Fay Missed Us; Gustav Coming?

The three-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina is this week and already we had one tropical depression miss us, and another tropical storm forming. Tropical Depression Fay is now past us, but Tropical Storm Gustav is currently gathering strength over the Caribbean Sea. This is a good opportunity to talk about weather related web sites.

The first weather web site I point people to is the National Weather Service. This is the source for all weather related information. From here, you can get forecasts, current observations, warnings and watches, and even get some educational material. Probably the most important information can be found in the weather safety section; here you will find information from hurricanes and tornadoes, to heat and rip currents.

For those of us who live in hurricane prone areas, there is the National Hurricane Center. Also part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the NHC focuses solely on hurricanes and tropical storms. Not only will you find information about tropical storms, you can also learn about the Hurricane Hunters.

If you are a USM student, faculty or staff member, and wish to be informed about weather related closings (and other emergencies), you will want to enroll in Eagle Alert, the University of Southern Mississippi's campus emergency alert system. Enrollment is voluntary, but strongly encouraged.

If you're a pilot, you will interested in the Aviation Weather Service, also put out by NOAA.

If terrestrial is not exciting enough, you can check out the latest Space Weather. You can find out about solar winds, x-ray solar flares, and warnings for possible radio blackouts.

While not strictly weather related, the National Geological Survey has an earthquake information web site and a volcano information web site, providing you with the latest information as well as historical and educational information.

The Start of a New Academic Year

The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coasts Libraries would like to welcome all incoming students and new faculty members.

Classes for the 2008-2009 Academic Year started just the other day and, from what I can tell, it looks like this will be a busy and productive year. According to President Saunders, enrollment is up for the university as a whole, including on the Gulf Coast. And, as always, the Library is here to provide the information needs of students, faculty, staff, and, yes, the community at large.

This year, we are proud to welcome Sahvannah's Coffeehouse to the University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Park campus. We hope that everyone will visit and enjoy the simple pleasure of a cup of coffee and reading a good book, studying, or doing research.

Saturday, August 23, the Gulf Park campus will have a Jazz and Blues Festival, and, yes, the Gulf Coast Library will be open to the public. We are extending our hours that day from 2:00pm to 8:00pm. Everyone is welcome to stop by and tour our beautiful library.

On Wednesday, August 27, the Katrina Research Center will be holding a book talk and signing with author Ken Murphy. He will be talking about his new book "My South Coast Home", from 12:00pm to 1:00pm in the Gulf Coast Library Conference Room.

On Thursday, August 28, the Katrina Research Center will be having the grand opening of "Backyards & Beyond: Mississippians and their Stories -- One Year After Katrina" by artist H.C. Porter. The exhibit will run through November and will be a series of three shows, so be sure to stop by early and often.

The Writing Center will start business on Wednesday, September 3. Their hours will be Monday - Thursday: 10:00am - 7:00pm, Friday: 11:00am - 3:00pm. If you need help in writing your paper, make an appointment; they will be happy to assist you.

We now have a video podcast describing our services. You can view it here along with the video podcast about Cook Library on the Hattiesburg Campus.

The Public Services will be selling testing supplies (blue books and Scantron sheets) as well as USB flash drives. We are also changing the laptop check-out policy from two weeks to 24 hours. This is both a return to pre-Katrina policies as well as to keep in line with the check-out policies with Cook Library.

So be sure to come into the library and experience all the things we have to offer and check back on our blog for more events and information.