Librarian Co-Edits a Cautionary Tale from a Mexican Hit Man
Date: November 3, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jeanette Smith, NMSU Library, (575) 646-7492, jcsmith@lib.nmsu.edu
The book El Sicario: The Autobiography of a Mexican Assassin, co-edited by librarian Molly Molloy and journalist Charles Bowden, was recently published by Nation Books.
The book is based on interviews with a hit man who kidnapped, tortured and murdered people for the Mexican drug industry for twenty years. He tells his story as a cautionary tale to others who might choose “la vida loca.” Now a fugitive, El Sicario does not ask society to forgive him, but feels that he must do what he can do earn God’s forgiveness.
Bowden first encountered El Sicario while writing his book Murder City (Nation Books, 2010). As trust between the men developed, Bowden bore witness to El Sicario’s unfolding confession in an article in Harper’s Magazine, followed by an award-winning film, El Sicario Room 164 by Gianfranco Rosi, that premiered at the Venice Film Festival.
Molloy was instrumental in turning the interview transcripts into the book El Sicario, with assistance from Bowden. As NMSU’s Latin American and Border Studies Librarian, Molloy is known nationally and internationally for her work with the onlineFrontera List at http://groups.google.com/group/frontera-list/topics. The list is used widely by congressional staff and U.S. and Mexican human rights groups. In the absence of an official count, she has taken on the task of keeping and reporting statistics obtained from newspaper reports on the daily and cumulative count of the murders in Mexico’s deadliest city, Ciudad Juárez.
El Sicario: The Autobiography of a Mexican Assassin is available at the NMSU Library, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com. For more information, contact Molloy at (575) 646-6931.
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NMSU Announces Program on Beyond Plagiarism: Teaching Writing, Teaching Research
Date: October 26, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jeanette Smith, NMSU Library, (575) 646-7492, jcsmith@lib.nmsu.edu
New Mexico State University announces “Beyond Plagiarism,” a presentation by a founding researcher of the Citation Project that will discuss the results of its study of how student writers use sources.
The session, led by Dr. Rebecca Moore Howard, Professor of Writing and Rhetoric at Syracuse University, will be on November 4 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. in Room 171, Milton Hall. Further discussion, conducted by NMSU Instruction Librarian Theresa Westbrock, will take place in the Zuhl Library 2nd floor conference room from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Refreshments will be served.
The presentation will be of interest and value to all who teach student research and writing in this new age of electronic resources.
Dr. Howard will present findings of the nationwide Citation Project, a multi-institution research project in response to educators’ concerns about plagiarism and the teaching of writing. The Citation Project team systematically studies student research papers to learn how student writers use resources.
There is currently a trend to equate students and plagiarists, as if all students were plagiarizers. The Citation Project studies how we came to this place and how we can move out of it by determining what students need to know and how we can teach it to them.
The program is sponsored by NMSU’s English Department, University Library, the Teaching Academy and McGraw-Hill Publishers.
For more information, contact Westbrock at (575) 646-3079 or twestbro@lib.nmsu.edu.
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NMSU Library Announces Thanksgiving Holiday and Finals Hours
Date: November 16, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jeanette Smith, NMSU Library, (575) 646-7492, jcsmith@lib.nmsu.edu
The New Mexico State University Library announces Thanksgiving holiday and finals week hours for Fall Semester 2011.
Thanksgiving holiday hours for both Zuhl and Branson libraries are:
Friday, November 18, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, November 19, through Sunday, November 20, noon to 5 p.m.
Monday, November 21, through Wednesday, November 23, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Thursday, November 24, through Friday, November 25, closed.
Saturday, November 26, through Sunday, November 27, regular hours.
Extended finals week hours (Zuhl Library only) are:
Monday, November 28, through Thursday, December 1, 7:30 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Friday, December 2, 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Saturday, December 3, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sunday, December 4, 9 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Monday, December 5, through Wednesday, December 7, 7:30 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Thursday, December 8, regular hours
Friday, December 9, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, December 10, through Sunday, December 11, closed.
