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Helmke Library Receives Second Muslim Journeys Grant
 Let's Talk About It: Muslim Journeys, a reading and discussion series, has been made possible through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities in cooperation with the American Library Association.
The first event related to the two grants are two screenings and discussion of the film Prince Among Slaves with discussant Dr. Quinton Dixie:
Friday, September 6th, 2013, 5:30-8:30pm
IPFW campus (location TBD)
Sunday, September 8th, 2013, 2:00-5:00pm
Allen County Public Library main library
All are welcome.
Other film screenings and reading and discussion events will take place from September 2013 through August 2014. Many thanks to the Planning Committee and chair Dr. Erik Ohlander for their work and support!
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Partnership for Literacy: OLRC Receives Funding from Rotary International
It all began in 2007, in the confines of Helmke library as I prepared for a trip to my natal home of Ontulili in Kenya. Here I was a librarian, with plenty of books everywhere I turned - at work, at home, in public places - including many books whose owners did not want them anymore.
I also knew of a place far, far away from Helmke library but so close and dear to me, where to find a book to read was a golden event. I shared this reality with some of my colleagues who passionately organized a book drive. We packed 50 lbs. of donated books, and on my trip to the village where I grew up, I shared gold with the children.
The Ontulili Literacy Project was born from that visit. The Project's mission is to build and equip a library to support literacy and education in the Ontulili community, where many students attending public school finish 8th grade without attaining basic reading skills.
In partnership with the local Ontulili community, whose commitment to the project recently resulted in a donated acre of land to serve as the site for the Center, and literacy supporters around the globe such as Rotary International, the Ontulili Literacy Project will be realized. For more information, please visit the project web site or contact Florence Mugambi.
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Library Special Needs Grants Awarded
The IPFW Senate Library Subcommittee met on April 13, 2013 to review special needs grant requests from faculty. The library received eleven grant requests totaling $26,000. Following are the Special Needs Award winners:
- Butler, Clark (Philosophy) Normative Ethics, $3,000
- Cousik, Rama (Professional Studies) Special Education Courses Enrichment, $1,236
- Fleming, Damian (English & Linguistics) Latin Language and Literature, $2,985
- Fleming, Damian (English & Linguistics) Medieval Studies, $3,000
- Hickey, Gail (Education Studies) Teaching for Thinking: Critical Resources, $1,411
- Lawton, Carol (Psychology) Materials on the DSM 5 and other advances in clinical psychology, $1,179
- Neuman, Janette (Nursing) IPFW Graduate Nursing Program: Promoting Success $2,467
- Strayer, Jeff (Philosophy) Philosophy Reference Works $3,000
- Sun, Hao (English & Linguistics) Strengthening the applied linguistics collection, $1,922
- Vega, Margaret (Anthropology) Anthropology and Archaeology of Violence, War, Conflict, and Peace, $3,000
- Wark, Linda (Human Services) Ethics, Policy, Law and Professional Issues in Human Services, $3,000
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Overnight at the Helmke Library
Once again, the Helmke Library was open 24/7 during "dead week" and finals week. The library opened at 8:00 a.m. April 29 and did not close until 6:00 p.m. May 10. During these twelve days, there were 44,846 visits to the library. Our thanks to IPSGA for providing funding to pay the library staff who worked the overnight hours.
Also during finals week, students, faculty, and staff visited the IPFW Learning Commons to get beaned! We are talking Java, Cup-of-Joe, liquid caffeine, COFFEE! Each semester, the much anticipated Coffee/Study Break Table occurs during the early evening hours of the first three days of finals week. Sponsored by the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Helmke Library's Dean, those looking for an energy boost or just wanting to take a break from studying were invited to stop by and refuel on a selection of snacks. Along with Chancellor Carwein, there were smiling volunteers serving up coffee and snacks from Career Services, the Center for Academic Support and Advancement, the Dean of Students Office, Helmke Library, the Mastodon Advising Center, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, and Student Life. What a great way to wrap up the semester!
Not counting the collective brain power in evidence, Monday evening of finals week proved to be the most "exciting" time to be in the library. The building had to be evacuated twice because of fire alarms. No fire, happily, just a faulty smoke detector.
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Summer Hours with Saturday Change!
For the first time in several years, the library is making a slight change in its summer hours. The library will be opening at noon on Saturday, with librarians on duty to assist with research needs from noon until 4:00pm. These hours will be in effect until August 9.
