Friday, March 29, 2013

5th Annual Armacost Library Undergraduate Research Award Reception

5th Annual Armacost Library Undergraduate Research Award Reception

Tuesday, April 2nd, 5-6pm

Library Conference Room

Armacost Library (3rd floor)

(refreshments served)

Alexandra Bollella with her advisor Dr. Pat Wasielewski (Sociology & Anthropology)
The 2013 recipient of the Armacost Library Undergraduate Research Award (ALURA) is Alexandra Bollella for her paper titled "Bridging the Divide: A Comparative Analysis of Feminist Movements in Turkey and the United States.”

Alexandra Bollella and her faculty sponsor, Dr. Pat Wasielewski will join us to talk about their research processes. 

Please join us to celebrate undergraduate information literacy and library research skills!  We congratulate Alexandra and all of the students who submitted their work for consideration. The Selection Committee reviewed some impressive and varied research projects. 

The Selection Committee included:
Shana Higgins, Education, Interdisciplinary & Area Studes Librarian
Janelle Julagay, Business Librarian
Sanjeet Mann, Arts Librarian
Liesder Mayea, Assistant Professor, Spanish
Scott Stevens, Seiter Endowed Chair, Director of Writing
Vanessa Wilkie, Assistant Professor, History
Amy Wilms, Assistant Dean of Academics & Student Life




Thursday, March 28, 2013

Muslim Journeys Tea & Discussion: Know Your Muslim Neighbor



University of Redlands Armacost Library will host the second Tea & Discussion event for Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys entitled "Know Your Muslim Neighbor," a free program for public and university audiences. "Know Your Muslim Neighbor" will cover topics that will facilitate understanding of who our Muslim neighbors are. What makes them different? What do we have in common? The discussion will highlight the five goals and objectives of Sharia Law: the preservation, protection and progression of Life, Family, Wealth, Intellect, and Faith.  We will come to realize that we have more in common than we thought.

The discussion will be facilitated by Malek Bendelhoum, who is the Coordinator for Programs and Outreach at the Islamic Shura Council. He graduated from UC Riverside with a degree in political science. He was born and has been living in Inland Empire all his life. He has volunteered at the Islamic Center of Riverside and other community organizations, such as CAIR-Los Angeles and Muslim American Society. He also served as the Youth Director of the Islamic Center of Riverside and as the Vice President of the First Islamic Healing and Wellness Center, dedicated to helping all Californians with drug dependency and other addictions. The program will be held on Wednesday, April 3, 2013 at Redlands Peace Academy, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Limited seating is available. Please send RSVPs to Melissa Cardenas-Dow, Outreach Librarian, by Monday, April 1, 2013. The program aims to familiarize public audiences in the United States with the people, places, history, faith, and cultures of Muslims in the United States and around the world.

For information about the materials and associated programs of the Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys, please visit http://library.redlands.edu/muslimjourneys or contact Melissa Cardenas-Dow, Outreach Librarian, at 909-748-8089 or Melissa_Cardenasdow@redlands.edu.

The Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys is a project of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) conducted in cooperation with the American LibraryAssociation (ALA), the Ali Vural Ak Center for Global Islamic Studies at George Mason University, Oxford University Press, and Twin Cities Public Television. Major support for the Muslim Journeys Bookshelf was provided by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York. Additional support for the arts and media components was provided by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art. Local support is provided by University of Redlands Campus Diversity & Inclusion and Redlands Peace Academy.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Information Literacy: Faculty Showcase 2013

This year's Information Literacy Showcase highlighted several diverse methods of integrating information and library research literacy into courses and programs:  a semester-long information literacy and research lab, a two-workshop introduction to research toward clinical practice, and a quick & adaptable literature review activity. 



Dr. Michael Groher (Communicative Disorders) and Melissa Cardenas-Dow (Behavioral Sciences Librarian) discussed the learning goals of CDIS 310: Junior Seminar, a course which orients students toward research practice that will support clinical practice through:
  • learning to critically read research literature
  • practicing research summaries 
  •  and critical analysis of research
Two library workshops attached to this methodology course enable students to begin to acquire the language of their discipline and of the research databases in their field.

Dr. Scott Randolph (Business Administration) and Janelle Julagay (Business Librarian) described their development of and the outcomes of a semester-long research lab on which they have collaborated and co-taught for Randolph's BUS 226: The Rise of American Capitalism course.  Over the past two years their collaboration has grown from two library workshops during the BUS 226 lab to a weekly collaboration for the entire semester. Students are introduced to the practices of historical research, from deciphering and following footnotes to producing bibliographies to learning to ask questions of primary sources. In the process students also learn to recognize librarians as co-teachers in the shared education mission of the university. 

