Difficult Women by Roxane Gay

Posted on February 10, 2017 by jmkyoung

DifficultWomenThe women in these stories live lives of privilege and of poverty, are in marriages both loving and haunted by past crimes or emotional blackmail. From a girls’ fight club to a wealthy subdivision in Florida where neighbors conform, compete, and spy on each other, Gay delivers a wry, beautiful, haunting vision of modern America.

Follow the stories of a pair of sisters, a woman married to an imposter, a stripper putting herself through college, and a colored engineer as they each face struggles uniquely their own. Can they make it in a man’s world?

Find Difficult Women and other great works in the Popular Reading Collection today!

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From the Archives & Special Collections: Man and His Becoming

Posted on February 8, 2017 by jmkyoung

ManBecomingSo there’s been a new little green book sitting on our shelf for months that I hadn’t quite gotten an opportunity to look at until now. Imagine my surprise to find out that it’s actually from our university (even if printed by Rutgers)!

Man and his becoming by Philip H. Phenix is actually part of the University of Puget Sound’s 1964 Brown & Haley lectures, a series that has been going on since 1953, though over the past 10 years it has become bi-annual. If the sponsors, Brown & Haley, sound familiar to you, it’s probably because they’re the inventors of Almond Roca and are located right here in Tacoma.

This specific lecture contains three parts: “Being and Becoming Human,” “Being and Becoming Related,” and “Being and Becoming Oneself.” It explores the age-old question of human nature and its development through a multitude of approaches, including the natural sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities. Phenix postulates that no one of these studies can construct a complete understanding of human nature, and on their own can only offer partial understanding. Combining physical (body), behavioral (mind), and artistic (spirit) approaches is the best way to get close to what Phenix calls the “whole truth.”

Though this lecture is over 50 years old, it offers an interesting synthesis of multiple fields to form a moderately cohesive philosophy of human nature. Though to be honest, I’m just happy to have stumbled across another publication that came from our university.

The Archives & Special Collections is open on Mondays and Wednesdays from 12:00-3:00 p.m. or by appointment.

By Morgan Ford

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Collins Library Links: Opposing Viewpoints and the Academic Library

Posted on February 7, 2017 by jmkyoung

2013_CollinsLibraryLink

Opposing Viewpoints and the Academic Library

Book-opposingview

Our book display in the Learning Commons, Reading Without Walls, is designed to expand reading horizons by encouraging students to read outside their comfort zone. We are highlighting the “opposing viewpoint series and other books.”

In last week’s Inside Higher Education, Joshua Kim, Director of Digital Learning Initiatives at the Dartmouth Center for the Advancement of Learning (DCAL), wrote Principles, Values and the Academic Library in the Age of Trump.  His article emphasizes the importance of access to information and the opportunity to explore all perspectives.  This is a hallmark of academic library collections and a core value of Collins librarians.

As we all grapple with the concept of alternative facts, fake news and providing access to different viewpoints, we’d like to share some resources that may be useful:

  • Liaison Librarians:  We are committed to promoting critical evaluation of resources.  Librarians have many suggestions for how to assess resources.  Make an appointment today.  Librarians can play a vital role in helping students become critical and reflective news consumers.
  • Opposing Viewpoints In Context: This online resource covers contemporary social issues, from capital punishment to immigration. Its informed, differing views present each side of an issue and help students develop information literacy, critical thinking skills, and the confidence to draw their own valid conclusions.
  • Points of View Reference Center:  Similar to OVC this reference center provides users with a series of controversial essays that present multiple sides of a current issue. Essays provide questions and materials for further thought and study and are accompanied by supporting articles from the world’s top political and societal publications.

Review these guides from our peers that showcase a wide range of alternative points of view:

Need Information? Don’t forget the Collins Memorial Library – Library Guides
Questions? Contact your liaison librarian
Comments: Contact Jane Carlin, library director
Remember – Your best search engine is a librarian!

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February 9-14 is Valentine Maker Time in the Library. Embrace random acts of kindness!

Posted on February 7, 2017 by jmkyoung

It is that time of year when stores fill to the brim with frilly cards and everyone swarms to find the perfect gift for their sweetheart. That’s right, I’m talking about Valentine’s Day! According to The Romance of Greeting Cards, by Ernest Dudley Chase, Valentines are the oldest branch of greeting cards second only in sales to Christmas cards. Valentine’s Day has a rich history that dates all the way back to ancient Rome. The origin of the holiday can be traced back to an ancient Roman fertility festival called Lupercalia. In celebration of the God Pan and Goddess Juno. Ancient Romans would draw names from a bowl to discover who their love would be for the coming year. Over the centuries as Christianity took hold, the day February 14th was named in honor of St. Valentine who allegedly was beheaded for marrying Christian couples in secret.

Regardless of its origins, February 14th is now regarded as a day where people all around the world can share their adoration of one another in the form of flowers, candy, and of course cards. Here at Collins Library, we have a beautiful collection of vintage Valentines dating back to the 1800’s. The collection is a gift from a local Tacoma Resident, Sylvia Schar.  Her grandmother was a great collector and the images below are just a small sample of the cards and bookmarks that she has given the library. Many of them are beautifully intricate illustrations of pastoral scenes that highlight love and friendship.

V-1

Many of the cards also include clever bits of verse, a common theme in Valentines even today. These little limericks never fail to woo your beloved!

V-2And of course, nothing can beat the elegance of the classic Valentine look.

V-3Today, Valentine’s Day seems to moving away from a celebration of just romantic love and has branched out to include all sorts of love whether it be a romantic partner, a close friend, family, or even just taking time to love yourself.

