COLLINS UNBOUND: "COLLINS LIBRARY LINKS"

Posted on September 1, 2011 by jmkyoung

The Dashboard provides information on the number of visitors to our building, searches on our web site, the most frequently consulted journals and databases, as well as the number of books purchased and circulated, and much more.   The Dashboard is designed to provide you with a snapshot of information about the Library and to showcase our key services.

The Dashboard is updated monthly and is easily accessible from the library homepage.  Here’s some data from this month’s sampling of library statistics:

Number of visitors: We enjoyed seeing 18,847 students, faculty and visitors come through our doors in January 2011.

Listed below is data from fall semester.

  • Circulation:  We circulated 9,400 Collins and SUMMIT items in December.
  • Online visits to the Collins Library web site:  The Collins Library web site had over 30,000 visits in January.

10 most-used databases this academic year:

  • Academic Search Premier
  • ProQuest Research Library (Legacy Platform)
  • SAGE Premier 2007
  • JSTOR Arts and Sciences I Collection
  • ScienceDirect Journals
  • LexisNexis Academic
  • Communication & Mass Media Complete
  • SpringerLink Contemporary – Orbis Cascade Alliance
  • InformaWorld Current Subscriptions (1997 – present)
  • HighWire Press

10 most-used journals this academic year:

  • The Economist (London)
  • Nature (London)
  • Science (New York, N.Y.)
  • The New York times
  • JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
  • Critical studies in media communication
  • Social science & medicine (1982)
  • Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation
  • Medicine and science in sports and exercise
  • Disability and rehabilitation
Need Information? Don’t forget the Collins Memorial Library Database List A-Z
Questions? Contact your liaison librarian
Comments: Contact Jane Carlin, Library Director
Remember – Your best search engine is a Librarian!

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Piece It All Together at Collins Library: Aug. 24 & 25, 11am-Noon!

Posted on August 23, 2011 by jmkyoung

Discover how much fun research can be by participating in our annual puzzle challenge.  Whether you are on your own or with a group, our puzzle will seriously challenge your mind and captivate you with amazing resources, clues and a bit of academic detective work!  All participants will receive a gift coupon from the Library and a chance to win a Kindle eBook Reader and be featured on our Library Blog, Collins:  The Inside Story! Wednesday, Aug. 24th  from 11-12 and Friday, August 26th  from 11-12.

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Raye Watts, Library Art Award Winner 2011 for "Altar 1"

Posted on April 26, 2011 by jmkyoung

Raye Watts is the 2011 recipient of the annual Library Art Award for her work “Altar I,” which will be on display in the library for one year.  A double major in English Literature and Studio Art. Raye grew up in San Diego and admits that she “can neither surf nor develop a satisfactory tan.” She was exposed to creativity, critical thinking, and language at an early age, which she attributes to her “Grateful Dead, bear emblazoned” Montessori teacher.  Since moving to Tacoma, Raye has become a contributing member of the student art and craft market and vows to “buy one piece of art a month” as way of engaging with the local creative community.

Congratulations, Raye!

Artist’s Statement

Though I often feel unfit to purport to be an artist, art is the only endeavor that I will elect to work on until my fingers are bent and throbbing, it feels like my spine has truncated,  and my face has gone slack; both obsession and devotion. I use found objects and papier-mâché because they are personal and unassuming— my very relationship with art. The use of repurposed detritus allows me to feel that I am elevating the inane into something visually stimulating. Using inconsequential recycled materials, I am able to relieve my compulsion without the inhibition of technique, expectation, or convention. I am less constricted and self-aware while creating and able to delve more fully and sincerely into the artistic process. I gravitate toward tedious and overwhelming projects because it gives me the sense that I am truly committing myself to art and creating a work of devotion.

I wanted to explore a religious theme in my project because I consider art a belief system that indoctrinates devotees with the promise of a purposeful and meaningful existence. Fruit, flowers, candles and photographs, are collected for both the altar and still-life. The personal altar, like a self-portrait, is individual. Both art, and religion have a reciprocal relationship with the individual. Skin tinted, lacerated, and burned, the artist is molded by the artistic process. While art is a means of elucidation and self-expression, it is also torment and relief, instigator and outlet. Art requires regular practice and observation. Art must be fueled and informed; as the artist develops, the art develops. Self-portraiture, like meditation, forces the artist to confront his or her psyche and soul.

