Celebrated author Neil Gaiman speaks about the importance of libraries and librarians in today's economy and information landscape:
"Google can bring you back, you know, 100,000 answers. A librarian can bring you back the right one."
Thanks to John Kennerly of Erskine College and the Library Stuff Blog by Steven Cohen.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Paper Airplane Contest
That's right, We're hosting a paper airplane contest!
On Tuesday, April 20 at 11:00am and 7:45pm, planes will be launched from the second floor through the atrium down to the first floor.You may use only the following materials to build your paper airplane:
* 1-2 standard-size sheets of used computer paper (supplied by library)
* 1 standard paper clip (optional)
* 3 inches of tape (optional)
* a dab of glue (optional)
* 3 staples (optional)
* 1 standard paper clip (optional)
* 3 inches of tape (optional)
* a dab of glue (optional)
* 3 staples (optional)
The top 3 airplanes with the longest distance will win fabulous prizes!!!
Congratulations to Thaddeus Abreu and Wall Boatwright for winning our 2010 Airplane Contest!
"That was so fancy flying, boys!"
Congratulations to Thaddeus Abreu and Wall Boatwright for winning our 2010 Airplane Contest!
"That was so fancy flying, boys!"
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Coker Library to be "book-free" by 2012
April 1st, 2010
Hartsville, SC: The Coker College Library, known as the Charles W. and Joan S. Coker Library-Information Technology Center, announced that it will become effectively "book-free" by early 2012. The announcement was made following the fanfare of the inauguration of the liberal arts college's 16th president, Dr. Robert L. Wyatt on March 26th.
So what will happen to the more than 70,000 volumes currently held at the library? According to library and school officials, there will be a large book sale, followed by a large bonfire for the remaining unsold books.
Special flamethrowers for the bonfire have been ordered already. "These [flamethrowers] are designed to ignite books and other printed material at the perfect temperature, 451 degrees Fahrenheit," says Electronic Resources and Instruction Librarian Todd Rix. "From the ashes of these books, a new method of learning will rise, like a Phoenix," continues Rix. "It will be very symbolic."
In the books' place, the school will distribute e-book readers and other mobile devices like the netbooks, iPads, and other tablet PCs to their faculty and students beginning next Fall. These devices will be able to download or access thousands of books, journals, and other materials for as long as they either employed or attend Coker College.
The Coker librarians feel that it was time for a change. "We felt it was time to look to the future and hold true to our new president's mantra of 'redefining ready,'" says Alexa Bartel, Director of the Library. "It's a new way of delivering content to reach a broader audience," says Melinda Deyasi, Assistant Director of the Library. "The books are dusty and take up WAY too much room," adds Rix.
Not surprisingly, opinion on campus has been mixed:
"This is an outrage. What's wrong with real books and journals in a library? They are an essential part of learning! Disgraceful!" exclaims Dr. Joseph Rubinstein, professor of education, before shuffling away in disgust.
Business professors Dr. Darryl Holliday and Dr. Joseph Stevano issued a joint statement applauding the move: "We support this move. It shows how forward thinking our librarians really are."
"I think it's an interesting idea -- I spend all day looking at some sort of digital device. What difference does a few hours more a day make?" says first-year student Erin Record, of Anderson, SC.
An anonymous student asked "Can we roast marshmallows at the bonfire? That would be really cool."
Not all of the books will be destroyed or sold, however. Mr. Rix stated that he would probably keep the library's copy of H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds for posterity.
Hartsville, SC: The Coker College Library, known as the Charles W. and Joan S. Coker Library-Information Technology Center, announced that it will become effectively "book-free" by early 2012. The announcement was made following the fanfare of the inauguration of the liberal arts college's 16th president, Dr. Robert L. Wyatt on March 26th.
So what will happen to the more than 70,000 volumes currently held at the library? According to library and school officials, there will be a large book sale, followed by a large bonfire for the remaining unsold books.
