PowerBlog

And another thing on the Atrium project... Next Friday, July 25, the Library will have to be closed to the public. There will be some construction/demolition of the area between the exterior doors and the main entrance doors to the library. If you know us, you'll know that we hate having to close, for any reason. But in this case, we have no choice. We have been assured that the work will be completed in time for us to re-open our usual time of 1:00pm on Sunday. So, sorry for the inconvenience and thanks for the understanding.

Following up on my previous post.... Construction of the Atrium is full speed ahead. And the coming week will see (and hear) an acceleration of the preliminary work in the area just outside the north end of the Library. This work will most certainly raise the noise levels in the much-favoured Reference Room. Here is the "official" announcement/warning: Starting Monday, July 14th, there will be extensive construction noise in this area. Paving blocks and their base will be jackhammered out of the ground. The noise will be of intense but short duration. You may wish to find a more quiet place to study on the third floor. A small number of portable laptop computers can be borrowed from the Circulation Desk. Of course, for the foreseeable future, access to the library is going to be compromised (see diagram above). You will have to enter via McNally. Which means that if you are coming from Robie Street, use the McNally North door at the end of the Science parking lot. If you are ...

I don't usually post a lot in the "off-season" - there just aren't that many people around to read them (and most students want to forget about school stuff for a while once April is over). But there's a big hole outside the Library and I can't ignore it any longer... As you've probably heard, Saint Mary's has begun construction of the new Atrium which will enclose the area between the Library, the new Science Building and the Burke Building. Which means, as you would expect, that there's a bit of a mess out there right now (and will be for some time). Which means that getting into the Library these days, especially if you come from McNally or the Science parking lot, is a bit of an adventure, considering that there is a giant hole in the ground where Tim Horton's used to be. Not to mention the dumptrucks and excavators outside the Reference Room windows. Which also explains all that noise last week. Of course, the atrium is going to look gr...

So, it's your favourite time of year - writing all those papers you love so much, studying for all those exams you enjoy so much. The next few weeks should be a ball! I'm afraid at this point the Library can't do a whole lot for you, except stay open longer so you have a place you can go to escape the party next door. We can be your home away from home, before you go home once all the dust settles. So, in recognition of your need for a quiet refuge in which to read those notes, finish that novel and get ready for all those A's you deserve, and in honour of another fine year, here are the Library's extended hours for the next few weeks: March 24- April 6 Monday - Friday 8:00am - 11:00pm Saturday 10:00am - 7:00pm Sunday noon - 11:00pm April 7 - April 20 (Exam Period, Extended Hours) Monday - Friday 8:00am - 11:00pm Saturday 8:00am - 7:00pm Sunday 10:00am- 11:00pm April 21 - April 27 (last week of exams) Monday & Tuesday 8:00am - 11:00pm Wednesday 8:00am - 7:00...

There really is "something for everyone" here: Philosophy/Psychology Critical thinking in psychology / edited by Robert J. Sternberg, Henry J. Roediger Philosophy in the modern world Anthony Kenny Philosophy of Edith Stein / Antonio Calcagno Common Sense: its history, method, and applicability / Marion Ledwig Introduction to facet theory : content design and intrinsic data analysis in behavioral research / Samuel Shye The self awakened : pragmatism unbound / Roberto Mangabeira Unger Preferences and well-being / Serena Olsaretti Seeing red: a study in consciousness / Nicholas Humphrey Privileged access: philosophical accounts of self-knowledge / Brie Gertler Schiller as philosopher: a re-examination / Frederick Beiser The abusive personality: violence and control in intimate relationships / Donald G. Dutton In the room with men: a casebook of therapeutic change / Matt Englar-Carlson Religion The serpent's gift: gnostic reflections on the study of religion / Jeff...

Wednesday, February 13 - Please Note: Although Saint Mary's University is closing today at 2:30, the Library will maintain its normal hours of operation. We will therefore be open until 11:00pm.

Still owe the Library money because back in October you used your card to check out books for your then boyfriend/girlfriend because they didn't have theirs at the time and they just had to have them and you've since split up and you never want to see them again but you just found the #!*$+%* overdue books under the bed? Luckily, it's that time of year again. The Library's annual Food for Fines campaign is back. You can reduce or even eliminate your library fines and help a great cause at the same time. Here's how it works: From February 4-15, drop off non-perishable food items at the Circulation desk. For every item you donate we will reduce your fines by $2 (maximum $20). And everything goes to the Feed Nova Scotia food bank! So a 75 cent can of peas gets you $2 off your fine total - a good deal. So help yourself (and someone else) - you'll be glad you did.