Finally, Gabriela Sonntag, Library Director, walked us through a literature review activity that provides an active learning opportunity for students to understand the purpose of literature reviews; how to read an abstract to quickly determine methodology, hypotheses, results, and gaps in the research; as well as learn to effectively read database records. 

Look for the products (sample assignments, activity prompts, worksheets) of this showcase in a soon to-be-announced Information Literacy Repository.  

We'll see you at next year's showcase!



Wednesday, March 20, 2013

WEST and the future of print


Librarians are not alone in their concern for the future of print materials. As the online environment becomes an expectation, rather than an exception, libraries are purchasing materials in electronic formats and tossing their print materials.

But what will happen in the future if the electronic wears out or becomes outdated like LP records or 8mm films? Will society lose all the intellectual content that was published electronically? That question keeps many of us awake at night.

The Western Regional Storage Trust (WEST) is part of the solution. It is a distributed retrospective print journal repository program serving college and University libraries.  There are similar programs in different parts of the United States. 

Under the WEST program, participating libraries send their print journals to an archiving library. The resulting shared print archives ensure access to the scholarly print record. Member libraries can request the print materials whenever they need them while enjoying the extra space previously occupied by these print journals. 

Armacost Library has become a member of WEST so that Bulldogs current and future will always have access to print journals while at the same time enjoying plenty of open study space with comfortable seating. Soon we will begin sending print materials to the archiving libraries but ONLY for those materials that we already have available electronically.  There will be no loss of content as we eliminate the duplication and build a better library for you!

Read more about WEST at: http://www.cdlib.org/west/

Contact Gabriela Sonntag, Library Director at (909) 748-8096 or Gabriela_Sonntag@redlands.edu



Muslim Journeys Tea & Discussion: Islam 101


University of Redlands Armacost Library will host the first Tea & Discussion event for Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys entitled "Islam 101," a free program for public and university audiences. "Islam 101" will cover basic beliefs in Islam, the five Pillars, Jihad, Sharia Law, and women in Islam.

The discussion will be facilitated by Maria Khani, who currently serves as the chair of the Women's Committee and is a Youth Advisor at the Islamic Institute of Orange County in Anaheim. The program will be held on Thursday, March 28, 2013 at Gregory Hall, room 161, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Limited seating is available. Please send RSVPs to Melissa Cardenas-Dow, Outreach Librarian, by Monday, March 25, 2013. The program aims to familiarize public audiences in the United States with the people, places, history, faith, and cultures of Muslims in the United States and around the world.

For information about the materials and associated programs of the Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys, please visit http://library.redlands.edu/muslimjourneys or contact Melissa Cardenas-Dow, Outreach Librarian, at 909-748-8089 or Melissa_Cardenasdow@redlands.edu.

The Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys is a project of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) conducted in cooperation with the American LibraryAssociation (ALA), the Ali Vural Ak Center for Global Islamic Studies at George Mason University, Oxford University Press, and Twin Cities Public Television. Major support for the Muslim Journeys Bookshelf was provided by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York. Additional support for the arts and media components was provided by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art. Local support is provided by University of Redlands Campus Diversity & Inclusion and Redlands Peace Academy.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Rate Your Date Raffle results, pt. 4: Blind Date With a Book 2013 (BDWB13)

Armacost Library extends congratulations to the winners of the Rate Your Date Raffle held in conjunction with Blind Date With a Book 2013!

Our raffle winners have agreed to speak a little bit about themselves and their love of reading. Featured here is one of our six winners.

Christine Munroe, Class of 2015
Christine Munroe ('15) is a student of the Johnston Center for Integrative Studies. Her study emphasis is the Art of Storytelling. Next semester, Christine will be studying abroad at the University of Edinburgh. She currently works for the Creative Writing Department, on behalf of the visiting writers series. She is also a staff writer for the Bulldog Weekly and a student senate representative for the residence halls of Bekins and Holt. Christine got the text Stardust by Neil Gaiman during Blind Date With a Book 2013. Of the book, Christine writes: "The book was more different from the movie than I expected it to be, but just as good in all the ways that count."











Congratulations to all of our Rate Your Date raffle winners! And many, many thanks to our program partners: Sigma Tau Delta, University of Redlands Campus Diversity & Inclusion, and Department of English.

