Do you like to eat? Boy, I do. Plus I also like to read. If only there was a way to combine those joys!
And yet, like a miracle, there is a way! On April 1st (I swear this is not an April Fools’ joke) the library will hold our second annual Edible Books contest. Joining libraries all over the world, you can create a delectable treat inspired by your favorite book. The best entries will get prizes – including a new prize this year! Enter on behalf of a department or student organization and you could win a whole basket full of books!
Then comes the best part; eating. All those edible books get to serve the purpose they were made for. So join us at noon on April 1st in the Hayes Hall atrium! The event is free of charge and everyone is welcome to attend (even if you can’t cook). For more information, contact Julianne Stout at extension 204 or jbstout@iue.edu.
If you need a little inspiration, an international gallery of past entries is available online here.
Hello, I’m Hamid, a work study student at the library. There are a few misconceptions about library workers, and I’d like to tell you about what I do.
Most of the time when I say that I work at a library, there is an assumption that I shush students and get to read all day. This is not the case. There is always something that needs to be done in a library; the top priority is to keep the books on the shelves. There are lots of books checked out, left lying out, or even mailed by patrons every day, and those books eventually make it back to us.
If you look around the library, there’s much more than books; there are displays which were conceptualized by the librarians, but to become a reality they required the library backbone of student workers! We can be found dangling off ladders hanging mobiles, or power cleaning, or moving archived sets of National Geographic to the top shelves. Also, to make the public computers less public, we sanitize the mice and keyboards every day, and clean the fingerprints off screens as necessary.
Luckily, as patrons, you give us the break we need from our regular work, and we are glad to help you whenever we can. So ask us whenever you need anything, and even if you don’t be sure to say hello.
So, in case you hadn’t noticed, the library’s just launched a new web site. And one big thing that’s changed was something that surprised me.
A lot of the words I use all the time and think are obvious are instead off-putting jargon to people. So while the old website was filled with ambiguous words like ‘databases’ and ‘reference’ and the like, words that could mean different things in different contexts, people wanted words that describe what they’re actually there to do. Words like research.
So our Aaron Hill and our other talented friends in marketing did a lot of reading and usability testing and put together a website that does just that. Things are called what people expect them to be called. The page is less cluttered with extra material so that it’s easy to narrow in on what you really wanted to find anyway. You might have to click a few more times than you’re used to, but the choices will be clearer. No searching a huge block of text for the one link you really want!
With IU East moving in so many new and exciting directions, we want to be sure that we keep up with what you actually need. And because, despite all my effort to the contrary, I am not yet a mind reader, we need your feedback!
So, we’ve got a user survey online. It only takes about ten minutes to fill out. The survey can be taken at http://www.iue.edu/ctl/survey/library/usersurvey.htm – just log in with your IU username and password. Your answers will not be linked back to you.
I can already hear some of you saying, “But what if I don’t like taking surveys?” Don’t worry, this is the good kind of survey, because you get candy for doing it. You even get a choice – sweet or tart candy! Oh yeah, and a bookmark. But I’m a realist; obviously the candy is more important to most of you than the bookmark.
Once you’ve finished the survey, go to the library front desk and ask for your candy. A sweet reward now, and better service in the future! A great combination!
Snowbound, what to do now? Read an actual, physical book!
Imagine there is a snowstorm and electricity is out…but you have one of those “snuggles” blankies so you’re not worried about the cold. Also, you were prepared enough to have batteries in a big flashlight, so you’re all set to ….read a book!
As library director, I am surrounded daily by books, and I teach a course at IU East focused on children’s books, and I really DO read books…but sometimes it takes a weather-enforced break to do the proverbial curling up with a good book (and in my case, also with a good cat). Norah the cat actually appreciated this book because it featured a very clever cat like herself – the Cheshire cat. Yes, I had a copy of Alice in Wonderland on my home bookshelf, begging to be re-read for the umpteenth time. I try to read it at least once a year because there is so much Life philosophy in it that I like to reflect on from varied perspectives as my life moves onward. My favorite quote is “I knew who I was when I woke up this morning, but I seem to have changed many times since.” It’s in chapter five, “Advice from a caterpillar.” I figure taking advice from an insect is as useful as any.
By Juli Stout, Coordinator of Circulation and Marketing
I grew up on a farm across the field from the Wilbur Wright Memorial Birthplace during the 1950s and 1960s. Children’s books in rural Henry County didn’t look much like today’s do. I remember books with very little color – the drawings were in black and white. And the books that I borrowed from the county bookmobile always had a funny “bookish” smell that I couldn’t quite identify.
The bookmobile came to our house every two weeks and if the neighbors wanted any books, they parked in our lower lot. (I thought that the bookmobile came just for us, but I do remember members of the Wilmont family crowding in before I was done! Stinky was two years ahead of me at Millville Elementary, and in one of my many brother’s class. He was always standing right where I needed to be to reach the books on the higher shelves. He showed me the Cowboy and Injun books he had chosen, and I was not impressed.)
