EZproxy is back up!

Edit: EZproxy is back up and everything should be working. Please get in touch with us if you are still encountering any problems.

EZproxy, our service that allows you to connect to databases and other purchased electronic resources from off-campus, is not working correctly this morning. We're working on a fix and hope that it will be back up soon. We'll post an update here when everything is back up and running.

R.I.P. Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury, author of classics such as Fahrenheit 451, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and countless other books and stories, passed away this morning in his LA home at the age of 91. Bradbury was an outspoken agent against censorship (his own works were often censored) and proponent of libraries (if not colleges):

"I spent three days a week for 10 years educating myself in the public library, and it's better than college. People should educate themselves - you can get a complete education for no money. At the end of 10 years, I had read every book in the library and I'd written a thousand stories."

If you're looking for a good read this summer, the O'Grady Library has plenty of good Ray Bradbury books here on the shelves waiting to be checked out. All we ask is that you don't burn them.

Web 2.0 research tools

Looking for some online tools to help with your research, such as citation managers, article-finders, and more? This web-guide details 20 such tools and explains how and why to use them. Check it out on Scribd or just view the embedded version below. Web 2.0 Research Tools - A Quick Guide

Have you used any of these before? Have any favorites that aren't mentioned?

And he sailed off through night and day

Maurice Sendak, beloved author of notable children's favorites, including Where the Wild Things Are, In The Night Kitchen, and The Nutshell Library, passed away today at the age of 83. In remembrance of his works, the library has set up a display of his collection downstairs, just outside the Curriculum Room.

Read more in the NY Times article here, or listen to one of his many interviews on NPR's Fresh Air.

Rest in peace, Mr. Sendak. You will be missed.

eBooks, eBooks, eBooks!

If you've done many "book" searches in our catalog over the past month, you may have noticed a profusion of eBooks. Along with the eBook titles we've purchased and had available for some time (approximately 20,000 titles), the library has been trialing a number of eBook subscription services this past month, adding another 85,000 titles or so to the mix. With our near-100k print books, this nearly doubles our book collection!

We've just started another trial that includes another 70,000 eBook titles. Unfortunately we can't get these titles to show up in our catalog at this point (as we have with the other products), but you can certainly go take a look at them.

You'll recognize the EBSCO interface from our databases, but instead of articles, you get eBooks. Check it out and let us know what you think.

Click here --> EBSCO eBook Academic Collection

Quick questions: Have you noticed the influx of eBooks? Have they helped in your research?

EBSCO databases back up and running

Academic Search Premier, Business Source Premier, ATLA et al are now back up and running after yesterday's outage. If you're still experiencing problems, please get in touch so we can help you troubleshoot. Email Ahniwa Ferrari at aferrari@stmartin.edu or call 360-486-8813.

You can access our EBSCO (and other) databases on our all databases page or through our subject guides.

EBSCOhost databases down

Academic Search Premier, ATLA, Business Source Premier, ERIC, MLA, PsycArticles, PsycBooks, PsycInfo, and other EBSCOhost databases are currently not available. Scheduled maintenance this morning has resulted in a temporary interruption of service to all EBSCOhost customers, including Saint Martin's.  EBSCOhost support staff are working on fixing the outage, but do not have an estimated time when services will be restored.

We apologize for the inconvenience.

O'Grady Library hours during spring break

In case you're sticking around over spring break and hoping to get a little extra studying in -- or if you'd like to check out a laptop, digital or video camera, other cool technology, or some light reading material -- the library will be open during limited hours. Here's the breakdown, starting tomorrow:

Sat-Sun, March 17-18:	Closed
Mon-Tue, March 19-20:	8:00am - 5:00pm
Wed, March 21:	Closed (Saint Benedict's Day)
Thu-Fri, March 22-23:	8:00am - 5:00pm
Sat-Sun, March 24-25:	Closed

If you're around, come on in and say hi! And since it's Friday, though it has nothing to do with anything, check out this video, which is one of the coolest things I've seen on the internet in awhile.

Check out our cool technology!

Gorillapod!

Despite our best efforts, many of you may yet be unaware that, deep within the recesses of the library (behind the circulation desk), there rests a veritable trove of technological treasure!

Thankfully, much like Indiana Jones (sans hat), our work study student, Cory, has discovered and documented these devices for your delight and edification.

From Flip video recorders, to voice recorders, to a Kindle, to a horde of digital cameras; the library has a ton of great technology available for you to check out. You can read Cory's descriptions over on the post she made, and come in and check out our fun toys anytime at the library circulation desk.

Check 'em out at SMU Tech Tutorials: Library Toys.

Take a study break: learn to wrap cats!

