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Dig Deeper: Careers in International Development Day 2015

 

Careers in International Development Day at the Connelly Center is not your usual job fair – it’s a symposium designed for career exploration and a perfect event for students interested in pursuing careers that address global poverty and related issues. Lindsay Coates, Executive Vice President of InterAction, an alliance of 190 International Non-governmental agencies will open the day at 1:30 p.m. in the Cinema with an overview of the changes, challenges, and opportunities in the field. From 2:30-4:30 p.m. in the Villanova Room, professionals representing a variety of career paths, including the UN, USAID, Social Entrepreneurship, Impact Investing, Global Health and others will meet students in roundtable breakouts (repeating every 30 minutes) to share their professional experience and offer advice on what students need to get a foot in the door. In the Villanova Room Market Stall area, students can meet one-on-one with representatives from graduate programs, post-graduate overseas internship and volunteer opportunities and relevant VU curricular and extra-curricular programs from 2:30-4:30 p.m.

Catholic Relief Services organized and will host the event in partnership with Villanova University, the College of Nursing Center for Global and Public Health, the Villanova School of Business, the VSB Center for Global Leadership, the Career Center, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the College of Engineering, the Office of Mission and Ministry and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Consortium for Higher Education.


Dig Deeper

The library’s collection includes many books, article databases and statistical sources about international development. For the policy wonk, Columbia International Affairs Online includes full-text  case studies, policy briefs, scholarly articles and books. Public Affairs International  Service (PAIS) is an article database covering similar territory. Because international development is truly interdisciplinary, academic research on international development can be found in many specialized databases, such as  PubMed for health, EconLit for economics, and  Compendex or Inspec for engineering.

Since 1990 the United Nations has published the Human Development Report, which identifies trends in development, and the Index, which is a tool used to assess country level development in terms of life expectancy, education and income. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development publishes numerous books and statistical series on development in many dimensions all available in the OECDiLibrary. AidData.org takes a data driven approach to improving outcomes by publishing datasets, visualizations and reports.

Villanovans across the disciplines are engaged in research on various aspects of development aid. Suzanne Toton, EdD, writes about Catholic relief, world hunger and social justice. The writing of Kishor Thanawala, PhD, explores economic development and justice. Latin American Development is the area of expertise of Satya Pattnayak, PhD. Jonathan Doh, PhD, is a prolific researcher on nongovernmental organizations and global corporate responsibility. Christopher Kilby, PhD, is a thought leader on the economics of foreign aid. Ruth McDermott-Levy, PhD, is a practicing nurse, educator and researcher on international community health.

Careers in International Development Day speakers represent a variety of organizations, all with interesting web sites well worth exploring with links below:

Speakers Organizations

Alliance to End Hunger
InterAction
United States Agency for International Development USAID
Doctors Without Borders
Norwegian Peacebuilding Resource Center
Catholic Relief Services
Uhl & Associates
TriLinc Global
Oiko Credit
Village Capital

 

Post-Baccalaureate Volunteer Organizations

Acumen
Amigos de Jesus
Augustinian Volunteers
Catholic Volunteer Network
Catholic Relief Services
Jesuit Volunteers
Maryknoll Lay Missioners
Mennonite Central Committee
Mercy Volunteer Corps
Peace Corps
Profugo
Unite for Sight


imagesArticle by Linda Hauck, MS, MBA, business librarian and team coordinator for the Business Research team.

 


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Commemorating 150 years of the study of genetics: “Gregor Mendel, OSA, and the Origin of Genetics”

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“Gregor Mendel, OSA, and the Origin of Genetics,” an exhibit on Falvey’s first floor, introduces Mendel; commemorates the 150th anniversary of Mendel’s paper, “Experiments in Plant Hybridization” (Versuche űber Pflanzenhybriden); looks at Mendel on campus; and offers a small display related to the Mendel Medal.

