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Quite frequently I see students in the library doing–how should I put this?–non-academic activities. Sleeping is the most common one, and also various online hobbies such as playing WoW (or CoH or other MMORPGs), watching videos (I actually saw a student watching the 1984 television version of the Legend of the Condor Heroes once, which made me almost weep with nostalgia), browsing Facebook and other social media websites. The one activity I have to swoop in and stop is eating, as food, including crumbs, stains and leftovers, will attract pests, not to mention introduce unpleasant odours.

While noticing all these extra-curricular activities, I sometimes wonder how students view the library nowadays. Reams of articles, surveys and data have been generated in the library science field on the perception of the library by its users, and I don’t think anyone has definitively come up with an answer. There is usually a gap between what the user of the library wants and needs, and what the library offers. Filling this gap takes resources and we may not always get it right.

The library as a physical space has become increasingly irrelevant for learning and research, as entire fields of information, such as company financials, statistics, indexes and industry data are moving online. However, the library as an entity has become increasingly important–and paradoxically more invisible–as electronic resources need to be reviewed, subscribed to, organized, and presented to users in a meaningful and accessible form. Users may see the “graceful swan”, which is easy access to information they need. Alas, they may overlook all the hard pedaling the swan needs to do under the surface.

So, while I do not worry that the library as a space is taken up by users for leisure activities, I do worry that users do not see and so hence do not value, the fact that librarians work tirelessly to obtain and proffer information that would otherwise be locked away and made available only at a prohibitive cost. So use the e-resources while you have them, students; once you graduate, all the easily accessible articles, statistics, company reports and other online information will be closed to you!

While USB chargers are a convenient way to recharge our energy draining portable devices, poor quality and inexpensive look-alike chargers may pose a fire and electrical hazard.

Recently, a student charging her phone in the Science Library noticed wisps of smoke emerging from her USB Charger. Fortunately, her immediate reaction was to turn off the mains switch.  However, her subsequent attempt to unplug the charger resulted in the case giving way, revealing a blackened interior where parts of the electronic circuits had vaporized.  The remaining half was still stuck in the socket, its exposed pins surrounded by streaks of soot. Her quick thinking had probably saved her phone and averted further danger, but how many of us are actually attentive to the state of the charger after plugging it in?

Fake chargers may be hard to distinguish from the original ones. Some are even printed with the Safety Mark label, so how then would you know if your USB charger is safe? According to Ken Shirriff, a computer programmer with Google and an electronics buff, quality comes at a price and you often get what you pay for.  Based on his tests, he cautioned against using inexpensive fake chargers. Check out his blog for a detailed analysis of twelve USB chargers.

Thus, we should avoid fake USB chargers. While they may be cheap, the risk of damaging our phones or causing a fire is very real. As Ken Shirriff puts it, “The safety issues with counterfeits are not just theoretical; when hundreds of volts short out, the results can be spectacular.”

Kenneth Lim
Science Library

On 25 April 2013, 15 excited students and staff gathered at Central Library Theatrette One. It was the prize presentation ceremony for the Library User Perception Survey Prize Draw!

The 15 winners were randomly selected from the pool of participants of the Library User Perception Survey, held from 7 to 28 March. What made the event even more exciting was everyone knew they had won something. The live draw was for them to see for themselves which prizes they were getting.

The event started off with a welcome message by Deputy University Librarian, Mrs Lee Cheng Ean, who thanked the audience for participating in the Library User Perception Survey. Next, Senior Librarian Aaron Tay shared some highlights from the survey results, including sample comments given by the participants. A write up of the survey results will be published on the Library Survey website shortly.

Finally, it was the moment everyone was waiting for! Anticipation was high as University Librarian, Ms Sylvia Yap started drawing the winners’ names from a glass bowl. The draw started from the fifteenth prize. As more names were being drawn for the prizes, those whose names had not yet been called became more excited, as they would have better chances of winning the top prizes generously sponsored by the library’s partners.

The first prize winner, Ms Sandhya Chintalapati, walked away with an Asus 7 inch tablet, while our second prize winner, Ms Mukta Bansal, won an iPad mini.

