September 4, 2008

LTS DIGEST –September 4, 2008 Lehigh University Library and Technology Services

CONTENTS:

CLASSROOM ALERT SYSTEM
NEW SCANNING STATION IN EWFM
EASY PDFS! MICROSOFT OFFICE 2007 CONVERTS DOCS TO PDF
MICROSOFT SOFTWARE FOR STUDENTS DOWNLOAD
HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPUTING “TRIPLE”
PSYCINFO: POPULAR DATABASE NOW ON APA’S PSYCNET
ICPSR DATABASE
ENGINEERING EXHIBIT IN LINDERMAN LIBRARY
LIBRARY HOURS


CLASSROOM ALERT SYSTEM
To facilitate emergency announcements to instructors in classrooms, Library and Technology Services has implemented a new service over the summer that will use digital speakerphones to broadcast announcements.

Wall-mounted digital speakerphones have been installed near the instructor’s station in all Registrar classrooms on campus. The speaker volume control has been preset to its highest level and cannot be changed. This modification affects only the speaker, not the handset. If an announcement takes place, occupants will hear an alert tone repeated several times, followed by the alert/announcement which will be repeated three times. 911 calls in progress will not be interrupted; other calls will be placed on hold temporarily.

An event that triggers a classroom broadcast announcement will also trigger other emergency notification channels: the University Emergency Info web page, LU-ALERT text messaging, email and campus voice mail alerts. Consult http://www.lehigh.edu/phones/classroomphones.html for a link to more information.



NEW SCANNING STATION IN EWFM
This fall LTS introduced a scanning station in the Information Commons. The networked PC and scanner can be used by anyone affiliated with Lehigh (log in with a Lehigh username and password), and help desk staff are available to assist in use of the scanner. This station will be helpful for those who want to scan library materials. Scanners are also available in the Media Center.



EASY PDFS! MICROSOFT OFFICE 2007 CONVERTS DOCS TO PDF
Creating PDF documents used to require the Adobe Acrobat Professional software or other similar commercial software. Microsoft Office 2007 users have the option of saving a document to a PDF file. When you select Save As in MS Word 2007, you'll see the option to save as a PDF file. Just select that option when you want to create a file in PDF format.

You have to download and install a separate program to enable that feature in Office 2007. Users can go to http://office.microsoft.com/downloads and look for "Microsoft Save As PDF or XPS” under "Popular Downloads".



MICROSOFT SOFTWARE FOR STUDENTS DOWNLOAD
Beginning August 2008, currently enrolled Lehigh students may download Microsoft Office for Windows and Macintosh as well as Microsoft SharePoint Designer software. Previously, this software was only available on CD from the EWFM Library. Please read the information below before downloading, also available at: http://www.lehigh.edu/computing/software/studentuse.html. Faculty and staff may purchase Microsoft Work at Home media including MS Office at the Lehigh University Bookstore. The downloading option is limited to students.

Software available for download:
Office 2007 Enterprise for Windows (includes: Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Publisher, OneNote);
Office 2008 for Macintosh – (includes: Word, Excel, PowerPoint);
SharePoint Designer - (Web Authoring Suite).

Limits: Two (2) installs each of Office and SharePoint Designer for use only on student's personally owned computers. Choose EITHER Office for Windows OR Office for Macintosh.

The Vista Ultimate system upgrade is available as a software DVD at the Fairchild-Martindale Library—Lehigh ID required. Limit ONE (1) per student. No download is available.



HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPUTING “TRIPLE”
1) The Library and Technology Services (LTS) has purchased a 32-core shared memory processor computer bringing an amazing amount of new computational power to campus. The new compute server, called Altair consists of eight (8) quad-core Intel Xeon 64-bit processors with 128 Gigabytes (GB) of RAM. Altair replaces the previous centralized shared memory compute resource, Vega. Researchers on campus who need large amounts of computational power combined with greater than four (4) GB’s of RAM for their compute problems, can take advantage of this 64-bit processing architecture to run programs like Matlab, Ansys, Fluent, and Abaqus.

