Congratulations, LibQUAL Winners!

We want to thank everyone who participated in our recent LibQUAL library services survey. We also want to congratulate the following students who won prizes for completing the survey. These prizes included $100 cash, a KU Bookstore gift bundle, a Macy’s gift card, Mark’s Sub coupons, and Rohrbach Library mugs and water bottles.

Join us in congratulating:

Jennifer Fisher

Matthew Christy

Amanda Beer

Travis Kingsbauer

Dawn Geschwindt

Jacquelyn Cook

Emanuel Ogbe

Tricia Mitchell

Erin Welch

Allison Stadler

Stephanie Fetterolf

Cory Walton

Kyle Firestine

Brittany Lean

Rachel Garwood

Samantha Grapsy

Sarah Wisniewski

Kelly Wagner

Julianna Borzell

Cheryl Reigle

Nicholas Massaro

Sarah Jammer

Brandon Taylor

Tiana Kirkland

Amanda Powell

Jessie Richart

Nicolle Cuddey

Matthew Brown

Jeffrey Midgette

Nicole Pugh

Jessica Donahue

Michelle Livingood

Alicia Berkoski

Dawn Conrad

Mary McKelvie

Ariel Crawford

Samantha Rundle

Alex Walter

Bridget Holleran

Samantha Kisk

Kimberly Willever

Lindsey Richards

Leanna McCluskey

Julianne O’Toole

Carly Getz

Rebecca Deitzler

Kirby Sybert

Kyle Travelet

Congratulations!

-CS

Happy Birthday, Andy Carnegie!

Andrew Carnegie was born in the U.S. on November 25, 1835, to a family of poor Scottish immigrants.  Carnegie retired as the wealthiest man alive and, by his death in 1919, had given away his fortune. Carnegie made his fortune in the Pittsburgh steel industry, and gave it all back to his local community and the global community. Known to some as the “Great Founder of Libraries,” Carnegie donated his money to educational and peace causes.

Carnegie is known for providing funding public libraries; however he also donated to education in other ways. In 1902, with a $10 million donation, he founded the Carnegie Institution to fund scientific research and to provide a pension for teachers. Eventually Carnegie’s fortune went toward funding Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Science Center and Carnegie Mellon University.

In addition to education, he established the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Carnegie used this endowment to fund the building of The Hague Palace of Peace in the Netherlands. The Hague now houses the World Court.

Although Carnegie contributed millions of dollars to science and world peace, he is best known for his contributions to public libraries. Carnegie firmly believed that education was the key to success. He also believed in access to education for everyone. Thus he founded Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Library as a free public library. “Free to the People” is even carved in stone over the library’s doors. In addition to the Carnegie Library, he provided funding for more than 2,000 public libraries. As mentioned in an earlier blog post, one of these is Hamburg, Pa.’s, own public library.

Andrew Carnegie died on August 11, 1919. He had already given away $350,695,653 at the time of his death. Upon his death, the remaining $30,000,000 of his fortune was donated to various foundations, charities, and pensions.

To learn more about Andrew Carnegie, check out these books in the Rohrbach Library collection.

-CS

Information take from the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and  America’s Library.

“Respect & Protect”

“Respect & Protect.” This is the motto of the National AIDS Trust (NAT), the organization helping to spread the facts about HIV/AIDS on December 1, which is World AIDS Day.

According to the NAT’s international statistics, there are approximately 33 million people worldwide living with HIV, the virus that can lead to AIDS. With such alarming statistics, it’s important to understand the facts, and to understand how you can protect yourself and others from the spread of this disease.

On December 1, Kutztown University student organizations will be hosting events to create HIV/AIDS awareness. This includes a table in the SUB, and joining together to create a human red ribbon. These are events no student, staff, or faculty member should miss as they are important educational tools that can save lives. They not only teach you how to protect yourself from HIV/AIDS, but to respect those who have the disease as well.

Stop by the table in the SUB, check out the World AIDS Day Website, and read some books the Rohrbach Library has so you can learn the facts and have some common myths about the disease busted. It is only through education that everyone will learn how to truly respect and protect themselves and others from this worldwide epidemic.

Fore more information on World AIDS Day, click here. Also, for more information about the events taking place at KU, contact the Student Volunteer Coalition at volunteer@kutztown.edu.

-CS

Galileo’s missing fingers found 300 years later!

CNN is reporting that 300 years after their disappearance, the fingers and tooth of Italian Astronomer Galileo recently were bought at an auction and turned in to the Museum of the History of Science in Florence. For all of the interesting details of this news item (including how it relates to the Catholic church), go CNN’s Website at:  http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/11/23/galileo.fingers/index.html?eref=igoogle_cnn

(photo courtesy of CNN.com)

State Library of Pennsylvania

Ben Franklin wasn’t just instrumental in forming the Library Company of Philadelphia. He also had a hand in developing the State Library of Pennsylvania as well. In 1745, the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly ordered Franklin to purchase statues, maps, and other items from England to use in the Assembly room. These items, along with additional items purchased later in the 1700s, were used to start the State Library and can still be found in the library collection.

The library originated in Philadelphia however, because of Revolutionary War battles and British invasions, it was moved around to Easton, Lancaster, and eventually to Harrisburg when that city became the state capital in 1810. The State Library became a part of the Department of Public Instruction, now the Department of Education, in 1923.