There were ten in my family and, I must say, we kept the librarian busy trying to please us. She limited it to two of us on the bus at a time, and we were never allowed to take out as many books as I felt I needed to hold me until her next visit! No matter how stuffy (or stinky!) it got on the bookmobile, my bus librarian always smelled of Cashmere Bouquet dusting powder. I thought that she had the best job in the world, and I couldn’t wait until I was old enough to look at ALL the books on ALL her shelves. I loved Miss Patty, and when I think of her it’s with the halo of the bus’ rear-view mirror behind her head. Imagine my shock the first time I stepped inside a library and realized that she didn’t drive around with ALL the books!
The only event that topped a visit from the bookmobile was one from the Jewel Tea man. But that’s another story…
A murder in the library! And only you can solve the crime! Or help commit it…
The IU East Drama club, Humanities club, and the Friends of the Library will hold a Murder Mystery play on April 17th, and we’re looking for some enthusiastic actors to portray the characters!
The play is set in the 1920s, and heavy on the dramatic mood of the time. Anyone is welcome to audition – students, faculty, staff, community residents. If you’ve had a dramatic itch, or want to try out being an actor, this is the perfect opportunity for you!
You could be famed sleuth Sherlock Poems. Or head librarian Noelle Ital. Or the murderer… well, they didn’t tell me who the murderer is. I guess they thought I’d blab about it in a blog or something.
Don’t like dialogue? We could use a half dozen flappers and dancers that can do the Charleston, as well.
You can contact Frances Yates to schedule an audition anytime before February 22nd. Just call her at (765) 973-8470 or email at fyates@iue.edu.
So, now that we have a video tour, what next? Now it’s your turn! The library is launching a contest for informational videos. They don’t have to be full tours, although they can be. You can highlight anything you want – a resource you particularly like, favorite places to be or things to do in the library, an interview – whatever you feel comfortable making.
The top three videos (based on user comments) will win prizes – $50.00 cash for first prize, a $25.00 gas card for second place, and a $10.00 gas card for third! The finished video should be in the neighborhood of 2 to 4 minutes, and showcase some feature of the library. The contest is open to students, staff, and professors alike.
So be creative! We welcome wackiness and off-the-wall innovation. Whatever your idea is – maybe you want to lead a tour with an accent and wearing a pith helmet, like the library is an archeological site. You could wear thematic costumes in different sections of the library. Maybe you want to do it at night, with the lights off, in shaky-cam Blair Witch fashion. Or do it fast, moving backwards like the camera’s following you paparazzi-style. Prefer something more interactive? Maybe you might set it up in Flash like a choose-your-adventure book. Fancy camera work not your thing? Do a video in rhyming faux-Shakespearean couplets. Whatever you want to do, we want to see it. If you need special arrangements to use the library or an unusual setup, contact me to arrange them (mdilwort@iue.edu, or x279). I know you can do amazing things!
Submissions can be entered up to Friday, February 26th! If you haven’t seen it, our Barbie Action Figure tour is on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IENKivi3pEg.
Hey, Matt here again, reference and media coordinator for the library.
So, some of our regular patrons have been seeing my office strewn with Barbie dolls. And no doubt you’ve thought that me dressing and posing toys is a phenomenal use of your tuition money. But it’s all been for a purpose! I promise!
We would like to proudly present the Library video tour, now posted on IU East’s YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IENKivi3pEg. All those Barbie action figures were being prepared for this. Now you can tour the library from the comfort of your own home, meeting the library staff and seeing the facility, through our action figure avatars.
Action figures are a good medium for this. We firmly believe that the library is a place of action, and it’s here where you take action as well – after you’ve gotten out of class, you get the chance to apply what you’ve learned, researching and thinking critically to prepare for your papers, projects, and other personalized work. It is here where you truly put your own mark on your education experience. You’re not just reading what has come before – you’re contributing to the scholarly dialogue. You’re in control. In short, you’re ready for action!
Whether you’re visiting the library in person or on the web, we’re ready for action, too. We’re looking forward to working with you!
The IU East library is designed to be your information center but there may be times when you can’t make it to campus. When that happens the library’s website is the perfect place to get started on your research.
If you can’t get what you need on our website you might need to use other websites. Anyone can put anything on the internet so here are a few hints to make sure you get good information. Check websites for:
Authority – are the author and sponsor identified? is the author qualified? is the sponsor identified and reputable?
Up-to-date – does the site tell when it was last updated? was the update recent?
Accuracy – is the information given reliable & error free?
Bias – what is the site’s objective? is it designed to sway opinion? is it advertising something?
Citations – does the site say where it got its information?
