Library Hosts Sunshine Week Reception to Promote Open Government
The New Mexico State University Library will host its first annual Sunshine Week reception on Wednesday, March 13, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., on the third floor of Zuhl Library. The free public event is being held in conjunction with National Sunshine Week, running March 10 to 16. 
Sunshine Week is a national event that coincides with James Madison’s birthday, aiming to promote and educate about the importance of open government, transparency and freedom of information. Madison was a strong proponent of open government.
1st and 2nd place winners of the Library’s Sunshine Week essay contest will be honored, followed by featured speaker Walter Rubel, Managing Editor of the Las Cruces Sun-News. Rubel will share his own experiences fighting for open government and discuss the important role Sunshine Laws play in modern democracy.
Walter Rubel first came to Las Cruces to work at the Las Cruces Sun-News in 2002 as a news editor. In 2004 he was appointed the newspaper’s bureau chief in Santa Fe and covered the state government. He returned to Las Cruces in 2007 and has been managing editor of the paper since that time. He is primarily responsible for the editorial page, but is also involved in the planning and editing of the news section. Rubel is a native of Denver and a graduate of the University of Northern Colorado. A seasoned newsman, he has been a journalist since 1982, working with newspapers in Kansas, California, Wyoming and Colorado before coming to New Mexico.
The Sunshine Week Essay Contest and reception are sponsored by NMSU alumnus Tim Parker, the NMSU Library and the NMSU Department of Journalism & Mass Communications. For more information visit nmsu.libguides.com/sun or contact Library Specialist Jonathan Butz at butz@nmsu.edu or Government Documents & Maps Librarian Josefine Smith at jmasmith@nmsu.edu.
Veteran Dog a Faithful Companion to NMSU Student
Fabian Martinez and his faithful companion Ike, a military veteran dog, are becoming familiar faces at NMSU’s Branson Library. Fabian is the son of Library Specialist Graciela (Gracie) Martinez, who works in the Technical Services Department in Branson.
Fabian was a medic in the Army National Guard but his military career ended when he was injured in Afghanistan. Gracie said that Fabian was proud to serve his country. “It was all he ever wanted to do since he was a child.”
Ike helps Fabian emotionally and physically. Fabian and Ike trained together for two weeks in New York, which included training in balance, retrieval and nightmare interruptions.
Fabian is now attending NMSU, and he is often seen on campus with Ike always at his side. For more information, contact the Library Administration at (575) 646-1508.
NMSU Library Displays Contemporary Paintings by Joan Talty
Several untitled contemporary abstract paintings by Las Cruces artist Joan Talty recently went on permanent display for students to enjoy at NMSU’s Zuhl Library. They are hung in the Quiet Study Zone on the Library’s third floor. The new paintings are displayed near other works by Talty on the same floor, including “9/11.”
The vivid colors of the paintings show the influence of one of Talty’s favorite artists, Henri Matisse. Talty admires not only the color and form of the works of Matisse, but also his philosophy that art should make a positive statement and should be joyful and uplifting.
Talty originally studied music at Sarah Lawrence College. When she returned home bedridden from an illness, she began to draw in bed. She credits her recovery to her drawing and says that throughout her life, art has made her well. Encouraged to pursue art, she studied at the prestigious Art Students League of New York, which provided an intensive course of instruction that nurtured her creativity. Talty learned there that artists are the antennae of society and that they have a responsibility to the viewers of their art.
Talty moved with her husband Herbert Zuhl from Manhattan to Las Cruces in 1991. They donated a generous naming gift for Zuhl Library, and their Zuhl Geological Collection is displayed for the NMSU community and the public at the Zuhl Museum on campus, as well as at Zuhl Library and Breland Hall.
For more information, contact the Library Administration at (505) 646-1508.
Southwest Book Awards Announced
The Border Regional Library Association is pleased to announce the 42nd Annual Southwest Book Awards. Since 1971, the awards have been presented in recognition of outstanding books about the Southwest published each year in any genre (e.g. fiction, nonfiction, reference) and directed toward any audience (scholarly, popular, children). Original video and audio materials are also considered.