Melissa I. Cardenas-Dow
Outreach/Behavioral Sciences Librarian
Armacost Library, University of Redlands
909.748.8089
Melissa_Cardenasdow@redlands.edu

Monday, March 18, 2013

Rate Your Date Raffle results, pt. 3: Blind Date With a Book 2013 (BDWB13)

Armacost Library extends congratulations to the winners of the Rate Your Date Raffle held in conjunction with Blind Date With a Book 2013!

Our raffle winners have agreed to speak a little bit about themselves and their love of reading. Featured here is one of our six winners.

Elizabeth Richards, BDWB13 Rate Your Date winner
Elizabeth Richards is a Liberal Studies and History major. She transferred to the University of Redlands just this academic year. She got the text They Sing to Her Bones by UofR Creative Writing professor, Joy Manesiotis. Elizabeth was surprised to receive a text of poetry, as it wasn't something she would normally borrow or read. Welcome to the UofR, Elizabeth!














Congratulations to all of our Rate Your Date raffle winners! And many, many thanks to our program partners: Sigma Tau Delta, University of Redlands Campus Diversity & Inclusion, and Department of English.

Melissa I. Cardenas-Dow
Outreach/Behavioral Sciences Librarian
Armacost Library, University of Redlands
909.748.8089
Melissa_Cardenasdow@redlands.edu

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

2013 Information Literacy Faculty Showcase

Information literacy is about determining one's need for, ability to locate, and to evaluate information as well as to understand how information is socially situated and produced.

Like critical thinking, information literacy encompasses a wide range of skills and thought processes that have become increasingly relevant in today's complex information landscape.

Developing these skills and ways of thinking in students "depends on collaborative pedagogy, embedding research competencies in individual courses and throughout the curriculum, and integrating skills developmentally into the entire learning process."1

Come to our 2nd annual hour-long showcase highlighting methods of integrating and developing information literacy competencies through the curriculum.

Janelle Julagay (Library) and Scott Randolph (Business) will share the development of their BUS 226 labs.

Melissa Cardenas-Dow (Library) and Michael Groher (Communicative Disorders) will discuss introducing library research methods into the Junior Seminar.

Other librarians will share easily adaptable assignments/activities that develop information literacy competencies.

Hutchins, Elizabeth O., Barbara Fister, and Kris MacPherson. "Changing Landscapes, Enduring Values: Making the Transition from Bibliographic Instruction to Information Literacy." Journal of Library Administration 36.1-2 (2002): 3-19. Print.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Rate Your Date Raffle results, pt. 2: Blind Date With a Book 2013 (BDWB13)


Armacost Library extends congratulations to the winners of the Rate Your Date Raffle held in conjunction with Blind Date With a Book 2013!

Our raffle winners have agreed to speak a little bit about themselves and their love of reading. Featured here is one of our six winners.

Caitlin Funaro, Class of 2013
Caitlin Funaro ('13) writes:

"I'm a senior, majoring in creative writing with an emphasis in fiction. This date was a lot of fun! I actually liked the rather vague/cryptic discriptions of the books because it removed the likelihood of guessing what you were getting into. It made it more mysterious and kind of raised the stakes. 

Maybe it would be fun to have someone with a few of the books down in the lounge/by the coffee shop to gather some more interest!" 

Caitlin's blind date was with the text of Ursula K. Le Guin's The Lathe of Heaven.










Congratulations to all of our Rate Your Date raffle winners! And many, many thanks to our program partners: Sigma Tau Delta, University of Redlands Campus Diversity & Inclusion, and Department of English.


Melissa I. Cardenas-Dow
Outreach/Behavioral Sciences Librarian
Armacost Library, University of Redlands
909.748.8089
Melissa_Cardenasdow@redlands.edu

Wednesday, March 06, 2013

Rate Your Date Raffle results, pt. 1: Blind Date With a Book 2013 (BDWB13)

Armacost Library extends congratulations to the winners of the Rate Your Date Raffle held in conjunction with Blind Date With a Book 2013!

Our raffle winners have agreed to speak a little bit about themselves and their love of reading. Featured here are three of our six winners.

Marie Kenna, Class of 2013 
Marie Kenna ('13) writes:

"I'm a senior double-majoring in Business Administration and Economics, and I LOVE reading. (I originally came in to the UoR as an English major; now I work in the library.) I'm friends with one of our wonderful librarians via Facebook, so I knew a little bit about the "Blind Date with a Book" event the day before it started. When I walked in to work the next morning and saw all the books covered in paper, I was intrigued by the captions on many of the covers, and decided to take a chance myself. I was excited to end up with A Tale of Two Cities, as I've been wanting to read Charles Dickens for some time, and it didn't disappoint! It was well worth the good read. I always love the chance to fall in love with a good book; if I'd had more time, I definitely would have read multiple books through this event!"







