What's New? Archived News

Meet The Authors: List of previous guests
Practical Information Series: A Recap of Previous Sessions
Cite It Right: Assistance with APA and MLA Styles
Library Installs New Web Cams, Courtesy of Sprint
Operation Orientation: Fall Library Open House
Faculty/Staff Bibliography Database
The Re:search Zone": New Reference Area
APA & MLA Style Assistance
What is SYNDETICS?
Connect NY: Access to over 3 Million Items!
Contest Results: Why I love RIT Library"

"MEET THE AUTHORS": Previous Guest Authors

2005:
January 12, 2005: Dr. Harry Lang, Professor at the National Technical Institute of the Deaf, gave a very spirited and engaging presentation to a large crowd. He discussed his two publications, "Edmund Booth: Deaf Pioneer" and "A Phone of Our Own: The Deaf Insurrection Against Ma Bell".

2004:
January 21, 2004: Jim and Dancy Duffus. Mr. Duffus is a member of the RIT Institute of Fellows, and Mrs. Duffus is a member of RIT's Board of Trustees. Mr. and Mrs. Duffus discussed their trekking adventures and their book "A Guide to Car-Hiking the Appalachian Trail".

February 11, 2004: R. Roger Remington. A professor in the RIT College of Imaging Arts and Sciences, our special guest discussed the fascinating process of bringing his book, "American Modernism: Graphic Design, 1920-1960 from concept to reality.

March 17, 2004: Professors Marcia Birken (Professor of Mathematics, College of Science) and Anne Coon (Professor of Language & Literature, College of Liberal Arts) discussed how they have negotiated the process of writing collaboratively for over twenty years. For this event, they focused on their current book manuscript "Patterns in Poetry and Mathematics".

April 21, 2004: Professor Sam Abrams (Professor, College of Liberal Arts, Department of Language and Literature) regaled an enthusiastic audience with selections from his publication "The Old Pothead Poems".

May 5, 2004: Professor John Roche (Professor, College of Liberal Arts) and a representative contigent of student authors and visual artists read aloud from the most recent edition of "SIGNATURES" Magazine. Every year, the entire RIT community eagerly anticipates this collection of amazing student creative work.

October 20, 2005: Dr. James Fleming (Professor of Political Science; RIT College of Liberal Arts) was our first guest of the new school year, and he discussed his book "Window on Congress: A Congressional Biography of Barber B. Conable, Jr."

2003:
January 15, 2003: Phil Tam-Al Alalibo, Assistant Director of the RIT Center for Residence Life. "Stories From Around the World: A Collection of Children's Stories."

February 19, 2003: Thomas B. Barker, Associate Professor in the Center for Quality and Applied Statistics in RIT's College of Engineering. "Quality By Experimental Design" and "Engineering Quality by Design".

March 18, 2003: Dr. Robert Manning, The Caroline Werner Gannett Professor in Humanities at RIT's College of Liberal Arts. "Credit Card Nation".

April 9, 2003: Ms. Chandra McKenzie, Assistant Provost and Director of RIT Libraries. Selections from several published works of poetry were presented.

May 7, 2003: Professor John Roche and several students who have all contributed to this year's "Signatures" Magazine were featured. Students read some of their original poetry and displayed some of their artwork at The Soap Box.

September 24, 2003: Dr. Alejandro B. Engel, Professor of Mathematics at RIT's College of Science. "La Brisa Del Tiempo".

October 29, 2003: RIT President Dr. Albert J. Simone. Presidetn Simone graciously discussed his recently published White Paper "Very Good to Great". Followed by an open Q & A session at The Soapbox.

November 19, 2003: Dr. David Suits and Professor Dane Gordon, Professors, Department of Philosophy, College of Liberal Arts. "Epicurus; His Continuing Influence and Contemporary Relevance."

2002:
Series Debut- September 25, 2002: Dr. Katherine "Kit" Mayberry, RIT's Associate Provost for Academic Programs. "Everyday Arguments" and "For Argument's Sake".

October 9, 2002: Dane R. Gordon, author of "Rochester Institute of Technology: Industrial Development and Educational Innovation in an American City".

November 6, 2002: Mr. Frank Romano, Professor in the College of Imaging Arts & Sciences in the RIT School of Printing. "Desktop Follies" and "InDesign InDetail".

"PRACTICAL INFORMATION SESSIONS": Previous Topics

2004:
"UNRAVELING THE MYSTERIES OF FINANCIAL AID" with Verna Hazen, RIT Financial Aid.
"E-THESES"

2003:
"INVESTING 101"
"BUYING OR LEASING A VEHICLE"
"HOW TO START YOUR OWN BUSINESS AND RAISE VENTURE CAPITAL"

"Cite it Right!" - Make sense of proper formatting of citations!
The Library is offering informal "how to" sessions for RIT students.

