Complete Range of Home Furniture at Hickory House

Hickory House is a mind-blowing source for shopping residential furniture and the ultimate destiny which can fulfill the desire of a dream home. The company shows the way for making your home the ideal place for living. When people purchase their furniture for their homes, they realize how a truly elegant home must look like. Hickory House furniture generates an environment of glamor and customers feel glad to use furniture products manufactured by them.

Hickory House provides conformation about the great convenience on usage of its products to Hickory furniture users. For last 60 years, Hickory Manufacturing Company has retained its status of a leading manufacturer in the furniture and bedding industry. Customers are glad that Hickory furniture assembling locations are situated across the world. As Hickory Company distributes its products at hundreds of retail stores, customers do not face any difficulties in making their access to all Hickory products. The company manufactures many exclusive styles of a large variety of furniture products, including; adjustable bedding, futon frames, adorable mattresses, roll-away beds and much more.

Hickory House furniture mart is a four story building where customers can find the complete furniture range. Here you can find awesome collection of home decoration accessories, lighting, wall papers and much more creative products to explore. Purchasing furniture from Hickory Furniture Mart serves with benefits of 80% reduction on product rates, as compared to retail stores. This mart has a record of welcoming 50,000 guests every year, and is popular in North Carolina. Hickory representatives are very prompt at their service and never give a chance to their customers to complain. The Mart operates from Monday to Saturday from 9am sharp to 5pm. Visitors love to be at this mart and are always glad to see new products which are being introduced by Hickory Manufacturers from time to time.

Hickory House never disappoints its customers on basis of product cost, and always provides negotiable and reasonable prices of furniture products to their customers. Customers must avail the privilege of clearance sale, offered by Hickory House on its anniversary. It is definitely an exciting news that clearance sale on several furniture products will be available from 17th to 20th February, 2012. The House is also offering special discounts on its products from May 4th to 6th. Furniture Festival and clearance sale will be held from July 27th to 29th. Hickory House provides the free facility of room planning guide to its customers to give an outlook to the homes as is meant to be.

Michele Watches – Perfect For the Holidays

The holidays are here and everyone is adding a bit of sparkle and shine to their homes and wardrobes. Whether it’s decorating your tree, stringing lights or baking cookies, a perfect way to add some holiday cheer to your wrist is with a Michele watch.

Michele watches are some of the most popular women’s watches on the market. They are made with women in mind; they are stylish, feminine, fun and affordable.

The Michele brand is a three generation family-owned and run business. It was founded in Belgium in the 1940’s by Maurice Barouh, who was by his son Jack Barouh. The name Michele Watches was officially crowned by Jack, who named the company after his first child, Michele.

Michele herself was involved with the company that bears her name from 2000 to 2002. During this time, the brand released their highly-acclaimed collections such as CSX-Diamond Chronographs, which were an instant hit among watch lovers.

All Michele watches are unique in that they have always and only been made for women; women who are not afraid to be bold and sexy and make a statement. Glamour and vibrant style have been perfectly melded in every luxurious Michele watch. These watches are known for their refined elegance and the unusual touches that reflect upscale, contemporary design. The Michele brand successfully reflects the allure of the fashion world in each creation.

There are hundreds upon hundreds of watch models to choose from and one of the best things about Michele watches is that they all come with interchangeable straps; so that you can change your look depending on whether it’s a casual or dressy occasion, whether you’re in a fun mood or a sultry one… you get the idea.

The specific sparkle that I alluded to in the beginning of this article are found in the diamonds that many Michele watches have. This sparkle of diamonds around the bezel, set against the creamy white mother of pearl dial, encased in a gold or stainless steel case, and the bright colored strap that wraps around your wrist, makes for quite a glitzy and glamorous fashion statement.

Due to the diamonds, found in the watches noted above, are also considered jewelry watches, which adds a whole other element to what would otherwise just be a watch. Wearing a watch that is like a piece of jewelry is like getting “two for one” – you get the functionality of wearing a timepiece with the bling effect that comes with wearing diamonds set against gold, stainless steel or other precious metals.

The Deco and Urban collections are two of the many, many collections that are especially cool. Sparkling with over one hundred diamonds, one would think that these watches must remain on your holiday wish list, but not true. Another great thing about Michele watches is that they are not ridiculously expensive and can stand their own against higher priced ones like Cartier watches and Gucci watches.

