isr@

INSIDE:isr@bucknell I N F O R M A T I O N S E R V I C E S & R E S O U R C E S

Summer Upgrades

ISR First Year Program

Uncommon Books

Be a MOUS-keteer

The Technology Courtyard

A New Switch

S E P T E M B E R 1 9 9 9 • V E R S I O N 2 • R E L E A S E 1

Bertrand library renovations — an information commonstakes shapeby Ray E. Metz, Associate Vice President for Information Services and Resources metz@bucknell.edu

f you haven’t been to thelibrary this fall, I encourageyou to make the trip over.

During the summer, significantchanges happened which we hopewill positively respond to some of thesuggestions we have heard during thepast year from faculty and students.It has been an exciting summer. Wehave begun calling the first floor areathe "Information Commons". Theterm reflects what many of our stu-dents, as well as faculty and staff,have requested: a common areawhere they can find support fordoing research or using media andtechnology. But what it’s called isnot as important as how useful wehope it will be.

When we brought together intoone ISR organization all staff andservices related to computing,libraries and telecommunications, wesaw an opportunity to improve howand where we deliver the services weoffer. A group of ISR staff identified

those services and then began brain-storming about which services thecampus might appreciate having inone public service area — and wherethe rest of the support would be forthose services. We quickly identifiedthat it would be preferable to havethe majority of the ISR staff in onelocation — with some ISR staff dis-tributed around campus closer tothose they serve. However, it was alsoapparent that the existing buildingcould not support an additional 45people and 100+ student assistants.During the fall and spring semesterswe met with various faculty, student,and staff groups to discuss our plansand adjusted those plans based onthe comments received.

Some of the consistent requestswe heard from students were to pro-vide more areas where they couldwork on projects collaboratively, abetter and cooler 24-hour lab area, agroup study room with a computer,more access to the equipment in themedia area, and more equipment todo media/technology projects. Wealso heard from the entire Bucknell

community how special the library isto the campus and how important itwould be to design any kind ofchanges in a way that was sensitiveto that fact. We think we have suc-ceeded in doing that.

Below is a list of some of theenhancements you will find in theInformation Commons today:• A redesigned Reference Desk (now

with an ADA-compliant back desk);a relocated Reference collection(now a little closer to the ReferenceDesk); a new Technology Desk(merged computing/media supportlocation for phone and in-personsupport; see related story in thisissue); 28 collaborative work areasin a Technology courtyard; and onegroup-study room complete with acomputer.

• Two group video viewing locationswith wireless headsets; Libraryresearch workstations (now closer tothe Reference Desk with increasedspace for each user because the bigworkstations have been replacedwith flat screen monitors).

• The relocated video collection (nowout on public shelves for browsing);the relocated CD music collection(also now out on public shelves for

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Managing Editor: Jennifer PerdueEditors: Jim Van Fleet, Susan Hales,Chris Weber, and Mary Jean WolandPhotographer: Debra Balducci

Information Services & Resources (ISR)is a new department comprised ofBertrand Library, Computer & Commu-nication Services, and Media Services.isr@bucknell is published four timesduring the academic year. Bucknell faculty and staff receive isr@bucknellfree through campus mail; copies aremade available for students in severallocations around campus. Individuals atother schools or information technologyorganizations may subscribe by contact-ing the managing editor.

Please send subscription requests orcomments to: isr@bucknell c/o Jennifer Perdue Information Services & ResourcesBucknell University Lewisburg, PA 17837 e-mail: isr@bucknell.eduor call 570-577-3252

isr@bucknell is available on the Web athttp://www.isr.bucknell.edu/pubs/.

Articles may be reprinted if properly credited.

I N S I D E

isr@b

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Meet the ISR staff!

Information Services and ResourcesThe Systems Integration group ofComputer and Communication Services.

back, l to r: Garry Miller, Mark Ritschard, Glenn Fisher, Dick Huff, Mike Weaver, John Wilkins, Rita Malick,Gene Spencerfront, l to r: Michelle Fundock, BevPfleegor, George Lincoln, Chris Weber,Cindy Ray, Dianne Guffey, Peggy StraubAbsent from photo: John Jantzi,Michele Snyder

BERTRAND LIBRARY RENOVATIONS — AN INFORMATION COMMONS TAKES SHAPE . . . . . . . .1

MEET THE ISR STAFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

RANDOM THOUGHTS ON RANDOM TOPICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

