December Monthly Book Spotlight

The December installment of the Monthly Book Spotlight has been added to the Library's web site and features several books recommended by library staff.

Christmas Fine Amnesty 2008

Do you owe fines to the Library? Would you like to contribute canned or boxed food items to the needy of our area?

From Monday, November 17 until Friday, December 19 the Library will waive $2.00 of your fines for every canned or boxed item you contribute (sorry, no Ramen noodles).

*Please note that the Fine Amnesty does not apply to lost book charges.*

The Library will accept donations even if you do not owe Library fines. Your contributions will go to local soup kitchens.

November Monthly Book Spotlight

The November installment of the Monthly Book Spotlight has been added to the Library's web site.

In this month's edition, Acquistions Librarian Charles Dabkowski writes about Studs Terkel and his oral histories.

Fall 2008 Excellence in Customer Service Award Winner

Congratulations to Lisa Jackson, Secretary to the Library Director, for receiving the Fall 2008 Niagara University Library Excellence in Customer Service Award.

Lisa was recognized for her responsiveness to the needs of Library departments.

October Monthly Book Spotlight

The October installment of the Monthly Book Spotlight has been added to the Library's web site. Reference Librarian Samantha Gust highlights the faculty members currently featured in the Library's Faculty Publications Display near the front entrance.

Reference Librarian Named NU's Employee of the Month

Congratulations to Reference Librarian Michael Lavin for being named the Niagara University Employee of the Month for October! Dr. Bonnie Rose, Executive Vice President and Vice President of Academic Affairs, presented the award today.

Above: Library Director David Schoen, Michael Lavin and Bonnie Rose were all smiles during the award presentation.

Paul Newman DVDs

You may have heard that Paul Newman recently passed away. If you would like to watch some of the films he performed in, the Library has the following titles in the Recreational DVD Collection:

*Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
*Cars
*Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
*The Color of Money
*The Hustler
*Message in a Bottle
*Our Town
*Road to Perdition
*The Sting
*The Verdict

September Monthly Book Spotlight

In the September Monthly Book Spotlight, Reference Librarian Samantha Gust lists some of the Library's John McCain and Barack Obama books and DVDs.

Fall 2008 Newsletter!

The Fall 2008 issue of Library News has been added to the Library's web site. Check it out and find out about our new computer lab, our revamped Recreational Reading Collection and more!

Comment About Friday Hours

One of our patrons recently wrote to us about our Friday hours:

"I recently came to the library on a friday night hoping to get some work done before the weekend. I got there at 7, and was told the library closed at 8. I am very confused why a college lbrary closes so early. If you value education, why isn't the library open like any normal day of the week. I was very upset about this."

Library Director David Schoen responds:

"Sorry we weren't able to meet your needs. The Library at Niagara University is subject to budget constraints typical of a smaller Catholic college, which means that expenditures need to be optimized and we have to make choices that will occasionally disappoint patrons. When studying what hours we should be open our statistics show low usage on Friday evenings, hence the 8 pm closing time. The libraries of the two colleges most similar to Niagara University in the region, Canisius and St. Bonaventure, also close at 8 pm on Friday nights.

Thank you for taking the time to send the suggestion. We will include your suggestion in any future analysis of library hours we perform."

If you have any comments about the library, please write them in our comment book on the first floor near the DVDs or submit them using the comment box on our home page. Thanks!

Welcome!

The Library would like to welcome new and returning students and faculty!

A reference librarian is available to help you whenever the Library is open. Please don't hesitate to ask for assistance in person or via email or phone!

August Monthly Book Spotlight

Reference Librarian Mike Lavin writes about the Library's new graphic novel collection in the August Monthly Book Spotlight.

July Monthly Book Spotlight

The July Monthly Book Spotlight focuses on A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah and was written by Sharon Green, Reading Coordinator in the Office of Academic Support.

Reference Librarian Wins Award

Reference Librarian Andrew Bailey was a recipient of the Canadian Association of Journalists Computer-Assisted Reporting Award for the his work on the series "Give and Take," published in the Toronto Star in 2007.

Andrew works part time at Niagara University and full time at the Toronto Star as a Computer-Assisted Reporting Analyst.

Reference Librarian Promoted

Congratulations to Samantha Gust, Reference/Interlibrary Loan Librarian & Webmaster, for being promoted from Assistant Librarian to Senior Assistant Librarian.

Excellence in Library Service Awards

The Library would like to congratulate the 2008 recipients of the Excellence in Library Service Award. This award is presented to senior work-study students who have demonstrated quality service to patrons and dedication to their job continuously during their entire academic experience here at Niagara University. Pictured above: The students honored at the May 15 ceremony are pictured below with Library Director David Schoen.

From left to right: Aaron Evans, David Mosher, Andrew Forrest, Katie Tees, Carly Martell, David Schoen, Nichelle Desmont

May Monthly Book Spotlight

The May installment of the Monthly Book Spotlight has been added to the Library's web site. Reference Librarian Samantha Gust highlights the faculty members currently featured in the Library's Faculty Publications Display near the front entrance.

Patron Comment About Library Hours

One of our patrons recently commented:

"I think it's ridiculous that the library closed at 8pm on Friday of finals week when there are finals on Saturday as well..when the rest of the week it stayed open until 1 am considering the library is necessary for studying."

Library Director David Schoen responds:

"I'm sorry that you needed the Library and we weren't open. We will look at attendance statistics to determine if we were mistaken in closing."

Patron Comment About History Collection

One of our patrons recently commented:

"As a graduating senior from the department of history, I have really appreciated the help of the library staff over the last four years. I have one suggestion for the type of books the library should buy (especially for history): more primary source and document reader books from a spectrum of time periods. Many of the papers history students write need primary sources to give weight to their arguments. Thanks!"

