Library Centre

Stop by the library to check out these wonderful recommendations, made by some of our library-supporting seniors!  You will see a variety of genres represented:  poetry, non-fiction, popular fiction, and classical literature, to name a few.

Thank you to our seniors for compiling these reading lists at such a busy time of the year.

Congratulations and Good Luck!

Dixon Irene

Loving in the War Years: lo que Nunca Paso por sus Labios, by  Cherrie Moraga

 
Racism Without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of   Racial Inequality in the United States, by Eduardo Bonilla-Silva

 
The Smallest Muscle in the Human Body, by Alberto Rios

 
The Complete Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi

 
All About Love: New Visions, by Bell Hooks

Natalie Pope

The book that taught me to love art and thought:

-  The Power of Myth, Joseph Campbell

The only book I have read more than once:

- The Essential Rumi, Translations by Coleman Barks

The book that introduced me to my favorite author:

- My Name is Red, Orhan Pamuk

The book that introduced me to feminism:

- The Awakening, Kate Chopin

The book I’d like to have written:

- Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Book, Azar Nafisi

Grant Poston

Bleachers and Playing for Pizza, both by John Grisham

Mya Price

The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin

I read this book during the fall of taking Beau Weston’s Happiness Society and I really enjoyed the it. By far, it’s been one of the best books that I have read in any of my Soc/Anth. classes.

The author, Gretchen Rubin, spent a year of her life researching techniques on how to improve her happiness. Each month she would assign herself a certain task , hoping that these monthly task would improve her overall happiness. I think this is a wonderful book for anyone to read, because it immediately draws your attention, is very insightful, and this book allows you to reflect on your happiness in your own life. From the words of Rubin, “being happy is about feeling good, feeling bad, and feeling right.” (Rubin, pg.65)

Will Troy

The Great Gatsby, by F.Scott Fitzgerald.

Lewis Collins

The Bridge of San Luis Rey, by Thornton Wilder

Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain

The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway

Faculty – Complete the library survey that you received via email for a chance to win a $100 gift card to the place of your choosing!  Once you have completed the survey, email Crystal.ellis@centre.edu to let her know you are ready to win!

Stop by the library and fill out a star at the circulation desk to recognize a library worker who has provided you with good service, a smile, or a helping hand.

Jennifer Muzyka is professor of chemistry at Centre College, where she has taught since 1994.

An organic chemist, Muzyka is committed to working with her Centre students in collaborative research.

From contacts made during her 2001 sabbatical work, Muzyka has helped a number of students arrange internships with Kentucky’s Central Forensic Laboratory in Frankfort. She assists students interested in attending pharmacy school, and supervises internships at pharmacies and hospitals. She also serves on the Health Professions Advisory Committee.

Muzyka develops technology to help students learn general and organic chemistry. One of her technology projects, published in the Journal of Chemical Education, involves chemistry game shows (Jeopardy! and Who Wants to be a Millionare?). She has given presentations and organized symposia at the Biennial Conference on Chemical Education about the tutorials on her organic chemistry Web site, and conducts workshops to assist other chemistry faculty members to develop their own interactive chemistry web sites.

Muzyka has published the results of her research in scholarly journals including the Journal of Organic Chemistry and the Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology.

Muzyka received her B.S. from the University of Dallas and her Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Texas at Austin.

Favorite book in college:  Alexis DeToqueville’s Democracy in America and/or The Complete Works of Plato

In my Introduction to Politics course, we read DeToqueville’s Democracy in America as well as The Federalist Papers.  It struck me as odd that a foreigner would have such perceptive insights into the American political system.  In the philosophy courses I took as an undergraduate, my favorite philosopher to read was Plato.  I actually kept that book and read it on my own after I graduated.

 Favorite discipline-related book:  Mechanism and Theory in Organic Chemistry by Lowry and Richardson

We used this textbook for the physical organic chemistry course I took as an undergraduate.  It was the main text for one of my grad school courses as well.  I appreciated seeing the more mathematical and physical side of organic chemistry and learning about the experimental methods used to understand the mechanisms.  In the course I took as an undergraduate, I was intrigued to discover that organic chemists would argue vociferously about different mechanistic explanations for experimental observations.  My professor shared a story about one chemist saying Nobel laureates should retire before they go senile in a very public argument with a prominent chemist who had previously won the Nobel prize.

This book helped me realize that I am a physical organic chemist.  When that realization hit me, I suddenly understood that different people think in different ways and these ways of thinking often explain choices of college major or career.

