Site of the Day: “A Different View”

Wow. Take a look at this photograph  of the Houston Cole Library taken by Jay Williams and posted on his Website titled “A Different View.” This is a “different view” of the Houston Cole Library, indeed!  Mr. Williams refers to himself as an amateur photographer, but I browsed through his gallery and think his work is amazing. I REALLY love “Overlook” which also shows off the Houston Cole Library.

Of course, if one does a Google image search for “Houston Cole Library,” there are many great photos of our building. It’s interesting to see photos of the library because so many photos are taken from the 12th floor balcony of Houston Cole. For us librarians, one of the most meaningful photos was the one that made the cover of Choice magazine in 2005, thanks to Ms. Latham, who submitted the photograph to this well-known book review source.

My own view of the Houston Cole Library

And the next stop on the mystery tour is…

brace yourself folks…the Houston Cole Library!

The Houston Cole Library was honored to be the latest stop on Anniston’s South Highland Community Center’s “mystery tour.” For some of the members, this was a trip down memory lane. Mr. Joe Hoffman, Director of the tours, and Ms. Lanier were former JSU Students. Ms. Lanier was a nursing student and Mr. Hoffman majored in physical education and recreation. Ms. Betty Hawkins enjoyed visiting JSU because her niece is currently enrolled as a freshman. In the Alabama Gallery, we were able to find the yearbook picture of one of Ms. Mason’s daughters (see photo). Two of her daughters formerly attended JSU.

Dean Graham welcomed the group and reminded them that this is their library, as well, and invited them to come back and enjoy the library’s coffee shop, resources, and events. One upcoming Friends of the Library event, he mentioned, is “Alabama’s Nat King Cole,” a presentation by Daphne Simpkins,  writer and instructor at Auburn University at Montgomery. Ms. Simkins will discuss the life and times of Nat King Cole who was born in Montgomery, Alabama. This event is free and open to the public. Visit the Friends of the Houston Cole Library Web site  for more information about this special presentation.

The group spent time looking through Mimosa & Teacola Yearbooks, as well as historical pictures of Jacksonville State University in the Alabama Gallery. When I showed the group an old cataloging book for keeping records for library books purchased, one of the group members recalled cataloging books in a similar method when she worked at one of the high schools in Calhoun County. I also told the group about our digital collection of freely acccessible resources online from the Library Web site. These resources include access to JSU’s student newspaper, The Chanticleer; The Jacksonville Republican (issues from 1837-1895); full text access to Effie White Sawyer’s The First Hundred Years: The History of Jacksonville State University, 1883-1983; the Harry Strange Collection; The Life and Times of Houston Cole; and an oral history collection.

The highlight of the library tour, naturally, was our spectacular panoramic view from the 12^th floor balcony. Mr. Hoffman kind of took over as tour guide as he pointed out all the buildings and facilities on campus to group members. In his reminiscing, he told us that guys used to watch the girls sunbathing on the top of their dorms from the 12^th floor back in the eighties. Those crazy eighties!

I thoroughly enjoyed meeting members of the Highlands Community Center group today and hope they come back and visit often.

New Children & Young Adult Books

Check out some of the latest children’s and young adult books at the Houston Cole Library. Click on titles for reviews from Amazon.com. So far, my favorite picture books are Robot Zot!; Eye for Color; Mermaid Queen: the Spectacular True Story of Annette Kellerman, Who Swam her Way to Fame, Fortune, and Swimsuit History!;  Jeremy Draws a Monster; Bog Baby; and Sleepy Little Alphabet: a Bedtime Story from Alphabet Town.  My favorite young adult books from this latest batch are The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis and The Sweetheart of Prosper County. I’m currently reading Tales of the Madman Underground (an Historical Romance 1973) .

