NSUBA Library

The job advertisement created by the NSU Executive Director of Libraries Search Committee was officially released today. It will be published in The Chronicle of Higher Education and sent to several library list serves.

Here’s a direct link to the copy posted on NSU’s website: http://www.nsuok.edu/humanresources/jobs/showJob.php?jobID=1245

Posted by Linda Summers

The individual works of several NSU art students are currently being displayed on the first floor of the library.

Click on the images below for a closer look:

If any of these student artists would like the NSUBA Library Blog to highlight their work individually, please send your name, a description of your work, and a brief synopsis of what this piece means to you, or why you chose to create a particular design to summerla@nsuok.edu

In order to verify legitimacy, please use your NSU email address and include the name of your professor.

Thanks go to Art Professor Bobby Martin for making this one happen.

Posted by Linda Summers

© Erik S. Lesser for The New York Times

No, not our Dana, but his brother Tracy, who won the Drama category for his play August: Osage County.

For other Pulitzer Prize winners announced today, go to: http://www.pulitzer.org/

Posted by Linda Summers

*Image accessed via NSU website

From the office of Public Relations Director Nancy Garber:

OKLAHOMA CITY –Dr. Don Betz, a veteran educator and administrator with 37 years experience in higher education, has been named the sixteenth president of Northeastern State University by the Regional University System (RUSO) Board of Regents.

Since 2005, Dr. Betz has served as Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. His selection as chief executive officer at Northeastern brings him full circle to the institution where he began his higher education career in 1971 as assistant professor of Political Science.

More ->

Posted by Linda Summers

NSUBA Computing and telecommunications personnel installed a new plasma tv on the first floor of the library today. Rumor has it cable tv will be installed next week.

Posted by Linda Summers

We were provided the opportunity to “test drive” four different ebook readers (the Amazon Kindle, the Sony Reader, the iRex Illiad, and ebookwise) ranging in price from $150 (ebookwise) to $700 (iRex Illiad). Brief presentations were made covering the features of each device (including pros and cons) followed by a panel discussion addressing the future/applicability of these devices within the realm of higher education.

The main issues discussed: having an alternative to the high cost of textbooks, publisher reluctance to offer ebook option (especially for textbooks), pricing (readers as well as ebooks), and digital rights management.

While technological advances are a given, some of the panelists posited the following:

• Improved usability (design and functionality) once Apple enters the fray? Continue tweaking the development of these readers to incorporate more of the “great” features from each one into a single device that has it all.
• Once embraced in business/corporate settings, these devices will spread/be accepted in higher education and other non-leisure applications.
• Portability/integration with other existing technologies. While they are somewhat compact, do people really want something else to else to carry around? Integrate with laptop, palm, blackberry applications.

It would appear that the potential is there. The hazard is in guessing what direction that potential will go and how quickly.

Posted by Tom Rink

Linda Summers, one of our very own staff members, has been named this year’s recipient of the Irma Rayne Tomberlin Scholarship Award and will be honored this Saturday at a School of Library and Information Studies Beta Phi Mu reception at the University of Oklahoma.  The award was established in 1985 to recognize an outstanding student in the SLIS program each year. Summers is very close to finishing her Master’s degree in Library and Information Studies through the OU SLIS program, and those of us lucky enough to work with her know firsthand how outstanding she is – now the rest of the library community will as well! Congratulations Linda!

Posted by Jamie Holmes

 Explanation and advice on how the brain learns and remembers:

Posted by Linda Summers

NSU-BA Library will close at 5:00 p.m. Friday, March 14, 2008 for Spring Break and reopen at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, March 24, 2008. 

Posted by Linda Summers

The Board of Directors of the Special Libraries Association (SLA) met this week in Alexandria, Virginia, for a couple of days of strategic planning.  And, while the cherry blossoms were not in full bloom, an occasional tree could be found hinting at the spring that is just around the corner.

 Posted by Tom Rink