ISR’S NEW TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA DESK, AND THE TECHNOLOGY COURTYARD . . . . . . . . .4

UNCOMMON BOOKS FOR COMMON LEARNING OBJECTIVES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

A NEW SWITCH FOR BUCKNELL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

HAVE YOU HEARD? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

OFFICE HOURS FOR REFERENCE LIBRARIANS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

NEW LIBRARY ONLINE CATALOG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

SUMMER UPGRADES FOR THE MICROCOMPUTER LABS — AGAIN! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

BE A “MOUS-KETEER” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

ASK ISR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

ISR FIRST YEAR PROGRAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

ISR QUICK REFERENCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

WANDERING OUR WEB SITE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

hone switch — A quietgood thing. The old one wason its last legs, er, wires...

New staff in ISR — Bravo! WelcomeNate Rupp, Glenn Himes, SethGreiner, Michelle Fundock, andGordon Peck.ISR staff — Awesome group of indi-viduals and groups!Windows vs. Mac — The religiouswar continues. Bucknell won't solvethis, the market will...Banner — Faster central server andWeb for students providing access totranscript information and more...Journal subscriptions — Look for-ward to University Library Commit-tee's fall summary of departments'wishes to adjust (and yes, even add afew titles to the collection)Book collection — Great job toeveryone who has done this over theyears! Let's keep it up! We do feel thepinch for space though.Linux — Yes, it would seem it's hereto stay and that is a good thing.Collaboration — Efforts such as jointpurchasing through CLAC, the OberlinGroup, and PALCI will become increas-ingly important for providing qualityinformation services to a campus likeBucknell.Video conferencing technology —Will become increasingly importantfor higher education as we begin tocommunicate not only in writtenform with colleagues all over theworld, but via videoconferencing for

bucknellRandom thoughts on random topics by Ray Metz, Associate Vice President for Information Services and Resourcesmetz@bucknell.edu

personal use and for bringing outsideresources (colleagues and alums) intoour learning spaces.Information Commons — An excit-ing opportunity for students to haveone place to get assistance for libraryand technology needs.Technology/Media Desk — Bringingmedia services and the help desktogether at one service point to sig-nificantly increase hours of service aswell as improve the service itself.Technology Courtyard — A greatplace for students (or anyone else forthat matter!) to work collaborativelyon a technology and/or media project.Flat screen monitors — Thanks tothe Friends of the Library the flatscreen monitors were purchased toprovide users with more work space asthey do research and allow ReferenceStaff to be in closer proximity if assis-tance is needed.Should we require every student toown a computer? — The vast majori-ty own one now at Bucknell. Weshould do things that encourage students to have a computer, but free-dom of choice is still a good thing.Browse the Videos! — Yes, the 5000+videos are all on open shelving by theReference Desk so anyone can browsethem.The Web and the Internet — Yes,they certainly seem to be as big asthe invention of the printing press-

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way bigger actually since scholarlyand popular communication are only a small piece of what they are becoming!An addition for Bertrand Library?— It's probably time to be thinkingabout adding what should be consid-ered "The Last Addition to BertrandLibrary"-collection space, space for allof ISR staff, and perhaps space forclassrooms or other services related to the academic mission of Bucknell.And we know that Engineering reallyneeds the space we would vacate inthe computer center.CAC, ACC, and ULC — Awesome work.You inspire ISR to do more and better!BSG — We love the dialog we startedlast year. Let's keep it going this year!A few ISR heroes for the summer —Don Krech in Purchasing (MiracleMan), Cathy Sweeney in PersonnelServices (Rational Decisions ’R Us),Angelo Vieceli in Physical Plant (HaveBudget, Will Make Happen!)

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ISR’s newtechnologyand

media desk,and the

technologycourtyardby Susan Hales, Client Services GroupLeader and Robin Jarrell, Client Services Internhales@bucknell.edu andjarrell@bucknell.edu

ntroducing the Technology DeskISR’s new Technology and

Media Desk is one of the service desksin the new "Information Commons"(see related article in this issue.) TheTechnology Desk, located on the firstfloor of the Bertrand Library, is theresult of the merger of the computingHelp Desk and the public servicesprovided by Instructional MediaServices. This new service point is thefront door to ISR computing/mediaservices and support for faculty, stu-dents and staff – in person, electroni-cally, or by phone. In order to providethe best possible technology support,the desk is staffed not only bytrained student consultants, but alsostaff consultants during regularBucknell business hours. Hours forthe Technology Desk are the same asthose of the Bertrand Library.