Book recommendation for students:

I recommend Look Me in the Eye and Be Different, both by John Elder Robison.  I enjoyed these books deeply and was happy to learn that Robison would be giving a presentation on Centre’s campus.  Weissiger was packed for this week’s convocation, and Robison enchanted us by sharing his interesting experiences and thoughtful perspective about life as an individual on the autism spectrum.  Whether you heard his talk or not, you will be enlightened and entertained by these two books.

One book you would have on a deserted island:  I would hope to have a field guide to the flora and fauna of the region where I found myself shipwrecked, since I suspect I would be spending a fair amount of time cozying up to nature.  I love field guides.  We have many of them on the bookshelf in the living room at home to assist in identifying the plants and animals we encounter in the woods where we live.

Favorite author:  Robin Cook

I have always loved mystery novels, and Robin Cook adeptly intertwines mystery with fascinating medical science that verges on science fiction in its strangeness.  

Last read:  Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

Spring break was a wonderful time to do some reading for fun, and I finally took the time to start reading this series of books that are making a big splash with the series on HBO.  I am moving more slowly through the second book than the first because I don’t have as much time to read now that we are back into the routine after spring break.

Next read:

I’m looking forward to reading Raising Cubby by John Elder Robison.  I was intrigued to learn about Cubby’s interest in chemistry during Robison’s convocation presentation.   The book touches on lots of father-son adventures like how Robison helped his son drive a train, so I am confident it will be full of wonderful tales.

Barbara Hall is professor of music at Centre, where she has taught since 1980. She has held the Stodghill Professorship in Humanities since its inception in 2004 and is the former chair of the division of arts and humanities.

A veteran teacher, conductor, and performer, Hall directs Centre’s choral program, which includes student groups such as Centre Singers, Women’s Voices, and Centre Men. She teaches humanities, music history, theory, and conducting. Hall founded and directs the Danville Summer Singers and Sounding Joy, an auditioned women’s ensemble of 30-32 singers.

Hall is a member of the American Choral Directors Association, the National Collegiate Choral Organization, and the College Music Society. She is past governor of the Association of Teachers of Singing.

Hall earned a B.M. at the University of Michigan, an M.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a D.M. from Indiana University.

Favorite book in college:

Leonard Meyer:  Music, the Arts, and Ideas and Emotion and Meaning in Music

I took an undergraduate course in music aesthetics that completely changed my thinking about how music works intrinsically and in relation to other arts and society.  Who wouldn’t want to read chapters such as “Forgery and the Anthropology of Art” and “Value and Greatness in Music”?

Favorite discipline-related book:

Dean Robert Blocker:  The Robert Shaw Reader

I am among the last generations of singer/choral directors to be privileged to sing under conductor Robert Shaw.  He was a tyrant, a poet, a musical musician.  This book quotes liberally from the letters he sent to his choirs after every rehearsal and from interviews with people who sang under him.  It’s a book I dip into frequently and always come away with new ideas and strengthened resolve to get to the essence of music and song.

Book recommendation for students:

 Great biographies – of anyone in any discipline. Whether it’s of Cleopatra, Franklin Roosevelt, Stravinsky, Picasso, Sotomayor, a fine biography offers multiple rewards:  clear and elegant prose, intimate knowledge of another person, and a socio/cultural/historical slice of life.

One book you would have on a deserted island:

It has to be a CD:  Bach Mass in b minor (I can live without books but not without music!).  This work, more than any other I can think of (and many people agree from across ages and lands), brings together the intellectual, aesthetic and emotional world into sublime music.

Favorite authors:

Jane Austen

Shakespeare (really!)

For fun:  Donna Leon – great mysteries set in Venice

Last read:

Leonard Slatkin:  Conducting Business:  Unveiling the Mystery Behind the Maestro.  Though self-serving, the look into the practical side of conducting on the international stage is revealing of the joys and frustrations of being an orchestral conductor and also gives some entertaining backstage and behind-the-scene tidbits.  Very likely the only other person to want to read this one is Jaemi Loeb!

Next read:

Garry Wills:   Verdi’s Shakespeare:  Men of the Theater 

Reading during the school year comes down, almost always, to preparing for class!

Have you ever wondered what the librarians were saying or talking about?  Well, wonder no more!  Below are some of the common library terms and definitions that you will see and/or hear in the library.

Abstract – A short summary of an article in a scholarly journal.  The abstract usually appears at the beginning of an article.

