Staff

November 2009 R.E.A.D. (Read, Eat, and Discuss) Meeting

Book: The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs

Date: Wed., Nov. 18, 2009

Time: Noon to 1:00 p.m.

Location: 1210 ML


Upcoming books:
Tues., 2/2/2010 - The Book Thief by Marcus Suzan
Wed., 4/7/2010 - Three Cups of Tea: One man's mission to promote peace...one school at a time by Greg Mortenson

The Mardigian Library recently sent e-newsletters to faculty, staff, and students. Did you miss or delete your e-newsletter, or are you interested in the content of other e-newsletters? Click below to view the Fall 2009 e-newsletters:

Faculty version
Staff version
Student version

October 2009 R.E.A.D. (Read, Eat, and Discuss) Meeting
This book discussion is part of Campus Sustainability Day

Book: In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

Date: Wed., Oct. 21, 2009

Time: Noon to 1:00 p.m.

Location: 1210 ML

Online supplemental material:
LitLovers discussion questions
New York Times Book Review

Books selected for 2009/2010:
Wed., 11/18/2009 - The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs
Tues., 2/2/2010 - The Book Thief by Marcus Suzan
Wed., 4/7/2010 - Three Cups of Tea: One man's mission to promote peace...one school at a time by Greg Mortenson

September 2009 R.E.A.D. (Read, Eat, and Discuss) Meeting

Book: Dreams From My Father: A story of race and inheritance by Barack Obama

Date: Tues., Sept. 29, 2009

Time: Noon to 1:00 p.m.

Location: 1210 ML


Books selected for 2009/2010:
Wed., 10/21/2009 - In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan
Wed., 11/18/2009 - The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs
Tues., 2/2/2010 - The Book Thief by Marcus Suzan
Wed., 4/7/2010 - Three Cups of Tea: One man's mission to promote peace...one school at a time by Greg Mortenson

The Mardigian Library is planning a special exhibition in fall 2010 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder. We are collaborating with the Detroit Public Library, The Henry Ford, HarperCollins, and the Alfred Berkowitz Gallery to create displays honoring Mrs. Wilder and her books.

Little House on the Prairie was first published in 1935. It is the third title in the “Little House” series, coming after Little House in the Big Woods (1932) and Farmer Boy (1933). The series has remained constantly in print since its publication and the books are considered to be classics of American children’s literature.

The tentative date for the opening reception is Oct. 29, 2010. Mark your calendars!

The Mardigian Library has a new, special digital bookplate to acknowledge and thank the individuals who give a donation of $50 or more to the library during the 2009-10 academic year, the university’s 50th anniversary. Your donation will go to the library’s Collection of Excellence fund which is used to purchase books, videos, e-books, and much more.

The university was founded in 1959 with a gift from the Ford Motor Company, and in the last 50 years, over 140,000 students have attended classes and more than 41,000 individuals obtained degrees. Hopefully ALL of them used the library!

The current library was the first structure completed in a building phase that began in the late 1970’s, opening in 1980 with seating for 1,200. Over the years, many changes have taken place, including the addition of a coffee bar, a computer lab, and a faculty lounge. Today’s library staff members actively engage with faculty to provide the best possible instruction, resources and services for our students.

You may make a gift online or by mail.

Thank you for your support!

To meet the needs of our tech-savvy millennial students, the Mardigian Library recently installed new searching software. Using a simple search box, students can simultaneously search multiple databases. Results include books, articles, ebooks, and other materials from the Mardigian Library, the University of Michigan Libraries in Ann Arbor, MeLCat (Michigan libraries), and WorldCat (libraries worldwide). Using the new software saves students time and hassle!

In a list of results, titles are arranged by relevance, with items owned by the Mardigian Library appearing first. Cover images are shown, similar to Amazon’s displays. Additional information such as reviews, summaries, and abstracts is also available.

The new software features “faceted searching”, which allows users to narrow the results by author, format, year, topic, etc. Or, the user can choose to set off on a path of discovery by clicking on various links of interest.

Behind the scenes is a “mega index”. Rather than waiting for all databases to respond individually over the Internet, the new software requires only one reply from the mega index. Having a pre-built index is a giant leap forward in the ability to provide fast results.

The library’s more traditional online public catalog (OPAC), as well as individual journal databases, will continue to be available. Many users are accustomed to these interfaces which have their own particular strengths.

To try the new software, go to the library web page and enter your search in the “Quick Search” box.

Streaming video for classroom or individual use is now available through a new collection on the Mardigian Library web site. This collection includes over 20 web sites and databases with subjects ranging from science, politics, and news to interviews, historical footage, the arts, and more. It contains links to full episodes of series from public television, such as NOVA, The American Experience, Frontline, and Tavis Smiley. Video footage from the National Archives, the Library of Congress, and NASA are also included, along with material from subscription databases such as Films on Demand.

The Mardigian Library will soon be changing our federated search product interface Central Search to WorldCat Local.

Users will able to search online for books, articles and other materials from the Mardigian Library, the University of Michigan Libraries in Ann Arbor, MeLCat (Michigan libraries), and WorldCat (libraries worldwide) using a single search interface. The items in the results list are arranged by relevance, with items from the Mardigian Library appearing first.

WorldCat Local also provides “faceted searching”, which allows users to narrow the results by author, format, year, topic, etc. To try this new interface, go to the library web page and click on the icon on the upper right-hand side of the page that says, “Try Beta WorldCat Catalog.”