Do you need help properly formatting a citation for your bibliography/works cited page? It can be confusing, but we are here to help take the mystery out of the process. RIT Library is offering a series of open (just drop by during the specified times) sessions for students. At each session, a knowledgeable librarian will be available to answer your questions about proper formatting of citations. Many times, proper execution can result in superior grades!

For additional information on the "Cite it Right!" sessions, please feel free to call the Library's Reference Desk at 475-2563. These informal sessions are FREE and open to all.

CAN YOU SEE ME NOW? ... GOOD!
RIT Library installs webcams, courtesy of SPRINT

Deaf students are experiencing a new form of communication through the use of small, digital video cameras that connect to computers and enable users to stream live video over the Internet-thanks to Sprint, who donated 200 webcams to the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), a college of Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). There are several of these units installed at RIT Library, as part of this program.

"The webcams allow students for the first time to use sign language when making phone calls," said Mary Beth Barber-Mothersell, Sprint Relay account manager and NTID/RIT graduate. "The NTID/RIT campus is fully wired with high-speed Internet, so students are ready to take advantage of this incredible technology."

Internet relay service, like traditional telephone relay service, allows deaf and hard-of-hearing people to call hearing telephone users via a web browser and a relay operator who translates text into voice and vice versa. Sprint's Video Relay Service, however, delivers a much richer experience for individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. VRS and webcams allow visual communication using ASL instead of text-based, typed English. This method enables a much more natural conversational flow among the parties and the relay operator in real time, eliminating the time lag common with text-based relay. Deaf and hard-of hearing VRS users now have the option to conduct telephone conversations in his/her preferred language.

Sprint's long partnership with NTID is based on a common goal of enhancing students' telecommunications experience via technological advances. Previously, Sprint donated videoconferencing equipment to the NTID Learning Center, enabling NTID students to interview for co-op positions in other states without leaving campus, and for administrators to conduct meetings with sister colleges overseas. The Sprint Endowed Scholarship Fund was created in 1994 to support scholarship awards for deaf and hard-of-hearing students attending NTID/RIT. Sprint was also a platinum sponsor of NTID's recent 35th anniversary/alumni reunion.

For more information about Video Relay Service, see www.sprintvrs.com Powered by CSD, or www.sprintrelayonline.com.

LIBRARY FALL ORIENTATION/OPEN HOUSE!
A brief review of our Fall "kick-off" events of past years .

SEPTEMBER 2004: "IT'S ALL ABOUT YOU!"
SEPTEMBER 2003: "A QUILT of MANY CULTURES"
SEPTEMBER 2002: "OPERATION ORIENTATION: WELCOME HOME!"
SEPTEMBER 2001: "F.L.A.C. DAY: WHAT'S COOKING @ RIT LIBRARY?"

RIT FACULTY/STAFF BIBLIOGRAPHY DATABASE
Have you been published? Would you like to let others know about it?
The Faculty & Staff Bibliography Database provides a central, interactive location where RIT faculty and staff can post and edit their own writings. A search function allows database users to generate a list of publications sorted by author, title, college or department, type of publication, or area or expertise. This database was created by Wallace Library to provide a central location for the listing of faculty and staff writings. These writings can be books, book chapters, dissertations, conference papers, newspaper, magazine or journal articles.

The database will grow as faculty and staff register and input or update their own data. No password is required to search the database. Faculty and staff entering data will need to register in the system. The registration process includes the creation of a personal username and password. You must "Log In" using this information in order to add new, update or delete bibliographic information in the database. To get started, please direct your browser to: http://ellie.rit.edu:1208/.

"RE:SEARCH ZONE" OPENS!
There's never a dull moment at RIT Library! The latest enhancement to the Library is the new Reference area, which has been totally revamped. Gone are the old wooden Reference Desk and the rows of study tables that once supported computers and monitors for public use. With the help of Rochester-based Hurbson Interiors, funky new Herman Miller furnishings have been installed in the sprawling first floor area, now called "The RE:SEARCH ZONE". (Since a lot of internet searches and research of all types are typically done in this free and open "lab", the new name attempts to reflect both. At the same time it intends to say "regarding Searching") Located just inside the entrance on the Library's first floor, "The RE:SEARCH ZONE" refers to both the new Reference Desk and the large open (free) array of computer workstations. Driven by a desire to provide Library patrons with increased "elbow room", more privacy, and enhanced ergonomic comfort, all seating and work surfaces have been replaced. The new two-piece Reference Desk (staffed by knowledgeable Library Subject Specialists) appears less imposing and much more accessible than the antiquated wooden desk it replaced. New, lightweight yet durable chairs allow patrons to easily work in small clusters, if they so desire.