2) In addition to this new compute server, LTS has put into operation an 18-node Linux login farm called LEAF. Anyone can access these 32-bit machines that have four (4) Xeon single-core processors with 12 GB of RAM on each one of these Egenera Blade Server nodes. The head node of this farm uses load balancing to provide the best resources for your needs by directing your login session to the machine with the least amount of processing load. No special account permission is required. The same applications that users can run on Altair are also available on any of the LEAF servers.
For more details on Altair and Leaf hardware architectures, please visit:
http://www.lehigh.edu/computing/hpc/services/hardware.html

3) And finally this summer, LTS refreshed 20 new Linux workstations that are distributed in public spaces in the Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and Earth and Environmental Sciences department buildings. Each one of these Dell Precision T7400 workstations has a minimum of a single quad-core Intel Xeon 64-bit processor with 4 GB of RAM, 80GB hard disk, and a 256MB graphics card with a 22-inch monitor. Some of the important software that these computers will support includes Spartan, a quantum chemistry application suite, and ARC GIS, which is for creating and analyzing geographic information systems databases. For more information on how to take advantage of Lehigh’s HPC resources, please visit http://www.lehigh.edu/computing/hpc/



PSYCINFO: POPULAR DATABASE NOW ON APA’S PSYCNET
PsycINFO is now accessible on the PsycNet, APA’s search interface. One of the most heavily used library research tools at Lehigh, American Psychological Association’s literature database, PsycINFO, indexes and abstracts over 100 years of scholarly output in psychology and related fields. To login to PsycINFO, bookmark this page for both on and off campus connections: http://databases.lib.lehigh.edu/finder/dbfull.asp?DBID=1. Special note for persons with an interest in neuroscience: 171 journals in this area are now covered in PsycINFO.

PsycINFO on PsycNET offers added functionality for searching within results, for cited reference retrieval, for consulting the rich vocabulary in the Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms, for saving search strategies, and for exporting to bibliographic citation software such as RefWorks. The Term Finder (Thesaurus) has an easy to use “add to search” option; that option could be particularly valuable for undergraduates unfamiliar with psychological terminology.

The familiar “Lehigh Link (SFX)” icon, depicting the Linderman Library skylight, is found in PsycINFO. The Lehigh Link connects the user to the library’s electronic copy or ILLIAD service. The Lehigh Link is durable and can be used for course readings. It also displays in RefWorks@Lehigh.



ICPSR DATABASE
LTS has subscribed to ICPSR, the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research, the world's largest archive http://databases.lib.lehigh.edu/finder/dbfull.asp?DBID=235 of digital social science data. Professor Ziad Munson, Sociology and Anthropology, will serve as Lehigh’s ICPSR representative, supported by Librarian Roseanne Bowerman and Computing Consultant Bill Betterman.



ENGINEERING EXHIBIT IN LINDERMAN LIBRARY “HOW TO BECOME AN ENGINEER: TOYS, TOOLS, AND TECHNOLOGY”
This exhibition explores the rise of formal academic programs in civil engineering established around the time of Lehigh's founding in 1865. The title of the exhibition, mounted by Lehigh University Libraries Special Collections, was inspired by the name of an 1891 manual detailing the "theoretical and practical training necessary in fitting for the duties of the civil engineer." In addition, featured content includes "the best educational toy", a model bridge building kit dating from 1895, 19th century student notebooks, and classic works in the history of civil engineering. Exhibited items date from 1793, when the term "civil engineer" first appeared in print, and special emphasis will be given to Lehigh's contributions to the field. The exhibition runs August 15, 2008 - January 15, 2009. There is a related program on September 25th at 4pm in Linderman Library, room 200.



LIBRARY HOURS
Beginning (Monday, August 25 – Sunday, September 7)
Monday – Thursday open 8:00 am – Midnight
Friday open 8:00 am-10:00 pm
Saturday open 10:00 am – 10:00 pm
Sunday open 10:00am – Midnight
Beginning (September 8)
Monday – Thursday open until 2:00am

Next LTS Digest to be published in mid-September

Welcome back!

