Banned Books Week Extra Credit

If you're on campus tomorrow...

It's Banned Books Week, and tomorrow, the library is showing the movie, Fahrenheit 451, and talking about the book as well. Anyone can attend for all or part of the event.

9/30 from 1-4 p.m. in L1200 (library classroom)

Discussion led by librarians Julie Setnosky a

nd Jane Jurgens

If you want extra credit (3 points) for attending this event, here's what you need to do:

1. Attend the event (all or part)
2. Post your intention to receive extra credit for your discussion posting in Online Office by Thursday, October 1, at 12 noon.
3. Post to the Hallway Conversations Discussion Forum in your course on D2L by Thursday, October 1, at 12 midnight
4. Your post should include:

• If you attended all or part of the event
• What about Fahrenheit 451 you think is relevant for us today to consider
• If you think we should have a similar event next year during Banned Books Week

Your Discussion Forum post should be at least 100 words in length.

Instructor update

I was the Saturday librarian today, and was swamped with questions and other stuff. Tomorrow, I have some time in the morning, so will be online then, but will be offline for part of the afternoon and evening due to Yom Kippur. I will be offline through Monday as well. I'll be back in the office on Tuesday. So, if you don't hear from me for a little while, that's what I'm up to.

eBook Readers Survey Results

Here are the results to our highly unscientific survey:

Do you have a Kindle or other ebook reader?

Yep, I love gadgets.	0 (0%)
No, but I wouldn't mind having one.	4 (44%)
No way, I like good old fashioned paper books	5 (55%)

Votes so far: 9
Poll closed

Nobel Conference Tickets

FYI...
~~~

We still have several tickets and lunch for students for the 2009 Nobel Conference on Oct 6 and 7 at Gustavus Adolphus College. Topic: Water, Uncertain Resource. Details at http://gustavus.edu/events/nobelconference/2009/

Please have interested students contact me ASAP via phone, email or in person.

Thanks.
Parke

Parke W. Kunkle
Program Chair, Minnesota Planetarium Society
"How can our children wish upon a star
when they haven't even seen one?"
Build a new planetarium for Minnesota.

W: 612-659-6068
Parke.Kunkle@minneapolis.edu
http://home.minneapolis.edu/~kunklepa

Apples and Honey for Rosh Hashanah

Just want you to know that I will not be online until Sunday, as it is Rosh Hashanah, and I will be celebrating the holiday with my family.

L'Shanah Tovah!

Photo credit to Bonnie's Flickr photo stream

Update Your Info!

You can also update your email info...

Update your Phone & Address

If you have recently changed addresses or phone numbers, please update your records with MCTC. You can view and update your address information via this website. To make a change:

• Go to Register for Classes
• Enter your student ID number and PIN number
• Click on the "Student Tab" and then "Address Mainenance"
• Choose the Edit option to update your address or phone number
• Remember to "Logout" after you make your changes

It is important that MCTC has your updated address and phone number!

Look to the Skies...

From faculty member Parke Kunkle:

Hi all you early risers
If you were up and sky gazing this morning about 5am, the sky was gorgeous. Orion and his entourage bedazzle the morning skies. But this morning, Venus shone brightly with the crescent Moon above it.

Keep watching over the next two mornings. By Wednesday at about 6am look east for a very thin crescent Moon right next to Venus. Beautiful.

Clear skies all.
Parke

Parke W. Kunkle
Program Chair, Minnesota Planetarium Society
"How can our children wish upon a star
when they haven't even seen one?"
Build a new planetarium for Minnesota.

State Fair Survey Results

In our highly unscientific poll here on my course blog, here are the results of my survey on who was going to the Minnesota State Fair.

Yah, sure, you betcha!
4 (50%)

If someone drags me there
1 (12%)

No way!
3 (37%)

The State Fair is going on?
0 (0%)

Votes so far: 8
Poll closed

Commentary from The Onion...

Facebook, Twitter Revolutionizing How Parents Stalk Their College-Aged Kids

Culinary Program Bake Sale TODAY

If you're on campus today (Thursday, 9/3), check out today's bake sale offerings from students in the Culinary Arts program. Prices range from $1-3.

• Snicker Doodle Blonde Bars
• Mini Chocolate Éclairs
• Croissants, Plain & Chocolate
• Mini Cheese cakes, Strawberry and Chocolate
• Flourless Chocolate Cake
• Pound Cake, Marble and Strawberry
• Carrot Cake
• A variety of cookies
• Macaroons, Chocolate and Orange Sesame
• Pecan Cinnamon Muffins w/brown sugar frosting
• Honey Buns
• A variety of breads
• Butterscotch Brownies
• Biscotti
• White wheat sour dough rolls
• Clover rolls

I'm on Skype Now

If any of you are on Skype, I'm on there now. MCTCHeinrich, or you can search for my email address.

FWIW, I'm also on AOL instant messenger: MCTC Heinrich (they let me have the space there).

Wikipedia and Gender

In INFS 1000, we've been spending a fair amount of time talking about Wikipedia. I always think it's interesting that, more than just about any other web site out there, Wikipedia generates the most conversation in this course in particular, but in just about all of the courses I teach. Maybe it is because some faculty are so anti-Wikipedia, just 'cause it's Wikipedia. What frustrates me is that they don't take it to the next level and say that ANY general encyclopedia is, most of the time, simply not suitable as a source for college-level research, and to talk about how it CAN be used.

Anyway, one of my esteemed Library colleagues forwarded a link to a blog post on the Wall Street Journal, noting that only 13% of Wikipedia contributors are women. How do you think this influences the entries in Wikipedia? Do you think it matters?

MLA-Style Citation (sorry, can't do the hanging indent):

LaVallee, Andrew. "Only 13% of Wikipedia Contributors are Women, Study Says." Digits: Technology News and Insights. 31 Aug. 2009. Wall Street Journal Blogs. 1 Sept. 2009 http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/08/31/only-13-of-wikipedia-contributors-are-women-study-says/