Library News

Sue Carter, IT Information Systems Technician at the Oboler Library, is retiring after 13 years of service to the University. Sue was instrumental in developing the Library web page, reconfiguring the Library catalog, and helping staff deal with the confusing array of hardware and software that is supposed to make life better. We will all miss her patient explanations about why “…it just doesn’t work like it did yesterday…” and the security of knowing that if there is a way to “fix it”, Sue will find it. We all wish her the best in the coming years. Please join us at a reception held in her honor on Wednesday, July 2, 2008, from 2 to 4 p.m. in Room 268 of the Library.

The Library News editor is especially grateful for all of Sue’s work in getting Library News up and running.

On July 1 we will say goodbye to Annie Smith, Electronic Resource Librarian and a frequent contributor to Library News. Annie started working at the library as a student assistant when she was getting her B.A., and continued in various positions for the following eight years. During that time she worked on her MLS degree, and received it last month. She has found a reference and instruction position with Utah Valley State College (soon to be re-named Utah Valley University) library, and will start work there next month. We will miss her.

Annie leaves us with one final summer reading recommendation:

Take the Cannoli, by Sarah Vowell

Vowell is known for her work on NPR’s This American Life. Take the Cannoli is a collection of essays about Vowell’s life, from her father’s homemade canon to her ironic trip to Disneyland to her attempts to infiltrate the Goth subculture. What really makes this book shine, apart from the inherent humor of these stories and episodes, is the way that Vowell keeps up a steady, funny, and snarky commentary about everything.

Ilium, by Dan Simmons

Review submitted by Annie Smith, Electronic Resource Librarian.

Ilium is a tough novel to describe, because there is so much going on. But this is a great book for English majors and literature lovers because it uses Shakespeare and Homer, and even Vladimir Nabokov, as touchstones. It’s also one of the oddest works of science fiction that I ever read. There are robots, aliens, Greek gods, highly evolved humans, and flabbergasting technology. Even though the characters and plot are rich and involving, one of the best parts of reading this book (and its sequel, Olympos) is spotting the characters and plot devices and ideas from literature.

The summer reading columns have been oriented towards fiction mostly, but today NPR (KISU-FM Radio) introduced the idea that summer reading is getting much more oriented towards nonfiction, especially during this “hot summer of politics”. Check out the NPR web site for their recommendations (the discussion link also has a lot of recommendations), then check our catalog to see what we have. or you can interlibrary loan what we don’t have.

While these books sound great for serious reading, I think my next Idaho picnic companion will still be a good “junk mystery.”

This article was contributed by Spencer Jardine, Instruction and Reference Librarian at Oboler Library.

In the month of April the Library’s Events Committee collaborated to create displays promoting National Library Week. They focused on identifying entertaining books to read. In the last year the National Endowment for the Arts has published a research study with the following title: “To Read or Not to Read: A Question of National Consequence.” Three conclusions give cause for alarm as they point to negative consequences for our future: (more…)

Last Sunday, when the weather was so cold and dreary, I realized that I didn’t have any good “junk mystery” reading in the house, and I had a the perfect day to read one, and sip hot tea. I knew the public library and used bookstore were both closed. I checked the grocery store and found that the cheapest new paperbacks are now about $7.99–and didn’t want to spend that much on something I would read and recycle. Then I had the brainstorm of the Book Swap Rack at Oboler Library. The library is open 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday during Summer Session, so I picked out one of my books that I wanted to trade, and came over to browse the rack.

I found Stuart Woods, A Short Forever, and have been happily using it for my weekend and evening leisure reading. I’m halfway through it, and it is, so far, a good mystery that I would recommend for easy summer reading. It’s entertaining, interesting, and suspenseful. The characters are engrossing. I’m glad I thought of the Book Swap Rack for my “reading emergency,” and I will return this book when I’m finished, and pick out another for my next lazy days of summer reading.

Some of the displays at Oboler Library have been changed. The first floor displays reflect current interests in gas prices. and vacations. “Travel Idaho and Save on Gas” includes an Idaho map, pictures and descriptions of some popular vacation destinations, gas saving tips, and web sites related to finding the cheapest gas price. Oboler Library has many books related to Idaho travel and the outdoors, and some have been pulled for this display, including: Yellowstone Trails, Mountain Wildflowers, Western Birds, Hiking Idaho, Roadside Geology of Idaho, and more.

