Stress doesn't stop after finals

Classes are over! You should feel relief and be able to relax -- right? Apparently, that doesn't prove true for many college students. The article "Helping College Students Deal with Stress During Winter Break" discusses many types of stress students experience over the winter break and offers strategies for coping.

Tarleton Libraries wish you all a safe, happy, and reduced stress holiday!

Today in History: December 7

Today in History: December 7: "Air Raid on Pearl Harbor On December 7, 1941, Japanese planes attacked the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Territory killing more than 2,300 Americans. The U.S.S. Arizona was completely destroyed and the U.S.S. Oklahoma capsized. The attack sank three other ships and damaged many additional vessels. More than 180 aircraft were destroyed. A hurried dispatch from the ranking United States naval officer in Pearl Harbor, Commander in Chief Pacific, to all major navy commands and fleet units provided the first official word of the attack at the ill-prepared Pearl Harbor base. It said simply: AIR RAID ON PEARL HARBOR X THIS IS NOT DRILL."

What do you think? Call Mom & Dad?

Many colleges and universities are reluctant to reach out to parents when there are signs of trouble, such as a missing or potentially suicidal student. Citing a federal law meant to protect student privacy, many schools rope off young people's records from parents and authorities. But in one area, administrators are increasingly exploiting an exception in the law that allows them to reach out: drinking and drugs. A growing number of colleges, such as Texas Tech and Ohio University, are deciding to call mom and dad about underage drinking and illegal drug use, often at the very first signs of trouble.

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB119690910535115405-Cv0wTZ_BMaCF7joUpFDoQDBSn9A_20081205.html?mod=rss_free

(Taken from the Kept-up Librarian)

What do you think? Should college administrator's have the right to contact your Mom & Dad?

Rock N' Roll Readers in the Library

Increasing the likelihood of YOUR college success

• Are you known as “conscientious and hard-working”? If you are, congratulations! This may be a better indicator of success in college than your SAT scores. See the whole article at http://www.newsroom.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/display.cgi?id=1329
  
  
• Do you hate those group project assignments? --Don’t! "Students learn better and develop higher-level skills by participating in cooperative (team) activities...”, according to a study at Penn State.
  See the whole article at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071105095721.htm
  
  
• A timely question with finals looming:
  “Will an all-nighter actually help your grade on a test? The correct answer is ‘no’”.
  Read whole article All Nighters Equal Lower Grades at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071130162518.htm
  
  

And this is too late for you, but pass it on to your younger connections:

• “Students with the most rigorous high school preparation in mathematics perform significantly better in college courses in biology, chemistry, and physics.”
  The whole article is available at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/0700726142071.htm
  

Happy Thanksgiving and Have Safe Travel

Here's wishing you all the fun of eating that wonderful Thanksgiving meal, watching football, and the blessings of being with your family.

Privacy online

A Privacy Paradox: Social Networking in the United States by Susan B. Barnes in First Monday -- "Teenagers will freely give up personal information to join social networks on the Internet. Afterwards, they are surprised when their parents read their journals. Communities are outraged by the personal information posted by young people online and colleges keep track of student activities on and off campus."

The linked article discusses privacy issues in social networks and examines solutions to these issues. What do you think? Is privacy a outdated concept? Should it be?

Veterans Day

Veterans Day - Find out more about it. Lets us know what Veterans Day means to you. Post a comment.

Attention Deficit in the Classroom

Attention Deficit in the Classroom

Do you carry a laptop to class? Do you find it beneficial? Read the article linked above and give you opinion.

Oh, no! Confrontation!

Resolve Conflict Quickly with The Four Agreements

It’s that time again: The semester is almost shot, tests and papers are piling up, finals are just around the corner. Your roommates/ sorority-sisters/ guy at the next table/ teachers … SOMEONE is driving you nuts! For your own sanity, take the time to read this, Margaret Mason’s review of The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz.

The Four Agreements
by Don Miguel Ruiz

I dread conflict. In fact, when I know a confrontation is imminent, it’s all I can think about. I mull it over when I could be labeling file folders, I ponder it while my inbox burgeons, while my 3x5 cards gather dust. Conflict is my productivity disaster.

Fortunately, The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz gave me a few significant tools for moving past conflict in any arena. … I find it especially helpful when I’m anxious about a tough meeting, phone call, email exchange, or personal conversation. Before I head into the lion’s den, I review the agreements to put myself in the right frame of mind:

1. Be impeccable with your word. Words have immeasurable power, so use them with care. Say only what you mean, and remember your opinion isn’t fact. Silence is better than saying something you’ll regret.

