Library hours for Spring

O'Grady Library is making two adjustments to its spring semester hours. Fridays we will be closing at 5 pm (not 6 pm) and Sundays at 9 pm (not 11 pm). Our hours for spring semester, which starts January 11, will be:

• Monday - Thursday 7:30 am - 11:00 pm (unchanged)
• Friday 7:30 am - 5:00 pm
• Saturday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm (unchanged)
• Sunday 1:00 pm - 9:00 pm

See the Library hours page for intersession hours and a detailed list of next semester's hours with holidays.

For the spring semester, we anticipate that Harned Hall 109 will continue to be open to students as a study space: until midnight Sunday - Thursday and until 8 pm Friday - Saturday. The exact hours will be set and posted by the beginning of the semester.

Books for Prisoners

Do you need more space on your bookshelf, never want to see that textbook again or simply would like to give something in the holiday spirit? This week, students from Language and Culture class are collecting donations of books for prisoners. Come by and drop your used books off in the green box that is located under the bulletin board in the O'Grady Library entrance. Only paperbacks please, prisons do not accept hard cover books.

The box will remain at the library until the beginning of winter break.

Harned late study hours Sun 12/6 through finals

Need a place to study late? Harned Hall will be open until 1:00 am Sunday - Thursday December 6 - 9 and Sunday - Wednesday December 13 - 16. That's the last week of classes and finals week. Harned is also open until 8 pm on the Friday and Saturday before finals.

• Use a computer in HH 109 to finish writing that paper
• Bring your wireless laptop to the lounge and work next to the fireplace
• Study in HH 115 or HH 117 (once the last class for the evening has finished)

Upon request, Campus Security will provide safety escorts when you return to your dorm or car. Call Security at 360-438-4555 or ask the computer lab monitor in HH 109 to call them for you.

Remember that you need your student ID to get into Harned on weekends and after 8 pm on weekdays.

See the full list of Harned Hours hours for these two weeks.

Finding Company Histories

Company histories can be great sources of background information for business students. However, locating quality company histories can be frustrating since a lot of information is not available online . The good news is that SMU students have access to a solution that's just a click away: the International Directory of Company Histories (IDCH). Simply log-in with your SMU username/password, and once you are in, find the yellow search box on the left-hand side of the screen. Enter the name of your company and hit ‘Go.’ If more than one result is returned for your company, make sure you click the most recent one (years are listed).

It’s fun, easy, and professor-approved. So if you need company information, try IDCH today!

ILLiad and databases are back online

ILLiad has been moved to a new server. You should now be able to logon to your account, if you have one, and request or retrieve articles.

The library's research databases were also unexpectedly down today due to other network upgrades. Access to these has also been restored.

Thanks for your patience.

Data Data Data!

The semester is chugging along and your papers, projects, and presentations are slowly becoming reality. At some point, you may find yourself thinking, "Man, this would be perfect, but my professor won't think so unless I have some numbers to justify [your brilliant argument]! I need data, and I need it now!"

Never fear. When you find yourself in need of that perfect piece of data with which to make your project truly shine, O'Grady Library can help you find the solution. Regardless of what your area your class is in -- business, education, criminal justice, etc. -- consult the official Statistics Subject Guide.

You'll be glad you did.

ID now needed to enter library after 8 pm

Starting October 1st, you will need a current Saint Martin's ID to enter both O'Grady Library and Harned Hall after 8:00 pm. Simply swipe your ID card on the reader next to the library front door on the very right.

Why the change?

We believe this change will enhance the safety and security of students, faculty and staff. After 8:00 pm, we have limited staffing in the library. In Harned Hall, this will enable us to keep Harned 109 open as a computer lab for students late evenings and weekends. Planning for this change began last year, and we consulted with library staff, the Faculty Library Committee, Security, and the former ASSMU president. All supported this change.

What if my card doesn't work?

