Spring is out there...

As I write this, I have just returned from a brisk Wellness walk around the Greenspring campus. It is late on a Friday, and rather quiet. The squirrels are scampering over snow, and the light is slanting at a lovely angle, transforming the old cottages at the edge of campus. This really is a beautiful setting for a university. In contrast to the peace of this afternoon, the Greenspring Library has been filled to capacity lately, which makes the library staff very happy. We await the arrival of some new furniture and new security gates, coming in March. Library instruction requests are briskly arriving, and that's a good thing, as Martha would say.

 Another librarian and I have registered for the next ACRL (association of College and Research Libraries) Conference, slated for Philadelphia in March. It should be exciting: the keynote speakers are Tiffany Shlain, creator of Connected: An Autoblogography about Love, Death & Technology; Raj Patel, author of The Value of Nothing: How to Reshape Market Society and Redefine Democracy; and Clinton Kelly, co-host of co-host of TLC’s What Not to Wear. This should be very thought-provoking and broadening.

Carol Maxwell, library reference assistant, has just been to the Martha Stewart Show in New York, bringing home a pair of the old-fashioned wax lips we used to buy at the candy store. She reports having a wonderful time, and that she was impressed by how calm and collected Martha remained during the antics of her guests. Carol will soon be off to London!

I hope to see everyone at the exhibit opening for Adam's Crayons this week, featuring works by Barry and Laini Nemmet. It promised to be a wonderful show.

Faculty Publications

Many of the Stevenson University Faculty will recall sending me faculty publications for inclusion in the first published bibliography. And I am sure you've already perused the most recent edition of Faculty Matters, which lists new works. I read an article this morning that the library at James Madison University has begun publicizing faculty scholarship on its web site. These events have conspired to encourage me to begin actively collecting citations for the next edition of the Stevenson University Faculty Bibliography. And I have decided to hotlink to the fulltext of the articles to make it convenient for you to read them. Enjoy and have a great holiday!

Erin M Steffes, and Lawrence E Burgee. 2009. Social ties and online word of mouth. Internet Research 19, no. 1, (January 1): 42-59.

Alex Hooke. The Sun (1837-1985). Baltimore, Md.: October 8, 2010 Friday  FINAL EDITION. IN HIS LIFE, AND OURS: LENNON AT 70. SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. 17A

Library Annual Report and Revised Collection Development Policy

The semester is underway, and we are seeing lots of students at both library locations. At Greenspring, where my office is located, we have been continuing to "spruce up" in preparation for the Founders Day Archives Dedication. We finally got our newly wired (fast) eight-carrel workstation up and running, thanks to Pat Scott of OIT and the terrific Facilities Team (thanks, Walt, Tom, Mike, Jon, and Rick). Tomorrow will see the completion of Phase Two of the Archives Reading Room furnishing installation, with additional workstations areas, an Archivist work area, and display cabinets.

More information about what we've been up to in the past year can be viewed in our 2010 Library Annual Report, which I hope to make available as a link on this blog. Along with the Annual Report, now available is an updated Collection Development Policy ably prepared by Steve Rouzer. If you want to view either of these new documents, contact me at mbeck@stevenson.edu

Thanks for reading this and I do hope you'll make it a regular read.