Celebrate National Library Week!

National Library Week is April 14-20, and we have plenty of chances to celebrate at Doherty. Here’s what we have planned for the week:

Games – Show off your vocabulary skills and stop by the Circulation Desk to play a word on our never-ending game of Scrabble. Don’t forget to pick up a Popular Books Collection word search while you’re there!

Online Scavenger Hunt - UST students, faculty, and staff who complete our Online Scavenger Hunt will be entered into a drawing for one of two $25 gift cards to the UST Bookstore. Entries will be accepted until 5 pm Friday.

Food – Cookies and iced tea will be available in the library lobby at noon on Wednesday April 17. Come grab a mid-day treat and say hi to the library staff.

Work at Doherty – Love libraries?  Apply for a job as a student worker today!

Irish Bog Oak Sculptures Now on Display

With St. Patrick’s Day just a few days away, we’ve got Irish culture on our minds at Doherty. We’re celebrating with a new exhibit put together by Katie McDonald featuring Irish bog oak sculptures from her personal collection.

Bog oak sculptures are crafted from fallen trees buried thousands of years ago in Ireland’s bogs and later extracted from the peat. The reaction of the oak with decaying vegetation gives the wood unique properties. For craftsmen working at the height of bog oak popularity in the 1850s, carving the oak could be tricky:

“When the timbers were first brought to the surface from the airless depths of the bog they exhibited a mid-brown to dark brown hue, but on contact with oxygen, semi-petrification soon set in, causing the wood to take on an ebony colour. It was therefore essential, if carving was to be undertaken, that the wet and pliable state be preserved, thus enabling easier fashioning. Then full petrification took place, rendering the finished item deep black and almost steel-hard. ” *

All of the pieces on display in the library were created in Ireland. The exhibit is available for viewing during regular library hours in the Doherty Lobby until April 15.

*Irons, Neville. “Irish Bog Oak Carving.” Irish Arts Review (1984-1987) 4, no. 2 (July 01, 1987): 54-63. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20491991. For UST students and faculty, go to: http://ezproxy.stthom.edu:2048/login?url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/20491991

New Popular Books Available

New additions to the Doherty Library current popular fiction and non-fiction collection are now available for checkout. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library, the collection contains over 130 titles.

The books are on display in the main lobby and can be checked out at the circulation desk.  The newest titles are listed below.

Fiction: 

Mitch Albom – The Time Keeper

Michael Chabon – Telegraph Avenue: A Novel

Junot Díaz - This is How You Lose Her

Gillian Flynn – Gone Girl

John Green – The Fault in Our Stars

Peter Heller – Dog Stars

Andrew Porter – In Between Days

Ismet Prcic – Shards

J.K. Rowling – The Casual Vacancy

Non-Fiction:

David Byrne – How Music Works

Otis Webb Brawley, and Paul Goldberg – How We Do Harm: A Doctor Breaks Ranks AboutBeing Sick in America

Claire & Mia Fontaine – Have Mother, Will Travel

Dambisa Moyo  – Winner Take All: China’s Race for Resources and What it Means for the World

Mark Owen  – No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama Bin Laden

Paul Tough – How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden power of Character

Bob Woodward – The Price of Politics

Museum of Funeral History Exhibit now on Display at Doherty – Celebrating the Lives and Deaths of the Popes

The National Museum of Funeral History houses the country’s largest collection of funeral service artifacts and features renowned exhibits on one of man’s oldest cultural customs. The Doherty Library is pleased to have the opportunity to host a subset of the Museum’s Celebrating the Lives and Deaths of the Popes exhibit, on display now through October 19th.   Celebrating the Lives and Deaths of the Popesis a product of three years of intense collaboration between the Vatican and the National Museum of Funeral History.  The display at Doherty features intricate replicas of papal attire, provided by the Pope’s personal tailor shop, Gammeralli’s. The display also details papal funeral customs that have been in place for centuries by examining the most recent papal funeral, that of Pope John Paul II.  Publications by John Paul II and information about his impact on the world are also highlighted.