2. Don’t take anything personally. Here I’ll quote the book, “Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves.” That guy honking at you just spilled scalding coffee all over his lap, the boss screaming at you is going through a divorce. Their stuff has nothing to do with your stuff, and assuming you’re the root cause of someone’s behavior is not only self-centered, it’s also a big waste of energy.

3. Don’t make assumptions. You can spend hours generating theories about why someone did something, or you can just ask.

4. Do your best. Do the best you can with the conflict in front of you, and you won’t need to waste brain power on self-judgments or regrets.
Read Margaret Mason’s entire review at http://www.43folders.com/2007/11/05/resolve-conflict-quickly-four-agreements

Students Converge on Capitol

Students Converge on Capitol to Lobby for Action on Climate Change from the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Thousands of college students descended on Capitol Hill on Monday to press Congress for more action on the issue of climate change. Several testified at a hearing, and many more, representing more than 500 colleges, held a rally and met with members of Congress to discuss issues like carbon emissions and fuel efficiency.

What do you think? Is the earth in trouble? How is the climate? Post a comment and give us your thoughts!

What do you think about library services?

The Tarleton Library staff is conducting a User Satisfaction survey on Tuesday, November 6 through Wednesday, November 7. Take this opportunity to tell us what you like or don't like about the library. Your feedback allows us to see how we are doing and seek ideas for improving our services, so your comments are very important.

The survey is available in the lobby of the Dick Smith Library, the Oveta Culp Hobby Memorial Library, and online at: http://survey01.tarleton.edu/efm/wsb.dll/s/4eg70

Are you watching Blogger Play?

Need a break? Take a few minutes to check out Blogger Play.

It's a real-time slideshow of photos Blogger users have recently uploaded to their blogs. It's a great snapshot of what people are thinking and posting about, right now!

You can view a never-ending stream of images that were just uploaded to public Blogger blogs. Click the image to be taken directly to the blog post it was uploaded to, or click “show info” to see an overlay with the post title, a snippet of the body, and some profile information about the blogger who uploaded it.

Rowling completes book of fairy tales

LONDON (AP) — J.K. Rowling has completed her first book not to feature teen wizard Harry Potter — an illustrated collection of magical fairy stories titled The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2007-11-01-rowling_N.htm?csp=34

The Machine is Us/ing Us

Michael Wesch’s YouTube video "The Machine is Us/ing Us" (aka "Web 2.0 in Just Under 5 Minutes") is an insightful look at how technology impacts everyone's lives.

The video explores ideas like:

• “change in one area (such as the way we communicate) can have a profound effect on everything else, including family, love, and our sense of being itself,”
• “everything is connected throughout all time,”
• “all people on the planet are connected,” and
• technology creates opportunities “for us to make a profound difference in the world.”

This video is one of the projects by Wesch and a group of cultural anthropology students (digital ethnography working group) that explore “impacts of digital technology on human interaction and human interaction on digital technology.”

You’ll find an informative interview with Michael Wesch that discusses this video and other projects on John Battelle’s Searchblog.

Television History

Television History - The First 75 Years -- This site offers an interesting and informative look at the history of television. Linked photos of early (pre-1935 to 1950s) and later (1960-2000) televisions give a look at changes in design, size, and features through time. The site shows American televisions, as well as examples from other countries (British, Dutch, German, Italian, etc.). Also included are links to "Quick Facts by Year," television firsts (in FAQ section), images of advertisements for televisions, stats and facts, images of TV Guide covers, and lots more.

Meet Our Staff: Kim Gragg

Kim Gragg
Circulation / Interlibrary Loan Manager
254-968-9938
gragg@tarleton.edu
Dick Smith Library – Main Floor – Rm109V

As Circulation Manager, Kim is one of the first people many students meet in the Dick Smith Library. She oversees the operations of the Circulation Desk, including about a dozen student workers. Training and scheduling all of these workers takes a large amount of time, since the Circulation Desk is open almost 100 hours a week.

Kim is a Tarleton graduate, earning her BA in English in May 2002. She is certified to teach English and language arts for grades 8-12, and taught at Erath Excels Academy for two years. Kim started in her present position at the Dick Smith Library on December 19, 2005, noting, “I worked a week and then had a week’s vacation for Christmas. It was great!”

She added, “I spent a lot of time in the library as a student. I loved the atmosphere of learning and exploration and searching for the unknown. I still love it as a staff member today.”

Top 10 US Social Sites and Blog Sites

Top 10 US Social Sites and Blog Sites Rankings Issued

"Nielson/NetRatings has put out a report on the top 10 social sites and blog sites. I think there are some interesting findings such as Myspace still being on top of the social space. “MySpace.com continues to sit comfortably atop the rankings of top US social-networking sites with 58.6 million unique visitors in September, according to a custom list of top US social networking sites.”