A lot of you enjoy perusing our periodic list of those books which have been newly added to our shelves. So with that in mind...hold on a sec...I forgot to remind you that many of these particular titles, because they are, by definition, new, can be found in the nice little new book display in the lobby. Look for the bookcase with the gentle light spreading a heavenly glow (read: yellow) over the accumulated wisdom and imagination of the many great minds who wrote their contents. Where was I? Oh yeah, the list: Philosophy/Psychology Engaged philosophy: essays in honour of David Braybrooke / edited by Susan Sherwin and Peter Schotch True to our feelings: what our emotions are really telling us / Robert C. Solomon Presocratic philosophy: a very short introduction / Catherine Osborne Plato and the virtue of courage / Linda R. Rabieh Freedom and neurobiology: reflections on free will, language, and political power / John R. Searle The legacy of Socrates: essays in moral philosophy / Ja...

Have a nice break? Did you miss us? So, the turkey's history and you can't wait to start writing papers again. Or something like that... A few library things (old news, new news) we wanted you to know: - We're back to our usual hours: M-F 8am-11pm, Sat 10am-7pm, Sun noon-11pm - Need a quick print job? Don't wait in line. We now have express printing in the Reference Room - If you use APA style and you use electronic sources (who doesn't?), you should be aware that there have been some recent changes to how to cite these. For more information (they can explain it better than I can), go to http://apastyle.apa.org/elecref.html - "Due to popular demand" we're trying to find ways of making the library a little less noisy, with a little less conversation (maybe you saw the ad in The Journal a while back?). Do your part, keep it down. Remember, these next 4 months will fly by and you'll be free again. Or something like that...

Ever circled around the library's computers in a cold sweat, disc or memory stick in hand, waiting for one to become available so that you could print that essay due in 10 minutes? Well your circling days are over! We now have an Express Printing station in the Reference Room (follow the bright green signs) where you can quickly print your Word, PowerPoint or Excel documents. To insure that we keep the "express" in Express Printing", we have set it up so that it can be used for printing only - no editing, no e-mailing, no web surfing. Which also means that the document has to either be on a portable device (disc, memory stick, etc.) or the J: or P: drives. And because you log in to your student account, you can use your print credits. We think you're going to like this new service. Scratch that, we know you're going to like it.

Those who like to bring their laptop to the library to take advantage of our wireless access (and there are lots of you) should be even happier. Now when you are searching Novanet , or our journal databases, or writing those brilliant essays when you're sitting in those purple armchairs, you can conveniently print the results of all that hard work on the library's printers. Just go to http://www.smu.ca/administration/library/wirelessPrinting.html for information on setting it all up, troubleshooting, etc. (it's not that complicated). Because this is is a pilot project, it does not yet have full technical support and so far it seems to work better with Windows XP and Mac O/S than with Vista. But we're working on that. If you have any questions, problems or suggestions, e-mail research@smu.ca so that we can forward them to the appropriate tech people. Like other campus printing, print credits will be charged against your "S" account (and don't worry, ...

It's been a while since I posted a list of some of our newest books. So here they are (remember that if you see something you like, simply copy and paste the title into the Novanet catalogue to get the call number and determine its availability): Philosophy The know-it-all: one man's humble quest to become the smartest person in the world / A.J. Jacobs Good and real: demystifying paradoxes from physics to ethics / Gary Drescher Reshaping reason: toward a new philosophy / John McCumber Spinoza’s book of life: freedom and redemption in the Ethics / Steven B. Smith Educating the human brain / Michael Posner Euclid in the rainforest: discovering universal truth in logic and math / Joseph Mazur Plato’s fable: on the moral condition in shadowy times / Joshua Mitchell Intricate ethics: rights, responsibilities and permissible harm / F.M. Kamm Religion The Oxford handbook of religion and science / Ed. by Philip Clayton Church and state in Canada / Albert Menendez A church divided: G...

Finally! The renovations to the third floor have been (almost) completed - and just in time for the start of the Fall term. I have been so busy emptying shelves, carrying books, shifting journals and re-assembling shelves that I have not been able to provide regular progress reports as we moved through the process. But we have managed to accomplish just about everything we had promised: - New flooring throughout. We have replaced the original 32-year-old carpeting with a clean, quiet and environmentally-sensitive carpet tile that also looks great - The book collection (PR4000-Z) has been moved to the beginning of the room so that it follows naturally from those on the second floor and re-oriented to visually separate it from the journal collection and to allow for light to flow through. - The journal collection has been consolidated to better reflect the university's current research focus and to better complement our growing electronic offerings. - Previously the floor housed on...

We would like to let you know about some changes which will be occurring in the library over the course of the summer..... The library is currently in the midst of a comprehensive planning process to insure that library space is utilized to the utmost benefit of the university’s students, faculty and staff. Our intention is to critically assess all three floors of our study, collection storage and work areas and to implement those changes which will contribute to our goal of providing a comfortable, effective, congenial and stimulating environment for the Saint Mary’s research community. In all of our deliberations we have been guided by the many thoughtful ideas, comments and opinions conveyed to us by our users in the recent LibQual survey. Needless to say, the ever-evolving, technology-driven nature of contemporary scholarly research and communication has been a crucial consideration. And all of it has been framed by the principles and objectives outlined in the university’s Acad...