Add a Michele watch to your holiday shopping list. Whether you’ve been bad or good, a Michele watch can and should be yours.

Latest Games – Gaming World Never Felt it Better

If you are looking for the online games then you will be amazed to know that the world of Internet has enough options to take care of all your needs. In addition to that, the game titles offered on the Internet are far more exhaustive than those offered in the traditional market.

The Internet offers numerous and never-ending choices when it comes to the latest games. It allows the gaming enthusiasts to enjoy games of all genres such as action, arcade, kids game, puzzle, racing, sports and word. If you are looking for some of the most acclaimed online games then Sea Jewels, Bosozoku Fighters, Christmas Adventure, Angel Fighters, Beat The Meter and Battle City are excellent options.

A prospective customer of the online games must exercise complete caution while making payments since the Internet is vulnerable to fraudulent websites. A complete and comprehensive market study is required before any payment can be made. This will ensure that your hard-earned money does not reach the fraudulent hands and you will not be deprived of the ultimate gaming experiences at any point of time.

If you are not sure whether to purchase a game or not, you can play a trial version of the same to make your decision easier. This will help you to get a better feel of the game so that you do not relent the purchase at a later date. After all, these online games are meant to enhance the fun and enjoyment levels associated with them and not to make things worse for the users.

One thing that is often ignored by the parents and guardians is the theme on which a game is developed. It is highly recommended that a parent or guardian must not allow a child or teenager to indulge into dangerous, sexual oriented or anti-social gaming since these themes have an ability to stimulate the young minds in a negative manner.

Thus, it can be easily concluded that the world of Latest Games has immense prospects for the gaming enthusiasts. The only thing to be remembered is caution and if this can be done, nothing can come between you and ultimate gaming experience.

Hip Hop Music Sales Slump in Digital Age What Does This Mean For the Industry?

Hip hop music was huge in the United States just a few years ago. At one point in 2000, sales even hit a record high of over 1.8 billion USD. That was when Hip Hop R&B had over taken all other genres of music in terms of record sales. To find out why Hip Hop music sales are slumping currently, one has to rewind a little and understand how Hip Hop all started out.

Before Hip Hop got accepted into the mainstream, many Hip Hop artists pretty much stayed underground to practice their art form. No one knew Hip Hop was going to become the titan that it would develop into. When Hip Hop first began, it started out in the streets. It was a movement by people who were disadvantaged, or were ostracized by the community – they were looking for a way to express themselves and their plight. And express themselves they did.

Hip Hop music is spontaneous and witty. For example, when a battle takes place between two artists, the lyrics are never pre-written. Each competitor will be given the opportunity to rap for a certain period of time. The audience is the judge. The culture of rap is that the judging audience is never biased making it a truly democratic art form. Whoever comes up with the most original and creative lyrics will win the battle. Of course, there is an element of like and dislike. So the lyrics have to connect with the audiences as well. The final results of the battle is based on the cheers of the audience. Whoever receive the loudest cheer, wins the battle.

As you can see, Hip Hop arises out of a need for talented artists to be heard. And the artists became really good from years of practicing. As they practice, the world remains largely unaware of what is happening. It wasn’t until the artists become more entrepreneurial that Hip Hop starts to take off.

Unlike other type of music, the Hip Hop community accepts was far reaching in content and profanity in the lyrics. The market finds it refreshing to hear such profanity in the records. And soon, Hip Hop music took off like a bullet with as much variety in tone as there were people. From the angry rebellious rap, to the happy its a party time songs.

The market soaked it all in mainly because they believed that the artists were just doing their thing – they were voicing repressed feelings, from lack of opportunity or showing you how to enjoy yourself and life. So record sales continued to soar. Recording artists like Eminem, 50 Cent Lil Wayne, Jay Z, T.I and Gucci Mane all did very well in the industry.

Unfortunately, the success of the Hip Hop industry has hit a turning point. In a few short years, sales for Hip Hop music begin to decline, and it continued to decline year after year. Some recording labels, once worth millions of dollars, are now near bankruptcy.

It is clear that the market has taken the time to learn about Hip Hop music and culture and have fully embraced it. After earning billions of dollars in the industry, and being widely accepted in the mainstream, what is the source of the decline in sales?

