Diane Dates Casey
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A Word from the Dean
Welcome to the University Library!
Whether you are in your first term or are a GSU veteran, explore and use the wide range of services designed to assist you in your course assignments and research pursuits. Librarians will help you in refining research questions and identifying appropriate information resources. In addition, tutors from the Writing Center are ready to answer your questions about writing and citation styles.
More than 50 public workstations provide a full range of software, including Microsoft Office 2007. If you own a laptop, wireless access to the Internet is available in the public areas of the library. The skylight area of the library contains tables with electrical outlets to power your computer while you work. The library’s online databases are available to all GSU students, faculty and staff with Internet access at home. We’re only a few clicks away!
Consortial Borrowing Policies
The University Library is a founding member of the Consortium for Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI). Through CARLI we share our online catalog, I-Share, with 75 other libraries in Illinois. When you borrow materials from those libraries, new borrowing regulations are now in force. Your ability to borrow items from those libraries will be blocked when you exceed thresholds on overdues, overdue recalls, lost items, claims returns, self shelves and fines.
Please contact Linda Ayala at 708.235.7505 or Ed Fudacz at 708.235.7507, when you find that you are blocked from borrowing from other I-Share libraries. Mrs. Ayala or Mr. Fudacz will tell you what action is necessary to remove the block.
Library Staff Members
Professor Lydia Morrow Ruetten is Chair-Elect for the CARLI Collections Working Group. She will serve as Chair next academic year. “The Collections Working Group provides advice to the CARLI Board in matters relating to collection development and collection management within CARLI. Included in this charge is management of the collection partnership grants. The Collections Working Group will advise the CARLI Board about policies and structures for future collection development and collection management projects” (CARLI Annual Report of Activities, October 30, 2009, p. 16).
Assistant Professor Michel Nguessan was appointed Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Library Science (IJLS). In this role he manages the manuscript process through the acceptance of the papers for publication. Moreover, he appoints and works with editors as they assign manuscripts to peer reviewers. He defines editorial policy for the journal and an evaluation rubric for use by editors and reviewers. The September/October 2010 edition is his first issue as editor.
Library Information Technology Coordinator, LaShaunda Williams recently completed her M.S. in Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Congratulations, LaShaunda!
During Academic Year 2010/2011 Dean Diane Dates Casey is chairing the Council of Deans/Directors of State University Libraries in Illinois (CODSULI). The group meets to discuss best practices, opportunities for collaboration, and common concerns. On October 1 the council held its fall meeting at Governors State.
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Digital Dissertations—Full Text
Paul Blobaum
Digital Dissertations is the print version of Dissertations Abstracts, the world’s most comprehensive research tool for locating dissertations.
Full Text dissertations are now available from 1997–present for most dissertations in Proquest Digital Dissertations.
Copies of other dissertations can be requested using the Interlibrary Loan book request form, or ordered for a fee from Proquest using the online ordering form.
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Grant Project
Nancy Shlaes
Professor Nancy Shlaes (UL) and Professor Emeritus Jon Mendelson (CAS) have been awarded a 2010–2011 University Research Grant which will fund a collaborative project between the local community and GSU.
The purpose of this project is to provide electronic access to key historical records of Monee Township in Will County, Illinois. Documents, dating back to the 1850's, are being scanned and uploaded into the GSU Digital Collections.
Once completed, the online collection will include reports of the Road Commissioner, reports of the Thistle Commissioner (documenting the spread of the invasive weed, Canada Thistle, in the late 1800s), and Public Health reports documenting the spread of the post-WWI flu epidemic throughout the township.
 Of particular interest will be the Assessor records.
These books begin in 1852 and list for each farm the acreage devoted to various uses:
- Orchard
- Meadow
- Pasture
- Field crops
- Number of farm animals (horses, cattle, sheep, hogs)
When used in conjunction with plat maps showing the location of these farms, a quantitative picture of rural life in the mid-nineteenth century can be reconstructed.
 Through digitization, the project will help preserve these fragile historical documents ensuring the data is available for researchers and genealogists.
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 Anatomic Models
Paul Blobaum
We are pleased to introduce our new friend, "Red Skel(e)ton," a full human skeleton model from American 3B Scientific.
Red, a full-sized human male skeleton, has been hanging around the library since he arrived this summer.
The skeleton is made of plastic, and is marked with color representations of the interactions between bone and muscles, including origins and insertions.
Also available are a hip, knee, shoulder, and elbow joints, and arm, leg, and spine models.
Full descriptions of the models are available on the Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy LibGuides.
