Fogler Library Faculty Newsletter 1-31-18

Extra Credit Opportunity for Students: Fake News Workshop, New Hot Topics Guides, R for Beginners Workshop, Reading in Your Life Series

January 31, 2018 Fogler Plus Newsletters

In this issue:

  1. Extra Credit Opportunity for Students: Fake News Workshop
  2. New Hot Topics Guides
  3. R for Beginners Workshop
  4. Reading in Your Life Series

1.  Extra Credit Opportunity for Students: Fake News Workshop
Fogler Library is seeking faculty willing to offer their students extra credit for attending a fake news workshop on Monday, March 26, from 5pm-6pm.

The workshop will be led by Judith Rosenbaum, Assistant Professor in Communication and Journalism, and Jen Bonnet, Social Sciences & Humanities Librarian, who will engage students in an interactive workshop where they’ll unpack the many meanings of “fake news” and learn how to critically evaluate information they find online.

Please contact Jen Bonnet (jenbonnet@maine.edu) by next Friday, February 9th, if you are interested in offering extra credit for this workshop.

2. New Hot Topics Guides
Fogler Library Reference and Information Literacy Department has published two new Hot Topics guides that may be useful in your courses.

Hot Topics: Health Insurance is intended for students wanting to research the arguments around current policy discussions or to explore how to get health insurance coverage. Hot Topics: Homelessness provides introductory information, statistics, useful websites, media content, and other resources about homelessness in Maine and the United States.

3. R for Beginners Workshop
Date & Time: February 8, 6pm-8pm
Location: Fogler Library Classroom

Fogler Library will host a workshop on R, a widely used language and environment for managing, graphing, and analyzing data of all forms (e.g., spatial, quantitative, and qualitative). This introductory workshop is presented in collaboration with UMaine’s Advanced Computing Group. Laptops will be provided. If you would prefer to attend via Adobe Connect instead, email acg@maine.edu for connection information.

About the Presenter
Professor Aaron Weiskittel is the Acting Director for the Center for Research on Sustainable Forests, which is leading efforts to use “big data” to improve forest management in the region. Aaron has used R since its early beginnings and has helped several students learn the program.

4. Reading in Your Life Series
Love reading short works (poetry, short stories, and children’s books) and want to share your favorites? Then come to Reading in Your Life at Fogler Library, a three-meeting series of discussions about the writings that have delighted, surprised, and inspired you. Come ready to discuss the writing you love–and if you’d like some inspiration, check out the display cart by the first-floor elevators!

Topics, Dates, and Locations:

  1. Poetry–February 7, 5-6 PM, Library Classroom, Fogler Library
  2. Short Stories–February 21, 5-6 PM, Library Classroom, Fogler Library
  3. Children’s Books–March 7, 5-6 PM, Library Classroom, Fogler Library

Please share this with any students or colleagues who may be interested in attending.