Emmanuel d’Alzon LibraryLink Vol. 15 No. 3 The Newsletter of the Emmanuel d’Alzon Library Spring 2010 Assumption College, Worcester, Massachusetts USA Table of Contents: National Library Week 1 Summer Hours 1 From the Director’s Desk 2 Communities Thrive 2 Staff News 3 Exam Hours 3 Farewell Students 4 Quirky Subject Headings 4 By the Numbers 5 D’Alzon Arts 6 Online Job Searching Tips 6 Reintegrating Man 7 Take a Look At 7 From the Back Cover 8 New Website 8 Editor: Nancy O’Sullivan Contributors: Mary Brunelle, Liz Maisey, Joan O’Rourke, Julie O’Shea, Nancy O’Sullivan, Carol Pappas, Doris Ann Sweet, Phil Waterman, Janice Wilbur and Laurie Welling National Library Week By Phil Waterman Each year, National Library Week is celebrated in April to recognize the significant contributions that libraries make to their communities. This year’s theme was “Communities Thrive @ Your Library.” The d’Alzon Library decided to focus on the environment and exam- ine how the Assumption community is helping the Col- lege “go green.” On the evening of April 15, the Library presented “An Inspiring Look at Conser- vation,” a program devoted to examining the connection between environmen- talism and faith, and examining how members of the Assumption community are helping to make our campus more eco-friendly. After opening remarks from Director of Library Services Doris Ann Sweet, the audience watched segments of the movie Renewal, a feature-length documentary on America’s religious-environmental movement. The Library was fortunate and pleased to have one of the filmmakers present at the program. Emmy Award- winning filmmaker Marty Ostrow introduced the film and participated in a ques- tion and answer session after the movie. Ostrow explained that after working on the PBS documentary series Race to Save the Planet, he wanted to explore the deeper connections between people, their spirituality and the earth. Renewal was the movie that resulted from his exploration. After the question and answer session with Ostrow, there was a panel discussion with representatives from Assumption’s Campus Ministry, Buildings and Grounds, Dining Services, the Environmental Club, Information Technology, and the Library. These groups described their environmental activities on cam- pus. The collective environmental activities described by the panelists demonstrated an impressive and inspiring commitment to sustainability from the Assumption community. Some of the activities described by the panelists included Campus Ministry’s commitment over the past year to link environmentalism and spiritual- ity; Dining Services’ implementation of tray-less dining and goal of creating a community garden in the near future; the Environmental Club’s promotion of double-sided printing in the Library to save paper; Information Technology’s recycling of used computer equipment; and Building and Grounds’ plans to in- stall solar panels on the roof of the Library. Last, but not least, Laurie Welling, Systems Librarian, explained how the Library’s print management system, Go- Print, has helped reduce paper use by allowing students to delete unnecessary print jobs before they are sent to the printer. The film screening and panel discussion were supplemented by a display of recent books published in the area of environmentalism. The Library has a copy of Renewal available in its collection. Summer Hours (Summer Sessions) Monday-Thursday: 8am-7pm Friday: 9am-4:30pm Saturday & Sunday: CLOSED See the full schedule on our website for more details. From the Director’s Desk By Doris Ann Sweet With the end of the academic year in sight, the d’Alzon Library is busier than ever. Students are studying, meeting to work on group projects, doing research for their individual papers and pro- jects, and using library computers to write papers and carry out other assignments. This seasonal buzz of activity represents our raison d’être, but also, as an intense period of use, provides us with anecdotal information about what our students want and need from the Library. Reference ques- tions sometimes indicate areas where the reference, database or general book collections could be strengthened. Interlibrary loan requests often do the same. Instructions sessions help us under- stand where and how students look for information. While interactions with students provide insights into the ways they use library resources and sug- gest ways our systems could be more intuitive, we are also striving to involve students directly in determining ways their experience using the library and its resources can be improved. An example is an upcoming usability study of the revamped Library website we expect to roll out this summer. Several students will be asked to participate in the study to make sure the site uses language that makes sense to them, highlights the most heavily-used resources, and is easy to navigate. The Library values input from all of its users, in whatever form that input arrives. Contact me at 508-767-7272 or dasweet@assumption.edu or any member or the Library staff if you have suggestions for library improvements, and certainly if you have any requests for additions to the collections. 