Talking in the Library

Exploring Print Reference

Our online resources are vast and full of wonder, but in the digital age it behooves us to remember that sometimes the answer is housed in a more analog format.  To that end, some of us librarians have undertaken a mission to (re)acquaint ourselves with our Print Reference Collection.  I got Art and Law.

First, there's Every Tenant's Legal Guide. Ours is the 2nd edition, which is a bit dated now that the 6th is out.  Law moves quickly - likely on minor details the 2009 6th edition is dated, let alone the 2006 2nd ed.  But its usefullness hasn't totally evaporated.  Students (and probably more than students) are vulnerable in a community where landlords hold far more power than tenants, but there are rights and you can exercise them.  Use this book with caution, and if you're in a situation involving legal matters get legitimate counsel as quickly as your resources permit, but if you're lost as to where to even start this isn't a bad choice.  Good for everyone.

Unreasonable Searches and Seizures: Rights and Liberties Under the Law.  I don't want to get to civil libertarian here...wait...yes I do.  If we ordinary citizens don't take it upon ourselves to defend our rights (and the first step is knowing all we can about them) then we might as well just hand them right back to the authorities.  "No thanks, guys.  You keep your Fourth Amendment."  Well, that's not for me and it's not for you.  Written in 2006 as part of a series on America's Freedoms, this text lays out what abuses of the law citizens can expect from Authority and how to react.  Great for students of law, political science, criminology, philosophy, and rabble-rousers like myself.

On the Art side of my assignment, I found this delightful little number by Helene E. Roberts: The Encyclopedia of Comparative Iconography: Themes Depicted in Works of Art (v. 1&2).  This is the cure for what in modern terms could be called the "haven't seen Star Wars syndrome."  If you haven't seen Star Wars, there's a whole lot of popular culture that can go right over your head.  That same thing can happen if you're unfamiliar with Ovid's Metamorphoses.  If you're knowledge of art, mythology, literature, and history is incomplete from, say, the origin of culture to today, this set will help you fill in the gaps for why certain themes in art are portrayed certain ways.

Short Cuts: I'm with the Banned #2! An Interview with And Tango Makes Three

Welcome to this week's second installment of interviews with famously banned or protested books in observance of National Banned Books Week (September 24 - October 1). For more information about Banned Books Week events in Manhattan, visit our Facebook page: Banned Books Week - Manhattan, Kansas.

I'm With the Banned (IWTB): Good morning. Today we have with us a very special guest --- And Tango Makes Three --- which has been on the top ten banned or challenged books list every year since 2006 and has been at the top of that list for three of those years.

And Tango Makes Three (ATMT): All that and I was only published in 2005!

IWTB: So, Tango - may I call you Tango?

ATMT: Please do!

IWTB: Can you tell us a bit more about yourself?

ATMT: Certainly! I'm written by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson, and I'm about a pair of penguins who fall in love and adopt an abandoned baby penguin when it's just an egg.

IWTB: Interesting! And this is a children's book, right?

ATMT: Well, I'm a picture book and that's my intended audience, so I think that's fair to say.

IWTB: That seems like a fairly innocuous storyline. Of course, all kinds of books are challenged for a myriad of reasons. You must be especially graphic since you top the list so often.

ATMT: Well, I am illustrated, but that's probably not what you mean by "graphic" (laughs). No sex, no violence.

IWTB: Alright, so there's the presence of some pretty strong language then?

ATMT: No, nothing untoward.

IWTB: So why the uproar?

ATMT: It seems to be because the two penguins that initially fall in love, Roy and Silo, are both male.

IWTB: Ah, I see. So the official objections are...

ATMT: Homosexuality, religious viewpoint, and unsuitable to age group.

IWTB: Religious viewpoint? So, the penguins are trying to proselytize the penguin faith?

