Monday, May 16, 2011

New ScotsRead Titles

A few new titles have arrived for the ScotsRead Collection.  You will find them located on the main level next to the New Books Display.  Be sure to check out:
  • A Turn in the Road by Debbie Macomber
  • Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks
  • If You Ask Me (and of course you won't) by Betty White
  • Ice: A memoir of gangster life and redemption - from South Central to Hollywood by Ice-T
  • Lies that Chelsea Handler Told Me by Chelsea Handler's family, friends, and other victims
  • In the garden of beasts: love, terror, and an American family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson
  • Kiss Her Goodbye: A Mike Hammer Novel by Mickey Spillane

Friday, May 13, 2011

Summer 2011 Hours

Today is the beginning of Hewes Library's Summer 2011 hours.  Hewes Library will be open from 8:00am to 4:30pm Monday through Friday.  The library will be closed on the weekends until the fall semester begins.  For a full list of the library's hours, please visit the library's webpage.

New Items at Hewes Library

New items are added to the Hewes Library collection on a continual basis. Recent titles have included:

  • Fields of Plenty by Michael Ableman
  • Painted in Words by Samuel Bak
  • Rock Harmonica by David Barrett
  • Naval Campaigns of the Civil War by Paul Calore
  • How Intelligence Happens by John Duncan
  • Fugitive in Flight by Stanley Fish
  • Sex Lives of Superheroes by Stephen Gregg
  • Warriors by Gerald Hanley
  • Victorian Painting by Lionel Lambourne
  • Gay, Straight and the Reason Why by Simon LeVay

Title Highlight: Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia

Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia

17 volumes
How to use this book (vol.1)
Cumulative Index (vol. 17)
Illustrations, maps, charts

Unlike A-Z encyclopedias, Grzimek’s organizes its volumes by classification of the various groups (phylum) of animals found on the planet. This is a very colorful encyclopedia, with many full color illustrations of the creatures described. Volume 1 is on lower Metazoans and lesser Deuterostomes (ie.,flatworms, box jellies, coral, anemones) Volume 2 discusses Protostomes (snail, slugs, octopi, and the residents of the seashells found at the beach) Volume 3 is Insects; Volumes 4-5 discuss fish; Volume 6 Amphibians; Volume 7 Reptiles. Volumes 8-11 describe birds and volumes 12-16 mammals with volume 17 being a cumulative index for the entire set. Each entry describes the evolution and structure of the phylum, its physical characteristics, distribution, habitat (usually with accompanying map), behavior, feeding habits, reproductive biology and conservation status. Of particular interest is the section “significance to humans” where one learns that the yellow boring sponge is a pest to oyster growers and the porcupine is used by some for food with its quills sometimes being used in artwork.

The general description of the Phylum is following by descriptions of many of the individual species found within each group. Grzimek’s is considered the standard reference for the animal kingdom, and each article has suggestions for further reading in both books and articles. If you are looking for information on any member of the animal kingdom and its significance to humans, or colorful pictures to illustrate papers on any aspect of the animal world, start here.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Title Highlight: Growing Up: A Cross-Cultural Encyclopedia

Growing Up: A Cross-Cultural Encyclopedia

1 volume: Maps, illustrations, Subject index, Culture Group Index

This interesting work describes differences and similarities between the childbearing and child rearing practices of different cultural groups. It is not an exhaustive comparison, but many different cultures are represented ranging across 6 continents. The book does not address the dominant culture in several regions; for instance, Native American groups are discussed, but the larger American culture is not. Neither is most of Europe nor most Arab cultures. However, the child bearing and child rearing practices of many African and Asian cultures as well as the Hindu culture of India are referred to often. The maps at the front and the cultures index at the end of the book show which regions and groups are mentioned in the book. Among the topics covered are; birth order, child mortality, integration into adult life, play and the roles of mothers and fathers in children’s upbringing. Each article has a list of further resources.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Spring 2011 Finals Hours

Hewes Library will have extended hours through finals.  We'd also like to remind patrons that Quiet Hours are in full effect through the end of finals.  Starting today, our finals hours are:
  • Friday, May 6: 7:30 a.m. - Midnight
  • Saturday - Sunday, May 7 - 8: 9:00 a.m. - Midnight
  • Monday - Tuesday, May 9 - 10: 7:30 a.m. - Midnight
  • Wednesday, May 11: 7:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Title Highlight: Encyclopedia of Propaganda

Encyclopedia of Propaganda

3 volumes: Photos, tables
Filmography (v. 3)
Category List (v. 3)

This encyclopedia looks at many subjects including people, places, events, arts, government, health issues, the media and other topics to demonstrate how each was shaped by or used propaganda to further a political or social agenda. For instance the first article in the work, abortion, looks at how people on both sides of the issue in the United States have used different ways to present their point of view to an audience. The great Twentieth Century masters of the use of propaganda, Germany’s Nazis get many entries but so do filmmakers, musicians and artists including Alfred Hitchcock, Fritz Lang and Pete Seeger. Not all of the articles have suggestions for further reading, but many do.

Of particular interest is the filmography which arranges film into categories based on the type of issue and point of view they sought to further. The list includes such works as Reefer Madness (anti-marijuana film from the 1930’s), Triumph of the Will (the great classic work extolling the virtues of Nazi Germany), and Apocalypse Now (anti-Vietnam war) The book also describes different techniques used by different groups to further their agenda and includes a section on how advertisers use these techniques to sell products, a type of activity not often seen as propaganda.