Need something good to read? Here are some of the books recently added to the Library's collection: Philosophy/Psychology The philosophy of enchantment: studies in folktale, cultural criticism, and anthropology / R.G. Collingwood; edited by David Boucher, Wendy James, and Philip Smallwood Spinoza's book of life: freedom and redemption in the ethics / Steven B. Smith Subjectivity and selfhood: investigating the first-person perspective / Dan Zahavi Understanding people: normativity and rationalizing explanation / Alan Millar An argument for mind / Jerome Kagan On determinism and freedom / Ted Honderich Mourning and modernity: essays in the psychoanalysis of contemporary society / Isaac D. Balbus Moral skepticisms / Walter Sinnott-Armstrong This changes everything: the relational revolution in psychology / Christina Robb Religion Authentic fakes: religion and American popular culture / David Chidester ...

Classes are over for the year - the last papers have (hopefully) been shipped out - the "only" things left are those pesky exams. A few more days and you'll be free. Just... a... bit... more... sweat and blood. And there's no better place to sweat and ... study than the library. That's why we've extended our hours so that we're open every night till 11:00 right to the last day of exams (for all our hours go here ). So good luck! Do well! And we'll see you in September. And if you're graduating, thanks for the memories (I know, I know, we don't even have any memories but I wanted to end with something really profound and this was the best I could come up with- Billie Joe Armstrong I'm not)

A little more convenience in your (academic) lives.... Now when you log on to SMUport your eyes will be drawn to the centre of the page. That's where the library lives. We (actually, our systems librarian Peter Webster) have designed a great little presence for the library which allows you direct and easy access to many of our most important resources and services. You can do quick searches of Novanet or for journal articles. Or you can follow links to our web site, our hours and contact info - even to this blog! Check it out the next time you're in SMUport. This is all part of our plan to meet you wherever you are. Hmmm, maybe we should be in MySpace or, better yet, Facebook (I don't think I'm ready for Second Life ). What do you think? Drop me a line (comment on this post). - Ron

Here are some new book titles to peak your interest. Remember that, if there is a book about which you would like more information (call number, status, etc.), just copy and paste the title into the Novanet catalogue .... Religion The Myth of religious superiority: multifaith explorations of religious pluralism / edited by Paul F. Knitter Westward dharma: Buddhism beyond Asia / edited by Charles S. Prebish, Martin Baumann History/Geography A concise dictionary of first names / Patrick Hanks and Flavia Hodges. Rediscovering the British world / edited by Phillip Buckner & R. Douglas Francis. Nine visits to the mythworld / Ghandl of the Qayahl Llaanas; translated by Robert Bringhurst. The secret Mulroney tapes: unguarded confessions of a prime minister / Peter C. Newman. Business/Economics Marketing to women: how to increase your share of the world's largest market / Marti Barletta. Small business survival book: 12 surefire ways for your business to survive and thrive / Barbara W...

Ever had a book brought in from another library via interlibrary loan? Saint Mary's students and faculty can now take advantage of some significant improvements to the way interlibrary loans work. After lengthy negotiations, the universities in the Atlantic Provinces, Ontario and western Canada have reached an agreement on resource sharing which will promote the easier movement of books and journal articles among the country's researchers. The most important changes are: 1. there will now be no charge for interlibrary loans of books among the participating schools 2. there will be a flat rate of $5 for journal articles , regardless of length - some of the larger research libraries used to charge up to $20 per article 3. the turnaround time will be 4 days which means that, allowing for shipment, books should be in the hands of the researcher 10-12 days after a request was initiated. Journal articles, because they can be sent electronically, should not take longer than 4 day...

Some interesting stuff this month. Here are the newest books, hot off the press: Religion: Bodies and souls, or spirited bodies? / Nancey Murphy Crossing and dwelling: a theory of religion / Thomas A. Tweed Contemporary varieties of religious experience: James's classic study in light of resiliency, temperament, and trauma / Lynn Bridgers; foreword by James W. Fowler Dream catchers: how mainstream America discovered native spirituality / Philip Jenkins Oba's story: Rastafari, purification, and power / by George D. Colman Islam and liberty: the historical misunderstanding / Mohamed Charfi Black church beginnings: the long-hidden realities of the first years / Henry H. Mitchell How to read the Bible: history, prophecy, literature -- why modern readers need to know the difference, and what it means for faith today / Steven L. McKenzie History/Geography: Red Hugh O'Donnell and the Nine Years War / Darren McGettigan Sudan: the elusive quest for peace / Ruth Lyob, Gilbert M. Khad...