Talking in the Library

America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009

There is a lot of information being thrown around regarding Washington’s Health Choices Act of 2009 (HR 3200).

Is this bill our solution?  Don't know.  Will I read every single page of this health reform bill?  Probably not.  It is such a huge piece of legislation!  Right now it is sitting in several committees, and I just don’t know how long it will take our leaders to read it and amend it to suit.  Or will they find it to suit at all?

Try the Library of Congress’ website for legislative information called THOMAS. As of this morning, the link to the Affordable Health Choices Act, bill # HR 3200, is listed at the top.  Choose that link, and you may want to start with the CRS Summary before checking out the complete bill. [note: CRS stands for Congressional Research Service, a bipartisan research service located within The Library of Congress.]  If you decide to read more, the Contents Display at the beginning should help you choose where to start.

Most likely by the time this bill is ready for a final vote there will be some changes.  Read it now!  If there is something you do not like, or something you like very much, now is the time to contact your representatives in DC and let them know where you stand!  Don’t let others speak for you.  Voting is not the only way to take part in our country.  Your representative stands for you, whether you voted for that person or not.  Inform yourself, then let them know how you want to be represented.

Your Government Resources Librarian

Short Cuts: To your health

If you are new to college, you've probably heard of the Freshman 15. Sadly, in my case it was the Freshman 30ish. ERRRRRR. It's so easy to gain... and so hard to lose. If you are struggling with your weight, here are some places for you to get help that are relatively inexpensive.

If you are like me, and prefer to get advice anonymously, try the MedlinePlus page on Weight Control. They link out to articles about health, statistics, and even clinical trials.

If you need a little more hands-on help, you should try the Exercise and Nutrition Services at the Rec Center. You can work out hardcore on the machines, with weights, or in group exercise classes. Or if you want some personal help, you can talk to a personal trainer or have a nutritional consolation.

The Rec isn't the only place to get some nutritional help; Lafene Health Center offers it too. They offer such helpful services as individualized nutritional counseling, metabolic testing, and links to good resources like athletic supplements and body image.

If all else fails, look at something gross. The blog This is Why You're Fat allows people to upload real pictures of food they are eating or just made. Like the Fool's Gold Loaf Sandwich a couple of pages in. Eww.

-- T. Coleman

Short Cuts is a series from K-State Libraries' Instruction Team providing library and research tips and tricks for undergraduates. Please feel free to share our articles and ideas with classes and colleagues - just give us credit!

Butterfly in the sky, goodbye

Friday morning I woke up to horrible news: after 26 years, Reading Rainbow is no longer being broadcast.  According to PBS.org, production of Reading Rainbow episodes ended several years ago.  Instead of enticing children to learn to read and to love reading by presenting kids reviewing their favorite books, children's programming will focus more on the foundations of reading, like phonetics. 

I'm all about children learning to read--and leveraging media to assist in these efforts. I am, after all, a Sesame Street kid and, although I hated almost every other aspect of The Electric Company, Easy Reader was the smoothest reading teacher in the land. 

However, hearing that Reading Rainbow is going off the air makes me want to kick something...hard.  What's the point of learning all of the rules of phonetics if you don't anticipate the joy and power that reading brings into your life? The book reviews written and presented by kids (real kids, who sometimes spoke to fast or flubbed a word) were golden.  Even LeVar Burton's overly earnest presentation had an obvious foundation in a love and excitement of the stories you could discover when reading--check it out:

Short Cuts: Someone Like You

You know I could use somebody – someone like you.

Already humming the Kings of Leon tune in your head?

Besides making you sing to yourself now while reading this, what I really want to do is let you know that here at K-State Libraries, we are so happy you are all back. We missed you. And yes, we need you.

My colleagues have already written a bit here about some of the great new additions and changes we made over the summer. You will be hearing about more great stuff as well. But do you know how it happened? It all happened because you let us know what you needed and wanted.

Oh, I know, you’re probably thinking, “but I never filled out a survey or comment card,” but trust me, you have let us know. In addition to leaving comments and suggestions with us at the Libraries, you also let us know whenever you call, stop by, email, or IM us a question. We pay attention to what patrons are telling us, even when you are not explicitly doing so. For example, when in the past we saw four or five you huddled around a computer on the 2nd Floor of Hale trying to all see the monitor at once, we knew that we needed something different. And in case you missed the earlier post that mentioned our solution, the new Collaboration Stations, check it out here.

So, thanks.  Thank you for talking to us, asking us questions and just coming here to do your work. We’re here paying attention to your needs and requests – even when you don’t realize you’re asking. And, if you do have something you want to comment on or ask about – just let us know. There are many ways to contact us:  Ask-A-Librarian.