Here are the Oct. 2007 rankings:

1. MySpace
2. Facebook
3. Classmates Online
4. Windows Live Spaces
5. AOL Hometwon
6. Reunion.com
7. LinkedIn
8. AOL People Connection
9. Club Penguin
10. Buzznet

The COLLEGE ISSUE

The New York Times Magazine - The College Issue - take a look at the September 30, 2007 issues. Is is full of articles for and about YOU!

Hey, Mom, can you spare me a buck?

10 little expenses that add up fast
Do you wonder where your money goes, especially if you're not a big spender? It's surprisingly easy to blow thousands, a few dollars at a time.
By Bankrate.com
It's easy to fritter away money on little daily expenses. If you fall into these money traps, learn to avoid them and pocket the savings.
Coffee: According to the National Coffee Association, the average price for a cup of brewed coffee is $1.38. There are roughly 260 weekdays per year, so buying one coffee every weekday morning costs almost $360 per year.
Cigarettes: The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids reports that the average price for a pack of cigarettes in the United States is $4.54. Pack-a-day smokers fork out $1,650 a year. Weekend smoker? Buying a pack once a week adds up, too: $236.
Alcohol: Drink prices vary based on the location. But assuming an average of $5 per beer including tip, buying two beers per day adds up to $3,650 per year. Figure twice that for two mixed drinks a day at the local bar. That's not chump change.
Bottled water from convenience stores: A 20-ounce bottle of Aquafina bottled water costs about $1. One bottle of water per day costs $365 per year. It costs the environment plenty, too.
Manicures: The Day Spa Magazine Price Survey of 2004 found that the average cost of a manicure is $20.53. A weekly manicure sets you back about $1,068 per year.
Car washes: The average cost for a basic auto detailing package is $58, according to Costhelper.com. The tab for getting your car detailed every two months: $348 per year.
Weekday lunches out: $9 will generally cover a decent lunch most workdays. If you buy, rather than pack, a lunch five days a week for one year, you shell out about $2,340 a year.
Vending-machines snacks: The average vending machine snack costs $1. Buy a pack of cookies every afternoon at work and pay $260 per year.
Interest charges on credit card bills: According to a survey released at the end of May, the median amount of credit card debt carried by Americans is $6,600. The average interest rate on a standard card is about 13%. Making the minimum payment each month, it will take 250 months (almost 21 years) to pay off the debt and cost $4,868 in interest. Ouch!
The big lie about credit card debt
Unused gym memberships: Costhelper.com reports that the monthly service fee at gyms averages between $35 and $40. At $40 per month, an unused gym membership runs $480 per year.
Published Oct. 11, 2007
Retrieved Oct. 19, 2007 from http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/SaveMoney/10LittleExpensesThatAddUpFast.aspx

Wow...This is a great clip

From the Students at Kansas State University

Young Librarians, Talkin' Bout Their Generation

Young Librarians, Talkin' 'Bout Their Generation, by Scott Carlson.

Most people are familiar with the stereotype of librarians. They are twenty- or thirtysomethings, with tattoos, cat's-eye glasses, and vintage clothes, schmoozing with famous authors, and playing DJ at parties in Brooklyn. Wait, that's just the stereotype in The New York Times. Last summer the newspaper declared young librarians hip — and, in the minds of some librarians, actually reinforced the other stereotype: that older members of their profession are reclusive bookworms and cranky old ladies.

Whether young librarians are hip or dowdy doesn't matter. What matters is what they think about the future of the library, particularly at academic institutions. Libraries are facing a series of immense challenges: the explosion of information, a rapidly changing technological environment, shrinking budgets, pitched battles over copyright, a new world of information literacy, and continuing deficiencies in old-fashioned literacy.

On top of it all, academic libraries face a crisis of graying leadership. Young librarians, hip or not, will eventually be the people dealing with these issues. This month The Chronicle contacted eight librarians under 40 and asked them a series of questions about the future of their profession, including: What will happen to the book? How will battles over copyright play out? What do you love and hate about librarianship? Here is what they said:

Read the complete article in the Chronicle of Higher Ed at: http://chronicle.com/weekly/v54/i08/08a02801.htm

Fiftieth Anniversary of Sputnik launch

Sputnik and The Dawn of the Space Age
"History changed on October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik I. The world's first artificial satellite was about the size of a beach ball (58 cm.or 22.8 inches in diameter), weighed only 83.6 kg. or 183.9 pounds, and took about 98 minutes to orbit the Earth on its elliptical path. That launch ushered in new political, military, technological, and scientific developments. While the Sputnik launch was a single event, it marked the start of the space age and the U.S.-U.S.S.R space race."