• Truce: the Day the Soldiers Stopped Fighting by Jim Murphy
• Fairies and Magical Creatures by Mathew Reinhart and Robert Sabuda
• Mermaid Queen: the Spectacular True Story of Annette Kellerman, who Swam her Way to Fame, Fortune, and Swimsuit History by Shana Corey/ Illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham
• Eye for Color: the Story of Josef Albers by Natasha Wing/ Illustrated by Julia Breckenreid
• More about Boy: Roald Dahl’s Tales from Childhood by Roald Dahl
• Sky Magic: Poems by Lee Bennett Hopkins/ Illustrated by Mariusz Stawarski
• My People by Langston Hughes
• Stitches: a Memoir by David Small
• Wild Things by Dave Eggers
• All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon/ Illustrated by Marla Frazee
• Sweetheart of Prosper County by Jill S. Alexander  
• Tales of the Madman Underground (an Historical Romance 1973) by John Barnes
• What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell
• Demon’s Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan
• Fire by Kristin Cashore
• Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko
• Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
• Thunder-Boomer! by Shutta Crum/ Illustrated by Carol Thompson
• Lost Conspiracy by Frances Hardinge
• Jeremy Draws a Monster by Peter McCarty
• Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis by Barbara O’Connor
• Season of Gifts by Richard Peck
• Creature of the Night by Kate Thompson
• The Uglies, Pretties, Extras, and Specials series by David Westerfeld (this series is several years old but ordered based on reviews from our intern)
• Elephants Cannot Dance! by Mo Willems
• Bog Baby by Jeanne Willis/ Illustrated by Gwen Millward
• Callie’s Rules by Naomi Zucker
• Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
• Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
• How do you Wokka-wokka by Elizabeth Bluemle/ Illustrated by Randy Cecil
• Billy and Milly, Short and Silly by Eve B. Feldman/ Illustrated by Tuesday Mourning
• Only a Witch Can Fly by Alison McGhee/ Illustrated by Taeeun Yoo
• Sleepy Little Alphabet: a Bedtime Story from Alphabet Town by Judy Sierra/ Illustrated by Melissa Sweet
• Cars on Mars: the Roving the Red Planet by Alexandra Siy
• Never Smile at a Monkey: and 17 Other Important Things to Remember by Steve Jenkins
• Frog Scientist by Pamela S. Turner/ Photographs by Andy Comins
• Recycle this Book: 100 Top Children’s Book Authors Tell You How to Go Green/ Edited by Dan Gutman
• Machines go to Work by William Low
• The Boy Who Invented TV: the Sory of Philo Farnsworth by Kathleen Krull/ Illustrated by Greg Couch
• Dog Biscuit by Helen Cooper
• Egg Drop by Mini Grey
• Days of Little Texas by R.A. Nelson
• Messing around on the Monkey Bars: and Other School Poems for Two Voices by Betsy Franco/ Illustrated by Jessie Hartland
• Joe and Sparky Get New Wheels by Jamie Michalak/ Illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz
• Let’s do Nothing by Tony Fucile
• Storm in the Barn by Matt Phelan
• Just the Right Size: why Big Animals are Big and Little Animals are Little by Nicola Davies/ Illustrated by Neal Layton
• When Stella was Very, Very Small by Marie Louise-Gay
• Thumb and the Bad Guys by Ken Roberts
• It’s Useful to Have a Duck: It’s Useful to Have a Boy by Isol
• Can You Make a Scary Face by Jan Thomas
• T-Minus: the Race to the Moon by Jim Ottaviani/ Illustrated by Zander Cannon & Kevin Cannon
• Day-Glo Brothers: the True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer’s Bright Ideas and Brand-new Colors by Chris Barton/ Illustrated by Tony Persiani
• Eternal Smile: Three Stories by Gene Luen Yang & Derek Kirk Kim
• Clover Twig and the Magical Cottage by Kaye Umansky/ Illustrated by Johanna Wright
• Young Inferno by John Agard/ Illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura
  

Fold in, Fold out, Fold off! Taking Picture Books to Another Dimension

Stretch it out or shape it into a circle big enough to sit in! Panorama: a Foldout Book written by French authors, Fani Marceau and Joelle Jolivet, invites readers to explore the globe through detailed pictures which can be read in book format or folded out into a circle or any other shape. Sit outside the circle and explore countries throughout the World where it is daytime and then hop in the circle and explore these same lands where night has fallen. 