2 Communities Thrive @ Your Library: An Inspiring Look at Conservation By Carol Pappas In conjunction with this year’s National Library Week event, Communities Thrive @ Your Library: An Inspiring Look at Conservation, the d’Alzon Library has purchased several new books about ecology, conservation, and the climate crisis. In Ecological Intelligence: How Knowing the Hidden Impacts of What We Buy Can Change Everything, author Daniel Goleman exam- ines the processes involved with creating, transporting, storing and ultimately consuming and disposing of “stuff.” Nobel Laureate Al Gore follows up An Inconvenient Truth with his new offering, Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis. He explains how the harnessing of renewable energy sources will solve an entire matrix of global traumas. This new book truly is a catalog for a bet- ter world and a practical guide to solar, wind, and geothermal power. In Slow Death by Rub- ber Duck: the Secret Danger of Everyday Things by Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie, the au- thors explain that the most dangerous pollution comes from commonplace items in our homes and workplaces. Climatologist James Hansen, censored by the Bush administration, spent decades studying the role fossil fuels play in global warming. He felt compelled to write his first book out of concern about the potentially catastrophic future facing his grandchildren: Storms of My Grandchil- dren : The Truth about the Coming Climate Catastrophe and Our Last Chance to Save Humanity. Steven Solomon’s Water: the Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civiliza- tion reconstructs the history of civilization in order to show the importance of water in human development. Theodore Roosevelt is known as the “naturalist president” for his efforts in protecting wildlife and wilderness and for merging preservation and patriotism into an American ideal. In The Wilderness Warrior, Douglas Brinkley explores the influences, personal relationships, and frontier adventures that shaped Roosevelt’s proto-green views. Come to the library to see these and other books about ecology and the climate crisis. New Staff By Doris Ann Sweet We are thrilled to introduce two new staff members who began work at the d’Alzon Library on March 1. Kelly Jo Woodside is the new Head of Refer- ence and Information Literacy Services, and Vivienne Anthony is Interli- brary Loan/Circulation Assistant. Kelly comes from Simmons College, where she served as the Information Literacy Librarian and prior to that as the Career Services Librar- ian. She has also worked as a librarian at the New England School of Law and at Roxbury Community College. While attending the Graduate School of Library and Information- Science at Simmons part-time, Kelly worked full-time as Director of Aca- demic Advising and Assistant to the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. In 2008, Kelly was one of 40 librarians selected from a nationwide pool to at- tend a week-long institute on information literacy sponsored by the Asso- ciation of College and Research Libraries. Subsequently, as part of her work at the Simmons College Library, Kelly oversaw a college-wide process to develop a comprehensive mission and vision statement for information lit- eracy. She also worked with faculty to redesign the information literacy components of Simmons’s required first-year course. Welcome, Kelly! Kelly can be reached at 508 767-7020 or kwoodside@assumption.edu. Vivienne Anthony recently moved to the Worcester area from Pennsylvania, where she worked as a Library Assistant/Processor in the Oak Park Elementary—North Penn School Dis- trict for eleven years. Her work included a wide range of responsibilities, including circulation, interlibrary loan and supervision of volunteer workers. Prior to that, Vivienne worked in the medical field as a Dental Sur- gery Assistant and Periodontal Nurse. Vivienne has an Associate in Fine Arts degree from Montgomery County Community College, and enjoys painting in oil whenever she can. We are hoping she will be a future d’Alzon Arts exhibitor. Welcome, Vivienne! Vivienne can be reached at 508-767- 7291 or vanthony@assumption.edu. 3 Final Exam Hours The d’Alzon Library will be open during final exams as follows: Tuesday-Friday, May 4-7 8am-2am Saturday, May 8 8am-12am Sunday, May 9 11am-2am Monday-Tuesday, May 10-11 8am-4:30pm Good Luck! Have a great summer! On March 23, 2010, Reference/ Information Literacy Librarian, Barrie Mooney, her husband, Matt, and their two daughters, Jordan and Ryann, welcomed twin baby boys, Stefan and Michael. Congratulations, Barrie!!!!!! 