Final Library Bond Figures Announced
The final distribution figures for the 2012 GO Bond for Libraries have been announced. Publicly funded libraries throughout New Mexico, including the NMSU-Las Cruces Library and NMSU-affiliated libraries, are included in the distribution, which is based on student enrollment data for Fall 2012.
NMSU students for libraries
The NMSU-Las Cruces Library will receive $375,562 and the Doña Ana Community College Library will receive $83,482. The NMSU-Alamogordo Library will receive approximately $23,951, the NMSU-Carlsbad Library will receive $14,271 and the NMSU-Grants Library will receive $8,427. The funds will be used for the purchase of library materials.
NMSU Library Dean Elizabeth A. Titus said “The NMSU Library relies on bond funds in order to maintain its collection. We thank our community so much for its continuing support of the bond initiative.”
For more information, contact the Library Administration at (575) 646-1508.
Zuhl Library Offers Extended End of Semester Hours
The NMSU Library announces extended end of semester hours at Zuhl Library only:
- Monday, April 29 through Thursday, May 2, 7:30 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.
- Friday, May 3, 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Saturday, May 4, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Sunday, May 5, 9 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.
- Monday, May 6 through Wednesday, May 8, 7:30 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.
- Thursday, May 9 through Friday, May 10, regular hours
Branson Library will maintain regular hours during finals week. Both libraries are closed Saturday, May 11 through Sunday, May 12.
Coffee will be served during the evening hours at both Branson and Zuhl libraries Thursday, May 2 through Thursday, May 9. The NMSU Alumni Association will sponsor goodies in both libraries from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday, May 5 through Tuesday, May 7.
For more information, find the full schedule of Library hours at http://lib.nmsu.edu/aboutlib/libhours.shtml and on a voice recording at (575) 646-4749.
Wendy Simpson Awarded Scholarship
NMSU Library staff member Wendy Simpson of the Reference & Research Services Department was awarded a $200 Professional Development Scholarship by the New Mexico Consortium of Academic Libraries.
The New Mexico Consortium of Academic Librar
ies offers up to $2,000 each year in professional development scholarships to assist academic librarians/paraprofessionals with event expenses for professional development purposes.
Simpson used the funding to attend the New Mexico Library Association conference in Albuquerque April 17-19.
Simpson is a Senior Library Specialist who joined the Library staff in 2001. For more information, contact the Library Administration at (575) 646-1508.
NMSU Library Staff Members Win Scholarships
NMSU Library staff members Jonathan Butz and Felipe Castillo of the Library’s Reference & Research Services Department were both awarded scholarships to attend the New Mexico Library Association conference in Albuquerque April 17-19.
The scholarships were made available by the New Mexico State Library to support professional development among librarians and library staff in New Mexico. Applications from employees of all types of libraries in the state were considered and a total of nine scholarships were awarded. Each stipend provides up to $300 to reimburse registration, hotel, travel and meal costs.
Castillo is the Business Librarian and Butz is a Senior Library Specialist. Both joined the Library staff in Fall 2012.
For more information, contact the Library Administration at (575) 646-1508.
National Library Week 2013: Communities Matter @ Your Library
The New Mexico State University Library joins libraries nationwide in celebrating National Library Week, April 14 through 20. The week’s theme for 2013 is “Communities matter @ your library.” National Library Week is an annual celebration of the contributions of our nation’s libraries and librarians. All types of libraries – school, public, academic and special – participate.
First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April.
American Library Association officials said that National Library Week is a time to highlight the value of libraries, librarians and library workers. Libraries today are more than repositories for books and other resources. Often the heart of their communities, campuses or schools, libraries are deeply committed to the places where their patrons live, work and study. Libraries are trusted places where everyone in the community can gather to reconnect and reengage with each other to enrich and shape the community and address local issues.
The NMSU Library is asking you to choose National Library Week as the occasion to make your next gift to the Library. Libraries play important and diverse roles in the lives of students, faculty and the broader community. Today the NMSU Library is more relevant than ever to the needs of our users. Your contributions truly help the Library provide world-class resources for students
Library Development Officer April Anaya invites you to visit the NMSU Library at any time. Let her know in advance that you are coming and she will gladly provide a personal tour. Anaya can be contacted at (575) 646-3642 or aanaya@nmsu.edu.
Winners of Sunshine Week Essay Contest Announced
To celebrate Sunshine Week (March 10-16), the New Mexico State University Library held a student essay contest and hosted a reception, co-sponsored with NMSU alumnus Tim Parker and NMSU’s Department of Journalism and Mass Communications.
NMSU students were invited to submit an essay of 600 to 800 words explaining how New Mexico’s Sunshine laws encourage citizen participation in state government. 