Read more about this historic event at the NASA History Division site.

Campus Event: Nationally-know Historian, Dr. Andres Tijerina

The Speaker Symposium Committee is pleased to announce the first speaker of the 2007-08 school year. Dr. Andres Tijerina, a professor of history at Austin Community College, will be speaking about the history of people of Mexican heritage in Texas. Dr. Tijerina is a nationally-known historian. His published books include "Tejano Empire: Life on the South Texas Ranchos" and "Tejanos and Texans Under the Mexican Flag, 1821-1836."

Dr. Tijerina's first lecture will be at 7:30pm Thursday, October 4 in the Fain Auditorium (Rm. 102) of the Science Building. The title of his Thursday evening presentation is "Constructing a Tejano Memory."

His second lecture, which will be given in Spanish, is entitled "El Imperio de los Ranchos Tejanos." That presentation will be at noon on Friday, October 5 in the Multipurpose Room of the Dick Smith Library. A lecture given in Spanish is a first for the Speaker Symposium lecture series, and an event we plan to repeat later in the school year.

Both lectures are free and open to the public. Proof of attendance will be available for any professor wishing to award extra credit for his or her students.

Banned Book Week

Celebrate Banned Book Week - FREE PEOPLE READ FREELY!! The library has several displays on the main and lower levels showing just a few of the many books that have been questioned.

Also on Wednesday October 3rd, @ Noon - the library will host a Brown Bag Lunch: The Oppressed and the Oppressors.

Banned Book Week is a celebration of our freedom to read, to seek, hold, receive, and disseminate ideas, even if they are unorthodox or unpopular. Help spread the word! Encourage your friends and colleagues to celebrate their freedom to read. It's one of our most important democratic freedoms!

10 Technologies That Will Change The World

10 Technologies That Will Change The World

Scroll through this list of technolgies that ABC News thinks will change the world. Are you ready? Do you have any of the items listed? Are you going to get one? Please give us your comments and let others know if your Wii or iphone is changing the world!!!!

Today in the News...

Two years ago Hurricane Rita slammed into the southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana coasts along the Gulf of Mexico. With over 100 fatalities in Texas and almost $11.3 billion in damage, this was the second punch of the 2005 hurricane season, hitting just 3 weeks after the devastation of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina. Find out how these areas have coped with the aftermath in news stories at http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/5158918.html or
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/09/24/national/main3290351.shtml

Check other news stories and events easily in the news databases made available to you by the library:

America's News Magazines
Dallas Morning News
New York Times
Newspaper Source

New Casual Reading Corner at Dick Smith Library

Ravenous bibliophiles
Enjoy our Casual Reading Corner
And
Donate your old paperbacks to share!

Checkout our new Casual Reading Corner bookcase in the Dick Smith Library student lounge.

If you see a book you like... feel free to read it here or take it with you.
No due dates, no late fees, just fun reading!

Did you just finish a great paperback? Share it!
We are accepting donations of paperbacks (in good condition) at the Circulation Desk in the Dick Smith Library to add to the Casual Reading Corner.

Laptop ownership spikes among increasingly wired college students

Laptop ownership spikes among increasingly wired college students

Despite common wisdom about the poverty (and resulting legendary thriftiness) of students, American college kids are doing pretty well for themselves when it comes to gadgets. A new report from EDUCAUSE finds that nearly every college student in the US owns both a computer and a phone; 36 percent of students own two computers.

What type of computer do they favor? Laptops, of course. In only two years, laptop ownership on campus has surged from 52.8 percent of the student population to 75.8 percent, while desktop use peaked in 2006 and dropped to 62.8 percent this year.

If students no longer head off to campus without a computer, they also need a cell phone now. 86 percent of students say they own a simple one (without Web access), while another 12 percent have a smartphone. Though the report doesn't look into the matter, I for one would like to see some research into just why it is so difficult for students to silence their ringtones while in the campus library. My guess: the constant diet of pizza and Mountain Dew.

And then come the iPods. More students own an "electronic music/video device" (76 percent) than own a laptop. This has certainly cut down on the frequency of hard rock tunes blasting from an open dorm room window, but one sometimes wonders when these students find time to speak to each other. Between the allure of the little white headphones, the handset, and the computer screen (err, and the studying, of course), collegiate life is stuffed to the brim.

Students appear to take it all in stride, though. As the report notes, many students "have never known a world without personal access to information technologies, often take them for granted and integrate them seamlessly into their daily lives."