Archives – A non-circulating collection preserved for historical purposes.  This collection is located in the Rare Book Room and accessed by appointment only.  Contact Bob Glass or Stan Campbell to set up an appointment to view the material.

Book stacks – The main part of the library’s circulating book collection.

Bound Journal – Several issues of journals are combined between two hardcovers so they resemble a book.

Call Number – The call number refers to the group of letters and numbers given to each item in the library according to its subject matter. Call number labels are usually located on the spine or cover of the material and indicate where the item is shelved.  Each shelf in the library includes a call number range on the end of the shelving unit to assist with finding materials located within that specific section.

Closed reserve – Material(s) a professor assigns his/her students to read. These materials may be checked out at the circulation desk for up to three hours.

Database – A library database is an electronic (online) catalog or index.  Library databases contain information about published items and are searchable.  When you search a database, you are not searching the “web”, but a distinct set of resources.  Library Databases allow you to find:

• Articles in Journals/Magazines/Newspapers
• Reference Information (i.e. entries from Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, etc.)
• Books & other documents

Some library databases also provide abstracts of the items they index.  An abstract is a brief summary of the article.

And some library databases provide the full text (the entire article) for items they index.

E-book – A book listed in the library catalog that can be downloaded and read on electronic devices.

INTERLIBRARY LOAN (sometimes abbreviated to ILL) – A service provided to Centre College students, faculty and staff by which materials not held by the Grace Doherty Library are borrowed from other libraries.

ILLIAD – The software used to manage interlibrary loan requests.

Index - A print (or online) listing of article citations, usually accessible by title, author and subject.

Library of Congress classification system (LOC) – The Library of Congress Classification System is the system the Centre College Library uses to organize its books and other materials. All cataloged materials are assigned title, author and Library of Congress subject headings so they can be retrieved in a search of Centre’s Library Catalog and organized on the library’s shelves in a consistent manner.

Magazine – A collection of articles generally written by staff or freelance writers and aimed at the general public. Articles tend to be brief with no references listed and no credentials of the author given.

Mango -A program, similar to Rosetta Stone, found on the library’s webpage that can be used to help students learn a foreign language.

Monograph -A detailed, written study (book, non-fiction) of a single specialized subject or an aspect of it.

Moodle – The Centre College Course Management System where professors post assignments, class readings, syllabi, etc.

Multidisciplinary Database- A database that covers a wide variety of subject areas.

Open reserve – Material(s) a professor suggests students read.  These readings are not usually mandatory.  The materials can be checked out for up to three days.

Peer reviewed journal/article – A journal/article that has been reviewed by scholars and experts for accuracy and significance before it is accepted for publication.

Periodicals – A periodical is a publication which is issued at regular intervals, such as a magazine, journal or newspaper.

Reference – Books in the reference section tend to be frequently used, fact-based resources such as almanacs, dictionaries and encyclopedias.  Reference books are non-circulating.

Scholarly Journal – A collection of articles, generally written by experts in the field.  Scholarly journals are respected for the research and information they provide about the topic they cover. They are written by and for people who have experience in a discipline or field. The research is often refereed (peer-reviewed), meaning that it is reviewed by other researchers who are knowledgeable about the topic of the article. Scholarly journals cite their sources using footnotes or bibliographies.

Steve Beaudoin joined the Centre College faculty in 1997 as a visiting assistant professor of history and he currently serves as Ewing T. Boles Professor of History.

As an undergraduate, Beaudoin earned a double major in history and French, and his scholarly interests bring those fields together. He has taught courses on various topics in early modern and 19th-century European history, as well as world and Chinese civilization.

Besides essays in the Journal of Social History, the Encyclopedia of European Social History, the Encyclopedia of Social History, and the Encyclopedia of World History (6 ed.), Beaudoin is author of The Industrial Revolution, a reader in Houghton Mifflin’s “Problems in European Civilization” series, and Poverty in World History, published by Routledge Press.

Beaudoin holds a B.A. from Bates College, M.A. degrees from University of Maine and Carnegie Mellon University, and a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University.

Professor Beaudoin has put together a varied list of recommended reading.  The list covers books of the popular mystery genre, works in historical fiction, and non-fiction titles in his specialized area of history.  Stop by the library to see a display of his recommended titles and check one out today!

 Favorite book in college:

 Buddenbrooks, by Thomas Mann.  I read this book for a class on German history and I was fascinated by this tale of a proud German family weathering the great transformations that rocked the 19^th century.

