Author Archives: adowning

Important: Newman Library Service Advisory (Obsolete)

by adowning

coronavirus test using swabIMPORTANT NOTE: This service advisory has been superseded by the subsequent one.

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Until further notice the Newman Library is providing all services without on-site staff. Users should review the information below before coming to the Library building.  This advisory will be updated to contain the most current information about Library services in a rapidly changing situation.

Please note that overdue fines are not being charged for books and equipment on loan.  If you are continuing at Baruch in the fall, please feel free to hold onto the books, calculator, or laptop that you have borrowed until then.  For students who are not returning, the options are explained in a separate news item.

  • Library Hours – Closed until further notice.  Please check back for updates.
  • Reference Service – Use the “Ask a Librarian” app on the Library’s home page to chat live, email a question, or schedule a research consultation.
  • Book Loans – From off campus use our extensive digital collections.
  • Inquire about Borrowed Items – Contact the Circulation staff via email circulation@baruch.cuny.edu
  • Technology Loans – Borrow a Chromebook or iPad for the rest of the semester. Details are on the Technology Distribution page.
  • Calculator Loans: The Library will be holding the usual lottery for the loan of calculators. The link to the entry form will be posted here by August 24th.  Texas Instruments has discontinued its free emulator trial, but still offers a free Chromebook extension through July 2021,  Students may want to consider downloading an app through iTunes or the Play Store.
  • Access to Internet and WiFi: The University is posting a list of service providers that are offering access.  Scroll down to the Resources and Tools section of the page.  The University will soon announce the distribution of MiFi devices to students who have no Internet access.

Resources for Spring 2021 Distance Education – FAQ for Students (Obsolete)

by adowning

 

 

 

 

Vertical Campus Extrior

UPDATED 1/15/2021

Are the computer labs open?

The campus computer labs are closed.  Students may access the software on the lab computers remotely at onlinelabs.baruch.cuny.edu.  However, students should use the CUNY Virtual Desktop to access ArcGIS, SPSS, SAS, Mathematica, Maplesoft and Matlab.

Is the Library open?

The Newman Library is providing all services virtually at this time.  These are available from the Library’s home page. The service advisory on the home page is the most up-to-date source of the status of services. Baruch students are able to schedule time in one of the designated quiet study areas on campus. The details are on a separate news page.  Please note that the quiet study spaces are no tin the Library or managed by the Library.

Is the IT Help Desk open?

The help desk staff are working remotely.  If you are having trouble logging into a service, configuring your own laptop, or need help with using a resource that is new to you, please contact the desk via email at helpdesk@baruch.cuny.edu.  At this time the help desk is not receiving phone calls.

How can I get technology assistance from off-campus?

Students should send an email message to helpdesk@baruch.cuny.edu explaining what type of assistance is needed.

Are laptop loan services available?

The College has a special program to offer semester loans of new devices obtained from the University. For details see the Technology Distribution page.

How can I get free access to the Internet, if I do not have it at home?

Students will soon be able to reserve a seat in one of the designated quiet study spaces (see question above).  Please bring your own device to the study space.  The College is distributing a limited number of MiFi hot spots to students who have no Internet access at home.  Students who want to apply for the loan of hotspot should submit a request by following the instructions on the MiFi loan page.

How can I borrow a financial calculator?

Baruch students may request a calculator for loan using this form until all available calculators are distributed.  Please note that Texas Instruments has discontinued its free emulator trial, but still offers a free Chromebook extension through July 2021,  Students may want to consider downloading an app through iTunes or the Play Store.

Can I attend my online class while I am on campus?

You may want to reserve a seat in one of the quiet study areas.  If you need headphones, please request them via the form on the Technology Distribution page.

What online learning tools will I be expected to use?