The name Mendel is familiar to the Villanova community as the name of a campus building, the Mendel Science Center, usually called Mendel Hall. But how many are aware of the man for whom the building is named? Gregor Mendel (1822-1884) is the acknowledged father of genetics based upon a paper he presented in 1865 and published the following year.

RS9958_DSC_0290-scrHe was born in the German-speaking Austrian Empire (now the Czech Republic) to a farming family. At age twenty one he joined the Augustinian Abbey of St. Thomas in Brűnn to further his education. The abbot, who was interested in heredity of plants and animals, encouraged Mendel to experiment with plant genetics in the abbey’s five-acre garden. As noted he presented his research, but it was virtually ignored until 1900.

Falvey’s exhibit begins in the vertical case with an introduction to the exhibit and Mendel’s experimentation with plant hybridization using peas. A large eye-catching banner (from University Archives) with a life-like portrait of Gregor Mendel, OSA, commemorates the 80th anniversary of the Mendel Medal. Also in this case are a few books about Mendel and a small framed portrait.

Five more themed cases continue the exhibit, beginning with “Early Life” and ending with “The Mendel Medal.” Illustrating Mendel’s “Early Life” are a children’s book from Special Collections, Gregor Mendel: The Friar Who Grew Peas by Cheryl Bardol; Life of Mendel by Hugo Iltis (Augustinian Historical Institute); views of Brno (location of the Abbey of St. Thomas where Mendel lived and worked); views of the Mendel Museum and the foundations of his greenhouse at the Abbey; and select pages from a manuscript photograph album, The Mendel Tradition in Brno, Czechoslovakia by Herbert Christian Hanson.

The next case, “Versuche űber Pflanzenhybriden (Experiments on Plant Hybridization),” shows a facsimile reprint of Mendel’s paper as it appeared in print in 1866, a program from the presentation of a copy of “Verhandlungen des naturforschenden Vereines in Brűnn” by the Augustinians of the Province of St. Thomas of Villanova to the University and other related publications. To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Mendel’s paper, “Experiments in Plant Hybridization,” the University will hold a symposium on Monday, Dec. 7.

“After the Pea Paper” case displays assorted publications from the Augustinian Historical Institute and Special Collections, including Mendel’s Dwarf (1998), fiction by Simon Mawer. A placard tells the viewer that Mendel’s paper was almost unknown until the early 1900s.

“Mendel at Villanova” displays copies of the Villanovan with articles about the dedication of the first Mendel Hall in 1929 and the current Mendel Science Center in 1961. This display features photographs of the 1910 statue of Mendel in Brno and of the one on campus beside the Mendel Science Center.

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“The Mendel Medal: Honoring Pioneers in the Sciences” case presents photographs of some of the recipients, programs from the award ceremonies, a 1929 Villanovan article about the presentation of the first Mendel Medal to John A. Kolmer, MD, and an obverse image of the medal as designed and sculpted by John R. Sinnock.

The Mendel Medal, named in honor of Gregor Mendel (1822-1884), OSA, “the father of modern genetics,” is now awarded annually to an outstanding scientist. The award was established in 1928 and given each year until 1943. From 1946 until 1968, the Mendel Medal was awarded only eight times and from 1968 until 1992 there were no awards. In 1992 the Mendel Medal award was reestablished and has been given each year to an outstanding scientist.

This year’s Mendel Medal recipient is the Nobel Prize-winning biochemist, Brian Kobilka, MD, of Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Kobilka will give the 2015 Mendel Medal Lecture at 2:00 p.m., October 2, in the Villanova Room, Connelly Center.

This very educational exhibit about Gregor Mendel, OSA, his important scientific discovery and his relationship with Villanova is well worth visiting several times; there is far more here than can be readily absorbed in just one visit. This exhibit is a collaborative effort, drawing from materials owned by University Archives, Falvey’s Special Collections and the Augustinian Historical Institute. It was planned and materials were curated by Special Collections and Digital Library Coordinator, Michael Foight and Digital & Special Collections Curatorial Assistant Laura Bang. Graphics were designed by Joanne Quinn, Falvey’s graphic designer. The exhibit will be open throughout this semester.