ATMT: ... No. I wondered about that one myself. I don't mention religion. I don't even use the words "homosexual" or "gay" at all. Clearly, we are talking about two male penguins that regard each other in the manner of a mated pair and raise a penguin chick together, so it's not hard for the reader to infer that they're gay. But still, I'm not trying to force an agenda on anyone.

IWTB: Well, that's a common remark I hear from banned or challenged books. Even when reading the book is required, the reader doesn't have to adopt any particular viewpoint.

ATMT: Children are impressionable though.

IWTB: So are you saying a certain level of censorship is understandable from a parent's point of view?

ATMT: Well, concern is certainly understandable.

IWTB: Concern, yes, but maybe not censorship. I know this point has been discussed often, but awareness and even control of your own children's reading is responsible parenting and thus extremely important. Trying to control other people's children, however, is not the right path to take.

ATMT: Well, until people stop the outright censorship of books, we'll just have to keep reading whatever we want no matter how many protests there are.

IWTB: Sounds like a plan to me.

Dan Ireton

Short Cuts: I’m with the Banned! An Interview Exclusive with Brave New World

Welcome to this week’s first installment of interviews with famously banned or protested books in observance of National Banned Books Week (September 24 - October 1). For more information about Banned Books Week events in Manhattan, visit the Facebook page: Banned Books Week - Manhattan, Kansas.

I'm With the Banned (IWTB): Today we're lucky enough to sit down with Brave New World, Aldous Huxley's 1932 novel and one of the earliest examples of a dystopia.

Brave New World (BNW): Good morning. I find that I'm once again in the top ten most challenged or banned books in America.

IWTB: And why were you challenged?

BNW: Poor reasons. Fear, mostly.

IWTB: (laughs) Yes of course, but can you please elaborate.

BNW: (smiles) Of course. I know what you're looking for --- not the reason I was banned but the reason concerned citizens felt I should be banned, yes?

IWTB: That's right. What about you drove people into such a frenzy that you were pulled from library shelves?

BNW: Sex, racism, insensitivity, and I have offensive language. Oh, and I get called anti-family and anti-religious as well.

IWTB: And what would you say to those who would have you banned?

BNW: Well, to a certain extent they're complaining about the very things Huxley was against. Of course things are racist and offensive in my pages. I'm a dystopia! I'm a nightmare vision of a terrible future that was written to drawn attention to social ills of the day! Those things are in me because they should be avoided.

IWTB: So, you don't advocate conditioning babies using electric shock?

BNW: No, I'm quite against harming babies of any kind. I contain those passages because it's the kind of awful future my author foresaw. I tell you, though, I'm almost flattered --- I mean, I'm pushing eighty years old, here, and I'm still in the top ten with younger books like Lush, Crank, and The Hunger Games.

IWTB: Upsetting the censors kind of lets you know you're still relevant, huh?

BNW: It does, I figure if I were poorly written or irrelevant there wouldn't be any sort of fuss.

IWTB: Well, if you find Brave New World too offensive to read, my suggestion is: don't. Read something else or, if you're so inclined, write something of your own that's better. And if you have concerns about what your children are reading, by all means talk to them, maybe it's not right for them. Don't let them read it, have them read something else! But you don't get to determine that for anyone else, even when "anyone else" could include other children.

Dan Ireton

Another year, another MacArthur snub

This will doubtless not surprise anyone, but once again the list of MacArthur Geniuses was released WITHOUT my name on it. I'll give you a moment to absorb that. It took me a few days, but I'm sure you'll get past it faster.

As with every other year that I've lamented my exclusion, I find it hard to maintain any level of outrage. I read every profile, watch the interviews and a little of the tension and worry I feel dissipates because truly, the world is a better place with theses geniuses in it. And the beauty of the MacArthur Fellowship (the boring name that everyone disregards in favor of the much more accurate "genius") is that it recognizes the existing awesomeness and says, "Here's a some money. Keep doing what you are doing. In fact, do more of it. Rock on."