It will vary based on what the instructor believes is best to use to teach the course, but the College is focusing on tools that are very easy for students to access and use.  The most common tools will be:

  • Blackboard – Baruch students already know Blackboard. In addition to the tools that you have previously used in Blackboard, such as the discussion groups, some instructors may decide to use the videoconferencing service that is built into Blackboard, which is called Collaborate.
  • Zoom – Many instructors will use this webconferencing tool. When your instructor wants the class to meet using Zoom, you will just have to click on a web link to join the session.
  • Dropbox and Microsoft OneDrive – These are file storage services that are already available to every Baruch student.  Your instructor may want to use them to share documents.
  • Blogs@Baruch – Some instructors use the College’s blog site as a course site.  If your instructor decides to do this, you will be sent a link and only need to enter your Baruch username and password to join the course. Your instructor may ask you to write to the site as part of a course assignment. It is as easy as writing a blog post.

How can I access Blackboard, CUNYfirst, Dropbox and other services from off campus?

Use the “Quick Links” drop-down menu on the Baruch College home page.  That way you can be sure that you have the most up-to-date links.

How can I get help from the library remotely?

Please use the chat reference service on the Newman Library home page.

Where can I print assignments for my courses?

With classes online students are submitting their course assignments in a digital format through Blackboard or another method specified by the instructor that does not require a hard copy.  There are no printers available on campus.

Where and how can I store my files in the cloud?
You can save your files in one of CUNY’s cloud file storage options to access the latest version of your files, no matter where you’re located, as long as you’re connected to the Internet. CUNY offers two files storage/collaboration tools: OneDrive in Microsoft Office 365 and Dropbox. You can find information and training resources on using OneDrive at CUNY’s Microsoft Office 365 for Education site website or from Microsoft’s Office 365 Education Help Center and Office 365 Training Center. Microsoft’s Teams provides an addition tool to share/collaborate on projects and shared files. You can find information and training resources on using Dropbox at CUNY’s Dropbox site.

What services are available for Students with Disabilities?

The Disability Services Office will be open to assist students. The College is committed to ensuring accessibility as courses are moved to an online format. Instructors have been provided with information resources and guidance to help them achieve this goal. If a student finds that any course material is not accessible, please inform the instructor so that it can be corrected.

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NOTE: This FAQ list will be updated as we receive additional questions from students.  Please check back.

Newman Library Open Regular Hours During Midterm Examinations

by adowning

The Newman LNewman Library Exterioribrary will NOT be open 24 hours during midterm exams in the spring 2020 semester.  The Library will operate with its regular hours: 7:00 a.m. until 12:00 midnight.  With the current concern regarding COVID-19 our cleaning crew must have access to all areas of the Library, which is not possible when we are open continuously. This a temporary measure and we hope to be open 24 hours during final examinations.

How to Borrow a Calculator from the Newman Library for Spring 2020

by adowning

graphing calculatorThe Library has 1,110 TI-89 graphing calculators available for Baruch College students to borrow for the spring 2020 semester.  Students who are interested in borrowing a calculator must enter their Baruch email address on the calculator distribution entry form.

Students will be selected from the list at random at 7:00 a.m. on February 3, 2020 and notified by e-mail to come to the circulation desk to pick up the calculator.  Students who are selected from the waiting list will have until 10:00 p.m. on February 10 to pick up the calculator.  Calculators that are not picked up by that time will be distributed at the 2nd floor circulation desk on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 9:00 a.m. on February 11.  Each student may only submit one entry to the waiting list.  Multiple entries will result in disqualification from the calculator loan process.  Entries must be submitted by 7:00 a.m. on February 3.

Newman Library Contributes to ITHAKA S+R’s Study of Business Instruction

by adowning

Logo of ITHAKA S+RThe Newman Library is one of sixteen institutions nationwide that participated in a research study of the teaching practices and needs of instructors teaching in business and business related disciplines.  The final report of the study, Teaching Business: Looking at the Support Needs of Instructors, has been published by ITHAKA S+R, which organized the project.  Three of our business librarians, Ryan Phillips, Louise Klusek and Charles Terng conducted faculty interviews, analyzed the responses, and wrote a report of their findings that were incorporated in the final report from ITHAKA S+R.  The report of the Newman Library team, Supporting the Changing Practices of Teaching in Business, will also help guide the development and delivery of library services to the College’s Zicklin School of Business.

