right in your web browser. Start from scratch with the building blocks available, or import other objects and modify them. Be sure to check out their tutorials for more ideas and lessons on how to use it to it's fullest.

Thingiverse - An online library of 3-D printable objects. Find objects to print right away, or to modify to fit your needs.

YouMagine - Another online library of 3-D printable objects. Not quite as large as Thingiverse, but it has some different designs.

When you are designing for the 3-D printer, keep in mind that our print capacity is 9"X9"X20", or 229mmX229mmX508mm. 

Happy designing and we hope to see you in the Maker Spot soon!

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

New Bike repair station

Hey all you bike riders! The library has just added a bike repair station in front of the building. You can air up your tires and use a variety of tools to keep you rolling!

The fix-it station has a lot of  tools tethered to the unit. Tire pump in the the back and a rack to put your bike up on so you can do repairs.  There is also a QR code that takes you to a bike repair guide. 

Do you have any other ideas of cool things or ways the library can help our students?  Post a comment and let us know! 

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

2016 READ Posters Revealed

Today, the Dick Smith Library unveiled the 2016 READ posters. This year's representatives were the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) and the Horticulture Club. 

 
Each year, the library selects two outstanding groups/individuals from the Tarleton community to participate in promoting reading and literacy.  Participants appear in posters with some of their favorite books.  The participants and posters are kept secret until the big reveal during National Library Week.
If you didn't get a chance to stop by the reveal party, you still have time to enjoy the posters!  Stop by the library's Administration Office in the upper level to get a close up view of the full sized posters.  You can still snag free mini-posters at the Circulation desk on the main level, which also include information about the organizations on the back.

Thank you to those who attended today's READ poster reveal and to all of the individuals and groups who have posed for our READ posters. For more information on previous READ posters, checkout our READ poster archives

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Ancestry.com Texas

Did you know?

Free access to Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) records that have been digitized by Ancestry is available to Texas residents. 


Go to https://www.tsl.texas.gov/arc/ancestry and follow the instructions given on that page!  I have a membership with Ancestry.com, but I followed these steps to successfully create a free account for access to these Texas records only for my husband.

1.  Enter your Texas zip code at the bottom of the web page linked to above, and click Submit.


2. This will open a page like the one below.  Do a search first - ideally a last name - as you need to search for something to get to the next page, in order to create the free account.  I chose to search a unique last name in my family tree (my native Houstonian mother's maiden name, as her grandfather by that name settled in Texas about 1880).  Enter your search term, and then click the Search button:



3.  You will get a page with some results.  None may pertain to your family, but at this stage, it does not matter.  Click on the name of the result (NOT on "View image"!).  In this case, I actually got a relevant result - Anton Guokas is my great-grandfather's brother, so I clicked on "Texas, Prison Employee Ledgers, 1861-1938" opposite his name:



4.  At this point, you should see a screen inviting you to create a free account. Click the link to sign up with your e-mail address.  Do not click on any “Start A Free Trial” button. If you have an existing Ancestry.com Texas or paid account you may proceed to the “Sign In” link in the upper right corner.



5.  Enter your name and e-mail address, create a password (no rules!), and click the Continue button:


6. You can now access the result you clicked on, and view its image, save it and create a family tree, print it, and in some cases share it, and search for other records from TSLAC.  You'll see your name appearing in the upper right corner.  Note, however, that you can't access many of the links below it on the right without a paid Ancestry.com account.  Some, such as the 1940 Census and the Find A Grave index, ARE free, but most will required a paid membership.



For more information, check the Frequently Asked Questions on the Ancestry.com Texas web page.  To avoid frustration getting lots of results for records you can't access without a paid membership, it is recommended that you go to the Ancestry.com Texas web page, enter your zip code, and then sign in in the upper right-hand corner each time you use the site..