Angel Nguyen, Class of 2016
Angel Nguyen ('16) is a Communicative Disorders major, with a minor in Psychology. She had a blind date with the book Guru Cigarettes by Patricia Geary. Angel is a frequent user of Armacost Library, so found out about Blind Date With a Book 2013 (BDWB13) by seeing the book displays on the second floor. Angel is an avid reader and would love to see more descriptions on future Blind Date With a Book items.















Dr. Bill Huntley, Department of Religious Studies
Dr. Bill Huntley (Professor, Religious Studies Dept.) is a beloved and frequent patron of Armacost Library. He got The Complete Sonnets and Poems by William Shakespeare, and two other books, during our BDWB13 campaign. Dr. Huntley was pleased to revisit books and literature he has long loved but had forgotten about.















Congratulations to all of our Rate Your Date raffle winners! And many, many thanks to our program partners: Sigma Tau Delta, University of Redlands Campus Diversity & Inclusion, and Department of English.


Melissa I. Cardenas-Dow
Outreach/Behavioral Sciences Librarian
Armacost Library, University of Redlands
909.748.8089
Melissa_Cardenasdow@redlands.edu

Monday, March 04, 2013

Special Collections: The Hidden Wealth of Libraries

Book cover courtesy of Hong Kong University Press
A few years ago I was surprised to find an email from Shanghai in my inbox. Lindsay Shen, Associate Professor at Sino-British College and Honorary Editor for the Royal Asiatic Society China in Shanghai, had learned of the University of Redlands in Christianity in China:  A Scholar's Guide to Resources in the Libraries and Archives of the United StatesIt mentioned that the Armacost Library had a collection of items from Florence Wheeler Ayscough and Harley Farnsworth MacNair's stay in China. Shen's research focused on Ayscough, known in a variety of roles including that of feminist, poet, collector of Chinese art, and teacher of Chinese culture. Her second husband, MacNair, a scholar of Far Eastern history, had graduated from the University of Redlands in 1912. Upon his death, MacNair bequeathed items from his personal library as well as other personal effects to the University. Shen's research led her to believe this might include photographs taken of, or by, Ayscough. 

With time and patience, answers emerged. The task of documenting, organizing, preserving, and locating Special Collections items such as photographs, correspondence, and other rare and unique artifacts is no easy task. Documenting items that take a variety of forms can be difficult, made all the more so when items rich in story and sentiment are not accompanied by full descriptions of their histories. Without adequate space, organizing and locating such items becomes nearly impossible, and preservation becomes a complex issue without a dedicated space to regulate temperature and humidity. Despite these challenges, the Armacost Library has committed to carve out a Special Collections space; we're currently in the process of clearing out and re-configuring a room located in the northeast corner of the 2nd floor. Until that work is complete, we'll continue to rely on a few individuals in the library who can make sense of the chaos of boxes locked away in a makeshift storage.

With the help of Technical Services Supervisor, Trisha Aurelio, I was able to look through several boxes of MacNair and Ayscough memories. Wearing a pair of white cotton gloves, I combed through numerous photographs of family members and friends, activities, and travels. The images Lindsay Shen chose to include in her research can be seen in her recently published book, Knowledge is Pleasure:  Florence Ayscough in Shanghai. If you would like to learn more about Florence Ayscough or view the images Armacost Library contributed, visit the Library where it will soon be available for check out.

In the meantime, consider the hidden wealth of libraries. Special collections are indeed special. Historic gems like the Ayscough photographs help to shed light on, and draw us closer to, people and events from different times and places. Sometimes these treasures are tucked away, and it may take a bit of sleuthing to discover them, but this can often enhance the journey of discovery and learning. If you're curious about learning more about our Special Collections or are interested in helping us enhance our work with Special Collections, please get in touch with me or one of my colleagues.


Thanks for reading!
Paige Mann
Physical Sciences Librarian

Saturday, March 02, 2013

Sharing the Joy of Reading Through Read Across America

Friday, March 1, 2013 was Read Across America Day at the local public elementary schools in the City of Redlands. Honoring Dr. Seuss's birthday (March 2nd), schools and parent groups across the nation celebrated the joys of reading, books, and literacy by organizing story times, pajama parties, and special breakfasts.

My Friends by Taro Gomi
I and the Armacost Library faculty had been invited to participate in Read Across America activities at Lugonia Elementary School. I signed up to read to preschoolers and kindergarteners at Lugonia Elementary and planned to read to my child's fifth grade class at Franklin Elementary School. This is just one small example of how Armacost Library and the University of Redlands provide value and positive impact to the larger community of the City of Redlands and its members.