Newman Library Becomes the Home of an Important Research Collection in Technical Analysis

by adowning

TAEF LogoThe Technical Analysis Educational Foundation, Inc. (TAEF) has placed its research collection on long-term loan in the Newman Library of Baruch College.  The collection includes nearly 7,000 publications that constitute a significant portion of the body of knowledge of technical analysis, which considers the empirical information derived from the activities of buyers and sellers in an open auction market. The holdings consist of books, historical texts, journals, investment advisory letters, recordings, electronic and digital media, chart books, and photographs. The collection continues to grow through new acquisitions and donations.

Through its partnership with Baruch College, the TAEF is able to make this collection available to a diverse community of users. The collection will benefit both professionals and new entrants to technical analysis.  In addition to supporting instruction and research at Baruch College, many of the books are available to other institutions through interlibrary loan.  Items published prior to 1930, advisory letters, journals, newspapers, pictures, sound recordings, and unbound books cannot be borrowed, but may be consulted on site in the Newman Library by appointment. The holdings may be searched via the catalog on the Newman Library’s website.

The collection includes books by the earliest generation of analysts and writers in this country who formulated and expanded the field of technical analysis – William Peter Hamilton and Robert Rhea of Dow Theory; Richard W. Schabacker on the principles of charting; Humphrey B. Neill on contrarian opinion; Harold M. Gartley, a leading stock market analyst of the 1930s; Alexander H. Wheelan on point and figure charting; and William D. Gann, Ralph Nelson Elliott, and Richard D. Wyckoff, who created technical theories that remain in use today. A large number of the Dow Theory letters of the late Richard Russell are part of the collection.  The books of leading modern technicians such as Gerald B. Appel, Constance M. Brown, Alexander Elder, Humphrey E. D. Lloyd, Gregory L. Morris, John J. Murphy, Martin J. Pring, Robert R. Prechter, Victor Sperandeo, and Martin E. Zweig are included. These materials set forth the principles and theories of technical analysis that are of value to both professional investment managers and new members of the field.

The library also contains possibly the finest collection of books and writings dealing with the cyclicality of financial markets, physical sciences, human cultural activities, weather, biological rhythms, planetary activity, and natural phenomena. These publications present the findings of extensive research going back decades. The materials were originally compiled by the Foundation for the Study of Cycles established in 1941 and are currently owned by the CMT (Chartered Market Technician) Association.

Additional information is posted on the TAEF collection website.

About the Technical Analysis Educational Foundation, Inc. (taeducation.org)

The Technical Analysis Educational Foundation, Inc. (TAEF) was established in March 1993, as a New York Not-for-Profit Corporation, then known as the Market Technicians Association Educational Foundation, but renamed in January 2018.  The original mission of the foundation was to create and fund educational programs in the field of Technical Analysis. This mission has expanded to include the creation and support of a complete Technical Analysis curriculum that is now being taught in colleges and universities for academic credit. According to its website (taeducation.org), the foundation “unites industry experts from around the globe to develop comprehensive lectures, course outlines, and study materials designed for students new to technical analysis.”

About Baruch College (baruch.cuny.edu)

Baruch College provides students with the skills, knowledge, and perspectives to pursue their aspirations in today’s global environment. A leading college within The City University of New York (CUNY), Baruch is also listed among the nation’s top public institutions for academic excellence, affordability, student success, and value. Its three schools educate more than 18,000 students who represent one of the most diverse college campuses in the country. Strong career and support services drive Baruch’s national recognition as an engine for social and economic mobility. Through executive education, continuing studies, international partnerships, public events, and arts programming, Baruch stands out as an intellectual and cultural resource for New York City and the world.

Frank Donnelly, Geospatial Data Librarian, Authors Timely Book on US Census

by adowning

Book Cover of Donnelly's Exploring the U.S. CensusFrank Donnelly, Geospatial Data Librarian and Associate Professor in the Newman Library has authored: Exploring the U.S. Census: Your Guide to America’s Data, which has just been published by SAGE.

According to the publisher’s description, “Exploring the U.S. Census gives social science students and researchers alike the tools to understand, extract, process, and analyze data from the decennial census, the American Community Survey, and other data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau. Donnelly’s text provides a thorough background on the data collection methods, structures, and potential pitfalls of the census for unfamiliar researchers, collecting information previously available only in widely disparate sources into one handy guide. Hands-on, applied exercises at the end of the chapters help readers dive into the data. Along the way, the author shows how best to analyze census data with open-source software and tools. Readers can freely evaluate the data on their own computers, in keeping with the free and open data provided by the Census Bureau. By placing the census in the context of the open data movement, this text makes the history and practice of the census relevant so readers can understand what a crucial resource the census is for research and knowledge.”