That integration takes plenty of time out of each week. The report found that engineering students spend an average of 21.9 hours a week doing online activities. The humanities are lower, at 18.7 hours, and education majors are at the bottom, spending only 15.9 hours a week online.

Disturbingly, a full six percent of those surveyed spent more than 40 hours a week online. That's either some serious dedication to learning or the result of a WoW addiction.

Constitution turns 220!

The U.S. Constitution is turning 220 years old, having been ratified at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia on Sept. 17, 1787.

Sept. 17 marks Constitution Day, a federal holiday that does not confer a day off from work, but does recognize the auspicious occasion brought forth by the Founding Fathers.

The Library of Congress Web site is rife with resources on the framing of the Constitution. A good place to start is the Law Library's Web presentation titled "A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates." The THOMAS legislative tracking system also has links to a number of Library sites about the Constitution, including lesson plans for teachers.

Advertising on cell phones -- what do you think?

Marketing Charts (a marketers' magazine) recently posted the article "College Students Growing More Receptive to Mobile Ads," which probably forecasts what will be "ringing in" to cell phones and other mobile devices very soon -- ads, ads, and more ads:

"According to a study conducted at Ball State University, "College students are growing increasingly receptive to receiving advertising via text messages on their cell phones and other mobile devices." Over half of the students surveyed "said they would accept ads if they were to get something free in return."

What do you think about receiving ads on your cell? Think we'll have a choice?

Have a Great Weekend!

Hope you all learned something!

Putting An End To Thirsty Thursdays

What is your opinion? Do you think "thursday partying" effects your grades? Read the following article and tell us what you think!

Forget about "Thirsty Thursdays" kicking off three days of partying on some college campuses this school year. Some colleges are wresting Fridays back from the weekend's clutches, and warning students that skipping Friday classes will hurt their grades, and encouraging faculty members to schedule tests and have assignments due that day. Students and faculty are grumbling. Colleges have long scheduled fewer classes on Fridays, but groups, including a national task force on alcohol abuse, have been pressuring colleges to reinstate Friday classes to reduce student drinking. Read more at:
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/world_us/20070902_Some_colleges_reversing_TGI-Thursday_pattern.html

AHHH...Sweet Sleep

Your eyelids droop and your head starts to nod. Yawning becomes almost constant and your vision seems blurry. You blink hard, focus your eyes and suddenly realize that you’ve veered onto the shoulder or into oncoming traffic for a moment and quickly straighten the wheel. This time you were lucky; next time you could become the latest victim of the tragedy of drowsy driving.

According to the National Sleep Foundation’s Sleep in America poll, 60% of Americans have driven while feeling sleepy and 37% admit to actually having fallen asleep at the wheel in the past year. According to the NSF's 2005 Sleep in America poll, only half of adults can say they get a good night's sleep a few nights/week or more. Be aware that the person in the next car may be driving drowsy even if you are not.

Studies show that lack of sleep leads to problems completing a task, concentrating, making decisions and unsafe actions, none of which is conducive to being a successful college student! Though scientists are still learning about the concept of basal sleep need, one thing sleep research certainly has shown is that sleeping too little can not only inhibit your productivity and ability to remember and consolidate information (think: tests), but lack of sleep can also lead to serious health consequences and jeopardize your safety and the safety of individuals around you.
For example, short sleep duration is linked with:
* Increased risk of motor vehicle accidents
* Increase in body mass index – a greater likelihood of obesity due to an increased appetite
caused by sleep deprivation
* Increased risk of diabetes and heart problems
* Increased risk for psychiatric conditions including depression and substance abuse
* Decreased ability to pay attention, react to signals or remember new information

How much sleep do you need? Adults need 7-9 hours sleep each night and teens need even more. Studies show that young people use their computers or televisions to wind down, but this simply contributes to sleep deprivation; 'Winding down' is not SLEEP.

This was taken from the National Sleep Foundation’s website. Visit http://www.sleepfoundation.org for more information, and leave the party early tonight, and get some sleep! Don’t be the next victim of sleep deprivation.

Meet Our Staff: Tracy Holtman

Tracy Holtman
Assistant Director for Collection Management
254-968-9466
holtman@tarleton.edu
Dick Smith Library – Main Foor

Tracy supervises the library’s technical services departments:  Acquisitions, Cataloging, Periodicals and Electronic Resources, and Systems.

Tracy has always wanted to be a librarian. She started working in her school library in fifth grade, and has had a library job ever since. She has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Lubbock Christian University, and her masters in library science from the University of North Texas. She spent 13 years at Lubbock Christian University, and has been at the Dick Smith Library for nine years, starting as a reference librarian and moving into the Systems Librarian position after seven months. She serves as the liaison to the Computer Information Systems Department as well as the Department of Accounting, Finance, and Economics.