After the draw and a quick round of photo-taking, everyone enjoyed a spread of pastries, coffee and tea. Conversation flowed and new friends were made.

We thank the NUS community for participating in the 2013 Library User Perception Survey. We received a total of 6,718 responses, with a response rate of 14.3%.  Your contributions to the survey will help us perform better.  Look out for the summarized results, which will be published later at the Library Survey website.

Congratulations once again to our prize winners:

1st prize (Asus 7 inch tablet 32GB 3G):  Sandhya Chintalapati

2nd prize (iPad mini wi-fi 16GB):  Mukta Bansal

3rd prize (Nikon Coolpix S6400 digital camera):  Tan Ching Yi

4th prize (3M Polarizing light):  Benoit Mayer

5th prize (3M Polarizing light):  Zhou Yong Justin

6th prize (3M Polarizing light):  Jonas Taege

7th prize (Cooler Master power fort 6600mAh):  Elizebeth Mathai Aswathy

8th prize ($100 shopping vouchers):  Lin Xuzheng

9th prize ($100 shopping vouchers):  Tang Ka Fai

10th prize ($100 shopping vouchers):  Lin Hsiao Lei

11th prize ($100 shopping vouchers):  Wong Chun Foong Jovian

12th prize ($100 shopping vouchers):  Zhang Hong

13th prize (Wireless mouse + $50 Kinokuniya vouchers):  Yang Kaymond

14th prize (Wireless mouse + $50 Kinokuniya vouchers):  Yeo Li Xia Amanda

15th prize (Wireless mouse + $50 Kinokuniya vouchers):  Hsu Jung Pu

Library Survey 2013 Team

Vanity, Branded

I am a beauty junkie.

On a rare shopping trip with my mother, she picked up a random blusher from the display and asked me, “What does M.A.C stand for?”

I had never thought about it. Never mind that she continued asking me questions such as “Where is it from? Who invented it?” instead of directing them to the staff.

So I was pleased to find “Branded beauty: How marketing changed the way we looked” by Mark Tungate. The book is a mini encyclopedia and history chronicle of the major brands in the beauty industry. I was half-expecting a ‘textbook’ about the marketing of beauty products, but Tungate begins with an interesting overview of ancient beauty trends, which provide an insight into the industry today. Think Egyptian kohl to line the eyes, perfumed soaps in Greek and Roman baths, and hair color in the Dark Ages.

Such were the vanities of the ancient times that eventually led to the existence of brands such as L’oréal, Estee Lauder and Shiseido. Of course, it is relatively easy to scour information about these brands from the Internet, but Tungate adds a personal touch by providing many fascinating and inspiring details about the individuals behind these famous brands, including hard truths from their experiences in making their brands big. He also addresses the impact of the global beauty brands in the digital world and on men; surgical cosmetics; the rise of organic beauty; and the future of beauty.

I was instantly struck, with fascination and horror, by a quote from Helena Rubenstein in chapter one: “Some women won’t buy anything unless they can pay a lot.” You don’t have to be a beauty junkie to read this enjoyable and informative book; it could very well provide an insight on how these brands have shaped consumer perspectives the next time you walk past the beauty department.

New Law Databases

Here are two law databases that were added to our electronic resources collection recently:

eGazette

eGazette gives the pdf version of the printed Singapore government gazette and goes as far back as 1998. It is updated daily and like the print gazette, it covers bills and acts supplement, the subsidiary legislation supplement, the industrial relations and trade marks supplements. 

You can also browse the free version at http://www.egazette.com.sg/Welcome.aspx which is made available for public viewing for 5 days.

 

Investment arbitration reporter

The coverage starts from 2008 onwards and it tracks international arbitrations between foreign investors and their host governments and analyzes key developments in the area of international investment law. Among the areas that it covers are ICC and SCC rules, environmental, energy, mining and telecoms disputes. 

Do note that access to both databases is for NUS students and staff only.

