In late November and early December, we will be interviewing finalists for our vacant librarian position. The candidates will each spend a full day on campus, meeting with a number of constituencies inside and outside the library; and they will also prepare and deliver a sample instruction session suitable for first-year students. We expect to make an offer shortly thereafter, and to have a new librarian start at Millikin in early January.

Meanwhile, one of our student staff members, sophomore nursing student Shawna Warner, has been elected President of the Student Nurse's Association of Illinois. SNAI is a part of the National Student Nurse's Association and the American Nurse's Association. We are proud of Shawna and her accomplishment, even while we are not surprised that one of "our" students should be so distinguished!

Also, another library student staff member, Sarah Popkin, was nominated for the November Student Spotlight Award. This monthly award recognizes Millikin students who have made a difference in the campus community through involvement in student activities.

I have myself recently been elected Vice President of the Heritage Network of Decatur-Macon County. The Board is currently exploring putting together some sort of celebration for the 175th anniversary of the incorporation of the City of Decatur in April 2004.

More personally, it would seem that being the library's Archival Associate leads to marriage, and to a Millikin alum at that, as it did for Jason Butterick and now for Catie (Parish) Zimmerman: on November 29, Catie married Jason Zimmerman in Beardstown, Catie's home town. Jennifer Eason,  like Catie a 2003 MU graduate and one-time library student employee, was one of the attendants.

Jason Z. graduated from MU in 1998 with a degree in biology education and is now teaching music in the Decatur school system along with playing cello in the Millikin-Decatur Symphony orchestra - and he too is a former library student employee. Congratulations to the newlyweds!

When you return in January, the Millinet online catalog will have a different color scheme so that you will know the difference between using the local and the state-wide catalogs. Except for the colors though, the catalog will still look and function the way you have become used to. 

One background change that you may notice if you let your borrowed items become overdue is that come January, the notices will be generated on a time table more specific to each loan period. For instance, if you let a video become overdue after its one week loan period, instead of waiting the same two weeks for a notice as you would for an overdue book, the notices will now start after only a week. 

Lexis-Nexis resources are now available to off-campus users in addition to through the campus network. From the library homepage, access is from the first link in the Quicklinks (right-hand) column, the one that says "Off-campus users click here!" The two Periodicals Database lists (farther down in the Quicklinks column) are only for on-campus access.

Lexis-Nexis of course provides access to full-text periodical and newspaper articles, as well as, through Statistical Universe, to statistical information from various publications.

As part of our continuing library web site updating, Jen Masciadrelli has updated our online subject lists of periodicals subscriptions. The link to the index of those pages is on the "Information by Subject" page linked from the library's home page.

Our six wireless laptops continue to be wildly popular with students, and the usage statistics this fall are significantly higher than a year ago. Sometimes, and especially in the evenings, it is not unusual to have to wait for the next available machine. 

These laptops came to us just over a year ago via a competitive state grant, and they enable students to accomplish word processing and other personal tasks along with doing library research while they are in the library.

In this season of giving, I want to note our appreciation of the gifts of  library materials that keep coming to Staley Library from a variety of sources. Of course, such gifts are no substitute for intentional collection building to support the curriculum. However, gifts of books, videos, musical recordings, and similar items enrich the library collection in many and varied ways. Individuals and organizations both inside and outside the University contribute to Staley Library through gifts such as the following this fall (2003).

20 volumes of the Thomas Register were donated by the publisher. "Thomas Register is the world's most comprehensive directory of U.S. and Canadian manufacturers, listing over 168,000 industrial product and services companies" says the publisher's website.  
(REF T12.T6 2003)

128 volumes of the Official Records of the Civil War were donated by Decatur community member Donald Wilking. The set is a 1972 reissue of the original from 1880 - 1901. This is a core primary resource for all Civil War research. (E464 .U6 1972) 

Recent New Books lists also reflect donations by Millikin's Black Student Union and by faculty members such as Sharon Huff, Steve Widenhofer, Brian Posler, and Mary Rivers. 

Direct gifts of books and other materials are not the only contributions to the library's collections. For instance, through a fund recently established by several alumni in honor of Robert Long, former Millikin voice faculty member, we are adding substantially to the opera score collection. 

To all, a heartfelt thank you - every bit helps!!

	In this context it is appropriate to mention as well that some gifts enrich our collection indirectly. These titles are made available on our Sale shelves; and we use the income to buy other materials more directly in support of the Millikin curriculum.
Maybe you could find something of interest to you, either on the truck by the front door or on the shelves behind the New Books section?

November 22, 2003 marked the 40th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas. We have put together a small exhibit of related library materials in a second-floor exhibit case; and this exhibit will remain through December.

Enjoy again last year's page that provides a history & pictures of the university's annual cookie party! Susan Avery creates these Archives pages.

I do also want to sneak in a personal item of my own and mention that my second granddaughter was recently christened in our family heirloom gown. This gown was made by my great-grandmother for my grandmother and her siblings in 1869, and every generation since has also used it, including my own. Traditions are reassuring.

And on that note I wish you many joyful holiday celebrations, a rejuvenating break, and a Happy New Year 2004!

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