Student Excellence Award

Congratulations to Kate Massman, Engineering Library, and Melissa Tope, of Administration, winners of the Student Excellence Award for the fall 2008 semester! As winners of this award, Kate and Melissa each receive a $25 gift certificate to the University Bookstore.

The reasons given in support of their nominations include:

“Beginning with the winter 2008 semester, Kate has provided the bulk of our weekend coverage, routinely working without direct supervision. Kate is always punctual and takes her responsibilities seriously. She communicates well with the patrons and understands and can apply rules and procedures in our absence. She completes her tasks completely and with little instruction. Due to her accuracy and attention to detail, we trust her with more complicated projects, such as checking-in items returning from the bindery. We feel very confident in Kate’s abilities and never worry about leaving the library in her care.”

“Melissa serves as the graphic designer for MU Libraries. She consistently provides professional service (for a fraction of the price), and is always a joy to work with. She comes up with great ideas with minimal direction. For every job I ask her to do, she comes up with several design options. She has created the 2008 and 2009 Libraries calendars, which both received rave reviews by everyone who has seen them. She did an outstanding job on the Library Society Dinner program and history of Ellis Library poster. She has done many more small jobs and can get jobs done with very little notice. She takes her job seriously, and she has demonstrated this by articulately defending her designs on occasion when she has been asked to make changes that she thought would be detrimental. But even while defending her design, she has been professional and willing to do what was asked of her.”

Call for New Members: Communications Committee

The Communications Committee is looking for two new members: one staff member and one librarian. This is a 2-year term.

The group’s primary objectives are:

  1. To undertake activities that establish a clear and positive image of the libraries in the university community;
  2. To build an internal marketing culture by keeping staff informed of marketing activities and goals and by encouraging staff to participate and contribute ideas for marketing endeavors; and
  3. To establish a consistency in communication methods and style by providing advice and coordinating the planning, development and production of promotional products, events and activities for the libraries.

Thank you to Michaelle Dorsey and Rebecca Graves for their exemplary service on this committee for the past two years.

Please contact Shannon Cary (carysn@missouri.edu or 882-4702) if you are interested in serving on this committee.

Healthy for Life Update

• Healthy for Life is now enrolling participants for Eat for Life. This 10 week program uses mind-body practices (meditation and yoga) and the principles of intuitive eating as the foundation for learning how to create a healthy relationship with your food, mind, and body. If you have a history of chronic dieting, have rigid “healthy” rules about eating, or find yourself eating when you’re stressed, bored, or unhappy, this may be the program for you. Orientation: Monday, Feb. 9 at 5:30. Classes on Mondays starting Feb. 16 (5:30 – 7:00 pm). There is a $40 fee, $20 to be refunded if you attend 9 of 10 classes. CLASS SIZE IS LIMITED. Contact Hannah Bush at Hegx88@mizzou.edu to enroll.

• The Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program is an 8 week class that teaches skills for responding to stress with greater skill and creativity using formal mindfulness skills (meditation, yoga, body scan) and information about stress, communication, and wellness. Participants will be expected to engage in daily practice exercises outside of class. Orientation: Jan. 15 at 5:30. Class meets Thursdays (Jan. 22-March 12)(5:30–7:30pm). Full day retreat in March (9am-4pm). Cost is $40 ($20 refunded if you attend 7 of 8 classes). SPACE IS LIMITED. For more information about the class, please refer to the attached document or to register for the orientation meeting, contact Dr. Lynn Rossy at RossyL@umsystem.edu

• Want to know the latest campus wellness news? Sign up for the Healthy for Life newsletter. Read about interesting people who are making lifestyle changes for their health, tips for improving your own health, recipes and find out what events that are happening each month! Don’t depend on someone forwarding you this information, receive it in your inbox. Sign up by sending an e-mail to wellness@umsystem.edu with the subject line “newsletter.”

• Have you been to our website yet? If not, check it out at http://wellness.umsystem.edu. If so, keep going back to see what’s going on in the wellness world. There are employee success stories, events, classes, program information, links and access to take the online health risk assessment.

MULSA’s Annual Holiday Party

Happy Holidays!

It’s time for MULSA’s Annual Holiday Party!

December 19, 2008
4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
At the Richard Wallace Atrium
(Near the Bookmark Café)

Bring your family to the celebration;
Bring some goodies to share.
MULSA will be providing sandwich fixings and drinks.

Bring reusable plates, cups & flatware to help us conserve our resources & to be eligible for a prize from the Greener Libraries Group.

*There will be a drawing for a surprise gift!*
Also, there will be a special prize for the prettiest holiday-themed place setting.

