Blog – Page 14

Share Your Best Pun for Our Valentine’s Display

January 30, 2019 by Amanda VerMeulen

You’re #1 in our book! (For our trendier readers, that’s “number one” rather than “hashtag one.”) At the LAMC, we’re crafting puns to celebrate Valentine’s Day…and National Discount Candy Day on February 15th.

We’d love to see your clever, creative, or cringeworthy puns! Come into the 1st floor of the library and write your pun on a paper cut-out waiting especially for you. We’ll post your work of art in our lobby display, where the world can admire your wit.

If you need inspiration, we have several romantic and Romantic novels available for checkout. Here are 8 of our top picks, along with staggeringly brilliant puns for each:

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Stacks; Call number: PR4167 .J3 1996
“I lava you”
After surviving childhood as an unwanted orphan, Jane readily accepts a position as governess for a mysterious and frequently absent employer, Edward Rochester. As she falls for Rochester, Jane must find a way to stay true to herself–especially when a sinister secret causes things to heat up. As in things actually catch fire. (Fun fact: my cat is named after a character in this novel. Literature: changing lives.)

Maurice by E.M. Forster
Stacks; Call number: PR6011.O58 M3 1993
“You’re my cup of tea”
Written in the 1910s, Forster’s tale of a gay man’s unrequited love remained unpublished until the 1970s. The only thing more English than the rigidity of the class system and repression of romantic feelings is tea–all of which feature heavily in this story about opposing the unwritten rules of society.

Of Love and Other Demons by Gabriel García Márquez
Stacks; Call number: PQ8180.17.A73 D4513 1995
“I’m hair for you”
On her twelfth birthday, Sierva Maria, whose beautifully flowing hair has never been cut, is bitten by a rabid dog. Following the incident, Sierva is taken to a convent, crossing paths with Father Cayetano Delaura, who has already dreamed about a girl with hair trailing after her like a bridal train.

Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel
Popular Reading; Call number: HABEL
“I love you for your braaaaaaains”
Love conquers all, so they say. But can Cupid’s arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead – or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie?

How Stella Got Her Groove Back by Terry McMillan
Popular Reading; Call number: MCMILLAN
“Shell we dance?”
Stella Payne is forty-two, divorced, a high-powered investment analyst, mother of eleven-year-old Quincy- and she does it all. But when Stella takes a spur-of-the-moment vacation to Jamaica, her world gets rocked to the core–not just by the relaxing effects of the sun and sea and an island full of attractive men, but by one man in particular.

Wild Ginger by Anchee Min
Stacks; Call number: PS3563.I4614 W35 2002
“If you were a triangle, you’d be acute one”
As Wild Ginger rises through the ranks of Maoist China, she finds herself increasingly at odds with her best friend, Maple. When both friends are interested in the same young man, will Wild Ginger’s commitment to friendship, romantic love, or Maoist principles win out?

City of Night by John Rechy
Stacks; Call number: PS3568.E28 C5 2013
“I donut know what I’d do without you”
This 1963 novel was groundbreaking in its portrayal of a young gay sex worker along a cross-country journey from New York City to San Francisco. The story includes the events of the Cooper Do-nut Riots, a 1959 uprising in which members of the LGBTQ community protested the attempted arrests of drag queens, sex workers, and a gay man at the donut establishment.

Landline by Rainbow Rowell
Popular Reading; Call number: ROWELL
“Don’t go bacon my heart”
Georgie McCool loves her husband Neal, but her marriage has been deteriorating for a long time. One night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. Through the titular landline, Georgie attempts to avoid heartbreak by fixing her marriage before it starts.

Think you can out-pun us? Visit the library to create your own pun for display!

Honoring the Legacy of Dr. King: Suggested Books and Films

January 17, 2019 by Amanda VerMeulen

black and white image of Martin Luther King Jr waves to a crowd assembled on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Public domain image from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USMC-09611.jpg

On Monday, January 21, classes will be cancelled to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The holiday recognizes King’s birthday on January 15, 1929; had King lived, he would be 90 years old.

