"Everyone has had at least one magical polaroid experience."

I liked this idea so much I decided to adapt to for the Columbia College Chicago Library. Below are the first sentences from twelve new books in the library. Click on the sentence to discover more information - including the title and call number.

These women of television news toughed it out and fortunately were driven enough to insist on equity.




A few years ago I met a wheat farmer from North Dakota, and couldn't stop myself from asking him how he kept from going crazy with all that windblown solitude.


Everyone has had at least one magical Polaroid experience.




It is a common misconception that when the Armistice brought the Great War to a halt at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, the world was suddenly at peace.


Whether because of fervent patriotism, youthful enthusiasm, or simply a sense of adventure born in the humdrum of day-to-day living, there was no shortage of volunteers rushing to the flag after Abraham Lincoln's April 15 proclamation.


Do not mess about or play carelessly with any of the techniques, drills, or exercises you see in this book.




Ask any woman of a certain age if she read romance comics, and you'll probably get a smile and maybe a sigh.






I had truly believed that I would be six feet under before something like this took place.



If you want to understand how race works in American politics and society, you would do well to attend to ethnicity.




There is a wide-spread assumption that science and religion are at war with one another.



Throughout Saxon times until well into the Norman period the costume of men and women underwent little change.




In the 1920s, black culture exploded into the public consciousness.

Enjoy a free cup of coffee @ the Library during Finals Week

Studying late for finals? Don't do it alone! Enjoy a free cup of Caribou Coffee @ the Library during Finals Week!

Free java hours are Monday December 9th - Wednesday December 11th from 6pm-9pm at the Coffee Bar, 1st floor of the Library. Be sure to stop by for your free cup of coffee and we wish you good luck on finals!

WORLD AIDS DAY, DECEMBER 1, 2008

Today is the 20th Anniversary of World AIDS Day, commemorating those that we have lost and celebrating the lives saved by HIV prevention and treatment programs.

In recognition of World AIDS Day 2008, Critical Encounters and the Office of LGBTQ Culture and Community at Columbia College present "Speak Out: World Aids Awareness Day" on Monday, December 1, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Conaway Center, 1104 South Wabash Avenue.

Introducing Two Fabulous New Librarians

On November 4th, the Columbia College Chicago Library welcomed two new librarians:

Molly Beestrum joins the staff as the new Library Instruction Coordinator. Molly comes to Columbia from the Rebecca Crown Library of Dominican University, where she served as Instructional Services Coordinator and Systems Librarian. In addition, she has designed and taught various courses for the Dominican University Graduate School of Library and Information Science. Molly serves as Chair of the Instruction Team of the College and Research Libraries of Illinois consortium, has presented at the Illinois Library Association Conference and has served on various academic committees at Dominican University.

April Levy serves in the role of Reference and Instruction Librarian. April’s most recent position was Reference Coordinator and Instruction Librarian at Ludcke Library of Lesley University in Cambridge, MA, where she coordinated scheduling and staffing of reference and research services for both on- and off-campus students, worked with the Instruction Team to design information literacy instruction for the English Composition Program, provided technology training to faculty and library staff and served as liaison to academic departments. Previously, April served as Extension Services Librarian and Assistant Professor at Woodward Library of Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN.

Welcome Molly and April!

Don't miss the Ask A Librarian roadshow!

Ask A Librarian is hitting the road!

Helpful and friendly Columbia College Chicago librarians will be available at two locations to help you with your finals needs!

Where: The Writing Center, 33 E. Congress
When: Monday, December 1st from Noon - 2:00pm

AND

Where: Columbia College Chicago Library, 624 S. Michigan, 3rd floor
When: Tuesday, December 2nd from Noon - 2:00pm

* Impress your friends and instructors with your ability to find relevant and "on target" sources!
* Get more sleep at night...research and finish papers early and with ease!
* Make a new friend! Let a librarian help you find resources instructors will love!
* Cut the angst of finals!

Use the link anytime!

Remember--there are also helpful and friendly librarians available in the Library during regular hours and the Library's web site (and through it, thousands of scholarly journals, lots of encyclopedias and other handy research stuff) is available 24x7. You can reach us by email, chat, phone or by appointment. We are here for YOU!

Library Thanksgiving Holiday Hours

The Library will be closing at 7:00pm on Wednesday, November 26st and will remain closed over the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend. Regular Hours will resume on Monday, December 1st.

Please have a safe and pleasant holiday!

Library's closing early on Election Day

On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 4
the Library will close at 6:00pm.

Go vote!

