The Dick Smith Library needs a slogan!

We're looking for slogans from our users that capture the essence and spirit of the library’s value to the Tarleton community. These slogans will be incorporated into promotional materials (i.e. flyers, brochures, etc.) for the library.

We are holding a Slogan Contest, April 20th - 30th, open to all students, faculty, and staff. Entry forms are available at the Dick Smith Library circulation desk and online @ http://www.tarleton.edu/~library/SloganContest.pdf.

The person with the winning slogan will get receive a copy of The Traditions Remain (a limited edition book about Tarleton history and traditions) currently on display at the library circulation desk.

So... get creative!!

Top Ten Tuesday - 10 Songs for Earth Day

Earth Day was founded back in 1970 and falls on April 22nd each year. To help celebrate, I thought I would share one of my favorite places to find out about music - the Y! Music Playlist. They have created this Top 10 Earth Day songs playlist. Read their blog post to find out more about music and earth day...they have a long history together.  I hope you enjoy.

1. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) - Marvin Gaye
2. Big Yellow Taxi - Joni Mitchell
3. Paradise - John Prine
4. Shapes Of Things - The Yardbirds
5. Nature's Way - Spirit
6. Don't Go Near The Water - The Beach Boys
7. If A Tree Falls - Bruce Cockburn
8. Don't Go Near The Water - Johnny Cash
9. Mother Earth (Natural Anthem) - Neil Young
10. I Remember California - R.E.M.

Do you have a favorite environmental song?  Post a comment and share!

Thinking and Living Green!

Earth Day is April 22 & Arbor Day is April 24!

What a great time to consider what we can all do to "live a little greener," which is something many of us long to do. However, it's often hard to find out how to go about doing that.

To meet this information need, Discovery Channel offers Planet Green -- "a global initiative including a television network, interactive tools and 'how-to' resources."

This site offers "solutions-oriented tips and information" we all can use to live greener. Features include "fan sites, articles about how to go green, forums where users can interact," advice from experts, and articles from Discovery Channel's eco-savvy writers. "Passionate, positive, and always practical, Planet Green is bursting with smart tips and inspiring advice."

Discovery Channel also offers a sister site, TreeHugger, which posts "the latest in green news, opinions, interviews, and trends," as well as "the cutting-edge scoop on green architecture, design, gadgets, technology, fashion, health, politics, science, and more."

Check these sites out & go green!

"You are now entering the Stress Free Zone..."

The end of the semester is almost here. Some of you are preparing for graduation. Others may be job-hunting, or getting research projects together for finals. A few of you may be "lucky" enough to be doing all three.

On Monday, April 27, the Dick Smith Library, along with the Student Counseling Center, is hosting The Stress Free Zone from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to help students relax before they dive into final exams.

We'll have fun games outside, a session in the Multi-Purpose Room on how to prepare for finals, a Stress Board in the lobby where students can give each other tips on stress relief, and a multimedia display of items designed to soothe your anxiety.

Stop by and get some stress relief!

We will also be open later for finals: details will be forthcoming on the library homepage.

Don't forget our other resources for "de-stressing":

• Individual and group study rooms
• Student lounge
• Laptop checkout
• Movies and music
• Audiobooks
• Popular novels and magazines
• Sauve Cafe

If you have any research questions, please call (254) 968-9934 or e-mail us at reference@tarleton.edu.

Tarleton Thursdays: Did You Know?

Founder's Day

By Frank Chamberlain

Founder’s Day was the first organized tradition to be held at Tarleton. This observance took place on Thanksgiving Day of 1902. Officials decided on this date because it was believed that John Tarleton was born on this approximate date. (The actual day and year of his birth are uncertain.)

The ceremony consisted of a program in the second floor auditorium of the Campus Hall and a processional to Tarleton’s grave that was located in the yard of the building. The grave was covered in flowers and the participants sang the “Founder’s Song” which was specially written for the occasion. This melody was written by faculty member Lillie Pearl Chamberlin and was sung to the tune of “America the Beautiful.” The lyrics of the song gave thanks to John Tarleton and paid tribute to the name and everlasting legacy of the benefactor and his school.

Another notable Founder’s Day was held on April 30th and May 1st of 1949 to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of Tarleton’s establishment. Many alumni and surviving acquaintances of John Tarleton converged on the campus for this semi-centennial reunion. The founder’s day program consisted of tribute speeches and introductions of the distinguished guests. The attendees then paraded to the founder’s gravesite where they laid a wreath and held a moment of silent prayer. The pageant was an especially elaborate program that reenacted the history of the school up until that point with actors portraying John Tarleton, J.C. George, Mary Corn Wilkerson, and many other luminous figures from the past.

Earlier in the year, the name “John Tarleton Agricultural College” was changed to “Tarleton State College.” On the second day of events, Governor Beuford Jester traveled to the campus in order to give a speech and sign the bill that made the name change official.