Security has been updating all active cards, so we expect IDs of most current students, faculty and staff to work. If your card doesn't, please contact Security (OM 251, 438-4555, or security@stmartin.edu). Note that for the first few days, the library door on the far left will not be locked so that everyone has a chance to test their card, but still get in if it doesn't work. For Harned, the east door (near the stairs by the cafe area) will be left unlocked for the first few nights.

What if I don't have a card?

You'll need to stop by Security (OM 251) and pick one up. They're open 24/7.

How does this impact community members?

Community members are still welcome to use the library both weekdays and weekends as late as 8:00 pm. Most library use by community members has been before 8:00 pm, so this change should have little practical impact. Both O'Grady Library and Harned Hall will make exceptions to the 8:00 pm limit for special events.

Display at O'Grady

You might have noticed that the Tamblyn Catalog Alcove in the O’Grady Library is a little more chaotic than usual. This is because we are continuing our participation in the September Project by using the alcove to display various aspects of Iranian culture. Most of the display has been created by students from the SMU Language and Culture class.

But faculty have also contributed to the project. Prof. Lee Mohler created a poster about a famous Persian mathematician who gave us the cubic equation.

As you head to the reference desk or the commons area, stop by and take a look at the collages, paintings and multimedia work.

Put on the headphones and listen to samples of Iranian music, learn a little about Persian food, women, religions, sports, architecture, calligraphy, art, legends and ceremonies.

These small projects work like pieces of a puzzle. Placed together, they paint a more complex image of Iranian culture than most of us encounter in our daily lives.

In addition to what you see on the walls, there are three computers in the alcove that are dedicated to this display. Each has several student projects that will rotate throughout the day. Or, if you can't make it to campus, you can view Lucas' project about Iranian music on YouTube.

The September Project at O'Grady Library

This year, the O’Grady Library invites you to be part of the September Project. We explore the history and the current events of one of the world’s oldest civilizations, the country of Iran.

Our events include:

Through September - A display on Iran and Persia

The display is set up in the library commons area

Sept 15 - Workshop and Talk on Twitter and Iran

Kathy E. Gill from the University of Washington gives a hands-on workshop on Twitter, followed by a talk on the role of Twitter in the recent street protests in Iran. See slide show here.

Sept 24 - Screening of Persepolis

Persepolis is a film based on a graphic novel by an Iranian writer Marjane Satrapi.

Tea and discussion will follow the film showing. This is organized together with Jamie Olson as part of the Faith on Film series.

Sept 24-Oct 1 - Student interactive display

SMU student projects about the culture(s) of Iran will be on display in the library alcove

Instructors, please contact Dr. Irina Gendelman (igendelman@stmartin.edu or 360-486-8826) for more information, to talk about ideas or logistics of how your students can contribute to The September Project at the O’Grady Library. This is an exciting global event, let’s be part of it!

Music Workstation

The library now has a music workstation that students, faculty, and staff can use whenever the library is open. A 61-key Yamaha keyboard with sustain pedal can be checked out at the Circulation Desk for use in the Lindskog Media Study Room M5. The workstation in this room is equipped with music notation, composition, and teaching software, including Finale PrintMusic.

If you're interested in trying out the new music workstation, just stop by the Circulation Desk and ask to check out the Yamaha keyboard and the key for Media Study Room M5. If you need help using the equipment or software, contact me via phone (360-486-8827) or email (kthomas@stmartin.edu). You can also stop by the library Sundays-Thursdays and ask for me at either the Reference or Circulation Desks.

New computers in library

The library is starting the fall semester with new computers loaded with Windows 7 and new 22” widescreen monitors. Logons should be faster, and the computers support the slick Aero interface with which Vista users are already familiar. These are Dell Optiplex 760s, with Intel Core 2 Duo CPUs (2.8 GHZ) and 4 GB of RAM that should handle even the most resource-intensive engineering applications.

They of course have Microsoft Office 2007 Professional (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access, etc.), Microsoft Visual Studio, and many other applications needed for your classes. You will also have a choice of browsers this year--Internet Explorer or Firefox.

As with any major Microsoft upgrade, menus and short-cuts have changed and moved. Having trouble finding the program you need? Ask at the reference desk.