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Library Calendar of Events
July 21
ReservesExpress open for fall submissions
August 20-21
Helmke Library's annual Welcome Tent
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Fall Preview
The library is preparing for a busy fall semester. The most dramatic change you will notice is the library's new Web site which is migrating to the campus Web platform. We're still under construction but you may preview the library's new site and send us your comments. Information Services librarians are also using a new software platform to create a variety of course and subject guides with more graphics and interactive tools. All of the library's databases and indexes are available in a streamlined A-Z list.
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Calling all Fall Reserves!
ReservesEXpress (REX) will be open for fall reserve requests on Saturday, July 21. Service Desk staff asks that instructors submit the majority of their reserve requests before the first day of classes on August 20.
This fall, the library will be implementing measures to comply with Purdue University's Web Accessibility Policy which requires that "all new and redesigned Web pages published by a Purdue University college, department, program or unit" conform to standards established by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 794d). According to Purdue's policy, required course materials scanned for online reserve must be machine-readable so that the text can be translated to audio files for the sight-impaired.
REX processing time will be increased because scanning artifacts may prevent intelligible OCR transcripts. New guidelines and instructions for items submitted for scanning into REX will be sent to instructors soon.
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In Memoriam: Willard (Ted) Hunsberger
 Library staff were saddened to hear of the passing of Willard (Ted) Hunsberger, Helmke Library's first library director, on May 16, 2012. Ted served during the library's crucial formative years, 1968-1991.
Ted studied the life of Clarence Darrow and published a bibliography about him in 1981. Ted also loved to sing and performed with the Philharmonic Chorus while he lived in Fort Wayne.
After his first marriage ended in divorce, he married Pauline Farquhar, a Helmke librarian co-worker in 1976. Joyce Saltsman, Service Desk Manager, recalls how Ted and Pauline kept their relationship a secret from library staff until Pauline "held out her left hand, and it had one of the biggest diamond engagement rings on it that I had ever seen. It was a huge surprise!"
Retired Library Director, Judith Violette, shared this email remembering the significant contributions Ted made that continue to impact the Helmke library today.
Ted was the director when I started to work at IPFW in 1970. At the time, the library was housed (i.e. crammed into) in the space now occupied by ITS. As director he helped plan the first and only library building on campus which has served us amazingly well over the years. With the IU and Purdue chancellors, Ted carried the first load of books to the new building in the famous book walk of September 1972.
Ted was director when we had the fund drive that not only added the fourth floor, but also established the library's endowment.
Ted was also the director when the IU Board of Trustees granted librarians tenure. Trying to cope with a new building and helping the librarians implement tenure procedures could not have been easy, but so long as I knew him, I never heard him complain about that or anything else.
Ted was a congenial and helpful colleague and during his years at IPFW he worked at just about every job in the library.
--Judith Violette, May 2012
Memorial contributions may be made to the Fort Wayne Philharmonic or Goshen College. |
Apps-olutely
File management is the iPad's biggest weakness. We've advocated cloud storage with a free Dropbox account, but now your iPad can become a wireless flash drive with Air Sharing.
 Air Sharing is an app that turns your iPad into an external hard drive. When your iPad and your computer are connected to the same network, you can mount the app right onto the network and save files to it. The files are stored on your iPad, and you can open them from any other computer that is on a network you have access to. While testing this app, I connected to the IPFW wireless network, saved a file to Air Sharing on my (hard wired) work computer, viewed the file on my iPad, and then opened it on my laptop at home. The app can even connect with remote servers like email or Dropbox, and with other devices using Air Sharing.
Of course, there are caveats. Air Sharing comes with clear instructions about how to connect with different kinds of computer or network, but it can be a confusing process. The app allows you to view some file types from within the app, but files usually cannot be opened with other apps. (For instance, you can view a presentation saved with Air Sharing but you can't open it with the Keynote app). Printing directly from Air Sharing requires an Apple AirPrint printer. Using advanced features require more advanced tech skills. Finally, learn about the security risks inherent in all computer networks to make sure your files stay safe.
You can purchase Air Sharing for $10 from the App Store.
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The Eagle:
Government Resources Discovery
Congress loves creating bills. The 111th Congress (2009-2010) introduced over 10,000 House and Senate bills, though the vast majority never saw floor action and fewer than 400 were signed into law. With so much going on under the Capitol dome, it's easy to become overwhelmed - which is why it's essential to know how to search for bills through the Library of Congress' THOMAS resource.
Researchers can find the full text of bills dating from the 101st Congress (1989-1990) to present through THOMAS. THOMAS has four search options: Search Bill Text (by word/phrase or bill number), Search Bill Summary & Status (with additional limiters such as bill sponsor or committee), Search Multiple Congresses (by word/phrase), and Browse Bills & Resolutions (by type of bill, or whether it originated in the House or Senate).
You can also find bills through FDSys, though this archive only dates back to the 103rd Congress (1993-1994).
What about earlier bills? The Library of Congress' website A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation has digitized bills and resolutions for the House from 1799-1873 and the Senate from 1819-1820 and 1823-1873. To locate print copies of bills between 1874 and 1989 (the 43rd to 100th Congress), consult government documents specialist, librarian Brandon Bowen.
Happy searching!
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New Resources
Dictionary of Old English (DOE) online The Dictionary of Old English (DOE) defines the vocabulary of the first six centuries (600 - 1150 A.D.) of the English language. The DOE covers eight of the 22 letters in the Old English alphabet. Currently there are 12,568 headwords included online.
Dictionary of Old English (DOE) Web Corpus The Dictionary of Old English Web Corpus is an online database consisting of at least one copy of every surviving Old English text. In some cases, more than one copy is included if it is significant because of dialect or date. The DOE Web Corpus represents over three million words of Old English and fewer than a million words of Latin.
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Library People and Accomplishments
 PresentationsBeth Overhauser and Shannon Johnson. (June 2012) Oooh, Shiny! Adapting services, engaging scholars, and stealing the spotlight with the iPad. Poster session presented at the American Library Association Annual Conference,
Anaheim, CA.
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