INFORMATION SERVICES
March 2002
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to Information Services
Announcements from the Bulletin, Today, Notification-L
03/26/2002, External Internet Connection: Fixed
This morning from about 10:30 AM to 11:45 AM, the Internet was
unavailable. It turns out our firewall went down. The default
behavior for most firewalls, including ours, is to not let any traffic
through when they are broken. This firewall, by the way, is a box
that sits between the Macalester network and the Internet. All
traffic between Mac and the Net goes through this box, which allows
us, to a certain degree, to secure the Macalester network from
malcontents.
The firewall kind of went crazy with its own logging, and filled up
its hard disk. We reclaimed some lost disk space, and had to restart
the unit. But when it restarted, we found the unit's configuration had
been nearly completely erased. It didn't even know it had a network
card in it anymore. The manufacturer sent us a new configuration
file, and we were able to configure the firewall again.
Interestingly, this outage was indirectly caused by our increased
Internet bandwidth. There is just so much more traffic now, it only
makes sense there is much more to log. But we changed how the
firewall logs, so hopefully we won't have this happen again. [Notification-L]
03/26/2002, External Internet Connection: Problem
We are experiencing a temporary outage of our internet connection to
outside sites. The network staff is working on the problem and hopes
to have access restored as soon as possible. We appreciate your
patience. [Notification-L]
03/22/2002, Spring Breaking?
If you'll be away from your office next week, please record an
extended absence greeting for your voice mail. This is a courtesy to
your callers so they know when you may be getting back to them, if
they choose to leave you a message. To change your greeting, access
your voicemail box, then press 4, then 3, then 2 to record an
extended absence greeting. If you have any questions, please call
Telecommunications at x6566. In addition, you may set your e-mail to
generate vacation messages or to forward to another account. For
guidance, see http://mail.macalester.edu/. [Bulletin]
03/22/2002, Replacing Old Computers
The first round of the 2002-2003 Microcomputer Fund is accepting
applications to replace computers that are four years old or older.
One quick way to determine whether a given computer is old enough for
replacement is to look at the Macalester ID sticker: if the number is
12563 or below, it qualifies. (You may apply to
replace newer computers, but please understand these will receive
lower priority.) Computers awarded in this round will be purchased and
delivered over the summer. Full details and application forms may be
found on the Web at http://www.macalester.edu/cit/general/funding.html.
Please send completed forms to David Sisk in CIT, and call
David at x.6745 if you have questions. The deadline to apply to this
round is Friday, April 5. [Bulletin]
03/22/2002, With Computers, More is Not Better
As the College continues to purchase more computers than are being
retired, our limited support staff are being stretched increasingly
thin to support and service them effectively. Since near-term growth
in staffing is not likely, we must focus on replacing computers that
we already own, rather than acquiring more workstations. For this
reason, using funds remaining at the end of the fiscal year to
purchase new computers must be seriously cut back. For a full
description of the problem, and some solutions being put into place
now, please see our Procurement Policies document at
http://www.macalester.edu/infoplan/procurement.html.
[Bulletin]
03/22/2002, Building the Library Collection in the Digital Age!
A letter inviting department chairs and library representatives for a
gathering April 3rd has been mailed. Please mark your calendars for
April 3, 4:30 PM in the library to discuss department allocations and
serials collection development. As background information, please
see Serials Collection Development Planning at
http://www.macalester.edu/library/serials2002.html.
If you have questions, or did not receive a copy of our letter please
contact Clem Guthro, x6208, or Terri Fishel, x6343. [Bulletin]
03/22/2002, Testing New Virtual Reference Service
The library, in cooperation with CLIC, will be testing a new service for
the next few weeks. This service allows us to provide assistance to
users who are working online and need assistance with CLICnet or
online databases. For more information see our page on Live Online
Help http://www.macalester.edu/library/askus/onlinehelp.html.
[Bulletin]
03/22/2002, The Great Bandwidth
Debate
How shall we allocate our limited bandwidth to the
Internet? Please see the essay at http://www.macalester.edu/infoplan/draft-bandwidth-policy.html
for an approach we are considering for the future. Your comments
welcome! [Bulletin]
03/15/2002, Karen Warren to Speak
Celebrate Women's History Month and International Woman's Day - March
15th, 12:00 noon in the Library's Harmon Room. The Harmon Reading and
Research Series, in cooperation with the Center for Scholarship and
Teaching, present "Thinking and Writing as a Feminist Philosopher" by
Prof. Karen Warren. Thinking and writing as a feminist philosopher
sometimes involves personal and intellectual challenges concerning the
nature of philosophy, feminism, and academic scholarship. In this
talk, Professor Karen J. Warren, Philosophy Department, will discuss
her two latest and very different books: Ecofeminist Philosophy: A Western Perspective
On What It Is And Why It Matters (Rowman &
Littlefield, 2000) and Gendering Western Philosophy (Prentice-Hall,
forthcoming 2003). Reading selected passages from each that describe
the motivation and content of the two book projects, Karen hopes to
convey the joy and challenges she experiences in rediscovering
philosophy as a feminist philosopher. Refreshments will be served;
please bring a brown bag lunch and join us. A copy of Ecofeminist
Philosophy will be given away in a prize drawing. [Bulletin]
03/15/2002, Symposium on Intellectual Property and IT
"Academic Integrity: Technological Change and
Intellectual Property". Jointly sponsored by Macalester,
Carleton and St. Olaf colleges, this symposium will be held at
Macalester, Friday, April 5th. We will explore the impact of
technology on issues related to intellectual property. Topics to be
covered include the impact of technology on scholarly research,
copyright and plagiarism issues, changes in scholarly publishing, and
opportunities for collaboration in teaching about ethical issues
related to information. This is a symposium for faculty, students, and
staff. For more information and/or for registration information,
please see http://www.macalester.edu/library/symposium/. [Bulletin]
03/15/2002, Serials Information
Serials Collection Development will be a topic
of discussion for Library Representatives and Department Chairs on
Wednesday, April 3rd at 4:30 PM. As preparation for discussion, please see
our white paper on Serials Collection Development at www.macalester.edu/library/serials2002.[Bulletin]
03/15/2002, Testing New Virtual Reference Service
The library, in cooperation with CLIC, will be testing a new service for
the next few weeks. This service allows us to provide assistance to
users who are working online and need assistance with CLICnet or
online databases. For more information see our page on Live Online
Help http://www.macalester.edu/library/askus/onlinehelp.html.
