Dean Thorin has been appointed by President Barack Obama to the National Museum and Library Services Board. Thorin was sworn in by Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg at a ceremony at the Supreme Court on Nov. 15. She is one of eight individuals newly appointed to serve as advisors to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The board advises the IMLS director on general policy and practices, and on selections for the National Medals for Museum and Library Service.  

IMLS Director Susan Hildreth said, "I am delighted to welcome our new board members. Through their service, they will help libraries and museums throughout the United States contribute to the educational, cultural and civic life of the nation. Each is a well-recognized expert and we are looking forward to having their strategic advice to strengthen IMLS's grant making, research and policy."  

IMLS is the primary source of federal support for the nation's 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The institute works to create strong libraries and museums through programming at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations. The board includes the IMLS director and deputy directors and 20 presidentially appointed members of the general public who have demonstrated expertise in, or commitment to, library or museum services.  

Ruth Colvin Does It Again at the CNY Book Awards

Congratulations to Ruth Colvin, author of Off the Beaten Path: Stories of People Around the World published by Syracuse University Press, on winning the CNY Book Award for the non-fiction category. Judged by prominent authors from around the nation, the CNY Book Awards is an annual series of prizes in celebration of the best books published by Central New York authors. The event was hosted by the YMCA's Downtown Writer's Center on Thursday, November 29th at the SU Chancellor's Residence.  

Along with this award, Colvin also won the overall "People's Choice" award, decided by the audience at the awards ceremony.  

Ruth is the founder of Literacy Volunteers of America, Inc., which later merged with other organizations to become ProLiteracy. She's had a triumphant career in Off the Beaten Path by Ruth J. Colvin which she received nine honorary doctorates, among many other honorable achievements. She also won the highest award for volunteerism in the United States, the President's Volunteer Action Award, in 1987 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2006. Ruth Colvin was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1991.  

Read more about her winning title, Off the Beaten Path: Stories of People Around the World here.  

The Library held its annual triple-threat United Way Auction Extravaganza on Friday, December 7 in the Peter Graham Scholarly Commons.  

After adding together all of our fundraisers (Library Day Off Donation Giveaway, Auction Extravaganza, and the Bake Sale), we raised more than $2,600 towards the Library United Way Campaign!

Thank you to all who donated time and talents ...and white elephant items by the score! Without your contributions, we couldn't hold this event. And thank you to all who came and bought tickets to place in our brown bags and those who bid on our beautiful art and craft items, basket and clever containers, silent auction offerings -- and, of course, for a chance on an extra day off between now and the end of June.

Uma Sharma was the lucky employee to win the second annual "Library Day Off Donation Giveaway." She will receive one extra full day off with pay during the current fiscal year. Congratulations Uma!    

Thank you for supporting our community through your participation in the Library United Way activities, and by filling out your pledge card.  

Make a point of being green during the Green Days by turning off your computer. According to the website Carbon Rally, an average desktop computer with a 17-inch monitor needs between 150 to 350 watts of electricity while it is being actively used. If you were to leave that computer on 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, it would use over $200 of electricity and lead to the release of over 1.5 tons of carbon dioxide into Earth's atmosphere. Turning off your computer -- even an inactive computer -- for just 10 hours a day can lead to substantial carbon savings.  

One easy way to make sure you're not wasting energy is to plug your computer, monitor, printer, and any other peripherals you use into a single power strip. Once your computer is shut down, you can effectively unplug it and all the other pieces by turning off the power strip. That's a lot easier than unplugging everything individually and plugging them back in the next morning. Just turn the power strip back on and restart the computer.   

Before leaving for the holiday break, please do the following:   

• Turn off and unplug all office and personal electronics such as computers, monitors, printers, paper shredders, coffee makers, televisions, chargers, etc.
• Take home plants.
• Close and lock all windows.
• Turn off all office lights on your way out. 

Students Vs. Trash -- a poster design contest for college students that took place during the Spring 2012 semester -- set out to defeat trash with design and get people excited to reuse, recycle and stop littering.     

Posters were judged on the following criteria: quality of design, creativity of message and design for chosen theme, relevance of message to chosen theme, inclusion of call to action and social media in poster language, and design justification.  

Voting for the winners was conducted entirely via the Students Vs. Trash Facebook page through last summer and into the fall semester. The three winners with the most points (one each from New Jersey, New York, and Puerto Rico) were announced at midnight on October 1.  

Abby Legge, a junior Graphic Design and Writing & Rhetoric student at Syracuse University was named a "Top Trash Conqueror," along with Brian Radomski (New Jersey) and Lourdes Echevarri (Puerto Rico). Legge's poster, "Excuses make waste," cleverly sets a long list of reasons why people don't recycle in the shape of a bottle.  

"My favorite way to defeat trash on campus is to reuse old newspapers and paper sacks as gift wrap," said Legge.  

Students Vs. Trash posters are currently being displayed in Bird Library on a rotating basis. You can view all three winners' designs here.   

Almost every day, SU students comment and complain about the Library using Twitter. Many of their musings receive a reply from the Library's official Twitter handle, @SyracuseULib or the Learning Commons (@sulibrarylc). Here are some of the things that have been on their minds: 

• @SyracuseUlib, all of you are lifesavers!

• Just had a quick question answered by the @SyracuseULib chat system. So quick and convenient. Technology!

• The tables with outlets for people who need to use laptops are nice. Tables that have outlets on the 2nd floor would be nicer!
• Bird Library should definitely add in some more tables during finals week been looking for a table for 30 min #notchill

• Here's what I think: Slow computers, outdated system of study room reservations, food everywhere, one of the least modern libraries I have seen.    
• Bird Library needs an upgrade.

• Starting a petition against the Bird Library: SWDCCA (Students Who Demand Comfier Chairs Association.)

• Bird Library needs more parking!!!!!   

• To Bird Library: Why are your doors so heavy and awkward? -weak girl

• Law Library > Bird Library for quiet study space.
• Come to Bird Library if you don't want to get work done: the loudest studying arena on the East Coast.
• These people have been cleaning the basement of club bird for three hours now. #Distraction  

• The Bird Library computers are the bane of my existence.
• Bird Library needs to invest in new computers #amen 
• Even my Gateway desktop computer from 1999 was faster than the stupid Dell computers in Bird Library. #timeforanupdate   
• I need popcorn and a movie while I do anything on the computers at bird library.... Takes forever!!!!

• Approximately 12% of Bird Library's collection is in my room at this moment in time.

• Club Bird is absolutely packed right now. You can it is the end of the semester.
• Where to go after a long sleepless night? Floor 2 Bird Library for a nap like everyone else.
• Bird Library, 3rd floor is my favorite place to study/get work done!
• My mayorship of the 4th floor of Bird Library has at last been rightfully returned to me. YES.
• You know you've been in club bird too long when you click "I'm still listening" on Pandora 3 times in one sitting.   

• Bird Library, can you be more boring? 
• Bird Library is so ugly.

• Slight chance I hate being in Bird Library.
• Dear Bird Library, I hate you. Sincerely, me
• Can't believe I'm saying this but I actually miss Club Bird.   
• Library--still and always one of my favorite places! (@ Bird Library)
• @SyracuseULib IS THE GREATEST PLACE EVER.