Cat nap this weekend

Just a quick reminder. The Library is closed tomorrow (Friday) and Sunday and there will be no reference librarian in the Library on Saturday. (The Library is open Saturday, 10am-6pm).

See you Monday, rested and refreshed.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Space News

Originally, I was just going to cover the 25th Anniversary of the first Space Shuttle Flight. For those of you old enough, perhaps you remember April 12, 1981 when Columbia took off for the first time. According to NASA, that was the first time a new spacecraft carried a crew on its maiden flight. You can read about this historic mission on these NASA pages.

However, there was more space news yesterday, which just comes as an added bonus. The Venus Express, a spacecraft set out by the European Space Agency, successfully went into orbit around Venus. The mission - to study the Venusian atmosphere. Read about it on these pages.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Library Survey?

Some of you have inquired about a library survey, and while we had indeed planned to send out a survey to correspond with National Library week (April 17-21), we hear in the hallways that you’re suffering from survey fatigue. (And those that aren’t suffering from survey fatigue are already focused on exams). For that reason, we’re postponing the official survey until this coming fall. However, if you’re dying to let us know what you think, please remember that comments are always welcome in our suggestion box (at the circulation desk) and/or in comments attached to our postings on this blog.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Earth Calendar

Coming in to school with students on vacation today reminded me that the holidays are coming up. Sometimes, keeping track of the dates of so many different holidays, both religious and secular can be a daunting task. A non-profit website called the Earth Calendar has made it easy. It is basically a database of all types of holidays and celebrations from around the world. You can browse holidays by date (specific date or month), by country or by religion. Did you know that there is an event in April called National Dark-Sky Week? There is also a button on the main page that says "Today" which you can click to find out if there are any holidays occurring that day. On the day that I am writing this, 4/10/06, these are the holidays being celebrated:

Salvation Army Founders Day	United States of America
Semana Santa (one week)	Mexico

Mawlid an-Nabi

Muslim / Islamic

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

TOP 10 WEIRDEST KEYBOARDS EVER

OK- it's spring break in my world. Time for a diversion. Check out the top ten weirdest keyboards ever. Fascinating! This collection was found on Fosfor Gadgets, a blog reviewing gadgets and consumer electronics. A great place to let your mind & imagination wander, as well as find VERY interesting gift ideas for "Moms, Dads & Grads"!

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat