Banned Books Week is Sept. 24 – Oct. 1, 2011! This annual event celebrates the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. While highlighting the benefits of free and open access to information, it draws attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States. Read More.
From The Chronicle of Higher Education: My Lost Library: Books, Exile, and Identity

And check out our display of banned books in the front of the Library!

In recognition of the opening of the William T. and Gail Weyerhaeuser Center for Health Sciences, the Library is pleased to announce the acquisition of an important new online reference resource to support the Social and Health Sciences.

The Encyclopedia of Behavioral Neuroscience was “highly recommended” by Choice Reviews Online. The reviewer wrote, “The Encyclopedia of Behavioral Neuroscience (EBN) is an excellent resource providing detailed information on specific behavioral neuroscience topics.”

Publishers Description:   “Behavioral Neuroscientists study the behavior of animals and humans and the neurobiological and physiological processes that control it. Behavior is the ultimate function of the nervous system, and the study of it is very multidisciplinary. Disorders of behavior in humans touch millions of people’s lives significantly, and it is of paramount importance to understand pathological conditions such as addictions, anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, autism among others, in order to be able to develop new treatment possibilities. Encyclopedia of Behavioral Neuroscience is the first and only multi-volume reference to comprehensively cover the foundation knowledge in the field. The important research in all areas of Behavioral Neuroscience is covered in a total of 210 chapters on topics ranging from neuroethology and learning and memory, to behavioral disorders and psychiatric diseases.”

A few weeks ago, Collins Library held the “Piece It Together” puzzle mystery event and winner Emma Spalding goes home with the grand prize: a brand new Kindle, and she is featured in our blog! Emma shares with us her thoughts and experiences. Read on and see what she has to say!

1. What did you like best about Orientation?
I loved the Passages portion of orientation. I am passionate about the outdoors and work as a Summer Camp Counselor, so being able to see upperclassmen so involved and interested in the Freshman class and willing to take time out of their summer was a great welcome to college. It also truly showed the spirit of the student body at UPS and reaffirms the reasons I chose to come here.

2. What did you learn about Collins Library?
I learned just how vast the resources at the Library are and how different it is from my high school library. I also learned about all the librarians and how they specialize. I can’t wait to use their knowledge to help me with my papers and projects. I also learned that there are so many resources that the library has that I have yet to explore.

3. First Impressions of Puget Sound?
My first impressions of UPS from the orientation week are that this is the perfect place for me. Literally everyone is friendly and they do care about you. Also there are so many people interested in the outdoors and there will be so many opportunities for me to explore the Pacific Northwest. It has been really sunny, but I think that is the one first impression that is going to be proven false!

In the ten years since the terrible events of 9/11 there have been a multitude of books, films and other resources written or created.  Collins Library has collected many of these resources, which can be found by searching Collins Catalog using the keywords “September 11 Terrorist Attacks.”

If you’re interested in further information here are a few of the many resources available:

9/11 Searchable Information Center from ebrary is an open-access (free), collection of electronic books that will be available through September.

The 9/11 Commission Report : Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States

“Understanding 9/11 – A Television News Archive

The events of September 11th, 2001 affected the entire world.

The 9/11 Television News Archive is a library of news coverage of the events of 9/11/2001 and their aftermath as presented by U.S. and international broadcasters. A resource for scholars, journalists, and the public, it presents one week of news broadcasts for study, research and analysis.

Explore 3,000 hours of international TV News from 20 channels over 7 days, and select analysis by scholars.”

Remember 9/11 at the “Building Hope” Commemoration Events:

Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011, 7-9 p.m., Kilworth Chapel
September 11, 2001: Memories, Meanings, Lessons, and Hope
A panel of community leaders, who will reflect on their experience of the events 10 years ago and on what has happened since.

Sunday, Sept. 11 2011
10:30 a.m.,
An interfaith service focusing on building hope through prayer, poetry, and music, Immanuel Presbyterian Church.
1–1:45 p.m.
Campus and community members are invited to gather for readings from different religious traditions, to take time for silent prayer and reflection, and to simply gather in community with one another, Kilworth Chapel.
5 p.m.
A Building Hope Concert and Blues Vespers benefit,  Immanuel Presbyterian Church.

Read about the Epidemic of Digital Distraction [Gizmodo] – How to hold someone’s attention for more than a Twitter update!

• This year our most circulated item was a laptop lock, which was checked out 74 times.
• The most heavily used book was Oxford History of Western Music, which checked in at 68 (v.2) and 66 (v.1).  It was clearly on reserve, as it is now in Reference.
• The book Mahler, which must also have been on reserve, came in with 49 checkouts.
• The most heavily used DVD was Presentation Zen, used 17 times this year.
• 33,434 of our items circulated at least one time. The average circulation per item circulated was 1.3, although the median was 1.
• Additionally in our system at this time, there is evidence of at least 1,045 orbis records (indicating items borrowed through Summit).

Research 101 is an interactive online tutorial for students who want an introduction to research skills. The tutorial covers how to select a topic and develop research questions, as well as how to select, search for, find, and evaluate information sources. It’s intended to help improve how you perform research, so that you can tackle information problems anywhere. Research 101 is not a guide to finding specific resources for a specific topic; instead, it introduces the process of doing research and the skills required to make good decisions along the way.

Get some expert library preparation tips from our Research 101 Welcome Page!