Several events on campus commemorate King’s legacy as a Civil Rights activist, minister, and crusader against racial injustice, socioeconomic inequality, and violence of the Vietnam War. Consider attending the MLK Prayer Breakfast or lending a hand for a Day of Service on Monday. Or attend the screening and discussion of an episode from the documentary series “Eyes on the Prize” on Tuesday.

You can also honor the importance of King’s work by learning more about him and the lives of other Civil Rights activists. Did you know Martin Luther King Jr. posthumously won a Grammy in 1971? Or that Rosa Parks served on the Board of Advocates of Planned Parenthood? Check out a film, biography, or novel from the Library to dive deeper into the Civil Rights movement and its legacy.

Film

4 Little Girls

DVD Collection; Call number: F334.B69 N45 2010

When a bomb tears through the basement of a black Baptist church on a peaceful fall morning, it takes the lives of four young girls; Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley and Addie Mae Collins. This racially motivated crime, taking place at a time when the civil rights movement is burning with a new flame, could have doused that flame forever. Instead it fuels a nation’s outrage and brings Birmingham, Alabama to the forefront of America’s concern.

Citizen King

DVD Collection; Call number: E185.97.K5 C585 2004

In exploring the last few years of his life, this American Experience production traces King’s efforts to recast himself by embracing causes beyond the civil rights movement, by becoming a champion of the poor and an outspoken opponent of the war in Vietnam. Tapping into a rich archive of photographs and film footage and using diaries, letters, and eyewitness accounts of fellow activists, friends, journalists, political leaders and law enforcement officials, this film brings fresh insights to King’s impossible journey, his charismatic leadership and his truly remarkable impact.

Ely Landau’s King

DVD Collection; Call number: E185.97.K5 K564 2013

The life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., from the beginnings of the Civil Rights movement in Montgomery, Alabama, and culminating with his assassination in Memphis in 1968. Including archival footage, this film is an indispensable primary resource of a pivotal moment in American and world history. Originally screened in theaters for only a single night in 1970.

Non-fiction

Becoming King: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Making of a National Leader by Troy Jackson

Call number: E185.97.K5 J343 2008

Author Troy Jackson chronicles King’s emergence and effectiveness as a civil rights leader by examining his relationship with the people of Montgomery, Alabama. Using the sharp lens of Montgomery’s struggle for racial equality to investigate King’s burgeoning leadership, Jackson explores King’s ability to connect with the educated and the unlettered, professionals and the working class.

March by John Lewis

Call number: E840.8.L43 A3 2013 book 1

This graphic novel is a first-hand account of Congressman John Lewis’ lifelong struggle for civil and human rights, meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation. Rooted in Lewis’ personal story, it also reflects on the highs and lows of the broader civil rights movement. Book one spans Lewis’ youth in rural Alabama, his life-changing meeting with Martin Luther King, Jr., the birth of the Nashville Student Movement, and their battle to tear down segregation through nonviolent lunch counter sit-ins, building to a stunning climax on the steps of City Hall.

Power to the Poor: Black-Brown Coalition and the Fight for Economic Justice by Gordon K. Mantler

Ebook; read it here

In a major reinterpretation of civil rights and Chicano movement history, Gordon K. Mantler demonstrates how King’s unfinished crusade became the era’s most high-profile attempt at multiracial collaboration and sheds light on the interdependent relationship between racial identity and political coalition among African Americans and Mexican Americans. Mantler argues that while the fight against poverty held great potential for black-brown cooperation, such efforts also exposed the complex dynamics between the nation’s two largest minority groups.

