On June 10, 1943  Hungarian journalist Laszlo Biro (1899-1985) patented the ballpoint pen. The inspiration came one day during a visit to the print shop of the magazine for which he wrote. Noticing how quickly the ink dried, he saw the advantages in a pocket-sized writing implement with that property and set to work on a prototype in 1938. To escape the Nazis, Biro fled to Argentina in 1940 and began selling his pens in Buenos Aires in 1945. His name became a household word--biro is a global synonym for the ballpoint pen.     

Source: This Day in Business History by Raymond L. Francis available at the Loop Campus Library, R.330.900202 F819d2006

The John T. Richardson Library on the Lincoln Park Campus will offer extended hours to accommodate students' study and research needs during final exams. Beginning Sunday,  June 8th, and continuing through Thursday, June 12, the Library will remain open until 2:00 a.m. for you night owls.  Best of luck to everyone!

Memorial Day is much more than a three-day weekend that marks the beginning of summer. To many people, especially the nation's thousands of combat veterans, this day, which has a history stretching back all the way to the Civil War, is an important reminder of those who died in the service of their country. To read more about the history of this national holiday, click here.

The DePaul Libraries will maintain normal hours this Saturday and Sunday, but will be closed Monday.
 

One of the most frustrating tasks about college-level writing is documenting your sources using correct citation style. The two most common styles are APA (American Psychological Association), used primarily in natural science and social science disciplines, and MLA (Modern Languages Association), used mostly in the humanities. There are several other styles, too. If your instructor does not specify which style to use, choose either APA or MLA accordingly.

Although some free Websites and research databases offer to format your citations automatically with the click of a mouse, be careful. This formatting is not always done correctly. It’s to your advantage to have a working knowledge of how properly formatted citations should look, so that you can make adjustments as needed.

Without the actual APA or MLA style manuals at hand, you can turn to the many basic citation examples that exist online to help you format your own bibliography. A listing of some of the most helpful sites appears here. If you have a source for which there is not a good example or are otherwise stuck, use the "Ask a Librarian" button located at the top of this screen.