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July 11, 2006
MainLazy Hazy Days of Summer
ROLL OUT THOSE LAZY, HAZY, CRAZY DAYS OF SUMMER
The Fourth of July is past us now and the long, torpid days of summer lie ahead. Days for picnics, swimming, boating and backyard activities like badminton, volleyball and sandlot baseball. My childhood summer memories are filled with miniature golf, drive-in movies ( do these even EXIST anymore???) and collecting lightning bugs in a big glass jar. Yep...for those who can’t get enough of the sun, those “Dog Days� are just around the corner. As a kid I always thought those humid, do-less, HOT days of July and August were called dog days because our family pet seemed to be the only one smart enough to just lie quietly in the shade of a big tree until the sun started to set - however, it seems these days have been notorious for quite some time.
The term itself was coined by the ancient Romans, who called these days caniculares dies (days of the dogs) after the constellation of Canis Major, ( the Big Dog) within which Sirius “Canis Majoris� - the Dog Star - is found. As the hottest and most humid days of summer generally coincided with the period where Sirius rose and set with the sun, they believed that heat from Sirius was increasing the heat of the sun.
Sirius ( the brightest star of all as seen from Earth ), both rises after, and sets before, the sun and is hence lost in the latter's glare. This period of invisibility, for Northern Hemisphere observers, is caused by the fact that the position of Sirius in the sky is well to the south of the horizon. The ancient Egyptians observed that the annual flooding of the Nile Delta would typically occur shortly after the star returned to view immediately before sunrise, taken to be around mid-August in the current calendar.
Incidentally, dog meat is a food traditionally eaten during the hottest days of the year in South Korea. Sadly....no recipes for this delicacy will be appearing in our Summer Recipes section....
Susanna King
MainWhat's your favorite?
Our restaurant reviewer extraordinnaire wants to hear from you! Do you have a favorite place that no one knows about? Tell us about it, and for the next issue (September), Diane will give it a try then tell us all about it. Respond by commenting to this entry, or send a note to Diane Kennedy at: kennedy.75@nd.edu
Bon Appetit!
July 10, 2006
MainNewest Editions to our Library Family
Alasdair Mahieu Ladd was born 14 June 2006 to Meleah Ladd who works in the Music Collection Office. She wanted to write and thank you all for your support through the last nine months.
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Finley Augustus Miller was delivered around 2:00 p.m. April 23rd and weighed in at 6lb. 15 oz. and 19 inches long. Both mother and child are doing well. Congrats Bonnie and Thurston.
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Congratulations Jessica
Jessica Kayongo gave birth April 17th at 4:11pm to a girl, Carys Avery Helm. She is 8 lbs. 1 oz. and 21 3/4 inches long. Jessica and the baby are doing well.
Jessica was at work through mid-morning before the baby said it was time to go to the hospital!
July 06, 2006
MainCongratulations Nita!
Please congratulate Nita on becoming an American citizen!
Our Newest Employees
New Employee in Serials Acquisitions
Please welcome Holly Welch to the University Libraries. Holly is the new Library Specialist in Serials Acquisitions. Holly's primary responsibility will be organizing, entering and maintaining information in the Serial Evaluation Database. She will also process claims and assist with check-in of serial subscriptions. Holly's first day was June 1.
Please welcome John Scofield
John Scofield, started work in Library Systems as Project/Application Developer in May. John will work on a variety of database project needs throughout the Libraries, beginning with assisting the NEH preservation microfilming grant with its data and workflow needs.
John has over ten years IT experience, with a particular focus in database consulting and development. He is currently also a doctoral candidate in History here at Notre Dame, and has previous library experience from Western Michigan University.
New Employee in Stacks
There is another new face in the Library - as of May 1st, Jacquie Holdren has joined The Stacks Management unit of Hesburgh Library .
Please join us in welcoming her to the library.
Congratulations to Sherri Jones
Sherri Jones has been appointed to the position of Head of Reference Services, effective 17 July 2006. As most of you will know, Sherri is currently Head of Department for both Life Sciences and Resource Delivery here at Notre Dame. Sherri brings a wealth of experience to her new position, having held four previous department head positions in a variety of contexts and she is highly enthusiastic about her new role.
July 05, 2006
MainSummertime!
HOO-YAH, Y’all...it’s time to Barbecue!!!
Well, Summer is finally here and America’s favorite outdoor sport is taking off like fireworks on the Fourth of July....so, let’s get a-grillin’!!!
CHIPOTLE GRILLED CHICKEN with PINEAPPLE
INGREDIENTS:
* 1 (12 ounce) bottle Lawry's Baja Chipotle Marinade With Lime Juice
* 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
* 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple slices in natural juice, drained
DIRECTIONS:
1. In large re-sealable plastic bag, pour 1 cup Lawry's® Baja Chipotle Marinade With Lime Juice over chicken; turn to coat. Close bag and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes.