April 22, 2008

Contents:
PREP YOUR EMAIL FOR SUMMER
REMINDER: CAMPUS PORTAL UNAVAILABLE APRIL 26-27
NEW CAMPUS PORTAL AVAILABLE MONDAY, APRIL 28
CITING AND FOOTNOTING: GET IT RIGHT!
LINDERMAN EXHIBITION: CARTOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVES
LIBRARY HOURS EXAMS AND SUMMER 2008

PREP YOUR EMAIL FOR SUMMER
Lehigh email users have several options for summertime handling of email. a) You can set up a vacation message but let mail accumulate in your Inbox. This is safe if you are checking messages or if you have very low email volume. Instructions are at http://www.lehigh.edu/helpdesk/docs/email-guide/email-guide.shtml#vm b) You can forward your mail to another account. Instructions are at: http://www.lehigh.edu/helpdesk/docs/email-guide/email-guide.shtml#mf Passwords do not expire during June, July and August. If a password has expired, you will not be able to login and should use https://www.lehigh.edu/change or https://www.lehigh.edu/forgot to reset your password and recover access to your accounts. Call the Help Desk at 610 758-4357 with any questions.

REMINDER: CAMPUS PORTAL WILL BE UNAVAILABLE APRIL 26-27
The campus portal will be unavailable this Saturday and Sunday while we upgrade to an enhanced version of the Luminus portal software. A few hints to those who are regular portal users:
--if you use the portal calendar, print out your calendar prior to Saturday so that you can refer to it over the weekend if needed.
--if you are a Blackboard user, you can still access blackboard at bb.lehigh.edu.
--if you use email via the portal, you can access your email at imp.lehigh.edu.

NEW CAMPUS PORTAL AVAILABLE MONDAY, APRIL 28
The new version of the campus portal will be available Monday. Many new features will be available, and new portal content will be phased in over the summer. Some immediate enhancements include:
--Drag and drop channels (no more navigating menus, just click and move!)
--IMP email integration (both IMP and the original email interface will be available)
--Channel previews (view channels before you add them)
--Enhanced calendar (a new calendar channel shows your day's activities)
--Group alerts (a new groups channel shows new postings and updates to your group)

Note that the original portal email will be phased out, and IMP will become the supported mail interface for the portal. Stay tuned for information on how you can migrate to IMP.

CITING AND FOOTNOTING: GET IT RIGHT!
The semester has flown by and with only a few weeks until the end of finals, many of you will be putting finishing touches on your research papers. Time to take advantage of the guidance available on the Library Services webpage to make sure your papers are in top form and well documented. On the Navigating Information Website for students at http://www.lehigh.edu/library/infolit/students/index.html you will find, in the Proper Usage section, guides to “Avoiding Plagiarism,” “How to Cite,” and tips for “Paraphrasing.” You can also find some useful guidance on footnoting in the “Footnotes and Citation Style Guide” page at http://www.lehigh.edu/library/footnote/footnote.html

CARTOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVES: FROM THE NEW WORLD TO YOUR WORLD
Don't miss the current Linderman Library exhibit, Cartographic Perspectives: Local to Global Maps at Lehigh University, which continues until June 30th. The show, on display throughout the library, features “map treasures” from Lehigh’s Special Collections, including maps of Lehigh University and Bethlehem, the New World and early world maps, and Western exploration.

LIBRARY HOURS EXAMS AND SUMMER 2008 EXAM HOURS
April 28 – May 7
Fairchild Martindale Library: Open continuously Monday, April 28 open 7:30 am through Wednesday, May 7 Wednesday, May 7 close – 10 pm

Linderman Library: Monday, April 28 through Friday, May 2 open 8:00 am – 2:00 am
Saturday, May 3 through Sunday, May 4 open 9:00 am – 2:00 am
Monday, May 5 through Tuesday, May 6 open 8:00 am – 2:00 am
Wednesday, May 7 open 8:00 am – 10:00 pm

SEMESTER BREAK BOTH LIBRARIES:
May 8 – May 18
Thursday, May 8 open 8:00 am – 8:00 pm
Friday, May 9 open 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Saturday, May 10 through Sunday, May 11 open Noon – 5:00 pm
Monday, May 12 through Thursday, May 15 open 8:00 am – 8:00 pm
Friday, May 16 open 8:00 – 5:00pm
Saturday, May 17 open 8:00 – 5:00 pm
Sunday, May 18 open Noon – 5:00 pm