Origins of the Dream: Hughes’ Poetry and King’s Rhetoric by W. Jason Miller

Call number: PS3515.U274 Z6844 2015

For years, some scholars have privately suspected Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech was connected to Langston Hughes’s poetry, and the link between the two was purposefully veiled through careful allusions in King’s orations. In Origins of the Dream, W. Jason Miller lifts that veil to demonstrate how Hughes’s revolutionary poetry became a measurable inflection in King’s voice, and that the influence can be found in more than just the one famous speech.

The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks by Jeanne Theoharis

Call number: F334.M753 P3883 2013

The definitive political biography of Rosa Parks examines her six decades of activism, challenging perceptions of her as an accidental actor in the civil rights movement and presenting a corrective to the popular notion of Rosa Parks.

Fiction and Poetry

Your Blues Ain’t Like Mine by Bebe Moore Campbell

Popular Reading; Call number: Fiction Campbell

Moving quickly and believably from the eve of integration in rural Mississippi to the present-day street gangs in Chicago’s housing projects, Campbell captures the gulf between pre-and post-civil rights America; her story, starting with the murder of a young black man whose trial–argued before an all-white jury–captures national attention, shows us how far we have come and yet suggests we have not come so far after all.

Words of Protest, Words of Freedom: Poetry of the American Civil Rights Movement and Era edited by Jeffrey Lamar Coleman

Call number: PS595.R32 W549 2012

Words of Protest, Words of Freedom is the first comprehensive collection of poems written during and in response to the American civil rights struggle of 1955–75. Featuring some of the most celebrated writers of the twentieth century—including Maya Angelou, Amiri Baraka, Gwendolyn Brooks, Allen Ginsberg, Robert Lowell, and Derek Walcott—alongside lesser-known poets, activists, and ordinary citizens, this anthology presents a varied and vibrant set of voices, highlighting the tremendous symbolic reach of the civil rights movement within and beyond the United States.

Dreamer: A Novel by Charles Johnson

Call number: PS3560.O3735 D7 1998

Set against the tensions of Civil Rights era America, Dreamer is a remarkable fictional excursion into the last two years of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life, when the political and personal pressures on this country’s most preeminent moral leader were the greatest. While in Chicago for his first northern campaign against poverty and inequality, King encounters Chaym Smith, whose startling physical resemblance to King wins him the job of official stand-in. Matthew Bishop, a civil rights worker and loyal follower of King, is given the task of training the smart and deeply cynical Smith for the job.

While we have many books in the Library about Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights movement, we don’t have them all. Are we missing a great book or film about King? Let us know!

Student Employee Profile: Zane Loeb

December 13, 2018 by Amanda VerMeulen

Student employee Zane Loeb has worked in libraries for a while; when he introduces himself, you can tell immediately. “It’s Z-A-N-E like Zane Grey,” he says, alluding to the prolific Western writer. “Or like Zane the erotic writer,” he adds matter-of-factly.

When considering colleges, Zane was drawn to SMCM’s beautiful campus, small class sizes, and the opportunity to develop personal relationships with faculty. Now a senior, Zane will be moving onto bigger things in the spring. First, he will wrap up those last few classes needed to earn a BA in history with a German minor. Having completed a study abroad program to Germany, Zane has put those German skills to use. While in Germany, Zane’s mother and sister visited to find Germany’s best Riesling even if they had to visit every last winery enjoy the pleasure of Zane’s company.

Zane has always enjoyed history, and his interest in the subject helped him succeed in class. The history major offered additional intrigue through a History of Piracy class tracing the colorful lives of adventurers like Bartholomew Roberts. The instructor shared rare historical documents with the class that few get to see. One of the memorable tasks students completed was to watch the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie (“the good one,” Zane clarifies) and rewrite it to be more historically accurate–though the skeleton pirates could stay.

The study of history aligns well with his goal of becoming a librarian. After working in a library during high school, Zane decided it was a place he could see himself long-term. A library veteran, Zane has been working at the LAMC for 3 ½ years–longer than some of our newer full-time members of staff! The job has been a good opportunity to gain practical experience in a different library setting. Additionally, he has enjoyed helping people solve problems, whether locating a particular book or troubleshooting a printer malfunction.