Many will argue, its all due to the Internet. The new Internet age has brought about many new opportunities along with many new threats to the old industries. Now its easier then ever to commit piracy and unfortunately the record industry has been resistant to change. Too stuck in the old mind frame and old distribution channels to fully embrace what the Internet could really mean for them.

Hip Hop artists are now being heard all over the world. There is no longer the element of distribution channels or lag from the artist to the market. Why? Because the Internet makes it instantaneous. As such old walls have been broken down where people had to wait for months or search relentlessly to be able to acquire all of an artists past works.

As such artists must continue to evolve in order to continue thriving. Perhaps it’s still back to basics. No more focusing on big marketing budgets and record label driving initiatives. Maybe what the Internet has done is take Hip Hop out of the corporate boardrooms and back to the streets where all that counts is just great rap music lyrics from the heart.

Finding a Good Tattoo For Women is a Lot More Difficult Than You Think

I wish you good luck on finding a good, quality tattoo for women, because you will probably need all the luck in the world. Without help, the average surfer is going to see nothing but the same generic junk over and over again. Now, this is easily reversible if do two simple things. Finding a good tattoo for women shouldn’t be so difficult and I’m going to help you make sure it isn’t.

If this isn’t making a whole lot of sense right now, don’t worry, because it’ll be crystal clear in a couple moments. The fact is that an overwhelming portion of the public (around ninety percent) is not finding even “one” gallery that has fresh, quality tattoos. It’s almost mind boggling how much this happens. This is until you find out “why” it is happening. The number one reason is because everyone relies way too heavily on search engines to find a tattoo for women.

Men do this to, as it is the entire population as a whole. Search engines just don’t work when looking for quality art. It’s that simple. Instead of getting a nice list of top notch galleries, you get this awful, random list of galleries that have nothing but the same generic junk as the next site. These are the same cookie cutter designs that have been aimlessly floating proud the web for what seems like nine years.

None of these places are taking the time to update their inventory, so that their visitors get to pick from quality stuff. All they care about is stuffing their site with as much content as possible, no matter how generic the tattoos are. Now, if this is the type of tattoo for women you want, you can continue looking for them this way, because it works. If you truly want to see the world of quality tattoos out there, you need to take a step back and use another searching method.

The good news is that there is something that can be done, which is just as easy as using a basic search engines. I am talking about forums, which can be sensational tools in finding amazing tattoos and the artwork for them. To find a good tattoo for women, all you have to do is spend a little time inside of some of the bigger forums. They are always going to have tons and tons of past (and present) topics revolving around tattoos. This is where you can get an inside peek at where people all over the world are finding quality artwork for their tattoos. People share link after link to the hidden galleries they uncover, which are usually the ones that take pride in having the best artwork possible. It’s that simple.

Looking for a good tattoo for women can be somewhat of a dirty chore sometimes, but it doesn’t have to make you go insane trying to wed through 1000’s of generic designs.

Kitchen Furniture Buying Guidelines

Whether you have a big kitchen or a small one, or a wide kitchen or a narrow one, you need to select your kitchen furniture and plan its layout carefully to ensure that you get a sleek look and ample workable space. In addition to that, you should consider the cost of installation of the furniture you choose as well as the cost of maintaining and repairing it. Furthermore, you should look for furniture that offers ample storage ideas as well.

Important questions to ask before buying kitchen furniture:
Before selecting the furniture for your kitchen, you need to consider a few important questions and make your purchasing decision based on the answers to these questions. The first and most important question that you need to ask yourself is about the decor theme of your kitchen. Thus, you should assess whether you have a modern kitchen or a traditional one and look at the color scheme of your cabinets and other fittings to ensure that the new furniture that you buy fits in the decor theme.

Size matters:
Next, you should consider the size of your kitchen and look for furniture pieces whose dimensions are proportionate to your kitchen size. Thus, if you have a large kitchen, you should look for large kitchen tables, chairs, and dressers. On the other hand, if you have limited space in your kitchen, you should look for smaller pieces of furniture that fit in well and do not take over the space. Apart from the size of the furniture, you should look at the storage options provided by different pieces and select the one that is best suited to your needs.