The reader begins their journey in a city where a fellow traveler beckons the reader to “Come take a tour around the world! Come have a great adventure!”  (Marceau & Jolivet). From the city, the reader starts their journey through the Ganges River Delta in Bangladesh and takes in the sights and sounds, captured in each detailed picture, through their trek across the Adrar Desert, the Andes Mountains, the Scottish Highlands, the Bosporus in Turkey, the Carpathian Mountains, and on and on towards wherever each foldout page takes them.   When the reader reaches what appears to be the end of the book,  their journey does not end but leads them back home where the night offers different sights and sounds of each region passed through.         
                                  “Night Falls, it’s time to go home.
                                   In the dark, what is different? (Marceau & Jolivet).
While the text is sparce, there are so many new delights to discover on every page with each new view. Many stories from across the World emerge from the beautifully illustrated pictures. So fold in! fold out! fold off! and let yourself explore a whole new dimension in picture book art.

Frog and Toad are Back!

In The Frogs and Toads all Sang, Adrianne Lobel, daughter of Caldecott medalist, Arnold Lobel (1933-1987), brings to light recently- discovered poems about Frog and Toad in lighthearted, carefree watercolor splashes.  Watch a video here of Ms. Lobel discussing the inspiration for this book.

Picture copyright of www2.scholastic.com

The poems, handmade as personal gift books for  friends,  were found in an estate sale by a collector of children’s picture books and donated to Adrianne Lobel. The poems and sketches of “Frog and Toad” were written in the sixties, prior to Lobel’s famous Frog and Toad series, and represent his first conception of the beloved characters so many of us fondly remember. Adrianne Lobel attempts to recreate her father’s sketches of Frog and Toad in this book while adding her own special touch.

These fun and silly poems of tadpole curricula at “Polliwog School” or fast-driving frogs who don’t stop for redlights, wear fur coats, dance in the streets, and jump to the moon are sure to lighten any mood. Encore! Encore!

Touchdown!~ Recent Books on Football

When in doubt, punt! ~John Heisman

Alas, college football has come to an end. The Gamecock’s next football season opens against Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi on September 4th. In the mean time, fight football season withdrawal syndrome by checking out recently - published books on football in our sports section on the 5th floor of the Houston Cole Library.   Here is a sample of some of the books you will find with links to Amazon reviews.

Coach Tommy Thompson and the Boys of Sequoyah by Patti Dickinson and Chadwick Smith

Gridiron Gauntlet: the Story of Men who Integrated Pro Football, In Their Own Words by Andy Piascik

Beer, Babes, and Balls: Masculinity and Sports Talk Radio  by David Nylund and Eric Anderson

Dixieland Delight: a Football Season on the Road in  the Southeastern Conference by Clay Travis

ESPN: the Company: the Story and Lessons Behind the Most Fanatical Brand in Sports  by Anthony Smith and Keith Hollihan

From Peanuts to the Pressbox by Eli Gold

Game Day: a Rollicking Journey to the Heart of College Football by Craig James

 

Strong Arm Tactics: A Historical and Statistical Analysis of the Professional Quarterback by John Maxymuk 

The Glory Game: How the 1958 NFL Championship Changed Football Forever by Frank Gifford & Peter Richmond 

Bear’s Boy’s Thirty-Six Men Whose Lives Were Changed by Coach Paul Bryant  by Eli Gold & M. B. Roberts

100 Things Auburn Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die by Evan Woodbery

Game Day and God: Football, Faith and Politics in the American South by Eric Bain Selbo

A Tiger Walk through History: the Complete Story of Auburn Football from 1892 to the Tuberville Era by Paul Hemphill

Urban’s Way: Urban Meyer, the Florida Gators, and His Plan to Win by Buddy Martin 

About Them Dawgs!: Georgia Football’s Memorable Teams and Players by Patrick Garbin

The Pro Football Historical Abstract: A Hardcore Fan’s Guide to All-time Player Rankings by Sean Lahman

How Good Do You Want To Be: A Champion’s Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life by Nick Saban and Nick Curtis

Keep informed about our JSU Gamecocks from the Athletic Department Web Site & see you at the games next fall! Until then, happy reading & GO GAMECOCKS!

