Planar Sculpture Artwork - Spring Exhibit

Take some time to experience the new pieces created by the Spring 2013 Introduction to Sculpture classes!

Sculptures will be exhibited in the 2nd floor lobby of the Armacost Library through mid-April.

Students cast and carved plaster sculptures with several goals in mind; to learn to cast plaster keeping the integrity of the material so as to be able to carve a blank form and create a single sculpture of well developed planes, to make a piece considering the relationship of forms as they develop around the sculpture, and to work towards excellent craftsmanship.

This is their first sculpture created this semester and represents students that are non-art majors and art majors in an Art Studio Foundation Class.

New in March 2013 - Students in the Introduction to Sculpture class, both art majors and non-majors, created a three piece carved plaster sculpture employing a three-dimensional principle of unity and variety.  Students worked towards abstract sculptural considerations of form relationship, negative and positive space, craftsmanship, and final presentation.  Other considerations of implied movement, rhythm, and balance were explored.  On display are sculptures representing the individual voice of each student.

Introduction to Sculpture

Prof. Renee Azenaro

Studio Art  Spring 2013

Muslim Journeys Bookshelf: 2nd film showing of Prince Among Slaves

Marking African-American History Month, University of Redlands Armacost Library, Campus Diversity & Inclusion, and Redlands Peace Academy will be hosting a second film showing of Prince Among Slaves at Peace Academy, located at 609 Amigos Dr. #2, Redlands, CA 92373.

The second film showing of Prince Among Slaves, much like the first one we had at University of Redlands,  features a screening and a short discussion period. The program will be held on Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at Peace Academy, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Dr. Patrick Wing, faculty member from the University of Redlands history department, will be facilitating the film showing and subsequent discussion. 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. 

Prince Among Slaves is a historical documentary based on Terry Alford's 1977 biography of 'Abd al-Rahman, a prince of a West African Muslim nation who was brought to Mississippi as a slave in the late 1780s. The film chronicles 'Abd al-Rahman's journey from enslavement to liberation. Against the backdrop of American slavery, 'Abd al-Rahman's quests to free his wife and children and to return to his African home provide us with significant focal points to think and talk about race and religion in America's past and present.

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.

Have You Plagiarized Before?

We all know we shouldn't do it and we risk dismissal from the University, but how well do we understand what plagiarism is in the first place?

Our 2012-2014 University of Redlands Catalog says "plagiarism occurs when the words of another are reproduced without acknowledgement or when the ideas or arguments of another are paraphrased and presented in such a way as to lead the reader to believe that they originated from the writer." Personally, I like Teddi Fishman's (Clemson University) definition which is loosely paraphrased below.

According to Fishman, you plagiarize when

1. you use ideas, words, or just about anything 
2. that's been produced by another source or person
3. and you don't give them credit
4. in situations when you're expected to do so. Thus
5. you give the illusion that you yourself are the original producer or you benefit in some other way.

While this helps to clarify what it means to plagiarize, it can still be surprisingly difficult to identify "situations when you're expected" to credit your source. We all learn from a variety of sources and over a spectrum of activities so it can be difficult to understand when you're expected to give credit and when it's simply unnecessary. Do you credit Wikipedia or other encyclopedia? What about textbooks, course reserves, class discussions, conversations with or text messages between classmates that improved your understanding of a topic?

There are cultural challenges as well; different cultures don't necessarily share the same understanding of plagiarism. According to Gabriela M. Gillespie from the University of South Carolina, "It is important to remember that plagiarism is a Western ideal... [S]tudents from Confucian-heritage countries, such as China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam... do not believe in citing their sources... [U]sing an author’s own words is a form of respect."

So where does that leave you? As students who are being mentored to engage in scholarly discourse and expected to discern when it's proper to credit your sources, how well can you explain what plagiarism is to another person? Try it. Also, should you ever be accused of plagiarism, how comfortable and confident are you in your abilities to defend your actions? Not 100% confident? You're not alone, and I encourage you to seek answers to your questions; there is much to learn.

Have any thoughts or questions for me? Write it in the comments below or contact me personally.

Thanks for reading!
Paige Mann
Physical Sciences Librarian

Armacost Library Undergraduate Research Award

The proliferation of data, information, knowledge, and representations of cultural artifacts in digital format has made research both a seemingly easier and a much more complex process than in the past.  In a Googlized information landscape so much is available at our fingertips. However, the sheer volume of information has made finding relevant sources of evidence and the evaluation of that evidentiary material more difficult.  Information literacy is a significant component of problem solving, decision-making, effective communication, research, and the production of new knowledge.