Tracy has a twin sister named Stacy, and they are the youngest of six children. Tracy’s hobbies are her 24 nieces and nephews, reading, cross-stitch, travel and photography, and collecting “Coke stuff – I have a house full of it!”

[Edited to add: On February 28, 2008, Tracy was named Tarleton's Staff Council Employee of the Month for February 2008.]

The College Credit Scam - Beware!!

The credit card industry has made a profitable art of corralling consumers into ruinous interest rates and hidden penalties that keep even people who pay their bills permanently mired in debt. The companies are especially eager to target freshly minted college students, who are naïve in money matters and especially vulnerable to credit card offers that are too good to be true.

College students need to be told right off the bat about the dangers associated with the cards that the companies are going to throw at them once school starts. The students need to know that the penalties associated with delinquent debts will accrue. They should also be told that delinquent debts can cause their interest rates to soar not just on their credit cards, but on car loans and mortgages as well.

Read more from this New York Times Article...

Enjoy the Labor Day Weekend!

It's nice to end the first week of class with a long weekend. Even though summer weather lingers in Texas for a few more weeks, most of us think of Labor Day as marking the end of summer. Labor Day is our last chance to get out on the lake, barbeque, and get together with friends.

Labor Day was first designated over 100 years ago as a celebration of American workers. The first Monday in September, Labor Day is "a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. " (taken from the U.S. Department of Labor in the 21st Century website)

To learn more about "Labor Day: How it Came About; What it Means" go to: http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/laborday.htm

Hello Wiki and Goodbye Textbook

At many colleges and universities, wikis are used mostly as a supplement to primary teaching tools like textbooks and labs, while other Web 2.0 technologies -- such as social networking sites like Facebook -- have become a staple of student life. In one Boston College professor's classroom, however, wikis have become a primary learning tool, replacing textbooks and allowing improved collaboration among students. The wiki is even used to let students submit possible questions for examinations, many of which actually appear on tests. Read more at:http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyId=16&articleId=9030802&intsrc=hm_topic

(Taken from Steven Bells - The Kept-Up Academic Librarian)

College Students Wield Connections, Concern and Consumer Clout

August 15, 2007

From Alloy College Explorer research, which shows how much college students have changed in the past four years (they are way more wired). The key stats are below:

They are totally wired:
- Close to all students (93%) report owning a cell phone (up 15 points from four years ago)
- Digital camera ownership has just about doubled since 2003. Today, 64% of students report owning one and 16% cite intention to purchase this year
- In 2003, 17% of students owned MP3 players - and the iPod was not yet a staple - today more than half (58%) own one.
- About one-third (28.9%) of campuses now offer blanket wireless coverage and almost two-thirds claim to have a wireless strategy plan in place.
- Down with desktops: there was a 21 point increase of laptop ownership in the last two years alone (63% today vs. 42% in 2005)

More students = more money to spend
- A 14% increase (from 2003) as 13.3 million students head back to campus with $198 Billion in consumer spending power (up 31% from 2003)
- Three-quarters of students now report employment during the year
- 56% of college students are female, about 1.1 million more than reported in ’03

They're influencers
- 27% choose to stay in touch with friends via social networking site over face-to-face communication, at 11%, or over phone, with 23% reporting
- More than half (54%) of college students (ages 18-30) visit a social networking site in a typical day
- 25% actually claim they have “never” visited a user-generated site
- 66% of students are learning about brands, products and services from their friends
- 61% report being influenced by word of mouth WOM (up 48% from 2004)
- Students cite they are most likely to look to friends for advice for movies (60%) and electronics (48%)
- More than half of students claim they played the deciding role in recent decision to buy a computer (57%), a digital camera (57%), or a cell phone/PDA (66%)

Some of them want to make a difference
- 35% of students reporting they feel that people their age have the greatest ability to impact positive world change and up from last year
- 37% cite they are more likely to purchase brands that are socially and environmentally responsible (33% in 2006)"

The original press release from Harris Interactive's Alloy, states it quite clearly:

Class of 2011 Heads Back To Campus Wielding More Connections, Concern and Consumer Clout Than Any Class Before Them
"We're faster than you.
We're bigger than you.
We've got more clout.
We're louder than you."

Facebook (and MySpace)

Check out this post and this post to discover 12 ways to use Facebook (and MySpace) professionally.

