Hopes are raised in drought-stricken towns that the Federal Government is on the cusp of delivering a stimulus package, with local mayors urging a generous spend.

The ABC understands drought-stricken towns will be the target of federal stimulus potentially worth hundreds of millions of dollars under a program designed to support regional communities enduring hardship.

The head of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority apologises for mistakenly publishing a report that identified farms via satellite imagery, which is now subject to investigation.

Cave-ins, bottomless pits filled with car bodies and cyanide-laced sandhills are just some of the remnants left behind from Parkes' long gold-rush history.

While recent storm fronts have left farmers in the country's east disappointed, forecasters say this week's weather systems should deliver some relief.

'What a waste of time and energy': Farmers, the strongest opponents of the Federal Government's backpacker tax, have welcomed a court ruling saying it was discriminatory.

Renewable energy advocates are baffled the NSW Government is not backing green energy, as a wind farm is blocked for its visual impact on residents.

Residents of Lake Cargelligo in New South Wales' central west fear their lake is at risk of drying up if environmental flows cease, but for now they are making the most of it.

As the drought spreads, spending in country towns continues to drop and rural businesses are suffering. As shops close, the owners of those that remain open hope they'll get more support in coming weeks.

The Sydney Olympics, the Waterhouse family and a mysterious Croatian have all played a part in the story of this small town's cherished work of art.

The Federal Government is unlikely to adopt the National Farmers' Federation call for exit packages for drought-ravaged farmers. But even if it did, history suggests they're unlikely to have much impact.

The ABC can reveal the Federal Government's latest drought measures will include sweeping changes to an existing finance scheme as part of a $500 million drought stimulus package.

Submitted by Quanetta Batts: Tips for Coping with Covid-19 COVID-19 has affected all of us. It has caused stress, hardship and lifestyle adjustments. To say the least, this pandemic has been challenging. However, we need to stay resilient and hopeful that there will be silver linings that come from COVID-19. The most important thing you […]

The Libraries IT Division is planning to upgrade Sierra to Release 5.1 (from 4.2) on Tuesday, May 5 beginning at 5 pm. This will require approximately two – three hours of downtime for both Sierra and the library catalog. We chose that time because it is during the normal Information Technology maintenance period and the number […]

Friendships and Fanzines: Inspiration from the Jay Lynch Collection By Hannah Kramer Bio: Hannah Kramer is a History major, finishing her junior year at Ohio State. She has been a student employee at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum since October 2018.  Special thanks to Professor Jared Gardner at The Ohio State University; his […]

Submitted by Michelle Henley: The Libraries IT Division is planning to upgrade Sierra to Release 5.1 (from 4.2) on Tuesday, May 5 beginning at 5 p.m. This will require approximately two to three hours of downtime for both Sierra and the library catalog.  Read more about the Sierra upgrade: https://library.osu.edu/site/it/sierra-upgrade-planned-for-tuesday-may-5/

From Meris Longmeier:  Kudos to Randall McKenzie. The streamlined telework process is AMAZING! It was so quick to review and update the date for the telework agreements. A huge thank you for enriching the experience of that process for all library employees! From Tony Maniaci: THANK YOU to Christine OConnell for walking me through the mail merge […]

Labanotation Archives at The Ohio State University Wednesday, May 6, 2020 11 a.m. – noon EST Register here Join us for a virtual experience of dance notation in the archives at Ohio State. Labanotation, a symbol system for movement preservation and transmission, is a strong presence in University Library Special Collections, interwoven into the history of OSUDance, […]

We could all use a break from reality these days, but so many of us find ourselves attached to the computer for virtual meetings. Why not bring a little escapism into your day with the help of Winsor McCay? The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum will be releasing a series of virtual backgrounds for […]

Submitted by Elaine Pritchard: Looking for some social interaction with your Libraries colleagues?  Join us for the next LibrariesConnect brown bag this Thursday, May 7, from noon – 12:30 p.m.  To join via Zoom:  https://osu.zoom.us/j/94746223336  Or call 1-301-715-8592, meeting ID 94746223336  LibrariesConnect brings our faculty and staff together in a relaxed environment where we can […]

Submitted by Casey Cramer: Now that we are living in a time with plenty of video conference calls – and are making these calls from our homes where pets, kids and significant others may appear in the background – we all have heard and seen some funny moments. What is the funniest Zoom moment you […]

The spring 2020 Ohio Institutional Repositories (IR) Day will take place from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Friday, May 8, via WebEx. Join the Meeting via the WebEx Room link. Maria Scheid of The Ohio State University Libraries Copyright Services will give the keynote presentation: “Building a Copyright Review Program.” She will discuss how […]

Submitted by Nicole Hernandez: We are excited to announce that Holly Davis, Research Commons Public Services Coordinator, has been appointed to serve on the University Staff Advisory Committee (USAC). The appointment is for three years and begins on July 1, 2020. The University Staff Advisory Committee (USAC) is an advisory body to university leadership. Comprised […]