The Technology Desk offers helpwith all of your computing and medianeeds, and should be the first placeto call for technology assistance. Inaddition to providing general comput-ing and media support, the Tech-nology Desk offers equipment loans,as well as color printing, laminating,and transparency services.

The Technology Desk also servesas a point of contact for many of theother technology services provided byISR. Individuals may contact theTechnology Desk to make a requestfor the following services.• Media and computing troubleshoot-

ing and consulting services• Bucknell-owned media and comput-

er hardware troubleshooting andrepair

browsing); locations for students toconnect their laptops to the campusnetwork; and a new 24-hour comput-ing/study facility (easier to find, bet-ter computers, and the temperatureshould be better now!)

Besides these resources you’ll alsonotice the new carpet, fresh paint,reupholstered furniture, some newfurniture, and better temperaturecontrol. Wherever possible, we reusedexisting furniture or features. Forexample, the glass panes with woodtrim that used to be a wall in the old24-hour space are now the windowsat the Technology Desk. Throughoutthe first floor we have reused furni-ture wherever we could.

Thanks to the generous funding

from the Friends of the Library, wewere able to obtain flat screen moni-tors in the Reference area and a plas-ma display TV by the TechnologyDesk. The flat screen monitors allowusers to have much more work spacewhile doing library research. The plas-ma display TV can be used for a vari-ety of purposes, but we will initiallyuse it to display real time informa-tion, both about Bucknell and beyondBucknell.

We look forward to the day whenall of ISR staff can be located in onebuilding, but until that happens wethink this is good step in the evolu-tion of our services and space. It isimportant to note that these changeswere planned with changes in tech-nology in mind. We also did the workthis summer in ways that would be

consistent with a future expansion ofthe building. We hope you find thechanges to be beneficial!

There are so many people tothank... * everyone in ISR *University Library Committee *Committee on Academic Computing *Administrative Computing Committee* Bucknell Student Government *Physical Plant * Mark and everyonefrom HEPCO * Randy of Spectrawood** Dan Little * Bro Adams * PeggyPlympton * Bucknell’s Friends of theLibrary * Angelo Vieceli * and a special thank you to Shelly Yocum forgiving her summer to this project!

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Marcy Siegler, Technology Desk Consultant, and Dierdre Bussom, student assistant, check out the newTechnology/Media Desk, part of the Information Commons in the Bertrand Library.

www.isr.bucknell.edu

• Technology education, includingone-on-one training appointments,requests for training in the class-room, etc.

• ResNet information and assistance• Photography/graphic services• Multimedia/instructional technolo-

gy assistance• Video editing/production requests• Lab/Classroom support• Classroom equipment delivery and

setup*• Software installation in labs or

classrooms*• Arrangements for videotaping/film

showing in the classroom*• CCTV requests** These services can also be request-ed through Calendar and Schedulingwhen making location reservations.The Technology CourtyardAdjacent to the Technology Desk isthe Technology Courtyard, a collec-tion of 28 high-end self-service mul-timedia stations, including fast com-puters, large monitors, scanners,video and audio editing stations,QuickCams, and other equipment.These stations are dedicated to multi-media development, desktop publish-ing and presentations, web develop-ment, video and sound editing, and

other high-end uses. The Courtyard is arranged in such a way as to facilitate collaborative work. TheTechnology Courtyard will also hostthe Technology Learning Center, acollection of books, instructionalmaterials, videos, and CD-ROM tutori-als which are available for use in the Technology Courtyard or forcheckout.Contacting UsThe Technology Desk can be reachedby phone at ext. 77777 or via emailto techdesk@bucknell.edu. The emailaddress helpdesk@bucknell.edu, aswell as the Help Desk phone number(ext. 1035) and the InstructionalMedia Services phone number (ext.1109) have been discontinued.Classroom emergencies should still bereported to ext. 73435. Hardware andsoftware service for personally ownedcomputers is provided by the Soft-ware Service Clinic, located in theComputer Center.

ISR receives literally hundreds oftechnology inquiries a month, andthey come in from all directions (e.g.,from faculty, staff and students, viacalls and emails). Whenever you areexperiencing a problem or have aquestion about computing or media

technology, please call the Tech-nology Desk at ext. 77777, ratherthan your computing liaison. By call-ing the Technology Desk, you ensurethat your request gets logged in ourproblem tracking system to be for-warded as quickly as possible to anappropriate staff member. This pre-vents requests from falling throughthe cracks, or from being on holdwhile a specific individual is out ofthe office.