Though happy to help library patrons, Zane would like to share the following PSA about his library pet peeve: please remember to put unwanted books into the shelving bins and throw away those Daily Grind cups. Or at the very least buy us a coffee too.

When not in class or staffing the library’s circulation desk, Zane can be found participating in Fencing Club; if it’s nice outside, you’ll spot the fencers out on the tennis courts.

As for the future, there are a couple of library science programs Zane is considering close to his hometown of Columbia: University of Maryland College Park or Catholic University. Though we’ll miss Zane when he graduates from SMCM, we’re happy he will soon join us as a colleague in librarianship, the field of glamorous, successful people!

St. Mary’s Smackdown

December 11, 2018 by Amanda VerMeulen

Founded as St. Mary’s Female Seminary, St. Mary’s College of Maryland shares its name with many other “Mary” schools across the country. Though SMCM was founded as a non-sectarian boarding school to memorialize religious tolerance in colonial times, its name was very close to the Catholic school formerly known as St. Mary’s School for Boys, aka the University of Dayton. We want this post to go viral, so we have no time for supporting each other as institutions of higher learning with stories and aspirations in common. Instead, it’s Mary vs. Mary, boys vs. girls, seminary vs. school, it’s…

St. Mary’s Smackdown 2018

Competitor 1: St. Mary’s College of Maryland (formerly St. Mary’s Female Seminary)

Fighting out of the navy blue (and white) corner is the national public honors college of Maryland. Coming in strong with 1,533 students, SMCM offers Bachelor’s degrees in the liberal arts and a Master of Arts in Teaching, ready to school its rivals.

Competitor 2: University of Dayton (formerly St. Mary’s School for Boys)

Currently in the red (and blue) corner, a private Catholic Marianist university in Ohio. With 10,899 students, Bachelor’s, Master’s, Doctorate programs, and a law school, will UD crush the opposition beyond a reasonable doubt?

Round 1: 1840 vs. 1850

SMCM: founded in 1840, SMCM is the older (and wiser?) competitor.

UD: clocking in at 1850, UD is the younger (and reckless?) contender.

Results: As they say, age before beauty. Another cool fact about 1840: it was the year Claude Monet was born.

On the other hand, 1850 was the year the London Zoo brought in its first hippopotamus (following a complex chain of events, ultimately leading to the birth of adorable Fiona the hippo at the Cincinnati Zoo!). Hmmmm…Monet vs. hippos. I can guess who would win in a fight, but I’ve never seen a hippo paint a pond filled with water lilies.

Round 2: Doll vs. Dolls

SMCM: The Library, Archives, and Media Center is home to Margaret Brent–that is, the doll version. Brent was credited with keeping the young but full of drama St. Mary’s City alive (it was in its tween years) with her savvy as executor of the governor’s estate. An unmarried woman who immigrated to colonial Maryland in the late 1630s, she was also the first woman to petition the court for the right to vote, though she was denied (see “History — patriarchy” for more information). Fun fact: Margaret Brent (the person, not the doll) has a building on campus, the college’s De Soura Brent Scholars program, and a local middle school named after her.

UD: Roesch Library houses the (in)famous Pauline A. Money nun doll collection. Representing habits of religious orders around the world, the nun dolls also serve as a reminder that the 6th floor silent policy will be enforced…by library staff who may politely suggest a different floor for your group work. They are strongly suspected to move on their own late at night.

Results: Strength in numbers falls in the nun dolls’ favor; however, their commitment to non-violence may hold them back (in mortal if not spiritual matters). Either way, I wouldn’t want to meet any of these dolls down a dark alley.