Monday - Thursday: 8:00am - 11:00pm
Friday: 8:00am - 6:00pm
Saturday: Noon - 5:00pm
Sunday: Closed
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Opus Highlights from 2012
- 50,154 downloads in 2012
- 31,379 visits in 2012
- 7,131 items in Opus
- Most downloaded faculty series: College of Education and Public Policy's open access journal scholarlypartnershipsedu
- Department with most items in Opus: English and Linguistics with 663 items
Also in the report, the introductory discussion of the altmetrics derived from Opus will be useful to participants as are other altmetrics resources in our Citation Searching and Analysis Guide.
We are looking forward to an even bigger year in 2013, one that includes Faculty Profiles created by all and representation of all faculty scholarly output from all colleges in addition to student and master's candidates' contributions.
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Apps-olutely: Summer Edition
It's summer - time for fieldwork and some fun. Here are some great apps for the great outdoors:
 Leafsnap (free): From Colombia University, the University of Maryland, and the Smithsonian Institution, this app will identify tree species based on photos of their leaves.  Star Walk ($2.99): Interested in "augmented stargazing?" Hold up your iPad to the night sky and see the stars, planets, satellites, and constellations; tap for extensive information about each celestial body. You can even point your iPad toward the ground to view the stars in the opposite hemisphere!  Army Survival ($1.99): If your summer adventures might leave you fending for yourself, brush up on basic survival, evasion, first aid, and recovery skills from U.S. Army Field Manual 21-76. Enhanced with new images of plants, animals, and insects, this app will help you survive in any climate. The "Psychology of Survival" section might even help you survive that long road trip with your kids! |
The Eagle
Home to family picnics and often recognized as the beginning of summer, Memorial Day is one of the first federal holidays of the year. The Department of Veteran Affairs web site is a good place to read about the history of Memorial Day and its evolution from Decoration Day honoring Civil War dead to the expansion to honor those who have died in all American wars. In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress, though it is still often called Decoration Day. The Memorial Day holiday weekend marks an unofficial start to the summer season and with so many people taking to the water, a refresher course on recreational safety may be in order. The Coast Guard's Boating Safety Resource Center is a comprehensive resource on responsible boating, handling accidents, safety regulations, and statistics. Al Roker hosts a video Public Service Announcement on the home page about responsible boating. The National Library of Medicine's Medline Plus, a free, web-based health resource for consumers, also has a listing of Recreational Water Safety information. Medline also allows users to sign up for email alerts for new information when it's released. For more in-depth information on Medline Plus, contact librarian Shannon Johnson, and as always, government questions can be directed to librarian Brandon Bowen. |
New Tables and Chairs in the Learning Commons
 They have arrived! Through a generous donation from IPSGA which was matched by IPFW administration, the IPFW Learning Commons now has 30 new tables and 150 new chairs. These have replaced the 40-year old tables and chairs. The new tables and chairs on wheels will make it a lot easier for students to rearrange them for their individual or group study needs.
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Helmke Library to Display National Library of Medicine Exhibit
Helmke Library will be hosting the National Library of Medicine's traveling exhibit Binding Wounds Pushing Boundaries: African Americans in Civil War Medicine from May 28th to July 6th. This exhibit looks at the African American men and women who served as surgeons and nurses during the American Civil War and how their service as medical providers challenged the prescribed notions of race and gender pushing the boundaries of the role of African Americans in America.
For more information on the exhibit, as well as lesson plans and other educational materials, please see the exhibit homepage. This exhibition was developed and produced by the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health with research assistance from the Historical Society of Washington, DC.
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FAME Exhibit on Display in Helmke Library
 Fusion of Concert Colors artwork by children from kindergarten to 8th grade is now on display on the first floor of the library. Fusion of Concert Colors is a program of Foundation for Art and Music in Education (FAME) which strives to teach cultural arts to K-8 students in northern Indiana. The children listen to a  selected piece of music and then create two-dimensional drawings or paintings inspired by the music. This year's music was Vltava (or The Moldau) by Czech composer Bedřich Smetana. The Vltava is the longest river in the Czech Republic and the music depicts its course through Bohemia. |
News from Library Staff
 Librarian Denise Buhr attended the Mid-America Theatre Conference in March where her 10-minute play "Buried Alive" was presented. This work, about a young woman in a persistent vegetative state and the reactions of those around her, was highly praised by playwright Michael Erickson and attendees at the playwriting symposium. This marks the third year Denise has had a play chosen and presented at the conference. Congratulations to librarian Beth Overhauser on her May marriage to Mike Boatright. We wish them every happiness. |
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