Want to ward off boredom during winter break?

Look no further than Blackwell Library's Leisure Reading Collection! Recently added titles include:

Change of Heart by Jody Picoult - Leisure PS 3566 .I372 C47 2008
Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah - Leisure DT 516 .S28 .B43 A3 2007
Kindness Revolution by Edward Horrell - Leisure HF 5415.5 .H67 2006
Cloning of the American Mind by B.K. Eakman - Leisure LA 217.2 .E25 1998

Plus, our collection now features Staff Picks! Our librarians and library staff, who happen to be big fans of literature, want to help you choose good books to read. Come to the library and see what librarians read. We will be featuring new reviews every month!

Here is just one of our Staff Picks for the month:
Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination - Leisure Reading PR6056.I4588 O44 2004

If you’re a fan of Jennifer Weiner and Sophie Kinsella, pick up Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination. It is classic British Chick Lit - far-fetched, embarrassing, and funny. Olivia Joules is a journalist who secretly wishes she was a spy. And when her editor sends her on assignment, gets the chance to become one. There’s romance, suspense, and exotic locations. The book didn’t end where I expected it to, and that’s why I liked it. If you’re looking for a fluffy, preposterous tale, Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination is the ticket!
-Leigh Ann DePope, Serials Librarian

Hope everyone takes time to enjoy a great book over the holidays!

Hungry for All Things Blackwell Library?

Check out the fall edition of The Enlightener, the library newsletter! There are many interesting contributions by librarians and library staff highlighting our resources and services, all with a delightful culinary theme! Bon appetit!

And a Little Something for you Fans of Literature!

Gale has offered Salisbury University a trial of Literature Criticism Online and Something About the Author.

Click here to access our 30 day trial of Literature Criticism Online and Something About the Author.

Gale also provides free webinars on their products. The next Literature Criticism Online webinar is Monday, December 8th at 3pm.

If you'd like to give feedback about these products, please contact the liaison for English, Kathryn Kalmanson.

For all you Poli Sci Fans: Trial Access to CQ Researcher!

We've been given a trial to Congressional Quarterly Researcher from December 3rd to January 3rd. Go here to check it out! This trial also includes access to the Political Reference Suite, which boasts the following cool stuff:

*Historic Documents Series (1972 - 2006)
*CQ Almanac (1945-2006)
*Political Handbook of the World
*Politics in America
*Washington Information Directory
*Congress and Nation (1st - 11th Editions)
*Supreme Court Yearbook (1989 - 2006)
*Vital Statistics in American Politics

We'd love to hear your feedback, so please email me, Krista Knapp, Political Science Liaison, to let me know what you think.

New Exhibit @ Blackwell!

Blackwell Library is pleased to announce a new exhibit of items you wouldn't ordinarily see in a library: bras! We are displaying several entries from the Designer's Cup Challenge, a bra art competition in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The challenge is designed to raise awareness and educate about the disease. Come check it out! More info here!

Here is a picture of one of the bras from a former competition:

Cinematical Sources

With all the new movies coming out over the holidays, one wonders where to get the best sources of cinema related info on the web. The librarians are here to help! We love movies too; we’ve just also read the book.

General Info (who, what, when, where)
The Internet Movie Database (IMDb): surely you’d heard of this staple for movie info.

Reviews & Rumors
Rotten Tomatoes: a definitive source for everything about the movie.
Roger Ebert: old school movie reviews from a master of the craft.
Plugged In: breaks each movie down into the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Film Critic.com: if you suspect the movie may be bad, these people will confirm your belief.
G4 Movie Reviews & Interviews: not a complete source, but an awesome one.
Cinematical: if you prefer a heavy helping of snarky with your movie reviews.

Get those tickets!
Fandango (Note: this website recognizes the Regal Cinema in Salisbury)
MovieTickets.com (Note: this website can’t find the Eastern Shore)

LOVED that movie? It’s probably based on an even better book! Find it here:
WorldCat: lets you search libraries in your community and thousands more around the world.
Local Public Libraries
University of Maryland Libraries

A Tip from Krista: The Magical Find It Button!

Have you ever been perplexed about how to get your hands on articles in our databases that are not full text? Never fear, the magical Find It Button will save the day!

The Find It button does three things:

• Looks in all of our databases to see if the document you want is available full-text in another of our databases. If so, it links you to it!

• Links you to the library catalog when we have the item you want in print or microform.

• Links you to ILLiad (interlibrary loan) so you can borrow the item from another library if we don't have access electronically or in print.