Round 3: Fire vs. Explosion

SMCM: in 1924, a fire destroyed the Main Building on campus and most of the college’s records. The fire started after an overfilled boiler exploded; as far as we know, this is the school’s only connection to the events in The Shining. The students of SMCM lived in temporary housing until 1925, when a new building–now known as Calvert Hall–was finished.

UD: throughout the 1920s, UD experienced attacks from members of the KKK who targeted Catholics in the Dayton area, many of them immigrants. One of the most serious incidents occurred in 1923, when members of the Klan set off bombs on campus and set a large cross alight. Students and neighbors banded together to drive off the attackers.*

Results: The loss of historically important records, damage to property, and fear yield no real winners here. The 1920s were challenging years on both campuses, yet the communities endured, demonstrating their resilience through hardship.

*SMCM also experienced a great deal of anti-Catholic sentiments as the Know Nothing party gained popularity in the 1850s. During this period, a principal and teacher were fired for selling an anti-Catholic book, The School-girl in France, or, The Snares of Popery.

Round 4: Mascots — Man vs. Nature

SMCM mascot: Solomon the Seahawk, osprey. Locally, Solomons is a tourist spot in Maryland named for Isaac Solomon, cannery owner/operator and inventor of a speedy method for canning food.

UD mascot: Rudy Flyer, human. Adopted as the school’s mascot in honor of the Wright B. Flyer, invented in the First in Flight city of Dayton (don’t @ me, North Carolina).

Results: Based on punning alone, I don’t know of any mascot that beats rUDy Flyer. However, I have to wonder whether Rudy’s ever-present aviator goggles hide a sinister secret.

Both mascots are creatures frequently found in the sky, and I like to believe they would coexist peacefully. Solomon could share his fish catches with Rudy, and Rudy could provide a perch on the Wright B. Flyer when Solomon’s wings get tired.

As you may have suspected by now, we think both SMCM and UD are great, whether they are “St. Mary’s” schools today or in the past. Let us be united in the ways our histories parallel and enjoy that somehow the libraries at both schools have doll collections.

Of course, we’re more than willing to hear dissenting opinions on this topic. Who do you think wins St. Mary’s Smackdown 2018?

Our friendly rivals at the University of Dayton Libraries have posted this piece on their blog here.

Find more information about the history of St. Mary’s College of Maryland in the following resources:

- About St. Mary’s: History of the College. http://www.smcm.edu/about/history4/history-of-the-college
- Archives of St. Mary’s College of Maryland

Haugaard, J.B., Wilkinson, S.G., and King, J.A. St. Mary’s: A “When-Did?” Timeline (2007). https://library.smcm.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/editedWhenDid-Timeline1.pdf

Find more information about the history of the University of Dayton in the following resources:

- About the University of Dayton: History. https://udayton.edu/about/history.php

Trollinger, W.V. “Hearing the Silence: The University of Dayton, the Ku Klux Klan, and Catholic Universities and Colleges in the 1920s” (2013). History Faculty Publications. Paper 11. http://ecommons.udayton.edu/hst_fac_pub/11

These Are a Few of Our Favorite Reads: Recommended Reads for Break, LAMC Staff Edition

December 10, 2018 by Amanda VerMeulen

You’re almost there–well on your way to the last day of fall semester! Why not treat yourself with a celebratory read or two to enjoy over break? Books in the stacks and our Popular Reading collection can be checked out for 28 days, so no need to stress about due dates. Here are some staff favorites if you need advice on what to read next. Where possible, we’ve even nicely arranged these together on the 1st floor of the library because we know you’ve worked hard this semester and don’t need to deal with another set of stairs or waiting on the elevator.

Cheryl Colson, Collections Technician and resident baker
Tailspin by Sandra Brown (USMAI)
Engaging who done it. If you like mysteries, this is the perfect read to keep you on the edge of your seat over break!