[Bulletin]
03/15/2002, Replacing Old Computers
The first round of the 2002-2003 Microcomputer Fund is accepting
applications to replace computers that are four years old or older.
One quick way to determine whether a given computer is old enough for
replacement is to look at the Macalester ID sticker: if the number is
12563 or below, it qualifies. (You may apply to
replace newer computers, but please understand these will receive
lower priority.) Computers awarded in this round will be purchased and
delivered over the summer. Full details and application forms may be
found on the Web at http://www.macalester.edu/cit/general/funding.html.
Please send completed forms to David Sisk in CIT, and call
David at x.6745 if you have questions. The deadline to apply to this
round is Friday, April 5. [Bulletin]
03/15/2002, E-Mail Etiquette
The online environment seems to introduce its own challenges to civil
discourse. We urge your review of guidelines at http://www.macalester.edu/cit/announce/expired/121099etiquette.html.
[Bulletin]
03/15/2002, End of Fiscal Year Computer
Purchases
The population of computers at Macalester has
grown so rapidly in recent years that the College's ability to support
them and replace them is imperiled. We need to carefully consider each
new purchase and therefore will generally disallow purchasing with
"leftover" annual budget funds at the end of the year. See http://www.macalester.edu/infoplan/procurement.html
for details. [Bulletin]
03/15/2002, Bandwidth Conservation Proposal
While Internet access performance has improved since January, we
anticipate another crunch caused by growing demand in the near future.
To manage that growth in a fair manner, we recommend the proposal found
at http://www.macalester.edu/infoplan/draft-bandwidth-policy.html.
Please share your thoughts on the issue with Joel Clemmer at
clemmer@macalester.edu. [Bulletin]
03/08/2002, Microcomputer Funding 2002-2003: First Round Coming Up!
If you have computers that are four years old or older, please apply
to the first round of the 2002-2003 Micro Fund for replacement. The
deadline to apply is Friday, April 5. Decisions will be made in time
to purchase all awarded computers in early June, when the new fiscal
year begins, and will be delivered before the beginning of classes in
the fall. Full details, as well as application materials, are on the
Web at this URL: http://www.macalester.edu/cit/general/funding.html.
In this round, we're trying a new method to help you identify old
computers. Look at the Macalester ID number - typically a red sticker,
blue-and-silver on very old computers. If the number is 12563 or
below, the equipment is at least four years old and therefore eligible
for replacement.
If you're wondering about applications you submitted to the second
round of the 2001-2002 Fund, decisions have been made and are now
being communicated to all applicants. If you have questions, please
contact David Sisk at x6745. [Bulletin]
03/08/2002, Karen Warren to Speak
Celebrate Women's History Month and International Woman's Day - March
15th, 12:00 noon in the Library's Harmon Room. The Harmon Reading and
Research Series, in cooperation with the Center for Scholarship and
Teaching, present "Thinking and Writing as a Feminist Philosopher" by
Prof. Karen Warren. Thinking and writing as a feminist philosopher
sometimes involves personal and intellectual challenges concerning the
nature of philosophy, feminism, and academic scholarship. In this
talk, Professor Karen J. Warren, Philosophy Department, will discuss
her two latest and very different books: Ecofeminist Philosophy: A Western Perspective
On What It Is And Why It Matters (Rowman &
Littlefield, 2000) and Gendering Western Philosophy (Prentice-Hall,
forthcoming 2003). Reading selected passages from each that describe
the motivation and content of the two book projects, Karen hopes to
convey the joy and challenges she experiences in rediscovering
philosophy as a feminist philosopher. Refreshments will be served;
please bring a brown bag lunch and join us. A copy of Ecofeminist
Philosophy will be given away in a prize drawing. [Bulletin]
03/08/2002, New Faces In the Library
Angela Solache is our new
evening/weekend supervisor. Ellen Holte-Werle, a
Macalester alum, joins us as a reference intern for the Spring
semester. Please join us in welcoming Angela, and welcoming back
Ellen. [Bulletin]
03/08/2002, Symposium on Intellectual Property and IT
"Academic Integrity: Technological Change and
Intellectual Property". Jointly sponsored by Macalester,
Carleton and St. Olaf colleges, this symposium will be held at
Macalester, Friday, April 5th. We will explore the impact of
technology on issues related to intellectual property. Topics to be
covered include the impact of technology on scholarly research,
copyright and plagiarism issues, changes in scholarly publishing, and
opportunities for collaboration in teaching about ethical issues
related to information. This is a symposium for faculty, students, and
staff. For more information and/or for registration information,
please see http://www.macalester.edu/library/symposium/. [Bulletin]
03/08/2002, Joe Dolson In The News
Premiere Performance! Library staff member Joe Dolson is also a composer.
The premiere performance of one his works will take place at the
Syndicate New Music Series Concert, on Friday, March 8th, beginning
7:30 PM at St. Paul's Landmark Center. More information may be found
at http://innig.net/press/syndicate/. [Bulletin]
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