Who are these geniuses, what is the awesomesauce they bring to the world's banquet? Here's a sample:

Jad Abumrad--I listen to Jad Abumrad all the time! Really. He created an amazing radio show called RadioLab with co-host Robert Krulwich that makes any listener a genius. How does time work? What is memory? But rather than hearing the most boring lecture imaginable, Abumrad creates a concert out of interviews and stories. A favorite episode of mine is Sound As Touch. Jump forward about 17 minutes in and listen to how he aurally illustrates the neuronal response to dissonance.

Tiya Miles is a historian (an historian?) who has focused her research on exploring and teasing out the realities of how colonial African Americans and the Cherokee people lived and interacted in the South. 

From the video, "And I feel it is just so important to bring meaningful stories of the past into the present, into today and to allow people to engage with them and to connect them back to their own lives, to think about ways in which they associate with others in their communities, to think about their civic engagement, and to try to use these stories of the past to invigorate the ways in which they connect with other people in the present."

Want to read more? We have her book the Ties That Bind: The Story of an Afro-Cherokee Family in Slavery and Freedom and it's just waiting for you!

Matthew Nock, a clinical psychologist, wants to understand "Why people do things to purposely hurt themselves." As with anything, the more we know about how and why, the more we can do to predict and prevent suicide and self-injury.

There are 19 other geniuses in all fields (parasitology, economics, poetry, developmental biology). And a wide span of ages (29-67, this year). It takes all kinds of geniuses to make the world go around. I'm pretty sure there's room for you and me. Rock on.

 

Want to read my previous lamentations? Here you go:

2006--I want to be a genius

2007--It's 2007 and I'm still not a MacArthur Genius

2008 -- the disappointment must have overwhelmed me so much that I couldn't bear to write a post. Still the geniuses were pretty genius in 2008.

2009--2009 MacArthur Geniuses announced--I'm still not one

2010--Some little girls dream of being Miss America. I want to be a MacArthur Genius

Short Cuts: Have You Found the Lost & Found?

Now that you’re knee deep into the fall semester, mucking around in heaps of chemistry notes and anthropology research, you may be tempted to make K-State Libraries your home away from home.

But as you nestle in at one of the computers on 2nd floor, prepare to camp out in the Great Room with enough homework and snacks to last all night, or drop every last one of your textbooks and notes at your favorite table in the corner of 4th floor, just remember that K-State Libraries really isn’t the same as home sweet home. We love it that you feel so comfortable here, but we also cannot stress enough that you should not leave your belongings unattended.

Don't let this happen to you! (retrieved from Flickr Creative Commons by cogdogblog)

We love to answer your research questions, but we don’t always have the happy answer when you come to us wondering if we’ve seen your USB drive, phone, or iPod. Sadly, not everyone’s unattended belongings are picked up by good-intentioned folks who turn them into us for Lost & Found. And we always want you to leave Ask a Librarian smiling and with all your questions answered!

So, a few tips to make this semester go smoothly:

• Never, ever leave your personal belongings unattended (your textbooks get lonely if you're away for too long!). Trust us, the hassle of carrying your stuff with you is far less than the hassle of losing your phone/USB drive/textbooks.
• Consider studying with a friend, so you can watch each other's personal items when you have to take that inevitable trip to the restroom.
• Always check that you have your USB drive in your possession before leaving a computer.
• Remember that the Lost & Found in Hale is at Library Help on 2nd floor --- come here if you've lost something to see if someone returned it, or if you find something that doesn't belong to you.

As this semester progresses, you're bound to get a little stressed out with homework, midterms, and papers, and losing something would only make that worse. Let's all work toward a successful semester by establishing productive habits from the get-go!

Short Cuts: Making Your Life Easier

Well, you’ve made it through four weeks of the fall semester! How are you feeling? Doing okay? If you’re like a lot of students I’ve talked to recently, you may be feeling a little overwhelmed. And, I’m here to tell you two things: one, what you’re feeling is perfectly normal and two, I have a few things to help you combat that feeling.