Whenever possible, the TechnologyDesk consultants will work with youon your problem and resolve it. If theconsultants are unable to answer yourquestion, or if the issue needs to beforwarded, your request will be loggedin the problem tracking system, andyou will be given a problem ticketnumber. This number verifies for youthat the problem has been logged,and lets you check on the status ofthe problem later by referring to it by number. If you aren’t give a ticketnumber when you call, please askfor it!

If you place a request at theTechnology Desk and get a ticketnumber, you do not need to contactyour computing liaison directly. He orshe will receive notification of yourrequest automatically, and willrespond to your call as soon as possi-ble. If your liaison is not available(e.g., out sick, on vacation), a backupliaison will address the issue.

ISR is excited about the creationof the Technology Desk and Tech-nology Courtyard. We anticipate thathaving one central service desk tocontact for all of your technologyneeds should make interacting withISR easier than ever before.

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Presented as cut out, fold-down lay-erings of images, one section portraysa dream-like dance sequence, Joyce’simpressions of the death of his youngbrother. Included is a portrait ofJoyce created from nine wood blocks.

The woodcuts of famous illustratorRobert Gibbings in Gibbings & Greyand the Charm of Birds, enhance thelyrical essay of the Viscount Grey ofFallodon who negotiated the end ofthe Balkan War while serving asBritain’s Foreign Secretary. An expertin bird-song and waterfowl, theViscount, although completely blindby his mid-fifties, wrote of his fre-quent contacts with the inhabitantsof the bird sanctuaries he estab-lished.

J. G. Lubbock’s Aspects of Art andScience interprets in vivid colors hisperspectives on tiny living organisms,and the awe-inspiring birth of galax-ies. Lavishly detailed engravings,aquatints, and etchings magnify themarvels of the natural world. On thephysical basis for art, Lubbock says:"In the presence of a vital work of artwe forget that it has no life of itsown save in the complex propertiesof the atoms…" In commemoration

of the 50th anniversary of the publi-cation of The Grapes of Wrath, inter-nationally acclaimed woodcut artistAntonio Frasconi produced 15 copiesof The Enduring Struggle: Tom Joad’sAmerica, an elaborate depiction of20th century efforts to end social andpolitical injustice.

Spreading across pages 25" highand 40" long, Joad’s soliloquy over-lays historical events in an intriguingmix of contemporary photographs,lithographs, and woodcuts printed ona hand-press by the artist.

Then I’ll be all around in the dark.I’ll be everywhere – wherever you look.Wherever they’s a fight so hungry people can eat, I’ll be there. Whereverthey’s a cop beating up a guy, I’ll bethere.

___ Tom Joad, Chapter 28, The Grapes of Wrath by JohnSteinbeck

For undergraduates completingclass assignments, and those studyingthe very best examples of printingand the visual arts, these spectacularbooks will expand research opportu-nities across wide-ranging academic pursuits.

Uncommon books for common learning objectives: Crossing cross-disciplinary thresholdsby Doris Dysinger, Curator, Special Collections/University Archives dysinger@bucknell.edu

ames Joyce artistically engi-neered? An ornithologicalsanctuary engraved in wood

and memory? Microscopic atoms andstars exploding in elephant-sizedcopperplates? Steinbeck superim-posed over the struggles of theUnited Mine Workers, the Civil RightsMovement, the American Indianprotest at Wounded Knee?

Surprising answers can be foundin the exquisite imprints recentlyacquired by the library’s SpecialCollections. Scientists, design engi-neers, historians, and artists may discover unusual pairings of disparatedisciplines. So, too, will sociologists,dancers, political scientists, andscholars of literary works find anamazing blend of otherwise dichoto-mous elements.

The award-winning Epiphanies byJames Joyce, interpreted by SusanWeil and Marjorie Van Dyke, capturesthe author’s text from his early note-books in original watercolors,embossment, and hand-cut collageson linen. Never before published in asequential compendium, the note-books are overheard conversations,encounters, and memories uponwhich Joyce based his later writings.

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five-digitextension todial campusnumbers. Allcampus num-

bers (including voice mailboxes) nowbegin with "7", allowing for growthin the number of telephones andvoice mailboxes we can install in thefuture. As an added plus to this pro-ject, we plan to provide voice mail toour on-campus students after fallbreak.

The new switch provides digitalphones (primarily in offices) with awealth of new features, includingspeaker capability, fourteen-numberspeed dialing, and caller ID displayby phone number. Students may alsouse caller ID capabilities on thephones they purchase for use in theresidence halls.

