Halloween 2007

Happy Halloween from Prince Valiant (Cataloging Technician Eleanor Jacoby) and Flo/Lisa the Waitress (Library Secretary Lisa Jackson)!

Library Bake Sale: November 5 & 6

Bring your sweet tooth to the Library on Monday, November 5 and Tuesday, November 6 for yummy brownies, cakes, cookies, muffins and more!

The Library Bake Sale will take place from 8:30AM until 4:30PM both days. Look for our table of goodies when you enter the Library. Proceeds will benefit the "Lord's Day Dinner" in Niagara Falls on Thanksgiving Day.

FYI: the Lord's Day Dinner was started 17 years ago by Yvonne Davis. It is held at the VFW on Seneca Avenue in Niagara Falls from 9:00AM to 6:00PM Thanksgiving Day. Yvonne and her many volunteers serve hundreds of dinners to the needy and also deliver meals to elderly shut-ins in the area. If you are interested in spending some of your holiday time working at the site, or if you would like to make your own donation to help a great cause, you can reach Yvonne at 716-284-6973.

New Group Study Room!

One of the things students have told us in surveys is that they would like more group study space in the Library.

In response to this, we just created a new group study room on the northeast side of the first floor (the side close to the Gallagher Center). It has a TV and a DVD player (but no television channels), and a VCR will be added soon.

The Final Harry Potter Book

In the October Monthly Book Spotlight, Reference Librarian Diane Maroon writes about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling.

New Reference Librarian

We're pleased to announce that Michelle Skiba has been hired as a part-time reference librarian.

Blast From the Past

Here's a photo Acquisitions Librarian Charles Dabkowski took of the Library's reference area, circa 1995-96.



Before web-based online databases, we had CD-ROMs! We also had a lot of computer equipment at each workstation!

Looking For Something Different to Watch on DVD?

Take a look at some of the films distributed by Docurama! The library owns 46 Docurama titles, including:

Air Guitar Nation
An inspiring, exhilarating, and hilarious journey to find "the greatest air guitarist in the world." Shelved in the Recreational DVD Collection under "Air."

Heavy Petting
An entertaining and and funny exploration of the sexual mores of the 1950s. Shelved in the Recreational DVD Collection under "Heavy."

Following Sean
What happens to a 4-year-old kid who grew up smoking pot and running barefoot on the wild streets of 1960s San Francisco? Filmmaker Ralph Arlyck tracks down Sean--the boy who had been the subject of his controversy-sparking 1969 documentary--to find out what he's like 30 years later. Shelved in the Educational DVD Collection at call number BF710 .F65 2007.

Education of Shelby Knox
An interesting tale of one girl's mission to bring sex education to schools in her ultra-conservative hometown of Lubbock, Texas. Shelved in the Educational DVD Collection at call number HQ57.5.A3 E38 2006.

The Staircase
The riveting story of North Carolina author Michael Peterson, who stood trial in 2003 for the murder of his wife. Shelved in the Educational DVD Collection at call number KF224.P4 S73 2005.

To find other titles, just do a general keyword search of "Docurama" in the Library Catalog.

Celebrate Your Freedom to Read!

September 29 - October 6 is Banned Books Week 2007!

You can find background information on this important week as well as lists of books that have been challenged over the years here.

You can also watch a brief video on the 10 most challenged books of 2006.

Niagara Reads: 2002-2007

The September Monthly Book Spotlight is dedicated to the books used in Niagara Reads, the University's freshman summer reading program.

Meet Your Librarians!

There is a reference librarian on duty whenever the Library is open, and we're here to help you! If you'd like to learn more about us, check out our individual web pages:

• Andy Bailey, Part-time Reference Librarian
  
• Jonathan Coe, Coordinator of Public Services
  
• Charles Dabkowski, Head of Acquisitions and Serials
  
• Samantha Gust, Reference/Interlibrary Loan Librarian & Webmaster
  
• Michael Lavin, Part-time Reference Librarian
  
• David Schoen, Library Director
  
• Joe Umhauer, Assistant Library Director for Technical Services
  

Library Reports

The Library's 2006-07 Annual Report and Statistical Overview are now available on the Annual and Other Administrative Reports page.

Welcome!

The Library would like to welcome all new and returning students, faculty and staff! We hope to see you soon!

Recent Faculty Publication

Here is another recent Niagara University faculty publication:

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, 2007, Vol. 6 Issue 2, 109-134.

Check Your Library Account Online

A Library user recently sent us an email and wrote:

"Unless I am just unable to find it, it would be extremely useful to have something online which students can use to view their library account information to renew materials or see which materials they have checked out. All other institutions I've attended and even public libraries offer this."

Our response:

Look for the "My Account" tab in the Library Catalog and enter the 14 digit number located on the back of your NU ID card. You can review your checkouts and renew items online.

The 14 digit number also will let you place holds on items. Just look for the "Request Item" button when viewing a list of materials. *Please remember to make sure that we have your current email address on file at the Circulation Desk so that you receive messages from us in a timely manner.*

NU Employee of the Month For August

Congratulations to Charles Dabkowski, head of Acquisitions/Periodicals, for being named the Niagara University Employee of the Month for August! NU President Father Levesque presented the award today.

Slave: My True Story

The August Monthly Book Spotlight focuses on Slave: My True Story by Mende Nazer with Damien Lewis and was submitted by Sharon Green, Reading Coordinator in the Office of Academic Support.

The Rise of American Democracy

July's Monthly book spotlight focuses on Sean Wilentz's The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln.

The Road

Reference Librarian Diane Maroon writes about the post-apocalyptic survival novel The Road by Cormac McCarthy in the June Monthly Book Spotlight.

Fall 2006 & Spring 2007 Excellence in Customer Service Awards

Congratulations to Reference Librarian (formerly our Library Instruction Assistant) Jennifer Potter and Technical Assistant Eleanor Jacoby for being named the Fall 2006 and Spring 2007 recipients of the Niagara University Library Excellence in Customer Service Award.

Jennifer for recognized for her outreach in building a relationship with the Castellani Art Museum, and Eleanor was recognized for demonstrating initiative and creativity in her work on Library displays.

Librarian Completes Leadership Program

Reference/Interlibrary Loan Librarian Samantha Gust recently graduated from the Western New York Library Resources Council's inaugural Library Leadership Institute.

Between September 2006 and April 2007 she attended six all-day training sessions and worked with three area librarians on the group project, "Creating a Marketing Plan for Private Academic Libraries," which she plans on implementing in NU's library. You can learn more about her group's project here.