The communal studio space is not unlike a religious congregation. Brought together by a common source of personal fulfillment, this group of artists communicates ideas which affirm, develop and challenge the individual’s relationship with art.

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COLLINS UNBOUND: Protect your laptop in the library!

Posted on April 20, 2011 by jmkyoung

Bringing your laptop to the library? Protect your laptop from theft by checking out a lock at the Circulation Desk on the main floor. It’s as easy to use as a bicycle lock. The cable loops around any secure object, such as a table leg, and the other end is inserted into a slot on your laptop.

Don’t leave your laptop unattended, even for a short time—it takes only seconds for someone to steal it!

Library Laptop Lock Policy

  • Locks can be checked out for 6 hours, with one renewal for 6 additional hours or at library closing (whichever is less).
  • Users will be issued one key to secure the lock. A spare key is kept at the Circulation Desk.
  • Fines are 50 cents per hour with a maximum charge of $12 if the lock is returned.
  • If the key is lost, the user will be charged $35, which includes a $30 replacement cost plus a $5 processing fee. The user will be given the duplicate key to keep, as they have “purchased” the lock.
  • Locks must be returned to a Circulation assistant. Do not place them in the book drop.
  • In the event the lock is broken and the laptop is stolen, the Library is not responsible for loss of personal property.
Posted in Recommended Reading | 1 Comment

COLLINS UNBOUND: April is NATIONAL POETRY MONTH!

Posted on April 19, 2011 by jmkyoung

April is National Poetry Month! Publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, schools and poets around the country band together to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture. Businesses and non-profit organizations participate through readings, festivals, book displays, workshops, and other events.

Please join us for “Printer & Poet: In Collaborative Spirit”, Thursday, April 7, 2011, 7-9 p.m. in Collins Library 020 for a poetry reading and artist talk with May Day Press proprietor Catherine Alice Michaelis & local poet Anne Spiers.

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COLLINS UNBOUND: Tues., Apr. 12 -National Library Workers Day and Library Snapshot Day!

Posted on April 12, 2011 by jmkyoung

Stop by the Collins Library and say hello to those employees whose work keeps your library up and running with the quality and level of service you have come to expect!
Some library  fun facts:

  • 35, 480 library visitors came in March
  • 33,602 online visitors came to our site in March
  • 8,161 checkouts occurred in March
  • 2,335 streaming videos were added this past Fall
  • 425,000 volumes of books, bound journals and more, fill our library!

It’s also  Library Snapshot Day! (April 12, 2011) Hundreds of libraries throughout Washington are compiling a glimpse of a day in the life of a library!  On this day, we will gathering memorable snapshots,  your comments, and statistics of library activity!   Be on the lookout for a slideshow soon…

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COLLINS UNBOUND: See Edible Entries from "Edible Book Festival"!

Posted on April 7, 2011 by jmkyoung

Another successful Edible Book Festival for year 2011!  It’s not too early to think about your entry for next year! See All Images here

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COLLINS UNBOUND: April is National Poetry Month!

Posted on April 4, 2011 by jmkyoung

April is National Poetry Month!  Publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, schools and poets around the country band together to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture. Businesses and non-profit organizations participate through readings, festivals, book displays, workshops, and other events.

Please join us for “Printer & Poet: In Collaborative Spirit”, Thursday, April 7, 2011, 7-9 p.m. in Collins Library 020 for a poetry reading and artist talk with May Day Press proprietor Catherine Alice Michaelis & local poet Anne Spiers.

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COLLINS UNBOUND: "THE BIG BURN", Pierce County READS 2011 top pick!

Posted on March 18, 2011 by jmkyoung

Collins library celebrates Pierce County READS 2011 (March 5 – April 30, 2011), the largest community reading event in Pierce County! This year, the public voted best READ’S pick as best-seller “The Big Burn” by Pulitzer Prize winner Timothy Egan. The captivating story chronicles the epic story of the largest fire in America — August 1910, and the tragedy that became Theodore Roosevelt’s legacy.

Participate in Pierce County READS! Discuss and connect as a community by joining some of the 40 free events. History lovers, outdoors enthusiasts, conservationists, and more will love it.  Next time you step into the library, be sure and view “The Big Burn” display!

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COLLINS UNBOUND: World Book Day!

Posted on March 3, 2011 by jmkyoung

Today March 3, is UNESCO’s World Book Day! Share a favorite book that matters to you, whether intellectually, personally, or any other way at all!

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