The Armacost Library Undergraduate Research Award honors students who demonstrate sophistication, creativity, and unusual depth and/or breadth in the use of library collections and information available elsewhere in a variety of media and who show evidence of developing an understanding of the processes of research and inquiry. The award review committee considers the product of the research, but places particular emphasis on the research process: the demonstration of research skills, adept use of information resources, and reflection upon the strategies utilized to investigate a research problem. Winners receive a cash prize and public recognition of their excellent work.

This award isn’t the exclusive domain of the research paper.  Projects might include research involved in a musical or theater production, curating an exhibit, producing a film/video, developing a community service project, or tracing the historical research leading to current lab experiments or fieldwork.  Just to name a few of the possibilities.

More information about the award can be found at this web address: http://library.redlands.edu/alura.

Or, talk with your subject librarian: http://library.redlands.edu/mylibrarian.

Giving Builds the Armacost Library. Thank You, Prince Ahmed!

Prince Ahmed in the 1960s

Below is a list of a few stimulating books acquired recently through the generosity of University of Redlands alumnus Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz al Saud.  Prince Ahmed graduated from the U of R in 1968 with a degree in political science.  He is the youngest of the Sudairi Seven, a group of seven sons of the first Saudi King, Abdulaziz, a/k/a Ibn Saud, who ruled from the Kingdom’s inception in 1932 until his death in 1953.  Ahmed’s brother Fahd ruled from 1985 until 2005.  The current monarch, King Abdullah, is Ahmed’s half-brother.

Prince Ahmed endowed a fund at the University of Redlands to assist students in the study of Islam and ancient or contemporary matters of Arab history and world affairs.  Each year, the Armacost Library is able to purchase the Oxford Islamic Studies Online database access and an enticing selection of books due to the Prince's philanthropy.

A small sample of Prince Ahmed book titles:

Bashir, Shahzad.  Sufi Bodies: Religion and Society in Medieval Islam. New York: Columbia University Press, 2011.

Belting, Hans.  Florence and Baghdad: Renaissance Art and Arab Science.  Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2011.

Coller, Ian.  Arab France: Islam and the Making of Modern Europe, 1798-1831.  Berkeley: University of California Press, 2011.

Curtis, Edward E. Muslims in America: A Short History. Oxford: New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.

Emon, Anver M.  Islamic Natural Law Theories.  Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.

Foltz, Richard.  Animals in Islamic Tradition and Muslim Cultures.  Oxford: Oneworld, 2006.

al-Khalili, Jim.  The House of Wisdom: How Arabic Science Saved Ancient Knowledge and Gave Us the Renaissance.  New York: Penguin Press, 2011.

Mackintosh-Smith, Tim.  Travels with a Tangerine: From Morocco to Turkey in the Footsteps of Islam's Greatest Traveler.  New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2004.

Rashid, Rushdi.  Al-Khwarizmi:The Beginnings of Algebra.  London: Saqi, 2009.

Rowe, Nicholas.  Raising Dust: A Cultural History of Dance in Palestine. London; New York: I.B. Tauris, 2010.

Sardar, Ziauddin.  What Do Muslims Believe?: The Roots and Realities of Modern Islam.  New York: Walker & Company, 2007.

The Treasures of Islamic Art in the Museums of Cairo.  Cairo; New York: The American University in Cairo Press, 2006.

Warner, Marina.  Stranger Magic: Charmed States and The Arabian Nights.  Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2012.

el-Zein, Amira.  Islam, Arabs, and the Intelligent World of the Jinn.  Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 2009.

Les Canterbury

Collection Development/Reference Librarian

Armacost Library 221

(909) 748-8081

les_canterbury@redlands.edu

Photo of Prince Ahmed courtesy of the University of Redlands Archive.  Thank you, Bernadette!

Muslim Journeys Bookshelf: Film Showing of Prince Among Slaves

In honor of African-American History Month 2013, University of Redlands Armacost Library will host a film showing and facilitated discussion of Prince Among Slaves, a free program for public and university audiences. 

The film showing of Prince Among Slaves features a screening and a short discussion period. The program will be held on Thursday, February 21, 2013 at Gregory Hall, room 161, from 3:00 to 5:30 p.m. Dr. Patrick Wing, faculty member from the University of Redlands history department, will be facilitating the film showing and subsequent discussion. Limited seating is available. Please send RSVPs to Melissa Cardenas-Dow, Outreach Librarian, by Thursday, February 14, 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.

A second film showing at Redlands Peace Academy is planned for Wednesday, February 27, 2013.

Prince Among Slaves is a historical documentary based on Terry Alford's 1977 biography of 'Abd al-Rahman, a prince of a West African Muslim nation who was brought to Mississippi as a slave in the late 1780s. The film chronicles 'Abd al-Rahman's journey from enslavement to liberation. Against the backdrop of American slavery, 'Abd al-Rahman's quests to free his wife and children and to return to his African home provide us with significant focal points to think and talk about race and religion in America's past and present.

