Library News

THE SPRING TERM is coming to an end. Final exams will be held from May 7^th to May 10th.

Make sure you plan ahead for your examinations. The finals schedule is available on the university website.

The library will keep its regular opening hours right up through the end of the term. Take advantage of our services in your studies!

THE SECOND WEEK OF APRIL is National Library Week, and this year, that falls on April 7^th to April 12^th.

The U.S. Census Bureau has an article on National Library Week. The American Library Association has one as well, which reads in part:

National Library Week is an annual celebration highlighting the valuable role libraries, librarians, and library workers play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities.

This year’s theme, Libraries = Strong Communities, illustrates how today’s libraries are at the heart of our cities, towns, schools and campuses, providing critical resources, programs and expertise. They also provide a public space where all community members, regardless of age, culture or income level, can come together to connect and learn.

Don’t forget to stop in at the J. W. Martin Library sometime this week. Remember that there are three weeks left in the semester, and we are here to assist you with all your research needs.

HOW ARE YOUR STUDY HABITS? Did you know that taking courses online presents greater challenges than taking courses in a traditional classroom because the study is largely self-motivated and self-directed?

If you’re considering an online course, try the Learner Readiness Tool, a free assessment that will both rate your preparedness and give good advice for more effective study. Although designed specifically as preparation for online classwork, the tool is great for all students and can help anyone develop better study habits.

And if you are looking for a good place to study, don’t forget that the J. W. Martin Library has study rooms available, including one room (Room 7) with a Smart Board.

THE ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF CULTURES will be held tomorrow, April 5^th, at 7:00 PM in the Student Center Ballroom. The event will feature food and performances from around the world.

Standard ticket price is $10, but tickets are available to NWOSU students and children for $5 and may be purchased today at the front desk of the Fine Arts Building.

Starting tomorrow, tickets will be sold at the door for an extra $2 per ticket.

THE MONTH OF APRIL is National Poetry Month. This annual celebration was created in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets.

April 18^th is “Poem in Your Pocket Day,” when you are invited to select a poem, carry it with you, and share it with others. The National Academy has a selected list of suggested poems.

Don’t forget that we have educational resources for poetry. Our research databases include the Poetry & Short Story Reference Center and Bloom’s Literature. Both databases contain thousands of full-text poems as well as scholarly analysis. Be sure to check them out.

And keep in mind that Bloom’s is on trial, so please contact the reference librarian at dgdavidson@nwosu.edu for the login information.

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  Poetry & Short Story Reference Center

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  This full-text database provides a historically rich collection of hundreds of thousands of classic and contemporary poems, as well as short stories, biographies and authoritative essays on such topics as poetic forms, movements and techniques—including contemporary content from the finest publishers.
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  Bloom’s Literature

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  With a dynamic new design, exciting new features, and the largest addition of new content in the history of the database, the award-winning Bloom’s Literature has been rebuilt from the ground up, making it an even better tool for enriching the study of literature. We’ve added to the product more than 200 additional full-length performance videos (bringing the total number to more than 400), the full contents of more than 1,000 classic literary works, more than 350 books edited by Harold Bloom, and thousands of images. In addition, Bloom’s Literature now features a comprehensive Shakespeare Center with everything your students need to study Shakespeare—including the full text of all of his plays—plus a redesigned “How to Write About” section with improved functionality and special sections covering how to write a good essay. Bloom’s Literature’s new, intuitive interface features a clean, dynamic design that provides easy access to all of this rich content.

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  Access to this trial database requires a username and password. Contact the research librarian at 580-327-8572 or dgdavidson@nwosu.edu for the login information.

TOMORROW IS WEDNESDAY, April 3^rd, and that means it is time for the …

Education Career Fair!

The fair will last from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM in the Student Center ballroom on the Alva Campus.

Anyone interested in a career in education should be there, as this will be an excellent chance to network and learn about employment opportunities. Representatives from several school districts will be attending.

The library is building a collection of board games available to students! Do you want to relax after that big exam? Do you want to procrastinate before that big exam? Then the library will soon have the cure for what ails you!

Right now, we are accepting recommendations of board games to acquire. You will find a suggestion box at the front desk in the J. W. Martin Library. Please stop by to recommend your favorite games so we can add them to our list of potential acquisitions. No game is too simple, elaborate, weird, or obscure to recommend!

The suggestion box will be available for two weeks, from Monday, April 1, through Friday, April 12. So don’t wait: Come visit us soon to give us your suggestions!