ISR would like to thank everyonein the campus community for theircooperation throughout the summerand during the installation process.We are committed to keeping thecampus up-to-date on telephone ser-vices and feature enhancements. Ifyou have any questions about yournew phone or voice mail, don’t hesi-tate to contact the telephone officeat Ext. 71810.

By now you have certainly noticedthat new black Nortel phone on yourdesk. The reason for the new set:Bucknell’s telephone switch wasreplaced in early August.

Why a new telephoneswitch? Our previous NECswitch, thirteen years old, hadreached its maximum capacity. Whilewe worried that the old switch hadrun out of horsepower, we also want-ed to take advantage of advancementsin technology that had occurred sinceits installation. The replacementswitch has ample expandability andmany new and improved features.

Our new switch was purchasedfrom Nortel Networks, a leading play-er in the telephone and IP network-ing field. Some of Nortel’s notablecustomers include public and privateenterprises and institutions as well asInternet service providers, telephoneand cable companies, and other utili-ties. For more information aboutNortel, visit their web page athttp://www.nortelnetworks.com

Planning for the switch-overprocess was complex and time con-suming. In early August, WilliamsCommunications, a Nortel authorizeddealer, installed the new switch inthe basement of Trax Hall, along withnew phones in every office. To ensurethe smooth transition, Nortel provid-ed training on phone usage to thecampus community and set up a helpdesk for several days following thenew installation. The most noticeablechange is that we now must use a

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A new switch for Bucknellby Jeannie Zappe, Development Leader and Gene Spencer, Associate Director forComputing and Information Servicesjzappe@bucknell.edu andgspencer@bucknell.edu

telephone office:ext. 71810

Have you heard?by Susan Swanger, Telecommunications Technicianswanger@bucknell.edu

In the realm of voice mail, “envelopeinformation” refers to the date, time,duration, and from whom a voicemail message was delivered to yourmailbox. While listening to a voicemail message or at its conclusion,press 5 to access the envelope infor-mation.

If you want to automaticallyreceive envelope information, youcan set that feature in your voicemail preferences. Dial into your mail-box and enter your password. At themain menu, press 4 for PersonalOptions, then press 2 for Admin-istrative Options, then finally press 4for Date and Time Playback.

After setting the Date and TimePlayback option, the voice mail sys-tem will play the envelope informa-tion following each message untilyou cancel the feature. To cancel thisfeature, follow the directions aboveand respond appropriately to thevoice mail prompts.

If you have any questions, please call the telephone office atext. 71810.

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New library online catalog

by Isabella O'Neill, Librarian/Manager of Reference Services ProgramPam Ross, Librarian/Information Specialist for Networked ResourcesIoneill@bucknell.edu and rossp@bucknell.edu

For the past 10 years, the BertrandLibrary has been using software pur-chased from DRA (Data ResearchAssociates). DRA provides thelibrary's integrated system, composedof several modules, including thepublic online catalog, the circulationsystem, serials check-in, acquisitionsand cataloging. About four years agothe library installed DRA's first Web-based online catalog for public use.The Web based catalog allowed us totake advantage of new technologies,for example, hypertext links fromitems physically owned by the libraryto related links, like author and pub-lisher information, and links to thelibrary’s databases, electronic reservesand the catalogs of other librariesand institutions.

Plans for DRA's new client/server

system, TAOS, were announced twoyears ago, positioning the companyto take advantage of changing tech-nologies that adhere to internationalstandards, thereby moving away fromproprietary hardware/software tech-nologies. The Bertrand Library’s newonline catalog, DRA Web2, was thefirst TAOS module released, and wasthe initial step toward full implemen-tation of all modules. Thisclient/server based software furtherpositions the library to take advan-tage of emerging technologies.

In June 1999, we introduced DRAWeb2. Searching the catalog is nowquicker and easier since author, title,and subject searching is availablefrom one page. Other enhancementsinclude the ability to limit by format,date, language, and location by allsearching conventions. Another newfeature is the ability to sort your

search results by various criteria,such as author, title, subject, materialand date. You can even downloadyour hitlist to a file on your PC forlater review. DRA Web2 also has con-text-sensitive help available, a fea-ture high on the want list of manylibrary patrons.