The option to search just the library’s online public catalog (OPAC) will still be available.

The Mardigian Library now loans interactive learning software and wireless response keypads, commonly known as “clickers”. Clickers allow students to respond to questions posed by an instructor. The TurningPoint system works with PowerPoint to add interactive features such as quizzes, polls, and surveys into presentations. Students respond to the instructor’s multiple choice questions using the credit-card sized clickers. The percentage of responders to each answer is displayed on the screen. Polling is anonymous, so even though students know the percentage of responders who select each answer, they do not know exactly who gave particular answers.

The interactive nature of the presentation is designed to help engage students while the anonymity of the process prevents individuals from being embarrassed by incorrect answers. The system gives instructors immediate feedback on whether or not students are grasping the concepts being presented, so instruction can be adjusted accordingly. Research has shown that engaged or active learning generally results in higher retention of instruction.

The library has one USB-based response receiver with a set of 60 wireless clickers available for checkout by interested faculty. If sufficient interest exists, a training session for faculty may also be arranged.

For more information or to express an interest in attending a training session, contact:
Carla Brooks, Head of the Library Research Center, ctbrooks@umd.umich.edu
Sally Smith, Reference Librarian, salasm@umd.umich.edu

Julia Daniel joined the Mardigian Library staff as Systems Librarian in early July 2009. She brings a wealth of experience in the areas of user interface needs and requirements, usability testing, digital asset management, emerging technologies, supervision and training, and leading interdepartmental collaborative teams.


Julia is actively involved in the American Society of Information Science and Technology and the Society of American Archivists. She has served on the board of the Wayne State University Alumni Association and is Past President of the Wayne State University Library and Information Science Alumni Association. She teaches courses in archival studies, web site design, and technology at Wayne State University’s School of Library and Information Science, and enjoys working with librarians-in-training.

Julia formerly worked at the General Motors Media Archive, The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, and the Ford Motor Company Global Product Marketing Knowledge Center. She is a graduate of Wayne State University, earning the Bachelor’s degree in both German Literature and the Humanities, and the Master’s degree in Library and Information Science.

In her free time, she enjoys cycling, collecting mid-modern furniture, and wine tasting.

We extend our heartiest welcome to Julia!

All former Mardigian Library staff and student assistants are invited to a "Library Alumni Open House" on Friday, October 16, 2009, from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. The event is part of the celebration of UM-Dearborn's 50th Anniversary during the 2009-2010 academic year.

Please RSVP by Friday, October 9, 2009, to sasbury@umd.umich.edu or call 313-593-5236. Be sure to let us know if you are bringing a guest.

The party will be held on the second floor. Chancellor Daniel Little will welcome attendees at 4:30 p.m. Remarks will follow from Timothy F. Richards, Director of the Mardigian Library. Photographs depicting the history of the campus and library will be on display, and refreshments will be served.

We would love to hear your stories of working at the library. It will be wonderful to see “old friends” and to catch up!

During the academic year 2008-2009, UM-Dearborn students, faculty, and staff borrowed 5,136 items using the MeLCat service and downloaded countless articles from Michigan eLibrary databases. MeLCat services cost one tenth of traditional Interlibrary Loan services and provide access to the collections of over 300 Michigan libraries. If we had to replace all the free Michigan eLibrary databases, it would cost our library approximately $250,000 per year.

MeL statewide library services save taxpayers $72 million through group purchasing and resource sharing. Under the leadership of the Library of Michigan, every library in the state - including academic, public, k-12, and special libraries - has access to these resources. These and other services are in jeopardy.

Governor Jennifer M. Granholm's Executive Order 2009-36 threatens to break up the Library of Michigan and to diminish its role as the leader of statewide library efforts. Our elected officials are currently crafting the Fiscal Year 2010 budget, and are making tough decisions that affect each and every one of us. The Michigan Senate recently passed a budget that would cut library funding from $10 million to $7.5 million, a mere drop in the bucket when looking at the overall budget deficit. This cut places in jeopardy the MeLCat Interlibrary Loan system and the Michigan eLibrary databases.

Read more online at Michigan Libraries for the Future.

The Mardigian Library now offers a public facsimile (fax) service for $1.00 per page. To use the service, go to the Circulation Desk, and a library employee will send the fax for you. Payments may be made in cash only, and there are no refunds.

The library’s fax line does not accept incoming calls, so we cannot receive faxes. We can send faxes to local or long distances numbers, but not to international numbers. UM-Dearborn students who need to send an international fax may do so at the International Office in the University Center. They charge the same rate as the library and are open regular business hours.

When Copy Express closed earlier this year, they asked the library to consider offering a fax service since many students utilized it. The library is open longer than any other customer service point on campus, making it an excellent choice as the new service center.

The R.E.A.D. meetings for the 2009-2010 academic year are as follows:

Sept. 29, 2009 (Tues.):
Dreams From My Father: A story of race and inheritance by Barack Obama

Oct. 21, 2009 (Wed.) part of Sustainability Day:
In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

Nov. 18, 2009 (Wed.):
The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs

Feb. 2, 2010 (Tues.):
The Book Thief by Marcus Suzan

April 7, 2010 (Wed.):
Three Cups of Tea: One man's mission to promote peace...one school at a time by Greg Mortenson

Meetings run from Noon to 1:00 p.m. and are held in room 1210 ML. Information about R.E.A.D. is posted on the library news blog and on the campus calendar.