From the MC Archives: The Dolphin Club

From the Monmouth College Archives:

Starting in the late 1940’s, early 1950’s, the Dolphin Club was a recreational participation group involved with women’s swimming. They specialized in synchronized swimming along with water “stunts”. This was a team the women tried out for in order to measure the variety of skill. The Dolphins put on performances, sometimes collaborating with the Orchesis, a modern dance organization at Monmouth College that had been around since 1950.  Two of their performances were “Westward Ho!” in 1970, and “Splash In Color” in 1967. These photographs are from the production “Westward Ho!”

 

 

Research Help at the Reference Desk

Are you struggling with a research paper? Are you unsure where to find scholarly journal articles on your topic? Stop by the Reference Desk or email the Reference staff to step up an appointment.

The Hewes Library librarians can help you locate scholarly articles for your paper, statistics for your speeches, and more! Librarians are available at the following times or by appointment:

• Monday - Thursday: 9am - noon, 1:30pm - 4:30pm, and 6pm-9pm
• Friday: 9am - noon and 1:30pm - 4:30pm
• Saturday: No librarians are available
• Sunday: 1:30pm - 4:30pm and 6:30pm-9pm

On the go? Access Hewes Library Mobile

Remember, mobile versions of the Hewes Library website and the Hewes Library blog are available for users! 

When accessing either of these websites, mobile users will be automatically redirected to the mobile versions to continue browsing. 

You can access the catalog, learn more about the research process, or find information about library services.

If you choose, you can return to the full version of the library's website at any time.

Treasures of the Collection: Oldest Book

Treasures of the collection: Oldest book in the collection

 

Monmouth College library staff is often asked “What is the oldest book in the collection?” The answer is: Incipit legenda sanctoru[m] que Lombardica nominatur historia. Better known as Legenda Sanctorum (Sacred Legends) or Legenda Aurea (Golden Legends), this book was the medieval equivalent to a best-seller, containing tales of the lives of the Saints. Originally written around 1260 by Jacobus de Voragine, a member of the Dominican order who later became an Archbishop, the work was recopied many times and widely distributed throughout the middle ages. Hewes volume was copied around 1450. There are over 900 known exemplars of this book, copied at various dates, still in existence. 

 

 

Technically, it is not a book, but an illuminated manuscript, hand written and decorated in the late Middle Ages by monks. An interesting fact about this book is that despite its age, it is more safely handled than many newer items in the collection. The thickness of the paper, made from calf-skins and known as vellum and the sturdiness of the binding make it much less fragile than say an old newspaper from the 1963 Kennedy assassination or a late 19th century book which was printed at a time when highly acidic paper was used in the printing process. It is not a complete copy as portions of the beginning and ending are missing, but it is a fairly complete copy. 

This item does not circulate but can be viewed anytime the library is open by asking a staff member. 

On Display: American Presidents

 

 

On display this month is a collection of library materials relating to the US Presidents.  The display case can be found in the library's east lobby.

 

All items are available for checkout.  Please see a library staff member at the Circulation Desk.

 

African-American History Month: Stats from the Census

The US Census Bureau has compiled an extensive list of statistics relating to African American History Month.  Their feature says:

"To commemorate and celebrate the contributions to our nation made by people of African descent, American historian Carter G. Woodson established Black History Week. The first celebration occurred on Feb. 12, 1926. For many years, the second week of February was set aside for this celebration to coincide with the birthdays of abolitionist/editor Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. In 1976, as part of the nation's bicentennial, the week was expanded into Black History Month. Each year, U.S. presidents proclaim February as National African-American History Month."

A few of the highlighted statistics are:

2.3 million
Number of black military veterans in the United States in 2011.
Source: 2011 American Community Survey

3.1 million
Number of blacks enrolled in college in 2011, a 74.0 percent increase since 2001.
Source: 2011 American Community Survey

11.1 million
The number of blacks who voted in the 2010 congressional election, an increase from 10 percent of the total electorate in 2006 to 12 percent in 2010.
Source: Voting and Registration in the Election of 2010

$135.7 billion
Receipts for black-owned businesses in 2007, up 53.1 percent from 2002. The number of black-owned businesses totaled 1.9 million in 2007, up 60.5 percent.
Source: 2007 Survey of Business Owners

Database of the Month: Black Thought & Culture

Database of the Month: Black Thought & Culture

This database contains over 100,000 pages of monographs, essays, articles, speeches, and interviews written by leaders within the black community from the earliest times to the present.  In addition to the political writings, speeches and interviews with black activists of the 1960’s and 70’s, the database offers some interesting historical works on topics such as manners (1941), the history of black education, (1919) and the early years of the NAACP (1925).

 

The database search function can be used in many ways to look for authors, time periods, historical events and many other topics.  Much information is given in the entries.  For example, the entry on the author gives birth and death information, nationality, religion, race, sexual orientation, occupation and education.  Each of these terms can be searched by so that one can get a list of all black American women teachers with Master ’s degrees who have materials in the database (11) or of black clergymen (21). 

One can also browse through lists using different criteria such as dates, historical events (ratification of the 14th amendment, Montgomery bus boycott), personal events (courtship, loss of a loved one, starting a job) or subjects which include people, organizations and geographic locations. 

