Need an Interesting Book?

Visit Stoxen Library soon to pick from this interesting display.

Free ebook for July

Our extra special free book from netLibrary this month is Encyclopedia of World Religions by Wendy Doniger. This resource can be accessed from July 1 - 31, 2008 via the netLibrary homepage.

Browse the list of items added during April

Remember to check the New Library Purchases page for a complete listing by month of all new materials added to the library collections. The list for April 2008 is now posted.

Stoxen Library Hours

May 12 – August 15

Monday – Friday ........ 8:00a.m. – 4:30p.m.

May 26 – Closed…Memorial Day

July 4 – Closed …Independence Day

"Enjoy the Break"

Take a break during Finals Week.
Toss some puzzle pieces around then...
check out a "New Book" for summer reading.
Best of Luck to all DSU Graduates.
We will miss many of your faces at Stoxen Library.
Success and happiness to you.

Free ebook on netLibrary

The New Paradigm for Financial Markets is the May eBook of the Month in netLibrary. To access netLibrary, go to the library homepage and choose Online Reference Resources. netLibrary is a choice. Look for the cover of this ebook on the right-hand side of the homepage of netLibrary. Print editions of this new work will not be released until May 19. This ebook will be available to Stoxen Library patrons from May 1-31.

According to the press release from netLibrary, "In The New Paradigm for Financial Markets: The Credit Crisis of 2008 and What It Means, George Soros, the legendary financier, philanthropist and bestselling author, explores the origins of the current financial crisis and its implications for the future. Soros, whose breadth of experience in financial markets is unrivaled, places the current crisis in the context of decades of study of how individuals and institutions handle the boom and bust cycles that now dominate global economic activity. In a concise essay that combines practical insight with philosophical depth, Soros makes an invaluable contribution to our understanding of the great credit crisis and its implications for our nation and the world."

Stoxen Library Drawing Winners

Listed below are Stoxen Library's prize drawing winners! Please stop by the library to pick up your prize! Thank you to all who participated!

BOOKS

Samantha Kiemele

Alexey Uliyanov

Melissa Pavlicek

Josh Nichols

MUSIC CD’S

Lizette Hunt

Shawna Egli

Lucy Meyer

KEYCHAINS

Alicia Erickson

Lindsey Grooms

David Meier

Briannna Sherman

COFFEE MUG

Amy Haugen

BASKET

Mary Anne Marsh

JUMPDRIVE

Shi Yin

DESK SET

Brian Kopp

Stoxen Library Extended Hours

Extended Hours

Friday, April 25…….8a.m. – 7 p.m.

Saturday, April 26…. 1p.m. - 5p.m.

Sunday, April 27 ……4 p.m. – 11 p.m.

Friday, May 2……………8a.m. – 7 p.m.

Saturday, May 3…………1p.m. – 5 p.m.

Finals Week Hours

Sunday, May 4…………..4p.m. – 11 p.m.

Monday, May 5...................... 8a.m. – 11:00p.m.

Tuesday, May 6..................... 8a.m. – 11:00p.m.

Wednesday, May 7................ 8a.m. – 11:00p.m.

Thursday, May 8.................... 8a.m. – 11:00p.m.

Friday, May 9......................... 8a.m. – 4:30p.m.

May 12 – August 22

Monday – Friday 8:00a.m. – 4:30p.m.

May 26 – Closed…Memorial Day

July 4 – Closed …Independence Day

Regular Hours

Monday-Thursday 8a.m. – 11p.m.

Friday 8a.m. – 4:30p.m.

Sunday 4p.m. – 11p.m.

Recap of Murder in the Library

It began with a blood-curdling scream and the statement “Adam is dead…someone has murdered him!” Stoxen Library held a “Murder in the Library” on Friday, April 11, 2008 as the kick-off for Library Week.

We had ten teams of six people each. We used the names from the Clue game and added a few of our own: Colonel Mustard, Mr. Green, Mrs. White, Officer Peach, Instructor Mint, Librarian Azure, Reporter Pink, Detective Rusty, Professor Plum and Miss Scarlet. We then used the colors of each team when we photocopied their clues. We placed the picture of the murderer on the back side of the clues and then cut the clues apart like a puzzle. When each team had collected all of their clues, they then put their puzzle together to solve the crime. We had both the picture of her face and the murderer’s name on the sheet.

Each team had thirteen clues/activities to complete in order to solve the crime including finding a book via ODIN, locating a DVD/video, using various library databases, checking out a reserve item and stopping at the Academic Success Center. In some cases, their next clue was hidden inside something (book, periodical, DVD) and in some cases they reported to “clue stations” to prove they had the necessary information to receive their next clue.

Participants were instructed to bring their flashlights as only a few “necessary” lights were on. They seemed to enjoy the atmosphere of a darkened library and there was a goodly amount of screaming as unsuspecting individuals were grabbed in the stacks or from under a computer. Once the event was underway, there always seemed to be a team running to their next clue.

Prizes were awarded for the top three teams and everyone who participated received a free drink from the coffee bar, an ID holder, certificate of attendance and a set of “Blue Hawk pride” beads.

One of our speech/theater professors (Don Ehli) taped a DVD as Dr. Watson with a clue and then attended the event in costume.

