The Quill’s Quote for Today

The whole idea of a library is based on a misunderstanding: that a reader goes to the library to find a book whose title he knows . . . . The essential function of a library is to discover books of whose existence the reader has no idea.
Umberto Eco

Doherty Summer Reading Program Returns

Doherty Summer Reading Program returns for the second year, and we’re reading The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.  Anyone who’s grown up in the South will relate to the images of moist, humid heat in the novel which takes place in South Carolina in the summer of 1964.  Sweat drips down backs just as condensation drips down glasses of ice water.  There’s a sweetness in the air mixed with damp earthiness in the cloying humidity.  The main character, fourteen year old Lily Owens, spends most of her days working in the honey house or sleeping in the un-airconditioned room connected to it.  She’s come to this place, where three Black women known as “the calendar girls” produce Black Madonna honey, in search of her mother and her self.

The Secret Life of Bees is definitely a woman centered book, and the characters depend upon a woman centered theology, grounded in the person of the Virgin Mother, to hold everything together.  Told from the point of view of a female, the story is still a universal one of growing up and accepting the dark side of life, one’s parents and one’s self.  (Sorry guys if the book seems too girly.  I promise next year we’ll read Truck: a Love Story or something else manly.)

Our first event is Thursday, May 28^th at 4:00 in Doherty Library for light refreshments including among other items coca-cola and salted peanuts, peaches, pimento cheese, honey and bananas.  On Thursday June 25^th we’ll have our first discussion at the Black Lab, and on Thursday July 30^th we’ll have a viewing of the recent film and discussion (place to be announced).  You do not have to attend all the events to participate.

We will have incentive prizes at the May 28^th event.  Please contact kellehm@stthom.edu or 713-525-3891 for more information.

Love My Library

National Library Week is April 12^th-18^th, and we’re celebrating at Doherty Library. Come join in the fun and see the Circulation Department’s wonderful decorations: ALL made from bookcovers! Play games too – there are crossword puzzles, daily scrabble games, and the Wheel o’ Workers. Win great prizes: honor and glory and the admiration of your friends (and some candy). We also will have a display of people “caught” reading on campus (and not textbooks!). Finally post your thoughts on “I love Doherty Library because . . . .” at the Circulation desk. We hope everyone will stop by. Without you we wouldn’t be here. We wouldn’t want to be.

Loan Nguyen joins Doherty staff; Receives grant to help establish Vietnamese library in Houston

Loan Nguyen, originally from Vietnam, joined the Doherty Library staff in November 2008 as a Periodicals/Reference Librarian in which she is responsible for managing the periodical collection in paper, electronic and microform formats. Loan also provides reference services and library instructional to faculty, staffs and students at UST. Loan loves to volunteer her services to maximize her God-given abilities. Ever since she decided to become a librarian, she has always dreamed of creating a Vietnamese Library in the United States, which would promote the heritage and culture of Vietnam. Her dream came true when she was asked by the Vietnamese Civic Center Board members to start up a Vietnamese library in their newly developed facility at 11360 Bellaire Blvd., Houston, Texas 77072. In March 2009, Loan was awarded a grant from the National Library of Medicine to purchase computers for the recently opened Vietnamese library.

Loan said she feels so at home at Doherty library. Her passions are volunteering her services and meeting people. Please do not hesitate to say “Hi” or ask question to Loan whenever you see her at the reference’s desk.

Progress at the Archives

University Archives, Sienna House

The University Archives staff has been very active in developing an Archives web page that now includes finding aids and articles of historical information about the University.

The effort to add material to the Archives web page is ongoing. One example is the posting of a list of the ten presidential administrations of UST and the years of their service. Eight different men served as president; two returned for an additional term. The web page is illustrated with photos of the UST presidents. Two other recent examples include material about the first UST School of Nursing and material about the Office of Student Affairs that have now been posted on the web site.

The Archives staff also compiled a spreadsheet depicting the history of the many structures that UST has acquired, demolished and constructed since 1947. Several blocks of fourteen houses each and the streets surrounding them have been removed to create space for academic and support buildings and to make travel safer and more convenient between the buildings. Also within the Archives is the original of a 1947 letter naming the University. The naming process was quite simple, a single meeting of a committee.

Information concerning the University’s development was researched and posted in an effort to inform students, faculty and the public as to how the University came into existence, who played a critical role, and the events that brought us to the present. Without a knowledge of the University’s history, there will be no understanding of the events that shape our current existence.

The Archives web page can be found as a link on the main Doherty Library web page at http://www.stthom.edu/Public/index.asp?page_ID=4804. You can also contact the Archives staff at 713-525-3895.