The colorful, roomy workstations can accommodate more than 40 patrons, and their organic design provides a soothing, relaxed ambiance. In addition to the workstations, the Library has also added some unique seating options for laptop users. These are very comfortable, stuffed chairs, complete with an adjustable support designed specifically for laptop computer use. These colorful, laptop-friendly chairs are scattered around the RE:SEARCH ZONE. Next time you're in the Library, be sure to give them a test drive!

APA & MLA STYLE Assistance Available!
Need help putting together that "Works Cited" page at the end of your paper or figuring out how to cite something in the text of your paper? Well, Wallace Library has created a web page containing a variety of ways to get answers.
The web page at http://wally.rit.edu/internet/subject/apamla.htm includes for each style:

SYNDETICS? What IS it?
Have you ever searched the Library's Catalog, thought you had found the book you needed, but were not 100 percent sure it was the title you had in mind? If only you could see the book jacket, or view the Table of Contents, you would know for sure. Or maybe you have located a title you are considering picking up at the Library, but if only you could read a review of the book before making the trip to come check it out....

Well, recently, RIT's Wallace Library became one of the first academic Libraries to subscribe to a powerful software enhancement tool (from Syndetics Solutions) that adds helpful information and images to the Library's online catalog. Advertised as "Catalog Enrichment Services" by the company, these enhancements simulate the visual content of sites such as Amazon.com. While searching the Wallace Library catalog, visitors can click an "additional information" button, and (depending on the title) may see an actual color image of the book jacket, as well as details such as the book's Table of Contents. Also available in many cases are reviews, first chapters and excerpts, summaries and annotations, author notes, and Syndetic's own fiction and biography profiles. While older titles are not yet included in this feature, many of the titles published after 1985 have been enhanced. A Syndetics spokesperson recently stated, "We have a few very small colleges, who are actually part of a public library consortium, but RIT (Wallace Library) is definitely the first major academic library to subscribe." It should be noted that, while not all books are currently included, Syndetics is constantly adding titles and many details. This software is also customizable to suit a particular Library's unique needs.

If you are interested in learning more, contact Syndetics at www.Syndetics.com. Or, visit Wallace Library's online catalog and conduct your own search to see it in action!

"CONNECT NY": Click. Connect. Success!

Borrow directly from other NY State academic libraries!
RIT Library is very proud and excited about the popularity of "Connect NY", a statewide library consortia effort which allows the RIT community to check out materials from Vassar, Colgate University, Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute, and St. Lawrence University. The already impressive volumes of these institutions have virtually exploded upon launch of the service. At present, the current count of the shared items in the Connect NY Catalog is greater than three million items! In the future, additional libraries may join Connect NY, which would result in a shared catalog of immense proportions. Patrons first search RIT's Einstein Catalog and if the title is not available at Wallace Library, they may choose to have their search transferred to the combined "Connect NY" catalog. If the title is found there, patrons may check it out online, and the item will be available for pickup at the RIT Library within 48 hours (or sent via FedEx to off-campus distance learners).

CLICK. CONNECT. SUCCESS!
The Connect NY catalog contains bibliographic, location, and availability information for materials in participating libraries. Resources included are: books, magazines, journals, newspapers, government documents, archives and manuscript, audiovisual materials, maps, sound recordings, music scores, films, videotape and electronic resources. The system is continuously updated from each local library catalog over the Internet and displays current circulation status, local call numbers and other pertinent information. Material listed can be borrowed and delivered to your local library, usually arriving within 48 hours of the request! Students, faculty and staff with valid member library University ID cards can request a book through the Connect NY catalog. If you are not a Connect NY-affiliated cardholder, you can request material through Interlibrary Loan at your local school, public, or academic library. Connect directly at http://www.connectny.info/, or click on the Connect NY logo wherever you see it on the website. If you have questions concerning this powerful new service, please visit the Reference Desk or the Circulation Desk at Wallace Library, or contact your Reference Librarian.

Student Writing Contest Sponsored by RIT Library
RIT Library celebrated National Library Week 2003 by sponsoring a student creative writing contest. OFFICIAL RESULTS AND THE WINNING ENTRIES HAVE BEEN POSTED TO THE CONTEST WEB PAGES.