-- M.E. Fritch

Short Cuts is a series from K-State Libraries' Instruction Team providing library and research tips and tricks for undergraduates. Please feel free to share our articles and ideas with classes and colleagues - just give us credit!

Short Cuts: BBB, let them do the checking for you

Welcome to K-State! Or, welcome back to those of you returning. Moving to a new town and school can be really exciting, and a bit nerve-wracking  -  especially when things go wrong. My first week of graduate school, my car broke down. There I was, in a new state far far away from anyone I knew with a messed up car. Luckily I was able to ask around and get a good recommendation for a mechanic. If you aren't as lucky, or just want a second opinion, check the Better Business Bureau. They rate a business from A+ to F or no rating. If there is a complaint, they list the complaint and whether or not it was resolved. You can also check out charities.

--T. Coleman

Short Cuts is a series from K-State Libraries' Instruction Team providing library and research tips and tricks for undergraduates. Please feel free to share our articles and ideas with classes and colleagues - just give us credit!

How do I print?

First, the good news: all K-Staters start the fall and spring semesters with $10 of printing on their eID and password.

Now, to actually print something: 

1.  If you haven't already, sit down at a computer in the library/computer lab

2.  Open whatever document it is that you need to print

3.  Click File/Print (or the equivalent in the program you are using)

4.  A print box will appear.  If you are just printing in the computer lab, the defaults should be ok.
You may want to change printing from duplex (double sided) to single-sided.

• On a PC, do this by clicking properties and selecting "General Everyday Printing"
• On a Mac, do this by un-checking the "Two Sided Printing" box

You may want to print in color ($.75/page).  In Hale Library, click the drop down arrow next to the printer name "Hale Black & White," click on "Hale MDC Color"

5. A window will pop up, asking you to name the print job.  I tend to use my own name "Sara K" If I'm printing several documents, I'll number them, too: "Sara K 1," Sara K 2" --you get the idea

6.  Go to the nearest print station (a printer with a computer next to it.) At the computer, log in with your eID and password. The list of print jobs will appear. Pick yours and click print.  You'll notice at the bottom of the screen that you can see how much you have left of the $10.

• The color printer is in the Media Development Center (MDC)/IT Help Desk area (Hale 214)

7. Log out.

8. Don't forget to grab your printouts.

Three "By the way" statements:

• If you are in Hale Library, you can go to any print station in the library to pick up your printouts.  If you are on 2nd floor and both print stations have long lines, you can go down to 1st, or back to the IT Help Desk area (214 Hale) or up to the 3rd floor to print out your documents. 
• Go to 214 Hale (MDC/IT Help Desk area) to log in and release your color documents (it's just around the corner in the MDC, in the room with all of the scanners)
• When your $10 is used up, you will need to add money to your K-State ID card.  We're about to transition to a new system, so stay tuned!

K-State Keepsakes: Edward M. Kennedy

 18th in the Series

Today as the country observes the death of Edward M. Kennedy at age 77, it is noteworthy to recall that he delivered the 61st Alfred M. Landon Lecture on Public Issues at Kansas State University on January 30, 1984.  The senator from Massachusetts spoke on "The Changing Relationship Between Politics and Public Policy."

Arriving 35 minutes late because his flight had been delayed, Senator Kennedy spoke to a capacity crowd of 1,800 people in McCain Auditorium.  The senator criticized President Ronald Reagan for a number of his recent policies.  President Reagan delivered a Landon Lecture in 1982 and in 1967 while serving as governor of California.  Senator Kennedy's brother, Robert, presented a Landon Lecture in 1968, his first public speech after announcing his candidacy for president.  He was assassinated a few months later.

The Kansas State Collegian reported that, unlike previous lectures, no protests or disturbances took place.  The people who crowded outside McCain Auditorium appeared more interested in meeting the senator than protesting.  John Carlin, governor of Kansas, and Senator Nancy Landon Kassebaum, Alf Landon's daughter, attended the lecture.

Twenty-five years ago Senator Kennedy addressed a number of issues that sound familiar today including the use of American troops in foreign countries.  He stated that he opposed "...the policy of scorning human rights [in El Salvador], and then putting 5,000 American troops on permanent maneuvers in Honduras...Central America must be an issue in this [presidential] campaign--so that afterwards we will not go to war by the back door, with our people divided and deceived.  History has taught us in anguish  and retreat the folly of that course."  A text of Senator Kennedy's speech is available in the University Archives and an audio version is accessible through the K-State Landon Lecture Series home page.