You can also watch this brief tutorial that shows you the Find It Button in action! Stop by the reference desk or email me at kmknapp@salisbury.edu if you have any questions.

Happy World Usability Day!

Looking for something to lessen your carbon footprint, etc? How about not printing that article for class, and reading it on the computer? For more ideas...

Take the global transport challenge.

Learn about simple communication.

Consider a career in usability?

More about why it's important.

Thanks to Metafilter.

Calling All Animal Lovers!

Help keep homeless animals from going hungry during the holidays by donating some food and other items at the library! Collection boxes as well as lists of needed items are located right inside the library's doors just waiting for caring library patrons to fill to the brim! The collected items will be lovingly donated to 3 or 4 nearby shelters.

Food for Fines!

It's that time of year again when you can feed the hungry and pay off your library fines at the same time! During the week of November 10-16, $1.00 will be removed from your fines for every canned or non-perishable food item you donate. Just bring your donations to the circulation desk at Blackwell Library! The offer is good for up to $5.00 in fines and donations will not be accepted in lieu of lost books. Oh, and make sure those food items are not expired!

Not sure if you have a fine? Ask at the circulation desk or check through the "My Account" feature of the library catalog.

Updated Websites page

We've converted our Websites page into a widget displaying the Reference links from our new Delicious account.

We're adding new links all the time. Let us know if you have a website that should be included.

Get our RSS feed of recently added links.

Gifts to the Library!

Blackwell Library recently received two very generous donations and we would like to publicly express our gratitude. One gift of $10,000 was received from Margarette H. Eley of Dover, Delaware, while a gift of $5000 came from Mr. and Mrs. Garrett Layton of Salisbury.

Dean Alice Bahr said the following about gifts in our latest newsletter:

"Every gift the library receives is appreciated. A book, a monetary donation, funds to acquire a specific piece of equipment—they all improve library services. Generous donors provide more than physical gifts, however; they affirm the value and importance of libraries in their life and the lives of others. The thought does count. [These donations] to Blackwell Library will defray essential collections costs and make new resources and services possible."

Halloween Treats @ the Library!

Get into the Halloween spirit with a spooky story from our Leisure Reading Collection! Here are a few titles that fit the bill:

The historian : a novel / Elizabeth Kostova
Leisure Reading | PS3611.O74927 H57 2005

Mulengro / Charles de Lint
Leisure Reading | PR9199.3.D357 M85 2003

Everything’s eventual : 14 dark tales / Stephen King
Leisure Reading | PS3561.I483 E85 2002

Neverwhere / Neil Gaiman
Leisure Reading | PS3557.A3519 N48 1997

You can also search this collection by choosing "Leisure Reading" from the dropdown menu of the location box in the library catalog. This collection contains both fiction and nonfiction and is located on the same wall as the circulation desk, across from the current periodicals. Enjoy!

Book Sale!

We're having our annual Book Sale from Thursday through Sunday, October 16 - 19, in conjunction with Homecoming Weekend. The event will run from 9:00 a.m. on Thursday until midnight on Sunday and will be held on the first floor of the library at the back of the building behind the current periodicals.

The sale will feature a variety of awesome tomes including children’s literature, novels, cook books, and books representing a multitude of academic subject areas. Book sets and a few unique titles will also be offered at special prices.

NEW STOCK!! Paperbacks will set you back a mere 50 cents! Most hardcover books will be priced at $1.00. There will also be a drawing for prizes, and who doesn't love prizes? Anyone who purchases books will be eligible to fill out a raffle ticket.

Hope to see you at the sale!!

Check it out!

We have taken the Blackwell Buzz to the next level! Welcome to our new Blackwell Buzz Blog. One of the advantages of this new format is that you can subscribe to our RSS feed so you know the latest @ the library as soon as we post it! Not only that, but you can also leave us comments. Let us know what you think.

PLUS, as if this isn't already extraordinarily exciting, the Buzz has new aspirations as well! Instead of just reporting news, we will occasionally be highlighting favorite resources and services. For example, our Business Librarian, Mandy Hackley, might tell us why she is in love with Morningstar; or Reference Librarian Krista Knapp might show us a nifty trick to use in the EBSCO databases. Perhaps our new Techie Librarian, Michelle Oleson, will show us a geeky new technological find! Lots of good Buzz posts are ahead!

Meet the New Librarians!

Please join us in welcoming our two newest faculty librarians at Blackwell Library:
Michelle Oleson, our new Web/Digital Services Librarian, and Leigh Ann DePope, our new Serials/Electronic Services Librarian. Here is a little background information on both; please feel free to drop by and introduce yourselves !