Today the State Library is a public library that also serves all branches of state government. The library has over 3,500,000 items in its general collection of books, journals, maps, microfilm, and microfiche. The Law and Government Documents Library in the State Library contains exclusive legal holdings from all 50 states, and is the Regional Federal Depository. The library also has a large collection of genealogy and local history holdings — there are approximately 31,000 titles on microfilm and microfiche, including PA Census data from the late 1700s and PA family histories. The library also has a large collection of PA newspapers on microfilm and hard copy dating back to the 1700s. In addition to old newspapers, it subscribes to 125 current newspapers, including all of the major daily papers and at least one paper from each county in the state. Finally, the rare books collection houses books that date back to 1493, and includes the original items purchased for the Assembly. These original items include the Assembly Bible that was used to swear in speakers and Franklin’s famous Poor Richard’s Almanac.

This amazing gem of current and past PA history is open for the public. Tours are also available. For more information about the State Library of Pennsylvania, click here.

-CS

The Library Company of Philadelphia

As promised last week, it’s time for a closer look at Ben Franklin’s Library Company and the PA State Library. Both play an important part in our nation’s history. Today’s post focuses on the Library Company, and tomorrow’s will look at the PA State Library.

November 14 celebrated the anniversary of the Library Company in Philadelphia opening its doors to the public; this happened in 1732. The Library Company was formed on July 1, 1731, when Ben Franklin and other members of a philosophical association known as the “Junto” donated their books to form a library. The “Junto” invested money to continue to purchase new books for the Library Company, and members also paid dues. Other cities followed suite and created their own libraries in the 1740s.

Most early books in the Library Company’s collection were religious or educational in nature; however there were also books on business, philosophy, and politics. In addition to books, the library housed a collection of coins, fossils, scientific instruments, and geological specimens.

The Library Company continued to expand and, in 1789, its owners bought land near the corner of Fifth and Chestnut Streets in Philadelphia. A building was designed and built, and the Library Company opened in its new location on January 1, 1791. The Library Company later moved again. Today it is located at 1314 Locust Street in Philadelphia.

Because books were rare in expensive in the 1730s, the general American population didn’t have access to them. The creation of the Library Company allowed the general public more widespread access to books; thus it is an important part of literary history that’s located just an hour and a half away from us.

For more information about the Library Company of Philadelphia, click here.

-CS

American Education Week

November 15-21 is American Education Week (AEW). During AEW, The National Education Association (NEA) highlights the importance of quality education in the public schools. The NEA spotlights a different aspect of school life each day of AEW; although it’s midweek, you can still check out what was already highlighted and what will be highlighted for the rest of the week. Simply click here to read the highlights.

As public school districts feel the brunt of state budget cuts and government vouchers, it’s more important than ever to strive to maintain quality education in the public school system. This isn’t just an important issue for teachers, but for administrators, for parents, for community members and for prospective parents as well. We all play a role in providing quality education for America’s youth. So take the time to check out the NEA’s Web site and learn how you can help.

-CS

Research in the Palm of Your Hand

Rohrbach Library now subscribes to EBSCOhost Mobile! This version of EBSCOhost offers the most important features available to you on desktops and laptops, but is tailored for cell phone access. So now you can do your research any time, anywhere. All you need is your phone.

To access EBSCOhost Mobile, follow this link: http://navigator-kutztown.passhe.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?authtype=ip,uid&profile=mobile. Remember to have either your KU Student ID barcode number or your network login handy because, just like the other databases offered by Rohrbach Library, you need this information to access EBSCOhost Mobile from an off-campus device.

For more information on EBSCOhost Mobile, including its features and which devices support this database, check out this FAQ page. You can also contact Bob Flatley, librarian, at flatley@kutztown.edu or 610-683-4168.

To see a full list of databases offered by Rohrbach Library, click here.

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November 14, 1732

This Saturday, November 14, marks a very important date in library history. On this day, in 1732, the Library Company of Philadelphia hired its first librarian and officially opened its doors to the public. The Library Company of Philadelphia was founded by Ben Franklin in 1731, and is still open today. For more information about the Library Company of Philadelphia, as well as the PA State Library, check back next week.

-CS

In Honor of Our Veterans

November 11 is a day to honor all of those who have served our country. According to the U.S. Government’s Veteran’s Affairs Web site, Veteran’s Day is “a celebration to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.” Although many of us understand that it is an observance of our veterans, we haven’t been exposed to the history behind this day.

The Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, effectively ending World War I. However the fighting ceased on November 11, 1918. Thus November 11 was recognized as Armistice Day to honor the end of World War I. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11, 1919 as the first Armistice Day. Armistice Day became a legal holiday in 1938. This legal holiday was originally designated to honor the veterans of World War I. In 1954, after World War II, the name of the holiday was changed from Armistice Day to Veterans Day to honor the veterans of both wars.

After the Uniform Holiday Bill was signed in 1968, Veteran’s Day was moved to October 25. However this caused confusion and, in 1975, President Ford signed a Public Law that moved Veteran’s Day back to November 11 beginning in 1978.

Veteran’s Day ceremonies are held in regional sites selected by the Veteran’s Day National Committee. The Veteran Day National Ceremony is held at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

For more information about Veteran’s Day, click here.

-CS

Information taken from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs Web site