Ohrstrom Blog

Lisa Laughy December 18th, 2008

A message from Library Director Kevin Barry:

Hello All,

Just a reminder that Ohrstrom Library is open Friday December 19th from 8:30am to 5:00pm and is closed Saturday and Sunday this weekend.  Monday and Tuesday the Library is open from 8:30am to 5:00pm, and on Wednesday the 24th the Library will be open from 8:30am to 3:00pm.

Come by, browse and borrow some recreational reading, listening, or viewing to enjoy during your well deserved break.

We would love to see you, and many many thanks for being such a warm and supportive Library community.

Sincere best wishes and happy holidays from all of us at Ohrstrom Library.

Holiday Hours

Image courtesy of Faeryboots under this Creative Common license.

Tags: Happy Holidays, Library Hours, Ohrstrom Library

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Lura Sanborn December 15th, 2008

Lura Sanborn – Reference Librarian

Are you looking for a great recreational read over the break but have already devoured everything by your favorite author?  Would you like to find books of a similar nature written by different authors?  If so, try searching NoveList through EBSCO and you may discover new favorites.

1) Click HERE to visit Ohrstrom Library’s website and select EBSCO from the database menu.

2) Then select NoveList (over to the right, see below).

This database will allow you to find author “read-alikes” specific to your subject criteria.

3) Conduct a search of your favorite author.

4) Select a title retrieved from your search.  Then, click on “Find Similar Books” (over to the right under the book image).

5)    Select the subject headings that are important to you and then hit the search button.

6) Review your results to find something that sounds like an interesting read. Many of the books listed in NoveList have excerpts from the first chapter available to read online – click the “First Chapter” link at the end of the book listing to test drive your selections.   You can also go back to the search list and make adjustments to your keyword selection to find new results.

7)  Check Ohrstrom’s WebCat to see if the book is in our collection or make a request via Interlibrary Loan.  Enjoy reading your new discoveries!

Tags: EBSCO, EBSCOHost, NoveList, recommended reading, recreational reading, Spotlight On

• Databases , Literature , Web Resources
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Lura Sanborn December 12th, 2008

Lura Sanborn – Reference Librarian

Interested in spending some of your time during the break to catch up on current events?  This news database accessible through the Ohrstrom Library website is a valuable source of information about current events.

CQ Researcher – Use this database to read reports covering the hottest social issues in the U.S.  Considered an unbiased source of reporting, these topical essays provide overviews, time-lines, in-depth news and often, expert pro/con opinions.  Recent topics include: Reducing Your Carbon Footprint, Declining Birthrate and Financial Bailout.  You can access CQ Researcher HERE (remember to log in to the VPN first if you are off grounds).

Tip:  After selecting a report, use the Issue Tracker feature (on the right of the page as shown above) for previously published reports of a similar nature.  For example, the current Financial Bailout article includes Issue Tracker linkage to reports from the 1930’s concerning the banking industry.

Tags: Carbon Footprint, Congress, Congressional Quarterly, CQ Researcher, Financial Bailout, Spotlight On

• Databases , Research , Web Resources
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Lura Sanborn December 11th, 2008

Lura Sanborn – Reference Librarian

The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics edited by David R. Henderson, Liberty Fund, Inc., 2008.

Find it in Ohrstrom at: REF 330 C74

Interested in expanding your economic understanding?  This encyclopedia provides essay length articles on a variety of economic topics, typically reflecting mainstream economic thought.  Points of disagreement among economists are identified and discussed. Entries include helpful descriptions of things such as: Behavioral Economics, Financial Regulation, Futures & Options Markets, and Bubbles.

Want to get to know some economic thinkers?  The second half of this volume contains biographies (about 100) of prominent economists.

Helpful for:  Understanding Economics, The Investment Club, U.S. History, Reflecting on Current Events

Tags: American History, Economics, economists, economy, New Reference Book, Reflecting on Current Events, The Investment Club, U.S. History, Understanding Economics

• Research , Social Sciences
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Lisa Laughy December 9th, 2008

Lisa Laughy -Archives Assistant

In response to growing student interest, Ohrstrom Library is expanding its collection of graphic novels. The library staff is celebrating the influx of these engaging new books with a colorful display in the Baker Reading Room featuring over 20 new graphic novels.  They represent a mixture of artistic styles and genres including biographies, autobiographies, fantasy, and literature.  Here are the highlights of a few of the titles:

• Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi – her award winning memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution
• Beowulf adapted and illustrated by Gareth Hinds – a visually compelling graphic novel of the ancient classic.
• Three Shadows by Cyril Pedrosa – an original fairy tale / fantasy story about a father’s quest to protect his young son from his fate.
• Laika by Nick Abadzis – a fictionalized account of the first dog sent into orbit as part of the Soviet space program.
• We Are on Our Own: A Memoir by Miriam Katin – the story of the author’s and her mother’s escape from the Nazi invasion of Budapest.

This book display is great for browsing so be sure to take a few minutes to stop by Ohrstrom to look it over.  If you have never read a graphic novel before, or only associate the genre with super-heroes in tights and capes, you will be surprised by the range of subjects and marvel at the variety of original visual styles represented.

This display will be available in the Baker Reading Room through the end of term, so if you would like some recreational reading over the holiday break just request a special due date when checking the item out at the Circulation Desk.

Tags: Baker Reading Room, graphic novels, new book display, Ohrstrom Library

• Fine Arts , Library News
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