Political Science major Will Blackton joined the Libraries in 2007 helping students and faculty in the Digital Media Lab. Rob Rucker, Head of Research and Information Services for the NCSU Libraries, traces the arc of Will’s work experience here: “His understanding of digitization and graphics made him a candidate for the position -- his friendly, engaging personality and first-rate customer service instincts made him a success.”

In 2008 we bid Will bon voyage as his adventurous nature took him overseas for a year to study Chinese. We were happy to welcome him back in 2009, hear his stories, and see him back in the library working with our students and faculty.

Below, Will explains what he learned from his adventure in Taiwan:

Traveling to Taiwan embodied a lot of "firsts" for me. The first time I lived a not easily traverse-able distance from anyone that I know. It was my first time I had to hunt for a job and an apartment completely on my own. My first time filing taxes, immigration papers, or figuring out a bus or train route. Not that any of these things are particularly remarkable, but doing them all in a language I barely had a handle on has set my self-confidence dial to maximum. It's hard to put a finger on exactly what made the experience so awesome. I had never lived in a big city before, or not relied on a car whatsoever. Every face was a fresh one.

I attended TaiDa, Taiwan's most prestigious university. Getting a taste of the intensity of the local academic culture was an eye-opening experience. The ascetic nature of classrooms was also a tough change, but the welcoming nature of the local people more than made up for weeks of adjustment my bottom took to get used to the uncomfortable chairs. The Taiwanese go far out of their way to make sure people know they are some of the most awesome people in the world. On a nearly month long motorcycle trip around the island, after asking for directions, more people led me to my destination rather than just telling me where to go. I was treated to dinners and drinks by strangers much more often than from friends here home in America.

I studied Chinese intensively while over there, and fell in love with Taiwanese culture. The level of social courtesy was astounding. When taking study breaks, people just leave their stuff where they are at without worry that it will be stolen. On metros everyone is allowed off the train before anyone starts boarding. People walk slowly on the right side of the sidewalk and pass on the left. These small notions can overwhelm you with a sense of appreciation of being a part of that community.

Ever try to meet up with your friends for a group study session on a night when D. H. Hill is filled to the brim? Mission impossible.

We have a solution.

D. H. Hill Library has a new tool to help you plan and find your study groups. GroupFinder lets the coordinator of a group post the name and location–Chem 223 exam study @ 4th Floor Group Study–and then the other members of the group can check GroupFinder when they get to the library.

GroupFinder is available on a computer kiosk in first floor lobby, and on the library’s e-boards and on the web.

GroupFinder arose from conversations library staff had with students about the challenges of arranging group study sessions in D. H. Hill Library. The library is often too crowded for a group to pick a location in advance—the spot will probably already be taken. Last-minute coordination can be tricky as well, due to spotty cell phone reception. So that leaves many groups waiting at the entrance for every person in the group to show up.

GroupFinder lets students locate a space, post their location, and then get to work. Latecomers can check the digital signs, the kiosk in the lobby, or the web to find out where their group is.

Give Groupfinder a try.

Contact: David Hiscoe, NCSU Libraries, (919) 513-3425
(Raleigh, N.C.)—North Carolina State University officials today broke ground on a new state-of-the-art library for its Centennial Campus that, through its innovative design and technological sophistication, will set the standard for 21st century academic and research libraries. According to Susan Nutter, vice provost and director of the NCSU Libraries, the new James B. Hunt Jr. Library— named for the former North Carolina governor—“seeks nothing less than to create the best learning and collaborative space in the country.”

The 1,334-acre Centennial Campus serves as NC State’s research park and is home to more than 120 government, industry, and university partners who work collaboratively to drive growth in North Carolina and to work on some of the planet’s most pressing problems. The campus was named outstanding research park by the Association of University Research Parks (AURP) in 2007.

The Hunt Library will be a signature building that will serve as the intellectual and social heart of the rapidly growing population on the Centennial Campus, embodying the essence of the research park as a community built around knowledge. Anchoring the Centennial Campus' academic oval, the new library will embody the spirit of NC State's competitive advantage in science and technology and will be a major factor in attracting and retaining the best faculty, students, and corporate partners.