The first Lugonia Elementary class I read to was a group of preschoolers, which had about 20 students. I read Taro Gomi's My Friends. The story was of a little girl who learns about the world around her and how to do things from her different friends, who were mostly animals. The little girl in the story did not have a name, so I asked the children to choose one for her. We decided to call the little girl Edna. Aside from the animals she called her friends, Edna named books, other children, and her teachers as her friends. Many of the children were surprised to hear that books and teachers were friends, too. I left the students in the classroom with the thought that we make friends with books when we read them. As a librarian, I hold this truth near and dear to my life's work and purpose.

Miss Smith's Incredible Storybook by Michael Garland
Next up on my schedule was the kindergarten class at Lugonia Elementary, which also had about 20 children, about the same size as the preschool class. To the kindergarteners, I read Michael Garland's Miss Smith's Incredible Storybook. It is a favorite in my household. The book was the story of a second-grade teacher, Miss Smith, who had a fabulous storybook from which characters leaped out of the pages whenever a story is read. The kindergarten class was enthralled by the story and the illustrations in the picture book. Who wouldn't enjoy the magic of books, stories, and beautifully drawn and colored pictures, right?

From the kindergarten class at Lugonia Elementary, I made my way to Franklin Elementary School and my younger daughter's fifth grade classroom. At my daughter's request, I re-read Michael Garland's Miss Smith's Incredible Storybook. There were about 33 children in the class. They seemed to enjoy the story as much as the kindergarten class at Lugonia Elementary did.

It's a Book by Lane Smith
My fifth-grade child, too, wanted to share her own love for books and reading during Read Across America Day. She brought Lane Smith's It's a Book to her class so her teacher could read it out loud. Smith's picture book is a wonderful read and is available for check-out at Armacost Library.

Please join the Armacost Library in celebrating Dr. Seuss's birthday and NEA's Read Across America during the first two weeks of March (March 4-15, 2013).  Simply grab and read a beloved Dr. Seuss tale or other adored children's book displayed near our One-Stop Desk and reading areas on the 2nd floor of the Armacost Library and celebrate the joy of reading!

Each juvenile collection book we have displayed will have a small marker within its pages. If you enjoyed the book, let us know by placing the marker in the designated box at the One-Stop Desk.

Need more information? Contact Melissa Cardenas-Dow, Outreach Librarian, at x8089 or Melissa_Cardenasdow@redlands.edu or Sally Romero, Instruction and Reference Librarian, at x8904 or Sally_Romero@redlands.edu.


Melissa I. Cardenas-Dow
Outreach/Behavioral Sciences Librarian
Armacost Library, University of Redlands
909.748.8089
Melissa_Cardenasdow@redlands.edu

Friday, March 01, 2013

Celebrate NEA's Read Across America

"You're never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read with a child."

Join the Armacost Library in celebrating Dr. Seuss's birthday and NEA's Read Across America during the first two weeks of March (March 4-15, 2013).  Simply grab and read a beloved Dr. Seuss tale or other adored children's book displayed near our One-Stop Desk and reading areas on the 2nd floor of the Armacost Library and celebrate the joy of reading!  It's that simple to participate!

Books displayed may be checked out by any patron with current borrowing privileges.  Regular borrowing policies apply. So go ahead, check out a book and pledge to become a lifelong reader!

History
Did you know that every year, for the past 16 years, the National Education Association celebrates Dr. Seuss's birthday (March 2nd) by building a nation of readers through its signature program, NEA's Read Across America?  This year-round program focuses on motivating children and teens to read through events, partnerships, and reading resources.

Why celebrate Dr. Seuss?
Dr. Seuss personifies a love of children and learning.  His use of rhyme makes his books an effective tool for teaching young children the basic skills they need to be successful.

Looking for Books?
Here are some of the famous Dr. Seuss titles we carry.  For more books visit our library catalog.

        

          


More Campus Events
The University of Redlands Charlotte Huck Children's Literature Festival is now in its 17th year of celebrating the best in children's literature and the people behind it.  This interactive conference offers educators the opportunity to share their passion for children's books and to meet and spend time with children's book authors and illustrators.  Check out books by some of this year's featured speakers at the Armacost Library on display with the NEA's Read Across America display.  Just look for the Charlotte Huck Children's Literature Festival logo. Regular borrowing policies apply.  

Need more information? Contact Melissa Cardenas-Dow, Outreach Librarian, at x8089 or Melissa_Cardenasdow@redlands.edu or Sally Romero, Instruction and Reference Librarian, at x8904 or Sally_Romero@redlands.edu.