Ely Library, Westfield State College

Extended library hours start tonight!

2010-05-06T11:37:00.003-04:00

The Ely Library will be open extended hours the following dates and times:

Thursday, May 6: 8am - 2am

Friday, May 7: 8am - 7pm

Saturday, May 8: 10am - 9pm

Sunday, May 9: 1pm - 2am

Monday, May 10 - Tuesday, May 11: 8am - 2am

Wednesday, May 12 - Thursday, May 13: 8am - 12 midnight

Friday, May 14: Regular hours resume

4th READ poster is here!

2010-04-09T13:12:00.001-04:00

The Ely Library is proud to debut our 4^th READ poster. This poster features four students from the WSKB 89.5FM executive board (from L to R): Andy Tarara, Jim Hewitt, Alex Simisky, and Meg Millette. They are shown reading a variety of music-related books and magazines.

The READ campaign is a national effort by the American Library Association to promote reading and library appreciation. You can see Andy, Jim, Alex, and Meg’s poster on display just inside the entrance to the Ely Library.

If you, your club, or someone you know would like to be featured on a Westfield State College Ely Library READ poster, please contact Carolyn Schwartz at x5327 for more information.

Congratulations to Amy Chapman!

2010-02-16T15:39:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to Reference and Instruction Librarian Amy Chapman for earning her Master of Arts in English on Feb. 1!

Staff Book Pick

2010-02-03T10:18:00.002-05:00

Robin, an Evening and Weekend Reference Librarian, has chosen the play "August: Osage County" by Tracy Letts, winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize:

Hot as blazes dialogue. A riveting dramatic story and play. An alarmingly honest glimpse of a all too familiar, dysfunctional family. Prickly characters with some surprising connections. Don't be daunted because you don't read plays. This finely honed drama flows with smooth dialogue that goes down like smooth whiskey...a little strong to swallow at first but leaves you thirsting for more.

Information about Haiti

2010-01-19T13:19:00.000-05:00

The Ely Library has created an informational web page about last week’s earthquake in Haiti. It can be found at http://www.lib.wsc.ma.edu/haiti.html and is accessible through the library web site home page and the library portal page.

If you have any questions about the page, please contact Amy Chapman (achapman@wsc.ma.edu) or Patrick Hartsfield (jhartsfield@wsc.ma.edu).

Staff Book Pick

2010-01-08T15:14:00.005-05:00

Robin, an Evening and Weekend Reference Librarian, has chosen "A Handmaids Tale" by Margaret Atwood:

"A utterly believable and disturbing portrait of a future society in which sex, procreation, politics and gender roles are controlled by a totalitarian regime. Remarkable writing and a riveting plot keep you reading past bedtime... even though you know you risk sleep deprivation. Highly recommended for thoughtful readers who enjoy great literature. It won the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 1987."

image: http://jkneilson.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/handmaidstale.jpg

Ely Library Intersession Hours: January 4th -19th

2010-01-04T11:19:00.002-05:00

The Ely Library will be open the following hours during the Intersession, January 4-19, 2010:

Monday - Thursday: 9:00 am - 6:00 pm

Friday: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Saturday and Sunday: closed

Congratulations to Teri Shiel, Reference Librarian

2009-12-21T15:18:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to Teri Shiel, Reference & Instruction Librarian, for successfully passing her oral comprehensive examination for an M.A. in Nineteenth Century American History at The University at Albany - SUNY. The degree will be conferred at the annual commencement in May.

Library holiday closing

2009-12-21T14:33:00.001-05:00

The Ely Library will be closed from December 23, 2009 - January 3, 2010. Have a happy and safe holiday season!