4 Good-bye to Graduating Student Workers By Janice Wilbur We have 9 students graduating this year, leaving the Library and Assumption College to continue on to their next venture. This time of year is always bitter- sweet for the library staff. We regret the students’ leaving us but know they have great things ahead of them. The following is a list of the 2010 graduating students: Maureen Reynolds Melissa Theberge Courtney Crosby Jon Cleary Kate O’Malley Steve Grassey Alex Washburn Alicia Pinto Lauren Jigarjian We asked the students to comment on their years at the library and at Assump- tion. The following are some remarks. Courtney Crosby My experience at the library has helped me to grow and realize my true poten- tial. I have learned several things about myself since I was a freshman here at Assumption. Working during the daytime gave me a good work ethic in terms of time management when it came to completing ILL’s and other projects. I always strove to finish as much of them as I could before my shift was over. There was such a sense of accomplishment when I was able to do that. I also noticed that my customer service skills started to improve as a result of helping students and staff locate materials or answer their questions. One thing that really helped me grow as a person was working the closing shift. I began to love the responsibility of closing the library and felt good inside knowing that others trusted me to do so. This is a quality that has helped me obtain several job interviews as I approach graduation. Over all I would not trade this experi- ence for anything. I have enjoyed everything I have learned working at the li- brary and feel it has helped me to grow during my time here at Assumption. I will truly miss working at the Emmanuel d’Alzon Library. Lauren Jigarjian Working at the library has been a great experience for me. I found that with my library training I was able to use the library resources effectively. Not only was I able to use the resources myself, but I was able to assist my friends and peers with any questions they would have. I enjoyed the friendly library staff, and al- ways felt welcome. Working at the library has allowed me to make friends that I might not have made if I had not worked there. Overall, my four years work- ing at the library was a pleasant and educational experience. Melissa Theberge Working at the library has been a helpful experience. It has allowed me to be able to know how to use the resources and be able to help others with what I have learned from working here. By working here you are able to learn a few tricks about being able to research and find what you are looking for that you wouldn't necessarily know how to do. There is always something to do or someone to help so the hours you work are never boring. Working at the library has been a good experience. Cont’d on next page Quirky Subject Headings By Mary Brunelle Choosing to search the library catalog by subject can help you locate items in the library, but it is sometimes hard to know the correct subject term. Here are a few of our favor- ites from the Library of Con- gress: Human beings—Effect of climate on Live food Cat dolls Moonquakes Hurdy-gurdy music Intrusive thoughts Paper hat making Dentists’ bookplates Fear of contamination Animal clutches Robot wrists Slackers Red light running Parties for dogs And my #1 all-time favorite: Posthumous marriage 5 Cont’d from previous page Kate O’Malley Walking in as a shy freshman to Assumption College, it was comfort- ing to know that I had a few close colleagues at the library that I could call my friends. Over the last four years, I consider these friends my family. I have been supported in several aspects of my life by these people, and I will have nothing but fond memories to look back on. One of the most important lessons I have learned while working at the library is team work. It takes a lot of people to run the library, and I don't think I would have enjoyed working so much if it wasn't for these people. In between classes I find myself in the back chatting with Janice and Larry or catching up with Barrie and Nancy. I spend long hours studying at the library when I have a perfectly good single in South. As my time at Assumption comes to an end, I am confident I will bring