As you are knee-deep in finals -- studying everything from physics to management to sociology -- take a break and learn something new:

Britney turns 30

Calling all Millennials (or "Gen Y")! You're officially getting old: one of the pop stars you grew up with is now 30 years old. That's right, Britney Spears turned 30 on Friday, December 2. Believe it or not, "Brit-Brit" was at her commercial peak around the time that a typical Saint Martin's freshman was in 6th grade.
These days, all of our attention is on Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, or Adele. If you've ever pondered the decline and fall of Ms. Spears, or just asked, "I loved her as a kid. What happened?" then indulge in some winter break reading by checking out The Exile of Britney Spears (available to borrow for free via Summit -- click here).

Have you ever heard of a "jukebox"?

Ever feel like iTunes and Pandora fall short when it comes to historical music? Well, you're in luck, because today we're turning the spotlight on the National Jukebox. What is this, you ask? Simply put, it's an online archive containing "more than 10,000 recordings made by the Victor Talking Machine Company between 1901 and 1925."

We're talking the earliest days of sound recordings, folks: H-I-S-T-O-R-Y. You can search for songs, or you can browse by genre (e.g. religious, ethnic).

Listen for free, and while you're at it, ponder this: of the artists that you currently enjoy, who do you think will merit inclusion in the National Jukebox 100 years from now?

International Education Photos

It's International Education week here at Saint Martin's! Be sure to stop by the O'Grady Library,
which is hosting a photo contest highlighting the international adventures of SMU students. You can vote for your favorite photo, and who knows, it might win!

What if President Obama resigned?

No, President Obama is not resigning. But what if he did? In light of the news that Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is resigning, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at other world leaders who are or who have already bid farewell to their posts.

There's Prime Minister George Papandreou of Greece, who is sort of beginning the resignation process.

There was Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, who resigned earlier this year.

And of course, there was Richard "I am not a crook!" Nixon, who resigned his position as the 37th president of the United States of America.

Occupy Wall Street/Seattle/Olympia?!

What is this "Occupy Wall Street" all about, anyway? Explore some diverse points of view on the continuing protests that began on Wall Street and have spread to cities and towns throughout America.

New York Times (NYT): ongoing coverage from one point of view

Wall Street Journal (WSJ): ongoing coverage from another point of view

We are the 53% tumblr and We are the 99% tumblr

Wildlife in Washington State

Attention, nature lovers! The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has a great site that tells you everything you want to know about Living with Wildlife. From fact sheets about tree squirrels to information on the best places to spot wildlife, the DFW has got you covered. And if you're a policy wonk (or just like reading about the rules and regs), there's a page for that, too. There's also plenty of volunteer opportunities for those who love helping our furry friends -- and whose who swim, fly, or crawl!

Learning and Writing Center begins move to library

The Learning And Writing Center begins moving to the lower level of the library this week.  Tutoring tables and numerous boxes were brought down Tuesday and offices for the staff will relocate Thursday.  For the next month, LWC staff will be temporarily using the lower level study rooms as offices, but current phone numbers will remain the same:

• L1:  Deborah DeBow, Learning Center Director (438-4570)
• L2:  Geoffrey Brown, Disability Support Services Director (438-4580)
• L3:  Cholee Gladney, Writing Specialist (486-8859)
• Edith Cornfield, Administrative Assistant (438-4569)

In August, the LWC staff will then move to newly created offices behind the glass French doors on the lower level. The first phase of the move should be completed before the start of the fall semester.

The library staff is excited to have the Learning Writing Center relocate to O'Grady Library, and we look forward to collaborating with them. This partnership will provide a tremendous opportunity to enhance both departments' support of Saint Martin's students.

Off-campus access to library databases restored

Access to library databases is once again available from off-campus. The problem we experienced Tuesday afternoon has been corrected.  As before, you will need a current Saint Martin's user name and password to use the databases.  See our subject guides for lists of research databases and other sources.

We apologize for any inconvenience the outage yesterday caused.

But what about the 5th of July?!

Americans celebrated the recent Fourth of July holiday with fireworks, hot dogs, and sunscreen. We may not know exactly what the agenda was on the original Fourth of July, but most of us get the gist: the Founding Fathers declared independence from Great Britain. But have you ever wondered what happened on July 5th?

Scroll down and wonder no more.

If you are curious about what the founding mothers were doing in 1776, check out the Wikipedia article on "Women in the American Revolution." Of course, it took a little while for that other declaration to roll around -- and a bit longer than that before the right to vote was guaranteed not to be denied on the basis of sex.

What's going on in Afghanistan?

President Obama recently announced a drawdown of troops in Afghanistan. While the politicos and talking heads argue about whether this is good or bad, we found ourselves wondering what the situation in Afghanistan actually looks like. For some answers, we recommend checking out the following sites.

Afghan Women's Network: educate yourself about the situation of women in Afghanistan from the women themselves.

International Security Assistance Force (ISAF): your information headquarters for the word on what's happening in Afghanistan from the coalition's point of view.

Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR): this Congressionally-mandated office provides "independent and objective oversight" of the funds being used for humanitarian and reconstruction assistance.

thruafghaneyes: a photoblog showing the diversity of contemporary life in Afghanistan. Most photos are from life in and around Kabul.