Another important question to consider at the time of buying kitchen furniture is whether you want a fully assembled set or not. This decision will also affect the cost of the furniture and you should make sure that the piece you select is well within your budget and meets all your requirements. The cost of the furniture also depends on the material used to make it. Thus, a wooden kitchen counter-top will be more expensive than the one made of steel. However, while the former is aptly suited for country style homes, it is a little high-maintenance compared to the latter.

Sense and sensibility:
Whether you opt for sleek contemporary furniture for your kitchen or ornate wooden furniture for your country style kitchen, you should try to achieve a balance of style and space while planning the layout of the furniture. You can always take inspiration for the same from the pages of glossy interior magazines or browse the net for some innovative ideas. However, simply buying and placing your kitchen furniture is not enough and you need to take good care of the same to ensure that it looks good and lasts for a long time.

The University Of Louisville Libraries – A Library of the 21st Century

Whilst in Louisvlle attending a seminar on contemporary American literature and touring various sites of cultural interest the University Library was one of those sites that had a never-fading impression on my mind not only for its unique architectural plan but for other inexpressible qualities that make it an ideal place for quiet and serene study. My first visit was when the Director of our program led us there for an induction into the use of computers and the internet in literature research. The room we were led into for the class was fully equipped with computers in all the over fifty desks for students and a master screen monitor for the instructor. Many other rooms including the state of art auditorium were equally well equipped.

I passed through the library on many other occasions. But the most significant one was when on my way from the University post office the thought occurred to me of recording the beautiful vistas of the campus in pictures as well as in mind and one such was the Ekstrom Library which represented to me the focal point of all the other libraries scattered at various ends of the expansive campus.

I took about two views of this building and I was still gaping in wonder especially at the bewitching splendor of its frontage with readers combining eating and relaxing. I was particularly struck by its inviting, comfortable, and open space teeming with students and bustling with activity, a lovely terrace equipped with outdoor furniture, facing a pleasantly inviting green outdoor space, exploiting the favorably warm climactic conditions here for enjoying nature. Taking advantage of the generally mild Kentucky weather with its ample, inviting green space, students can study or just catch a break at a number of outdoor tables on the terrace. On nice days, there are few better places to study-and certainly it makes for an inviting entry

I found myself wandering in to get a better view. As I wandered through I remembered my mission of seeking support for our resources-starved university libraries in Sierra Leone. My search for the head led me into the office of Mr David Hogarth who instantly became an able facilitator of my mission enabling me within a week to meet the Dean of libraries.

Whilst awaiting my appointment with her I was led on a tour of various parts of the Ekstrom library. This library, I learn, holds more than 1.1 million and 5,100 journal subscriptions supporting research and curricula in the humanities, social sciences, business and education. It also contains large collections of microforms, government publications, multi-media and current periodicals, the Granville A. Bunton Pan African Collection, the Barbara S.Miller Multiracial Children’s literature Collection and the Bingham Poetry Collection.

The Rare Books and Photographic Archives provide rare research sources for scholars and other researchers. African American collections, English, European, and American Literature collections together with the substantial space given to reference and reserved books make this library a very significant research as well as information disseminating tool. But it is also a repository and exhibitor of many prized manuscripts and other documents like for example the outstanding 1482 first printing of Euclid’s Elemental and a copy of the Principal with annotations in Newton’s hand. The working collection of Richard M. Kain, and the first editions and manuscripts of James Joyce and W.B. Yeats preserve much of Irish Literary Renaissance heritage. There is also quite a good collection of Modern English and American writers with noteworthy editions by 1890’s authors and books as well as autographed letters from members of the Bloomsbury Group.

A famous and ever-growing and rich collection of special materials, archives and photography include:

Roy and Dela White Collection of Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Arthur J. Slavin.Collection of English History.

Hattie Winston Collection of African- American Scripts and Screen Plays.

Irwin Hilliard Archive of Fine Bindings.

Billy Davis 111 Collection of Aerial Photography.

Other special collections include the James Chandler World War Posters and Lafin Allen’s Kentucky Maps.

The photographic Archives houses more than 2 million photographs and manuscripts as well as fine art prints. It also offers printing services and a rotating series of exhibits.