Kent Randell, Librarian
Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer (Stacks), Call number: CT9971.M35 K73 1996
After graduating college, Christopher McCandless tramped around North America, sometimes in his car, and after his car was destroyed in a desert flash flood, then on foot. His ultimate death in an abandoned school bus in Alaska adds weight to the story.
An interesting character study into the life of a tramp and the people he met along his journey. McClandless’ final months and death in isolation become a reflection on a human being’s place in society. Krakauer’s narration is neither too breezy or too wordy, and treats all of the characters in the story with a high degree of sympathy without becoming too sentimental.

Amanda VerMeulen, Librarian
NOS4A2 by Joe Hill (Popular Reading), Call number: F HILL
Need some horror to balance all the Hallmark movies? Take a ride with Charlie Manx to “Christmasland,” the most terrifying amusement park ever imagined. If you’re lucky you just might survive this holiday outing.

William Crowell, Visiting Librarian
Hogfather: A Novel of Discworld by Terry Pratchett (USMAI)
On Discworld, children look forward to Hogswatch Night, when the Hogfather comes to bring them presents. This year, a group of beings known as the Auditors want to stop that from happening by any means necessary. They hire Mr. Teatime (it’s pronounced “Teh-ah-tim-eh”), a psychotic assassin, to ensure that it does not.
The only beings standing between the assassin and his target are Death’s granddaughter, Susan Sto Helit, the Death of Rodents, a talking Raven named Quoth, and Bilious, the Oh God of Hangovers. The stakes are much higher than toys, however. If they can’t stop Teatime’s plot, then the next morning, the sun won’t rise over the Disc.
What better way to celebrate the season than to read a story about winter holidays on Terry Pratchett’s Discworld? And if that story contains magic, assassins, and a meditation on the nature of humanity, belief, and childhood, then more’s the better!
Additionally, if you’ve never read a Discworld novel, this is a fun, self-contained story that can serve as your introduction to the beloved fantasy series. (Speaking of introductions to the series, if you can’t get your hands on Hogfather, the SMCM Library also has Mort and Guards! Guards!, which are also both great, though less seasonally appropriate.)

PEMM
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (Popular Reading), Call number: F GYASI or Kindle (check one out from the front desk)
Homegoing is a set of loosely connected short stories chronicling the African Diaspora from the Gold Coast to the west coast and back again. Although the collection is arranged chronologically it skips over enough history that readers may want to spend some time Googling to fill in historical gaps.
Interesting and worth the read. Readers may find themselves reflecting on our current cultural moment and the history of race and the African American diaspora in the U.S.

The Ghost Network by Catie Disabato (Popular Reading), Call number: F DISABATO
Molly Metropolis, is a global outrun electro-infused pop star famous for her “Apocalypse Dance” music video and her fascination with the Situationists. She makes maps and spectacle and disappears before a big show showcasing her new album in Chicago. Her assistant tries to track her down and gets lost in the “L.” There are missing girls, maps and unless you are seriously into philosophy, and avant-garde art, Wikipedia.
Read this to pick a side: Lady Gaga vs. Janelle Monáe. The consensus is that bi-racial Molly Metropolis is based on Lady Gaga rather than the creator of the album Metropolis (2007) and song/video Dance Apocalypse (2013.)

Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart (Popular Reading), Call number: F STEWART
The Kopp sisters’ buggy is hit by Henry Kaufman’s motor car in Paterson, NJ. The women and the buggy is damaged. Constance, the eldest sister, requests that Kaufman pay to repair the buggy. The buggy is the sister’s only means of transportation and they are of limited means. The three women live in a farmhouse in Bergen County, New Jersey and cherish their independence. Because Kaufman was drinking when he hit them Constance assumes he will take responsibility for the accident and pay te repair bill. He doesn’t. In fact, rather than pay for the repairs he begins to harass the sisters, going as far as to stalk them and threaten their lives with his Black Hand compatriots.
The novel is a fictionalized account but all of the key elements of the story are true right down to an article in the “Philadelphia Sun” headlined, “Girl Waits with Gun.” (11/23/1914) There is lot’s of action, a juicy backstory, snappy writing and a side mystery that will keep you reading. Although Constance is the lead character all three of the Kopp sisters hold their own and you will root for them and despite the odds they win. You might even say they persisted.