One of the most exciting servicesthat DRA Web2 offers to library usersis the ability to retrieve their borrow-er account information online. Byselecting Your Account from theselection bar on the catalog pages,users may view information regardingthe titles of materials they havechecked out, including due date andcurrent fines. Another new featureauthorizes patrons to request a holdon a book or other library materialthat is currently charged to anotherpatron.

DRA Web2 is available at http://libcat.bucknell.edu and through the ISR web pages at http://www.isr.bucknell.edu.

Office Hours for Reference Librarians by Isabella O’Neill, Librarian/Manager of Reference Services Programioneill@bucknell.edu

In the fall semester, the reference librarians will be initiating individual office hours so they may better accommo-date the reference and research needs of Bucknell faculty, staff and students. Each librarian will schedule two hoursper week, between 12 Noon and 5 p.m., as a time when their doors will be open to all users who need extendedassistance or wish to consult with a librarian about their research. Office hours will be in addition to librarian coverage at the Reference Desk during the afternoon, evening, and weekend hours. A published schedule for falloffice hours will be available at the Reference Desk prior to the commencement of the fall semester.

The reference librarians are looking forward to this opportunity to enhance reference services that are currentlyavailable to Bucknell users, such as the appointment based research service "ASK" Online, where a user may submitbrief inquiries and may expect a response within 24 hours. If you have any questions concerning the office hours service, please contact the Reference office at Ext. 71461 or the Reference desk at Ext. 71462.

f, during your summer trav-els, you ventured onto Route80, you undoubtedly saw

some tractor-trailers heading thisway. What you didn’t know was thatthey were all hauling replacement labcomputers and overhead and dataprojectors. And they were all headingto Bucknell. Well, that one with thelive chickens perhaps had a differentdestination, and the U-haul pullingthe El Camino may not have had anycomputer equipment on board either,but a record number of computerupgrades are taking place right herein the ‘burg.

On the day after finals, theLearning Spaces team and TechnicalOperations group began removingequipment from the Library AfterHours lab to prepare for its relocationand upgrade this summer. The newlab will contain twelve new Dell 450MHz Pentium IIIs running WindowsNT 4.0 with access to the full suite ofapplications used for classroominstruction. In addition, there will besix new IMacs also accessing the fullsuite of applications used for class-room instruction. This is a significantand historic upgrade, since this facili-ty has always been supplied by thetrickle-down method, creating anopen access facility from teaching labhand-me-downs. The direct result wasa lab that functioned well for writingpapers or checking email, but not aplace where more demanding applica-tions could be run. Now, students will

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Summer upgrades for theMicrocomputer labs — again!by George Lincoln, Systems Integrator & ISR Learning Spaces Team Leaderlincoln@bucknell.edu

be able to access high-end software inthe new After Hours lab.

The largest project was the re-placement of the computers in Rooke9 and 10. Thirty-three Macintosh7300-200 computers were replacedwith thirty-three Dell 450 MHzPentium IIIs running Windows NTWorkstation 4.0. The Mathematicsdepartment relies upon these facilitiesto administer tests requiring softwarepackages such as SPSS, Minitab, andMathematica. Current software ver-sions for products such as SPSS aremore readily available on the Windowsplatform, which was in large part themotivation for the platform change.

The still speedy 7300-200 comput-ers served as a much needed upgradefor the twenty-three Quadra andCentris 650-based, non-Power MacColeman 23 lab, and for the thirteen7100’s in the MML.

Dana 227 is another lab profitingfrom the almost omnipresent Dell 450MHz Pentium III. The twenty-threePentium 133’s are being redeployed todepartmental labs to retire 486s. Dana227 will continue to run Windows NT4.0, but will have the horsepower todo so handily.

Other noteworthy computerupgrades include the deployment ofPentium 75s and Power Macs to down-hill open access locations such asSmith 111 and 112, Larison 127, Hunt13A, and Roser 30. Also, Rooke 17

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and Dana 307 received memoryupgrades, adding another 64Mb ofRAM to each computer. Notabledepartmental lab upgrades includeDana 129, which saw ten Sun Sparc5s replaced with ten, you guessed it,Dell 450 MHz Pentium IIIs. The GISlab is also a proud recipient of twomore Dell’s—also 450 MHz PentiumIIIs. Finally, Olin 271, the sophomorephysics lab, is bidding fond farewellto 486’s, as they are being replacedwith Pentium 75’s.

Well, that’s all the major labs com-puting projects that are taking placethis summer, but computing labs arenot the sole focus of the LearningSpaces Team. As the name indicates,the Learning Spaces Team’s focus ison Learning Spaces—all learningspaces. Other upgrades to learningspaces include the replacement ofabout forty overhead projectors andVCRs, replacement of many data andvideo projectors, and the creation offive more presentation classrooms.