SUMMER SESSIONS BOTH LIBRARIES:
May 19 – August 9
Monday – Thursday, open 8:00 am – Midnight
Friday, open 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Saturday, open 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Sunday, open Noon – 5:00 pm

Exceptions: Friday, June 27 through Saturday, June 28 open 8:00 am – 10:00 pm (Exams)
Friday, August 8 through Saturday, August 9 open 8:00 am – 10:00 pm (Exams)

SEMESTER BREAK: August 10 – August 24
Sunday, open Noon – 5:00 pm
Monday through Thursday, open 8:00 am – 8:00 pm
Friday, open 8:00 am – 5:00 pm Saturday, open Noon – 5:00 pm

March 28, 2008

Sneak Peek: The LTS Digest blog and RSS feed // Reminder: What to do when you change your password // Research skills assessment for graduating seniors // New additions to the Knovel reference book service // High performance computing day

THE LTS DIGEST BLOG AND RSS FEED
The LTS Digest is available as a blog and in the form of an RSS feed. You can check out the blog at http://ltsnewsdigest.blogspot.com/ and the RSS feed is available via the portal on the employee tab. Instructions for subscribing to the RSS feed will be available at a later date. Enjoy!

REMINDER: WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD
Users sometimes encounter login problems immediately following a password change. Two common issues are a failure to login with the new password, or too many failed login attempts, which result in a locked account. You can easily avoid both issues by following these two steps: 1. If you use a laptop, change your password while it's connected to the Lehigh network. 2. For both laptops and desktops, be sure to reboot immediately after changing your password. To avoid other common login issues, such as failing to connect a laptop to the Lehigh wireless network, see: http://www.lehigh.edu/computing/docs/pswd/changepswd.htm If you have any questions, contact your departmental computing consultant or the Help Desk at 8-4357 (8HELP).

RESEARCH SKILLS ASSESSMENT FOR GRADUATING SENIORS Since 2004, the LTS Information Literacy working group has been conducting an assessment of incoming first year students the summer prior to their first classes. The online assessment looks at the skills our incoming students possess for functioning in an academic information environment. As the 2004 cohort prepares to graduate LTS is offering an additional assessment to this senior class. The assessment instrument is now open and seniors can access it by logging in to the Campus Portal (http://portal.lehigh.edu/) and clicking on the "LTS needs your help, Seniors!" link in the My Announcements channel. To encourage participation, students who complete this short inventory by April 11th will be entered into a drawing for one of five great prizes. We hope to learn about the skills our students have acquired and what their experiences have been in the past four years as they used our information resources and developed an understanding of the ever changing information environment.

NEW ADDITIONS TO THE KNOVEL REFERENCE BOOK SERVICE Knovel http://www.knovel.com/ is a web-based full-text service of science and engineering handbooks. Many of the data tables within the service are available as Excel spreadsheets, allowing users to add their own data and compare it against the whole. LTS has recently added the Chemistry/Chemical Engineering Collection, 268 items including such staples as Comprehensive Organic Synthesis, Industrial Solvents Handbook, Lange's, Polymer Handbook, and Perry's. Coming soon will be the long-awaited online version of the International Tables for Crystallography and the 11th edition of Handbook of Industrial Chemistry and Biotechnology. Users can search across the entire list of titles or restrict results to Lehigh's subscription. Numeric ranging for specific properties is one of the very useful search options; check the Search Tips for details. Coming soon in the newly remodeled interface will be the User Preferences options. Knovel can be accessed on Campus at http://www.knovel.com/, off campus, use http://ezproxy.lib.lehigh.edu/login?url=http://www.knovel.com

HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPUTING DAY Registration is now open for the 3rd Annual HPC Day Friday, April 4, 2008. All events are at the Rauch Business Center (RBC). To register either go directly to the Survey Monkey Web site: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=ntUrm1tmBY8WDOh2Qz5Xjw_3d_3d Or, get to the same link off the HPC Day 2008 Web site: http://www.lehigh.edu/computing/hpc/hpcday/2008/ Please contact Kelly Decker at 8-3990 if you have any questions.