Too Thick to Staple? Use the Comb Binder!

The Special Services Department, on the lower level of the Dick Smith Library, has a comb binding machine you can use with documents that are too thick to staple.  It's very easy to use - our staff would be glad to show you how!  We even have some binding combs you can use, in four colors in a variety of sizes.

The binder is located in the Curriculum Workroom downstairs, which is always open any time the library is open.  Staff can help you between 9 AM and 5 PM, Monday through Friday.

Step 1 - choose a comb of an appropriate size.

Step 2 - punch holes in your papers.

Step 1 (left):  The combs are located in boxes in the two cabinets just below the comb binding machine.  Please choose one appropriate to the size of your project.  You want to use a comb that is just slightly bigger than the size of your papers.











Step 2 (right):  Next, slide your papers into the lower half of the machine until they reach the back.  Press down on the handle to punch holes in the papers.  You may need to divide your papers into smaller stacks as the binder can't punch through too thick a stack.

Step 3 - Place comb on top rack and press handle away to open.

Step 3 (left):  Place the comb on the prongs of the top rack with the opening side towards the top.  Press the handle AWAY from you to open up the comb.

Step 4 - Place papers on comb and release handle to close comb.

Step 4 (right):  Place the holes of your papers on the combs, and pull the handle back towards you to close the comb up.

Happy Birthday to the Library of Congress!

215 years ago today, President John Adams signed the first bill to establish the Library of Congress. He appropriated $5,000 to purchase "such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress." The first books arrived in 1801 and were originally housed in the capitol building. In 1802, the first library catalog listed 964 volumes and 9 maps. The library was originally administered by House clerks.

Postcard of the Library of Congress in 1902 from the New York Public Library Digital Collections

When the British burned the capitol building in 1814, during The War of 1812, the original library was destroyed. To "rcommence" the library after this disaster, Thomas Jefferson sold his personal collection of 6,487 volumes to Congress in 1815 and a professional librarian, George Watterson, was hired as the first Librarian of Congress. In 1870, copyright law began to require that all authors who wanted copyright protection send two copies of their work to the Library of Congress, and the library quickly outgrew its space in the Capitol Building.The building you see in the picture was completed in 1897, by which time the library had grown into a national institution.

Today, the Library of Congress is still an "unparalleled world resource" which houses over 158 million items in three buildings. They also provide services and resources for librarians and libraries around the country, including the Tarleton Libraries. We rely on the Library of Congress classification system to organize our collections, and obtain catalog records written by Library of Congress catalogers. The Library of Congress also houses the United States Copyright Office, which gives official guidance on copyright law. In short, it has grown a lot from the $5,000 worth of books originally appropriated by President Adams!

For more information see: http://www.loc.gov/about/history-of-the-library/ 

Tarleton Allies at the library

You may be familiar with the Ally Program from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
What you might not know is that the library staff has an impressive number of allies--ten total if you include our latest trainees.  Trained allies can be spotted by the stickers outside their offices. Sometimes they will also wear a pin like the one below.

Photo taken by the author. Please do not use without permission.

Happy Earth Day!



Earth Day was founded in 1970 to bring attention to the environment in the wake of oil spills, polluting factories, toxic waste dumps, and other environmental concerns.

So what can we do to do our part in helping the environment and to bring attention to the movement?
Here are 5 eco-activities that you can do:

1. Throw a green party.
2. Get involved in a Community Garden.
3. Do a home energy audit.
4. Plant a tree.
5. Volunteer for an environmental charity.

Want more ideas on how to get involved? In honor of the movement, Inhabitat.com has come up with a list of "10 awesome eco-activities".

What to do if you don't know which database to use

If you need to find an article but aren't sure which library database to use, you have several options. Here are a few of them:

• Ask for help. Librarians at the reference desk can help you find what you're looking for, or at least get you on the right path. You can also call (254-968-9249) or ask for help via our "Ask a Librarian" form.
• Try Discovery. Discovery searches most of the library's databases and can be a big help if you're not sure where to start. 

• Try one of the databases on the appropriate "Research Guides by subject" page. These pages include lists of the best databases for whichever subject you choose.

What you post on social media can hurt you...

Do recruiters and potential employees check your social media before the hire you? According to Stephen's Lighthouse 52% of them do.

Check out this infographic.
52% of recruiters check your social media while going through the hiring process.

Annual READ Reveal- Wed. April 15

Who’s featured on the

Dick Smith Library 2015 READ posters?

 

Save the Date to Join the Fun & Find Out

Wed., April 15 @ 3:00 p.m.

Dick Smith Library

2015 READ Poster Reveal & Refreshments

 

Enjoy refreshments and take pictures with this year’s honorees!