Library Director David Schoen responds:

"Thank you for taking the time to point this out. I think you are right. We will work on improving that aspect of the collection this summer."

Used Book Sale

USED BOOK SALE @ THE LIBRARY!

Tuesday, May 13: 10:00 am - 2:30 pm

Wednesday, May 14: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

GREAT DEALS! NOTHING OVER $1.00!

Extended Library Hours!

For your convenience, the Library will stay open one hour longer Monday-Thursday during the weeks of April 28 and May 5:

Monday, April 28 - Thursday, May 1: 8:00 am to 1:00 am

Monday, May 5 - Thursday, May 8: 8:00 am to 1:00 am

April Monthly Book Spotlight

The April installment of the Monthly Book Spotlight has been added to the Library's web site. This month, Charles Dabkowski spotlights the poetry of Mary Oliver.

Recent Faculty Publications

Here are two recent publications by Niagara University faculty members.

Joseph Little (English)

The Role of Analogy in George Gamow's Derivation of Drop Energy. Technical Communication Quarterly, Vol. 17 Issue 2 (2008), p220-238.

and

Timothy M. Osberg (Psychology), Erin N. Haseley and Michele M. Kamas

The MMPI-2 Clinical Scales and Restructured Clinical (RC) Scales: Comparative Psychometric Properties and Relative Diagnostic Efficiency in Young Adults. Journal of Personality Assessment, Vol. 90 Issue 1 (2008), p81-92.

Spring 2008 Newsletter!

The Spring 2008 issue of Library News has been added to the Library's web site. Check it out and find out about our future plans for the Library, new databases and more!

Comment About Lighting in the Recreational Reading Area

One of our patrons recently commented that we need more relaxing lighting in our Recreational Reading area.

Library Director David Schoen responds:

"Good point. As we move forward with planning for better spaces, lighting is near the top of our priority list."

If you have any comments about the library, please write them in our comment book on the first floor near the DVDs or submit them using the comment box on our home page. Thanks!

March Monthly Book Spotlight

The March installment of the Monthly Book Spotlight has been added to the Library's web site. This month, I highlighted a few of the Library's fashion books.

Recent Faculty Publication

Here is a recent publication by a Niagara University faculty member and one of his students.

Burt Thompson (Psychology) and Jaime Johnson

Biased Lineup Instructions and Face Identification From Video Images. Journal of General Psychology, Vol. 135 Issue 1 (2008), p23-36.

Winter Break Hours

Here are the Library's hours for the upcoming winter break.

Wednesday, Feb. 13: 8:00am - Midnight

Thursday, Feb. 14: 8:00am - 5:00pm

Friday, Feb. 15: CLOSED

Saturday, Feb. 16: CLOSED

Sunday, Feb. 17: Noon - Midnight

Fall 2007 Excellence in Customer Service Award

Congratulations to Acquisitions Department Technical Assistant Helen Farallo for being named the Fall 2007 recipient of the Niagara University Library Excellence in Customer Service Award!

Helen was recognized for "fast and efficient processing of special orders for the immediate research needs of Niagara University students and faculty."

February Monthly Book Spotlight

The February installment of the Monthly Book Spotlight has been added to the Library's web site. In the aftermath of Super Bowl XLII, Charles Dabkowski writes about some of the Library's football books.

Recent Faculty Publications

Here are two recent publications by Niagara University faculty members.

William D. Frye (Hospitality and Tourism Management) and Daniel J. Mount

An Examination of Job Satisfaction of General Managers Based on Hotel Size and Service Type. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, Vol. 6 Issue 2 (2007), p109-134.

Susan Sze and Sylvia Valentin (Education Department)

Self-Concept and Children With Disabilities. Education, Vol. 127 Issue 4 (Summer 2007), p552-557.

New Library Instruction Assistant

We'd like to officially welcome Melissa Miller, our new Library Instruction Assistant, to the Library. She completed a library instruction practicum with us this past fall and will be assisting us with library instruction sessions and reference desk duties this semester.

Melissa is a graduate student in the Department of Library and Information Studies at the University at Buffalo and is scheduled to graduate this May.

Welcome, Melissa!

Change in Library Hours for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Due to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Library's hours this Sunday and Monday are as follows:

Sunday, January 20: Noon - 6pm
Monday, January 21: Noon- Midnight

As always, you can view our hours here: http://www.niagara.edu/library/hrs.html

January Monthly Book Spotlight

The January installment of the Monthly Book Spotlight has been added to the Library's web site. In it, I list some of the plays and monologues we have by Eric Bogosian, one of the stars of the TV show Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

Our Most Popular Recreational DVDs

These are the 25 recreational DVDs that have been borrowed the most:

1. Crash
2. Garden State
3. Mean girls
4. Closer
5. Traffic
6. Hotel Rwanda
7. The virgin suicides
8. The Incredibles
9. Finding Neverland
10. Thirteen
11. Office space
12. Hitch
13. Dodgeball a true underdog story
14. I love Huckabees
15. Frank Miller's Sin City
16. Lost in translation
17. Ladder 49
18. Anchorman the legend of Ron Burgundy
19. Kill Bill. Vol. 1
20. Saw
21. Man on fire
22. Almost famous
23. American beauty
24. Collateral
25. In her shoes

Recent Faculty/Student Publication

Here is a recent publication by a Niagara University Psychology Department faculty member and former Niagara University students:

Timothy Osberg,Danielle Poland, Gina Aguayo and Sharon MacDougall.

The Irrational Food Beliefs Scale: Development and validation. Eating Behaviors, Vol. 9 Issue 1 (January 2008), p25-40.