Daily Archives: October 20, 2014

Library News: Oct. 20

Events: Oct. 20

October 21, 3 p.m.: “How to Put Your Brain on the Internet,” presentation by author Michael Chorost, Foster Auditorium and MediaSite Live.

October 21, 1– 2:00 pm: StaySAFE: Surviving an Active Shooter. Presenter: Sgt. Franie Pollack, Mann Assembly Room. Organized by LHR. Register: http://portal.outreach.psu.edu/search/publicCourseSectionDetails.do?method=load&sectionId=1117441

October 22, 12:15 p.m.: Managing the 21st Century’s Sustainability Crises (Peak Moments TV episode 192) and Collapse of the Titans (Peak Moments TV episode 202), 18 Deike Bldg. EMSL Film Series. Interviews with Daniel Lerch and Dmitry Orlov about the future of America’s energy instabilities. (56 min. total)

October 23, 3-4 p.m: Getting to Know International Patrons, Mann Assembly Room and Adobe Connect. There are over 7,000 international students from around the world enrolled at Penn State. These students bring with them a broad range of cultures, languages, backgrounds, and expectations. This discussion-based workshop will present effective strategies for communicating with our international patrons.

October 23, 1–2:30 p.m.: 2014 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award presentation to Andrea Cheng. Cheng will accept the award for her book, “Etched in Clay: The Life of Dave, Enslaved Potter and Poet.” Q and A and book sale and signing will follow. This event celebrates poetry for young people, and is open to the public.

October 23, 2014, 7:30 p.m.: The Emily Dickinson Lectureship in American Poetry presents Marilyn Nelson, Foster Auditorium. Marilyn Nelson is a three-time finalist for the National Book Award and winner of the Newbery and Coretta Scott King awards. She is the author or translator of 15 poetry books for adults and children and five chapbooks. In 2013 she published a memoir entitled “How I Discovered Poetry”—a series of 50 poems about growing up in the 1950’s in a military family. Part of the 2014-2015 Mary E. Rolling Reading Series.

October 29, 12:15 p.m.: Ocean Frontiers: The Dawn of a New Era in Ocean StewardshipSeries of three short episodes on the ocean and sustainability, 18 Deike Bldg. EMSL Film Series. Featuring:

  • Ocean Blueprint in the Florida Keys (11 min.)
  • Saving Whales at Stellwagen Bank (27 min.)
  • Iowa Farmers & Gulf of Mexico (22 min.)

October 29, 8:30 – 11 a.m.: What the Libraries Can Do for You, training for Penn State staff on essential library services and resources. Program starts at 9 a.m. in Foster Aud. following refreshments in Mann. Register by October 24. Email mcg13@psu.edu.

October 30, noon–3:00 p.m.: Digital Literary Studies Seminar Series Part I. Computational Stylistics, 23 Pattee Library (News and Microforms Library). Instructor: James O’Sullivan. To register, visit the Humanities Lab website.

October 30, 3–5 p.m.: Libraries’ Halloween Party 2014, in Mann Assembly Room. Enjoy snacks, a costume contest, games, and prizes and have fun! Event organized by the Safety Committee and UPLEA. (see flyer from last week)

November and beyond:

November 4 – 10–11 a.m. So HELP Me: Improving Customer Service. Part 1. Register in TechSmart. Continue reading

Diversity-related programs organized by LHR

Save the date next semester for these two important programs organized by Libraries Human Resources, both dealing with interactions in the workplace.

Subtle Slights: Understanding the Impact of Unconscious Bias and Microaggressions
Presenter: Charleon Jeffries
January 15, 2015
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Mann Assembly Room
Register: http://portal.outreach.psu.edu/search/publicCourseSectionDetails.do?method=load&sectionId=1117899

How do we handle the unspoken, often unrecognized “little things” that foster sentiments and attitudes of inequity and incivility? Microagressions speak to the attitudes, dispositions, and comments that many times lead to the devaluing of members of a community. This session will focus on recognizing, validating, and ultimately managing the display and impact of microaggressions.

This program will help participants to:

  • Consider and understand the impact of personal perceptions and individual lenses.
  • Define and identify types of microaggressions.
  • Develop strategies and resources to remedy instances of potential or perceived incivility.

Developing Intercultural Awareness and Competency
Presenter: Charleon Jeffries
April 16, 2015
10:00 am – Noon
Mann Assembly Room
Register: http://portal.outreach.psu.edu/search/publicCourseSectionDetails.do?method=load&sectionId=1117999

This program is designed to address the realities of living and working in an increasingly global society where understanding other cultures is often an essential component of organizational success. Participants are encouraged to explore their feelings and perceptions about non-U.S. cultures in an effort to develop effective strategies to promote intercultural awareness and acceptance.

This program will help participants to:

  • Gather accurate information about other cultures.
  • Examine issues associated with acclimating to life in the United States.
  • Develop strategies to work more effectively with those whose cultures are different from their own.

The Pennsylvania State University encourages qualified persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact Lindsey Harter (lap225@psu.edu or 814-863-4949) in advance of your participation or visit.

#PSU24 social media campaign

Starting at sunrise on Thursday, Oct. 23, a 24-hour social media campaign will chronicle a day in the life of Penn State. Dubbed #PSU24, the campaign seeks to showcase the many moments and experiences that make up a day at Penn State, on campuses around Pennsylvania and at locations around the world.

The effort will go from sunrise to sunrise, beginning at 7:32 a.m. EDT on Oct. 23 and concluding at 7:33 a.m. Students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends are encouraged to contribute using #PSU24 with photos, videos and messages of their Penn State moments throughout the day on Twitter, Instagram, Vine and Facebook.

Social media posts will be collected and curated for anyone to follow at http://psu24.psu.edu. The site also includes downloads of the #PSU24 mark for contributors to include in their photos. Read the whole story on Penn State News

Use the AutoFill Excel option

By Ryan Johnson, technology training coordinator

Whether you just want to copy the same value down or need to get a series of numbers or text values, fill handle in Excel is the feature to help. It’s an irreplaceable part of the AutoFill option. Fill handle is a small square that appears in the bottom-right corner when you select a cell or range.

fill handle

Whenever you need to get a series of values in the adjacent cells, just click on the Excel fill handle to see a small black cross and drag it vertically or horizontally. As you release the mouse button, you will see the selected cells filled with the values depending on the pattern you specify.

fill handle 2

One of the most popular questions is how to autofill numbers is Excel. This can also be dates, times, days of the week, months, years and so on. In addition, Excel’s AutoFill will follow any pattern.

For example, if you need to continue a sequence, just enter the first two values into the starting cell and grab the fill handle to copy the data across the specified range.

fill handle 3You can also auto-populate any arithmetic progression sequence where the difference between numbers is constant. It will even alternate sequences if the selected cells don’t relate to each other numerically.