Friday, August 31, 2012

Introducing the Armacost Library Intellectual Freedom (ALIF) Blogathon

Image icon of person with open book. Text reads Intellectual Freedom.
Image courtesy of Melanie Cardenas
From September 1, 2012 to October 31, 2012, Armacost Library will be celebrating the cornerstone concept of Intellectual Freedom. This is our way of  observing a significant theme that runs through many of our events this fall semester: Constitution Day (September 17), Banned Books Week (September 30-October 6), National Information Literacy Awareness Month (October), and International Open Access Week (October 22-28).

We are opening up our weblog space to writers from the University of Redlands community. Students, faculty, staff members, and administrators are welcome to submit posts with the general theme of "intellectual freedom." Comments are also welcome.


What do I send? What do I write about?
Overall, the topic of the post needs to be about matters concerning intellectual freedom, a wide, multi-sided subject. The writer point-of-view can be personal and subjective or academic and objective.

Some guidelines:
  • Must meet the overarching topic of intellectual freedom. See the topic suggestions below.
  • 200-1000 words, please.
  • We prefer prose, but poetry is also welcome. For this campaign, we want to limit things to written words.
  • Send along an accompanying emblematic image. Just make sure you send along a caption too. We’ll put up your text and image in the same post.
  • Ensure accuracy of your factual assertions. Make references to resources (online or otherwise). If your post has been adapted from a previous work you’ve done, please let us know this too, so we can make note of it on your post.
  • Have a title and tags for your post.
  • Consider the venue (a blog) and your audience (who’s going to read your post). Blog posts are often written in an informal yet engaging voice, so writing in a conversational way is acceptable. If you’re more comfortable writing with a more academic, technical, or formal style, that will also be acceptable. Structure and grammar help writers convey their thoughts to their readers in a more meaningful way. Please use them!
  • Do you want to submit your post anonymously? We can accommodate that. We’ll just say “a UofR student,”  “a UofR administrator,” or whatever is appropriate. Just let us know. If you do want to be identified, please include your major and your class year (i.e., 2012, 2013, 2014, etc.) with your name, if you are a student. If you are a faculty, staff or administration member, please include your department and title with your name. By default, we’ll assume you want to be identified, so please be sure to say if this is not the case.

Some topic ideas:

  • Censorship of scientific research results.
  • I love <insert banned book, film title here> because….
  • A particular instance of censorship or intellectual freedom challenge, current or otherwise.
  • I value my freedom to read and view as a <insert role here; i.e., parent, instructor, student, etc.> because….
  • Value of reading literature.
  • Connection of freedom to read/view with other freedoms (i.e., freedom of speech, freedom to express, freedom to congregate, freedom to demonstrate, etc.).
  • Connection of freedoms (see above and below) to matters of equity, social justice, advocacy and diversity.
  • This list is not comprehensive.


What do I need to do to participate?
Send a copy of your post to any of Armacost Library’s faculty, following the above guidelines. Email is the best method to send your post submission. Put ALIF in the subject line. This will help us field your submission faster. 

We will contact you about your submission to let you know when it will be posted. Be sure to return to Armacost Library News to see new comments and posts.

How has a particular work of science, literature, film, theater, or art affected you? We welcome your thoughts.


Image icon of person with open book. Text reads I FREE.
Image courtesy of Melanie Cardenas


Melissa Cardenas-Dow
Outreach/Behavioral Sciences Librarian
Armacost Library, University of Redlands
melissa_cardenasdow (a) redlands (dot) edu
909.748.8089

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

My Librarian

My Librarian
Chances are, you've been doing research since the 2nd grade. From that first report on Bengal tigers to your high school and college research projects, you've probably come to understand what research is and how to do it. If so, it might surprise you to hear that many professors wish to see more sophistication in the research of the average student. 

In most cases, our proficiency with research has been mostly self taught, and as all good athletes, artists, and students can tell you, you can only go so far without the help of an expert. The faculty at Armacost Library are not only experts in research, they're also experts in helping students learn to be more sophisticated researchers. To learn more, visit My Librarian.

Top 10 Things You Need to Know

Top 10 Things You Need to Know


10. ID + Barcode = Library Access. Your U of R student ID card (with a barcode) is your Library card.
9.  College libraries use an alphanumeric classification system AKA Library of Congress Classification. It's different from your high school or public library. Just remember, books on similar subjects are shelved together. So, when you find one really great book, browse for other gems!
8.  Google doesn’t have everything.  Hard to imagine, but Google provides access to only about 1% of what’s “out there” on the web. Learn to use other tools to find information that’s “invisible” to Google.
7.  The Library is here for you 24/7! The Library itself is open nearly 100 hours a week, BUT our article databases never sleep. They're available anytime—you just need your myRedlands username and password.
6.  We have books, journals, article databases, and more. With over 300,000 books, access to more than 28,000 journals online, and over 50 article databases, you're good to go!
5.  If we don't have it, we'll get it! Talk to your librarian about Interlibrary Loan to learn more.
4.  Course Reserves are here! Readings assigned for your classes are often electronically available via Course Reserves.
3.  It's your library - use it! Use it to study, do research (of course!), catch-up with friends, work on group projects, or just sit back, relax, and have a cup of coffee and a snack from the Bulldog Café.
2.  Need help online? Need in-person assistance? For quick help look for the Contact Us tab on our web pages--We can help via chat, email, and over the phone. For in-depth research assistance make an appointment with your librarian, or stop by during office hours.
1.  ASK! The best resource in the library is your LIBRARIAN!  We have office hours.

Greetings from the Library Director

Welcome to the Armacost Library! The Library is a place for discovery and intellectual engagement, a comfortable study space supporting learning and the creation of new knowledge. Many of you will see changes and improvements in our spaces both physical and virtual. Our new Reference Lounge has comfortable seating near a window with a beautiful view of campus. Our new website can be bookmarked at library.redlands.edu - it provides a user-friendly interface to all aspects of the library.

The Library has an extensive collection and we offer personalized assistance to save you time as you conduct research. Get to know Your Librarian! We look forward to seeing you either at a class instruction session or an individual appointment.

Please call me with questions and suggestions, or if there is anything I can do to make you library experience an excellent one!

Gabriela Sonntag
909.748.8096
gabriela_sonntag@redlands.edu