Common Read 2012

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie is SDSU’s Common Read book for 2012.  The choice was revealed during a special party at the library on May 1st. Attendees enjoyed refreshments and received free copies of the book courtesy of the library.

This is the fourth year for SDSU’s Common Read.  Previous selections were Outcasts United, Mountains Beyond Mountains, and Three Cups of Tea.  Many students enrolled in First Year Seminar courses will be reading and discussing the current selection this fall.   A slate of activities centered on the book and its subject matter will be announced later.

Linda Kott
Information Services Librarian

Advertisement

Library Renovations

The library is embarking on a remodeling project in our Technical Services area, on the west side of the building.  Remodeling and rearranging staff members’ work areas will provide room so that the Department of International Affairs can relocate here in the fall.

While construction crews are working, you will see items stored around the library and staff members making due with temporary offices.  Many Technical Services staff members are sharing tight quarters in Room 105.

Archives & Special Collections on the library’s upper level has a remodeling project of its own.  This project, scheduled for completion around April 30, will result in improved study space for the Daschle collection and an increased capability for meetings.

Please excuse any mess or noise that results from these projects.  Please let us know at the Library Services Desk if we can help you navigate the library during our “construction season.”

Linda Kott
Information Services Librarian

National Information Literacy Awareness Month

By Presidential Proclamation October is National Information Literacy Awareness month! In today’s digital world, people who are information literate know how to find, access, and critically evaluate information to improve their health, environment, education, and productivity.

Having this skill set empowers us to make informed decisions about our lives and, in essence, take more responsibility for our individual welfare and that of the nation.

Take a few minutes to recognize and appreciate the information literacy skills that you use every day. Try to imagine what your life would be like without them.

If you have any questions about what information literacy is or feel that your skills aren’t up to par, stop by the Information Services Desk and chat with a Librarian. We would be glad to help you out!

Dean of Briggs Library Retires in June

A retirement reception will be held for Dr. David Gleim, Dean of Libraies, on Wednesday, June 15, 2:30 – 4:00 pm. Please join us in the Recent Fiction area on the main level of Briggs Library for toasting, roasting and refreshments.

Dr. Gleim has been the Dean of Libraries since July 2007 and will retire in June. He will be the last head of Briggs Library to hold the title of Dean. He will be followed by a Chief University Librarian. During his tenure at SDSU, the library has seen some exciting changes and some long-overdue changes, as well. Among these changes, the library

• Moved to a single service desk for its reference, circulation, reserve, and interlibrary loan operations
• Added a coffee and sandwich shop
• Welcomed the Honors College into the building
• Welcomed the campus Teaching/Learning Center into its midst
• Replaced bright orange carpet on the lower level
• Installed compact shelving on the lower level
• Constructed a beautiful new Archives area that houses the Sen. Daschle Congressional Research Study Room

Dr. Gleim has been active in the South Dakota Library Association and currently serves on the SDLN Executive Committee. He also sits on the Friends of the Brookings Public Library Board and on the Board of the Wegner Health Sciences Information Center. When not sitting on a board or standing at his desk in the dean’s office, he is a running enthusiast who has competed in local and regional marathons and half-marathons. He also spends time in the classroom at SDSU improving the Spanish skills he needs when traveling in Mexico where he and his wife plan to live following their retirements. His staff and colleagues at SDSU are grateful that he chose Briggs Library as the place to end his long and productive library career.

We hope to see you in the library for this celebration on June 15th!

Susan Schleicher
Information Services

New Laser Printers Coming this Fall

Library staff members are pleased to report that we will install two new black and white laser printers this fall.  This summer we are making due with one black and white printer and one color printer.  In addition to these printers found in the library’s lobby, users may print from the computer lab located on the library’s main level.

The library will continue to subsidize printing and keep the prices at $.05 per page for black and white copies and $.15 per page for color copies.

Linda Kott
Information Services Librarian

Study Break Treats

Morning Study Break Beverages

These appealing beverages were available in the library’s lobby this morning.  Check out the post below for details about morning and evening study breaks during finals week.

 Good luck to everyone on their final exams!

 Linda Kott
Information Services Librarian

Study Breaks During Finals Week

Watch A YouTube Video About  Briggs Library Study Breaks

It’s become a tradition for Briggs Library staff members to host evening study breaks during finals week.  This semester, Briggs Library will hold morning study breaks as well.

 Evening Breaks

 Enjoy coffee, cookies, and lemonade to help keep you going.

 Refreshments will be offered Sunday, Monday, & Tuesday, May 1-3, starting around 7 p.m. in Room 105 of the library.

 Morning Breaks

 Enjoy a morning pick-me-up of coffee or juice on Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday mornings, May 2-4, starting at 8 a.m. in the library’s lobby.

 Linda Kott
Information Service Librarian

Challenged Books

The American Library Association (ALA) recently published its Top Ten List of the Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2010.  The most challenged book of 2010 was And Tango Makes Three, a children’s book about two male penguins raising a chick in the Central Park Zoo.  Reasons for challenging the book included “unsuited for age group,” “religious viewpoint,” and “homosexuality.”    

 Barbara Jones, director of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, notes that “While we firmly support the right of every reader to choose or reject a book for themselves or their families, those objecting to a particular book should not be given the power to restrict other readers’ right to access and read that book.”  Jones goes on to say: “As members of a pluralistic and complex society, we must have free access to a diverse range of viewpoints on the human condition in order to foster critical thinking and understanding.  We must protect one of the most precious of our fundamental rights – the freedom to read” (“And Tango Makes Three”…, 2011, para. 4)

 You can exercise your freedom to read by reading challenged books, including the following four books challenged in 2010 and held in our collection.  Check the library catalog to see if the books are checked out or on the shelf.  Ask a librarian for help in using the catalog or any library resource.

• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
  Recent Fiction/Main Level PS3551.L35774 A27 2007
• Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
  Upper Level PR6015.U9 B65
• Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America by Barbara Ehrenreich
  Upper Level HD4918 .E375 2001
• Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
  Recent Fiction/Main Level PS3613.E979 T84 2005

Linda Kott
Information Services Librarian

 References

“And Tango Makes Three” waddles its way back to number one slot as America’s most frequently challenged book. (2011, April 11). American Libraries. Retrieved from http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/

Thermos Winners

During National Library Week Briggs Library users entered daily raffles for a themos.  Congratulation to the winners:

Monday – Yeshitila Belayneh
Tuesday – Kyle Avocato
Wednesday – Cassandra Lukkes
Thursday – Kayla Wieskus
Friday – Alex Hoffman

Linda Kott, Information Services Librarian

Celebrate Your Library

 

Students & Staff Celebrate National Library Week with Ice Cream

Alas!  National Library Week ends on Saturday 16 April.  We don’t have ice cream every week, but you can celebrate your library every week by using its resources and services. 

 For example, remember the library is a great place for studying.  We have extended hours during finals week.  Connect to our Library Hours page for details.  Also, as you work on your last research projects of the semester, remember you can ask librarians questions.  Click on the Ask Us link on the library’s homepage for information about contacting a librarian in person, by phone, or via e-mail or chat.

 Linda Kott
Information Services Librarian