The short list:

1. Think of it like personalizing your desk.
2. Look for old co-workers and current connections.
3. Add friends selectively.
4. Add apps selectively.
5. Edit your news feed preferences.
6. Edit your profile and security settings.
7. Incorporate the tools you’re already using into your profile.
8. Join Groups related to your business interests.
9. Limit time wasted on Facebook.
10. Be philanthropic.
11. Ask Questions.
12. Look for events.

(Taken from Stephen's Lighthouse)

One-Minute Book Reviews

Need some ideas on what to read (or not read) this summer? Take a look at One-Minute Book Reviews, a blog written by Janice Harayda, journalist, author, and an adjunct professor of writing at various universities. She is a former book columnist for Glamour, book editor and critic for The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer, and vice-president for awards of the National Book Critics Circle.

She reviews both serious and fun books, which are not freebies from publishers. Her reviews include the best line and worst line from each book. She even writes reviews of "books I didn't finish," and tells you why, and recommends other books if she thinks one is bad. She also gives out "Delete Key Awards" for "the worst writing in books," which she describes as "such things as clichés, bad grammar, or writing at an elementary-school level according to the readability statistics on Microsoft Word."

I discovered this blog when I was looking for some discussion questions for one of my book clubs for Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, an autobiography published earlier this year. Many publishers are now producing "reading group guides" as part of their marketing efforts for a book, but Janice writes "Totally Unauthorized Reading Group Guides" for "many books that groups might love [such as] new hardcover nonfiction or for classic works of fiction." Her guides will sometimes "quote unfavorable reviews, [and] encourage you to compare a book to others...[to] promote the lively debate about the merits of books that most book clubs enjoy."

Those with degrees still enroll!

These days, thousands of people who enroll in community college programs already have four-year degrees — or more — in hand. Almost 11,000 students pursuing an associate's degree or a diploma in the N.C. Community College System in 2006 had a bachelor's degree. More than 2,500 students had a master's degree or higher. The reason for pursuing another degree is usually related to job marketability.

Read more at:http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070625/NEWSREC0101/70624001

Diplomas Count

A new report published in Education Week looks at the skills required to get jobs in every state and concludes that, at both the state and national level, people need to complete at least some college to earn a decent wage.

The report bases such findings on an analysis of data from two sources: a U.S. Department of Labor database that classifies jobs based on the education, training, and experience that they require, and U.S. Census Bureau statistics showing how many people work in various types of jobs and how much they earn.

"At both national and state levels, our research shows that a high-school diploma alone is not sufficient for students to access the jobs that will provide a real future and to thrive in our economy," said Christopher B. Swanson, who conducted the analysis as director of a research center affiliated with the newspaper.

In other findings, the report estimates that about 30 percent of ninth graders fail to graduate from high school with their peers four years later. For black males, the four-year graduation rate is 46 percent; for Hispanic males, it's 52 percent.

Based on an examination of state policies, the report says that just 11 states define what students should know and be able to do to be prepared for credit-bearing courses in college, and 14 states are working on a definition. Twenty-two states require high schools to administer exit examinations, while three others plan to do so. The number of states basing their exit exams on standards set at the 10th-grade level or higher has risen from six in 2002 to 18 in 2007. —Peter Schmidt

Read the entire article at http://www.edweek.org/ew/toc/2007/06/12/index.html

100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know

Just fun with words

Press Release

100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know by Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries (Editor)
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BOSTON, MA — The editors of the American Heritage® dictionaries have compiled a list of 100 words they recommend every high school graduate should know.

"The words we suggest," says senior editor Steven Kleinedler, "are not meant to be exhaustive but are a benchmark against which graduates and their parents can measure themselves. If you are able to use these words correctly, you are likely to have a superior command of the language."

The following is the entire list of 100 words:

• abjure
• abrogate
• abstemious
• acumen
• antebellum
• auspicious
• belie
• bellicose
• bowdlerize
• chicanery
• chromosome
• churlish
• circumlocution
• circumnavigate
• deciduous
• deleterious
• diffident
• enervate
• enfranchise
• epiphany
• equinox
• euro
• evanescent
• expurgate
• facetious
• fatuous
• feckless
• fiduciary
• filibuster
• gamete
• gauche
• gerrymander
• hegemony
• hemoglobin
• homogeneous
• hubris
• hypotenuse
• impeach
• incognito
• incontrovertible
• inculcate
• infrastructure
• interpolate
• irony
• jejune
• kinetic
• kowtow
• laissez faire
• lexicon
• loquacious
• lugubrious
• metamorphosis
• mitosis
• moiety
• nanotechnology
• nihilis
• mnomenclature
• nonsectarian
• notarize
• obsequious
• oligarchy
• omnipotent
• orthography
• oxidize
• parabola
• paradigm
• parameter
• pecuniary
• photosynthesis
• plagiarize
• plasma
• polymer
• precipitous
• quasar
• quotidian
• recapitulate
• reciprocal
• reparation
• respiration
• sanguine
• soliloquy
• subjugate
• suffragist
• supercilious
• tautology
• taxonomy
• tectonic
• tempestuous
• thermodynamics
• totalitarian
• unctuous
• usurp
• vacuous
• vehement
• vortex
• winnow
• wrought
• xenophobe
• yeoman

