recommended reading–Books with POJ

This month I’d like to highlight the work of English author Ian McEwan (born 1948).  Some of you may be familiar with the movie adaptation of his novel Atonement.  In addition to recommending Atonement based purely on having seen the movie, I hardily endorse two other McEwan novels I’ve recently completed: Saturday, and On Chesil Beach.  Saturday (2006, 304 pages) tracks one day in the life of a London neurosurgeon that is complicated by a traffic accident and the visit of his father-in-law and daughter.  On Chesil Beach (2008, 224 pages) portrays the courtship and wedding night of a socially awkward young English couple in 1962. 

All three titles are available from OhioLINK: OhioLINK’s Library Catalog http://olc1.ohiolink.edu/search/

What the reviewers said:

“Saturday magnifies a pivotal moment in history and a day in a man’s life as secure foundations crack and uncertainty rushes in.”  Bookmarks. 

“McEwan is as provocative, transporting, and brilliant as ever as he considers both our vulnerability and our strength, particularly our ability to create sanctuary in a violent world.”  Booklist review of Saturday. 

“McEwan’s flawless omniscient narration has a curious (and not unpleasantly condescending) fable-like quality, as if an older self were simultaneously disavowing and affirming a younger.”  Booklist review of On Chesil Beach. 

“Almost from the novel’s first sentence, the reader’s heart aches for these two young people. They are so earnest, so clumsy, so naive, so desperately in love.”  Washington Post review of On Chesil Beach.

EBSCOhost Mobile Now Available

We recently implemented our EBSCOhost Mobile profile.  That means that you can access a mobile version of our EBSCOhost research databases from your smart phone or other mobile device  (if off-campus, you’ll be prompted to login).
This version of the EBSCO Research Databases has limited search capabilities, with most but not all of the web version features.  For the complete, more robust version, refer to the individual EBSCOhost Research Databases.

To learn more, check out this EBSCOhost Mobile Tutorial .  If you have any questions about how to find articles whether it’s via your smart phone or your web browser, connect with an MSJ research librarian.

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Short Bus Guide for Faculty

The 2010 IDS Freshman Reader for incoming MSJ students is The Short Bus: a Journey Beyond Normal by Jonathan Mooney (New York : Henry Holt, 2008).

Susan Falgner, Head of the Library’s Public Services, created the “IDS 100 Faculty Guide to
The Short Bus,” and the guide is available as a PDF.  This guide highlights resources that will be helpful to faculty teaching this book.

For copies of The Short Bus: a Journey Beyond Normal, check the FOCUS Library Catalog @ http://focus.msj.edu/record=b1202465~S0

An archive of past IDS reader guides is available at IDS Reader Archive.

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The Civil Rights Act: July 2, 1964

On this day in history, July 2, 1964, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act.  The long fight for equality is well documented in the award-winning series Eyes on the Prize.  The Mount Library owns this and other resources that are freely available for checkout.  We encourage you to check these out, reflect, and deepen your awareness of these important moments in history.

• Eyes on the Prize (DVD series from PBS)
• At Canaan’s edge : America in the King years, 1965-68
• The civil rights movement

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JSTOR Added to Collection

This summer we added JSTOR’s Arts & Sciences III Collection to our growing list of online resources.  JSTOR provides 100% full text articles that are high-quality and academic in nature.  To access JSTOR, you can find it listed throughout our Locate Articles web pages, including Databases A-Z.  (If you’re accessing from off-campus, don’t forget to use your MSJ AllCard to login.)

If you’re new to searching JSTOR, consider consulting either one of the Mount’s savvy research librarians or check out the numerous online tutorials JSTOR provides.

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ejournals yes; ebooks–not yet

A recent survey of college and university faculty reports that:

Unlike the case of journals, where many faculty members are willing to imagine that within a few years, electronic surrogates will largely replace print originals, virtually all respondents dismiss the notion that e-books will displace print originals in a relatively short timeframe. Only four percent of faculty members expressed strong agreement with the statement “Within the next five years, the use of e-books will be so prevalent among faculty and students that it will not be necessary to maintain library collections of hard-copy books.” Given the anticipated growing importance of e-books, it will be important to continue assessing whether a format transition similar to the one which has occurred for journal materials is likely.

Discover Poetry

April is National Poetry Month, and the Mount Library offers you many free resources that will enlighten and inspire!

• Check out (literally) our Aaron R. Levine Poetry Collection. Whether it’s Gary Soto, James Wright, Elizabeth Bishop, Sylvia Plath, or Frank O’Hara, the volumes in this collection are freely available to MSJ students, staff, and faculty for checkout.  (Also the Library’s main collection offers more poetry books in the 811 section on the 3rd floor.)  Search FOCUS using the Author search tab (lastname, firstname) to see what we have by your favorite poet.
• Browse our Poetry databases:
  African-American Poetry 1760-1900
  American Poetry Database 1600-1900
  English Poetry 600-1900
  20th Century African-American Poetry
  20th Century American Poetry
  20th Century English Poetry
  William Butler Yeats Collection
  
• Learn about Poets online:
  Literary Reference Center
  Poets.org

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Food for Thought… “Texts Without Context”

Here’s some food for thought: Michiko Kakutani’s provocative article from the March 17, 2010 New York Times Books Section, “Texts Without
Context,” deals with the impact the Internet and mash-up culture have had on our capacity for critical thinking.  Are our abilities to read and research  deeply negatively impacted by our digital-gadget-crazed culture?  Peruse Kakutani’s article and see what you think http://tinyurl.com/y9f6a3v

Many of the books Kakutani mentions are available for “deep reading” from the OhioLINK Central Catalog.  Not sure how to request from OhioLINK?  See your local search savvy MSJ Librarian!

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Library Bldg Closed through Sunday

Unexpected generator issues while awaiting a transformer repair have closed the Library Bldg through Sunday.  It is expected that the Bldg. will reopen on Monday, March 8th.  The campus network was restored by 12 midnight 3/4/10.

In the mean time, librarians and techs will be available offering limited research and IT support Thursday and Friday from the CLC.  Contact 244-4357 to speak with a librarian or tech or stop by the CLC Thurs or Fri.

Library Open–Limited Services

The library is open as of March 3, 7:30 am.  In order to limit strain on our temporary power supply we are offering limited services.  The following services will not be available until further notice: printers, photocopiers, and the elevator.