Gardening Exhibit Brought Back

We've been asked to bring back the Gardening Exhibit from earlier this spring. Here's what we said about it earlier. Hope everyone enjoys the reprise of the exhibit.

Just in time for spring greening and Earth Day, Master Gardeners Alice Sheppard and Karen Colburn have created an exhibit about Gardening with Nature. Gardening with nature is philosophy and practice that supports gardening as stewardship of our natural resources. Gardening with nature examples include: building healthy soil using composting techniques rather than commercial fertilizers, limiting chemical pest control, selecting the right plant for the right place, and enhancing habitat for wildlife. The Library exhibit features resources on the ecology of gardening, soil science, landscaping for wildlife, and plant identification. Anyone can garden with nature, and there are many publications and web sites to guide the novice or the expert gardener.

The Gardening with Nature exhibit is part of the ongoing efforts of the University of Maine-Presque Isle Green Campus Action Committee. The Green Campus Action Committee is charged with promoting strategies that limit negative environmental impacts on campus, and maximize benefits to the environment.

The Library exhibit theme was chosen to tie in with our University Day theme, Building Global Respect: Our Environment and Ourselves. University Day, April 16, highlights student projects and campus research. For a schedule of events, go to http://www.umpi.maine.edu/.

New Titles Link Added to Homepage

Several individuals have asked for a listing of recently received items at the library. We've added a link on our homepage, in the Find Books and More section, to a listing of material recently added to the collection. We hope it proves useful and enjoyable.

Aroostook County News Feed Update

We mentioned yesterday that we had added a feed for news about Aroostook County to the blog. We've also added the same feed to the library home page on the right side of the screen just above the current weather info. Let us know what you think.

Library Conference Room Calendar

We've added a calendar for the events in the Library Conference Room to the home page. So if you are interested in what's going on, or you want to see if the room is available click on the link at the bottom of the page.

Aroostook County News Feed Added

We've added a feed about Aroostook County News on the left of the screen. Hope you enjoy the new item.

URSUS Interface Upgraded

The software vendor for our online catalog URSUS has installed their latest update to the user interface "WebPac Pro".

The look and feel of the existing URSUS interface is still present after the upgrade, but WebPac pro gives us some new features, including improved relevance ranking for search results. The most significant difference that users notice after the upgrade is the use of the brief citation display in search results lists. This feature shows more information about items in the results list than previously. We also have the option of increasing the number of results that display.

Gardening With Nature, At the Library

Just in time for spring greening and Earth Day, Master Gardeners Alice Sheppard and Karen Colburn have created an exhibit about Gardening with Nature. Gardening with nature is philosophy and practice that supports gardening as stewardship of our natural resources. Gardening with nature examples include: building healthy soil using composting techniques rather than commercial fertilizers, limiting chemical pest control, selecting the right plant for the right place, and enhancing habitat for wildlife. The Library exhibit features resources on the ecology of gardening, soil science, landscaping for wildlife, and plant identification. Anyone can garden with nature, and there are many publications and web sites to guide the novice or the expert gardener.

The Gardening with Nature exhibit is part of the ongoing efforts of the University of Maine-Presque Isle Green Campus Action Committee. The Green Campus Action Committee is charged with promoting strategies that limit negative environmental impacts on campus, and maximize benefits to the environment.

The Library exhibit theme was chosen to tie in with our University Day theme, Building Global Respect: Our Environment and Ourselves. University Day, April 16, highlights student projects and campus research. For a schedule of events, go to http://www.umpi.maine.edu/.

Local Library Catalog Links Added

Check out the direct link to the Northern Maine Community College (NMCC) Library Catalog as well as the link to Turner Memorial Library. Several patrons have asked for direct links, we hope you find them useful. Please note that if you are a student at UMPI you have privileges to check out materials at both NMCC and Turner. NMCC has an extensive computer and health collection; Turner has a large collection of children's and young adult books.

March is National Women's History Month

National Women's History Month began as a one-week celebration in 1978. This week-long acknowledgment of the valuable contributions women made throughout history was nationally recognized in 1981, and expanded to the entire month of March in 1987. During this celebration, communities throughout the United States sponsor special programs focusing on women in history.

The National Women's History Project (http://www.nwhp.org/) chose Women's Art: Women's Vision as this year's theme. Their goal is to "honor the originality, beauty, imagination, and multiple dimensions of women's lives." Five of the artists selected by the project are featured in this month's library exhibit: Judy Chicago, Faith Ringgold, Miriam Shapiro, Lorna Simpson, and Jaune Quick-To-See Smith. While each of these artists is notable for her own unique perspective and creative spirit, they share a dedication to concepts, experiences, and causes that intrigue and involve all of us. Books highlighting examples of these artists' works will be on exhibit at the Library until April.