The metal tube contains the Rogito, a eulogy detailing the life and works of the Pope. The tube is wrapped in red ribbon and sealed with wax. It is placed inside the coffin with the Pope’s remains.

In addition to the papal history pieces, the display also features correspondence and planning documents surrounding the design and implementation of this unique exhibit.  These records provide a glimpse into the level of collaboration and planning that is required to turn an initial idea for a 10×10 ft display  into the 5,000 square foot exhibit in place today.

The exhibit certainly will be of interest to those with an interest in John Paul II and papal history, but it also serves those with broader interests in the ways funeral rites vary in different cultures.  Additionally, the exhibit provides a practical example of the project management skills and coordination required to bring this window into the Vatican to Houston.

The display is available for viewing during library hours.  Visit the Museum of Funeral History’s website to learn more about the full exhibit:  http://www.nmfh.org/exhibits/papal/info.php

Poetry Reading at Doherty Library June 14

You are invited to join us Thursday, June 14 at 7:30pm for a unique bilingual poetry recital and “conversatorium” with visiting Venezuelan architect and poet Ana Teresa Celis. Celis will be joined by Houston-based critic and poet Aladar Temeshy, prologuist of her book.

“Corporalities” portrays the author’s spiritual journey and explores her relationship with God and spirituality through the human experience. The book also depicts her sojourning between Venezuela and Colombia and explores the process of change and acculturation.

Ana Teresa Celis was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and she was one of the first Venezuelan women to graduate from the School of Architecture at Universidad Central de Venezuela, UCV. Celis started her career as a member of the “Taller de Arquitectura del Banco Obrero,” and she later established an architecture and construction firm with her husband. She was a university professor and member of the urban design team that developed the “Sabana Grande Project,” the second development pole of Caracas.

This event is free and open to the public.

Friends of the Library Sponsors Lecture March 28

Dr. Albert Ribes-Zamora, Assistant professor at the UST Biology Department, will present “Using Bioluminescence to Dissect DNA Repair Pathways”. This presentation will be held in the Doherty Library atrium on Wednesday, March 28 at 2:00 p.m.

One of the many revolutions currently ongoing in molecular biology, is the use of bioluminesence molecules to identify and examine the functions of many of the genes present in our genome. It is estimated that each human cell undergoes at least one DNA break every day. Bioluminescence is used  to dissect how genes are involved in repairing how DNA interacts with each other and how they assemble at DNA breaks.

Mapping the specific surfaces in the structure of DNA repair proteins can be useful to radio-sensitize cancerous cells and lead to more effective radiotherapy.

Dr. Ribes-Zamora holds a bachelor degree from Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona in Spain. He earned a masters degree from the University of Kentucky in 2001 and also earned a doctorate in 2007 from Baylor College of Medicine. Ribes-Zamora is a post-doctoral scholar at the Texas Children’s Hospital. He has held several teaching positions including institutions Institut Sant Ferran in Barcelona, Spain, the University of Kentucky and the University of St. Thomas. At St. Thomas, Ribes-Zamora teaches molecular techniques and genetics. He continues to conduct research and has several publications.

This event is free and open to the public.

Help Doherty Library Improve Services

Doherty Library is gathering  information about student perceptions and opinions of our reference services.  This information will help us to know how to better serve our patrons.

Focus group participants will be provided lunch or dinner during the session and will be entered into  a drawing for a $50 print card.

Focus group participants will discuss reference services for 60-90 minutes.  The conversation will be led by a librarian with another librarian as the recorder of the conversation.

Focus Groups will be held

Monday September 26 at 1:40pm

Tuesday September 27 at 12:30pm

Wednesday September 28 at 5:30pm

Please sign up for one session.  Sessions are limited to 15 participants.  RSVP at the Reference Desk or the Circulation Desk.  You can also call 713-525-2188, email reference@stthom.edu or text 66746.

