Librarian Humor

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SULAIR NEWS – April 1, 2007
TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1. New SULAIR News Publication Schedule, Features
2. Quick Action Mitigates Damage to Flooded Second Life Branch Library
3. Green Library Extends Hours to 2 AM
4. New Library Staff Benefits Program
5. SULAIR Technology Chalk Talk: Best Bets in Online Gambling
6. Ask Madame Artemis
7. SULAIR Job Opportunities

1. New SULAIR News Publication Schedule & Features

As previously announced, this week SULAIR News moves to a Sunday publication schedule, reflecting a new "Weekend Edition" format. Over the next few weeks, we'll also be introducing several new features that will both inform and entertain our readers, beginning this week with "Ask Madame Artemis, the Scholars' Astrologer." Next week we will launch our new book review insert.

We hope you find the new News meets your needs, and helps you start your week off right.

-- submitted by Editorial Staff
2. Quick Action Mitigates Damage to Flooded Second Life Branch Library

This past Friday, history repeated itself when SULAIR's new Second Life branch library suffered from a flood, inundating the growing digital collections under fifteen Linden feet of water. With Linden feet currently trading against the meter at 4.25:1, much of the newly constructed library was underwater for more than nine hours.

According to Rachel Gollub, SUL's chief developer for Second Life Technology Services, the flooding was caused by a leak in the adjacent property. "We're right next to the in-world headquarters of the Brotherhood of Gourmet Underwater Scubadiners [sic]. They're actually some pretty cool guys--we had a dance party last week--and they have a 54 Linden-foot tall water tank cum dining room, where they serve all these amazing home cooked dishes and you get to chow down on anything--but underwater. Anyway, our island's servers had a buffer overflow, and their tank lost its integrity. All that water came pouring out, and had to go somewhere."

Fortunately, quick action by SUL's Second Life staffers mitigated much of the damage. Deni Wicklund managed to create a small dam by piling up the new set of cyberbean-bag chairs, keeping the reading room, east stacks, and dance floor completely dry. Rachel also wrote a script that froze the water in the west stacks, keeping the ebooks from disintegrating to bits in the water. And fortunately, according to Rachel, "Susan [Payne] just got back from the Isle of Wyrms, where she picked up a fire breathing dragon, so the recovery is going really fast now."

-- submitted by Henry Lowood
3. Green Library Extends Hours to 2 AM
Through a unique program, SULAIR has found the means to extend Green library hours until 2 AM year-round. In order to fund the program, the library will be closing for five days around the time of the full moon (two days before, the day of, and two days after). The savings to the University in staff outages and reduced productivity that usually happen during a full moon will directly benefit the students during the rest of the month. "We get so many more incidents during the time surrounding the full-moon," says Catalina Rodriguez, "and I think giving staff a break during this time will result in better customer service the rest of the month. Everyone wins." In a vote of confidence for the new program from other Stanford departments, both Facilities Operations and Procurement will be launching similar pilot programs in May.
-- submitted by Regina Woolf-Mann 4. New Library Staff - Facilities Benefits Program
SULAIR HR and Facilities have teamed up to solve the overcrowding problem in the Stacks of Green library. "If every SULAIR staff member checked out and took home 1,000 books," calculated Larry Dahl, "we could open up thousands of linear feet of collection space in Green alone."
Besides the obvious benefits to staff of jumpstarting a personal home library, it appears that program participants are also eligible for a tax break. According to Susan Horsfall, "By indicating a certain amount of square feet in your home is used for work purposes, you can then deduct a corresponding amount off of your taxes."
EP's will be installing the Linear Foot, Square Foot Tax Deduction calculator on staff machines beginning April 13, 2007.
-- submitted by Kathy Hudson
5. SULAIR Technology Chalk Talk on Online Gambling: Thursday, April 5,
This Thursday, the SULAIR Technology Chalk Talk will feature "Big River" Carlos Moneymaker, presenting on online gambling, and its intersection with game theory, social networking and international law research at Stanford.

What: Best Bets in Online Gambling: Where Game, Social and Legal Theory Meet
SULAIR Technology Chalk Talk
When: Thursday, 4/5, 2 - 3 PM
Where: Green Library, the Backroom

If you thought navigating international copyright law was a challenge, you should look into the statutes applying to international, Internet-based gambling. Online gambling has exploded in popularity recently in the past five years, and provides a rich, interdisciplinary research field for academics.
"Big River" Carlos Moneymaker will introduce the latest developments in the field at the Chalk Talk. He'll also offer a hands-on practicum in the IC Classroom ($50 buy-in fee) afterwards, starting at 3.
-- submitted by Tom Cramer
5. Ask Madame Artemis
Dear Madame Artemis,
I'm very close to cementing a donation of a unique and significant collection from a donor. She (a Taurus, with Libra rising) has indicated repeatedly over the past several quarters that she intends to make the gift "soon," but one thing or another always seems to come up. Her birthday is coming up in the beginning of May, and in the past, she's said this would be a wonderful present for her to give to Stanford's scholars. I'd really like to get this collection formally transferred this spring. Is it in the stars, or just another false start?
-- giftless gemini in Green
Dear Giftless Gemini in Green,
Do not despair--your donor is a Taurus, and with Libra rising (!), it's no wonder that the donation is taking a while to fall into place. The stars say that you can look expect decisive action soon, as we're coming into Taurus's home sign. Your donor is a double venus (!!), so you'll need to fan the flames of her romanticism. Let her know how much her gift will be loved by the students in your discipline; you might also send her a sample heart-shaped book plate. And above all, don't forget to send flowers! All this must be done the first week of May.
-- submitted by Madame Artemis, the Scholars' Astrologer
6 . SULAIR Job Opportunities
SULAIR has the following new positions this week:
Serials Control Specialist (# 24369)
Specialized Serials Controller (# 24936)
Controlling Specialty Serialist (# 24693)

For a complete description of open positions within SULAIR, go to the Stanford Jobs page and in the Job Location: box, select University Libraries (with nothing else in the list selected). After clicking on the Search button, scroll to the top of the screen.

-- submitted by Editorial Staff
SULAIR News is an electronic publication of Stanford University Libraries and Academic Information Resources issued weekly. Copy deadline is 12:00 NOON Friday for publication on the following Wednesday. Submit items for publication via the online submission system.
Regular Editor: Eleanor Brown, Eleanor.Brown@stanford.edu
Irregular Editor: Regina Woolf-Mann, fullmune@stanford.edu