Newman Library News

Professor Kimmy Szeto will join the Newman Library faculty on July 8^th as Metadata Librarian.  Since 2007 he has held the position of Cataloging and Metadata Librarian at SUNY Maritime College. Previously he was Metadata Librarian for the Queens Borough Public Library. He has taught in the fields of Mathematics, Music, Geology, and Library Science at Columbia, CUNY, Illinois Institute of Art, University of Illinois, and the University of Chicago.

Professor Szeto holds the following degrees: MLS, Queens College/CUNY; MPhil (Marine Geology and Geophysics ), Columbia University; MA (Earth and Environmental Science), Columbia University; MA (Earth and Environmental Science), University of Chicago; and BA (Music and Mathematical Statistics), Columbia University.  He is an accomplished musician with licenses in both violin and piano performance from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (UK) and serves as General Manager/Ensemble Librarian for the Argento New Music Project.

The Library has approximately 400 graphing calculators available for Baruch College students to borrow for the spring 2013 semester.  Students who are interested in borrowing a calculator must enter their names on a list in ONE of the following ways:

1.  Text the word “calculator” to 877877 and reply to the request for your Baruch e-mail address.  (Message and data rates may apply.)

OR

2.  Enter your Baruch e-mail address on this online form.

The randomly selected patrons will receive an email message on Thursday, January 31.  They will have until closing (9:50) on Thursday, February 7 to pick up their calculators.

First-come, first-served distribution of remaining calculators will begin at 9:30AM on Friday, February 8.

Multiple entries will result in disqualification from the calculator loan process.  Entries must be submitted by 7:00 a.m. on January 31, 2012.

The Newman Library is offering three new three-credit courses as part of its Minor in Information Studies.

• INFORMATION FUTURES
  Students will examine ideas about the impact of information on the future. The course will be structured around the speculative literature from the past and the present, and will engage students in a model of predictive research to imagine the impact of information on the future. The past, present, and future will be examined through three prisms: information artifacts, human activities, and societal structures (social, economic, cultural, and political). Visual media, fiction, and analytical resources will be used to discover how people and groups have thought about information and its capacity to change who we are and how we live.
• LOCAL HISTORY DETECTIVE
  This course is designed to provide students with an overview of how the history of a community can be revealed through the use of primary materials. From Colonial Times to the present, American settlers have had the foresight to save remnants of their history for future generations. In addition, independent historical societies and early museums, as well as local and federal governments have played significant roles in preserving the past. Specialized collections, real and virtual repositories, and the many kinds of sources valuable to local history research will be explored.
• IMAGE AS INFORMATION: Image-Based information & Resources
  This course examines theoretical principles and practical approaches to visual-based information retrieval, evaluation, and use in academic, professional, and daily-life activities. Students will gain a greater understanding and awareness of social, ethical, and structural issues related to participating in a visual-interactive information culture as informed producers/consumers (prosumers). Visual literacy and presumption literature concepts will be applied to exploring, creating, and evaluating image-based information and resources.

For more information, contact Professor Randy Hensley, Head of Instruction for the Newman Library

The Newman Library has licensed Mango Languages for all students, faculty, and staff.  This interactive learning program teaches practical conversation and cultural awareness. The 45 languages offered include: Arabic (Levantine), Chinese (Cantonese), Chinese (Mandarin), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dari, Dutch, Farsi (Persian), Finnish, French, French (Canadian), German, Greek, Haitian Creole, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Hindi, Indonesian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Pashto, Pirate, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Slovak, Spanish (Latin America), Tagalog, Tamil, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu and Vietnamese. There is also a mobile app that users can download to learn a language on the go.

You do not have to create an account to use this database. However, if you want to track your progress, you should create a personal account.

Baruch College’s contract with the Library’s current photocopy service vendor has expired.  The vendor will remove the photocopiers on December 27, 2012.  Any balance on copycards at that time will be lost.   The Library’s printing and scanning services are not affected.

Baruch College Library Open 24 Hours a Day for One Week (11/7-11/15)

Starting this evening (11/7), Baruch students studying for mid-term exams, as well as those looking to catch-up or get ahead of their studies given the disruption of Hurricane Sandy, will be able to find study and reading space 24 hours a day in the Newman Library for one week commencing this evening, Wednesday, November 7th and concluding Thursday night, November 15th when the library will close that evening (as it does for regularly scheduled hours) at midnight.  The service desks will close at their regularly scheduled times throughout the week.  Please visit the following page to confirm the hours of the various service desks: http://newman.baruch.cuny.edu/about/hours.html

Although the reference desk will close at its usual time, chat reference service is available 24 x 7 at http://newman.baruch.cuny.edu/help/askalibrarian.html

The College is extending hours to accommodate Baruch students who now have additional class meetings, assignments and exams loaded into the weeks before the end of the semester.  Your academic progress is a priority.  We hope that you and your families are well and recovering from the disastrous impact of the hurricane.

The Newman Library will reopen on Monday, November 5 at 7:00 a.m. following the closure of the Baruch College campus since October 28 due to Hurricane Sandy.  The Library will be closed on Saturday, November 3 and Sunday, November 4.

The Ticker, the official newspaper of Baruch College, is celebrating its 80^th anniversary this year. As is often the case with school publications, the Ticker began humbly, but has risen over the years to a well-respected, award winning newspaper.

This on-line exhibit uses pictures, advertisements and testimonials to provide a glimpse into each decade up to the present. Preserving the memories of the college and serving as a unifying force to a dispersed college campus, the Ticker has become a source of pride to the entire Baruch College community.

Ticker staff
Lexicon, 2008 (Baruch College Archives)

First Known Photo of Ticker staff
Microcosm 1934 (Courtesy of C.C.N.Y. Archives)

Professor Frank Donnelly, the College’s Geospatial Data Librarian will offer a day-long (9 a.m. to 4:30 pm) GIS workshop on October 12 and November 9.  Baruch students (undergraduate, graduate, CAPS), CUNY graduate students, and Baruch and CUNY faculty and staff are eligible to register.  Registrants should possess basic to intermediate level computer skills.  Registration fee is $30.A light breakfast and a detailed tutorial booklet will be provided.

Participants will:

• Add data to GIS software and navigate a GIS interface
• Perform basic geoprocessing operations for preparing vector GIS data
• Convert text-based data to a GIS data format
• Conduct geographic analyses using standard GIS tools and vector data
• Create thematic maps using the principles of map projections, data classification, symbolization, and cartographic design
• Locate GIS data on the web and consider the merits of different data sources
• Demonstrate competency with a specific GIS package (open source QGIS)
• Identify other GIS topics (tools and techniques for analysis), data formats (raster, vector), and software (open source and ArcGIS) to pursue for future study.

For more information and to register go here.

Baruch College students may now use the Newman Library’s online Group Study Room Reservation Service to reserve a room up to one day in advance.  After logging in with a Baruch username and password, users see the availability of the rooms that hold 2-3 people and the rooms that hold 4-8 people.  For rooms that are marked “available” a reservation may be made for a period of up to 3 hours or until room closing time, whichever is shorter.  Only one reservation per user is permitted per day.  Users still need to charge out the room key at the circulation desk.  Reservations are automatically cancelled fifteen minutes after starting time if the key is not checked out at the circulation desk; the room is then made available to other users on a first-come, first-served basis.  For more information about the service, please visit the Newman Library’s circulation desk.