Our sincere thanks to: CAC,Learning Spaces Team, TechnicalOperations group, ISR student em-ployees, the Engineering ComputingSupport team, Purchasing, PhysicalPlant, Calendar and Scheduling, andespecially the Friends of the Librarywho provided much of the funding forthe new After Hours Lab.

The ISR Learning Spaces Team busy at work planning lab and classroom upgrades for this summer.From left, Richard Pauling, George Lincoln (leader), Michele Snyder, Cindy Ray, and Tom Carl.

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ucknell is currently offeringa great way for you todevelop and improve your

Microsoft Office skills. The MicrosoftOffice User Specialist (MOUS) programoffers two levels of certification, theProficient User Specialist and theExpert User Specialist. The Proficientcertification is offered in Word andExcel 97, while the Expert certifica-tion is offered in Word, Excel, Power-Point, and Access 97. If a personbecomes certified in all four applica-tions, he or she will automaticallyreceive a Master Certification inMicrosoft Office.

Benefits of Certification. It isadvantageous to receive certificationin Microsoft Office. Not only will yourknowledge and skill base of MicrosoftOffice expand, but your understand-ing of other software programs mayalso improve. Your technology train-ing experience will also be enhanced,as you will be working towards a specific goal. Microsoft certificationdefinitely provides a great means ofprofessional development and alsomakes a nice addition to a resume.

The Exam Format. Fortunately, theexam is not a fill-in-the-blank, penciland paper test. Instead, the exam isgiven on the computer and is interac-tive. The exam features real wordapplications and is modeled on theway you use your computer at homeand in the office. No partial creditwill be given in the Office exam; ananswer is either right or wrong.However, there is no correct method-ology to get to an answer. For exam-

ple, if you were asked to spell check adocument, it does not matter if youpull down the Tools menu and selectSpelling and Grammar or if you clickon the Spelling and Grammar button.

Preparing for the Exam. If you areinterested in taking an exam, youshould assess your current skill levelin the application and also review thetasks required for the exam.Fortunately, Bucknell’s MOUS webpage, http://www.isr.bucknell.edu/mous, makes this an easy task toaccomplish.

Once you assess your skills, there areseveral different ways to prepare forthe Office exam. ISR offers aWorkshop Series, hands-on practice,and help sessions, all of which aregeared to help you do well on theexam. Another great resource forpreparing for the exam are theComputer Based Training modules,which are nicknamed CBTs. CBT cours-es allow you to train for the exam atyour own convenience and pace.Courses can be completed in one sit-ting or over an extended period of

time. CBT courses can be accessed onthe web at http://www.cbt.bucknell.edu. Unfortunately, CBT courses arecurrently unavailable on Macintoshcomputers.

Exam guides are also available foreach application. These guides can bechecked out from the library or pur-chased in the bookstore. Practice testsare also available on Bucknell’s MOUSweb page.

Taking the Exam. Testing dates andtimes will be scheduled upon request.The exams are administered on cam-pus and are approximately an hour inlength. As soon as you have finishedthe exam, the computer will show youhow well you scored. Exams can betaken as many times as desired, at acost of $40 per exam. Exams for facul-ty and staff will be funded in con-junction with Personnel servicesthrough learning and developmentfunds set aside through the strategicfinancial plan. Microsoft will sendyour certificate through the mail

when you pass the exam. Toschedule an exam, pleasecontact Lisa Veloz at Ext.71796 or by email atlveloz@bucknell.edu.

Be a "MOUS-keteer"by Lisa Veloz, Client Services Analyst/TrainingCoordinator andJessica Rennie ’01, Student Trainer/Tutorlveloz@bucknell.edu and rennie@bucknell.edu

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AskISR

Ask

ISR

ISR Ask

Have a question? Or do youhave a tip you’d like to sharewith the campus community?Send your questions or tips to isr@bucknell.edu.

This month’s Q & A come fromBud Hiller, Reserves TechnicalAssistant. dhiller@bucknell.edu

Using the Acrobat 4.0 ReaderA. Yes. Just select the Text Selectbutton on the command bar, selectyour text, right click your mouse tobring up the options that includeCopy, click on Copy, and then pasteyour text into your other document.Be sure to click on the Hand iconagain to change your I-beam pointerback to a Hand.