Upcoming Friends of the Library Signature Showcase

Friends of the Library Signature Showcase Presents:

Buddhism and the Beats: The Impact of Eastern Philosophy on Beat Writers

Dr. Stephen Asma, Department of Humanities, History and Social Sciences

Come listen to Stephen T. Asma as he examines the spiritual impact of Buddhism on beat writers including Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. He will discuss several schools of Buddhism, such as Zen and Tibetan, which appealed to the iconoclasts of the Beat movement. Classes are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Wednesday, October 29, 6-8pm
Ferguson Lecture Hall
600 S. Michigan Avenue, 1^st Floor
This program is free and open to the public

Dr. Asma is the author of five books, including: Buddha for Beginners, Stuffed Animals and Pickled Heads, the Cultural and Evolution of Natural History Museums and The Gods Drink Whiskey: Stumbling Toward Enlightenment in the Land of the Tattered Buddha. His forthcoming book, On Monsters: A Tour of Fears and Fascinations will be published by Oxford University Press in 2009. Explore his writings and artwork at www.stephenasma.com

Buddhism and the Beats is the first of the new Signature Showcase events sponsored by of Columbia College Chicago Friends of the Library. It is presented in conjunction with the College’s “And the Beats Go On…” series of art exhibitions, lectures, film screenings and programming. Visit www.colum.edu/beats for the complete schedule of events.

Join us for a special d.i.y. discussion about FASHION on Tuesday October 21 from 6:00 to 8:00 in the Columbia College Chicago Library, 624 S. Michigan Ave., 3^rd floor.

Panelists are:

Dieter Kirkwood, of dIETERbENNET http://www.dieterbennet.com/, a luxury women's fashion label known for its clean lines, minimalist designs and architectural precision.

Jill Linkus, designer for BCBG Max Azria Group who now works as a sales manager for the company’s new line that launched in August, BCBGeneration http://www.bcbgeneration.com/.

Maira Okuleye, owner of Armadio Boutique http://www.armadioboutique.com/ home to high-end fashion in Lincoln Park.


Refreshments will be served.

For more information about d.i.y., please visit:

http://www.lib.colum.edu/about/diy/

Exercise your right to vote!

Are you registered to vote in the November 4th Presidential election? The last day to register to vote in Cook County is TOMORROW, Tuesday October 7th.

Need more information about where you can register? Contact the Cook County Clerk’s office at (312) 603-0906 or visit their website at: http://www.voterinfonet.com/default.asp.

Also, check out the following links for information regarding voting:

Declare Yourself
Declare Yourself is a national nonpartisan, nonprofit campaign to empower and encourage every eligible 18-year-old in America to register and vote in the presidential primaries and 2008 presidential election.

Rock The Vote
Rock the Vote’s mission is to engage and build the political power of young people in order to achieve progressive change in our country.

New Library Video!

Want to know more about the Library?

Look no further than our brand new orientation video which is now available on our website and right here on our blog!

Unveiled this summer at New Student Orientation, the library orientation video is centered on the Library’s mission statement and features Columbia faculty, students and members of the library staff (including our wonderful student workers in the Library) sharing their knowledge about who we are and what we do. Undoubtedly, you will see someone you know, have worked or will work with. If you do, let them know about it.

And yes, we are available for autographs…

Book banning is alive and well in the United States

Book banning is alive and well in the United States

Are books like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or the Harry Potter series available at your public or school library? According to the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom, due to book challenges, more than one book a day faces removal from public access in school and public libraries. Challenges are defined as formal, written complaints filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness. Office for Intellectual Freedom Director Judith Krug and Nathan Ritchie from the McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum (above) discuss Banned Books Week 2008 on Chicago Access Network TV (27:33) August 27....

2008 Banned Books Week

"Closing Books Shuts Out Ideas"
Banned Books
Week of September 27- October 4, 2008

Banned Books Week 2008 is the 27th annual celebration of the freedom to read. This freedom, not only to choose what we read, but also to select from a full array of possibilities.



Banned Books Week 2008 will kick off in Chicago, with a Read-Out! The event will feature popular banned or challenged authors and local Chicago celebrities on Saturday, September 27, from noon to 4 p.m., at 401 N. Michigan Ave., Pioneer Plaza.

For more information about Banned Books Week, the American Library Association's website pages devoted to this year's Banned Books Week.

Joseph Lappie Joins Library Staff

Continuing the tradition of hiring talented artists, the Library is pleased to announce that Joseph Lappie has joined the library staff as Cataloging Assistant. Joseph's passion is book art, and he recently won the Grand Prize at the 2008 Seoul International Book Arts Fair with his work The Articifer Arisen, The Articifer Fallen. Shown here is a piece entitled "There is Always More Than One When There Is Always Only One".
Welcome, Joseph!