Branson Library will maintain regular hours during finals week. Free coffee will be served during the evening hours at both Branson and Zuhl libraries from December 1 through December 8. The NMSU Alumni Association and ASNMSU will provide free treats in both libraries.
The Library’s Archives & Special Collections Department will be open by appointment only Monday, November 21, through Wednesday, November 23. Call the Archives staff for an appointment at (575) 646-3839. Archives & Special Collections will be closed to all users on Thursday, November 24, and Friday, November 25. The Archives reading room will resume regular hours, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., on Monday, November 28.
The full schedule of Library hours is available at http://lib.nmsu.edu/aboutlib/libhours.shtml#schedule and on a voice recording at (575) 646-4749.
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Students: Volunteer for a Library Focus Group!
Date: October 27, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jeanette Smith, NMSU Library, (575) 646-7492, jcsmith@lib.nmsu.edu
The NMSU Library is looking for students to take part in a 11/2 hour quiz and focus group discussion regarding their experiences with the NMSU Library Catalog. All participants will receive a $10.00 copy card for printing in the Library and be entered to win a $200.00 Amazon gift card.
Focus groups will take place prior to the Thanksgiving break.
To participate, contact us at library@lib.nmsu.edu by Wednesday, November 2, indicating your interest and a phone number where you can be reached. Or sign up at the service desk at Branson Library or Zuhl Library.
A maximum of ten undergraduates and ten graduate students may participate. If more students volunteer, the Library will select students so as to achieve the largest diversity of participants. Current library employees are ineligible.
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Author Alex Sanchez to Speak on Book Bans and Challenges
Date: October 17, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jeanette Smith, NMSU Library, (575) 646-7492, jcsmith@lib.nmsu.edu
The New Mexico State University Library announces the fourth and last program in its Speakers Series on Censorship celebrating Banned Books Week.
Alex Sanchez
Nationally known writer Alex Sanchez will speak about book bans and challenges from the perspective of a GLBTQ author at 10 a.m. on Monday, October 24, on the fourth floor of NMSU’s Branson Library.
Sanchez, who has a master’s degree in guidance and counseling, is the author of Bait (NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2009) and the Rainbow Trilogy: Rainbow Boys, Rainbow High and Rainbow Road.
Banned Books Week stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints for all who wish to read and access them.
For more information, visit http://lib.nmsu.edu or contact Ingrid Schneider at (575) 646-4707 or ingschne@lib.nmsu.edu.
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Write a Novel in a Month at NMSU
Date: October 24, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jeanette Smith, NMSU Library, (575) 646-7492, jcsmith@lib.nmsu.edu
November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). On November 1, armed with their wits, the vague outline of a story and a ridiculous deadline, more than 250,000 people around the world will set out to become novelists. Participants pledge to write 50,000 words in a month and reach “The End” by November 30.
Join the fun on the NMSU campus by participating in several events designed to support you in your quest for authordom.
A kickoff party will be held on Tuesday, November 1, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Zuhl Library Conference Room. This is an event for NaNoWriMo participants to come and meet each other, talk about their novels and give encouragement. Bring a treat to share.
Group write-ins will be held on Tuesdays, November 8, 15, 22 and 29, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the NMSU campus Barnes & Noble, Southeast Living Room. Bring your own notebook, laptop or typewriter.
The closing party (TGIO – Thank God It’s Over) party will be held on Thursday, December 1, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Zuhl Conference Room. This is a time for participants to celebrate and comfort each other. Bring a treat to share.
More than ninety novels begun during NaNoWriMo have been published, including New York Times Best Sellers Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. NaNoWriMo founder Chris Baty said that the 50,000 word challenge has a wonderful way of opening up your imagination and unleashing creativity. He added that when you write for quantity instead of quality, you end up getting both.
Local event organizer, librarian Charles Stanford, said that he encourages all NMSU students, faculty, staff or family members who are taking part in NaNoWriMo this year to use University Library space for writing their novels, and to gather in the Library in groups whenever they can.
