Friday, February 25, 2011

Presentation - March 1 - Lucas Kalathas - NASA USLI Rocket Competition


March 1, 2011Public Presentation
Lehman Library, LL 106 - 7:00pm – 8:00 pm
Lucas Kalathas, SU Senior Physics Major, is designing a flight vehicle capable of delivering a scientific payload that records data and images of atmospheric conditions to an altitude of one mile. Lucas will be discussing the NASA USLI Rocket Competition as well as explaining the rocket he will be entering in the NASA competition.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Yikes! Lots of Students!

The Library is full of students but we like it that way.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Rewriting the Book of Nature - Library Exhibit


Lehman Library presents a National Library of Medicine exhibit “Rewriting the Book of Nature: Charles Darwin and the Rise of Evolutionary Theory”


February 14, 2011 – March 26, 2011 -  Main Floor Gallery

The exhibit explores Charles Darwin’s vision — “from so simple a beginning, endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being evolved” — a vision that now forms the foundation of the biological sciences. Radical in sweep, Darwin’s idea of naturally innovating and endlessly changing webs of life undercut all previous sciences.  

Please bring your classes to view the exhibit or encourage students to visit the exhibit on their own. 

To see the online exhibit at the National Library of Medicine, visit:  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/darwin/evolutionarytheory.html

Monday, February 7, 2011

Webinars - Teaching Online

The Copyright and TEACH Act team would like to invite faculty, administrators and staff to join us for the following two webinars being offered as part of the 2011 PASSHE Distance Education Virtual Conference:

Copyright, not Copywrong: Staying Legal and Ethical in Online.
Presenter: Christine Salmon
February 21st, 2011, from 1:30 – 2:30 pm, Lehman Library, Room 106

Teaching ‘Round the TEACH Act: Using Streaming Video in Online Education.
Presenter: Christine Ross, JD, MSLIS
February 23, 2011, from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm, Lehman Library, Room 205

For additional information contact Barbara Rotz, bdrotz@ship.edu, ext. 1475

For more information about the 2011 PASSHE Distance Education Virtual Conference, including a complete list sessions, go to http://www.passhe.edu/inside/asa/DE2011conf/Pages/Virtual-Conference-Home.aspx

New Collections in the Shippensburg University Archives

The Shippensburg University Archives has recently received transfers of three important collections.
The Office of University Communications/Marketing sent us a large collection of materials.  Many of these were from the Director of Sports Information.  This transfer includes statistics, game reports, media guides, news clippings and much more for a variety of SU’s athletic teams.  We also received photographs and slides, as well as files, from the Office of Publications / Advertising, documenting student life, athletics, special events, and campus buildings.  Thanks to Melanie Reed’s hard work, with the help of student assistant Evan Fucci, these new additions are being integrated into our records and will provide information for time periods for which we previously had little documentation.  We have already sent scans of photos from this collection for a presentation President Ruud made to the SU Foundation.
We have also received a valuable collection of materials documenting the early days of our institution when we were known as the Cumberland Valley State Normal School (CVSNS).  These papers were found in crates in a stable loft, part of the estate of Jean Johnston, a Shippensburg resident and financial supporter of SU, who died in 2006.  Her great-uncle by marriage was John Augustus Colwell McCune, an attorney, one of the founders of CVSNS, a member and officer of the original board of trustees, and a leader who helped our institution survive some tough times in its first 25 years.  These documents, which were sold at auction, came into our possession through the efforts of history professor emeritus Charles Loucks, who spearheaded a drive to secure donors to pay for the materials.  Charles then spent a huge amount of time and energy sorting through the documents to determine which should go to the Shippensburg Historical Society and which to the SU Archives.  He wrote detailed descriptions of what he found, which will profoundly aid the further processing of the collection.  Researchers will find rich primary sources of information about the early history of our institution.
Dean Koontz, best-selling author, is an alumnus of Shippensburg State College.  English professor emeritus O. Richard Forsythe, was his teacher and friend.  They have stayed in touch over the years, with Koontz sending him letters, emails, and publications.  Forsythe has begun donating these materials to the SU Archives.  The O. Richard Forsythe/Dean Koontz Collection will serve as a unique source of material for scholars doing research on Koontz’ works.




Friday, February 4, 2011

Lower Floor to Be Refurbished this Summer

Due to the tremendous student response we received from the update and renovation of the Library Main Floor, Vice-President for Information Technology and Services, Dr. Rick Ruth and Dean of the Library and Media Services, Dr. Marian Schultz recently announced plans are being made to refurbish the northeast side of the lower level of the Lehman Library next summer with a fresh coat of paint and new carpet.  In addition, the space will be reconfigured to provide computer access and quiet study areas. 
The northeast side of the Lower Floor is heavily used by students for studying. It is a popular area as it is a bit quieter than our Main Floor group study and help areas.
Currently a number of periodical stacks take up half the space. Barb Rotz, Associate Dean of the Library, said that the first thing which needs to happen is that the periodical stacks will be moved in order to enlarge the area for students to study. New carpet will need to be ordered, as well as comfortable seating similar to the soft couches and chairs on the Main Floor. Dr. Schultz said that the colors of the carpet and seating will be similar to the main floor.
Incorporated into the renovation plan, 18 new computer workstations will be placed along the wall. The arrangement will encourage quieter individual research and writing.  The computers will be the latest “zero client” technology, which makes use of a centrally-located “cloud server.”  (This technology has been in a trial use on the Main Floor with extremely favorable results.)
Dean Rotz predicts that the refurbishment should be finished in time for Fall semester 2011.  Meanwhile, you will need to forgive us if we make noise while things are being moved from the area.  Contact Dean Rotz if you have a question.



Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Hints on Preserving Your Photos


The Shippensburg University Archives reminds you that photographs represent precious moments in our lives. We look back on them to remind us of those times.  Rather than just throw photos into a shoebox, it is important to preserve them for several lifetimes. Here are a few ideas that can help to preserve both paper and digital photos.

· Do not store your photos in adhesive photo albums. Instead, store them in a filing system in photo boxes or put them in photo corners in a scrapbook.
· Do label your photos, however DO NOT EVER WRITE ON THE BACK OF A PHOTO WITH AN INK PEN. It will bleed through your photo onto the image. It is best to use a pencil and only write around the backside, outer-edge of the photo.
· Do not use paper clips or rubber bands.  They leave damaging marks on your photos.
· Be careful not to store your photos next to newspapers, which are printed on untreated acidic paper and will quickly damage anything they come in contact with.
· Put COPIES of special/rare photos into frames rather than the original. Daily sunlight in your home will discolor any printed photo.
· Photos on a compact disc will not last forever. Most experts suggest that a CD or DVD will last only 5 years.  A hard drive is a better alternative.
· Uploading files to a digital photo sharing site, such as Google’s Picasa, gives you the added assurance that your favorite photos are stored in another location.

Please feel free to contact the Archives if you have questions regarding special photo projects.