Printers Row Book Fair Poetry Reading

The library is proud that Reference Department student worker Jess Rose read her poetry in last weekend's Printers Row Book Fair. Jess, a student in the Poetry Department and an intern at Switchback Books, was one of several Columbia College Chicago students and alumni that read works at the festival. Image credit: Poetry Department blog.

Possee Foundation to Visit Library Next Week

Next week the library will host three groups of students from the Posse Foundation.
These students are from public high schools and have undergone intensive Pre-Collegiate Training in order to be enrolled in top-tier universities nationwide. Their mission is to pursue their academic careers while promoting cross-cultural communication on campus.

"Posse Foundation got its name because of one student who said he never would have dropped out of college if he had his 'posse' with him. That simple idea, of sending a group (or posse) of students together to college so they could 'back each other up', became the impetus for a program that today has sent hundreds of students to top-tier colleges throughout the United States." (from the Posse Foundation website.)

The Posse Program has succeeded in placing 1,850 students into colleges and universities, with a graduation rate of 90%-- higher than the national rate. Three of our Reference and Instruction Librarians will work with the students to encourage them to make the academic librarians at their colleges their best friends. Research basics, how to use library research databases, and how to navigate the library's resources will be stressed, in addition to information specific to the students' assignments. We look forward to meeting the students and their mentors.

Manifest Events this Week at the Library

Fine Amnesty
In conjunction with the "Poverty and Privelege" Critical Encounters theme for 2007, we will forgive your library fines if you bring your overdue books in along with donations of food for the Greater Chicago Food Depository, which is critically in need of donations. Bring one non-perishable food item (not past its expiration date) for each overdue book, and your fines will be forgiven!

Open House Friday, May 16, 11am-7pm to Include Student Film Screenings
Help us celebrate Manifest while viewing select exhibits from the College Archives and Special Collections; we'll also be showing film clips featuring Columbia student work in the Instruction Room (second floor) throughout the day.

Library Book Cart Drill Team to March in Spectacle Fortuna Parade
Making a spectacle on behalf of the library, our first ever Book Cart Drill Team will demonstrate the fine art of the book cart drill, on the Spectacle Fortuna Parade Route, Friday, May 16, from 7-8pm.

Ask a Librarian Goes Live

In order to provide extra help during the last two weeks of the semester, the Ask a Librarian service has gone live on the third floor. Reference and Instruction Librarians Shirley Bennett and Paula Epstein are shown here making themselves accessible to students with laptop at the ready.

Celebrate National Library Week!

The American Library Association has designated April 13-19 as National Library Week. Stop by the Columbia College Chicago Library and celebrate with us!



Learn more about National Library Week !

Join Us at Spring "Art of the Library"

(Painting by Janet Talbot)

Thursday, 04/17/08, 5-7pm
Columbia College Chicago Library, Third Floor
624 S. Michigan Avenue

Art of the Library is an ongoing series (four times a year) of exhibitions featuring the art of Columbia College Chicago students, faculty and staff. More information here.

Cole Robertson Awarded CAAP Individual Artist Grant

We congratulate Visual Resources Coordinator Cole Robertson, who was just awarded a City of Chicago Community Arts Assistance Program (CAAP) Individual Artist Grant for 2008. Cole will also be showing his photography in the Evanston Art Center's juried Biennial exhibition. Shown here is one of Cole's works, entitled Wrestle. See more of Cole's work at his website.

Library Student Worker News

Jess Rose, student worker in our Reference Department, represented Columbia College last night at the Ninth Annual Citywide Undergraduate Poetry Festival. Jess read three poems, followed by the readings of students from 11 other Chicago universities. It is quite an honor to be chosen to read in the Citywide festival. Congratulations, Jess!

We also wish to congratulate Nate Gray, who has just been accepted to the University of Michigan's Graduate Library School, the School of Information, where he will attend school in the fall.

Cut the Midterms angst with Ask A Librarian!

is hitting the road!

Midterms got you stressed out? Need some help? This week you don't need to come to the Library...the Library will come to you!

Helpful and friendly Columbia College Chicago librarians will be available on Wednesday and Thursday in the Hokin Annex (623 S. Wabash) to assist you with your research as you head into midterms.

Where: Hokin Annex 623 S. Wabash
When: Wednesday, March 19th 1-3pm & Thursday, March 20th 12:30-2:30pm

Why bother to Ask A Librarian?

• Impress your friends and instructors with your ability to find relevant and "on target" sources!
• Get more sleep at night...research and finish papers early and with ease!
• Make a new friend! Let a librarian help you find resources instructors will love!
• Cut the angst of midterms!