Q. Can I quickly jump to anotherpage in the PDF document?A. Yes. At the bottom of the Acrobatwindow, you’ll see places to changethe magnification level of the document, and the page numbers ofthe document. To go to a certainpage, simply double-click within thepagination window, type in the pagenumber where you want to go, andhit enter - you’ll immediately jumpright to that page. To go back to the page where you were, click on the left-pointing arrow on theCommand Bar.

Q. I have the Acrobat 3.0 Reader.Should I upgrade to Acrobat 4.0? Isthere a way that I can install theAcrobat 4.0 Reader?A. While your 3.0 reader will readfiles created in Acrobat 4.0, there willbe a number of features of Acrobat4.0 that will not be viewable in the3.0 reader. There are several waysthat you can upgrade. Your ISR liai-son can do it for you. You can godirectly to Adobe’s web site for easydirections. Or on-campus Windows 95users can go directly to this URL forsimple installation of the software:http://www.facstaff.bucknell.edu/mdiehl/Acrobat.html.

Q: I am always seeing files in PDF orAcrobat. What does this mean andwhat do I need to view these files?A. The Adobe web site describes PDFthis way: “PDF is a universal file for-mat that preserves all of the fonts,formatting, colors, and graphics ofany source document, regardless ofthe application and platform used tocreate it. PDF files are compact andcan be shared, viewed, navigated,and printed exactly as intended byanyone with a free Adobe Acrobat(R)Reader.”

Q. Can I create PDF files?A. You can create PDF files only ifyou have Adobe Acrobat installed onyour computer. This is a separatepiece of software that also allows youto edit and annotate PDF documents.Bucknell does not have a site licensefor this software, so it must be pur-chased through your department orliaison. The Acrobat Reader is a freepiece of software that is installed asa plug-in on newer browsers. It canbe downloaded and freely distributedfrom the Adobe web site or installedby your liaison.

Q. How do I use the Reader?A. When you attempt to open a PDFfile, the reader will automaticallyopen. There are a number of extreme-ly helpful features that enable you to quickly navigate throughout thedocument.

Q. Can I copy text from a PDF docu-ment and insert it into a Word orNotepad document?

ISR First YearProgram: whereinformation, help and support cometogether for first-year students

by Judy Zebrowski,Librarian/InformationSpecialist in User Educationzebrow@bucknell.edu

• Let the First Year Program beyour connection to academicsuccess in developing andenhancing the critical skillsnecessary to succeed in theInformation Age.

• Discover how InformationServices and Resourcesresponds to your research,computing, and networkingneeds.

• Jump start the fall semester by attending these ISR infor-mation-sharing experiences:- ISR Orientation for first-

year students- Introduction to the

University Library and the Internet

- TechnoStress Appointments• Visit the ISR First Year Program

web site at http://www.isr.bucknell.edu/help/usered/First_Year/

ISR Quick Reference

E-Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .http://www.isr.bucknell.edu/eforms/menu.html

Electronic Reserves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .http://www.isr.bucknell.edu/reserves/

Appropriate Usage Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .http://www.isr.bucknell.edu/aup.html

Interlibrary Loan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .http://www.isr.bucknell.edu/obtain/ILL/ill.html

Library Databases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .http://www.isr.bucknell.edu/databases/databases.html

Supported Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .http://www.isr.bucknell.edu/supportedsoftware.html

Computer Tutor Request Form . . . . . . . . . . .http://www.isr.bucknell.edu/help/usered/one_on_one/comp_training.html

New Title Look-up Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .http://www.isr.bucknell.edu/selector.html

Our General Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .http://www.isr.bucknell.edu

Wandering ourWeb site...

If you are off campus, please dial 570-57 before each extension.

Associate Vice President for Information Services and Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . metz@bucknell.edu . . .71557

Circulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71882

ISR office - 221 Bertrand Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71557

ISR office - 101 Computer center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71795

Library and Media Services hours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71881

Reference/Information Desk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71462

Reserves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . dhiller@bucknell.edu . . .73288

Scheduling a computer lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .reservelab@bucknell.edu

Software Service Clinic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71689

Technology/Media Desk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . helpdesk@bucknell.edu . . .77777

Telephone repairs, billing, voice mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71810

User education and training

Computing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lisa Veloz . . . lveloz@bucknell.edu . . .71796

Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dot Thompson . . . dthompsn@bucknell.edu . . .71461

Web development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Roberta Sims . . . rsims@bucknell.edu . . .73310

INFORMATION SERVICES & RESOURCES