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Alice Bampton is a visual specialist and senior writer on the Communication and Publications Team.


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'Caturday: Cool 'Cats

villanova recyclingYou already know that Wildcats are cool, but did you know that Villanova ranked as one of Sierra Magazine‘s 2015 “Cool Schools”? As one of the “greenest colleges and universities in the United States,” Villanova has added a master’s degree program in environmental sciences that begins with the fall 2016 semester.

Father Donahue also signed the St. Francis Pledge “to protect God’s Creation and advocate on behalf of people in poverty who face the hardest impacts of global climate change.” You can find out more about the Pledge on the Catholic Climate Convenant website.

The Library supports that program and that pledge, even now, by providing specialized resources and librarian research and consultation services. Contact Alfred Fry, science librarian, or Robin Bowles, life sciences librarian, to discuss our resources or to make an appointment.


‘Caturday post by Luisa Cywinski, editorial coordinator on the Communication & Service Promotion team and team leader of the Access Services team.


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What We Were Reading in 2014

Though we’re not a public library, sometimes we get asked about what types of items were charged out the most. Of course, those may not always be the most popular items. So, taking a look back at the rapidly fading year 2014, finds the New York Times bestseller, Me Before You by JoJo Moyes, charged out as many times as any of our works. This is followed by perennial favorites, such as the The Holy Bible: New International Version-Containing the Old Testament and the New Testament, Oxford Spanish Dictionary, Mckay’s Modern Italian-English and English-Italian Dictionary, The Grammar Book: an ESL/EFL Teacher’s Course, Advanced Engineering Mathematics, The Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution (now also online), Phaedo, Catch-22, Ulysses, Lolita, Beloved: a novel and Catcher in the Rye.

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Popular this year too was the New York Times bestseller Flash Boys, followed by titles such as Gone Girl: a novel, the Gabriel García Márquez novel, El Coronel No Tiene Quien le Escriba, All Names Have Been Changed, Organic Chemistry as a Second Language: First Semester Topics (second semester topics not as popular), Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches (2014), The Fault in Our Stars, and The Laramie Project.

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Popular leisure reading material this year can be summed up in one sentence (more or less): Good News, for the Best of Me, in America’s Great Game, don’t Blink but Would It Kill You to Stop Doing That since 1345, or do you want a Casual Vacancy because you’ll have No Easy Day if you’re an Alchemist, English German Girl or a Racketeer.

Some of the most selected movies this year include perennial favorites like Citizen Kane; Groundhog Day; 2001, A Space Odyssey; and The Tree of Life. Other movies, The Corporation, Taxi to the Dark Side, Adaptation, Nun’s Story and La Jetée Sans Soleil were also charged out several times.

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Very requested subjects and books borrowed through our interlibrary loan and E-ZBorrow services were The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, The Goldfinch: a Novel, and books about counseling, statistics, public speaking and science fiction.

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Happy holidays from all of us to all of you – and we hope Santa puts some of your favorite reading material in your stocking. But if not, you know the first place to visit once you get back on campus! Click here for Christmas and New Year break hours.


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The Library Invites Intellectual Property Lawyer, Statistics Education Director and You to Discuss "Open Access" Issues

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Join us this week for Open Access Week events,
and we welcome your response to our survey below!

Open Access Week is a global event for inspiring the academic community to advance the open-access movement. Open access embraces two key complimentary ideas: scholarship should be freely available on the web, AND it should be free of permission barriers for legitimate uses. The Budapest Open Access Initiative (2002) is probably the most often quoted definition of “open access”:

By “open access” to this literature, we mean its free availability on the public internet, permitting any users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of these articles, crawl them for indexing, pass them as data to software, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without financial, legal, or technical barriers other than those inseparable from gaining access to the internet itself. The only constraint on reproduction and distribution, and the only role for copyright in this domain, should be to give authors control over the integrity of their work and the right to be properly acknowledged and cited.