Cross Timbers Historic Images Project, Tarleton State University Dick Smith Library, http://lib01.tarleton.edu/libimages/collections/tcollection/TAN00004.html

Guthrie, Christopher. John Tarleton and his Legacy: The History of Tarleton State University, 1899-1999. Acton, MA: Tapestry Press, 1999.

Tarleton State University Archives, official programs and itineraries of the event, 1949

This week is Founder's Week at Tarleton. One event, the May Fete, was held Tuesday evening from 6 to 8 in Heritage Park. The Alumni Ambassadors brought back the May Fete tradition in a lovely ceremony with Lord Tarleton presiding, the crowning of the May Queen, along with food and fun! Tonight is the Silver Taps ceremony honoring those in Tarleton's history that have died in the last year. Other events included Vegas Night, Dessert on the Lawn, and concludes with a Block T Party Friday night. The photo above is of the first Founder's Day ceremony.

Tax Day!

You've got until midnight tonight to e-file or postmark your 2008 federal tax return (or to request an extension)! Many students will be eligible to use the online fast and easy Free File program, if your adjusted gross income is $56,000 or less in 2008.

The Free File program provides free federal (but not state) income tax preparation and electronic filing for eligible taxpayers through a partnership between the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Free File Alliance LLC, a group of private sector tax software companies, including such well-known tax software as TaxACT, TaxCut, and TurboTax.

The "Traditional" Free File is tax software with step-by-step help. Go to the link above and click the button to "Help Me Choose a Company" to find out which software packages you are eligible to use. (Note for question 5 on this page: if you can be claimed as a dependent on your parents' or another person's tax return, you won't be eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit.)

If you don't qualify to use Traditional Free File, you can use Free File Fillable Forms, and fill in the tax forms and file them online without tax software.

All Free File options are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, but it's important to remember that you must access Free File through the IRS website, IRS.gov at the Free File link.

Top Ten Tuesday - Tax Time! Last Minute Filing Tips

It's Tuesday - that means a list! I had a post ready about National Library Week, but this one might be of more use! With the tax filing deadline close at hand, the IRS offers ten tips for those still working on their tax returns:

1. File Electronically - Consider filing electronically instead of using paper tax forms. If you file electronically and choose direct deposit, you can receive your refund in as few as 10 days.
2. Check the Identification Numbers - When filing a paper return carefully check the identification numbers — usually Social Security numbers — for each person listed. This includes you, your spouse, dependents and persons listed in relation to claims for the Child and Dependent Care Credit or Earned Income Tax Credit. Missing, incorrect or illegible Social Security Numbers can delay or reduce a tax refund.
3. Double-Check Your Figures - If you are filing a paper return, you should double-check that you have correctly figured the refund or balance due.
4. Check the Tax Tables - If you are filing using the Free File Fillable Forms or a paper return you should double-check that you have used the right figure from the tax table.
5. Sign your form - Taxpayers must sign and date their returns. Both spouses must sign a joint return, even if only one had income. Anyone paid to prepare a return must also sign it.
6. Mailing Your Return - Use the coded envelope included with your tax package to mail your return. If you did not receive an envelope, check the section called “Where Do You File?” in the tax instruction booklet.
7. Mailing a Payment - People sending a payment should make the check out to “United States Treasury” and should enclose it with, but not attach it to the tax return or the Form 1040-V, Payment Voucher, if used. The check should include the taxpayer’s Social Security number, daytime phone number, the tax year and the type of form filed.
8. Electronic Payments - Electronic payment options are convenient, safe and secure methods for paying taxes. You can authorize an electronic funds withdrawal, or use a credit card or a debit card. For more information on electronic payment options, visit IRS.gov.
9. Extension to File - By the April due date, taxpayers should either file a return or request an extension of time to file. Remember, the extension of time to file is not an extension of time to pay.
10. IRS.gov - Forms and publications and helpful information on a variety of tax subjects are available around the clock on the IRS Web site at IRS.gov.

Source: www.irs.gov

Sweet Facts about Easter

Easter is the second most important candy-eating occasion of the year for Americans, who consumed 7 billion pounds of candy in 2001, according to the National Confectioner's Association.

• Ninety million chocolate Easter bunnies are produced each year.
• Chocolate bunnies should be eaten ears first, according to 76% of Americans. Five percent said bunnies should be eaten feet first, while 4% favored eating the tail first.
• Each Easter season, Americans buy more than 700 million Marshmallow Peeps, shaped like chicks, as well as Marshmallow Bunnies and Marshmallow Eggs, making them the most popular non-chocolate Easter candy.
• Americans consume 16 billion jellybeans at Easter, many of them hidden in baskets.
• If all the Easter jellybeans were lined end to end, they would circle the globe nearly three times.
• Jellybeans did not become an Easter tradition until the 1930s. They were probably first made in America by Boston candy maker William Schrafft, who ran advertisements urging people to send jellybeans to soldiers fighting in the Civil War.
  