Special flamethrowers for the bonfire have been ordered already. "These [flamethrowers] are designed to ignite books and other printed material at the perfect temperature, 451 degrees Fahrenheit," says Electronic Resources and Instruction Librarian Todd Rix. "From the ashes of these books, a new method of learning will rise, like a Phoenix," continues Rix. "It will be very symbolic."
In the books' place, the school will distribute e-book readers and other mobile devices like the netbooks, iPads, and other tablet PCs to their faculty and students beginning next Fall. These devices will be able to download or access thousands of books, journals, and other materials for as long as they either employed or attend Coker College.
The Coker librarians feel that it was time for a change. "We felt it was time to look to the future and hold true to our new president's mantra of 'redefining ready,'" says Alexa Bartel, Director of the Library. "It's a new way of delivering content to reach a broader audience," says Melinda Deyasi, Assistant Director of the Library. "The books are dusty and take up WAY too much room," adds Rix.
Not surprisingly, opinion on campus has been mixed:
"This is an outrage. What's wrong with real books and journals in a library? They are an essential part of learning! Disgraceful!" exclaims Dr. Joseph Rubinstein, professor of education, before shuffling away in disgust.
Business professors Dr. Darryl Holliday and Dr. Joseph Stevano issued a joint statement applauding the move: "We support this move. It shows how forward thinking our librarians really are."
"I think it's an interesting idea -- I spend all day looking at some sort of digital device. What difference does a few hours more a day make?" says first-year student Erin Record, of Anderson, SC.
An anonymous student asked "Can we roast marshmallows at the bonfire? That would be really cool."
Not all of the books will be destroyed or sold, however. Mr. Rix stated that he would probably keep the library's copy of H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds for posterity.
Haggadot Display
Because of its ancient roots, inspiring content, and ongoing relevance, the haggadah is an especially beloved Jewish ritual. Since the days of Amram Ben Sheshna Gaon and Rashi, it has attracted a vast number of commentaries and supercommentaries as well as translations into many languages. Moreover, the fact that each participant in the Seder must have his or her own copy led to artistic embellishment of the haggadah on a grand scale, often for the participating women and children. Richly illuminated haggadot were commissioned by wealthy Jews of the Middle Ages, great care being lavished on both the illustrations and the text (an entire page sometimes being devoted to one theme or word). Separate artistic traditions developed in Muslim Spain and Christian Germany and Italy; and a growing number of the finest illuminated manuscripts are now available in facsimile editions. The first printed haggadot came from Spain (c. 1482) and Italy (1505), but the oldest surviving illustrated edition was that printed by Gershom Cohen in Prague (1526). Since then, it is estimated, more than 2,000 editions of the haggadah have appeared in print, and new ones are still being published."HAGGADAH." The New Encyclopedia of Judaism. New York: New York University Press, 2002. Credo Reference. Web. 01 April 2010.
Stop by the library and check out the many haggadot that Dr. Joseph Rubinstein has on display. Arrangement and display commentary by Brandy Roscoe.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Student Survey Winners
The staff at the Coker library would like to thank the many students who took time to answer our survey! We had record participation this year, and many of your comments and suggestions will lead improvements to your library!
The winners, drawn randomly from an original LITC construction hat, are as follows:
Louchi's $25 gift certificate: Gregory Rogers
Midnight Rooster $25 gift certificate: Jessica Smith
Bow Thai Cafe $25 gift certificate: Adrienne Kennedy
$50 Grand Prize: Nicole Thompson
Thank you again! Look for follow-ups to your suggestions in this space in the weeks to come.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Goin' Mobile
With apologies to the Who and Pete Townsend, the library will be goin' mobile. We will be gradually rolling out mobile device-friendly versions of many of our popular resources.
The first, from EBSCOHost, will include several of our most popular databases: Academic Search Premier, SocINDEX with Full Text, Business Source Premier, PsycArticles, PsycInfo, Literary Reference Center, and ERIC, to name a few.
The mobile platform is designed specifically for hand-held devices and has the following features:
- Basic Searching
- HTML and PDF Full Text
- Search Modes
- Limiters
- Image Quick View
- E-mailing articles
- Preferences
- Multi-database Searching
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