Spring Break is here!

The Annandale Campus Library’s hours for Spring Break are as follows:

Mon, March 11 – Fri, March 15: 8:30am – 5:00pm
Sat, March 16: Closed

Enjoy your week off from classes!

Tech Tip Tuesdays

Welcome to our weekly series, Tech Tip Tuesdays. Each week, we will feature tools and software that will make you say, “Wow! I wish I had known this existed!” or “This has made my life so much easier!”

Our first tips feature various screen capturing software. Sure, you could use the tried and true combo of Print Screen and Ctrl+V, but sometimes, you just want to get a portion of the screen without pasting your image into Paint or Microsoft Office and hoping for the best. The following software will make that task much easier.

Snipping Tool
This basic screen capturing tool comes pre-installed with Windows Vista, 7, and 8. Snipping Tool allows users to capture a portion of the screen. You can then make very basic freehand annotations, save, copy, or email your image to another recipient. This is helpful when you simply want to show parts  of  your image. Below is a screenshot sample taken with Snipping Tool:

Jing
Jing is another useful screen capturing tool. Unlike Snipping Tool, you can make annotations within the program. Jing also comes with labeling tools such as arrows and shapes and a text editing feature. Once you’ve captured and made some annotations in Jing, you can edit the screen cap in SnagIt (a separate pay program). Snagit contains additional annotation and image editing features. A 30 day free trial is available, but the full version is $49.95.

SnapDraw Free
Compared to Jing and Snipping Tool, Snapdraw free contains a little more functionality. Users can capture, edit, and annotate images within the software, thus eliminating the need to open different programs to perform these actions. Unlike Jing and Snipping Tool, users are unable to adjust the size of the screen prior to taking the capture. The final image would need to be re-sized and/or cropped within the program itself. Compared to Jing and Snipping Tool, there is a bit of a learning curve. The program is most useful for capturing sections of webpages and documents.
Screen capture taken with SnapDraw Free programOverall, Jing and Snipping Tool are great programs to use for your daily screen capturing needs. If you need an all-in-one screen capturing program for special projects, SnapDraw Free is your go-to software.

Technology Petting Zoo

On February 6th the library hosted its semi-annual Technology Petting Zoo which featured a bird’s eye view of all the media equipment available in the library.  Instead of keeping all those great tech tools under lock and key in an inconspicuous cabinet, we enlisted some animal friends (of the stuffed variety) to help display cameras, iPod Touches, tripods, and more.  Teddy Grahams were served to keep visitors, both four-legged and two-legged, from going hungry. Students munched on treats while checking out the wide range of equipment they can borrow to create multimedia presentations for class assignments.  Most equipment is available to be borrowed for one week with a student ID.

Just because the zoo is packed away and the animals are back in their spacious, humane, behaviorally correct enclosures, it doesn’t mean that the cool equipment is out of reach as well.  Come by the Research and Information Desk in the library and ask the staff for assistance.  We’ll be glad to help you start earning, and learning about, your creative stripes.

Enlarge your projects! Full screen ahead!

Are you doing a group study project and all the information is on one laptop?  And everyone has to crowd around one little computer?  Those days are gone!  Book your group in one of our Group Study Rooms in the library.  We have large wall monitors where you can hook up a laptop (yours or ours) and have the whole project broadcast on a large screen for the whole group to see.  No more crowding around one chair.  Breathe easy, sit in your own chair, and feast your eyes upon the large screen monitor.  Book your room today at the library circulation desk.

 

Valentine’s Day Display

In February, love is in the air at Annandale Campus Library. Love related books are on display under the theme “Love makes the world go round”, encouraging the idea that love is for all to feel and share.

Valentine’s Day Display