Extended Library Hours 12/9-12/17

2009-12-08T15:17:00.002-05:00

The Ely Library will have extended hours for the following dates and times:

Wednesday 12/9 - Thursday 12/10: 8am - 2am

Friday 12/11: 8am - 6pm

Saturday 12/12: 10am - 6pm

Sunday 12/13: 1pm - 2am

Monday 12/14: 8am - 2am

Tuesday 12/15 - Wednesday 12/16: 8am - 12am

Thursday 12/17: 8am - 7pm

Online Services Interruption

2009-11-24T14:33:00.003-05:00

Due to the planned campus electrical shutdown to repair high-voltage lines, the following online resources will be unavailable on the dates and times below:

ALL databases: Unavailable November 26th, 7am - 1pm

Library catalog: Unavailable November 25th, 3pm - November 27th, 8am

Library website: Unavailable November 26th, 7am - 1pm

Starred Book Review for Librarian Teri Shiel

2009-11-20T11:23:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to Teri Shiel, Reference and Instruction Librarian, for having another book review published in Library Journal (10/15/09, p.80). It's a starred review for an important book on Hollywood producer Irving Thalberg and the studio system.

* Vieira, Mark A. Irving Thalberg: Boy Wonder to Producer Prince. Univ. of California. Nov. 2009. c530p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-520-26048-1. $34.95. FILM
Irving Thalberg's name is mostly lost to history, but his body of work as a film producer survives--Grand Hitel, A Day at the Races, Freaks, and Red Dust are just a few. When he died tragically in 1936 at ago 37, Hollywood lost its boy wonder, the man who ran Universal Pictures at 20 and cofounded Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer four years later. Over the seven decades since his death, Thalberg's achievements have faded from memory, his name known only to film buffs and scholars. Building on his previous book on Thalberg, Vieira (Hollywood Dreams Made Real: Irving Thalberg and the Rise of M-G-M) now brings the enigmatic producer back from the fog of history. Verdict: Using primarily intapped sources like production files, financial records, and correspondence, Vieira has written the definitive biography of Thalberg. Highly recomended to those looking for a well-researched work on the foundation of the studio system and the people who made Hollywood.

Found on Flickr:

2009-11-19T13:38:00.002-05:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/librarianinblack/4091546308/

Veterans' Day Hours

2009-11-10T13:49:00.001-05:00

The Ely Library will be open Wed. 11/11 from 8am-midnight.
Reference Librarians will be available from 9am-9pm to help you get started with any end-of-semester projects you might have.

Second READ poster debuts

2009-11-03T16:17:00.004-05:00

Erinne Wortham, class of 2010
SNEA Chapter President
READS Pride and Prejudice

This is the second poster in the Ely Library's READ series, and it's a beautiful one. The poster is located just inside the entrance to the library. Come by and take a look!

Have a haunted Halloween weekend!

2009-10-30T12:50:00.002-04:00

Spend some time curled up with a good mystery at one of New England's "Haunted Inns", from Boston.com.

(istockphoto.com)

Congratulations to Amy Chapman, Reference Dept.

2009-10-22T10:05:00.003-04:00

Amy Chapman, Ely Library Reference Librarian, has been accepted to participate in the highly selective and prestigious Institute for Information Literacy Immersion 2009, Assessment Track.

The Immersion program is run by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL). The Assessment program is "intended for experienced academic librarians active in teaching and learning" who wish to improve the structure of their information literacy instruction and implement assessment methods to evaluate and track effectiveness.

When Amy is finished with the program, she will be able to define, explore, examine, and develop modes of assessment that will improve student learning, inspire programmatic change, and improve viability of the library and its information literacy education.

Congratulations, Amy! We all look forward to the knowledge you will bring back to Westfield State.

Banned Books Week

2009-09-28T18:09:00.004-04:00

It's Banned Books Week. Celebrate your freedom to read by checking out one of the 10 most challenged books of 2008:

1. And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell. Reasons: Anti-ethnic, anti-family, homosexuality, religious viewpoint and unsuited to age group.

2. His Dark Materials Trilogy, by Philip Pullman. Reasons: political viewpoint, religious viewpoint and violence.

3. TTYL; TTFN; L8R, G8R (series), by Lauren Myracle. Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit and unsuited to age group.

4. Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz. Reasons: occult/satanism, religious viewpoint and violence.

5. Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya. Reasons: occult/satanism, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit and violence.

6. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, but Stephen Chbosky. Reasons: drugs, homosexuality, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit, suicide and unsuited to age group.

7. Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily von Ziegesar. Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit and unsuited to age group.

8. Uncle Bobby's Wedding, by Sarah S. Brannen. Reasons: homosexuality and unsuited to age group.

9. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini. Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit and unsuited to age group.

10. Flashcards of My Life, by Charise Mericle Harper. Reasons: sexually explicit and unsuited to age group.

New Database Announcement

2009-09-18T13:13:00.005-04:00

From Brian Hubbard, Head of Reference:

Ely Library is pleased to announce the addition of Biography Resource Center: African Americans to our array of electronic resources. The database is available on and off-campus from our Quick Links list accessible from the Library Home Page.

Biography Resource Center: African Americans provides nearly 30,000 narrative and thumbnail biographies about notable African Americans from the respected Gale sources available in the Biography Resource Center. Biographies include notable African American figures such as Maya Angelou, Frederick Douglass, Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Harriet Tubman, Usher, Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods, W.E.B. Du Bois, and many others. Also included are more than 42,000 full-text periodical articles, websites, and recent update news briefs. Users can search on name, personal facts such as birth/death dates and place, occupation, and gender, or combine criteria to create a targeted custom search.

The database provides access to the biographies in almost 60 volumes of six Gale reference sources:

Contemporary Black Biography
Notable Black American Men
Notable Black American Scientists
Notable Black American Women
St. James Guide to Black Artists
Who's Who Among African Americans

In addition to essays that provide key biographical facts and summaries of individuals' lives and careers, search results also yield:

Links to nearly 250 vetted web sites
Approximately 2,000 portraits
More than 42,000 full-text periodical articles from nearly 300 magazines

A Teacher's Guide To Web 2.0 at School

2009-09-09T11:16:00.003-04:00

A fabulous SlideShare Presentation:

A Teacher's Guide To Web 2.0 at School

View more documents from Sacha Chua.

New Databases added since May 2009

2009-09-04T10:41:00.005-04:00

From Brian Hubbard, Head of Reference:

Several new databases have been added to our array since last semester. You can view a description of them here.

Interruption in online services on Mon. 9/7

2009-09-04T09:49:00.004-04:00

The library's online catalog, databases, and website will not be available on Monday, Sept. 7 from 6 a.m. - 10 a.m. due to a construction-related power outage. Please plan your work accordingly and enjoy the long weekend.

Welcome [back] to Ely Library!

2009-09-03T09:30:00.005-04:00

A message from Corinne Ebbs, Interim Associate Dean of Library Services:

Following a summer and two years filled with construction noise and activity, we are beginning to see the light on a project designed to improve accessibility to all areas of the Ely Building. Come visit the library through our new entrance. There is now easy access to Subway and Jazzman's Cafe and to restrooms located in the Campus Center.

Final construction changes that will have a positive effect on student study space and a new passenger elevator to access the mezzanine and information instruction classroom will be completed this fall. In the meantime, if you need help getting to the Educational Resources Center or classroom, give us a call at 572-5231.

Questions? Just ask any staff member in the library, check out our web page at www.lib.wsc.ma.edu, or call us at 413-572-5251. We look forward to your visits.

September is Banned Books Month

2009-09-02T16:17:00.005-04:00

Ely Library's September display highlights Banned Books Month

In the United States, books are not "banned" anymore, but they are constantly "challenged" and often removed from school and public library shelves because of some people's opinions.

Celebrate your First Amendment freedom and read a "banned" book this month. Maybe you've been meaning to get around to the Twilight books? Feeling up to re-reading Harry Potter? How about Alice in Wonderland? Maybe the Bible interests you. All of those books (yes, all of them!) have been challenged over the years for various reasons.

READ @ Your Library Campaign

2009-09-01T10:14:00.005-04:00

The READ @ Your Library is a national campaign started by the American Library Association. Lots of famous people such as Yao Ming, Keira Knightley and Ne-Yo have posed for READ posters with their favorite books. Now Westfield State College and President Dobelle have gotten into the act.

We're looking for poster nominations! Nominate a favorite professor, student, staff member, or administrator today by calling x5327.