For more information, contact Stanford at (575) 646-6323 or email cstanfor@lib.nmsu.edu.
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El Paso Poet Bobby Byrd to Present Program on Censorship
Date: October 10, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jeanette Smith, NMSU Library, (575) 646-7492, jcsmith@lib.nmsu.edu
The New Mexico State University Library announces the third program in a Speakers Series on Censorship that is running throughout October.
Bobby Byrd
El Paso poet and publisher Bobby Byrd of Cinco Puntos Press will discuss how book bans and challenges affect publishers. The presentation will take place at 10 a.m. on Monday, October 17, on the fourth floor of NMSU’s Branson Library.
Wrapping up the series will be a talk on October 24 by the nationally known novelist Alex Sanchez. Sanchez has a master’s degree in guidance and counseling, and is the author of Bait and the Rainbow Trilogy.
Banned Books Week is an annual national event sponsored by the Office of Intellectual Freedom of the American Library Association. It celebrates the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment, highlighting the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to censorship. Banned Books Week stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints for all who wish to read and access them.
For more information, visit http://lib.nmsu.edu or contact Ingrid Schneider at (575) 646-4707 or ingschne@lib.nmsu.edu.
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2012 Centennial Edition of NMSU Library Calendar Available
Date: October 4, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jeanette Smith, NMSU Library, (575) 646-7492, jcsmith@lib.nmsu.edu
The New Mexico State University Library announces the 2012 Centennial Edition of the Library calendar, a popular holiday gift item. Entitled “The Peopling of New Mexico–1912,” the calendar features historic photographs depicting the people of the state around 1912, when New Mexico attained statehood. 
Centennial calendars can be purchased for only $8 each, and the proceeds support the NMSU Library. Supplies are limited. The calendars are available at the Library’s Administration Office, Room 224, Zuhl Library.
For more information, call the Administration Office at (575) 646-1508.
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Library Graduate Student Workshop Offered Today
Date: October 4, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jeanette Smith, NMSU Library, (575) 646-7492, jcsmith@lib.nmsu.edu
The NMSU Library’s Graduate Student Workshop, “Advanced Library Tools,” will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. today in the Branson Library classroom.
Get acquainted with all of the library tools available to graduate students, including interlibrary loan, document delivery, librarian subject specialists, EndNote Web, Google Scholar customization and dissertation abstracts. Also learn about advanced database searching techniques, citation searching, setting up alerts and more.
For more information visit http://lib.nmsu.edu/workshops/.
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Library Materials are on the Move in Both Libraries
Date: August 26, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jeanette Smith, NMSU Library, (575) 646-7492, jcsmith@lib.nmsu.edu
The NMSU Library’s “Big Shift” of books and journals, begun during Spring Semester and continued during the summer, is still underway.
The shifts are occurring to address floor load and shelving capacity issues.
The Library administration announces that:
- Books with call numbers HA-HJ (Business) have moved from Branson Library and are now shelved on the second floor of Zuhl Library
- Journals with call numbers H-JX (Business and Political Science) published before 2000 must be retrieved by Branson Library Service Desk staff
- New books with call numbers Q-Z (Science, Medicine, Agriculture, Engineering, Military Sciences and Library Science) are shelved in a temporary area on the fourth floor of Branson Library
- U.S. government documents and New Mexico State documents are located on the first floor west of Branson Library
- Microforms and the media collection are located on the first floor west of Branson Library
- Many older bound volumes and indexes are in storage and must be retrieved by Branson Library Service Desk staff
Shift “alerts” will continue to be reflected in the Library’s online catalog (http://libcat.nmsu.edu/vwebv/searchBasic?sk=libcat) as changes occur. In some cases the location change in the catalog may still be pending.
Please do not hesitate to ask for help. Staff at the Service Desks in Branson and Zuhl libraries are happy to assist you with finding materials.
For more information, contact the Branson Service Desk at (575) 646-3101 or the Zuhl Service Desk at (575) 646-6910.
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