Contest - Win a Jazzman's Gift Certificate!

I promised you contests this year, so here you go!

Contest #1

Visit the Library between now and Sunday, March 4 and check out the brand new Recreational Reading and DVD displays.

Send me an email telling me what genres they feature, and you'll be entered to win a $5 Jazzman's gift certificate! Easy!

Send your email with "Contest" in the subject line to: gust@niagara.edu before Monday, March 5. The winner will be announced next week.

All NU faculty, staff and students are eligible EXCEPT Library staff.

Recent Faculty Publications

Here are several recent Niagara University faculty publications:

William Cliff (Biology Department)
Case study analysis and the remediation of misconceptions about respiratory physiology. Advances in Physiology Education, December 2006, Vol. 30 Issue 1, p215-223.

Joseph Little (English Department)
Achieving Objectivity Through Genred Activity: A Case Study. Journal of Technical Writing & Communication, March 2007, Vol. 37 Issue 1, p75-94.

Richard Spano, Craig Rivera (Criminal Justice Department) and John Bolland
The Impact of Timing of Exposure to Violence on Violent Behavior in a High Poverty Sample of Inner City African American Youth. Journal of Youth & Adolescence; Oct2006, Vol. 35 Issue 5, p681-692.

Yury Arlinskiĭ and Eduard Tsekanovskiĭ (Mathematics Department)
Non-self-adjoint Jacobi matrices with a rank-one imaginary part. Journal of Functional Analysis, December 2006, Vol. 241 Issue 2, p383-438.

Sylvia Valentin (Education Department)
Addressing diversity in teacher education programs. Education, Winter 2006, Vol. 127 Issue 2, p196-202.

Spring 2007 Newsletter Published

The Spring 2007 issue of Library News has been added to the Library's web site. Check it out and find out about a business database we're trying out called Mergent Online, NU faculty publications, what we're doing as a result of your survey feedback and more!

Countdown to the Academy Awards

Valentine's Day has come and gone, and the romantic movies on display in the Recreational DVD area have been replaced with films that either won the "Best Picture" award or feature an Academy Award-winning performance.

The Academy Awards are scheduled for Sunday, February 25 at 8pm on ABC.

Library Closing 2/14

Due to deteriorating weather conditions, the University and Library will close at 10:10am on Wednesday, February 14.

The History of Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

Learn more about this romantic observance in this entry from The Columbia Encylopedia.

Weather Web Sites

Meteorologists are predicting a big, non-lake effect snowstorm for tonight. To keep an eye on the forecast, here are a few weather web sites:

• National Weather Service
  
• Weather Channel
  
• Weather Underground
  

Most Popular Recreational Books and DVDs

Reading books for fun and watching DVDs are two pastimes we support through our Recreational Reading and DVD Collections. Both collections are conveniently located on the first floor near the Circulation Desk. These books are shelved alphabetically by the author's last name, and DVDs are shelved alphabetically by title.

Here are our ten most popular recreational book titles:

1. Our Lady of the Forest - David Guterson
   
2. The DaVinci Code - Dan Brown
   
3. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
   
4. Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
   
5. Girl Talk - Julianna Baggett
   
6. The Amityville Horror - Jay Anson
   
7. The Notebook - Nicholas Sparks
   
8. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
   
9. The Wedding - Julie Garwood
   
10. The Five People You Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom
    

These are our ten most popular recreational DVDs:

1. Garden State
   
2. Closer
   
3. Napoleon Dynamite
   
4. Traffic
   
5. Hotel Rwanda
   
6. The Incredibles
   
7. Mean Girls
   
8. Hitch
   
9. Crash
   
10. Finding Neverland
    

Romantic Books and Movies for Valentine's Day

Celebrate Valentine's Day with some romantic books and movies!

Check out our displays in our Recreational Reading and DVD area on the first floor!

The February Monthly Book Spotlight

In the February Monthly Book Spotlight, Reference Librarian Mike Krajewski writes about I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence by comedienne Amy Sedaris.

It's Tax Time Again!

Tax forms and instructions are available online and may be printed.

For United States (federal) forms, visit: http://www.irs.ustreas.gov/formspubs/index.html

For New York State forms, visit http://www.tax.state.ny.us/forms/default.htm

Library Staff Member Named NU's Employee of the Month!

Congratulations to Circulation Coordinator Debbie Farrell for being named the Niagara University Employee of the Month for February 2007! Father Levesque presented the award today in the Library's Rare Book Room.

Technology Tip: Save Your Work Frequently!

As the semester gets under way, it's good to remember that computers sometimes freeze up, crash, lose power or experience other problems that may cause you to lose your unsaved work.

You can save to your student network space, a memory stick, a CD-R or a floppy disk. Another tip is to email your work to yourself as an attachment. Note: You can buy a CD-R (with jewel case) for $1.00 or a floppy disk for 25 cents at the Library's Circulation Desk.

Don't lose all your hard work -- remember to SAVE frequently! Make it a habit!

Exploring World Religions

During the next few months, the Library will be doing displays on different world religions. We think these displays will be more interesting with the inclusion of your thoughts and opinions, so please consider answering this question for us:

What do you think is the essence of your religion, or what does your religion mean to you?

Your thoughts and opinions will be placed in the display case signed or unsigned - whichever you prefer. Please write them in the comment book near the display case in the front entrance or email them to Eleanor Jacoby at jacoby@niagara.edu. If you have any questions or comments, please call Eleanor at 716-286-8013.

A Belated Welcome Back!

Welcome back, everyone!

Please visit this blog regularly for the latest Library news, announcements, helpful research tips, useful web sites and more!

This semester, keep an eye out for contests/prize drawings, and feel free to comment on any post!

Archivist/Reference Librarian Departs

Part-time Archivist and Reference Librarian Kathleen DeLaney has left the University. She has accepted a similar position at Canisius College. We thank her for her dedicated service and wish her well.

The January Monthly Book Spotlight

The January installment of the Monthly Book Spotlight has been added to the Library's web site. Jonathan Coe, Coordinator of Public Services, shares his thoughts on Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq by Thomas E. Ricks.

Reduced Hours During Intersession

The Library will have reduced hours of operation during the intersession. Regular hours will resume on Wednesday, January 17. Please view the Library Hours page for more information.

Holiday Hours

Here are the Library's upcoming holiday hours of operation:

Saturday, December 16: 10am - 5pm

Sunday, December 17: CLOSED

Monday, December 18 - Thursday, December 21: 8am - 5pm

Friday, December 22 - Monday, January 1: CLOSED

Tuesday, January 2 - Friday, January 5: 8am - 5pm

Saturday, January 6: CLOSED

The December Monthly Book Spotlight

We've been busy all semester helping you access information, but another part of our job is to let you know about books you might enjoy. Four Five librarians recommend titles to you in the December installment of the Monthly Book Spotlight. Hope you'll check it out!