McConnell Library News and Events

Are you having trouble using our electronic resources?

Beth Johnson — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:29:56 +0000

Due to hardware and software upgrades being performed by the Department of Information Technology, you may have difficulty accessing our electronic resources this week. We apologize for any delays you may experience. For immediate assistance, please contact the Reference Desk during normal operating hours by calling (540) 831-5696, texting 5403182235, emailing us, or instant messaging us.

New assistive technology room is here for you

Beth Johnson — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:20:09 +0000

McConnell Library, in collaboration with the Disability Resource Office and Human Resources, has developed an Assistive Technology Room that is available for use by the campus community. Students who are registered with the Disability Resource Office have priority use.

The AT Room offers two computer workstations — one Mac and one PC. Both machines have monitors with adjustable arms, and are located on motorized adjustable tables. The PC runs JAWS, Kurzweil, and Dragon Naturally Speaking software, and has an attached scanner to use with the Kurzweil software. The Mac has a large 27” screen along with magnification and screen reading accessibility tools.

The room also offers noise-cancelling headphones, full-spectrum lighting, and a TeleSensory magnifier. The room may be used by walk-in patrons, or can be booked in advance by contacting the library’s Front Desk at (540) 831-5364 or frontdesk@radford.edu. It is available for use anytime the library is open.

Favorite Books Come to Life in RU READS Campaign

Beth Johnson — Tue, 01 May 2012 17:00:54 +0000

RU READS Posters

Inspired by the American Library Association’s popular READ celebrity poster series, Radford University launched RU READS in March. RU READS is an initiative featuring dozens of colorful posters displayed across campus. Each poster portrays a student, administrator, faculty or staff member in the context of her or his favorite book.

Among poster subjects are Katherine Hawkins, dean of the College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences, seated amid spider webs and candelabras to capture the essence of her favorite vampire story, and Mark Shanley, vice president of the Division of Student Affairs, standing atop the world like the title character on the cover of his favorite book, “The Little Prince.”

“We wanted to focus on nonvocational reading,” said Steven Helm, dean of McConnell Library, which designed and implemented the project. “Everybody in the faculty and administration reads lots about higher education and his or her field, but we wanted to focus on what you read in your spare time for fun, what transforms your life or makes your life better. We want to show that people from all walks of life are avid readers.”

Helm describes RU READS as “a poster series that celebrates the joys of literature and reading. The posters inspire people to read, and that’s a wonderful thing,”

The initial idea came from Provost Sam Minner, who proposed it to the McConnell Library Advisory Committee in fall 2011. “Colleges and universities are all about learning, and reading has been and continues to be at the heart of formal and informal learning,” said Minner, who is featured on a poster with his favorite book, The Summer He Didn’t Die.

To find poster subjects, organizers sent notices across campus asking people what they like to read. The result was 60 posters being showcased on RU’s digital signage system and displayed on easels in a rotation system.

And what is the library dean’s favorite book? “It’s like asking which of your kids you like better,” Helm said. For his poster, he finally settled on Robert M. Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

“Pirsig’s poignant book resonates with me on many levels,” Helm said. “He contemplates the nature of quality, both in conduct and engineering, presents layers of dualities and struggles with his past within a seemingly simple narrative of a father and son motorcycling across the great American landscape. I love this book!”

For more information about RU READS, contact Bethany Mott.

– Keith Hagarty, Public Relations Coordinator, University Relations

Library hours changes

Beth Johnson — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:12:53 +0000

Late Nights @ McConnell, when we close at 2 a.m., continue through Wednesday, May 2. We’ll close at 10 p.m. on Thursday, May 3, and at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 4. We’ll remain closed over the weekend, and will be open from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. on May 7, 8, 10, and 11.

The library will be closed on Wednesday, May 9th, for transformer maintenance. All of our electronic resources will still be available from your home or office computer.

The library will also be closed the weekend of May 12-13, and our summer hours will begin on May 14. They are:

Mondays-Thursdays: 7:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.