 

Sculpture by Charlie Kaplan is Installed Permanently in Newman Library

by adowning

Soaring, a sculpture by Charlie KaplanArtist Charlie Kaplan’s monumental work Soaring, 2018, made of Bianco Puro Carrara marble, now graces the entrance to Baruch College’s William and Anita Newman Library for the enjoyment of the campus community.

At an installation ceremony on October 15, the Los Angeles-based artist spoke of his enthusiasm to place one of his art works on permanent display at Baruch, and how he hopes the sculpture will provide inspiration, especially to students.

“I could not be more pleased to have one of my pieces at an institution like Baruch than any place I could think of,” explained Kaplan. “The idea that this College has more social mobility than any other institution of its kind in the country is just the kind of place I would want one of my pieces to be.”

Charlie Kaplan: Bring Art into Your Life

For more than 40 years, Kaplan worked in his family’s business. Through his business career, he pursued a “growing passion to make sculpture, first in wood, then metal, before finding his true calling in carving stone,” according to his website.

In an interview at the installation, Kaplan expressed hope that Soaring, 2018 will move Baruch students to pursue a lifelong interest in art, and perhaps even as a career or hobby.

“I truly feel that this artwork can help inspire students to realize that a college education is more than just a degree,” said Kaplan. “I am hoping having a piece that they could look at and study can encourage them there are other journeys as well.”

In September 2018, Kaplan had his first New York institutional solo exhibition— Pleasing Curves: Sculpture by Charlie Kaplan—at Baruch College’s Mishkin Gallery. Learn more about the Mishkin Gallery exhibition and the artist’s distinctive approach to working with stone.

Text is reprinted from the Baruch College News Announcement

Robotic Self-Service Book Loan Kiosk Increases Student Access to Newman Library Materials

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Robotic Book Loan Kiosk

Newman Library’s Book Loan Kiosk

Baruch College students are now able to borrow course textbooks from a new robotic loan kiosk on the first floor of the Information & Technology Building.  The kiosk is located across from the Subotnick Financial Services Center and next to a student lounge area.

The kiosk holds 210 duplicate copies of the most heavily circulated textbooks from the Library’s reserve desk.  Baruch students are able to borrow from the kiosk at any time that the building is open.  This includes hours when the library’s circulation desk is closed and during midterm and final exam periods when the library is open 24 hours.  The robotic shelving system in the kiosk ensures that when an item is returned it is immediately re-shelved and available for loan to another student.  Receipts for the borrowing and return transactions are sent to the user via email.  The loan period and overdue fines are the same as for borrowing reserve textbooks over the counter.  The kiosk was funded by the student technology fee and the textbooks were funded by the Baruch College Association.

The glass front on the kiosk lets users see how the robotic arm retrieves and re-shelves books.  Step-by-step instructions on how to borrow and return items are provided on the kiosk’s touchscreen.  The instructions also appear on the covers of the books displayed through the glass on the front of the kiosk.  These special book covers were designed by undergraduate students in the College’s New Media Arts program. In addition, there is a two-minute video that shows how to operate the kiosk.

Museum of American Finance Features a Special Collection in the Newman Library

by adowning

Blumenthal headshotOn the 90th anniversary of the Stock Market Crash of 1929 former New York Times reporter Ralph Blumenthal, a Distinguished Lecturer in the Newman Library, will deliver a talk at the Museum of American Finance about how cash-starved municipalities issued their own bills and coins using examples from the Baruch Archives.  His presentation, “Crash! The Stock Market Collapse of 1929 and the Rise of Fake Money (Scrip)” will be followed by a Q&A session.

Admission is $5, but students and members of the Museum of American Finance may attend at no cost.  This event will be held on Tuesday, October 29, 2019 (12:30 PM to 1:30 PM) at 48 Wall Street, 5th Floor.

Register on the Museum’s web site.