responsibility, maturity and a strong work ethic to what- ever career I embark on. I wouldn't have been able to say that if I hadn't worked at the library, because these characteristics are what I observed and what I have learned over my four years as a work study student. Alex Washburn I really enjoyed working at the library over the years. The staff here is extremely supportive, understanding, nice, and easy to work with, which makes this place a pleasant environment to work. I also gained some useful skills, such as how to operate fax and copy machines, and my organizational, communication, and research skills improved while working here. It has truly been a positive work experience. Alicia Pinto Of all the buildings on campus, the Emanuel d’Alzon library has probably been the one I have spent the most amount of time in dur- ing my time at Assumption. It has been a place where I have gone to escape the activity of the dorms, worked as a work study student, be- gun all-nighters, had study parties, bonded with students from classes, listened to Larry the Librarian’s infamous puns, procrastinated, worked hard and met friends. The Library has played an integral part in my college experience, and it is a place I will look back on and re- member for the many memories I have made here. It is a place where I got involved on campus and met many great students as an em- ployee and met many friendly and supportive staff as well. The library has been a wonderful place to work, and I know the time I spent there will help me be successful beyond Assumption in more ways than one. Recent d’Alzon Arts Forty-Seven Books about Emmanuel d’Alzon in the Library’s Collection d'alzon.jpg 308 Books Written by Assumptionists in the Library’s Collection 99 RED Books in the Reference Religion Collection d’Alzon by the Numbers By Liz Maisey By Joan O’Rourke On Tuesday, March 2, we celebrated the opening of the Exposing Through Disposing series of sculptures by Lucy Marcigliano ’91. The unique sculptures were created using objects once used in everyday life, many of which in- voke a feeling of nostalgia. Items such as Pick-Up Sticks and the rolling eraser with the brush on the end are clev- erly pieced together resulting in interesting sculptures that beg further examination. The artist’s remarks were both interesting and entertaining. Lucy describes herself as an “experienced trash picker who delights in rescuing the unwanted.” Members of the Assumption and greater Worcester communities enjoyed the exhibit. The much anticipated D’Alzon Arts events featuring Assumption students were scheduled in April. The Student Poetry Reading occurred on Friday, April 16. We celebrated the poetry of Stephanie Giguere, Kristen Miller, Meghan Christensen, Matt Owens, Terry Stanford, Jonathan Bishop, Danielle Bean, Leslie Higgins, and other stu- dent poets. The final exhibition of the year was the Senior Seminar Art Show. The show opened on Tuesday, April 20. Fea- tured artists include Cathryn Cortesa, Lisa Corrigan Egan, Elaine Haapanen, Nick Nyca, Kate O’Malley, Dylan Ritchotte, and Vinny Yacuzzi, Jr. Thank you to all the students for sharing your artistic endeavors! Top Five Tips for Your Online Job Search By Kelly Jo Woodside 6 On April 12, the d’Alzon Library and the Office of Career Services co-presented a workshop on job search resources and strategies for graduating seniors and students seeking internships or summer employment. Fol- lowing are some of the tips covered: 1. Learn more about your career options by using a career exploration tool such as the Occupational Outlook Handbook (http://www.bls.gov/oco/) or the Massachusetts Career Information System (http:// masscis.intocareers.org/). You also can read through interesting job advertisements to learn more about responsibilities and qualifications common to a particular type of position or area of interest. 2. Try using RSS feeds or email alerts to help you keep track of job postings from different websites. RSS stands for “really simple syndication,” and it lets you have new web content delivered to you via a feed reader such as Google Reader or Bloglines. To learn more about RSS, check out these videos: http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=0klgLsSxGsU and http://www.timeatlas.com/tutorials/indeed.htm. 3. Be sure to have a version of your resume formatted properly for electronic submission. The Riley Guide has guidelines at http://www.rileyguide.com/eresume.html. Looking for resume and cover letter samples online? Try Virginia Tech’s career page at http://tinyurl.com/yeurl6c. 4. Make sure you have a professional online presence! Search yourself on Google, Facebook, MySpace, You- Tube, and any other sites you’ve used regularly to be sure there is nothing you wouldn’t want potential em- ployers to see. Also, be sure to use a professional email address for employment correspondence (such as zacharysmith@gmail.com, not the zakster@gmail.com). 