V-4Inspired by these wonderful Valentines? Create a unique valentine out of recycled materials and give to a friend, a professor, a staff member or simply share as a random act of kindness. Whether you are inspired by Victorian valentines or cuddly cats and dogs, Collins is the place for you!  Have fun using recycled materials to create a unique expression of kindness! Drop by our “makerspace” between February 9-14 and design your perfect Valentine!

Image sources:

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Life Skills Collection: Expanding Your Worldview and Promoting Inclusivity on Campus

Posted on February 6, 2017 by jmkyoung

LifeSkills_IdentityGreetings, Loggers! College life introduces us to a range of human experiences, exposes worldviews that may be unfamiliar or differ from our personal understandings, and provides many opportunities for us to grow individually and collectively in awareness, competency, and active engagement with a complex and multifaceted community. In addition to providing practical information about other topics, the Life Skills Collection at Collins Library provides essential resources to help you learn more about how issues of identity affect your college experience and that of your peers, and how you can become an advocate for inclusion and equity at the University of Puget Sound and beyond. Here are our top picks for building your awareness, starting a dialogue, celebrating your identity and others’, becoming an ally, and practicing inclusion.

The Life Skills Collection is located in the Learning Commons, on the first floor of Collins Library. Learn more on the companion guide devoted to the Life Skills Collection and discover many more resources at the University of Puget Sound!

By Katy Curtis, Humanities Librarian

 

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If you had a chance to save someone, you would take it, right?

Posted on February 3, 2017 by jmkyoung

GirlInGreen_Feb3Two men are arguing in a war zone just outside the Kuwaiti border, and peace has been declared.  One, a British journalist, is reporting here to avoid his dull marriage and estranged daughter. The other, an American private, is here because he either has a crazy death wish or too much bravado.

Desert Storm is over, but suddenly they’re caught in a horrific attack. Though they try to save her, a young local girl in a green dress is killed.

Twenty-two years later, in another place and war, they meet again. They’re given the chance to save the same girl in green when she is found alive and in need of salvation. She does need salvation, right?

Check out this new find in the Popular Reading Collection today!

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From the Archives & Special Collections: New in the Reading Room: Book of the Month!

Posted on February 1, 2017 by jmkyoung

archives_Feb1This semester, we’ve added a featured Book of the Month to the Archives & Special Collections’ reading room. For the next three months (February, March, and April), a student worker will pick 1-2 books that they consider to be their favorites of our collections and make them available in the reading room.

For the month of February, the books on display will be Modernist Cuisine v. 3 & 4 by Nathan Myhrvold, Chris Young, Maxime Bilet, and Ryan Matthew Smith. Be sure to stop in and take a look!

The Archives & Special Collections is open on Mondays and Wednesdays from 12:00-3:00 p.m. or by appointment.

By Morgan Ford

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Why Barack Obama will be viewed as one of America’s best and most accomplished presidents

Posted on January 27, 2017 by jmkyoung

ObamaFrom saving the American economy from collapse to expanding health insurance to tens of millions who previously could not afford it, Barack Obama will be viewed as one of America’s best and most accomplished presidents.

Jonathan Chait, one of America’s most incisive and meticulous political commentators, digs deep into Obama’s record on major policy fronts to demonstrate why history will judge our forty-fourth president as among our greatest. In its resounding defense of Obama’s tenure, Audacity both makes clear his victories, and what we need to fight for next.

Check it out in the Popular Reading Collection Today!

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Archives & Special Collections: “The grandly impressive scenery of the Pacific Northwest, once seen, can never be forgotten.”

Posted on January 26, 2017 by jmkyoung

archives_TreesETCThe book, Pacific Coast Pictures, is a photo album of the mountains, forests, and waterways that make up this special region. Along with each picture, there are a few paragraphs describing the area and providing facts about it. Each black and white photo captures the grandeur and beauty of Washington and Oregon’s scenery. While it is easy today to take pictures, it has become less common to make hard copies of those images. This book allows anyone to enjoy the history and landscapes of the PNW. Come check it out in the Archives & Special Collections!

The Archives & Special Collections is open on Mondays and Wednesdays from 12:00-3:00 p.m. or by appointment.

By Sierra Scott

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Full access to New York Times site – One-Year Pilot project

Posted on January 23, 2017 by jmkyoung

CALLOUT_NYT

Read all about it, we have exciting news, the University of Puget Sound, coordinated by Collins Library, now has a site license to the New York Times web site.

This means that all students, faculty and staff at the University have full and unlimited access to all of the content on the New York Times site. (This message will also be shared on staffcomms, posted on the Library website, and you are welcome to share the information with students.)

This is a pilot project for this calendar year, and we hope many of you will take advantage of this opportunity.

Here’s how it works. Once you’ve registered for an account, which you do from within the campus network (i.e. on-campus), you may “log in” to that account from anywhere, anytime.

To register go to: http://accessnyt.com

  • Click “Create Account” and complete the registration fields  (it is recommended that you use your @pugetsound.edu email address). If you have previously registered your email address on The NYT site, click the “Already have an account? Log in here” link just below the “Create Account” button.
  • Once registered, go to: http://nytimes.com and “log in” in order to have unlimited access to the NYT content.

If you already have a paid subscription to the digital New York Times, you may choose to cancel that subscription, and then take advantage of our institutional access.  To do that contact NYT Customer Care at: customercare@nytimes.com or 800-591-9233.

As soon as the cancellation is processed, you can “link” your existing ID to the Puget Site License by following the steps outlined above.

If you are away from campus, and would like to register for an account, please try starting the process from this link:

http://ezproxy.ups.edu/login?url=https://myaccount.nytimes.com/grouppass/access

If you have any questions or comments please send them to libref@pugetsound.edu

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