Monday, January 30, 2012

From Zebras to Bacon & Everything in Between: 40 Below Club

As you may already know, UAF is located in the coldest city in the Nation... Fairbanks Alaska.

Let's just say, the cold can get a little miserable at times... But at UAF, we like to make a little game out of it to lift our spirits... It's called the 40 Below Club.

You must be wondering, how you can join this very fun sounding club. Here's the deal.

1. You must wait until the temprature drops below -40 degrees celsius. (It has to be -40 on the UAF sign!)

2. Come to Campus and strip your clothes off! (Leave your underwear on, so you don't get arrested & leave your shoes on so you don't get frostbites)

3. Strike a pose and have a friend snap a picture!

4. Now post it on Facebook so everyone can see it, and Non-Alasakns can call you crazy.

Finally, Welcome to the 40 Below Club! (Hope you decide to join us in this wonderful tradition!)




Friday, January 27, 2012

Rasmuson Library: Floors 5 and 6

Remember waayyyyy back when, when I posted about the 4th floor of the Rasmuson Library?

Well, let's move onto another section of the library.  The 5th and 6th floors are quiet floors.  This means that patrons should be respectful of everyone on the floor and not talk above a whisper to someone near them.  It's also really, really courteous if your phone rings to answer it, like in the stairwell.  Just not talking in a normal voice in the middle of the floor, please!

The majority of the collection of the library exists on these two floors.  (For now; there are some areas of the library that may move in the near-ish future.)  Books with Call Numbers A-Pt, as well as any book that has Oversize or Ovsz in the call number are located on Level 6. 

The 6th floor also has carrels for graduate students.  They have to be requested through the circulation counter and are frequently all full. 

The rest of the collection, Call Numbers Q-Z, are located on the 5th floor.  Also located on the 5th floor is the Government Documents.  One of the really neat things about the Gov Docs (this is how it's frequently referred to in library lingo), is that much of this collection is available online.  There are lots and lots of old research projects that have been published throughout our country's history. 

There are also study rooms located on the 5th floor.  These have to be booked at the Circulation Counter on 4th floor.  In order to use the rooms, you have to be studying/working on something in a group setting.  They can be booked in four (or less) hour blocks.

My favorite parts of these two floors are the amazing windows and all of the plants! Lori is the keeper of the plants and she does and amazing job.  We like to hope that all of the plants help increase the oxygen level, and that helps us study better. 


There are many more resources that are available online through the library.  We have access to SO many books available electronically.  These range from materials that you may need for a research paper, to periodicals, and to even books just for fun. 

We also are a member of Listen Alaska which is an electronic access to lots and lots of audiobooks that can be downloaded and listened to on a variety of devices, including your iPod or mp3 player. 

Most of these online resources are also located in Goldmine - the library's online catalog system. That link will take you to a search that include a whole bunch of electronic materials involving umbrellas... It was the first thing I could think of.  Most of the electronic materials will require you to log in with your university information, so make sure you keep that handy.

Back to it all

The semester has begun once again!

It's been officially one week and one day since classes have started and from the students and friends I've talked to, since it's going to be a busy one.

If you are at all interested in going to UAF, be sure to visit our website (www.uaf.edu) and apply online soon!

Today, it's a bitter 38 degrees below zero and one of the other student ambassadors is giving a tour of the campus OUTSIDE right now. Yeah. We go all out at UAF.

A few years ago, our engineering department built a huge ice arch that was completely supported on its own and they are building one AGAIN! It's a pretty awesome thing to see. They are building it right in middle of the plaza so it'll be hard to miss.

Signing off.

Tune in next time!

-Dion T.