Display case 2, “My Summer Vacation,” carries on the theme of vacations with a postcard collection of 67 vacation postcards from around the United States. There are cards from many of the states, including Hawaii and Alaska. They include scenery, attractions, cities, and a variety of fun cards: craw fish, alligator, space rockets, Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece, and a couple of recipe post cards, Idaho Baked Potato Soup and Texas Guacemole.

The displays on the second floor remain the same: Kasiska College of Health Professions faculty and staff who have published during the past year.

The third floor still has the “Bicycle Safety” display and has a new one, “Cover Up With Sunscreen”, with tips for using sun screen and avoiding sun damage.

The art in the current display art area is still the “Famous Writer Posters” display mentioned in an earlier blog entry.

A farewell reading for Greg Nicholl, former co-director of the Rocky Mountain Writers’ Festival will be held Thursday June 19 from 6 to 7 p.m. at College Market. Readers will be Greg Nicholl and Margaret Aho. This information was provided by Pocatello Readings. They also provide information about literary workshops, submissions, and other items of interest to the literary community.

Oboler Library has three books by Margaret Aho: Cafe Midnight, Carpal Bones: Poems, and Only Light We Read By. Poetry is great for summer reading because most poems are short, but very significant. Reading poetry outdoors for about 20 minutes can be a fulfilling experience. Oboler Library has many poetry books available for check out. Check our catalog. If you haven’t read much poetry, good subject search would be American Poetry–20th Century (or older if you prefer more traditional poetry) or a keyword search on poetry and anthologies.

Lamb, by Christopher Moore

This review was contributed to Library News by Annie Smith, Electronic Resource Librarian.

For centuries, the missing eighteen years of Jesus Christ’s life have been a mystery. In Lamb, Moore uses humor and research to put his spin on this mystery. To tell this story, Moore creates Biff, Christ’s (Joshua in the novel) childhood friend. Biff’s job, apart from being the narrator, is to be Joshua’s bodyguard and do Josh’s lying for him. This novel is profound, comic, and touching by turns. Every time I read it, I get something new out of it, even though Moore didn’t mean for any of it to be taken seriously.

Oboler Library doesn’t own a copy of this book. With your Bengal card, you can borrow books and journal articles that the library doesn’t own from other libraries through the Interlibrary Loan program.

The Oboler Library currently has two trials in progress:

Academic Complete Collection: In January 2008, the library began purchasing eBooks, hosted on eBrary’s platform. EBrary’s Academic Complete Collection contains thousands of titles in subjects as varied as the health sciences, philosophy, agriculture, political science, law, the fine arts, and more. This collection can be access from anywhere on campus here: http://site.ebrary.com/lib/idahostatetrial/. The easiest way to view these titles is to browse the collection. The trial ends July 6.

Dance in Video: Dance in Video is a database designed to help researchers and dancers find examples of dance styles and performances. This is a new database, so the searchable collection of videos is still relatively small. Dance in Video can be access from anywhere on campus here: http://daiv.alexanderstreet.com. The trial ends August 8.

This article was submitted to Library News by Annie Smith, Electronic Resource Librarian

Summer can be a time for preparing to teach fall classes, whether for the first time, or re-creating and updating past classes. Over the past two weeks two Reference Librarians have passed information related to this topic on to me, which I will pass on via Library News. Also, be sure to use “Resources by Subject”, “Education” on our web page for a wealth of databases on all aspects of teaching and learning.

Spencer Jardine, Instruction and Reference Librarian, recently did an entry on active learning in his library blog– see the May 21st entry. He tried an active learning exercise in a recent instruction session. His blog is filled with other insights into the teaching and learning process.

Kristi Austin, Reference Librarian, recently passed on information about a book that sounded interesting, especially its sections on learning communities, collaborative learning, etc. It’s Wiki Writing: Collaborative Learning in the College Classroom by Robert Cummings and Matt Barton, Editors. 978-0-472-11671-3. One reviewer called it “an indispensable and engaging guide to using Wikis in the classroom”