Tech Tip

Does your outlook email have folders? You can create folders in outlook that you can file messages into if you want. Right click your inbox and click on new folder. Name your folder and click ok. You can also create subfolders by right clicking a folder and creating a new folder too.

Acquistions Staff Update

At her request, Adrienne Arden has moved away from her supervisory position in the Acquisitions Dept. In her place Amy Lana has become the new supervisor of the monographs acquisitions unit. Adrienne will continue to be a member of the monographs order team. The members of that team are still working out the specifics of their respective work assignments. Please contact Amy with any questions that you previously took to Adrienne. Continue to refer gift questions to Amy. And continue to send purchase requests to the Dept’s general email account: acquisitions@missouri.edu.

All of the members of that team will be happy to answer any general monograph purchasing questions you may have. I will be happy to answer any and all questions as well.

Karen Darling

Holiday Reminders

It’s that time of your again; this is to remind you of the safety procedures for use of Christmas trees and holiday decorations in University facilities. All natural trees and evergreen decorations must be sprayed with a fire retardant material. If you desire a live tree, EHS recommends purchasing it from the MU Forestry Club, which sprays the trees with a fire retardant and tags them at no additional cost. We have been told that sales will occur from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Thursday, December 4th through Sunday, December 7th at the northeast corner of Memorial Stadium. It is our understanding that the Forestry Club can arrange for delivery to campus locations. Due to lack of demand in recent years, Landscape Services no longer provides services to spray live trees. However, if you purchase a live tree from another source, the Forestry Club will spray and tag your tree for a nominal fee during the period they offer trees for sale. Department trees and decorations may be put up no earlier than December 1, and must be removed from the site by the first working day following New Year’s Day (Jan. 2). Please remember that the danger of fire increases each day the tree is up. All trees and decorations in residence halls and family student housing should be disposed of before the Christmas vacation begins (Dec. 12) except for the units which will be occupied. If trees and/or boughs become dry before these dates they must be removed prior. Electrical cords for lights should not be run through or under a door, especially a metal door. Such practice can lead to electrocution or a fire.

SAFETY PROCEDURES FOR THE USE OF
CHRISTMAS TREES AND DECORATIONS IN UNIVERSITY
BUILDINGS, RESIDENCE HALLS, AND FAMILY STUDENT HOUSING UNITS

1. Be sure the tree and/or boughs are not dried out when you get them. Grasp a branch about 6” from the end and firmly slide it between your fingers to the tip. If the tree is fresh, no needles will come off. No red cedar trees or red cedar boughs are to be used under any circumstances due to their fast drying nature.

2. After purchasing a tree, keep it in water and outside the facility until the time you set it up (no earlier than December 1).

3. All natural trees and evergreen boughs set up in University facilities are to be sprayed with a fire retardant material (this does not apply to “U.L. Listed” artificial trees labeled as “Fire Resistant”).

4. When you are ready to set up the tree, saw approximately two inches off the bottom of the trunk to assist in absorption of water.

5. Be sure the tree is placed in a sturdy, broad-based stand which will hold water and be sure to keep water in the stand at all times. Check water level daily.

6. The tree must not be placed near a stairway, radiator, exit, hallway, or any other location where the tree, if standing or fallen, would block an escape route, signage or increase fire risk.
7. Electrical wiring should be inspected for frayed cords, loose connections, broken sockets, exposed wires and general safety prior to putting lighting on the tree. They must also be U.L. approved. Follow manufacturer’s guidelines for number of lights on any one circuit. Do not use real candles or other open flames on Christmas trees or as decorations in general.

8. Never leave Christmas tree lights on unless someone is in the area where the tree is located or the tree is visible to someone at all times.

9. Electrical tree lights are not to be used on metallic trees due to the ever present danger of
electrocution.

10. Avoid use of electrical extension cords if possible and never use them for periods exceeding 30 days.

11. If you own or plan on purchasing an artificial holiday tree check to make sure it is marked “U.L. Listed” and labeled “Fire Resistant”.

12. There will be no designated drop-off/pickup location on campus property. The City of Columbia provides two mulch sites and suggests that Christmas trees be dropped off at one of them. These sites are at Capen Park (south of Stadium, off Rock Quarry Road, behind the Surplus Property Building) and Parkside mulch site (north of Memorial Park Cemetery, off Creasy Springs Road). All ornaments, icicles, tinsel, stands, bags, etc., must be removed from the trees. The trees are ground and used as wildlife cover, mulch, fish habitat, and soil conservation.

13. Do not put trees in dumpsters or outside on the curb, in the yard, or other locations.

If you have any questions concerning this information, please call Environmental Health & Safety, 882-7018.

MAY YOU HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON!
ELLIS LIBRARY SECURITY