Submitted by Christina Moore: Making a Simple Facemask The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public, particularly where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores, pharmacies and public transportation) and for bolstering other social distancing practices. As the state begins to reopen various businesses and services, […]

Submitted by Ashleigh Minor: Sign your team up today to participate in the University Libraries Zoom Pictionary May Madness Tournament!  Are you bummed you missed out on March Madness this year? Need a little break in the day to connect with colleagues and have some fun? We’re looking for teams of 4-6 players to challenge […]

Submitted by Alicia Perkins: As hospitals once again ramp up their services that require donated blood, we encourage you to make this important gift. Versiti Blood Center of Ohio has teamed up with many local businesses to make donating easier by providing community donation locations closer to home. When you donate with Versiti, your donation […]

Telling Stories about the Byrd Second Antarctic Expedition: Findings from the Byrd Archives  Wednesday, May 13, 2020 3 – 4 p.m. EST Register here Join the Byrd Center in a virtual webinar with Dr. Anneke Schwob from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This is a special seminar and collaboration between the Byrd Center and Polar […]

Anime fans, now’s your time to shine! Within our International Museum of Cartoon Art Collection, we have a number of unidentified cels and animation drawings from what we believe to be Japanese animation from the 1990s. We are turning to the expert fans out there to help us identify title, character names, date, and creators […]

From Rocki Strader: Christine OConnell helped me get 24 letters DocuSigned by various writers and returned back to me. And she set them up so quickly that I was easily able to get the letters distributed on time. She was responsive to all my newbie questions about the process, and made my life much easier! Thanks, […]

The Suicide and Mental Health Task Force created a Guide to Assisting Distressed Individuals, available for download online in folder and poster format...

Launched on January 29, the Ohio State: Wellness app builds on the recommendations in the 2018 Suicide and Mental Health Task Force report to provide “clearer, more concise explanation of available services and access points, with more definition ...

Take a look back at all our favorite kindness moment at The Ohio State University by viewing our YouTube playlist...

The Ohio State University is doing all we can to promote the health and safety of our campus communities as we monitor the COVID-19 pandemic...

Now more than ever, the world needs kindness. Even the smallest acts of kindness can make a difference, and you could inspire a chain of paying it forward...

The Office of Student Life created two kind Zoom backgrounds you can use to spread virtual kindness...

The Ohio State University Kindness Committee with the Boo Radley Society, a kindness student organization, created the Kind Song Playlist on Spotify...

Bananas too green, coffee too bitter, cookies too hard! Watch this clip to find out about the chemistry behind some clever food-preparation tricks that will solve these food crises. Discover the chemical elements, compounds and properties involved in getting some of our favourite foods to taste just right.

Want to know if an egg is rotten, why onions bring on tears and what makes green vegetables turn brown after cooking? Watch this clip to discover the chemistry behind these and other everyday problems. Find out about the chemical reactions, compounds and elements involved, and learn some simple chemistry-inspired solutions.

Caffeine is the world's most popular drug, but what is it and how does our body respond to its presence? Watch this clip to see the chemical structure of caffeine and the three compounds it metabolises into. Find out which receptor in the brain caffeine binds to, and the overall impacts it has on brain function and activity.

Many natural products, such as red cabbage and turmeric, can be used as a natural source of colour to dye fibres. Watch the dyeing demonstration in this clip to see how. Discover the chemistry of natural dyes, including the bonding properties of different pigments and how acid-base reactions can alter the colour of pH-sensitive dyes.

Do you know how glowsticks work? Watch this clip and discover the chemical reaction that takes place when you snap a glowstick and release the reactants. Find out about chemiluminescence in nature, when scientists first created glowing sticks and the chemical equation that describes the reaction. Can you guess which glowstick colour is the most challenging to create?

Bamboo is an increasingly popular choice as a clothing fabric, but is it really as eco-friendly as they say? Discover raw bamboo's natural characteristics and properties and find out why it's admired as a processed fibre. Then see what research reveals about the way it's processed.

What is the "wisdom of a crowd"? Mathematician Lily Serna investigates a mathematical phenomenon that suggests that if you have a large enough crowd, with a broad variety of people making estimates, then the mean (average) answer of the crowd will be accurate! Find out if a crowd can guess the weight of Uluru from the ground up. How much do you think it would weigh? How could you test this mathematical phenomenon in the classroom?

The world's first civilisations arose around rivers. Why do you think this was? Think about the characteristics of a civilisation and how advanced agricultural practices allowed civilisations to flourish. This video mentions four ancient civilisations. Can you think of other civilisations that emerged near a river?

Like other early civilisations, the rise of Ancient Egypt was dependent on the fertile land around a river. By learning about and adapting to the conditions of the Nile River, ancient Egyptians were able to increase their agricultural productivity to support a large population. Why was this vital for a civilisation to flourish?