African American National Biography

The African American National Biography edited by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham  compliments our resources the Oxford National Biography and the American National Biography (ANB). When the ANB was re-released in 1999, its editor Casper Grathwohl asked Gates to highlight one of the African Americans listed in the then new edition. Gates found that so many important figures were missing from the ANB, that a completely new encyclopedia would have to be created as its complement; Grathwohl and Gate’s co-editor Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham immediately assented.

Gate’s mentor in African American studies, John Wesley Blassingame, Sr., had been adamant that the discipline of African American studies had to end the cycle of each new scholar having to re-do the work of previous scholars because the earlier work had fallen into obscurity. A complete collection of quality reference books such as encyclopedias, bibliographies and concordances would insure the continuation and accumulation of scholarship in the field. Gates has been responsible for many innovations in the field of African American studies including collections of slave narratives and the discovery of the first novel by an African American, Our Nig by Harriet E. Wilson. The African American National Biography is the culmination of his work to create a solid basis for African American scholarship and will be his greatest contribution for generations to come. The African American National Biography will continue as the primary reference tool in the field as well.  This title is located in our Silent Reading Room.

Remembering 1882: Fighting for Civil Rights in the Shadow of the Chinese Exclusion Act

The Doherty Library will host a photographic exhibit titled:
“Remembering 1882: Fighting for Civil Rights in the Shadow of the Chinese Exclusion Act”

Passed by the US Congress in 1882 the Chinese Exclusion Act was intended to prevent people of Chinese descent from entering the United States and sought to deprive those in residence of full legal protection and the right to apply for citizenship. As a result, this nation’s Chinese American population was reduced by half with those remaining relegated to second-class legal status until full repeal in 1968. The exhibit will be on display in the main library atrium from March 23 to April 18. A reception will be held on April 2, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. in the library atrium, all are welcome to attend.   The exhibit and reception is sponsored by the Chinese Historical Society of America and the University of St. Thomas Center for International Studies.

Holiday Reading

Here’s what the Doherty Library Staff are reading over the Christmas Break

Ron Drees, Archivist

I plan to read Southern Storm: Sherman’s March to the Sea and learn about Sherman’s contribution to the Union victory. Also Among the Dead Cities, a moral review of the Allied bombing campaigns of WW II.

Pat Gerson, Acquisitions

I plan to finish Zoro’s Field: my life in the Appalachian woods by Thomas Rain Crowe, a Thoreau wannabe, who spent 3 or 4 years in a small cabin in the woods in North Carolina. A poet, associated with the San Francisco “baby beats”, he returns home to North Carolina and decides “you can go home again”. He refers to a nature writer Donald C. Peattie and I’d like to read his book Flowering Earth (1939) a poetic and philosophical description of plant life. He was apparently a widely read popular nature writer during his time and noted for his poetic writing. The library has several of his books but this is my first encounter with him. And lastly I want to read Studs Terkels’s memoir Touch and Go. Studs, who died recently at age 96, is the voice of Chicago, my former hometown, and I clearly understand his language. His books like Hard Times and Working are noted for their interviews with ordinary people about their lives. I usually like to read a children’s classic during the holidays, perhaps Anne of Green Gables or another by the same author Emily of New Moon. I’m looking forward to some very enjoyable reading this holiday.

Rev. George Hosko C.S.B., Inter-Library Loan Librarian

I am looking forward to reading Faith, Reason and the War against Jihadism by George Weigel. I need to be informed about the battle of ideas which are involved in this war.

Mary Kelleher, Reference and Instruction

I am in the middle of The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd right now (I’ve been meaning to read it for a long time and must do so before I can see the movie). When I finish that I plan to read Mr. Ive’s Christmas by Oscar Hijuelos. I don’t know anything about it really except that any person who’s mentioned that I should read it (and there has been several) has done so with a glowing face and a breathless “it’s the greatest book.” I always like to reread an old favorite during the slow, quiet days between Christmas and New Year’s, and this year I have a hankering for Paradise Lost. I’ve just read Milton’s “On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity” to prepare for Christmas.

Dale Stewart, Circulation Supervisor

I just started Survivor: A Novel by Chuck Palahniuk. If that goes fast I might also check out The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. I’m sure either of these would make a great addition to anyone’s holiday reading list.

James Piccininni, Director

I am reading Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks.   This book covers the psychological effects and physiological aspects regarding the brain and music, and it has succeeded at being both informative and interesting.  Oliver Sacks brought us Awakenings a nonfiction book about the use of L-DOPA on victims of catatonic  syndrome (the movie starred Robin Williams and Robert De Niro).  Not exactly holiday reading, so I’ll steer clear of Awakenings and instead reach for Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World, by Vicki Myron.     

Books! Books! Books!

