Where art thou Periodicals?

You may or may not have wondered where our periodicals have gone now that much of the main floor of the Dick Smith Library is under construction. Although the Periodicals and Newspaper collection is out of sight until the renovation is complete, the Periodicals staff are still happy to help you with your research. Call us at 254-968-9867 or email periodicals@tarleton.edu if you would like us to retrieve a specific journal or newspaper title or if you would like to come by and browse our collection. Periodicals staff are available Monday-Thursday 8am-8pm, Friday 8am-5pm, and Sunday 4pm-8pm. We also have popular newspapers available behind the 2nd floor Information Desk for your reading pleasure. Titles include: Stephenville Empire-Tribune, Wall Street Journal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and Livestock Weekly. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask! :)

 

Photo by Tracy Holtman

Dick Smith Library on Pinterest? How Pinteresting!

February is just around the corner and if you’re like me, you’ve probably been flocking to Pinterest searching for gift ideas, special recipes, or decorating ideas. 

Well did you know that the Dick Smith Library has a Pinterest account?

You may be surprised to find that the library has 11 unique boards ranging in topics from library-specific to interesting Tarleton information.

For example, the “Purple Pen-Writing & Art” board showcases Tarleton faculty, staff, and student works, such as books or artwork.

There’s also a “Book Art” board which shows books that have been altered into works of art.

This may be a perfect gift idea for the book lover in your life or your local librarian ;)

Check us out and follow our boards if you’d like. We’re also open to any board or pin suggestions.

Happy Pinning!

Need Assistance?

Call (254)968-9249 or email reference@tarleton.edu

On Twitter? Tweet us @TarletonLib

Prefer Facebook? “Like” us. 

Library Adventures for Everyone

Image taken from JTAC News 1-27-14
The Atomic Comic by Ontoniel Chaine

As many of you have discovered (or are maybe still trying to discover), the library has become quite a maze to maneuver. Instead of being able to enter a four door entry way, you can only enter through two specified doors. Instead of having access to three floors, you only have access to two floors (upper and lower levels). This situation can be frustrating for ANYONE.

The coffee bar has been relocated, there are less public computers to access, and it's unfamiliar territory. Have no fear! Things may be changing, but they are for the better. Your library adventures may be quite the maze right now, but by the end of the semester the Library Learning Commons will become an adventure all its own.

Keep in mind, everyone is struggling with this temporary change. We, as library staff, are here to help you through your adventure. We will gladly direct you through the maze of purple walls to your desired destination. Let us be your guide during this undesirable time. 

 

Need Assistance?

Call 254-968-9249 or Ask a Librarian

2014 Newbery Medalist & Honor Books Announced Today

Today the American Library Association announced its Youth Media Awards.  These are a number of awards for books and other media (such as audiobooks and videos) given annually in January - check out the link for a list of the other winners.

The John Newbery Medal honors the author of the year's most outstanding contribution to children's literature.  There are usually a few Honor Books named as well.  This year's winner of the Medal is Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures, written by Kate DiCamillo.

Honor Books are Doll Bones, by Holly Black; The Year of Billy Miller, by Kevin Henkes; One Came Home, by Amy Timberlake; and Paperboy, by Vince Vawter.

Flora & Ulysses is also on the Texas Bluebonnet Award reading list for 2014-2015, so I had already ordered it for the Dick Smith Library.  It has been cataloged and is awaiting processing, and should be ready to check out next week.  We don't currently have any of the Honor Books in the Dick Smith Library, but I ordered all of them today.

Kate DiCamillo's first children's book, Because of Winn-Dixie, was a 2001 Newbery Honor Book and her second book, The Tiger Rising, was a National Book Award finalist. She won the 2004 Newbery Medal for The Tale of Despereaux, and received the 2011 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Medal (another American Library Association award) for beginning reader books for Bink and Gollie, which she co-authored with Alison McGhee.  She also won a Geisel Honor in 2007 for Mercy Watson Goes For a Ride. Earlier this month, she was named by the Librarian of Congress to a two-year term as the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature.  

Texan Card Kiosk

What happened to the library’s Texan Card Kiosk you ask?

Due to construction, the machine will not be available until the completion of our learning commons project. For more info on the project, visit our renovation page. 

In the meantime, students can still add money to their Texan Cards online by going to the Texan Card’s website.

For those of you needing to purchase a copy card during construction, you can now do so at the Circulation desk.  The cards cost $1.00.  That includes the $0.50 purchase of the card and the remaining $0.50 will be your card’s active balance for printing.  Cards can have additional funds added by the user through the Texan Card's website.  Select “Guest Deposit”  on the upper left of the main page and when prompted for the Student ID, type in the number printed on the back of the copy card.

Today is Answer Your Cat's Questions Day

Today is the day that your cat gets to ask all the questions they have and you must answer them.  I looked online to see what cats have been asking other people and most of them involve selling the dog on eBay, why humans leave them alone during the day, and why they can't have treats at every meal.  My favorite was:  Cat: Nimrod says what? Human: What? Cat: Exactly.  This is what I am pretty sure my cat usually asks me.

My cat does not ask me a lot of questions because she is a cat and already knows everything.  When she asks questions they are usually one of these three:

1) What are you doing?  This is said with a raised eyebrow and a condescending look.
2)  Can I play?  She asks my daughter this when she gets her little toys out that look like so much fun.  This is also the only time that Cat does not have a condescending look.
3)  What are you going to do about that weird noise?

Dick Smith Library General Stacks
SF442 .C37 2003

For more information on cats check out the library's Discovery@Tarleton tool.

Get Password Help in the Library

Most of you probably already know that your NTNET usernames have changed this semester, from your st_ username to your university ID number. This change allows you to use one log in for computers, myGateway, Blackboard, Wi-Fi, library databases and almost all other campus portals, except ResNet and your go.tarleton e-mail address.

Tech Specialist, Chris Grantham, assists a student with her password 

But, did you know that we can help you with your passwords here in the library? You may have seen us outside the library earlier this week, but we can help you any time of the year inside the library. Just come up to the top floor and ask at the information desk. We can help you change your NTNET password, unlock your account, and help you access your e-mail. We are happy to help you start off the semester connected and ready to learn!

Suave cafe has temporarily relocated

Some of you may be wondering why the library cafe isn't open.  During our renovation for the  Library Commons, the cafe will be relocated in the Dining Hall (near the pizza area). The menu will remain the same.

Suave cafe

The cafe, along with the rest of the library's main floor, should be open later this semester. It will have more space, and a larger food selection. We appreciate your patience during our renovation process. For updates, check out our renovation website.

We're open (Happy New Year!)

Sidewalk chalk outside of the Dick Smith Library.

The library will be open the following dates and times during interim
(Thursday, Jan. 2 - Sunday, Jan 12):
Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Closed weekends.

Right now there is some construction being done in the lobby, so please use the service entrance in the back. You can find it by following the sidewalk chalk signs out front.