Zaleha Othman
C J Koh Law Library

Medical Drama & Books

I happened to watch a Korean drama recently. The Third Hospital is about the rivalry between a genius neurosurgeon Kim Doo Hyun (Kim Seung Woo, first from the right) and the equally prominent oriental medicine specialist Kim Seung Hyun (Oh Ji Ho, first from the left). The two brothers–along with their own friends and teams–compete ferociously against each other because of their different views on medicine, yet do not hesitate to put aside those differences to save the lives of patients.

Pitting East again West in terms of medicine is an interesting concept that made me ponder about the role of  herbs and TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) in modern society. With that in mind I dug up some interesting books in the Medical Library:

 

For The Layperson:

Ginseng “The divine herb”: The secrets of Chinese, Korean and Siberian ginseng (RS165 Gin.B)

Cordyceps: China’s healing mushroom (RM666 Mus.Ha)

Chinese Medicine: The web that has no weaver (R601 Kap)

A general introduction to traditional Chinese medicine (R601 Gee 2010)

Who can ride the dragon?: An exploration of the cultural roots of traditional Chinese medicine (R601 Zha 1999)

The herbs of life: Health & healing using Western & Chinese techniques (RM666 Her.T)

For the TCM Student:

Traditional Chinese medicine (R601 Tra 2011)

Chinese herbal medicines: Comparisons and characteristics (RM666 Her.Y 2002)

For the modern TCM practitioner:

Integrating East Asian medicine into contemporary healthcare (R733 Int 2012)

The way forward for Chinese medicine (R601 Way 2002) 

Chinese Medicine: Modern practice (R601 Chi 2005)

Chinese Herbal Medicine: Modern applications of traditional formulas (RM666 Her.Li 2005)

 

But back to the drama…

This mini Korean version of Grey’s Anatomy packs elements of modern and traditional medicine, professional rivalry, humour and hospital drama.  It also has beauties in the form of Soo Young from SNSD aka Girls Generation (second from left) who plays Lee Eujin, a cute and spunky violist; and Kim Min Jung (second from right) plays a second year resident with a care-free character. Do check out the series!

Jonathan Pradubsook
Medical Library

The Robot Librarian

Imagine a scene in the future where robots have replaced not all humans but only librarians. Does this not send a chill down your spine? No? Then imagine you are an undergraduate working on your first assignment. After checking the catalogue, you realize that you need a few books. You decide to borrow them, so you make your way to the library.

Feeling excited about your first visit to the library, you overlook the fact that locating the correct book amidst several thousand titles is akin to looking for a needle in a haystack. So you approach the information desk, but to your surprise, find a robot with a permanent grin pasted on its face. “How can I help you?” it intones. You decide to give the non-sentient being a chance. You ask for one of the books that you need, but stumble over your choice of words. In response, the robot librarian beeps “ERROR!” Feeling awkward, you try again. “Where can I find this particular book?” you ask.

In response, the robot librarian flashes the call number while chanting it. Staring at the number, you wonder what it means and you ask the robot. In response, it recites the dictionary definition of  “call number”. Unsure about how to use the call number, you ask the robot librarian to help you find the book. To your disappointment, the robot declares that it cannot climb the stairs. You try your luck by asking another question, this time a real research question. “I’m writing a paper on gender and medical education in Singapore. I need to know who was the first female doctor to graduate from a local institution.”  The robot librarian looks confused and does a frenzied but futile search of the catalogue and internet. With rising frustration, you mutter a sarcastic comment under your breath…

Dear reader, you can probably predict a bleak ending for this scene. The usual adage applies here: technology cannot and should not replace the human librarian. No matter how advanced it may be, technology should remain as a bridge linking information to seekers, with librarians serving as curators, educators and interpreters, all of which are necessary roles in this age of information overload.

Thevaprakash Goeffrey
Hon Sui Sen Memorial Library

NUS Music Library has an excellent collection of CDs. In this article, I’ve highlighted some percussion music for your listening pleasure.

Among the easy listening pieces is Ichiyanagi’s Paganini Personal for marimba and piano from Striking a Balance: Contemporary Percussion Music. This is a set of variations on the well-known 24th Caprice by Paganini. Written in 1982, it was first performed by Japanese percussionist Hiroyuki Iwaki.  The music moves through various moods, from beautiful to violent, and tuneful to tonally obscure.