The 2013 winners are:
• Amadito and the Hero Children / Amadito y los Niños Heroes, by Enrique R. Lamadrid, illustrations by Amy Cordova (University of New Mexico Press)
• Border Junkies, by Scott Comar (University of Texas Press)
• En el Puente con la Migra, edited by Hector Antonio Padilla Delgado (Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juárez)
• From this Wicked Patch of Dust, by Sergio Troncoso (University of Arizona Press)
• Grandpa Lolo’s Navajo Saddle Blanket / La Tilma de Abuelito Lolo, by Nasario Garcia (University of New Mexico Press)
• Hard to Have Heroes, by Buddy Mays (University of New Mexico Press)
• The Plazas of New Mexico, edited by Chris Wilson and Stefanos Polyzoides (Trinity University Press)
• Santa Rita del Cobre: A Copper Mining Community in New Mexico, by Christopher J. Huggard and Terrence M. Humble (University Press of Colorado)
Award eligibility is based on five criteria: Materials must be about the Southwest, defined as West Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and northern Mexico; appearing in book or nonprint format for the first time; published between August 1, 2011, and July 31, 2012; of high quality, both in the context of the current year’s entries and in the existing body of Southwestern literature; and books which reflect and interpret the Southwest.
A scholarly work must make a well documented contribution to scholarship in some aspect of Southwestern history or culture. Other nonfiction works should make reliable information accessible to the general reader. Poetry and fiction must reflect Southwestern culture and/or be set in the Southwest.
For more information please contact John Sandstrom, Acquisitions Librarian, NMSU Library, (575) 646-8093 or jsand713@nmsu.edu.
Border Regional Library Association Announces Awards Banquet
The Border Regional Library Association cordially invites book and library lovers to attend the 42nd BRLA Awards Banquet. The banquet will be held at Ardovino’s Desert Crossing on Saturday, February 23, at 6:00 p. m. The event will feature the presentation of the 42nd Southwest Books Awards as well as Librarian and Library Staff Member of the Year awards.
The cost is $30 per person, and reservations can be made until February 15. Reservation forms and additional information is available at http://brla.info/banquetreg.htm.
The Border Regional Library Association (BRLA) is an organization founded in 1966 for the promotion of library service and librarianship in the El Paso/Las Cruces/Juárez metroplex. Current membership includes over one hundred librarians, paraprofessionals, media specialists and library friends and trustees from all types of libraries in the tri-state area of Trans-Pecos Texas, Southern New Mexico and Northern Chihuahua.
As librarians and information specialists, BRLA members find that the organization provides a forum for local issues, which impact the future of all types of libraries in the region. BRLA also serves as a support group to promote libraries as important educational and cultural institutions, which have a direct impact on communities and democratic action. Annual dues are low in cost but high in rewarding returns. BRLA welcomes and encourages your membership and involvement.
For more information please contact John Sandstrom, Acquisitions Librarian, New Mexico State University Library, (575) 646-8093 or jsand713@nmsu.edu.
Norice Lee Named to State Library Commission
The NMSU Library’s Associate Dean, Norice Lee, has been appointed to the New Mexico State Library Commission by Governor Susana Martinez.
The New Mexico State Library Commission, created in 1975, is composed of five members. Lee is serving in the “professional librarian” position.
The Library Commission provides advice, upon request of the State Librarian, on matters and duties of the State Library and any other issues related to libraries in New Mexico. It has a minimum of four public meetings or hearings per year.
Norice Lee was appointed Associate Dean of the Library in 2012. Her previous positions have included Department Head of the Library’s Access Services Department, Regional Branch Manager for the El Paso Public Library and Library Director at Doña Ana Community College.
Lee earned her master’s degree in library and information science from the University of Texas at Austin in 1996. She is on the board of the New Mexico Library Association, and active in the New Mexico Consortium of Academic Libraries and the American Library Association.
For more information, contact Lee at (575) 646-1508.
Take a Tour of the NMSU Library
Do you know where to go for help with a research paper? Or how to get books from libraries all over the world? Or where to browse DVDs, CDs and current magazines?
According to NMSU Library Reference Assistant Wendy Simpson, the NMSU Library is a complex place, and many people do not know about the many useful resources that are available.
All members of the campus community are invited to join the Library staff for a forty-minute tour of both NMSU Library buildings. It is not necessary to sign up in advance. In addition to seeing highlights of services and collections, attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions.
Tours will begin at the Information Desk at Zuhl Library on the following dates and times:
- Wednesday, January 23 11:30 a.m. to 12:10 p.m.
- Wednesday, January 23 12:30 p.m. to 1:10 p.m.
- Thursday, January 24 11:00 a.m. to 11:40 a.m.
- Monday, January 28 10:30 a.m. to 11:10 a.m.
- Tuesday, January 29 1:00 p.m. to 1:40 p.m.
- Thursday, February 7 3:00 to 3:40 p.m.
- Friday, February 8 9:30 a.m. to 10:10 a.m.
Individual tours can also be arranged. Students can get a certificate of attendance that instructors may count toward extra credit.