The Roy Stryker Papers include photographs and manuscripts from documentary projects directed by Stryker at the Farm Security Administration, Standard Oil Company and Jones and Laughlin Steel. The Cautfield and Shook Royal Photo and Lin Caufield collections consist of photographs from Louisville’s past. Whilst the Lean Thomas, Matlack Studio, Arthur Y Ford and Henderson Settlement School collections document life and culture in Appalachia. 2,000 prints by many notable American artists such as Paul Caponegro and Gary Winogrand constitute the library’s Fine Print Collection.

The library also serves a much wider community beyond the campus.Through e-mail, phone or in person one could request and receive help or even fix a session with a research librarian here. A Cardinal card enables you to check out up to 99 items at a time and renew books on-line. Visiting academics are entitled to inter-library loans of up to 15 books. A University of Louisville student enjoys the privilege of searching for items reserved for his class on-line. Minerva gives on-line access to catalogues and gateways to many collections. University of Louisville distance learners could access off-campus through their ULINK username and password both library assignments by their professors and electronic databases of library resources for self-directed research from non-University of Louisville internet addresses.

Ekstrom Library houses and lends resources to the Delphi and the Writing Centers. The Delphi Center helps professors use technology in their teaching and prepares them to teach courses online. The writing center assists students, professors and staffs with writing projects and holds workshops on improving writing skills. Through this center an appointment with a writing consultant could be scheduled and important writing resources found.

The University of Louisville libraries a conglomerate of libraries stocking books on few selected disciplines such as music, visual art, health sciences, engineering, physical science and technology at the time of my tour was in the process of moving in to Ekstrom the main library, the over 149,000 volumes constituting the engineering, physical science and technology books and journals.
Besides the William Ekstrom main Library, the University library network consists of: The Kornhauser Health Sciences Library; The Dwight Anderson Music Library; The Margaret M. Bindwell Art Library; and The University Archives and Records Center.

The Kornhauser Health Sciences Library a comprehensive and the most current health sciences information resource center is also a “Regional Resource Library” in the National Network of Libraries of Medicine. It represents a significant resource for the entire health sciences community of the Louisville metropolitan area and the western half of Kentucky. It has over 250,000 volumes, 2,700 journal subscriptions, audiovisual materials and a variety of electronic formats. It stocks numerous items relating to health care in Kentucky and the Trans-Appalachian West, including historical collections, the medical school archives, book manuscripts and physical objects.

The Dwight Anderson Music Library providing user-centered services offers seamless access to information resources in all formats and serves as a center for teaching and learning which supports the University of Louisville School of Music curriculum and research. It houses the largest academic music collection in Kentucky including the Gravemeyer Collection of Contemporary Music comprising all submissions to the internationally renowned Music Composition Award as well as a large assortment of sheet music containing thousands of Louisville imprints celebrating the history of music publishing in the city and the “Traipin Woman” collection with its emphasis on American folk song.

The Margaret M. Bridwell Art Library with its more than 80,000 volumes is a gateway to information for teaching, research and scholarship in art, design, art history and architectural history. It subscribes to over 300 domestic and foreign journals and museum bulletins. It has also hundreds of videos and provides access to the major electronic and print indexes. Subjects covered here include painting, drawing, sculpture, print-making, photography, architectural history 45, interior design, graphic design, art education, pottery, fiber arts and decorative arts. It also holds approximately 3,000 rare and scarce volumes and about 150 linear feet of archival materials.

The librarians strive concertedly with academic staff to meet the information literacy and research needs of a diverse population recognizing that libraries are an essential tool in the University’s mission to become a premier nationally recognized metropolitan university.

The University of Louisville libraries is guided in all its undertakings by its vision that libraries are the academic heart of the university and a place for discovery and learning outside the classroom and the lab. They therefore seek to participate as active and integral partners in meaningful learning, outstanding teaching and effective research. Users are therefore always being instructed on information availability and use. Services and resources are tailored to suit the varying needs of users. Library staff thus identify, evaluate and select materials of varying formats to develop collections that meet user needs. They also apply technology, research and instructional innovations to enhance services and access to traditional and electronic collections.