Kate Pitcher, Director of the LAMC
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (Popular Reading), Call number: F MURAKAMI
A dystopian novel set in the year 1984, it follows the parallel stories of Aomame, a young Japanese woman with a mysterious past, and Tengo, a young man who seems to live an ordinary life on the surface, until he is pulled into an editorial conspiracy involving the rewrite of a fantastical story by a young adult named Fuka-Eri. The novel is set in an alternative timeline in the year of 1984, and blends mystery, love story, surrealism, and fantasy all in one.
Thought-provoking and captivating, 1Q84 is a meditative reflection on the fantastical and the ordinary. Disturbing at times, it always makes you think.

Jillian Sandy, Visiting Librarian
Watership Down by Richard Adams (Stacks), Call number: PR6051.D345 W3
Though far from perfect, the rabbits of Sandleford warren enjoy rather tranquil lives. That is, until runt of the litter Fiver insists terrible things are coming for the warren. His brother Hazel is one of the few to act on these warnings, leading a small group of rabbits in a quest to find a new home amidst the many dangers that lie in wait for a rabbit with nowhere to hide.
Added bonus: get spoilers ahead of the Netflix series (planned for release later this month)! Or compare to the 1978 animated film adaptation that traumatized many a Millennial (including this one). Not only is the story suspenseful and the writing great, but the characters seem real, and the folk tales of the rabbit trickster figure El-ahrairah absolutely come to life. There’s a reason this is still a beloved fantasy novel over 40 years later.

Whether you pick up one of our recommended reads or not, we will miss you over break! Stay safe and warm on your travels and know we’ll still have plenty of reads once you get back!

Library & Media Center Hours: Fall 2018 Exam Edition

December 6, 2018 by Amanda VerMeulen

The Library and Media Center will have extended hours for all the studying you need to do to prep for exams.

Best of luck!!!!!!!!!

Library & Media Center: Fall 2017 Exam Hours

Sunday December 9 – Friday December 14

	LIBRARY	MEDIA CENTER
Sunday, Dec. 9	12 PM – 1 AM	CLOSED
Monday, Dec. 10	8 AM – 1 AM	8 AM – 12 AM
Tuesday – Wednesday, Dec. 11-12	8 AM – 12 AM	8 AM – 12 AM
Thursday, Dec. 13	8 AM – 9 PM	8 AM – 5 PM
Friday, Dec. 14	8 AM – 5 pm	8 AM – 5 pm
Saturday – Sunday, Dec. 15-16	CLOSED	CLOSED

Student Employee Profile: Cam Kelley

November 19, 2018 by Amanda VerMeulen

Library student employee Cam Kelley is quick to recognize everyone on campus she considers “a delight of a person.” Happy to talk about her English major and minor in Theater Studies, Cam takes obvious pride in the SMCM community and the ways we support each other. According to Cam, she is an English major because “I like to have a little joy in my life!” The minor in Theater provides an interesting lens to approach the English major and to enjoy the collaborative process of theater. She has especially enjoyed JCB’s Victorian Adaptations and Leah Mazur’s Costume Design class.

Currently a junior planning to graduate in the spring of 2020, Cam will continue studying at SMCM for an additional year as she earns a Master of Arts in Teaching. While working at a preschool for the past two summers, Cam discovered how much she enjoys working with kids, resulting in her decision to pursue the Master’s degree. Ultimately, Cam hopes to teach at an elementary school and become a published novelist.

Though born in the area, Cam has lived for several years in Wisconsin. Cam has close ties to campus; her parents held the baby shower for a fetal Cam at Queen Anne Hall.

