Librarians are still "invaluable guides" for exploring information

In a recent article published in Penn State's online magazine of scholarship and creativity, ResearchPennState, Assistant Dean for Scholarly Communications, Michael Furlough, and Assistant Dean for Technical and Collections Services, Lisa German, discussed the future of libraries in the age of computers and digitized media.

According to the article, recent studies suggest that digital media has "promoted more networked modes of learning" by not only drawing people into the libraries with updates and changes, but also by pushing the materials available in libraries out to those people by way of the internet.

German and Furlough agree that the future of the library and librarians will lie in helping people "navigate a vast and shifting sea of information."

To read the full article by Jesse Hicks, please visit http://www.rps.psu.edu/probing/todayslibraries.html. Photo Credit to Dan Chibnall.

Calculate Your Environmental Footprint!

Log on to the Earth Day Network's website at http://earthday.net/footprint/ or the EPA's wesbite at http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ind_calculator.html to calculate your environmental footprint, and learn how to reduce your household's greenhouse gas emissions! The quiz takes about 30 minutes to complete, and you will need your most recent gas and electric bills to answer the questions. 

The U.N.'s World Digital Library Online

The U.N. World Digital Library is now up-and-running online. The purpose of the library is to "display and explain the relics of all human cultures."

The new digital library, which is located at www.wdl.org, was created to make many resources available - including the first novel in history and the Aztecs' first mention of the Christ child - on an easy-to-navigate site.

The resources on the website are free for scholars as well as all curious people. The collection of primary documents from the planet's leading libraries will be officially inaugurated tomorrow at the Paris headquarters of UNESCO.

Check it out at www.wdl.org!

Tell the library what you think!

The library is conducting a survey to determine if the new library hours are satisfactory. The questionnaire will take no more than 10 minutes. Just click on the Survey link! All responses are anonymous. Paper copies of the survey are also available at the circulation desk in the library.

Thank you very much for your help!

College Students Are Reading...More?

A recent article from Iowa State University News Service mentions a study on the reading habits of undergraduates in this technologically-obsessed world. Apparently, students are reading more frequently than they were 10 years ago.

"...students reported spending 7.98 hours per week on recreational reading and 15.19 on academic reading -- considerably higher than the amount spent by college students in comparative studies conducted in 1999..."

The reason for this jump in student recreational reading? Because the internet offers easier access to information, students have more time on their hands, and are using that time wisely, according to this study.

Check out the article at http://www.public.iastate.edu/~nscentral/news/2009/mar/readingstudy.shtml.

Using Twitter to Teach?

In a new article from Chronicle.com, Jeffrey Young introduces 10 college administrators - and avid twitterers - who are quickly changing the world of higher education one "tweet" at a time.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with it, Twitter is a social networking tool - much like Facebook - except instead of "friends" you collect "followers" and instead of posting "status updates" you "tweet."

Twitter is free to join and easy to use; most people just post what they had for breakfast and their agenda for the day, but several administrators from the world's biggest and best universities are using Twitter for educational purposes. Professors and staff members from the University of California, NYU, Fordham University, the University of Texas are using Twitter; even the President of Ohio State University is tweeting.

Check out the article at http://chronicle.com/free/v55/i31/31a01001.htm, and sign up for a Twitter account at http://twitter.com/.

Check Out Our New Display - Make the Most of Your Time on Earth!

Located on the first floor of Abington Library is our new display - Make the Most of Your Time on Earth, which features travel materials showcasing Abington's Study Abroad program and the travels of the faculty and staff members. A few titles in our new display are: Contemporary Italy, Japan, Famous Homes of Great Britain, and Culture and Customs of Ireland. Come on in and check it out!

Check Out Our New Display - Technology and Society!

Located on the bottom floor of Abington Library is our new display - Technology and Society, which features materials on the rise of the internet, blogging, television, and online societies. A few titles in this display are: How America Got Online, Blogging, and Virtual Society: Technology, Cyberbole, Reality.

Show Your Power and Participate in Earth Hour!

On Saturday, March 28 at 8:30 pm, please do your part to stop global warming by participating in Earth Hour's "Lights Out" across the globe.

Earth Hour began in Sydney, Australia in 2007 when 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour. That year, the city's carbon consumption dropped by more than 10% during Earth Hour. Maintaining that level of energy reduction would be equivalent to taking almost 50,000 cars off the road.

By 2008, the message had grown substantially and 50 million people in 35 countries switched off their lights for one hour. Even landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge, the Colosseum, and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square all stood in darkness for one hour.

For more information or to pledge your support, visit www.earthhour.org.