If you’re still wondering how to use K-State Libraries, how to find a book, or even how to navigate the perilous stacks of Hale Library, then let me tell you about some classes and tours we have in Hale. Some of our classes and tours are specifically for a few classes, such as University Experience and Orientation to Education. We also have classes on other subjects, like the coolest thing ever, RefWorks (seriously, it will change your life). If you would like to take one of these classes, all you need to do is click on Classes and Tours from our homepage and select which class you would like to take.

Now, what about your textbooks and other class reading materials? Do you have them all purchased yet? If not, you can check in Hale at Library Help on the 2nd floor to see if your professor has put your books on Reserve. That just means that you can come and check out the Course Reserve for a shortened period of time (predetermined by your professor) and either do the reading that week or scan the pages you need with one of our free scanners. If you’d rather check to see if we have the book yourself rather than going to Library Help, you can see instructions on how to do that here. For more info, you can also check out the Course Reserve webpage.

Starting your research for your assignments and not really sure where to start? Let me tell you a secret --- we have librarians who work all day helping students just like you learn how to do research and get on the right track. Okay, that’s not really a secret but it is so very true. Want to get in touch with one of those librarians? You can go to Ask A Librarian and on the right-hand side are all the different ways to talk to us and get help. You can come in and talk with someone face-to-face, e-mail, set up a one-on-one appointment, or even IM chat with a librarian.

Do you feel a little better now that you know of all these ways the Libraries can help you? I hope you do. Just remember to breathe and you’ll do great. And don’t be afraid to ask for help --- whether from us, or your advisor, teachers, or family. It’s cool to need help through college. It’s why we’re all here.

m.e. fritch

Short Cuts: Research Help in K-State Online?

Week 3 --- done! 13 to go...

As you begin settling into your routine for the semester, you should know about a special "class" in your K-State Online class organizer (KSOL). It's called "Research Help at K-State Libraries," and everybody on campus has access to it. Don't worry if you've never seen it before; you haven't missed a class and you aren't being charged!

Research Help at K-State Libraries is your portal to the Libraries through KSOL. It's a quick way to access and start your research, and is loaded with tools, tips, and apps that will make your scholarly work a little easier. Let's jump in and look at what's available to you.

The first thing you'll see when clicking on the Research Help image is our dashboard. This is the main page where you can find Library hours, quick links to writing and citing tutorials, and some great search tools to begin your research projects.

On the left, you will find the Assignment Planner App where you can get a jumpstart on your research projects. Just enter the due date of your project/paper and viola! --- the planner will create a timeline for your research process, including when to refine your topic, use library resources, and write your final draft. You can even set up email reminders to ensure that you meet the deadlines! The Assignment Planner is a great way to help yourself avoid the last minute scramble to get your project done. (Trust us, your instructors can tell...).

Don't know where to begin your research project? A great place to start is the Find It window. Here we've linked to several of our best general databases where you can find those scholarly articles your instructors want to see. You can even search ProQuest right here in your K-State Online organizer using the ProQuest search widget. If you're looking for books or other physical materials in the Libraries, there is also a link to our catalog.

We also have specialized pages specifically for many of the large classes here on campus, like Public Speaking and Expository writing, as well as pages for distance students and international students. Take some time to explore the resources created specifically for you!

We also have resources to help you with writing your papers and citing your sources. Believe it or not, librarians really love citations and bibliographies, and we've gathered some of our favorite tools here to help make your life a little easier.

You can also check today's Library building hours and librarian hours (when you can get in-person help from a librarian). If you can't make it to the Library but need help finding an article or have another research-related question, you can chat with a librarian using our IM service. Just type in your question during librarian hours, and you'll be connected to a librarian who can help.

So as the semester progresses and your instructors begin to assign your projects, remember the Research Help at K-State Libraries class in your K-State Online organizer. It's your one-stop online research shop where you can find the tools and resources that make your life a little easier.

