Getting & Staying Organized

Not a morning person? Constantly losing track of due dates and assignments? We've rounded up several different websites and applications that can help you keep yourself organized in class, and in life. We haven't tried all of these, but thought that you might find some of them helpful. Enjoy!

• Alarm clocks for irregular schedules - You can set one of these alarm clocks to wake you up at a different time every day. Windows users can try College Alarm Clock; Mac users can check out Alarm Clock 2.
• Compact Academic Calendar - Track long-term projects and more with this spreadsheet.
  
• Don't have Excel to check out that calendar? Consider downloading OpenOffice for the PC, or NeoOffice for the Mac. These programs contain all the applications you'd find in Microsoft Word (word processing, spreadsheets, slideshows, etc.) but without the cost.
• StudyRails - An application to help you manage your study time and assignments. (This one costs $5 a month.) The link will take you to a screenshot tour on Lifehacker, a blog that posts tips and tricks for organizing your life.
  
• Online to-do lists - Remember the Milk is a great online to-do list application. The Hack College blog posted about it recently, and gave some tips on how you can use it as a student. Check it out: Be an Organized Student with Remember the Milk.
• Registering for Classes - Hack College also has a great post on how to figure out which classes to register for.
• Back to School Power Tools - Lastly, Lifehacker posted a roundup of software that can help with taking notes, keeping track of your schedule, and more.

Digital Media Lab

This semester, LNDL has officially opened the new Digital Media Lab, located on the library's lower level. This space is open to any and all faculty, students and staff of Loyola College and College of Notre Dame.

The lab is home to ten Dell multimedia PCs and five Power Macs, all with built-in DVD and CD burners. We also have flatbed scanners and other peripherals available for use. Both platforms feature Audacity, as well as Adobe Creative Suite 3, including Flash and Dreamweaver. In addition, the Macs have Final Cut Express, GarageBand and iMovie. The PCs feature Quark XPress and AVS Video Converter. (If you're just looking for a place to do some research and use Microsoft Word, there are computers available throughout the library.)

The Digital Media Lab is staffed by members of the library's Digital Services Department, as well as three work-study students. We aren't necessarily experts in every facet of the software available, but someone will be there to help you figure things out. In addition, we are building a collection of manuals and reference books, and are constantly on the lookout for tutorials and websites to add to our list.

The Digital Media Lab's hours differ from the library's hours. You can either make an appointment, or drop by during our open lab periods. (We strongly recommend that you check the schedule before heading over, as lab hours are subject to change due to class sessions or staff availability.) To make an appointment or check the schedule, click Room Reservations on the library website, then pick the tab for the Digital Lab.

For more information, please see the Digital Media Lab webpage. You can also contact Danielle Whren, the lab manager: dwhren@loyola.edu, dwhren@ndm.edu or (410) 617-6872.

Food in the Library

To help us keep your new facility in the best possible shape, please limit the food you bring in to packaged snacks (cookies, chips, candy, granola bars, etc.) and drinks. This type of food is allowed throughout the building, with the exception of the Digital Media Lab, the Instruction Labs and the Archives & Special Collections. In those three spaces, all food and drink is prohibited in order to protect the computers and the archival materials.

Other types of food, such as pizza, sandwiches, salads and the like, may only be eaten during library-sanctioned events.

Open House Program

Full programs with locations will be available at the library on Friday.

Loyola/Notre Dame Library Community Open House
Friday, September 12
11:00 am - 6:00 pm

Ongoing:

• Archives & Special Collections and the Digital Media Lab will be open all day.
  
• Raffle winners will be pulled at noon, 2pm and 4pm. Win some Loyola or Notre Dame swag!
  
• An exhibit of photos of LNDL through the years.

Programming:

• 11:00: A reading from Tolkien by Sue Abromaitis, Loyola Professor of English
  
• 11:30: A discussion with artists Kevin Raines of Notre Dame and Mary Beth Akre of Loyola
• 12:00: Behind-the-scenes tour with Senior Cataloging Assistant Polly Connor
• 12:30: Demo: Photosharing with Flickr, presented by Public Relations & Instruction Librarian Alison Cody
• 1:00: Lunchtime Literary Trivia
• 2:00: “The Future of Libraries,” a talk by Library Director John McGinty
• 2:30: Behind-the-scenes tour with Public Relations & Instruction Librarian Alison Cody
• 3:00: A performance by Notre Dame’s Concert Choir
• 3:30: Demo: Quick & Easy Course Pages, presented by Instruction Librarian John Breitmeyer
• 4:30: Demo: Library Thing, presented by Instruction Librarian Julie Nanavati
• 5:15: Behind-the-scenes tour with Head of Research & Instruction Joanne Hélouvry

Fall Film Series

Do you like movies? We do! And we want to take advantage of our new auditorium this semester by having a film series. We're looking for suggestions for films we might show, and also for students who are interested in helping to whittle down the ideas and get the word out. Anything and everything is fair game, from recent indie films to "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" to your favorite foreign film.

If you have films to suggest, or if you're interested in helping us put this together, please leave a comment or contact librarian Alison Cody:

acody3@loyola.edu
acody@ndm.edu
AIM: akcatlndl