Remember--there are also helpful and friendly librarians available in the Library during regular hours and the Library's web site (and through it, thousands of scholarly journals, lots of encyclopedias and other handy research stuff) is available 24x7.

And don't forget: you can use the link anytime from anywhere!

Introducing the Library's d.i.y. series: do indie yourself!

The Library is kicking off National Poetry Month early with our new d.i.y. series.

d.i.y. (do indie yourself) Real Art. Real People. Real World.: Independent Artists Share Ideas for Creating and Sustaining Success debuts with a panel discussion from three emerging Chicago poets.

Looking for an answer to "What do I do now?!?"
Longing to put all your knowledge, ambition, and talent to use?

This panel will give you some great ideas...Three practicing poets will discus their experiences fostering their work through a variety of time-tested DIY methods related to writing and building an audience, including publication, poetry groups and workshops, readings, literary journals, and independent presses.

WHEN: March 20, 2008 from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: Library, 3rd floor east (624 S. Michigan Ave.)

The panelists:

Jacob Saenz graduated from Columbia College Chicago in the winter of 2005 with a BA in Creative Writing - Poetry. His work has appeared in a handful of journals such as RHINO, Columbia Poetry Review, Inkstains and Poetry. In 2007 he was nominated for an Illinois Arts Council Literary Award.

Kristy Bowen graduated from Columbia College Chicago in 2007 with an M.F.A. in Creative Writing - Poetry. She is the author of the fever almanac (Ghost Road Press, 2006) and in the bird museum, (Dusie Press, 2008), as well as several small press and self-published chapbooks. Her work has appeared in Swink, Backwards City Review, DIAGRAM, Caffeine Destiny and others. She is the editor of the online litzine wicked alice, and publisher of dancing girl press, which has published over 30 chapbooks and book arts projects by emerging women writers. She recently moved the whole operation into a studio / reading / workshop in the Fine Arts Building down the street and off of her dining room table. Her third collection, girl show, is forthcoming from Ghost Road in late 2009.

Todd Heldt is a poet-librarian in Chicago, and his poems and short stories have appeared in dozens of print and electronic journals. He has twice been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and helped judge the 2006 Poetry Superhighway poetry contest. His chapbook, The Science of Broken People, was published by Little Poem Press in 2003, and his first full-length collection, Card Tricks for the Starving, is to be published in 2009 by Ghost Road Press. In 2002 he toured coffee houses and bars in the South with a self-published book and CD of poetry, making enough money to replace the transmission when it dropped out of the car in Texas.

Save the date! Edible Books on April 1st!

It's that time of year again...time for Edible Books!

When? Tuesday, April 1st from 5-7pm
Where? Columbia College Library, 3rd Floor

Submit an edible book or just come to judge (and then eat!) the entries.

For more information on rules and deadlines, check out the Edible Books page.

This event is co-sponsored by the Center for Book & Paper Arts and the Columbia College Library.

Critical Encounters Panel: Tomorrow in the Library

Can Art and Culture be a force for social change?

Come to the Library for a Critical Encounters event where the role of arts & culture in confronting/confirming public policies around poverty & privilege will be discussed.

When? Tomorrow! Wed. March 5 from 12:30-1:30pm
Where? the Library, 624 S. Michigan Avenue, 3rd floor
What? PUBLIC POLICY PANEL: CAN ART AND CULTURE BE FORCE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE?

Panel participants: Phillipe Ravanas (Arts management), Rob Watkins (Liberal Education), Nick Rabkin (Center for Arts Policy)
Panel moderator: Sandra Allen

JSTOR is getting a new look

One of the many databases the Library subscribes to is JSTOR, a repository of high-resolution, scanned images of journal issues and pages as they were originally designed, printed, and illustrated. The journals archived in JSTOR span many disciplines. JSTOR began as an effort to ease the increasing problems faced by libraries seeking to provide adequate shelf space for the long runs of backfiles of scholarly journals. JSTOR is not a current issues database. Because of JSTOR's archival mission, there is a gap, typically from 1 to 5 years, between the most recently published journal issue and the back issues available in JSTOR.

In mid-March, JSTOR will be launching a new interface.

You can preview the redesign here: http://sandbox.jstor.org


If you have questions about JSTOR, just

Deconstructing Tyrone: Tomorrow in the Library

Come to the Library for a Critical Encounters Salon: Deconstructing Tyrone: A New Look at Black Masculinity in the Hip-Hop Generation by Natalie Hopkinson and Natalie Moore (Salon will be facilitated by author, Natalie Moore)

When: Tomorrow! Wednesday, February 27 from 1:30-3:00pm,
Where: Library, 624 S Michigan, 3rd floor

Cell phones (and you!) are welcome in the library

You may have noticed recently that the "No cell phones in the Library" signs have been removed (apologies to anyone who misses the mohawked-suit guy). This isn't an attempt to turn the Library into a giant phone booth, but rather an acknowledgment that we're all adults and know when to use our "inside voices." This applies to face-to-face conversations and sound that may spill over from your headphones, too.