Rapid expansion in stocks, rapid technological advancement including the introduction of a robotic retrieval system has enabled more books than could be retained in the library halls being stacked in trays which are accessed by computers on user request. The system gives the library enough space for over three million volumes. The less frequently used volumes will be loaded into the system, and students can still browse titles in open stacks in the old wing of the library. Books stored in the RRS are identified as such in MINERVA, the library’s catalog. To request the item, patrons click on a live “request” button onscreen, and then a robotic crane is sent off to find the item, moving among racks of steel bins holding books and journals from which the robotic arm selects, grabs and delivers the appropriate bin to a pickup station where a library attendant pulls the exact item and delivers it to the circulation desk within minutes. The entire process which I witnessed myself takes only minutes and handles numerous simultaneous requests.

Having the RRS, I was told, also saves the library the cost of a courier service and the additional library staff needed to operate a remote storage facility. The Ekstrom Library’s RRS stands out in how artfully it is built into the central design of the new addition. With numerous windows on the system, students can literally stand at the circulation desk, make a request, and actually see the system fill their form watching it work serving almost as a piece of 21st-century art, a book fountain of sorts, whizzing and whirring volumes past the windows. In all, the Ekstrom addition contributes a hefty 42,500 square feet of space to the library

The library’s robotic retrieval system (RRS) has freed up significant space for exhibits in the library, like the one by Split Rock Studios, St. Paul; designer, Lisa Friedlander that highlights the year of Kentucky’s founding and features a statue of Henry Clay, Kentucky senator from 1806 to 1850. The desk is a replica of the desk Clay used when he was in the Senate-the actual desk is in the office of Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, who endowed the Ekstrom expansion and the McConnell Center for Political Leadership.

The libraries now seem poised to attain the ambitious goals of the university of becoming a premier metropolitan university that is nationally recognized for advancing intellectual, social and economic development. The library’s massive atrium allows light to pour into the building and over the circulation desk.

The libraries’ technological resources have developed to state-of-the-art electronic information centers for the campus community with more than 550 computer workstations from which one can borrow laptop computers for use anywhere in the libraries. Advanced wireless technology enables laptop users to access the internet and the libraries’ vast electronic resources. Researchers could access 25,000 full-text journals and hundreds of electronic databases.

Two teaching laboratories enable librarians to conduct classes in the library with instant access to the online world. The library’s three new, modern instruction labs equipped with wireless technology and state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment, emphasize the library’s continually expanding role in teaching and learning. Instructional Lab 1 and Instructional Lab 2 have become extremely flexible spaces hosting a version of the 3M Road Show for Kentucky librarians.

The university community can access thousands of electronic information resources from hundreds of computer work stations in the libraries and also from anywhere: their offices, classrooms or home. Minerva, the online catalogue indexes and accesses the many items held within the libraries. Through its access to national and regional electronic networks one could search many library catalogs and databases around the nation and even around the world.

The University of Louisville Libraries is a member of the Association of Research Libraries, the most prestigious and influential library association in North America. Strong financial support from the University administration has propelled it up to national prominence and impetus in strengthening its ties with Metroversity, a consortium of higher education institutions in metro Louisville, Kentucky, Virtual Library and other library consortia in the region and nation thus adding significantly to the materials made available to its students and faculty and to students and faculties from other campuses.

It has established Kentucky’s first library chair, the Evelyn J. Schneider Endowed Chair For Scholarly Communication underwritten by the estate of a longtime university librarian and the state’s Research Challenge Trust Fund. The first chair holder, Dwayne K. Butler is a highly regarded expert in copyright law, particularly that related to educational and electronic resources.

Overseeing all these developments for the past eleven years has been a charismatic, energetic, ingenious and visionary woman, Prof Hannnelorewery Rader, Dean of Libraries, whom I had the privilege of talking to. Prof Radar brought to Louisville a wealth of experience. For seventeen years she headed the Cleveland and Wisconsin university libraries and held various positions at Eastern Michigan University for almost twelve years. She has written widely in her field and attended many professional conferences. She was eventually named in 1999 Outstanding Academic Research Librarian.

Through Dr Radar’s innovative ideas, her drive and direction together with the expanding library collection, upgraded resources, a more inviting environment, helpful and innovative library staff and academics library usage has recorded a 60 percent increase thus exceeding the 2 million per annum mark. One of her striking innovations is the Tulip Coffee Shop in the spacious lobby where readers enjoy tasty sandwiches and other relishing rolls with cups of tea, coffee orange juice or diet coke as they read or scroll through the internet. The Tulip Tree CafĂ© has become so popular that it may soon need to add another cash register.