Fridays: 7:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Saturdays: 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Sundays: 1 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Library Survey Winners

Beth Johnson — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:38:13 +0000

McConnell Library is pleased to announce the Spring 2012 library survey incentive prize winners:

iPad 3 Winner: Randi-Lyn Randall (above)

$25 Starbucks gift card winners: Veronica Lewis (above left), Natalie Kiddie (not pictured), Cory Hoback (above right), and Jessica Mawdsley (not pictured)

Thanks once again to all the RU faculty, staff, and students who took the time to participate in the library survey. We will be reporting the findings to the RU community as soon as the data analysis is complete.

-Eric Ackermann, Coordinator of Reference Services and Library Assessment

Congratulations to our Winesett Scholars!

Candice Benjes-Small — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 21:10:05 +0000

2011-2012 Winners

Upper Division:

Carolyn Tucker

Nursing 451 paper, “Protecting those who protect us: Taking steps to reduce sudden cardiac deaths among firefighters in the New River Valley”
Sponsored by Professor Maggie Bassett

Kelsey Townsend

Biology 232 paper on the Ribbon Seal
Sponsored by Professor Christine Small

Lower Division:

Katherine Okie

History 295 paper, “The other Virginia Story: The Upper Valley of Virginia, 1750-1780”
Sponsored by Professor Kurt Gingrich

Wendy Burcham

Core 201 paper, “Giving: A for-profit business strategy”
Sponsored by Professor Erin Berman

Finalists: Madalyn Dunn, Jessica Frazelle, Dylan McDaniel, and Carrie St. Clair

FAQ: Submitting Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Gene Hyde — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:24:25 +0000

McConnell Library has an online guide for graduate students who are submitting their theses and dissertations to the McConnell Library Scholars Repository.

The guide can be found here: http://libguides.radford.edu/ScholarsRepository

The guide’s “Frequently Answered Questions” tab includes information on submitting signature pages, obtaining bound copies of your thesis, having your thesis embargoed, and dealing with copyrighted images.

For more information, or if you have any questions, contact Gene Hyde at wehyde@radford.edu

Library Research Awards Reception on Friday, April 27, 4 pm

Candice Benjes-Small — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:11:56 +0000

The winners of the $750 Winesett Awards for Library Research will be announced at a reception at McConnell Library on Friday, April 27, at 4 pm. Provost Sam Minner will be our guest speaker. Please join us in celebrating our Winesett Scholars!

Stress Buster set for Tuesday, April 24th

Beth Johnson — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 21:04:14 +0000

Take a deep breath and relax at the Spring 2012 McConnell Library Stress Buster! Spend time with therapy dogs! Enjoy free food, massages, games, and giveaways! Make buttons and crafts! The event will be held from 9 a.m. – 11 p.m. on Tuesday, April 24^th, at the library, with specific events being held as scheduled below:

Massage therapists: available from 10-12 a.m. and 5-8 p.m. Free neck and shoulder massages!

Dogs from TheraPets of the Roanoke Valley, Inc.: visiting from 11 a.m. until approximately 4 p.m. Stop by for some canine love!

Free public library cards from Radford Public Library: sign up from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Or, stop by the public library on Main Street anytime.

Bingo: begins at 8 p.m. and runs for about an hour. Great prizes!

Other games, crafts, button-making, food, and drinks will be available all day long. If you have any questions, contact the library’s Front Desk at 540-831-5364.

This event is sponsored by McConnell Library and the McConnell Library Student Advisory Group, with support from R-SPACE, RU Peer Educators, and SHAC (Student Health Awareness Club).

Try our new and improved SMS/texting service!

Beth Johnson — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 19:27:59 +0000

We have upgraded our SMS/texting chat service and as a result have new SMS/texting numbers. To get in touch with the Reference Desk via chat, text your message to 5403182235. To get in touch with the Front Desk via chat, text your message to 5403182236.