Joelle Pitts

Hale Releasing Steam 2: Electric Boogaloo

We first ran the post below back in 2008.  We're getting a bunch of questions again, so we thought it was worth reposting.

Thanks to everyone who's reported the explosion of steam coming out of the west side of Hale Library.  That's where our steam release valve thingy is located (somewhere around the 4th floor of Hale near the SW corner.)

It's all perfectly normal.  We think the building and pipes are trying to adjust to weather changes by releasing the steam.  In case you didn't know, we're one of many buildings on campus heated by steam.  I don't know why our release is so much more spectacular than other buildings, but get your photos while you can.

I'm sure if the building could apologize, it would apologize to everyone strolling by, enjoying the lovely day who then had a heart attack when the steam exploded out of the side of the building.

-Sara K. Kearns

Short Cuts: Get (re)acquainted with K-State Libraries (we rearranged the collection on you!)

It seems as if Hale Library has taken on a mind of its own these days. It's become a sentient being whose sole desire is to make finding that book you need just a little bit harder. So you think that quantum physics book is still on that shelf in Stack C where you told yourself you'd return for it? Nope! Now it's on Stack B. First we confuse the masses at K-State, then the world (insert evil laughter here)!

Ok, so we confess that while making research slightly more inconvenient is not a solid stepping stone to world domination, it does beg the question as to why all this movement is taking place, and it has nothing to do with Hale becoming self-aware.

As strange as it may sound, all this rearranging is to better serve you, the patrons... eventually. Insert whatever cliché proverb you want into this situation --- "It's always darkest before the dawn," "You have to spend money to make money," "You had me at hello," --- the point is that when it's all said and done, a completely reorganized library will benefit you in terms of accessing materials. It has also opened up considerable amount of space to take in a bevy of new materials, ranging across countless subjects to keep your research relevant, current, and competitive.

So what will be the end result of this massive reorganization? Well, if all goes according to plan, 4th floor will house a number of unique collections separated from Hale Library's main collection. Let's take a look at what collections are now currently placed on 4th:

• Music & Art Collection: If you're looking for any books with an M or N call number in Hale Library, the music and art books respectively, they have been placed on the east side of the 4th floor into a newly-created collection conveniently known as the "Music & Art Collection." This collection also includes all Music and Art Oversize materials, as well as the Music Reference section, placed next to the 4th floor elevators. That means in the main part of the collection, we'll jump from the L call numbers to the P call numbers. (Fun fact: there are no O call numbers in the Library of Congress System. Also no I, W, X, or Y. Any guesses as to why?)
• Media Collection: Want to watch Patton or listen to a Beethoven recording? Our media cabinets containing the majority of Hale's audio and visual materials have been moved to the middle of 4th floor. In addition, all Media and CD Oversize materials have been placed next to the cabinets.

Wait, there's more! We are currently in the final stretch of the shift, attempting to get as much of the main collection off of 4th floor as we can in order to leave a section of empty shelves. What will be going in that big empty space you ask? Well, ideas like a jungle gym, go-kart track, and karaoke bar were thrown around but those seemed a little counterintuitive to what a library is all about. Instead, we decided to place more collections in those shelves. Here's what will be making its way to 4th this semester:

• LP's, which are currently located in storage, are going to see the light of day once again and rest alongside the media cabinets. Yep, the vinyl is back!
• Rooms 306 and 309 can no longer contain the growth of Juvenile Literature and the Curriculum Materials Collection so a plan is in place to move them to 4th, though no time frame on the move has been set yet.
• Folio (big books) and Oversize (really big books) are to be placed back on 4th. They will be located at the beginning of the movable stacks. If you are looking for either collection now though, Folios can be found on the west side of Room 117 and Oversize items can be requested from Library Help on 2nd floor.

Well, that's about the sum of what's taking place at Hale this moment. We are working hard to keep our stacks guide updated and the online version will generally be more up to date than the paper version, but we hope to be in sync soon!