All we ask is that you are courteous and respect those around you...take long or loud conversations out into the stairwell or outside, use a moderate volume for your headphones, keep those ringers on low or vibrate and try to be aware, especially if you're near some quiet study areas, of your surroundings and those around you. And tell a library staff member if things have gotten too loud--we'll do our best to promote an environment that is acceptable for everyone (we'll even shush ourselves if necessary!).

FYI, certain areas of the Library are designated (most of the time) as quiet study areas. They include the east side of the 3rd floor and the east side of the 5th floor.

For better or for worse, the Library of the 21st century is no longer defined by its pervading silence or shushing librarians. Instead, it's a vital, dynamic, sometimes-a-little-noisy place filled with the energy of learning and community. Come be a part of it!

Art of the Library--Tonight!

Don't miss the opening reception for Art of the Library!

It's tonight, Thursday, February 7th, from 5-7pm. Stop by the 3rd Floor of the Library for art, refreshments and fun!

Your Library privileges (and other money saving tips)

Time Out Chicago recently reported on the Interlibrary Loan system (called I-Share) that all Columbia College students, staff and faculty have access to (in other words: Free books!). Take a look at the Book Smarts section in this article.

Questions on how to take advantage of I-Share or other free Library services? Just click

Art of the Library Reception

We hope you can join us at the Art of the Library Opening and Reception for our upcoming Exhibition!

Refreshments will be served

When: Thursday, 02/07/08, 5-7pm
Where: Columbia College Chicago Library, Third Floor (624 S. Michigan Avenue)

Art of the Library is an ongoing series (four times a year) of exhibitions featuring the art of Columbia College Chicago students, faculty and staff. More information is available at:
http://www.lib.colum.edu/about/aol/index.php

Some word processing tips and tricks

Do any of these scenarios sound familiar?

You saved your paper to disc or flash drive, only to find that it doesn't open properly next time you try to work on it?

You *thought* you saved your paper to your disc, but it's nowhere to be found?

You stayed up all night finishing your essay and all that's left to do is print but you've left the disc or flash drive at home?

The new Microsoft Office 2007 interface just isn't doing it for you?

Free online word processing sites offer an alternative to these scenarios--you just sign up for a free account and then type away. Work is saved as you go along and you can just log back into it next time you need it. Now, AS LONG AS YOU HAVE INTERNET ACCESS, there's no more digging around for that tiny flash drive, hoping that you remembered the right disc or worrying that you won't be able to open up your file.

Here are a few free online word processing options that you can experiment with:

Google Docs & Spreadsheets: If you've got a Gmail account, you already have a Google Docs account, too.

Zoho Writer: Free registration gives you access to the Zoho word processing system. Zoho also offers spreadsheet and other presentation applications.

AjaxWrite: AjaxWrite requires the Mozilla Firefox browser. In addition to word processing, they also have spreadsheet applications and even a graphic drawing tool and music player.

(note: this post is back by popular demand! It was originally posted in June 2007)

Be eccentric! Read a book!

A humorous take on reading in the modern world from the Onion:

Area Eccentric Reads Entire Book

Library resumes regular hours next week

It may be (or at least feel like) below zero outside, but spring is just around the corner! Spring Semester, that is. The Library will resume its regular hours starting on the first day of Spring Semester, next Monday January 28th. Come on in and warm up with some coffee or tea, a good book and a database or two.

The well-wired use the Library

An article from this week's New York Times reports that those with faster internet connections at home or at work are more likely to have used the Library recently. Read the whole article HERE Read the Pew Internet: Libraries Report that this article refers to.

Resolve to use the Library more often in 2008!

This year, as always, the Library is here for you. Want to read more in 2008? Ask us about interlibrary loan and I-Share and get all the books you want for free! Maybe you want to polish your database searching skills? Remember, you'll not only help yourself when it comes time to do research, but database searching is a marketable skill. Or perhaps you'd like to support the Library while supporting your caffeine habit and will start to purchase your daily dose(s) from the Library's coffee cart?

Whatever your New Year's resolutions, the Library can help! We're still on holiday hours (8am-5pm) through the end of this week and then will be open 8am-7pm through the J-term (closed on weekends). Use our service anytime!

Happy New Year from the Columbia College Chicago Library!