Archive for July 2007
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July 30, 2007
Future Librarians: ScienceLinks Student Profiles
School of Information Sciences students Sonia Sarangthem and Monica Colón-Aguirre discuss their experiences at UT, as part of the IMLS grant-funded ScienceLinks program
Science Links is a two-year scholarship funded by the Institute for Museum and Library Services and the University of Tennessee, awarded to students from underrepresented groups interested in a career in science librarianship. In addition to earning a Master's degree, Science Links scholars will gain practical professional experience by working at the Science Links partner institutions: the University of Tennessee Libraries; the Oak Ridge National Laboratory; the Office of Scientific and Technical Information at the Department of Energy; and Information International Associates. Monica Colón-Aguirre and Sonia Sarangthem have focused their first work practicums at the University of Tennessee Libraries.
Monica Colón-Aguirre
Perhaps Monica Colón-Aguirre was destined to work in a library. As a child, she spent her summers helping her mother, who works in a library. After she finished college, she took a job in the acquisitions department at the Interamerican University in Puerto Rico. It was this job that inspired her to pursue a graduate degree in information sciences.
Colón was pleased to discover the University of Tennessee and Science Links, as the program fits well with her educational background in pharmacy and business.
"I love studying--that's my favorite part," Colón said. "I look forward to class every day," she says, although she is feeling a bit squeezed, taking an ambitious four courses along with her 20-hour work practicum. "Never register for classes when you're feeling optimistic," she said with a smile.
So far, Colón's favorite courses have been Information Access and Retrieval and Information Representation and Organization, what she calls "a little taste of cataloging."
Colón finds that her information sciences coursework is helping to put her library work experience in perspective. "I have a lot of a-ha moments," she said. "I like learning the theory behind the work we do, after having a bit of library work experience. It puts everything in context. It's kind of like 'oh, so that's why we do it that way ..."
Colón is completing her work practicum at UT's Pendergrass Agriculture Veterinary Medicine Library. Her work there includes reference, acquisitions, resource searching, and helping translate PetHealth into Spanish. She admits that adjusting to the reference interview has been a great learning experience.
"At first, I go into panic mode. I wonder, 'how do I look for that?' But then I remember that this isn't a yes or no question that needs to be answered right away. There is time to do research and ask more questions." She especially enjoyed helping a PhD student research diversity in veterinary school programs throughout history.
Colón admits she likes to "think big" when considering her career goals. She hopes to work towards a PhD in information sciences. "I'd like to continue my studies in Knoxville," she said. "I feel comfortable here. I come from a small town, and Knoxville reminds me of that. People here are polite and relaxed."
Sonia Sarangthem
Sonia Sarangthem believes that the future lies in information. This along with her interest in technology led her to pursue a degree in library science.
Sarangthem has a background in math and physics and an undergraduate degree in architecture. With these strengths in hand, UT's ScienceLinks program fit perfectly with her background and professional goals.
She is interested in exploring the challenges posed to digital libraries as well as working in libraries with a science focus. So far, her coursework includes information retrieval, ethics, and science reference, as well as a Web design course. In addition to classes she has completed her practicum assignment working in Reference at Hodges Library and also in the Map Library, where she has worked on projects involving geo-referencing and ArcMap, collection development, and metadata entry.
Sarangthem, who hails from a small town in India, appreciates the calm pace of life in Knoxville and enjoys working in an academic library. She hopes to focus her career working in a digital library.
Posted by Laura Purcell at 10:38 AM in Good News
July 12, 2007
Hodges Library Starbucks to close July 18 for renovations
The Starbucks in Hodges Library will be closed for renovations beginning Wednesday, July 18. They plan to reopen on Friday, August 17.
Posted by Laura Purcell at 04:00 PM in Library Facility Updates
July 11, 2007
Film Movement Summer Series Features "The Best of the Best"
See some very good films at Hodges Library for free
This summer, the UT Libraries is screening four of the best Film Movement films that have been shown in the last two years. Film Movement features award-winning independent and international films that are not often shown in regular movie theaters. The UT Libraries began showing Film Movement films in 2005. Each of the four films has a summer theme or setting. This gives you a good chance to catch up on the Film Movement series and see some very good films for free.
All films are shown in the Lindsay Young Auditorium of Hodges Library on the UT campus. Showings begin at 7 p.m. and are free and open to the public.
Film Schedule
July 19: The Rage in Placid Lake (Australia) running time: 89 minutes
Australian Singer-Songwriter Ben Lee stars as Placid Lake in this dark, coming-of-age comedy. Lake's hippy parents have raised him to always challenge people's perceptions. But after a lifetime of bullying, he decides to rebel by taking a job at an insurance company. The quirky film is full of quotable lines and off-the-wall moments.
July 26: The Man of the Year (Brazil) running time: 106 minutes
In this vibrant and thrilling crime saga, Maiquel (Murilo Benicio) has lost a bet and dyed his hair blond. This little event triggers a head-on collision with destiny in which Maiquel goes from nobody to hero to outlaw...all in 24 hours.
August 2: Wilby Wonderful (Canada) running time: 99 minutes
This bittersweet comedy is about the difference a day makes. Over the course of twenty-four hours, the residents of the tiny island town of Wilby try to maintain business as usual in the face of very unusual business. The film stars Sandra Oh, of Grey's Anatomy and Sideways.
August 9: Ginger and Cinnamon (Italy) running time: 82 minutes
While vacationing on the Greek "Isle of Love", a repressed 30 year old Stefania reluctantly plays chaperone to her precocious 14 year old niece, Meggy, who plans to lose her virginity before the summer is over.