The Library may be a little puzzling now, but a staff of friendly librarians and students are at your disposal to help you with any troubles you may have. Just visit us at Library Help and we'll be happy to assist. All we ask is that you bear with us as we get our shift in order.

Ben Hedges

Leisure Reading Collection

Want to find out more about how families and friends of the 9/11 victims coped during the last decade?  Or are you interested in the decline in America's world position?  Or just want an engaging and fast read?  Try some of the new additions to the Leisure Reading Collection.  The collection is located on 2nd floor of Hale Library (ahead and to your right as you enter).  The collection is home to fiction and non-fiction, both print and audio.  Below is a listing of some of the titles in the collection.

Title: Decade of hope : stories of grief and endurance from 9/11 families and friends / Dennis Smith with Deirdre Smith.
Author: Smith, Dennis, 1940-
Callno: HV6432.7 .S635 2011

Title: That used to be us : how America fell behind in the world it invented and how we can come back / Thomas L. Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum.
Author: Friedman, Thomas L.
Callno: BF408 .F747 2011

Title: Insideout coaching : how sports can transform lives / Joe Ehrmann with Paula Ehrmann and Gregory Jordan.
Author: Ehrmann, Joe.
Callno: GV711 .E37 2011

Title: Acceptable loss : a William Monk novel / Anne Perry.
Author: Perry, Anne.
Callno: PR6066.E693 A72 2011d

Title: Cat in a Vegas gold vendetta : a Midnight Louie mystery / Carole Nelson Douglas.
Author: Douglas, Carole Nelson.
Callno: PS3554.O8237 C27699 2011

Title: Retribution [sound recording] / Sherrilyn Kenyon.
Author: Kenyon, Sherrilyn, 1965-
Callno: COMPACT DISC PS3563.A311145 R48 2011

Title: Informant [sound recording] / Thomas Perry.
Author: Perry, Thomas, 1947-
Callno: COMPACT DISC PS3566.E718 I54 2011c

Title: Silent enemy / Thomas W. Young.
Author: Young, Thomas W., 1962-
Callno: PS3625.O97335 S55 2011

Title: Home improvement : undead edition / edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner.
Callno: PS648.H6 H63 2011

Title: Bye bye, baby [sound recording] / Max Allan Collins.
Author: Collins, Max Allan.
Callno: COMPACT DISC PS3553.O4753 B89 2011b

Title: Omen machine / Terry Goodkind.
Author: Goodkind, Terry.
Callno: PS3557.O5826 O44 2011

Title: Keeper of lost causes / Jussi Adler-Olsen ; translated by Lisa Hartford.
Author: Adler-Olsen, Jussi.
Callno: PT8176.1.D54 K8513 2011

Title: Living beyond your feelings : controlling emotions so they don't control you / Joyce Meyer.
Author: Meyer, Joyce, 1943-
Callno: BV4527 .M4385 2011

Title: Heartwishes : an Edilean novel / Jude Deveraux.
Author: Deveraux, Jude.
Callno: PS3554.E9273 H38 2011

Title: Second nature : a love story / Jacquelyn Mitchard.
Author: Mitchard, Jacquelyn.
Callno: PS3563.I7358 S43 2011

Title: Cut : a novel / George Pelecanos.
Author: Pelecanos, George P.
Callno: PS3566.E354 C88 2011

Title: Hunt the moon [sound recording] / Karen Chance.
Author: Chance, Karen.
Callno: COMPACT DISC PS3603.H3559 H86 2011b

Title: Bad always die twice / Cheryl Crane.
Author: Crane, Cheryl.
Callno: PS3603.R3795 B33 2011

Title: Dark predator / Christine Feehan.
Author: Feehan, Christine.
Callno: PS3606.E36 D387 2011

Title: Awakenings / Edward Lazellari.
Author: Lazellari, Edward.
Callno: PS3612.A983 A96 2011

Title: Buddha in the attic / Julie Otsuka.
Author: Otsuka, Julie, 1962-
Callno: PS3615.T88 B83 2011