2. Remove chicken from Marinade; discarding Marinade. Grill or broil chicken over medium hot coals, turning once and brushing often with remaining Marinade, 10 minutes per side, or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. About 15 minutes before chicken is done, place pineapple slices in a grilling basket, baste with chicken marinade and place to the side over cooler coals. Turn once and brush with more marinade.Garnish, if desired, with sliced green onions.
THAI-STYLE BBQ CHICKEN
INGREDIENTS:
* 1 cup soy sauce
* 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
* 1 cup water
* 1/3 cup sugar
* 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
* 1T. Basil
* 2t. Cilantro
* 1T. Mint
* 1 small, fresh Habanero chili cut lengthwise, seeded
* salt and pepper to taste
* 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients except the chicken. Place chicken in the bowl. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator 8 hours, or overnight. Turn chicken once while marinating.
2. Lightly oil grate of your grill.
3. Drain chicken and pat dry. Place chicken on the prepared grill over hot coals, and cook 10 to 15 minutes per side, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Discard remaining marinade.
BBQ TATERS
INGREDIENTS:
* 10 potatoes, peeled and halved
* ½ cup vegetable oil
* 2 tablespoons salt
* 2 tsp. Paprika
* 2 tsp. Chili Powder
* ½ tsp. White Pepper
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat grill for high heat. ( Briquets or gas )
2. Mix dry spices together in a shallow bowl or pie pan.
3. Place potatoes in a large saucepan with enough lightly salted water to cover. Bring to a boil. Cook 15 minutes, or until tender but firm.
4. Drain potatoes, and pat dry. Coat thoroughly with vegetable oil and dredge in seasoned salt.
5. Place potatoes on the preheated grill. Cook approximately 20 minutes, turning periodically with a spatula.
GRILLED BANANA S’MORES
INGREDIENTS:
* 6 large bananas, unpeeled, stems removed
* 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
* 1 (10.5 ounce) package miniature marshmallows
* 6 graham crackers, crushed finely
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the grill for high heat. ( Briquets of gas )
2. Spray 6 sheets of aluminum foil, each sheet large enough to wrap one banana, with cooking spray.
3. Slice the peel of the banana from stem to bottom, while slicing the banana inside lengthwise. ( The bananas can be cut into rounds instead if you like-while still in the peel-for easier handling later.)
4. Carefully open the banana just wide enough to place the chocolate chips and marshmallows inside the peel with the banana. Stuff with as much of the chocolate chips and marsh-mallows as desired. Top with crushed graham cracker crumbs.
5. Wrap the bananas with the aluminum foil and place on the grill or directly in the coals of a fire. Leave in long enough to melt the chips and the marshmallows, about 5 minutes. Unwrap bananas, open the peels wide, and eat with a spoon.
May Institute 2006: Spring Forward
In his keynote address, Michael Stephens set the tone for our three-day institute, Springing Forward. His discussion was a perfect way to kick things off as we learned about not just the "how", but the necessity that lies behind the "why" we should be focusing on building our common body of knowledge and expanding our ability to meet changing user expectations.
Expanding on the idea of "user-centered planning", Michael showed us what some of the future technology could look like, and helped us to acknowledge some of the needs tomorrow's user will have. Things like blogging, wikis, RSS feeds for IPOD users, and "Library 2.0" were just a few of the new technologies generating buzz after the Institute.
Following the keynote address were three days of programming that offered all employees an opportunity to build knowledge and skills in a variety of areas including Library Mission, Team Building, Customer Service, Technology and Tools, and Organization & Management; there was something for everyone.
Your comments on the evaluation forms were overwhelmingly positive, offering useful insight into ideas and shared goals for next year's planning team (don't hesitate to respond when the call goes out for volunteers!).
All of the program handouts, several power point presentations, and photos can be found on the institute webpage.
The survey results again showed an overwhelmingly positive response to the Institute, and offered great suggestions for future Institutes. Some of the comments we saw were:
• "The committee did an excellent job in presenting a well-rounded forum to become a better employee, and more importantly, offer unhappy people to reflect why they still choose to work here."
• "I think the fact that staff were encouraged to attend was good for morale and informative. I was energized and ready to go back to work after the three days.
• "Consider hosting the Institute in another location on campus. It 'forces' library people to make the physical/mental commitment to be involved in the processes of the Institute. It was a great opportunity to meet new staff and to have conversations with people who have been here as long as I have been."
Thank you for your participation and support, and remember that it takes "you" to help make us great.
This year's May Institute Planning Team Members were:
• Joanne Bessler, jbessler@nd.edu
• Anastasia Guimaraes, aguimara@nd.edu
• Mandy Havert, mhavert@nd.edu
• Meleah Ladd, mladd@nd.edu
• Pat Loghry, ploghry@nd.edu
• Marcy Simons, msimons@nd.edu
• David Williams, dwillia6@nd.edu
• Lou Wetherbee, lvw99@swbell.net
The institute web site is located at:
https://libstaff.library.nd.edu:990/lib_only/lipt/index.shtml