Favorite discipline-related book:

 The Trial of Mme Caillaux, by Edward Berenson.  This is a fine example of a technique known as “microhistory,” in which the historian places one event into its deepest contexts and then uses that to explore the mindsets of the times.  In this case, Berenson focuses on the 1914 trial of Henriette Caillaux, the wife of a former prime minister of France, for murdering the editor of one of Paris’ most important daily newspapers.  He uses this single case and the lives of those involved to explore the cultural tensions surrounding the emergence of new gender roles and the rise of the popular press.  For a relatively small book, it packs a great punch.

Book recommendation for students:

 I have four recommendations.  For anyone interested in history, I would suggest Steven Johnson’s The Ghost Map.  This is an engaging analysis of the different circumstances that led to the recognition in 19^th-century London that cholera is a waterborne illness.  Although I’m not completely convinced by his very optimistic vision of what urban life has to offer humanity, it’s a great read.  For a more serious historical analysis, I would recommend Michael Miller’s The Bon Marché, the history of the first great department store in Paris, which is still in operation and well worth a visit.  Miller does an excellent job of explaining how tradition could be and was adapted to make the new and modern more accessible and accepted.  After all, there was a time when department stores were new and seemingly “dangerous” – their success was never guaranteed.  Finally, I would recommend Stendhal’s The Red and the Black and Balzac’s Père Goriot for identical reasons; both tell the story of young people trying to find their way in a turbulent world.

One book you would have on a deserted island:

 I’m going to cheat on this one!  I would choose a compendium of Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City.  (Technically, I think the first 3 books are in one compendium and the last 3 are in a second compendium.)  Maupin does a great job of bringing the era and his characters to life.  Whenever I pick up one of these books, I feel like I’m getting back in touch with long-lost friends.

Favorite authors:

Since I read mainly non-fiction for work, I tend to gravitate to fiction, especially mysteries, for pleasure reading.  So my favorite authors include those who can use history to tell a great yarn and mystery writers.  In the first category, I loved James Michener and Leon Uris when I was younger.  By Michener, I especially enjoyed Centennial and Poland, and by Uris, I liked QB VII and Trinity.  Among mystery writers, I would highly recommend everything by P.D. James and Henning Mankell.  Caleb Carr has written a couple of nice novels that combine both history and mystery, The Alienist and The Angel of Darkness.  You can find similar works set in France by Barbara Corrado Pope.  I’ve read Cezanne’s Quarry and The Blood of Lorraine.  Finally, I also enjoy the work of Richard Russo.  He freaked me out a little with Empire Falls, however.  Its main characters include a high school student living in a decaying mill town whose father owns a diner and whose mother is named Jeannine.  I grew up in a decaying mill town, my father owned a diner, and my mother’s name is Jeannine.  Spooky!

 Last read:

Christopher Rice’s The Snow Garden, a story set in an elite New England college, but whose characters enjoyed a much more “exciting” life than I did at their age!  [OK, this may not be the best choice, since one of the characters is sleeping with his professor, but it is the last book I read!]

Next read:

 Harlan Coben’s Hold Tight. (Though technically, this isn’t my next read, since I’m in the middle of it right now.)  I had never heard of Coben until last year, when Astrid Hullar, who teaches French in Strasbourg, lent me a couple of his books.  He writes fast-paced thrillers and mysteries whose main characters are often as sarcastic as they are resourceful.  The books are pure escapism, and I can’t put them down!

For my “real” next read, it will probably be David Leavitt’s most recent book, The Indian Clerk, though frankly I’m hoping it isn’t too mathematical.  I’ve read some of his other works, The Lost Language of Cranes, Equal Affections, and While England Slept, so I’m looking forward to this new one.

Rita Sallee, Administrate Assistant/Interlibrary Loan Lending

You may recognize Rita from her help with any of the myriad of responsibilities she performs in the library:  faxing, copying, interlibrary loan lending, transcription, etc.  Rita is also known to the library staff members as an avid reader of detective fiction.  There are still a few days left of the mini-break between Centre and Spring Term, so Rita recommended a few of her favorite writers of detective novels.  Stop by the library and check them out!

Camilla Lackberg

Since Lackberg burst onto the Swedish scene with 2003’s “The Ice Princess,” her nine novels have sold millions of copies and have been published in more than 35 countries. She was the best-selling female author in Europe in 2010. She has sold more books in Sweden than Stieg Larsson.