After reviewing all of the entries, a panel of judges awarded 1st prize to NMSU Journalism student Phil Davies and 2nd prize to NMSU Journalism student Dana Beasley. Davies received a $200 gift certificate from the Barnes & Noble at NMSU Bookstore, while Beasley received a $100 Barnes & Noble gift certificate.
The March 13 reception featured keynote speaker Walt Rubel, Managing Editor of the Las Cruces Sun-News, who shared with the NMSU and Las Cruces community his own experience in news media fighting for open government.
“There are no special privileges for newspapers, radio or TV stations,” Rubel later wrote in a column for the Sun-News. “Everyone has the same right to inspect public records and attend public meetings.”
Sunshine Week is an annual national celebration of open government, transparency and freedom of information. The aim of the local event was to raise awareness of New Mexico’s Open Meetings Act and the Inspection of Public Records Act.
For more information, contact Library Specialist Jonathan Butz at butz@nmsu.edu or Government Documents & Maps Librarian Josefine Smith at jmasmith@nmsu.edu.
Bill Boehm Authors Book on Historical Residence
Historian Bill Boehm, a former New Mexico State University Library staff member, is the author of a new book, Quarters One: The Story of a Historic Home and Its Residents (Arlington, VA: National Guard Bureau, Directorate of Public Affairs & Strategic Communication, Historical Services Division, 2012).
This volume details the history of Quarters One, the official residence of the Chief of the National Guard Bureau from 1978 to 2012. It was constructed and made ready for residence in 1905 as part of the famed Army War College complex. The commission to design the buildings was undertaken by McKim, Mead and White, a famed New York architecture firm. Fifteen officers’ homes and fifteen non-commissioned officers’ homes were constructed at opposite axes across the length of a parade field which lay north of the Army War College building, at the tip of Greenleaf Point.
Quarters One is the northernmost residence, located along the eastern bank of the Potomac River. The linear design of the larger complex was inspired by the “City Beautiful” movement which transformed the appearance of Washington, D.C. (as well as other American cities at the start of the 20th century) into grander public spaces and emphasized more spacious accommodations.
Quarters One also contains a brief history of the Army post on which the residence is located, Ft. McNair, in Washington, D.C. Previously known as Washington Arsenal and Washington Barracks, the garrison is the third-oldest installation in the U.S. Army behind West Point, NY, and Carlisle Barracks, PA. It too has a rich and interesting history among the annals of the nation’s capital.
Boehm now works as an historian in the Public Affairs Office of the National Guard Bureau in Arlington, Virginia. He donated copies of Quarters One to the Library with his compliments. For more information on the book, contact Boehm at wbboehm@gmail.com.
McKee Foundation Gives $11,500 to NMSU Library
The New Mexico State University Library has been awarded an $11,500 gift from the Robert E. and Evelyn McKee Foundation of El Paso, Texas. The gift will be used for the purchase of current engineering reference materials which will build the collection to better serve the needs of not only New Mexico State University’s engineering students, but also faculty and researchers within our region and the state.
Engineering Librarian Paula Johnson said that the gift will enable the Library to offer electronic engineering resources which are critically needed in this field. With the rapid advancements in engineering, the acquisition of current resources is critical to students and researchers alike. The Morgan & Claypool Synthesis Collection 3 & 4 will add 125 titles and provide not only a valuable source of information but also an ideal introduction to new fields. With these acquisitions being electronic in nature, more students, faculty and researchers will have increased access to these resources and be able to download PDF versions of the titles.
The McKee Foundation has supported the Library since 1995. Robert E. McKee is remembered as the “master builder” whose construction company, McKee Construction, built seven buildings on the NMSU campus.
For more information, please contact Johnson at paulacj@lib.nmsu.edu or (575) 646-7251.
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 http://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.
NMSU Library Hosts Business Database Trials
The New Mexico State University Library invites the campus community to participate in trials of three new electronic business databases beginning immediately and ending in April.
PrivCo: Consists of detailed profiles for over 160,000 privately-held companies such as Twitter, In-N-Out Burgers, and Trader Joe’s (ends April 26).
IBISWorld: Provides a comprehensive industry reports on over 1,100 U.S. industries, along with Risk Rating Reports providing a single, comparable risk score for every industry (ends April 12).
Euromonitor’s Passport: This is a market information database and analysis tool covering 28 major consumer industries across 80 countries (ends April 12).
To access these resources and learn more about them, please visit http://lib.nmsu.edu/resources/dbtrials.shtml.
Please contact Business Librarian Felipe Castillo at fcastil@nmsu.edu with your questions and comments.