THIS IS NOT A COPY MACHINE

The machine so artfully posed in the above picture is the new wireless printer. It looks like a copy machine and, theoretically, it IS a copy machine, and many other things, too. But we've dumbed it down to function EXCLUSIVELY AS A PRINTER. You'll find it in place of the old wireless printer(s) and, yes, you'll have to install a new driver on your machine.

Meanwhile, the library computer lab has also been outfitted with these new machines dutifully performing exclusively as printers. Where once there were three, there are now TWO. The third moved to wireless duty.








With the printer upgrade one thing led to another and we were left with no other alternative but to move the pencil sharpener. We considered remodeling the library inside and out in an effort to leave the pencil sharpener alone. But in the end we just moved it. It's right over there:

Here's a little more context:



What else is new for Winter 2011? We spruced up one of the walls with a handsome new poster to guide you through the mysterious Dewey Decimal system of arranging books by subject:




And finally, don't forget to check out the new books!

Study-In!

Today is the ASUCC Study-In! You can see there's lots of studying going on already-- come join us!









We'll be here until 7 p.m.

SURVEY WINNERS!!!!!!!!

Check the list at the front desk of the library to see if you won a $25 gift certificate. Thanks to all 200 (!) of you who filled out a library survey and entered our drawing. We randomly pulled names from the box yesterday and twenty of you now have $25 to spend at the UCC Bookstore. Claim your prize!

Playing Games at the Library

Does the weather have you retreating inside to play some video games? What if you could turn that favorite hobby into a research topic? Read on!

Video games have a 50-year history, reaching back to the crazy computer scientists in MIT's Building 20 knocking out walls according to Supercade: a visual history of the video game age. And while we're no longer building bookcase-sized machines to play them, video games are even more popular today than ever before: some online games have 12 million subscribers (That's more people than the entire population of Greece)!

The average gamer will have spent 10,000 hours playing by the time they're 21 years old. According to Michael Gladwell in his book, Outliers, that's roughly the amount we need to become an expert in any field.

So what can all this game playing do? Dr. Jane McGonigal, a theorist and multiplayer game designer, thinks that games might save the world:

Jane McGonigal: Gaming can make a better world | Video on TED.com

I really hope that we can come together to play games that matter, to survive on this planet for another century. And that's my hope that you will join me in making and playing games like this. When I look forward to the next decade,I know two things for sure, that we can make any future we can imagine, and we can play any games we want. So, I say let the world-changing games begin.

At right: What video games can teach us about learning and literacy.

Sound good?

Want to get started on creating games right away?

These books and more are waiting for you at the library- game on!

It's that time of year when we ask YOU to let us know how you use the library and its services. We also invite you to rate how we're doing. We use the results for library planning. The survey only takes a few minutes. Maybe less.

Please grab a survey form from a library staff member or pick up a form at the front desk. Check off the boxes; write your comments. AND THEN, fill out the little coupon at the end of the survey and enter our drawing to win a bookstore gift certificate for $25. You could be one of TWENTY to win.

The library staff truly appreciates your help!

Enjoy Oregon!

Sometimes it is easy to take the beautiful state that we live in for granted. Oregon is full of beautiful trails, scenic waterfalls, and abundant vineyards and Fall is a perfect time for an adventure. Here are some books to help you to make the most of the state that you live in.

If exploring vineyards and tasting local wines sounds like something that you would enjoy, then check out "Oregon Wine Country" by John Doerper. It offers guides to wineries throughout Yamhill County, Umpqua Valley, and Willamette Valley with suggestions on hotels and resturaunts. For further reading, check out "The Grail: a Year Ambling and Shambling Through an Oregon Vineyard in Pursuit of the Best Pinot Noir Wine in the Whole Wide World" by Brian Doyle.

If bird watching sounds like an interesting hobby to you, then flip through "Handbook of Oregon Birds: a Field Companion to Birds of Oregon" by Hendrik G. Herlyn and Alan Contreras. It is a useful guide to the birds that you will come across the next time that you are strolling through the woods or relaxing on your patio.

When you need to escape to a more urban setting for the weekend, a brief road trip to Portland can prove to be quite rewarding. Carl Abbott's "Greater Portland: Urban Life and Landscape in the Pacific Northwest" offers a useful account of Oregon's largest city.

If you are seeking inspiration on where to go on your next hiking adventure, look no further than Greg Vaughn's "Photographing Oregon: a guide to the Natural Landmarks of Oregon." The pages are full of mesmerizing landscapes that are easily accessible for Oregonians.

If you would like to take up a new hobby that involves getting into shape and enjoying nature, then "Rock Climbing Western Oregon" by Greg Orton may be an interesting book to browse through. If you are more interested in backpacking or hiking, and you need advice on which trails to take, then the UCC library has several books that will come in handy. Rhonda and George Ostertag's "75 Hikes in Oregon's Coast Range and Siskiyous" and Garret Romaine's "Gem Trails of Oregon" are both useful guides.

UCC Library is now loaning iPads!

Starting this fall, we have three iPads available for student use in the library! In order to check one out, you'll need a student ID card with a Fall 2010 sticker.

The iPads come with a number of cool features, including the ability to access and read available ebooks in seconds! Most novels and books in the public domain (published before 1923) are freely down-loadable: this means Shakespeare, Dickens, Mary Shelley, and much, much more are at your fingertips!

If you have any questions or to add ebooks to your iPad on checkout, talk with a librarian.

PS- The cat is not included. :)

Cat/iPad photo from Veronica Belmont