 

Also from the same CD is the Prelude in A minor by J.S. Bach from the English Suite No. 2. It shows off the composer’s harmonic and contrapuntal genius where the performance on two marimbas explores the full lower register of the instrument as well as the rich middle-upper ranges.

Across the Sea has a good selection of percussion music from Zhou Long’s Five Elements and The Deep, Deep Sea, Bright Sheng’s Flute Moon and Chen Yi’s The Golden Flute. Scored for flute and orchestra, each element of metal, wood, water, fire and earth in Five Elements is represented in a separate movement in which the activities of yin and yang are manifested as the cyclic changes of nature regulating life on earth.

The Deep, Deep Sea is impressionistic in nature, and the relationship between the flute and ensemble of timpani, harp and strings evokes the “union of man and nature”. In The Golden Flute, the extreme contrasts between the low sonorities of the orchestra and the shrill passages of the solo part supported by the two piccolos and harp are brought to a climax, leading to a coda.

 

Consider listening to Rodion Shchedrin’s Carmen-Suite, which is a brilliant transcription for strings and percussion. In it, the composer’s choice of instruments and tone colours gives the familiar sounding melodies in Bizet’s work unexpected rhythmic twists and subtle changes in notes and chords.

 

 

 

Another CD that is lightly textured is the Hammerhead Consort’s Music for Two Pianos and Percussion. Through intuitive manipulation of the dynamics, all four instruments (two pianos, vibraphone and marimba) in Linea are made to sound as one.

The imagery of the forest, composed of individual entities in the larger context, is cleverly expressed through the exploration of sound timbres of the live performers and the pre-recorded tape into a cohesive musical fabric. Hammer-Suite is made up of three movements.  The first, Magical Flight, has elements of the sonata form, jazz scales, asymmetrical rhythms and imitative writing. Images, the second movement, seems to improvise on motifs, rhythms, dynamics and visual images and Shaman’s Dance, the third movement, skilfully develops thematic materials from a four-note chromatic motif.

To search for more CDs on percussion music, check out our discovery service FindMore@NUSL.

Enter percussion in the text box.

Refine your search by selecting Items in the library catalog and Music Recording under Content Type.

Click on the desired title and take note of the stack number (e.g KC11607):

Next, retrieve the jewel case from the shelves and approach the staff at the loans desk for the CD.

Learn about your loan privileges for music materials here. Enjoy the music and head to Music Library for more delightful surprises!

Digital Rights Management (DRM) is used in book, music and film publishing to restrict unauthorized copying, conversion and distribution of content. It is also used in some e-books. In the case of Taylor & Francis’ DRM-protected titles in our e-books collection, they have a yellow DRM icon to the right of the title bar:

For Adobe Reader to read the protected document, a plug-in called FileOpen must be installed. Instructions on installing the plug-in can be found here.

Currently, about 25% of the Taylor & Francis e-books purchased by NUS Libraries have DRM protection, and Taylor & Francis is working on reducing this number.

Besides Taylor and Francis e-books, there are other titles in our e-books collection which have DRM restrictions. Here are more FAQs on DRM protected books and e-books in general: http://libfaq.nus.edu.sg/browse.php?tid=19792.

 

Library users, now is your chance to tell us what you think!

From 7 March to 28 March, NUS Libraries is conducting an online user perception survey on the quality of library services. This survey is open to all NUS students and staff (except library staff) with a NUSNET ID.

By now, you would have received an email invitation with the link to the library survey. Please click on the link provided in the invitation email to answer the survey, from 7 to 28 March. It will take only about  10 to 15 minutes to complete the survey. Rest assured that your responses in this survey are strictly private and confidential. Your valuable feedback will provide us with opportunities to improve.

In addition, you will also stand a chance to win attractive prizes! To qualify for the prize draw, you need to submit your NUS email address when completing the survey. Among the exciting prizes up for grabs: Asus 7” tablet, iPad mini, digital camera, shopping vouchers and more!

Look out for the summarized results of the survey, to be publicized later.

For more information about the survey and the prize draw, visit the web site here.

 

Library Survey 2013 team

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