New Database

New Database!  EBSCO’s Art and Architecture Complete

Art major or no, you’ve probably heard of Vincent Van Gogh, the prolific, eccentric painter of such masterpieces as Sun Flowers and Starry Night.  Two researchers and authors from Aiken, SC, Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith, have just turned prevailing knowledge about Van Gogh’s life and death on its ear with the publication of Van Gogh: the Life.  The two have already earned a Pulitzer Prize for their biography Jackson Pollock: an American Saga.   In their current book, they assert that Van Gogh was a solitary soul and a voracious reader, that he suffered from temporal lobe epilepsy and that he may well have been murdered.

If you’re interested in learning more about Van Gogh or Pollock or, for that matter, about Naifeh and Smith, turn to our newest art database, Art and Architecture Complete, to begin your research.  AAC indexes 780 journals, of which 380 are full text and 64% are peer-reviewed.  It also includes some monographs and a picture image gallery, but lacks podcasts and dissertation indexing.  Research on the aforementioned Van Gogh and Pollock may be pursued in 28 art history journals, 25 of which are peer reviewed and full-text up to and including the current issue.

Not an art major? Take note history, theatre and environmental studies students: AAC covers archaeology, costume design, photography, landscape design, sustainable architecture and landscaping, too!

Halloween Titles

It’s that time of year when, to paraphrase Shakespeare, ghouls and goblins and other things wicked this way come.  In celebration of Halloween, check out Rotten Tomatoes’ Top Twenty-five Horror Films (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/features/special/2010/top_horror/).   You’ll find DVDs in Kimbel Library’s collection that made the 2007 and 2010 lists now on display in the reading area on the first floor. 

Two silent masterpieces set the standard for the horror films that followed.  The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, #5, was based on a real murder and the fangs and nails of the vampire in Nosferatu, #4, are grossness personified.   Three iconic horror figures--Dracula, #27, Frankenstein, #7,  and his Bride… #2-- made their screen debuts during the Great Depression , while 1956’s sci-fi/horror combo, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, #8, was an allegory on the political blacklisting of that decade.   The trailer for Alien, another sci-fi/horror combo, promised that, “In space, no one can hear you scream.”  Alien comes in at #9.  Two foreign language films made 2007’s list:  the Spanish language film, Cronos, at #42; the Korean, A Tale of Two Sisters, at #46.  Animals large (Jaws, #12) and small (Birds, #24) strike terror in peoples’ hearts when seen through the lens’ of directors like Spielberg and Hitchcock.  So, if you want your terror tempered by comedy, choose instead the laughs and screams aplenty in 2004’s Shaun of the Dead, #42.  Are you into the current zombie craze?  You’ll be glad that 1978’s Dawn of the Dead made the list at number twenty-one.  We’ve got the 2004 remake, featuring CCU grad Michael Kelly in a supporting role.  Good and evil vie for dominance in 1955’s Night of the Hunter, #15, as a psychotic preacher plays a cat-and-mouse game with two children.   Equally terrifying to children of all ages is the circus depicted in the now legendary film ranked #20, Freaks.  If you’re looking for horror that’s pleasing on the eye, two stylish depictions are M. Night Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense, #29, and Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby, #14.  Want to watch the top horror movie of all time?  Ask for Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho on reserve at the Circulation Desk and learn why protagonist Norman Bates believes a boy’s best friend is his mother.

Carrie, #46, Halloween, #34, and Rosemary’s Baby, #14, are, as of this writing, already checked out.  Grab one of the few remaining fiendish flics fast!

The library is now offering a brand new database finder!

On Friday, Sept. 16th, Kimbel Library went live with a new look and feel for interior pages in its web site.  These pages will display information in a cleaner format, placing smaller chunks of information on each page, while making the most popular pages easier to find.

One of the features of this new content is a new database finder platform, which offers more features for searching and browsing for online databases. These databases offer significant amounts of full-text magazine and journal articles.  Take a look at the new Database Finder !

Kimbel Library is now open 24/5!

The Kimbel Library is now open 24/5! We open Sunday at 11:00am and close Friday at 9:00pm and are open Saturday 1:00pm-6:00pm.

Here’s the breakdown of when Kimbel Library is open in hours, minutes and seconds:

Monday-Thursday:

96 Hours

5,769 Minutes

345,600 Seconds

Friday:

21 Hours

1,260 Minutes

75,600 Seconds

Saturday:

5 Hours

300 Minutes

18,000 Seconds

Sunday:

13 Hours

780 Minutes

46,800 Seconds

That’s a weekly total of:

135 Hours

8,100 Minutes

486,000 Seconds

Kimbel Library has a vast amount of resources available to help you in your studies and research. We welcome and encourage you to come in and see everything the library has to offer. In addition, the building is set-up for group study on the first floor and individual, silent study on the second floor.

So please come in and study even if it’s just for a few of the 8,100 minutes we are open every week!

Part 2 of the Digital Archive "Slavery and Anti-Slavery" now available

In 2010, the library acquired Part 1 of  the digital archive Slavery and Anti-Slavery: A Transnational Archive.  Charles Joyner and Vernon Burton are editors of the series; Dr. Joyner spoke about the value of this archive when it was presented to the campus community at the library last October.  The Archive is a four-part series, with each part scheduled for annual release. Part 1 was released last summer.

We now have access to Part 2: Slave Trade in the Atlantic World

Part 2 covers involvement of countries on both sides of the Atlantic in the slave trade, with primary documents from 1702. The collection focuses primarily on the roles of the US, UK and France, but includes documents from Haiti, Jamaica,  Denmark, Portugal,  Brazil, and Senegal as well. Key content  includes missionary records, European business records, Royal African Company records, Supreme Court records and newly digitized university collections.

Researchers can limit their search to specific types of content, like correspondence, images, court testimony, maps, personal accounts, sermons, editorials and newspaper articles, as well as by language, publication date and geographic subject. Documents are included in the library’s catalog; Part 1 has over 6000 documents and records for Part 2 will be loaded soon.

Safety First!

Since the library is open 24 hours a day, 5 days a week and always has a constant influx of students, the Access Services staff took time this summer to participate in emergency and safety training. The department has taken the initiative to be prepared if and when there is an emergency or safety issue in our facility. All eleven Circulation Supervisors have completed the National Safety Council’s First Aid Course, Standard First Aid and CPR/AED Course.

It was a fun and interactive morning as everyone learned procedures such as correct bandaging techniques, wound care, proper use of a defibrillator, basic life support and how to handle an allergic reaction or diabetic episode.

The four-hour course was presented by Greg Weisner and Holly Massey from the Coastal Carolina Department of Environmental Health and Safety. It was well-presented, very informative and contained information that could be the deciding factor between life and death.

The library also had new Automated External Defibrillators installed in July, which Access Services now has the knowledge and skills to effectively use if a situation ever arises.

Even if it’s as simple as needing a band-aid, Access Services is here to help. We have a First Aid Kit that can assist with even the smallest of injuries.  Do not hesitate to ask for our help. We do not however give out lollipops after we fix you up!

Be careful and have a safe semester!

Prepare for Irene!

As most of us here at CCU have learned, Hurricane Irene is expected to hit the East Coast with heavy winds and rain from here in South Carolina all the way up to Rhode Island beginning this weekend. Please keep checking your email, CCU Alert texts, and other notifications to stay informed on possible emergency evacuation procedures. You can also check out www.horrycounty.org/hurricane_info for emergency information specific to Horry County. CCU also has a list for students on the Do's, Dont's and Must Haves of hurricane preparation. Be safe, and have a great weekend!