All of the documents, books and interviews are full-text except the Black Panther newspapers of the 60’s and 70’s which are in PDF format.  There are also audio files of interviews with Black Panther activists. 

The books are not presented in an easy to read format, but most of the books found in the database are in Hewes Library or can be ordered via I-Share.

Access to databases is limited to the current students, staff, and faculty of Monmouth College.

On Display: African American History

For African American History Month, on display this month is a collection of library materials.  The display case can be found in the library's east lobby.

 

All items are available for checkout.  Please see a library staff member at the Circulation Desk to check materials out.



Program Tonight! Islam: An Old American Religion - 7pm @ Hewes

Petra Kuppinger, Professor of Sociology and Anthropology, will present Islam: An Old American Religion: The Long Journey from the 17/18th Century Africa to the 21st Centuries, at 7:00 pm in the  Barnes Electronic Classroom on the Lower Level of Hewes Library.  All are welcome.

This presentation chronicles the arrival and dynamic existence of Islam in the USA, starting from the arrival of Muslim Africans forced into slavery, to a survey of contemporary Muslim communities and movement in the 21st century. Special focus is given to the difficult period of Muslim religious practices during the era of slavery and the first decades afterward. The second part of the presentation focuses on "new" Muslim movements (e.g. the Nation of Islam) in the early 20th century, and the large scale influx of Muslim immigrants beginning in the 1960s. A central question in the discussion of American Islam is whether or not the two historical experiences (Islam as a slave religious and 20th-century Muslim movements and communities) are connected.

The Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys is a project of the National Endowment for the Humanities, conducted in cooperation with the American Library Association, the Ali Vural Ak Center for Global Islamic Studies at George Mason University, Oxford University Press, and Twin Cities Public Television. Support was provided by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York. Additional support for the arts and media components was provided by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art.

New Items At Hewes Library

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

• Minaret by Leila Aboulela
• No Silent Night: The Christmas Battle for Bastogne by Leo Barron & Don Cygan
• Islamic Arts by Jonathan Bloom and Sheila Blair
• Modern Shakespeare Off Shoots by Ruby Cohn
• Beyond Therapy by Christopher Durang
• Event of Literature by Terry Eagleton
• In The Country of Men by Hisham Matar
• Comfort of Things by Daniel Miller
• Snow by Orhan Pamuk
• History of Spain by Peter Pierson

More ScotsRead Titles Arrived

Another batch of ScotsRead popular books and bestsellers arrived for the collection.  Check out:

• Odd Interlude: A Special Odd Thomas Adventure by Dean Koontz
• Servant's Hall: A Real Life Upstairs, Downstairs Romance by Margaret Powell
• Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker: A Novel by Jennifer Chiaverini
• Kinsey and Me: Stories by Sue Grafton
• Private Berlin by James Patterson and Mark Sullivan
• Until the End of Time: A Novel by Danielle Steel
• The Disaster Diaries: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Apocalypse by Sam Sheridan

Changes to Alexander Street Press Video Databases

Alexander Street Press combined all of its online video collections into one product known as VAST: Academic Video Online.  The following collections are no longer listed on the the Databases: Find Articles page, but are included in VAST. 

Collections that are now contained within VAST: Academic Video Online

·         American History in Video

·         Counseling and Therapy in Video

·         Dance in Video

·         Education in Video

·         Ethnographic Video Online

·         Filmmakers Library

·         Opera in Video

·         Theater in Video

·         World History in Video

Collections from Alexander Street Press that remain the same:

·         Black Thought and Culture

·         Music Online

·         Women and Social Movements

 

Access to databases is limited to the current students, staff, and faculty of Monmouth College.

Database of the Month: Europa World Plus

Europa World Plus

Are you looking for background information on the Syrian crisis?  Are you curious about the history of Korea before it split into North and South Korea?  Want to know what the flag of Thailand looks like?  Need statistics on any county? If you are looking for information on these topics or many others about a particular country or region, then start with this database which offers a wide variety of information and statistics on every country, territory and autonomous region on earth.  Each of the country entries contains a map suitable for use in presentations or for illustration, an image of the country’s flag, a brief history, information on holidays, physical and social geography, economics, politics, and much more. 

There are many search options found on the home page.  If you know the country in which you are interested, you can directly enter its name in the box found on the top of the page. (1)  However, this may bring up many results you are not interested in.  It is simpler to select the country from the tab on the top right hand side of the home page (2) (very helpful if you are not sure how to spell Tajikistan or Azerbaijan).

If you are not sure which country you need information on, you can select a region from the left side bar on home page. (3) Also found on the left hand side of the home page are links to international and regional organizations and a link which allows comparisons between countries. 

If you select a region you will find a map, recent news articles on the region and other selections Also, in the middle section of the regional home page is a linked listing of countries considered part of the region.

The help pages offer answers for questions on database use such as saving searches and data and other information.

Europa World Plus offers limited cultural information.  If you are in more need of cultural information on a country or region, begin with the following resources all found in the library’s reference section:
1. Countries and their cultures
2. Cultures of the world
3. Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life

Access to databases is limited to the current students, staff, and faculty of Monmouth College.