Louisville offers one of the nation’s best information literacy programs. Louisville libraries are no longer just places for research, but are now like other libraries today places of active instruction.

According to Prof Radar, her philosophy is to cater for the needs of the mostly non-traditional studentship mostly adults of varying ages and non-residential for increasingly comfortable atmosphere and facilitating the processes of accessing information. This explains her introduction of the snack bar and the constant restructuring and redecorating of the premises.

“We wanted to have a space where students could learn and do research but also socialize. … We wanted to offer a library space for all of those things,” for as she stressed “Our students are urban, many are part-time and don’t live on campus. We want them to be on campus.” To accomplish that, she says, they completely re-imagined their library for the 21st century.

“Space was an issue,” Rader says. “We were running out of space for our materials, and that’s pretty much a problem for most academic libraries.” Today, the library space is more than repository but a place for instruction, to showcase unique holdings and exhibits, and to foster student collaboration and all forms of interaction, both with information sources in all formats as well as with librarians.

With space a key concern, the highlight of the Ekstrom Library expansion is its robotic retrieval system, a unique system made up of more than 7000 steel bins, offering climate-controlled storage for up to 1.2 million volumes. Rader was already familiar with how efficient the system could be, having come from Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, one of the first to install such a system. “We never really considered an off-site storage facility,” as she said. “We don’t want to store the books miles away, send for them when a student needs them, and then wait to have them delivered to campus.” For as she notes, the robotic system can retrieve and deliver a book in a matter of minutes while off-site storage can sometimes take days.

The University of Louisville being a public institution, open to the general public,it is, according to Rader putting an even greater premium on space and efficiency. So rather than filling the space with immovable objects, such as banks of PCs, it is completely wireless and filled with flexible seating, from stuffed, comfortable chairs and small tables to wooden chairs and large, roomier tables for students to spread out their work. “Students can bring their own or check out laptops at the circulation desk.” Meanwhile, 600 traditional workstations remain in the old wing for those who wish to use them.

The Libraries in their entirety, the Dean told me, hold millions of print volumes from many countries, electronic books and databases and thousands of electronic journals, reference materials, other library resources, library guides and services.

In addition to increased room for student collaboration, the library expansion features three new library instruction labs, where formal or informal classes are held, and the charming new 150-seat Elaine Chao auditorium, all handicapped accessible, and equipped with the latest technology, including wireless Internet access and state-of-the-art AV equipment.

With digital resources offering access to information, much of the library’s space is freed up for the library’s more unique holdings. An ambitious slate of lectures, seminars, conferences, exhibits, and displays, all designed to engage students, faculty, and the community in the library have been laid out as ongoing activities. Chao, who serves as Labor Secretary under President Bush, spoke recently in the auditorium that bears her name.

In addition, the library is home to the McConnell Center for Political Leadership, featuring the papers and exhibits of Kentucky’s Republican Senator Mitch McConnell. The bipartisan center sponsors a range of programming, including lectures and seminars. In fact, the Ekstrom expansion owes a great deal to the McConnell Center-the $14.2 million project was funded by federal grants earmarked by McConnell.

The Elaine L. Chao auditorium is named for the current U.S. Secretary of Labor and plays host to a full slate of lectures and seminars. The space between the rows is exceptionally wide, preventing cramped knees or contortions to allow people to pass. The acoustics in the auditorium are “perfect,” making the space the university president’s favorite venue for press conferences presenting a great location for TV cameras, press feeds, etc. Chao herself recently spoke there, as has Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA).

To Radar though it’s still a library storing information, it is also a place for people to hang out, a place for the whole university, a space to be, a space for events, for special teaching and learning sessions.” a 21st-century library.”

Keep Time Trendy With a Gold Watch

This Valentine’s Day give your partner the gift of time; buy them a gold watch. If you have a highly defined taste for jewelry, such a watch must make your collection. You love the rocks and the rubies, but you wear your watch everyday because it is simply more than just a watch. Gold watches are the bomb and are a clear way of making a statement. Whether within your inner circle of workmates or with the high fliers during the business presentation, your watch will definitely set you apart. Gold does that, it is what it is meant to do. If you are missing out of the rich user experience, it is time you got a few nice watches for your dressing table, just look at the price tag before handing over your credit card.

