The line between church and state has always been in question; it is never completely clear how much support the federal government can show to faith-based communities. President Bush’s Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives reaches out to grassroots organizations and faith-based communities across the nation. Recently, Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama said that he would overhaul the program, claiming that the President’s office never fulfilled its promise.

What is the line between federal funding and faith-based initiatives? How are faith-based initiatives held accountable for appropriate use of these funds? Will increased government attention to churches be a continuing trend in American politics? This forum will invite participants to struggle with these questions along with expert participants.

The forum series presented by the Howard Baker Center for Public Policy and the UT Libraries invites participants to actively engage in dialogue about pertinent political issues. Unlike traditional lectures, participants are seated in a circle and are encouraged to actively participate alongside experts in various fields.

Constitution Day is Wednesday, September 17. This day recognizes the signing of the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787. The UT community is invited to a Sign Your Constitution event on the pedestrian walkway outside Hodges Library from 11-4 p.m.

Hodges Library has reserved two enclosed study rooms just for graduate students and faculty. Rooms 541 and 542 on the fifth floor of the library are now designated for graduate students and faculty to use for quiet study.

Each room will eventually be outfitted with a card swipe device to ensure that only graduate students and faculty may have access.

The rooms are now open for use and are labeled with signs on the fifth floor.

Tahirah Akbar-Williams joined UT Libraries in mid August of 2008 as Assistant Professor and Research Services Librarian. Tahirah is the subject liaison to Women’s Studies and Child and Family Studies. In addition, she works to provide outreach and instruction to specialized campus programs. Tahirah received her MLS from Indiana University. She taught Women’s Studies at Ohio State University and has been a teacher-librarian in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Outside of her professional life, Tahirah enjoys exercising and watching movies. She hopes to get back to her theatrical roots in the near future.

Allison Bolorizadeh began working as Assistant Professor and Instructional Services Librarian for User Education Technologies in July of 2008. Allison provides instructional support for subject librarians, particularly in the area of technology. She creates learning modules and websites and collaborates with subject librarians and teaching faculty to create class assignments. She received her MLIS from the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa and is currently working on a PhD in Communication and Information here at UT. Allison enjoys traveling, reading mysteries, training her dog, Maggie, playing Scrabble, and shopping.

Bridger Dyson-Smith joined UT Libraries as Research Assistant Professor in Digital Library Initiatives in May of 2008. He brings expertise in digitization and transcription practices to the department. Bridger graduated from UT’s School of Information Sciences in December 2007. He worked as a graduate assistant in the Libraries’ technical services and digital access department and worked with the Arrowmont project as a student library assistant. When not at work, Bridger enjoys bicycling, playing with his cat, and drinking coffee. He occasionally plays the bass guitar.

Peter Fernandez joined the Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine Library in May of 2008 as Assistant Professor and Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources Librarian. In his position, Peter provides reference services and collection development for the library. He also serves as the liaison to the Institute of Agriculture. Peter earned his MLIS at the University of Florida and worked at the medical branch of South College before joining UT Libraries. Perhaps not surprisingly, Peter is a voracious reader with an appetite for a variety of genres, including biography, evolutionary biology, mystery, science fiction, and fantasy. He is also a passionate music fan.

Erin Moore began her appointment as Assistant Professor and Instructional Services Librarian for Undergraduate Programs in early August of 2008. Erin collaborates with librarians to offer tailor-made instructional, educational, and research support for students, faculty, and staff. She promotes library services across campus with an emphasis on reaching undergraduate students through contacts with the First-Year Composition program and the Student Success Center. Erin recently received her MLIS from the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois. When not immersing herself in all things library, Erin enjoys playing music, hula hooping, and cuddling with Edgar, her cat.

Please observe quiet study and minimal levels of noise on the following floors:

• Ground
• 1st
• 4th
• 5th

While on quiet floors, users are asked to silence cell phone ringers, speak softly, mute computers, and use headphones with all audible electronic devices.

Group study and moderate levels of noise are acceptable on the following floors:

• 2nd
• 3rd
• 6th

Users are asked to respect the needs of others and use discretion when engaging in noise-producing activities on group study floors.

The library requests that all users observe these guidelines. With your cooperation, we can provide the best possible library experience to students, faculty, and researchers.

Students should also be aware of other changes at Hodges Library for the fall 2008 semester.

• Sunday – 1 p.m. - midnight
• Monday through Thursday – 7:30 a.m. - midnight
• Friday – 7:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.
• Saturday – 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

The fall Commons schedule is as follows. Please note that individual service providers will have varying operating hours. Visit the Commons web page for more information.

• Sunday – noon - 3 a.m.
• Monday through Thursday – 7:30 a.m. - 3 a.m.
• Friday – 7:30 a.m. - midnight
• Saturday – 8 a.m. - midnight

Please visit branch library web pages for information on individual hours:

Webster C. Pendergrass Agriculture & Veterinary Medicine Library
George F. DeVine Music Library
Special Collections Library (Hoskins)
Social Work Library (Nashville)

Students should also be aware of other changes at Hodges Library for the fall 2008 semester.

Meister’s writing is an extension of her rich experiences in theatre, performance art, and film. In the many theatrical productions to her credit, Meister has worked as a playwright, director, actor, costume coordinator, and make-up designer. She has performed as a poet, storyteller, and stand-up comic at various events. While living in Texas, Meister worked as an extra on the films J.F.K., Dazed and Confused, and Boys on the Side.