           

For information about the materials and associated programs of the Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys, please visit http://library.redlands.edu 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.

Giving Builds the Armacost Library!

The University of Redlands relies on the philanthropic generosity of alumni and other donors to add valuable and interesting books and other information resources to the physical and online collections at the Armacost Library.  A few of the endowed library funds and their uses:

• The Stauffer Fund covers, in part, the annual subscription to SciFinder Scholar, the American Chemical Society’s amazing, multifaceted, premier online Chemistry database.
• The Quillin Fund is used for book purchases in Economics and Business.
• The Moore Fund is used for purchases of History resources.  See some Moore titles below.

The Library also receives a portion of the University’s Prince Ahmed Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud Fund to purchase annual access to the Oxford Islamic Studies Online database, and books.  Many fine titles acquired through the generosity of Prince Ahmed will be used and on display during this year’s Muslim Journeys programming.  Watch this blog for Prince Ahmed titles and program information.

A few of the dozens of History books acquired in the last couple of years with funds from the Moore gift:

Akintoye, S. A. (2010). A History of the Yoruba People. Dakar, Senegal: Amalion.

Evans, Martin. (2012). Algeria: France’s Undeclared War. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press.

Foner, Eric. (2010). The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery. New York: W. W. Norton.

Reyes, Bárbara. (2009). Private Women, Public Lives: Gender and the Missions of the Californias. Austin: University of Texas Press.

Rosenfeld, Seth. (2012). Subversives: The FBI’s War on Student Radicals, and Reagan’s Rise to Power. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux.

Sheridan, Thomas E. (2012). Arizona: A History. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.

Les Canterbury

Collection Management/Natural Sciences Librarian

Armacost Library 221

(909) 748-8081

les_canterbury@redlands.edu

Blind Date With a Book 2013 (BDWB13)

Take a chance on a new love! Pick a book based on its description and check it out!

Only 46 items from our collections are wrapped and placed near our One-Stop Desk and reading areas on the 2nd floor of Armacost Library. Descriptions of the book are written on the wrapping to intrigue you. The Blind Dates are located near the Blind Date With a Book 2013 signs (BDWB13). Look for these and take a chance!

Blind Date With a Book 2013 (BDWB13) runs from February 4 to March 1, but only while Blind Dates are available. Blind Dates may be checked out by any patron with current borrowing privileges. Regular borrowing policies still apply. All Blind Dates are poetry and fiction. Some are film adaptations of books. 

Rate Your Date Raffle
To help us evaluate Blind Date With a Book 2013, we have created an evaluation form that doubles as a raffle entry. These can be found within the Blind Dates. Entries/evaluation forms can be returned to the Armacost Library One-Stop Desk or be submitted online (see the paper form for the URL and a QR code).

Each patron who submits an entry will be counted only once. Thanks to University of Redlands Campus Diversity & Inclusion and the English Department, we will select 10 lucky winners! Each winner will receive a $5 gift card to the Bulldog Cafe.

Only entries that provide names, phone numbers, and email addresses will be counted. To enter, submit the evaluation forms at the One-Stop Desk or use the URL or QR code on the form to submit online. Submit your evaluations by Friday, February 22! We'll announce the winners on Monday, March 4.

BDWB13 is brought to you by Sigma Tau Delta, Armacost Library, and University of Redlands Campus Diversity & Inclusion.

Need more information? Contact Melissa Cardenas-Dow, Outreach Librarian, at x8089 or Melissa_Cardenasdow@redlands.edu or Tasha Greenberg, Sigma Tau Delta Vice President of Public Relations, at Tasha_Greenberg@redlands.edu.

Muslim Journeys Bookshelf Opening Reception @ Armacost Library

University of Redlands Armacost Library will hold an opening reception, a free program for public and university audiences, featuring the resources in the Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys, a collection of materials from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the American Library Association (ALA).

The Muslim Journeys Bookshelf Opening Reception provides the opportunity for public and university audiences to view the Muslim Journeys Bookshelf and similar items from the Armacost Library collections. The Muslim Journeys Bookshelf Opening Reception will be held on Sunday, February 17, 2013, from 4:00-6:00 p.m. at the 3rd floor of Armacost Library: 1249 E. Colton Ave., Redlands, California 92374. Space is limited. Please send RSVPs to Melissa Cardenas-Dow, Outreach Librarian, by Thursday, February 14, 2013. 

For more information about the Muslim Journeys Bookshelf materials and the Opening Reception, please visit http://library.redlands.edu or contact Melissa Cardenas-Dow, Outreach Librarian, at 909-748-8089 or Melissa_Cardenasdow@redlands.edu.

The Muslim Journeys Bookshelf and associated programs aim 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. 

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.