Students really seemed to enjoy the event and are already asking when we will do it again. Several expressed how much fun it was to use the library in this fashion. Some said they enjoyed finding out about resources they had never used before.

The complete slide show of the photos can be seen via the link in the left hand column of this blog.

North Dakota Reads

Please join us tonight (April 17th) at 7:00 p.m. in Klinefelter 107 as Stoxen Library and the North Dakota Humanities Council sponsor the final North Dakota Reads Book Discussion. We will be talking about Susan Power ( a Native American author) and her book the Grass Dancer. Our facilitator is Karen Foster from the English Department here at Dickinson State University.

National Library Week: College Reference Desk

Check out this video for a fun take on the 72.8 million reference questions answered each year in academic libraries!

Library week & Stoxen Library Survey

National Library Week 2008

April 13-18 is National Library Week. We kicked it off early this year with a Murder at the Library event last Friday night. Check back later this week for photos and video of the event. A special thank you to Chadee Moss for suggesting and organizing this event. Thanks also to all of the students, ACS, EES and library staff who helped make it so much fun. Congratulations to the Mr. Green team on their first place finish!

Please take a minute sometime this week to complete a survey regarding your experiences at the library. Be sure to leave your contact information at the end of the survey to be entered into a random prize drawing.

Click Here to take survey

JSTOR has a new look!

JSTOR, the complete full-text archive journal database that covers the humanities, social sciences and sciences, has just completed a major upgrade to their product. The new interface has a cleaner look to it and additional searching/limiting features. Check it out...we think you will like what you see. Contact the library if you have any questions about this product.

Murder in the Library - Happening @ Your Library!

Stop by Stoxen and sign up for "Murder in the Library" happening THIS FRIDAY, April 11, 2008, from 7:30pm - 9:00pm. Join the library staff for some treats, crime solving, and prizes galore...all to kick off Library Week 2008! Spots for teams are still available so come by TODAY!

New books and AV

Remember to check the New Library Purchases page for a complete listing by month of all new materials added to the library collections. The list for March 2008 is posted.

Next North Dakota Reads book

Do you want to learn more about the deep connections between past and present generations in Sioux belief and culture? Read The Grass Dancer by Susan Power, the next North Dakota Reads title. Books are available at Stoxen Library. The book discussion is Thursday, April 17.

The author won the Ernest Hemingway Foundation Award for first fiction, 1995, for The Grass Dancer. The book conveys the stories of people on a Sioux reservation whose lives intersect and intertwine, briefly, or over a lifetime, and how their relationships affect one another. The reader meets them much as one does in real life, starting with the present and working backwards. The story unravels the mystery of why the characters behave the way they do. Each chapter is told from the perspective of one character and charts the incidents which develop his or her personality.

The characters are complex and often troubled; they struggle with the magic that swirls around them. Power hits on many aspects of an Indian's life: the gap between Indian and white culture, the problems that arise out of dual heritage, disease, spirits, magic, ancestral powers, religion, and love.

This is a book that can be read at different levels. The first read can be confusing, but a second reading reveals the depth of the work. Through her story, Powers weaves the past, present and future into the present.

Using Wikipedia to reenvision the term paper!

I have just viewed a PowerPoint presentation by two instructors who required their students to write their term papers using Wikipedia. The presentation is titled "Using Wikipedia to Reenvision the Term Paper" and has some interesting insights about what was right and what went wrong with this approach. I only viewed the PowerPoint, but the audio/video is also available. An interesting approach to say the least! The abstract states "publishing for a large audience provided authentic feedback and encouraged students to do their best work."

Stoxen Library Easter Recess Hours

Easter Recess Hours

Thursday, March 20 – 8a.m. – 4:30p.m.

Friday, Saturday,

& Sunday – March 21, 22, 23 CLOSED

Monday, March 24 – 8a.m. – 11p.m.

Regular Hours

Monday-Thursday 8a.m. – 11 p.m.

Friday 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Sunday 4 p.m. – 11 p.m.

North Dakota Reads tonight!

Please join us tonight (March 13th) at 7:00 p.m. in Klinefelter 107 as Stoxen Library and the North Dakota Humanities Council sponsor a North Dakota Reads Book Discussion. We will be talking about Lois Phillips Hudson ( a North Dakota born author) and her award winning book the Bones of Plenty. Originally published to critical acclaim, the Bones of Plenty is a powerful and absorbing novel about a proud, independent North Dakota wheat-farming family and its struggles during the depression years of 1933 and 1934. Our facilitator is Maureen Scott a lecturer in the English Department at North Dakota State University.

The Bones of Plenty

For our next ND Reads program we will be discussing The Bones of Plenty by Lois Phillips Hudson. Lois Hudson was born and spent her early years in Jamestown, ND. The Bones of Plenty was her first novel and it won the first prize from the Friends of American Writers.

The Bones of Plenty has been described as taking a “brutally accurate” look at the hardships of farm life during the depression. The story is placed near Eureka, North Dakota during 1933-1934. It depicts drought, landlords and bank failures along with the many other daily struggles of farm life. Written as a series of episodes almost like a journal, the book leaves you with a vivid impression of the day to day life experience of the Custer family. Pick up this wonderful book and finish with a greater understanding of the depression years and feeling that you lived for a short while on that farm.