Named after Alfred M. Landon, former governor of Kansas, the lecture series began in 1966.  It is considered one of the most prestigious of its kind in the United States.  During the 2009-2010 academic year Admiral Michael G. Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Sheila C. Bair, chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, are scheduled to present the 154th and 155th Landon Lectures.

Tony Crawford, University Archivist

New Leisure Reading Books

Here are the newest additions to our Leisure Reading collection.  It's in its new location on the east end of 2nd floor.

Sisters and Husbands by Connie Briscoe

Knockout by Catherine Coulter

Undead and Unwelcome by MaryJanice Davidson

Roadside Crosses by Jeffery Deaver

Finger Lickin’ Fifteen by Janet Evanovich

The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner

Skin Trade by Laurell K. Hamilton

The Story Sisters by Alice Hoffman

The Enchantment Emporium by Tanya Huff

The Devil’s Punchbowl by Greg Iles

Soul of a Dog by Jon Katz

Relentless by Dean R. Koontz

A Rogue of My Own by Johanna Lindsey

Robert Ludlum’s the Bourne Deception by Eric Lustbader

Heartless by Diana Palmer

Swimsuit by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

Killer Summer by Ridley Pearson

Wonder Woman: Love and Murder by Jodi Picoult

Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Matters of the Heart by Danielle Steel

The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham

Grad Student Library Day--Guaranteed Research Methods

Grad students--ride that energy wave of first week good intentions this Friday, August 28th, by attending Grad Student Library Day.  Library Day is your opportunity to learn all about finding full text dissertations, storing and citing sources with RefWorks, or finding and using images, sound, and film for your research--or for your classes if you are teaching. But wait, there's more: business, legal, or congressional research, Google, Interlibrary Loan and Get It, plus a Hale tour and overview of very handy tools.

Library Day is designed like a conference with 50-minute concurrent sessions.  To relieve any scheduling conflicts for you, we're repeating the morning sessions in the afternoon.  Come for one session, two sessions, or stay for the whole day.Since your research pulls from many fields, we've developed sessions that feature multi-disciplinary resources and methods.

We held a Faculty Library Day before the semester started and I made a promise to them that I will also make to grad students.  I will guarantee that any session you attend will provide you with one tool, trick, or resource that will save you hours (at least) in the future.  If it doesn't, contact me and I will treat you to your non-alcoholic beverage of choice (skearns @ ksu.edu).

If you can't make this Friday, we have a joint Faculty/Grad Library Day scheduled for Monday, October 5th--the student holiday.  See the schedule and sign up for this Friday or October 5th.  Hope to see you there!

Short Cuts: If this is the Library, Where are All the Books? by D.F. Ekart

So, you’re new to K-State, psyched about being in college, and primed to get what your Great-Uncle Jed calls “some book learnin”.  You march yourself into Hale, the biggest library on campus, ready to hoist a massive tome or two, pause, and then let your eyes drink in the sight of all those…tables?

What the heck?

If this is the library, where are all the books?

They’re here, rest assured.  K-State Libraries has some two million volumes just waiting for you to need them.  We just don’t put them out on the main floor.

So, what’s all the space for?

It’s for you.  There are tables for studying and group projects, Macs and PCs for your computer needs, and some comfy couches and chairs for more relaxed or quiet study.  And that’s not all.  

There’s the Help Desk, staffed with smart, friendly, and helpful folks for more than 80 hours each week. At the Help Desk, you can check out and return materials, pick up interlibrary loans, have someone help you find a book in the stacks, get research help, and generally ask just about any question you have. If you’re not sure if the Help Desk is where you should go, give it a try anyway.  If they’re not the right people to assist you, they’ll know who is.

You’ll also find some incredible equipment.  Those giant TV-looking things on wheels are Collaboration Stations.  You and your classmates can wheel one to where you’re sitting, hook up laptops and work together on the vast expanse of a 42” monitor.  Near the Help Desk, there’s a Self-Check machine for checking out materials when the Help Desk is busy or closed and you just want to grab and go.  On the front wall near the windows is an overhead scanner – great for making free digital copies of materials that can’t leave the library, or that are just too heavy to carry around. You can email the copies to yourself, or save them to a USB drive.

Oh, and there are just a few books.  Down on the east end, we’ve set up our Leisure Reading collection, for those times when schoolwork overwhelms you and you just want to escape it with some great fiction.

Finally, don’t worry that it didn’t look like a library to you.  Consider that your first college lesson – the library is for a lot more than just “book learnin”.

Short Cuts is a series from K-State Libraries' Instruction Team providing library and research tips and tricks for undergraduates. Please feel free to share our articles and ideas with classes and colleagues - just give us credit!