She debuted stateside in 2010, and her first two thrillers, “Princess” and “The Preacher,” have approached combined sales of 100,000 in hardcover, paperbacks and e-books. That’s good, but neither of the books made an appearance on any major bestseller list.

Jessica Case, the senior editor at Pegasus Books who signed Lackberg just as the Larsson phenomenon was beginning, thinks the first two books have built an audience that will grow.

“They’re sort of the definition of a locked-room mystery,” says Case. “You meet the criminal somewhere. No one’s coming in and out of this little Scandinavian town. They’re not overly political or overly graphic. They’re not your standard bloody fare.”

Tucker, Neely. “Camilla Lackberg, Swedish crime sensation.” Washington Post 26 April (2012).

Lee Child, Jack Reacher novels

For those who haven’t picked up one of these books yet, Jack Reacher is a hulking ex-Army MP. He’s a crack shot, a skilled street fighter, and a West Point graduate with an almost autistic and often hilarious obsession with the tiniest details of life. Think Rain Man with huge biceps and a Glock.

The funnest part about Reacher is that he is completely, religiously, unrealistically off the grid: no car, no home, no Visa card. Not even a suitcase. He wanders around the country with only some loose cash in his pockets — and a toothbrush. (Like everyone else, Reacher’s life changed after 9/11, and he now carries his passport, too). Laundry? No way.

He doesn’t own a car or a smart phone, doesn’t need one. He travels anywhere he wants to go, hitchhiking or riding the bus. And, of course, the fun begins when someone tries to tell him what to do or where he can or can’t go.

The formula is simple and delightful: Child drops Reacher into a small town, where he stumbles on some bad guys, and there’s maybe a really beautiful sheriff or lawyer former military officer around for some romance, and pretty soon Reacher’s racking up the body count.

Drummond, Steve. “Lee Child’s ‘The Affair’: Sixteen Books In, Has Jack Reacher Still Got It”,  Npr 20          October (2011) 4:58 PM.

  Henning Mankell, Kurt Wallander Series

Henning Mankell‘s great creation, the Swedish detective Kurt Wallander, is a depressive, unhealthy, ugly and violent man who is unable to sustain relationships with those closest to him and operates in a world of almost unrelieved bleakness and despair. Yet he is so attractive to a worldwide audience that Mankell has sold more than 35 million books and has seen his character make a remarkably smooth transition from page to screen with acclaimed Swedish TV adaptations preceding the critical and ratings success of Kenneth Branagh’s recent BBC version.

Praise for Mankell extends far beyond the crime-writing fraternity. Michael Ondaatje claimed his works “transcend their chosen genre to become thrilling and moral literature”.  John Pilger speaks admiringly of his “principled political life” and recalls talking enthusiastically about Mankell to Martha Gellhorn, another “huge fan”.

Wroe, Ni cholas. “A life in writing: Henning Mankell.”  The Guardian 19 February (2010).

Your librarians, Image Curator, and Center for Teaching and Learning Staff are offering a Copyright Workshop for faculty in Evans Lively on August 14th, 2012, from 10am-2pm.  Lunch is provided!

On the agenda:

• A brief overview of copyright law as applied to teaching and research in higher education
• Copyright issues for course reserves and how library staff can help you with your course reserve needs
• Copyright and the use of images in research and published works, and
• Copyright issues surrounding media and music.

Use the link below to sign up for the workshop.  Please contact Carrie Frey, carrie.frey@centre.edu, if you have any issues with the form.

https://docs.google.com/a/centre.edu/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGpCc3BHLVJHMHFSX092djBIcEI1R0E6MQ#gid=0

We hope to see you there!

New Electronic Resources and Reference Librarian, Jennifer Green

Stop by the Grace Doherty Library to meet the new Electronic Resources and Reference Librarian, Jennifer Green!    Jennifer will be the Division III liaison, as well as the Electronic Resources Librarian and you are likely to see her at the reference desk as well.  

Here is a short bio:

I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in religion and journalism from Campbellsville University, then went on to gain a master’s in religion from Duke University and a master’s in library science from the University of Kentucky.  I also interned at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.  Jennifer previously worked as the Catalog and Electronic Resources Librarian at Bethel University in McKenzie, TN.  However, I grew up 15 minutes away in Lancaster, and my parents, sister, brother-in-law and niece all live in the area.  Centre was where I always hoped to end up.  It’s good to be home!

Welcome, Jennifer!