Welcome Back!

Blustery view from the 12th floor library balcony (first week back at JSU)

A good library will never be too neat, or too dusty, because somebody will always be in it, taking books off the shelves and staying up late reading them.  ~Lemony Snicket

Dear JSU Students, Faculty, Staff, and Guests,

Welcome back for the Spring 2010 Semester. Come warm up at the library with a cup of hot chocolate from our new coffee shop, Jazzman’s Cafe, which is also now serving chili and soup! Please check back often as I will be posting news on new sports, education, and children’s books, as well as new features available in our databases. 

 Students, remember I am your personal research consultant   (I like the way that sounds). Please visit me on the 5th floor or email me (charnigo@jsu.edu) with any questions regarding library resources and research.  Let’s make this a productive, fun, and enlightening semester!

Arctic blast on the 12th floor balcony at the Houston Cole Library

Student of the Semester

Farrah Vise Galligan, native of Heflin, Alabama, is the 2009 Library’s Education Student of the Fall Semester. Ms. Galligan, made an “A” in Dr. Staub’s Research in Education (EFD 500) class, one of the most challenging classes in graduate education. Ms. Galligan was a dedicated patron of the 5th floor during the fall semester. In fact, Ms. Galligan studied so much on the 5th floor that she told me she actually answered a reference question one day when I was  not on  the floor.

For her research topic, Ms. Galligan chose a topic dear to her heart- the effect of the No Child Left Behind Act on the humanities, particularly history curricula. Ms. Galligan found that due to the emphasis of the No Child Left Behind Act on reading and math, subjects such as history, art, and music are being sorely neglected. As a strong proponent of the humanities as an important part of school curricula, I enjoyed discussing this topic with Ms. Galligan.

Congratulations to Ms. Galligan for her hard work and dedication in EFD 500 and for her efficient and effective use of library resources.

Library Displays: September

September’s display features an array of work from JSU art students. Included among the pieces are cyanotypes, graphic designs, and printmaking.

"The Duality of Photosynthesis" by Anna Jacob

Cyanotype, I discovered, is a photographic printing process. For an explanation and history of cyanotypes, see Mike Ware’s Alternative Photography Web site.  Also, see this YouTube video by Anthony Maddaloni on how to make cyanotype prints.

"Haiku Book" by Anna Jacob"

 

"Fashionable History" by Heather Miller

For the circulation entrance, library staff created a display on JSU history and facts. Check out the library’s digital collections page to access past issues of the student newspaper,  The First 100 Years:  The History of Jacksonville State University, 1883-1983 by Effie Sawyer, the Life and Times of Houston Cole (for whom the library is named), and other resources such as the “Oral History Collection” conducted by students in an American History class.

Library Coffee Shop in Full Swing!

Ah! How sweet coffee tastes! Lovelier than a thousand kisses, sweeter far than muscatel wine! -”Coffee Cantata”, J.S. Bach

The coffee shop appears to be a big hit with students, faculty, staff, and ME! I love Jazzman’s Cafe & Bakery, the new coffee shop in the Houston Cole Library. Karen, the lady in charge of setting up shop in the morning and my new favorite friend when I’m ready for my coffee, told me that business was really starting to take off.

As I came in to work this morning, I thought I would stop and get a cup of coffee real quick, but there was a huge line of students. Later, I came down and got my usual (I already have a usual); a supreme-sized hazelnut coffee. It smells and tastes great. I have tried their blueberry and mocha cappuccino muffins which were to die for.  Today, I might try one of their sandwiches or salads for lunch.

It’s great to see students discussing their classwork  or working on their laptops over cups of coffee and hot chocolate.  Since the coffee shop and bakery are in the lobby, the first thing our patrons now encounter is a pleasant, inviting smell. Who doesn’t like the smell of coffee and pastries?  Personally, I think coffee and research belong together.