Since that definition was penned, much progress has been made by individual scholars, universities, scholarly societies, publishers and national and international bodies for making open access to scholarship a reality. So many journals have gone or been established as open access that we need a Directory of Open Access Journals. Furthermore, traditional subscription journal publishers such as Taylor & Frances, Wiley, Springer and Elsevier offer authors fee-based options to make their articles open access, what some might consider an effort to co-opt the open-access movement. Institutional repositories for archiving all forms of scholarship from articles to data and born digital artifacts, many open, have proliferated on campuses big and small around the globe.

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Additionally, open access mandates by funders requiring that the results of research be made publically available for free are becoming the norm (for a database of funder mandates see SHERPA/JUIET).  Faculties at top universities such as Harvard University,  Duke University and the University of California System have adopted institutional  open access policies which typically address depositing scholarship in an institutional repository and granting rights to scholarship (See Coalition of Open Access Policy Institutions.)

Open Access Week is a good time to examine your thoughts on how open access impacts your own scholarly practice and what initiatives you would like to see Villanova University take regarding to open access. The best way to do that is by joining a conversation or by taking our open access survey!

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Falvey Memorial Library and the Office of Research and Graduate Programs will participate in Open Access Week with two events, both lunch hour brown bag participatory lectures. On Tuesday, Oct. 21, 1-2 p.m., in Falvey room 204, Michael Posner, PhD, director, Center for Statistics Education and Linda Hauck, business liaison librarian, will discuss “Open Data Trends: Policies, Privacy and Preserving Data Integrity.”

Posner, Hauck, Leytes, Fogle

Posner, Hauck, Leytes, Fogle

On Friday, Oct. 24, 1-2 p.m., in room 205, Dina Leytes, practice group chair, Intellectual Property and New Media, at Griesing Law, LLC, and Nikolaus Fogle, subject librarian for philosophy, will discuss “Author Rights: When and How Can You Archive, Share and Own Your Published Work?”

Open Access Week is an international event being held for the eighth time. It provides “an opportunity for the academic and research community to continue to learn about the potential benefits of open access, to share what they’ve learned with colleagues, and to help inspire wider participation in helping to make open access a new norm in scholarship and research.”

To learn more about open access from local viewpoints, attend one or both of the events to be held in Falvey on Oct. 21 and 24.


Article by Linda Hauck, MS, MBA, (pictured) business librarian and team coordinator for the Business Research team.


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Falvey Scholar program recognizes student accomplishments in research, innovation and creativity

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Interim Library Director Darren G. Poley presents Jerisa Upton with her award.

The annual Falvey Scholars Award—established by Falvey Memorial Library in conjunction with the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships and the Honors Program—recognizes and celebrates the academic excellence of some of Villanova’s finest undergraduate scholars. This year’s event, held on Friday April 25, honored six Falvey Scholars under each of the following categories: business, engineering, liberal arts, science, nursing and our new category, social science, which was added given the overwhelming response and volume of excellent candidates in the liberal arts.

Each of the Falvey Scholars presented a 30-minute summary of their winning project and were each presented with the Falvey Scholars Award by our Interim Library Director, Darren Poley.

Falvey is delighted to announce the following undergraduates as the 2014 Falvey Scholars:

Aurora Vandewark (nursing); mentor: Michelle M. Kelly, PhD, CRNP; Project: “Evidence-Based Practices to Reduce Psychosocial Distress Among Parents of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Patients.”

Jerisa Upton (social science); mentor: Maghan Keita, PhD; Project: “Understanding Bureaucratic Politics and the Origins of the Great Leap Forward.”

Mark Bookman (liberal arts); mentors: Maghan Keita, PhD, and Edwin Goff, PhD; Project: “Re-imagining Discourse: Shingon Buddhism and Western Epistemologies.”