Michelle Oleson, Web/Digital Services Librarian
mloleson@salisbury.edu 410-543-6306 BL129B

Michelle received her BA in World History from Georgia State University in 2003. In June 2008, she earned her MLIS from the University of South Florida. Prior to coming to the Eastern Shore, she worked with the Tampa Bay Library Consortium building websites and apps for Facebook and MySpace. Her interests include Library and Web 2.0 applications, avid blog reading, and playing the flute with the SU concert band. She lives with her cat and enjoys reading, walking, and the cooler weather.

Leigh Ann DePope

Serials/Electronic Services Librarian
ladepope@salisbury.edu 410-677-0116

Leigh Ann was previously the director of the Seaford District Library in Seaford, Delaware. She holds a MLS in Library Science from Clarion University of Pennsylvania and a BA in Integrative Arts from Penn State. Her first career was in retail sales management. She is a passionate library and literacy advocate. Her personal interests include photography, bicycling, the beach, and football.

New Music Database Trials!

We are pleased to announce a second trial of Classical Scores Library from Alexander Street Press through 10-29-08. This trial gives us access to the following databases:

• African American Music Reference:
http://aamr.alexanderstreet.com/
• Classical Music Reference Library:
http://bakr.alexanderstreet.com
• The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music Online:
http://glnd.alexanderstreet.com
• Classical Scores Library:
http://shmu.alexanderstreet.com

If you have any questions or comments about these trial databases, please contact Kathryn Kalmanson, the liaison to the Music Department.

New Library Tutorial!

Ever wanted a quick introduction to Blackwell Library's resources and services? We now offer an interactive 30 minute tutorial you can complete to get up to speed on all we have to offer here at the library! You can even print out a certificate of completion when you are done!

You can find the tutorial here: http://www.salisbury.edu/library/instruction/tutorials/start.htm.

Enjoy! If you have questions or comments, please contact Stephen Ford, our Information Literacy Librarian.

New @ Blackwell!

Have you stopped by the library lately? You may have noticed that we have brand new carpeting! But that's not all that's new! We also are proud to announce:

• 21 new wireless laptops available for checkout at the Circulation Desk.
• New version of GoPrint that counts down your available printouts.
• Updated software on the Government Documents computer (in the glass room on the main floor.)
• New catalog records for the Library of English Literature, a collection including Dickens, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Edmund Spenser, etc. Find them doing a Series search!
• Two new librarians (biographies to follow in a separate post!): Michelle Oleson, our new Web/Digital Services Librarian and arriving next week, our new Serials Librarian, Leigh Ann DePope.

SU Fun Day at Blackwell!

Saturday, September 20th is SU's annual Fun Day from 1-5 pm. Come see what the Blackwell Library staff has cooked up! I have heard the fun will include crafts, bingo and the opportunity to create a Read Poster with your child's image. Plus, I'm sure there will be much, much more fun to be had! You don't want to miss out on all the FUN!!!

New Database!

We are very pleased to announce the addition of the EBSCO product, Communication and Mass Media Complete, to our exciting lineup of databases! You can find it in our Database by Subject or Database by Title lists, as well as through Research Port.

Communication and Mass Media Complete (CMMC) boasts many full text journal articles, as well as Find It Buttons for documents for which full text is not available in CMMC. Please let me, Krista Knapp, liaison to the Communications Department, know if you have any questions or want some help searching CMMC!

EBSCO Databases Have a Brand New Interface!

Popular database vendor EBSCO has released the 2.0 version of their interface, so when you access Academic Search Premier, ERIC, PsycINFO, and a slew of other EBSCO databases, everything will look very different! If you need any help navigating the new interface, please stop by the research services desk or give us a call (especially during the closure due to recarpeting). The desk number is 410-548-5988. You can also reach us via the Meebo chat widget during the library closure, accessible via this web page.

New Find Books & More/Find Articles & More Pages!

If you take a gander at the Find Books & More/Find Articles & More links on the library's homepage, you will notice the pages have a brand new look. From the Find Books & More page, you now have the option of searching the Blackwell/SU catalog like before, but now also have a direct link to the catalog for the entire USMAI system, and links to Electronic Books, Print Journals & Newspapers, and Interlibrary Loan.

The Find Articles & More page gives you many more options for accessing our databases, including links to subject and alphabetic lists of database, and links to Research Port, a journal title list, a list of databases only accessible inside the library, and Interlibrary Loan.