Red and the other models will be available for library use only from the Circulation Desk.
Please be sure to bring your GSU student ID card in order to borrow the models.
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Life in Libraryland
Lynn DiMaggio
Don’t judge a book by its cover when it comes to the Library’s book sale
Good looks aren’t everything. There’s personality and substance, wit and knowledge, and truth and wisdom. So now that you think about it, the other attributes sound pretty impressive, right?
With that in mind, stop by to be impressed at the GSU Library’s ongoing sale of used unattractive books.
The Illinois state government recently enacted legislation allowing university libraries to sell used books that are withdrawn from circulation to raise funds to buy new ones. So, in addition to the great selection of very pretty books offered by the Friends of the Library (near the Reference Desk), the GSU Library now is selling books and videos, too. These are located across from the Writing Center Desk in the Library.
Most of the materials are not pretty. Some of them have a lot of wear. Some of them are downright ugly. But they are pretty useful. Think of them as old, weathered cars that run well. They may not look so good, but it’s what’s under the hood that counts, especially on a cold, rainy night.
You’ll find such materials as classic literature, books on all of the subjects in the university’s curriculum, and even older textbooks. There are movies and educational materials in the audio/visual materials section. And, best of all, they’re pretty cheap.
- Hardbacks are $1.
- Paperbacks are 50 cents.
- Audio/visual materials are $1.
Look at it this way: No matter what, you win. You get the benefits of owning the great materials that once graced the shelves of the GSU Library, and you get the benefits of the new books and audio/visual materials that the library will buy with the money raised from the sale. Sounds good, right?
So, stop by the sales areas of the Library and pick something out for yourself or a friend. Also, the Library’s more expensive withdrawn materials are sold on Amazon (GSU). The more expensive donations are sold on Amazon by the Friends of the GSU Library under that name.
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 Studious Pierre
Linda Geller
Pierre was recently spotted in the library reading a good book.
He told us he loves our new big screen information signs and that they keep him up to date on library hours, policies, and events.
He also said he is getting up to speed on Windows 7 now that it has been installed on all library computers.
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Library Workshops
Linda Geller
The University Library continues to offer a variety of workshops open to students, faculty, staff, and community members.
The Formatting an APA Style Paper workshops cover basic formatting features such as margins, title page, running head, and pagination. The Introduction to APA Citations workshops review in-text and reference list citations for books, journal articles and websites.
Other sessions being offered include workshops on Turnitin plagiarism detection software, genealogy, Twitter, podcasting, and making animated GIFs.
Check the Library Workshop schedule for exact times, new offerings, or cancellations. Registration forms are available on the library’s website or at the Reference Desk, and walk-ins are welcome too.
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 Friends Corner
Do you need a bag for that?
Eric Nicholson
When you’re checking out a tall stack of books at the circulation desk and your book bag is already so full you couldn’t even get another pencil into it, remember your Friends of the GSU Library are there to help you bear your burden with unforgettably green complimentary plastic bags branded with our logo and URL.
Created in 2006, the mission of the Friends of the GSU Library is to bring together those who share a love of knowledge and a desire to promote the role of the library in the university and the surrounding community. Friends provide support for resources and services to benefit learners in the university and the community.
So if you love knowledge and desire to promote the role of the library, come together with us in the library conference room on the second Wednesday of the month between noon and 1 p.m. Dates for the rest of 2010 are:
At our last Annual Membership Meeting in August the Friends re-elected officers:
- Eric Nicholson: President
- Dianne Kronika: Vice-President
- Pam Taylor: Secretary
- Jean Malloy: Treasurer
During 2010, the Friends of the GSU Library accomplished the following:
- Purchased New York Times Best Sellers for the collection
- Created a local history/genealogy collection
- Sponsored two book sales
- Held a silent auction
- Received and processed more than 5,000 book, periodical, video, DVD, and audio book donations
The Friends also sponsor a number of library-related activities including the Friends of Mysteries, who last year celebrated the University's 40th Anniversary by reading and meeting to talk about a number of mysteries published in 1969.
The GSU's Writers Ink meet to encourage each other and serve as a sounding board for one another's interest in writing, and the Friends of the GSU Library Historical Society who meet monthly to discuss history of all kinds, especially local and genealogical, as well as assist with collection and research in cooperation with the University Library’s Archive department.
Since 2006, Friends of the GSU Library has raised more than $12,000, which has helped enhance the library and its collections.
Still on the agenda for 2010 is another book sale, scheduled for October 28.
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