Doherty Library is overflowing with books for this year’s booksale. Books are stacked floor to ceiling in our storage room. Prices are rock-bottom at $2.00 for hardbacks and $.50 for paperbacks. Items for the sale are withdrawn from the Doherty collection or come from community donations. We have everything from scholarly works to literary fiction; from reference books to best-sellers. Something for everyone! Something for every mood!

Doherty Library Book Sale will be open to UST Students, Staff and Faculty only on Wednesday October 29th. It will be open to the public Thursday October 30th thru Sunday November 2nd.

The sale will be open from 1/2 hour after opening until 1/2 hour before closing.

Chat with a Librarian

Doherty reference librarians have long been available for questions by phone and by email. And of course we are always happy to help researchers in person. But this Fall, the Doherty Reference Department has instituted a new communication venue — Chat. So whether you are at home, at play or even somewhere in the library and don’t want to leave your stuff unattended, send us a question. To participate in Chat, you can find us (and add us to your buddy list) on AIM (DohReference), MSN LiveMessenger (doherty_reference), and Yahoo! Messenger (doherty_reference). You can also connect directly with us through our Meebo account from the Doherty Chat page even if you don’t have a chat account yourself.

Goodbye, Lisa!

It is with tears and sadness that Doherty library announces the departure of Lisa McNamara, Reference and Instruction Librarian. Her last day is Wednesday, September 10. Lisa arrived the exact same day in 2001 as Rachel Matre who departed earlier this summer. We will miss greatly Lisa’s hard work and bubbling enthusiasm. Lisa could talk anyone into coming to use the library. She has been our most zealous advocate and marketer with her cheery conversation, her chatty personality and her eagerness to help. We wish her the very best in all her future endeavours.

New Doherty Faculty and Staff

Doherty Library welcomes our two newest members to the staff – David Noe, Technical Services Librarian and Ron Drees, Archivist.

David hails originally from Huntsville (that’s Alabama, not Texas) so he has a proper Southern attitude toward iced tea although his views on barbecue are a little suspect (he prefers pork to beef). David is in the process of switching his loyalties from Alabama football to Fighting Celts volleyball, soccer and basketball. David also enjoys photography. David received his undergraduate degree in American Studies from University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa and his MLS from the same university. He has most recently worked for Sirsi-Dynix, which is the company that provides our library catalog system. As Technical Services Librarian, David is not only in charge of the catalog, he’s also in charge of all databases and off-campus access to them. So don’t hesitate to contact him at noed@stthom.edu or 713-525-2183 if you’re having technical problems. He’s happy to help!

Ron Drees comes to us from the Houston Public Library where he got to work as an archivist in the beautiful Julia Ideson building next to the Central Branch downtown. He received a MLA with an emphasis in history from UST. Then he moved from reading history to preserving it and earned his MSIS from the University of Texas with an emphasis in archival enterprises. Ron originally comes from Ohio where he got an MBA from Kent State. He received his undergraduate degree at Case Western Reserve University in an area originally settled by Revolutionary War veterans given land in the (then) wild west as their only form of pay for military service – that’s the kind of thing historians know off the top of their heads. Ron is the only working member of his household for he lives with his wife Lin and his sheltie Sarah – both retired. Lin does volunteer work at a Houston hospital, and Sarah keeps busy guarding the house and yard. When he’s not working, Ron enjoys reading history. Ron welcomes anyone with needs for information on the history of UST to contact Archives at 713-525-3895 or archives@stthom.edu

You can also meet David and Ron at the Reference Desk. They both enjoy working directly with students and faculty as well as in their respective specialties.

Mary

Goodbye Rachel

Everyone at Doherty Library wishes to extend our congratulations to Rachel Matre on the occasion of her marriage. Unfortunately, Rachel has decided to move to Alabama to be with her husband, and so leaves a hole in our staff and, more importantly, our hearts. Rachel has been reference librarian at UST for just over seven years and reference coordinator for four. We will miss her enthusiasm, her passion for research and her dogged determination to find the answer to any question. We also wish her the best as she begins this new phase in her life. (Oh, and Happy Birthday too, Rachel!)

Mary

The Quill’s Quote for Today

“It has been well-stated that books rank next to the Sacraments and prayers as channels of grace to the soul. Very often it is the privilege of the librarian to keep that channel open, or direct the reader to it”

-Sister St. Luke O’Neill C.S.J.

Summer Library Exhibit: Holy Cards

Holy Cards Exhibit 

Doherty library’s summer exhibit features holy cards.  Come by to view and learn about these enduring artifacts of Catholic visual culture.  UST faculty and staff members have loaned cards from their own personal collections for the exhibit.  Location: Doherty lobby exhibit cases during regular library hours.  Duration: May 28 – August 15, 2008.

Rachel