Clockwise, from top left: Vandewark, Upton, Bookman, McGrane, Ferguson and Shaik

Clockwise, from top left: Vandewark, Upton, Bookman, McGrane, Ferguson and Shaik

Noor F. Shaik (science); mentor: Dennis D. Wykoff, PhD; Project: “Using Fluorescent Markers in Cells and Flow Cytometry to Measure the Selective Pressures in Yeast.”

Olivia Ferguson (business); mentor: Peter Zaleski, PhD; Project: “Metropolitan Manufacturing Decline, 1980-2005, and Subsequent Effects on Residents.”

Robert McGrane (engineering); mentor: Noelle Comolli, PhD; Title: “Chitosan Thin-Films for Post-Surgical Drug Delivery.”

Falvey Scholars is just one of the many events that comprise the Undergraduate Research Exposition, or EXPO 14: a week-long series of programs that recognize the research undergraduates accomplish throughout the year. Villanova is proud to highlight the contributions of its undergraduate student community!


Article by Regina Duffy, writer for the Communication and Service Promotion team and library events and program coordinator for the Scholarly Outreach team. Photos by Alice Bampton, digital image specialist and senior writer on the Communication and Service Promotion team.


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Ramp Up Your Research: How to Tag Items in the Library’s Catalog

Do you ever think an item should have a search term or category associated with it, but it doesn’t? This video shows how to make items easy to find by adding a tag. (Enable Closed Captioning for silent viewing.)

For additional “How to” videos, click the “Help” button on Falvey’s homepage.


Gerald info deskVideo tutorial produced by Gerald Dierkes, information services specialist for the Information and Research Assistance team, senior copy-editor for the Communication and Service Promotion team and a liaison to the Department of Theater.


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13th Annual Falvey Scholars Awards: Recognizing Exceptional Undergraduate Achievement at Villanova

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The annual Falvey Scholars Award—established by Falvey Memorial Library in conjunction with the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships and the Honors Program—recognizes and celebrates the academic excellence of some of Villanova’s finest undergraduate scholars. This year, six Falvey Scholars have been selected under each of the following categories: business, engineering, liberal arts, science, nursing and our new category, social science, which was added given the overwhelming response and volume of excellent candidates in the liberal arts.

The Falvey Scholars will be recognized at our awards presentation and reception ceremony on Friday, April 25 from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. in room 205 of Falvey Memorial Library. At the event, which is free and open to the public, each of the Falvey Scholars will present a 30-minute summary of their winning project and will then be officially presented with the Falvey Scholars Award by our Interim Library Director, Darren Poley.

Falvey is delighted to announce the following undergraduates as the 2014 Falvey Scholars:

Aurora Vandewark (nursing); mentor: Michelle M. Kelly, PhD, CRNP; Project: “Evidence-Based Practices to Reduce Psychosocial Distress Among Parents of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Patients.”

Jerisa Upton (social science); mentor: Maghan Keita, PhD; Project: “Understanding Bureaucratic Politics and the Origins of the Great Leap Forward.”

Mark Bookman (liberal arts); mentors: Maghan Keita, PhD, and Edwin Goff, PhD; Project: “Re-imagining Discourse: Shingon Buddhism and Western Epistemologies.”

Noor F. Shaik (science); mentor: Dennis D. Wykoff, PhD; Project: “Using Fluorescent Markers in Cells and Flow Cytometry to Measure the Selective Pressures in Yeast.”

Olivia Ferguson (business); mentor: Peter Zaleski, PhD; Project: “Metropolitan Manufacturing Decline, 1980-2005, and Subsequent Effects on Residents.”

Robert McGrane (engineering); mentor: Noelle Comolli, PhD; Title: “Chitosan Thin-Films for Post-Surgical Drug Delivery.”

Please join us on April 25 to help us congratulate them and to recognize their great achievements!

Falvey Scholars is just one of the many events that comprise the Undergraduate Research Exposition, or EXPO 14: a week-long series of programs that recognize the research undergraduates accomplish throughout the year. Villanova is proud to highlight the contributions of its undergraduate student community!