The Hunt Library will also begin to provide a much-needed solution for the shortage of study seating at the university. The NCSU Libraries can currently seat less than 5% of NC State students at a time when use of the Libraries is growing dramatically. In April 2008, for example, the Libraries averaged over 16,000 visits a day; visits increased by 42% in the last academic year alone. The UNC system standard is to provide study seating for 20% of students. The Hunt Library will double the NCSU Libraries' available study seats.

The library, located in the center of much of NC State’s engineering, textiles, science, and technology expertise, will also continue to enhance the NCSU Libraries’ role as technology incubator on campus. The NCSU Libraries has made its mark by providing generations of students and faculty with access to the latest technology. From its iconic design to the latest in computing and collaboration tools, the Hunt Library will prepare students to lead and support cutting-edge research in a technology-driven economy.

The Hunt Library will contain an automated book-retrieval system–allowing space and budget normally consumed by book “stacks” to be used for learning spaces and technologies to assist students.

"We are absolutely thrilled that the university is going to have one of the finest academic and research libraries anywhere in the world,” adds Nutter. “This building will mark the beginning of a new era in learning and collaboration at NC State University.”

Pearce Brinkley Cease + Lee Architecture (PBC+L), a North Carolina architectural firm that specializes in academic and cultural arts projects with an emphasis on higher education, will serve as architects for Hunt Library. Snøhetta, the designers for the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, will serve as lead designers. Snøhetta was recently awarded the 2009 Mies van der Rohe Prize, Europe’s most prestigious award for architectural excellence.

Construction is expected to be complete in 2012.

Visit the renovated William Rand Kenan, Jr. Library of Veterinary Medicine during the open house on Thursday, October 29, from 4-6 p.m. We invite you to see the new spaces, in and outside of the library, and enjoy light refreshments with us and your colleagues in the library. It will also be a great time to follow up on library resources you may need. The main entrance is still closed for construction, so you will be escorted from the IAMS entrance to the library for the open house. This event is open to all so please share with anyone who might enjoy seeing the library. Directions are available online. Contact us via email or call 919-513-6219 if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing you!

Find out how NC State is transforming forensic science.

You won’t usually find our faculty featured on the latest edition of COPS, but the university is increasingly becoming the scourge of those who break the law and a source of hope for those unjustly accused. Our security and safety is due in part to our ability to prosecute criminals by applying rigorous science and engineering concepts to the law. This is forensic science, a field that is fascinating to scientists and non-scientists alike—and to almost anyone who watches much television these days. It is a discipline critical to ensuring security, safety and a just society. And a discipline that our textiles, engineering, computer science, and microbiology faculty are transforming.

Can you name a discipline that spans textiles, anthropology, entomology, archaeology, chemistry, statistics, computer science and visualization, data mining and library science, material science, toxicology, botany, microbiology, biology, physics, geology, psychology, linguistics, mechanical and civil engineering, and environmental science? Renowned experts at NC State in all these fields–representing all colleges–are increasingly applying their expertise to advancing the field of forensics, ultimately through a rigorous new Forensic Sciences Institute (FSI) here at the university.

Find out more on November 3 at the annual fall luncheon sponsored by the NCSU Friends of the Library, where Professor David Hinks from the Department of Textile Engineering Chemistry and Science will talk about NC State’s synergistic approach to the art. Hinks will tell us about the initiative to pull together transformative cross-functional teams in the research and development of scientifically rigorous methods to advance the field of forensics as a post-disciplinary science.

Learn, for instance, how NCSU’s Textiles Library has become a threat to the bad guys with our unique collection of almost all automotive fabric samples from domestic and imported cars from 1955 to 2006. While one might think this collection might be of interest to only a few automotive and textile designers, it is fascinating to federal and SBI crime investigators. Many crimes involve cars, and fibers become key evidence in criminal investigations more often than DNA evidence. NCSU is developing an unprecedented analytical database of dyed fibers for use in forensic investigations based on this library collection.

Event Details:
Tuesday, November 3, noon-1:30 p.m.
NC State’s McKimmon Center
$18 for Friends of the Library members; $25 for the general public
Reservations or questions:(919)515-2841 or friends_of_the_library@ncsu.edu. This event is part of the ongoing NCSU Libraries Fabulous Faculty Series. The Friends of the Library is part of the NCSU Foundation.