Posted by Laura Purcell at 08:58 AM in Film Series
July 09, 2007
UT Librarian Honored by Pi Beta Phi Fraternity
UT librarian Anne Bridges was inducted as an Honor Initiate of the Pi Beta Phi fraternity for women at their biennial conference in Scottsdale, Arizona in June. Bridges, with UT librarian Ken Wise, was co-principal investigator of the IMLS funded grant project From Pi Beta Phi to Arrowmont: Bringing Education and Economic Development to the Great Smoky Mountains, 1910-2004.
The project's Web site chronicles the highly successful efforts by the members of the fraternity to bring educational opportunities, health care, craft development and marketing to the isolated mountain hamlet of Gatlinburg, beginning in 1912, and continuing to the present via the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. The project, which began in 2002, is available at www.lib.utk.edu/arrowmont.
The digital collection features photographs, images, letters, diaries and scrapbooks as well as a 360-degree interactive art gallery. The Web site also has historical essays that provide context and additional information about the culture and history of Gatlinburg, TN, and an integrated curriculum package for K-8 students. Wise and Bridges presented an overview of their research at the conference's general session on June 25.
At each Pi Beta Phi convention, one woman is invited to join the fraternity as the Honor Initiate in recognition of her service to the Pi Phis. "This is an incredible honor and I am very pleased they selected me," Bridges said.
Posted by Laura Purcell at 01:08 PM in Good News
UT Libraries Exhibit Features US Historical and Recreational Sites
Government Documents Highlight Recreation and Preservation
The current installment of the Government Documents series "Documents to the People: 100 Years of Keeping You in the Know" consists of two displays covering recreation and historic preservation in the United States.
The Get Out and Play display, located in the Hodges Library galleria, gives information about the founding of government sponsored recreational facilities with focus given to the creation of National Parks. The display also includes the "how-to's" of fishing, boating, hiking, camping, backpacking, and even horse-back riding. Brochures and guides to some popular attractions, such as the Appalachian Trail and the Daniel Boone National Forest are also present in the exhibit.
In the Reference room, the focus of the Hot Topics, Cool Books display is about the preservation of national historic sites. The display highlights key national landmarks and monuments, especially those in Washington, D.C., including an architectural reference to the White House. The exhibit also includes information about the preservation of lesser-known "landmarks at risk," such as abandoned gold rush towns and historic homes. 
The UT Libraries is celebrating several important dates as a Federal Depository Library, marking the various stages of its role in providing government information to the public. It has been a depository library for 110 years (since 1897), a land-grand depository library for 100 years (since 1907), and a Tennessee state depository library for 90 years (since 1917).
Some of the items in the displays are available for use in the Reference Library and others are available for regular library loan. Visit www.lib.utk.edu/refs/govdocs100 for more information, or contact Janette Prescod in Government Documents at jprescod@utk.edu .
Posted by Ashley Barcel at 01:04 PM in Exhibits
Hodges Library Renovations Continue on Target
Renovations of the Commons in Hodges Library are well underway and construction is moving along on schedule. Walls have been knocked down, and the ceiling is being prepared for the new lights that will be installed. Painting has also begun and new furnishings are on order. A display board outside the Commons shows the plans for the room and includes colors and fabric swatches. The Commons will reopen during Welcome Week.
The Summer Commons is open in the Hodges Library Media Center throughout the construction process. For more information about the Summer Commons and its services, or to see photographs of the ongoing Commons construction, please visit commons.utk.edu. If you have any questions about the Commons renovations, please contact Rita Smith at rsmith19@utk.edu or Jill Keally at jkeally@utk.edu.
Posted by Laura Purcell at 01:04 PM in Library Facility Updates
July 06, 2007
RB Morris to Continue as Writer in Residence at the UT Libraries
The University of Tennessee Libraries is pleased to announce that Knoxville poet and musician RB Morris will continue as the Jack E. Reese Writer in Residence for the 2007-2008 academic year. 
Morris has served the libraries as writer in residence since 2004. In that time he has worked tirelessly to build the Writers in the Library reading series. The series has featured award-winning poets such as Ted Kooser, Charles Wright, and Yusef Komunyakaa, author and essayist Elizabeth Gilbert, and actor, poet and country rocker Steve Earle, as well as local authors such as Linda Parsons and Jeff Daniel Marion, Marilyn Kallet, Jack Rentfro and Kevin Bradley. The series also hosts readings by UT student authors each year.
The University Libraries writer in residence program began in 1998 as a program to support an emerging author interested in making an effort to write full time. The program was named in honor of former UT Chancellor Jack E. Reese in 2005. Reese, who died in May 2005, was an active supporter of the UT Libraries and the local writing community. Previous writers in residence at the libraries include authors Brian Griffin, Pamela Schoenewaldt and Patricia Waters.
The UT Libraries would also like to announce several Writers in the Library events scheduled for fall 2007:
9/24 Barbara Bogue, author and assistant professor of creative writing at Ball State University
10/1 Wendy Brenner, author and director of the MFA program at University of North Carolina, Wilmington and Kathy Pories, senior editor at Algonquin Books
10/29 Michelle Boisseau, professor of English at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and associate editor of the BkMk Press.
Events for November and December will be announced as soon as possible.
All Writers in the Library events are held in the Lindsay Young Auditorium of Hodges Library on the UT Campus. Readings begin at 7 pm 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 R.B. Morris, Jack E. Reese writer in residence, UT Libraries, at 974-3004 or rbmorris@utk.edu.
Posted by Laura Purcell at 12:06 PM in Writers in the Library