Presidential Campaigns Create Student Jobs

Job prospects for college graduates are looking up thanks to the 2008 presidential candidates. Eighteen contenders and counting translates into plenty of campaign hiring of promising but untested newcomers, especially in states with early nominating contests. Laurin Manning is taking a break from law school to work as Democratic Sen. Barack Obama's jack-of-all trades, earning about $2,300 a month. Her office walls are bare, and her title for weeks was a work in progress. Read more at:http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/06/08/ap3803068.html

It's Mesmerizing...Hypnotic...Addictive! It's Flickrvision!

Flickrvision is a really cool mashup that combines the power of Google Maps with the worldwide usage of photo hosting website Flickr.com. Flickrvision lets you see the location on Google Maps of new pictures posted to Flickr as they are uploaded in real time. You can click on a photo to get an expanded view with some more details (such as the photo title and description if available).

Creator Dave Troy says, “We use geotagging data from the actual photos where it is available, and then rely on the user's profile location in cases where it is not. Because less than 1% of photos [on Flickr] are geotagged, we rely on user profile location heavily. This is why when you look at the expanded view of each photo it says 'posted less than a minute ago from London', etc."

Content from O'Reilly Radar, Gadling.com, and Google Earth Blog.

What are you doing this summer????

Traveling? Working? Going to Summer School? Backpacking in Europe? -- Tell us about your summer plans. Post a comment and let everyone know what you are doing!

Check out this Library - from You Tube.

Great Job Market for Graduates

From the Chronicle of Higher Education - Students graduating from college this spring face an exceptionally good job market, with almost 60 percent of employers saying they plan to hire more new graduates in 2006-7 than they did in 2005-6, according to survey results released in summary form this week by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. That translates into the hiring of nearly 20 percent more new graduates this year than last. The demand for employees has driven up starting salaries in a number of fields, according to another survey conducted by the association. The most-sought-after new workers have degrees in business, engineering, and computer-related fields, the association said. —Andrew Mytelka

View article...

Turn Off Goes Green...

A Joint Project of Earth Day Network and Center for SCREEN-TIME Awareness

Did you know that the average television consumes 200-300 kilowatt-hours per year, accounting for an estimated 3-4% of the annual electronic usage in the USA.

That’s a whopping 46.9 billion kilowatt-hours a year! Or, in environmental terms, approximately 36 million tons of carbon dioxide, a global-warming causing pollutant.

Next week on April 22nd is Earth Day - do you part and turn off your TV!

Find out more at the Earth Day Network. http://www.earthday.net/default.aspx

How do you use EMAIL?

Google is looking for input from university students on how they use e-mail on campus. They are trying to collect information on user preferences. The survey includes questions about preference and habits of students using e-mail and online applications. Google said it's looking to "understand the role email and online applications play on college campuses and in students' lives." Read more at: E-Mail Use: Google Looks for Answers from Students

The Greening Of America's Campuses

The Greening Of America's Campuses - College students across the country are fired up about global warming, and they're gathering online to agitate for change. Is this the next big youth movement?

Life After College - Are you ready?

You've had graduation day visualized in the back of your mind since freshman year and now you find it quickly approaching. Amidst the excitement and enthusiasm also comes a frenzy of emotions that borderline on hysteria. Don't panic. You're not alone -- and you're not going crazy. (more)

Read more at Colleges.com, U Magazine

USNews.com: America's Best Graduate Schools 2008

USNews.com: America's Best Graduate Schools 2008 Interested in going to graduate school?Take a look.

What will YOU read during Spring Break?

Got a recommendation for something to read over Spring Break? Here are some of the favorite fiction titles of Tarleton students, staff, and faculty, from the Library Lovers responses. Click on the title links to find the item in the Tarleton catalog. Click on the book cover photo to find the item in another library near you with Open WorldCat:

Stephen King’s The Stand

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

Prey by Michael Crichton

The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

The Runaway Jury by John Grisham

Add your suggestions in the comments! (Photos courtesy Amazon.com)

What is YOUR Favorite Book?

What is your favorite book? Want others to read it? - Please tell us the title of your favorite book! Share your reasons why or give a summary.

Get the word out!