 

 Celebrate Libraries & Reading

National Library Week -- April 13-19

New Audiobooks!

A number of new audiobooks have recently been added to the library's collections.  We have a number of mysteries and thrillers by such authors as James Lee Burke, Carol Higgins Clark, Harlan Coben, Robert Crais, Tony Hillerman, Stephen King, Phillip Margolin, Michael Palmer, Ridley Pearson, and John Sandford.  There are also quite a few audiobooks by the late Terry Pratchett, narrated by Stephen Briggs.  Here are a few other new additions:

Under the Wide and Starry Sky by Nancy Horan, call number AV-Audio PS3608 .O725 U53 2013, is about Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson and his American wife, Fanny Van De Grift Osbourne.

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter, call number AV-Audio PS3573 .A4722834 B43 2012, is an intricate story that  moves between 1962, in a tiny coastal village in the Cinque Terre area of the Italian Riviera, and 2012 in Hollywood.  The narrator of this audiobook, actor Edoardo Ballerini, won a well-deserved 2013 Audie Award for Solo Narration - Male; and the audiobook was also a nominee for the award for Fiction and for Audiobook of the Year.

The Bees by Laline Paull, call number AV-Audio PR6116 .A87 B44 2014, is an incredible book that anthropomorphizes bees (and other insects) and their lives in the hive.  Debut novelist Paull got the idea for the book when she learned about the unusual laying worker bee, which is the main "character," Flora 717.  Actress Orlagh Cassidy is an outstanding narrator who truly "performs" this book.

China Dolls by Lisa See, call number AV-Audio PS3569 .E3334 C47 2014, is historical fiction set in 1938 in San Francisco's Chinatown. Three Asian-American women bind - more from necessity than friendship - in a novel that spans the next ten years, with an epilogue 40 years later.  As is usual with Lisa See's novels, this one is rich from research, and incorporates some real people into the story.

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd, call number AV-AudioPS3611 .I44 I58 2014, is set in the early 1800s.  This historical fiction novel has two alternating first-person narrators - the real Sarah Grimké, and a fictional family slave, Hetty "Handful" Grimké.  Sarah was, in her time, a famous - and infamous - abolitionist and early feminist, along with her younger sister Angelina.  The audiobook has two narrators:   Jenna Lamia is perfect as Southern-bred Sarah, while Nigerian-American actress Adepero Oduye voiced Handful.

You can find these, and all our audiobooks, on the lower level of the Dick Smith Library in the Audiovisual Collection. 

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Tarleton State University is participating in a nation-wide campaign that will highlight prevention of sexual assault on campus for an entire month. In order to reduce the number of sexual assaults, it takes more than just students talking about it. It's a team effort combining students, staff, faculty, committees, groups on campus and many others to help stop sexual assault.

 Here's a few statistics on this topic:

• One in five women will be a victim of completed or attempted sexual assault while in college.(Krebs, Lindquist, Warner, Fisher, & Martin, 2007)

• One in 16 men will be a victim of sexual assault during college. (Krebs et al., 2007)

•  Among college women, nine out of 10 victims of rape and sexual assault knew the person who assaulted them (Fisher, Cullen, & Turner, 2000)

•  More than 90% of sexual assault victims on college campuses do not report the assault (Fisher et al., 2000)

• 40% of colleges and universities reported not investigating a single sexual assault in the previous five years (U.S. Senate Subcommittee, 2014)

Prevention is in our hands. If we all work together, we can put a stop to it. Also, if you or anyone you know is in need of counseling, please contact Tarleton Campus Police, Student Counseling Services or Student Health Services. Their information is posted below. If you would like more information on the campaign, you can visit the Sexual Assault Awareness Month website.


Stephenville Police Department - (254) 918-1200
Tarleton Campus Police - (254) 968-9002
Student Counseling Services - (254) 968-9044
Student Health Services - (254) 968-9271

Super Librarian

Dick Smith Library's very own Super Librarian, Kym, starred in a video that shows how to locate books in our General Stacks. She was assisted by one of our student workers, Sarah, and two of our staff members, Leslie and Lacey.

Do you have any suggestions for future videos?

Any questions about resources or tools that we could feature? 

Simply email the Reference department at reference@tarleton.edu or call us at 254-968-9249 to let us know and we will see what we can do.

New Delivery System

Based on the popular reception Amazon has seen piloting their new drone delivery service, the Dick Smith Library has researched how we too can offer this fast and effective service.  With the help of a generous donation by an anonymous patron, the library has purchased a new drone specifically to deliver items to patrons living in Stephenville.  Simply email mylibrary@tarleton.edu with your student information, delivery address and item request.  It the item is available, we will have the drone stopping at your door within 24 hours!

DSL Drone

April Fools!  ;)