For more information contact Simpson at (575) 646-4129, the Information Desk at (575) 646-5792 or visit http://lib.nmsu.edu/tours/.
Library Holds Student Essay Contest for Sunshine Week
The NMSU Library is co-sponsoring a student essay contest as part of a celebration of Sunshine Week.
Sunshine Week is a national initiative to promote a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. It is held each year in March to coincide with James Madison’s birthday and will be celebrated during the week of March 10-16, 2013.
The contest is open to all students currently enrolled at New Mexico State University. 1st prize is a $200 gift card and 2nd prize is a $100 gift card, both from the Barnes & Noble at NMSU bookstore.
Choosing either New Mexico’s Open Meetings Act (10-15-1 NMSA 1978 et seq) or Inspection of Public Records Act (14-2-1 NMSA 1978 et seq), contestants are asked to write an original 600-800 word essay answering the following questions: 1) How does the law encourage citizen participation in state government? 2) Does the law provide citizens with sufficient access to the work of our state government? and 3) Are the sanctions for violations of the law sufficient?
Entry forms and detailed contest information are available at the Library’s Sunshine Week libguide at http://nmsu.libguides.com/sun.
The deadline for submissions is Monday, February 25, at 9:00 a.m. Winners will be announced the first week in March, and prizes will be awarded at a reception to be held at Zuhl Library on Wednesday, March 13.
The contest and NMSU’s Sunshine Week activities are sponsored by NMSU alumnus Tim Parker, the NMSU Library and the NMSU Department of Journalism & Mass Communications.
For more information, contact Library Specialist Jonathan Butz at butz@nmsu.edu or Government Documents & Maps Librarian Josefine Smith at jmasmith@nmsu.edu.
NMSU Library Undertakes JSTOR Print Deselection Project
The NMSU Library is embarking on a deselection project of print journal volumes that are duplicated in the JSTOR online journal archive. This project is one of many the Library will be undertaking to remove content either duplicated in electronic format or no longer relevant to its collections. 
Space is limited in both Branson and Zuhl libraries. Neither building has room for growth. In 2010, a structural engineer’s report pointed out that the upper floors in both buildings were overloaded. For the past two years, the Library has moved collections to alleviate load stress on the upper floor. The Library still needs to remove about 19,000 linear feet.
In addition, the majority of Library users desire electronic access to journal titles. By withdrawing print journals available electronically, the Library will be able to free up much-needed space for effective study environments and/or more widely-used collections.
JSTOR is an online archive of fully-searchable, printable, and downloadable digitized back issues of scholarly journals in disciplines including arts and sciences, botany and ecology, general sciences and business. Originally a collaboration between the University of Michigan and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, JSTOR contains full runs of over one thousand individual journals. The NMSU Library subscribes to four JSTOR collections: Arts and Sciences I, II, III and Biological Sciences.
The Library has become a member of two important digital preservation organizations, Portico and the Western Regional Storage Trust (WEST). With JSTOR, Portico and WEST in place, the Library is in position to move forward with critical decisions related to access, storage and space. Under normal circumstances, print duplicates of journal titles which NMSU owns electronically through JSTOR will be withdrawn from the collection.
The Library is seeking NMSU faculty and student feedback on the project and journal list by December 17. Visit http://nmsu.libguides.com/jstor to learn more about the project and to provide feedback. Or contact your subject specialist (see http://lib.nmsu.edu/depts/collserv/sel-liai.shtml) with questions or feedback about specific titles or subjects in the JSTOR print deselection project.
For more information, contact Collection Development Coordinator Susan Beck at (575) 646-6171 or susabeck@nmsu.edu with overall questions or feedback about the JSTOR project.
NMSU Library Launches Ask Us! Page
The New Mexico State University Library announces its new Ask Us! web page, a convenient one-stop-shop for research and reference services. 
Find quick answers to your research questions by searching the interactive Frequently Asked Questions database or chat instantly with a librarian by using the Instant Chat service available during reference service hours.
You can also ask your question by phone, email, text or in person at the Information Desk in Zuhl Library. All contact points are found at one helpful location, http://lib.nmsu.edu/askus/, or click on the Ask Us! icon at the bottom left corner of the Library website at http://lib.nmsu.edu.
Alisa Gonzalez, Reference Coordinator, said, “Our new Ask Us! page will provide 24 hour information and research help for students, staff, faculty and community members. We are excited to provide this service and feel that it will be especially helpful for all of our online and distance education students, who often access our services when the library is closed.”
For more information, contact Gonzalez at (575) 646-6926 or email acgonzal@lib.nmsu.edu.