We hope these changes will provide better and more intuitive access to our vast and exciting array of resources!

Blackwell Library Will Be Closed from August 1-24, but Never Fear!

We are striving to serve our patrons in spite of our closing due to recarpeting. We're even going to break out some new tricks like instant messaging with a Meebo widget. For more information about how to get all the resources and services you need during this brief closure, please check out this web page. So don't worry, we're still here for you, and just think about how nice that new carpet will look!

Relax on the beach with a great book this summer!

Check out Blackwell Library's Leisure Reading Collection! After all, one of the greatest pleasures of summer is reading a good novel or two (or three or four!) The Leisure Collection is located on the shelves by the elevator on the first floor of the library, to the left of the circulation desk and across from the current periodicals. Here is a list of new titles added in the past few months:

• Water for elephants: a novel/Sara Gruen
• Marker/Robin Cook
• Eleven on top/Janet Evanovich
• Talyn: a novel of Koore/Holly Lisle
• Indian killer/Sherman Alexie
• Three complete novels/John Brunner
• Burning bright/Tracy Chevalier
• Eat, pray, love: one woman's search for ... /Elizabeth Gilbert
• Cold running creek/Zelda Lockhart
• Plain truth:a novel/Jodi Picoult
• Nelly's version;light;waking/Eva Figes
• Different seasons/Stephen King

Happy reading!

Congratulations

Congratulations to Mou Chakraborty, our Head of Public Services, on the birth of her son, Urjit, born May 18th and weighing in at 6.93 pounds!

Big Summer Plans for Blackwell Librarians!

What are the Blackwell librarians up to this summer? Well, naturally, they are hard at work!
Krista Knapp will be attending the Maryland Library Leadership Institute from July 14th to the 18th. The institute will sharpen Krista's already stellar leadership qualities. Mandy Hackley, Blackwell business librarian, will be developing a tutorial for the tricky database Research Insight and revamping her Finance 311 class page. And on some off days, you just might catch your Blackwell librarians reading a book on the beach!

Lost Book Form!

Isn't it frustrating when you go up to the shelf to get a book and it's not where it's supposed to be? Never fear! The Circulation folks want to help you locate the book you want. Just fill out our new Lost Book Form at http://www.salisbury.edu/library/circulation/lostbookform.asp. We will look for the item you want and let you know when and if we find it!

Circulation Notices Get with the Times!

Blackwell Library will no longer be sending notices to patrons through the Snail Mail! We have stepped into the new millennium and have begun delivering our notices electronically. So, look no further than your inbox for communication from the library!

National Library Week is April 13-19! Read all about the celebration and special events here!

National Library Week is April 13-19! Read all about the celebration and special events here!

Blackwell Library displays award-winning "green" children's books during the month of April.

Each year, during the Annual Children's Literature Festival, SU announces the winners of the local Green Earth Book Award (GEBA) designed to promote books that inspire a child to grow a deeper appreciation, respect and responsibility for his/her natural environment. The Award is the result of a partnership formed between the Newton Marasco Foundation and the SU Education Department.

The Foundation generously donates copies of the winning/honor books to be added to the Blackwell Library Juvenile Collection. For a complete list of all GEBA titles, visit the Foundation web site at www.newtonmarascofoundation.org or search the library's online catalog with the phrase "green earth book award".

Book Club!

Tired of just reading textbooks and lecture notes? Are you looking to read a book for fun and discuss it with fellow students? Then join the Salisbury University Student Book Club! Contact Krista Knapp or Mandy Hackley for more information. Check out the book club on Facebook!

New Guides & Handouts Page!

Are you a visual learner? Do you like holding instructions in your hands? Visit our
Guides & Handouts page where you can print out PDF files of guides on a variety of topics ranging from Library of Congress Classification to Evaluating Website Content. Plus, there are more coming soon!

Attention Faculty: Schedule Library Instruction Sessions!

Now is a great time to schedule a library instruction session for your classes! We tailor our instruction sessions so that your students will learn about specific resources for their upcoming assignments. Contact your library liaison for more information or check out our new library instruction website!

Cool New Tool!

The Citation Linker

Ever wondered how you go about finding an item when all you have is the citation? The Citation Linker is a web form where you fill in the citation information and then voila! you are linked to full-text for the item, holdings information for a print version of the item, or to interlibrary loan so you can borrow the item from somewhere else. The Citation Linker works the same way as the Find It Button, but you don't have to know which database to look in!