Article by Regina Duffy, writer for the Communication and Service Promotion team and library events and program coordinator for the Scholarly Outreach team.


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Earth Day 2014: Focus on Sustainable Agriculture

Sustainability logoThe term “environmental sustainability” has been in the forefront of the news for several years. Climate scientists agree that the Earth is in a period of global warming, droughts and severe storms occur with increasing frequency and water resources continue to be compromised with pollutants.

Research is being conducted into living more sustainably; adopting energy-production methods that minimize greenhouse gas emissions; developing sustainable housing that utilizes renewable building materials; preserving water quality in oceans, lakes and streams; and growing sustainable agriculture that produces high quality food with minimal impact on the environment. Sustainable agriculture uses natural biological cycles and resources to produce food grown without synthetic fertilizers, hormones, antibiotics, pesticides or herbicides.

Animals on sustainable farms are housed and treated humanely. Factory farm practices are not employed. Workers on sustainable farms are paid a living wage. Sustainable agriculture contrasts with large-scale industrial agriculture that routinely uses large quantities of synthetic chemicals in the mass production of food. Persistent heavy use of those chemicals creates runoff that pollutes nearby water resources, leaves toxic residues that are ingested when foods are consumed, and creates resistance to antibiotics that are used to prevent or treat diseases when animals are housed in cramped, overcrowded conditions.

wyebrookfarm_about_pics_internandchickenTo celebrate Earth Day 2014, Villanova’s Earth Day Committee has invited Dean Carlson, founder and owner of local Wyebrook Farm in Honeybrook, PA, to present the keynote address on sustainable agriculture. This event will take place in the Connelly Center Cinema at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 22, 2014. Wyebrook Farm is managed according to sustainable agricultural practices, and it provides food to the local community.

The keynote address will cap off a day of sustainability-themed activities that will include an indoor sustainability fair from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the lower level of Connelly Center, along with a concurrent outdoor farmer’s market. The fair and market will feature information on alternative energy sources, a raffle, green tours of campus, T-shirt tie-dyeing, locally grown produce and breads, food samples, green jobs, student projects and environmentally friendly vendors.

center env transOn the following morning, Wednesday, April 23, 2014, Falvey Memorial Library will host a panel discussion on sustainable agriculture from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the Speakers’ Corner. Panelists will include Villanova and outside experts, including Jim Kolumban, associate director of Villanova’s Dining Services, Jonathan Hamm from Greener Partners in Malvern, PA, and Ari Rosenberg from the Center for Environmental Transformation in New Jersey, among others. Audience questions and debate will be welcome, and a continental breakfast will be provided.

For more information about sustainable agriculture and other environmental issues, please visit Falvey Memorial Library’s homepage and enter the phrase “sustainable agriculture” in the search box. Information is available in various formats, including books, videos and online resources. Accessing the Environmental Science or Geography and the Environment subject guide pages will provide contact information for subject librarians who can answer additional questions.

Villanova’s celebration of Earth Day will continue on Saturday, April 26, 2014, with an Earth Day of Service from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Participants will have the opportunity to volunteer with either Philly Urban Creators or the SHARE Program in Philadelphia. For more information about either of these activities, please contact alandis2@villanova.edu. Following the Earth Day of Service, the Student subcommittee of the President’s Environmental Sustainability Committee will host a barbecue on the grass circle outside of Kennedy and Corr Halls from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Please come out and enjoy as many Earth Day activities as possible while acquiring a fresh perspective on value of sustainable agriculture.


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Ramp Up Your Research: How to Add Comments to an Item

Did you know you can add a comment to an item’s catalog record? This video shows how to add comments to an item right from within the catalog.

(Enable Closed Captioning for silent viewing.)

For additional “How to” videos, click the “Help” button on Falvey’s homepage.


Gerald info deskVideo tutorial produced by Gerald Dierkes, information services specialist for the Information and Research Assistance team, senior copy-editor for the Communication and Service Promotion team and a liaison to the Department of Theater.


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Last Modified: April 15, 2014

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