Among the many colleges Cam toured while selecting a school, SMCM stood out. She remembers talking to Robin Bates for almost an hour about some of the exciting SMP projects students were researching. In addition, SMCM stood out as a place full of life and character.

Cam has worked at the library for 1 year, since the fall of her sophomore year. With librarian parents, it was kind of inevitable. Cam remembers years spent keeping herself entertained in the quiet reading area while her parents worked. After briefly considering working at the Daily Grind, Cam decided she prefers books to making coffee and enjoys the chill environment of the library. Besides, everyone at the library is so nice (and we didn’t even have to pay her to say so!). As a bonus, Cam relishes the opportunity to meet virtually everyone on campus and learn about what others are reading and researching.

In addition to her role as a student employee at the library, Cam is a fellow for SMART, the Sexual Misconduct Advocacy and Resource Team. SMART provides a 24/7 sexual misconduct hotline and hosts events on campus to provide sex education to students. Essentially, SMART aims to make sure everyone on campus feels comfortable and safe, and knows where to turn if they don’t.

Cam will complete an SMP that focuses on modern-day monsters and how they represent the fears we have retained over time, as well as those we no longer experience. She will combine her interests in creative writing with her research skills to create an SMP that is part fiction, part essay.

As far as the future is concerned, Cam has many ideas. She may pursue a PhD and a future as a professor or focus on elementary literacy. Either way, you can be fairly certain Cam will be writing. We’re looking forward to reading that novel; in the meantime, we’re glad to have Cam working here at the library with us!

Thanksgiving Hours 2018

November 14, 2018 by Amanda VerMeulen

Image: Evan Amos [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

The SMCM Library and Media Center will have reduced hours / be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday. The website, databases, and ebooks will still be available if you need to some scholarly research to settle an argument around the Thanksgiving table.

Library

Tuesday, November 20: 8am-6pm
Wednesday, November 21: CLOSED
Thursday, November 22: CLOSED (Happy Thanksgiving!)
Friday, November 23: CLOSED
Saturday, November 24: CLOSED
Sunday, November 25: Noon-midnight

Media Center

Tuesday, November 20: 8am-6pm
Wednesday, November 21: CLOSED
Thursday, November 22: CLOSED (Happy Thanksgiving!)
Friday, November 23: CLOSED
Saturday, November 24: CLOSED
Sunday, November 25: CLOSED

Have a safe and relaxing break!

Welcome Melissa Johnson to the LAMC

November 2, 2018 by Amanda VerMeulen

Please welcome Melissa Johnson to the role of Customer Services Supervisor in the Library. Since September 2018, you may have seen Melissa at the Circulation Desk. Stop by and say hi if you haven’t met her yet!

As a native Marylander and resident of St. Mary’s County since 1989, I am so please to join the SMCM Library staff. I am a 2002 graduate of Salisbury University with a BA in 2-Dimensional Design with a crippling fear of showing her work! And what does an artist do when this is the case? You go into retail! So far, my career has centered around customer service and retail management, where I was the Assistant Manager at our local Old Navy for 4.5 years. This is where I became interested in training and developing employees, not only being their resource for company policy and procedure, but a teacher of many life skills. After 15+ years in retail, I decided to switch gears and find a career that is more people focused and not driven by the ol’ mighty $ (and there was no way I would survive another Black Friday/Holiday Season in retail!). Now, I am excited to share my knowledge base and skills with the SMCM community.

One of the greatest things about working at the SMCM Library is being surrounded by books! I’m hoping my new work environment will prompt me to read more of the books that fill my house and not just add to the ever growing reading list that I have compiled throughout the years. It has also sparked my interest in learning (in the classroom, that is, ‘cause you’re always learning!) and I hope to continue my education both professionally and personally. In my spare time, spend time with my friends and family, I watch A LOT of tv and movies (Prime Video is my friend) and try to get away from home to explore new places when I can. I have also rediscovered my interest in photography and am looking forward to taking pictures of this beautiful campus and the surrounding area.