  Find out more fun Easter facts at Infoplease.com

Tarleton Thursdays: May Fete

Tarleton’s May Fete

What would become a treasured tradition began May 5, 1921, when 36 women participated in a May Fete with a wildflower theme and the crowning of a queen. Miss Margaret Bierschwale and Miss Kathleen Blackshear, members of the women’s physical training department, organized and directed the first production. By 1927 Laura Fellman, Director of Physical Training, was in charge of the May Fete.

Each year the May Fete had a different theme. Some of the themes included “Wildflowers,” “The Sun,” and “All Nations.”  Decorations and accessories were always very colorful. Highlights of the event included the wrapping of the maypole and the coronation of the May Queen. Next week the Alumni Ambassadors are bringing back the Tarleton May Fete tradition. Be sure to join them next Tuesday, April 14, 2009 for the renewal of the May Fete tradition!.And be sure to see their great display about the event in the Dick Smith Library.

Top Ten Tuesday - Easter Top Tens

In no particular order, here are ten popular Easter candies:

1. Marshmallow Peeps
2. Chocolate Bunnies
3. Jelly Beans
4. M&M’s – Easter pastels
5. Cadbury Crème Eggs (see photo)
6. malted milk chocolate speckled Robins' Eggs
7. Nestle Crunch Nest Eggs
8. Reese’s Peanut Butter Egg
9. Reester Bunnies
10. Reese's Pieces Carrot

(OK, so I like Reese’s, and this list is entirely made up. That's what happens when you cover for Top Ten Tracy - who is out of town - and discover what you'd planned to post has already been posted, and now it's Wednesday!)

A virtual "Easter egg" is a hidden feature, picture, or sound clip found in nearly all pieces of software. Easter eggs can be a hidden mini game, a funny picture of the development crew, or simply a programmer's name. Easter eggs are also found in DVD movies, so look out for them in the menus. Here are the Top Ten Software Easter Eggs and the Top Ten DVD Easter Eggs.

Want to be serious or silly?

Do you wonder about the veracity of 'truths' that journalists rush to tell us? How do they KNOW this is truth? Says who? To determine fact from fiction, science has developed a system of observation and investigation, and you too can be a scientist, or at least you can be a more critical consumer of science news.

A website that educates the reader on the scientific method is from Exploratorium, the Museum of Science, Art and Human Perception. To help the reader understand the scientific method, Exploratorium folks have developed a project which uses case studies to examine how scientists construct a functional understanding of the world by gathering, assessing, and making use of scientific evidence. Here's your starting place How Do We Know What We Know. Look particularly at the sections 'How Science Works' and 'Can You Believe It' to understand the principles.

On the other hand, it is nearly Easter, and the Chicago Tribune has an annual contest of creating stuff from those marshmallow peeps, Fun with Peeps!

Tips for Managing Social Media Profiles

If you have several social media profiles (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, etc.), you've no doubt discovered how time consuming it is to

• make sure your pictures and personal info stay current,
• keep spam deleted,
• update contact lists, and so on.

To get some tips for efficiently dealing with these tasks, check out Ben Parr’s How To: Manage Multiple Social Media Profiles post on Mashable: The Social Media Guide. He notes that creating consistency in your web presence and keeping content updated and fresh are vital. However, with "a little upfront effort, the task of maintaining multiple profiles can be less tedious, freeing up time to better connect with other people."

In his post, Parr outlines five steps in this process:

1. Understand your Current Position:
   Find out where you have and don't have profiles using Check User Names,
2. Choose Your Platforms Realistically:
   Figure out which ones work best for you.
3. Organize!
   Find a system and stick with it.
4. Automate and Combine Your Profiles
   Use services such as Ping.fm, Twitterfeed, and Atomkeep to update your profiles.
5. Keep it Fresh
   Use tools like Shareaholic to make updating content easier.

Tarleton Thursdays: Did You Know?

Tarleton April Fool's of Years Past!

As shown below, Associate Professor of Business Administration, Mrs. Linnie Smith, had quite a story in the 1953 Tacky-J! Other interesting tidbits also appeared in the special April Fool's edition of the JTAC! What fun to read these stories! Hope you didn't have too many April Fool's jokes played on you yesterday!

Microsoft Word Tips

We go through a LOT of paper and toner here in the Dick Smith Library. It can be frustrating when a large job is previewed before printing, and it shows a single line on the last page.

Did you know there's an easy way to eliminate that problem with Word documents? From within the Print Preview window, click the Shrink to Fit (Word 2003) or Shrink One Page button (Word 2007). Word will tweak the fonts in the document to make it a page smaller. If you don't like the results, just press Ctrl-Z or the Undo arrow (in the top upper left corner) to revert to the previous.

This tip and others come from Eight Handy Tools in Microsoft Word You Probably Don't Know About.