Questions about the study, before or after the focus group session, can be directed to

Dr. Mary Kelleher

Public Services Librarian

Associate Professor

713-525-3891

kellehm@stthom.edu

National Library Week 2011

Doherty Library celebrated National Library Week, April 11th through April 15th 2011.  As we began the week, Jerome the Doherty Library mascot was available to have his picture taken with students and friends of Doherty.  These pictures are posted on our Facebook page.  Tuesday we gave away “Popular Book” bookmarks to all those who checked out a book from our popular book collection.  Wednesday was “Puzzles and Prizes” and Thursday was “Library Hangman.”  Friday we served cake and coffee to round out the week.  All week long, anyone who brought in a new or gently used children’s book for Kappa Delta Pi’s book drive had $5 removed from their library fines. 

Friends of the Doherty Library Faculty Lecture Series

The Friends of the Doherty Library will sponsor a lecture by Dr. Constance Michalos on Tuesday, April 12 at 2:00 p.m. in the Doherty Library atrium. The lecture is free and open to the public. The title of the lecture is Coerced or Committed: The Conversion Experience of America’s Slaves.

When Africans were kidnapped into slavery, they were forced to abandon their personal and cultural identities in order to facilitate the process. Christian slave owners used the Bible to justify their practices while, simultaneously, allowing slaves to “convert.” However, the state of the slave’s soul was not the issue; his black skin testified to his damned condition and confirmed the righteousness of slavery.

To a disturbing extent, the faith of the slaves was also the instrument of their torture. Nevertheless, the vernacular and written traditions of African American literature articulate a soul-wrenching faith in God, an abiding belief in Jesus as Savior, and a metaphorical connection to the miracles of the Old and New Testaments.

After the kidnappings and the trans-Atlantic crossings and the auction blocks and the separations and the name changes and the floggings and the rapes and the sales and the hypocrisies, how, exactly, does God let his presence be known in the hearts of the slaves? What psychological, as well as spiritual, processes did the slaves undergo in order to truly believe that the God the slaveholders claimed gave them the right to own another human being was the same God that would redeem them and reward them for eternity?

Call James Piccininni at 713-525-2192 for more information.

Annual Fall Book Sale at Doherty Library

The annual fall book sale will be held at the Doherty Library and is open to the general public from Thursday, October 28 through Sunday, October31 during regular library hours.  A special preview day has been set aside for UST students, staff, faculty, and members of the Friends of the Doherty Library on Wednesday, October 27^th

This year we have many titles covering International Studies and Political Science especially Russian Studies and History.  We also have many books in Literature and Theology.

Schedule: Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Thursday, 8 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Friday, 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Sunday, 1:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Cost: Hardbound books are $2 and paperbacks are $1.

For more information contact: Dianne Dallmann at 713-525-2182.

New Faculty Lecture Series at Doherty Library: “From Illumination to I-Pads: A Very Brief History of the Art Book” September 29

Dr. Charles Stewart

Dr. Charles Stewart, Assistant Professor from the Art History Department, will speak at Doherty Library on “From Illumination to I-Pads: A Very Brief History of the Art Book”.  The presentation will trace the history of the illustrated book, highlighting the key stages during the Middle Ages, while touching on where we stand in the 21st century. This lecture is part of the New Faculty Lecture Series sponsored by the Friends of Doherty Library.

The rise of religious academic learning led to innovations in illuminated manuscript technology and production. The spread of Judaism and Christianity throughout the ancient Mediterranean prompted the replacement of the scroll by the codex. With the introduction of monastic scriptoriums in Ireland, the seeds of European universities were planted. Academies bloomed in the age of Scholasticism when picture books reached their aesthetic apex.

Today the academy once more finds itself in a period of transition—the computers that universities have developed and embraced are now replacing the codex.

The lecture will be held at the Doherty Library, main lobby, Wednesday, September 29,  beginning at 12:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served. Free and open to the public. For more information, contact James Piccininni at jpicci@stthom.edu.