Gold is precious and expensive, so is such a watch. The visual apparel is just amazing a single piece will have an amazing effect on overall appearance. You will feel shamefaced if you appear at work gold-time late. With a perfectly working watch, you will arrive for meetings in time and walk through the door with style. Ladies Gold watches make brilliant gifts on any special occasion for your girlfriend, mother or sister. Whether it is her wedding, birthday or anniversary, your mother will thank you volumes for the gold masterpiece. A single piece will go for $1500 – $8000, but you cannot compare a price to the loving care your mother accorded you, she is precious, thank her preciously.

If you spot expensive Giorgio Armani suits, there is no harm in crowning it all with a brilliant golden watch. If well maintained, gold can last forever. This means, you can stunt several pairs of suits with the same golden watch. One thing you should note is that the luster of gold never goes out of fashion or style. The value of those watches will vary with the purity of gold used. Pure gold watches will be valued more than the others. It is therefore advised that you understand the quality of gold you are buying to ensure you get your money worth. To keep the watch alive as well as maintain the gold, you will want to keep your gold watch away from chemicals.

Home Furniture Selection Tips

The variety of home furniture in the market is so huge that customers are easily confused over what to go for. Furniture size, color, type and more need to be put into consideration and the room that the furniture would eventually reside in coupled with the residents of the house need to be kept in mind before making your selection.

The first question you would need to ask yourself is whether you have little kids at home. If you do, then it would influence the make of furniture you might go for. Furniture like fabric sofas, and glass coffee tables should be the last option as kids may spill stuff on the sofa that makes it difficult to clean up. Glass furniture are easy to break and may be injurious to kids.

Next, you need to take the size of your home into consideration. If space within your home is a constrain, you would be better of with lighter colored furniture and furnishings and small to medium sized furniture. However, if space is not an issue and you have spacious rooms, consider darker furniture of good sizes to accommodate residents so that your home does not look too vacant.

Leather sofas and other furniture made from leather are easy to clean but mostly do not come cheap. Alternatives often are PVC furniture or Faux Leather furniture. Solid wood furniture also make a good addition and might come painted in various colors adding to the look and charm of your room.

Armed with the above basics, you can now go for your next furniture shopping and be spoil for choice. At least, now you know what to avoid and what to buy.

The School Bus “Danger Zone”

As unbelievable as it may sound, there are a large number of fatal accidents which continue to occur in this country involving students while getting on and off the school bus.

According to published figures from the Kansas Department of Transportation and other sources confirm that fatalities and injuries in the loading and unloading zone, rightfully called the ‘danger zone’, accounted for 13 fatal accidents, involving K-12 school children. Of the 13 fatalities, 7 occurred behind the bus and 6 were killed by a passing motorist.

Pedestrian fatalities at the ‘danger zone’ are three times as many as school bus occupant fatalities. This makes the time of getting on and off the school bus, one of the most potentially dangerous part of the bus ride.

The reason why the ‘danger zone’ is potentially so hazardous is because this is the area on all sides of the bus where the children are not seen by the driver (ten feet in front of the bus where the driver may be seated too high or ten feet on either side of the bus where a child may be in the driver’s blind spot, and the area behind the school bus).

Considering the rise in such fatalities there have been several mandatory product and design changes in school buses implemented. For instance, the federal rule requires all new buses to have an 8-amp lamp warning system and stop signal arm.

While the number of such accidents in the ‘danger zone’ has significantly reduced over the years, the School Transportation Section of the National Safety Council recommends that training on various aspects of getting on and off the bus should be given both to pupils and students.

Here are some simple guidelines which you could train your child while he is getting ready to get on and off his school bus:

– Avoid any rowdy behavior while waiting for the bus. Stay calm and do not stray on to the streets.

– Remain away from the street as the bus approaches.

– After entering the bus, find a seat and sit down.

– Keep your head, neck and arms inside the bus.

– When the school arrives, wait for the bus to come to a complete halt before getting up from the seat.

– Keep the aisle of the bus clear of clutter.

– Walk at least 10 feet ahead of the bus along the side of the road, if you have to cross the road in front of the bus.

– Wait for the driver to give you the ‘walk’ signal before you start to cross the road.

– While crossing the road, keep your eyes for oncoming traffic.

– Always stay away from the rear wheels of the bus.