Her literary achievements include winning the 2005 Margaret Atley Woodruff Award for fiction and the 2006 Margaret Atley Award for playwriting. She also received the 2005 and 2006 Eleanor Burke Award for non-fiction from the University of Tennessee’s English department. Meister’s poetry has been featured in publications such as Circle Magazine, Pegasus Review, and Phoenix. Her ten-minute scene, Absurd Noir, will be featured in the Knoxville Writers’ Guild anthology, Outscapes, to be published this fall.

Meister is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and is currently a MFA candidate studying creative writing, with a concentration in playwriting, at Goddard College.

She is excited to begin her work in the Libraries’ program. “The Jack E. Reese Writer in Residence is an amazing opportunity that I am grateful to receive. I look forward to the potential it will allow in my work as a writer. I can’t wait to see what blossoms for me creatively,” Meister said.

UT Libraries inaugurated the Writer in Residence program in 1998 to support emerging writers in their efforts to become full-time authors. The library provides an office and a computer and compensates the writer with a small stipend. The program was named in honor of Jack E. Reese, a former UT chancellor and English professor who was an avid supporter of the writing community.

As Writer in Residence, Meister will coordinate the Writers in the Library series. The series showcases several presentations each semester that feature readings and performances by local and nationally known writers and artists.

The first Writers in the Library event of the fall semester will feature award-winning young adult author Alan Gratz on September 2. Writers in the Library events are usually held in the Lindsay Young auditorium of Hodges Library. Readings and performances begin at 7 p.m. and are free and open to the public. Please visit www.lib.utk.edu/writersinthelibrary for more information about upcoming events.

The Writers in the Library series is sponsored by the University of Tennessee Libraries and the Creative Writing Program of the UT English Department. For further information, please contact Jo Anne Deeken, head of technical services, UT Libraries, at 974-6905 or jdeeken@utk.edu, or Kali Meister, Jack E. Reese writer in residence, UT Libraries, at meisterkali@gmail.com.

• Reserve requests
• Media collections and services
• Reference services
• Current Periodicals

While they can expect the same great services from University Libraries, faculty members returning for the fall 2008 semester should be aware of a few changes in procedures and service points at John C. Hodges Library.

A number of services of importance to faculty have been consolidated at the Circulation / Media / Reserve service desk on the second floor of Hodges Library.

To place materials on reserve, beginning August 6th, please take your reserve requests to the circulation desk located at the Melrose Avenue entrance on the second floor.

Media collections and services also have moved to the circulation desk. DVDs and high-use VHS titles are now housed and available for checkout at the circulation desk. Audio CDs and less frequently used VHS titles are located on the third floor for self-service retrieval and use in the building. Refer to the library catalog for location of VHS titles. Faculty should also visit the circulation desk to reserve a group viewing room or to inquire about other viewing options.

Research assistance, formerly known as Reference Services, has moved from the first floor of the library to the Commons on the second floor. The reference collection is still located on the first floor in a quiet study area.

For ease of access, current periodicals have been moved to the library stacks. Now, all issues of a periodical will be shelved together, and most titles can be checked out for a seven-day loan period. A small number of titles have been designated for use only in the library.

For more information, contact the circulation desk at 974-4351 or the Commons information line at 974-4624. Access our new AskUsNow! feature from the Libraries’ homepage.

University Libraries would like to welcome back all faculty members for what’s sure to be a richly productive semester for the University of Tennessee!

Gratz is the author of the young adult books Samurai Shortstop (Dial 2006), one of ALA’s 2007 Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults, Something Rotten (Dial 2007), Something Wicked (Dial 2008), and the soon to be released The Brooklyn Nine (Dial 2009). He has written plays, magazine articles, episodes of A&E’s City Confidential, and thousands of radio commercials.

A graduate of UT’s College Scholars program with a concentration in creative writing, Gratz also has a Master’s degree in English education from UT.

At the Writers in the Library event, Gratz will discuss his path to becoming a full-time writer and provide helpful tips on the “nuts and bolts” of writing novels. He’ll also read a section of Samurai Shortstop.

Gratz will be selling copies of his books at the event. To learn more about Alan Gratz and his work, visit www.alangratz.com/index.htm.

The Writers in the Library series is sponsored by the University of Tennessee Libraries and the Creative Writing Program of the UT English Department. For further information, please contact Jo Anne Deeken, head of technical services, UT Libraries, at 974-6905 or jdeeken@utk.edu, or Kali Meister, Jack E. Reese writer in residence, UT Libraries, at meisterkali@gmail.com.

All graduate students are invited to attend and get a jump start on the fall semester with assistance from our helpful and knowledgeable librarians and staff.

At the event, students can…

• Register for interlibrary loan and Library Express delivery service
• Meet their department’s subject librarian and learn more about resources in their field
• Find out about reference consultation services, support for teaching, and the Libraries’ workshop series
• Learn about the Libraries’ training program for EndNote citation software
• Bring their laptop and register a wireless account with assistance from the Office of Information Technology

Refreshments will be served, and students will have the chance to win fun prizes.

Don’t miss this exciting and informative event! For more information, contact Jeanine Williamson at jwilliamson@utk.edu or at 974-9164.

This informative program will feature stories of Katrina survivors attempting to recover from the storm’s devastation. A discussion will follow facilitated by Dr. Gayle Lodato, UT College of Social Work. After Katrina, Dr. Lodato provided supportive counseling and needs assessment to evacuees who came to Knoxville.

For more information, visit http://info.lib.utk.edu/news/katrina/.