Faculty Publications Recognition Event at Doherty Sept. 22

The Doherty Library will host the first UST Faculty Publications Recognition Event to be held on Wednesday, September 22, 2010 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM., at the main lobby of Doherty Library. Faculty, staff and students are invited to an informal reception to celebrate the past year’s publications and creative works produced by the University of St. Thomas faculty.

Publications from the School of Arts and Sciences, the Cameron School of Business and the School of Education will be featured. Dr. Dominic Aquila, the Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Dr. Michele Simms, the Director of the Center for Faculty Excellence, will speak briefly on our publication successes this year. Refreshments will be served. The event is sponsored by the Vice President of Academic Affairs, the Center for Faculty Excellence and the Friends of the Doherty Library. For more information, contact James Piccininni at jpicci@stthom.edu

Book Signing at Doherty

Go Down, Old Hannah: The Living History of African American Texans author Naomi Mitchell Carrier will autograph her book at The University of St. Thomas Doherty Library, 3800 Montrose, February 17th at 7:00 pm.

This groundbreaking publication zooms in on black history with a wide-angle lens on Texas and a telephoto on African Americans. Carrier’s 15 living history plays examine Texas slavery from a new perspective and have been performed for historic sites and museums throughout the state since 1994.

While educators nationwide are sorting through reform initiatives to craft a way to deal with the ugly history of slavery, Carrier’s Appendix is full of lesson plans that reveal how overcoming slavery is a victory for both black people and for America.

The plays in Go Down, Old Hannah cover subject matter ranging from slave celebrations, family breakups, and escapes, to the Civil War, emancipation, and Reconstruction. There is even information on the Underground Railroad from Texas to Mexico. Each play is research-based and performed by Talking Back Living History Theatre as a festival production; for students at universities and schools; for conferences and family reunions; and at libraries and museums. This unique University of Texas Press book is sure to appeal to teachers, historians, Texana enthusiasts, museum administrators, and students looking to fill in some of the missing pages in black history. Production notes make the plays fun and easy for classes to perform.

Go Down, Old Hannah is a bridge, a bridge for cross-cultural communication; a bridge from the past to future communication and understanding. The plays were written to show the interdependence of Texas pioneers and their enslaved; and to show the intelligence and dignity of those denied the freedom of humanity.

Naomi Mitchell Carrier, teacher, researcher, playwright, pianist, composer, and actress is a consummate artist who has worked for thirty years as a classroom teacher and performer to bring a fresh perspective to Texas History.

For more information about the book go to the Texas Center for African American Living History.

Czech Exhibit

Since October is Czech Heritage Month in Texas, the Doherty Library at the University of St. Thomas will feature an exhibit sponsored by the Czech Center Museum Houston.

In four large display cases, the exhibit will focus on Czech history, Czech artists, Czech musicians, and local Czech organizations.

The first display case will include a timeline of the important events in Czech history from the arrival of the Slavs in central Europe through to the presidency of Vaclav Klaus, with some interesting pictures of President Obama’s recent visit to Prague. Around the borders of the display there will be pictures of heroes of Czech history and a brief description of each one’s accomplishment.

The second display case will include information about Czech artists, e.g., Frantisek Kupka whose painting “The Yellow Scale” is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. In this part of the display, there will be an emphasis on the works of Oldrich Kulhanek who now lives in Prague, CR. His art was often very critical of the communist government of past years. In several of his sketches of pigs, for example, the pigs have the faces of the despised communist officials.

The third case will honor the four great Czech composers: Bedrich Smetana, Antonin Dvorak, Leos Janacek, and Bohuslave Martinu. The fourth case will show the publications of the many Czech organizations that are active in Texas and the US.

The exhibit will run from October 1st through October 30th.

Robert Frost Exhibit Extended

The library exhibit “One Step Backward Taken: Roads Less Traveled in Robert Frost Country” is extended one week.  It will be available through the week of student orientations and will be taken down Friday, August 22nd.  We hope all new First Year, transfer and graduate students will take advantage of the opportunity to view this unique exhibit.