5. Looking for a job in the local area? Try the job postings on the Worcester Telegram and Gazette site at http:// www.worcesterworks.com/ or the Boston Globe site at http://www.boston.com/jobs/?p1=GN_Jobs. (The Globe has jobs for Central Massachusetts, as well as Boston and other regions.) For more information about these tips and resources, contact me in the d’Alzon Library at kwood- side@assumption.edu. And be sure to visit the Office of Career Services (http://www1.assumption.edu/ stulife/studev/careerservices/default.php) for help with all aspects of your job search! Please send books to the Library Attention: Julie O’Shea Reintegrating Man By Julie O’Shea On April 9-10, Assumption College hosted a conference en- titled Reintegrating Man: The Spirit of French Catholi- cism in America. Various speakers addressed the influence of prominent 20th-century French authors including Charles Peguy, Paul Claudel, Francois Mauriac, Jacques Maritain, and Etienne Gilson, on famous American writers like Flannery O’Connor, Walker Percy and Caroline Gordon. In conjunction with the conference, the Emmanuel d'Alzon Library created a display of books by these authors just inside the first floor Reading Room. 7 The Library is accepting donations of gently- used books for our 7th Annual Book Sale this September. Take a look at... Hispanic American Periodical Index (HAPI) This recently-acquired database contains over 275,000 journal article cita- tions about Central America, South America, the Caribbean, Mexico, Brazil, and Hispanics/Latinos in the United States. Research Guides The research guides have been updated to help with your research. You will find recommended books, databases and websites for each subject, links to citation help, and database tutorials. Click on Research Guides on the library homepage. From the Back Cover By Mary Brunelle Christ the Conqueror of Hell: The Descent into Hades from an Orthodox Perspective by Archbishop Hilarion Alfeyev “This in-depth study on the realm of death presents a message of hope held by the first generation of Christians and the early church. Using Scripture, patristic tradition, early Christian poetry, and liturgical texts, Archbishop Hilarion explores the mysterious and enigmatic event of Christ’s descent into Hades and its consequences for the human race.” — Google Books The New Bach Reader: A Life of Johann Sebastian Bach in Let- ters and Documents edited by Hans T. David and Arthur Mendel; revised and enlarged by Christoph Wolff “Through hundreds of letters, family papers, anecdotes, and records, the Bach Reader established a new approach to biography by offering original documents in impeccable translations. In The New Bach Reader, Christoph Wolff has incorporated numerous facsimiles and added many newly discovered items, reflecting the current state of scholarship about the composer’s life and music.” — Amazon.com Gen BuY: How Tweens, Teens, and Twenty-Somethings are Revolutionizing Retail by Kit Yarrow, Jayne O'Donnell “Thanks to extensive research, including one-on-one interviews, focus groups and a national online survey, the authors offer an astute look at the motivations of these powerful consumers. They show how societal shifts contributed to a generation that’s strongly connected to shopping; they also present Gen Y’s unique— often gendered—buying behaviors.” — Amazon.com Sweet Land of Liberty: The Forgotten Struggle for Civil Rights in the North by Thomas J. Sugrue “Sweet Land of Liberty is Thomas J. Sugrue’s epic, revelatory account of the abiding quest for justice in states from Illinois to New York, and of how the intense northern struggle differed from and was inspired by the fight down South. Sugrue’s panoramic view sweeps from the 1920s to the present—more than eighty of the most decisive years in American history.” — Back Cover Women’s Writing in Italy, 1400-1650 by Virginia Cox “Using a comparative analysis of women’s activities as artists, musicians, composers, and actresses, Cox lo- cates women’s writing in its broader contexts and considers how gender reflects and reinvents conventional narratives of literary change.” — Google Books 8 New Library Website: Tell Us What You Think The d’Alzon Library will be unveiling a new website in the summer of 2010. The primary reasons for creat- ing this new site are to integrate the library website with the new look of the Assumption college website, and make the library site more visually appealing and user-friendly.