April 2011

Starting on Sunday May 1 the Natural Sciences Library will be on our summer hours:

Saturday & Sunday: CLOSED

Monday - Friday: 8:30am - 4:30pm

Have a safe & happy summer!

By celebrating this Day throughout the world, UNESCO seeks to promote reading, publishing and the protection of intellectual property through copyright.

Books are both object and idea. Tangible in form, intangible in content, they express the mind of an author and find meaning in the imagination of readers. Reading is this private conversation, but books are all about sharing –- sharing experience, knowledge and understanding.

This is the wealth we celebrate on World Book and Copyright Day. Books are the most powerful forms of dialogue between individuals, within communities, between generations and with other societies. This unique means of dialogue must be protected. The technology of books is old, but it remains cutting-edge, functional and in some conditions irreplaceable. This does not mean that change is not happening or that we should resist it outright.

UNESCO’s responsibility is to explore all of the repercussions of change and make the most of it -- while preserving those values and forms of expression that we share and cherish. Our role is to provide a platform for debate and to act as a knowledge-broker to explore old and new ideas.

The global book market is deeply affected by the rise of e-books and downloadable content. This is transforming the industry. It is impacting on publishers. It is touching on authors and readers. The implications of this transformation will be deep and long-term.

Change is giving rise also to sharp new debates -- about the strengths and weaknesses of different kinds of products, about the nature of copyright today, about the role of libraries relative to on-line knowledge, about the meaning of ‘authorship’ in a world of blogs and wikis.

We must explore these complex debates. UNESCO is taking the lead. The Second UNESCO World Forum on Culture and the Cultural Industries will be held in June in Monza, Italy. The theme could not be more timely: “The Book Tomorrow; the Future of the Written Word”.

Books embody the human capacity to conjure up worlds of reality and imagination and to express them. They are the best voices of tolerance. They provide the strongest signs of hope. Books are pillars for free and open societies.

We must protect them. We must make their wealth available to the 800 million adults that still do not have reading skills. We must explore all aspects of the changes they are undergoing today. These are pledges around which we gather on this World Book and Copyright Day.

Irina Bokova
Director-General of UNESCO

While good study methods work best to prepare for exams, almost of all of us have a had situation where we needed to cram for a test. You`re unlikely to get an A when you leave studying to the last night, but cramming effectively may prevent an F.

What works? Is staying up all night a good idea? What about drinking 10 cups of coffee?

How to Cram for a Test - WikiHow

- Solid step by step approach on cramming

 

Cramming Techniques for Exams - TestTakingTips.com

Get the scoop on sugar, caffeine, and apples

 

Cramming Study Techniques–What you need to know to Cram Info in Your Noggin in One Night - Dar Online, a 20 year old psychology/sociology major at Baylor University

Sleep matters but what to do -- cat naps or all nighters or ? Dar shares her strategies.

The Library branches can be a great place study and hours are often extended during exams.

Murray Library offers a Quiet Room, Group Study Rooms, and the Safe Study program which keeps the doors open to 1:00 am. Natural Sciences also has Group Study Rooms too.

Getting Beyond Cramming - What to Do Next Time
Have more time that just one evening? Check out this short video `How to Study for College Exams`

Check out the new page on the Community and Population Health subject guide that deals with the Social Determinants of Health. Learn about how to search for books, key organizations in the field, and new reports and presentations issued on the topic.

There is a Quiet Study -- check out Room 162 on the 1st floor of the Murray Library. For directions to Room 162 see the floorplan below.