Dickens/Darwin Birthday Party

It's not too late! Join us today, February 28th at 1:30 for birthday cake and conversation about two notable Victorians whose 200th and 2003rd birthdays are celebrated this month. Julie Bartley (Geology) and So Park (English) will have a few words to say. And yes . . . there will be cake.

Fun facts: Interlibrary Loan

Gustavus relies on the generosity of other libraries to sustain faculty and student research through Interlibrary Loan. Likewise, we share our collection with those same libraries for their faculty and student research. We participate in a regional sharing network to meet most of those needs, but we also borrow and lend nationwide.

What kinds of unique materials do we provide on a national level? Still in first place as the book we lend the most, The Redeemer by Jo Nesbø has circulated to seven different libraries in six different states since last January. It's been to Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Texas and Arizona.

When it comes to journals, the title we copy and supply articles from most often is Food, Culture and Society (ISSN 1552-8014). We provided copies to nineteen different states in the last year alone!

Since January 2011, Gustavus materials were used in 47 of the 50 states across the nation. Only Delaware, Hawaii and Vermont were not recipients of our materials. To think of it another way, you have access to nearly every library in the nation because we share our materials!

As always, if you have a question about how Interlibrary Loan can assist your research (or help you get your hands on that book you've been dying to read), contact us!

Blast from the Past: Civil War in the Eyes of Union Soldiers

As we celebrate the sesquicentennial of Gustavus Adolphus College, it is important to look back and discover the events that occurred as Gustavus began.  One hundred and fifty years ago, our country was in the midst of a Civil War.  Many interesting facts can be revealed by studying the conflict, and the archives can help!  Check out the Civil War Documents display on the library’s main floor near the reference desk.  You’ll gain a greater understanding by reading what a Union solder’s life was like.  Some letters of Olof Nelson and excerpts from the diary of N.S. Carter are displayed to showcase the experiences of these men as they fought in the war.  This display was created by Lacie Micek, an archives student worker.

Birthday Party for Charles

As we write this blog post, it's Charles Dickens' 200th birthday. We are also approaching Charles Darwin's 203rd birthday. We though we'd go ahead and have a birthday party for both of them. Please join us on February 28th at 1:30 in the GLA Reading Room of the library for cake and a conversation with So Park of the English Department and Julie Barley of the Geology Department, who will have a few words to say about Dickens and Darwin.

Meanwhile, here are some links:

Dickens 2012 (sponsored by the Charles Dickens Museum and others)
Charles Dickens' works at Project Gutenberg (text, html, and mp3 audio versions)
The Dickens Project (at UC Santa Cruz)

Complete Works of Charles Darwin (Cambridge University)
Charles Darwin's Scientific Manuscripts (American Museum of Natural History)
Darwin at 200 (a collection of features at Nature Magazine)

portraits courtesy of Wikimedia Foundation

Children's Collection - Now With Noise!

Over touring week, the library's children's collection did some traveling of its own - from the third floor to the lower level, where it now occupies a cozy nook at the south end of the floor. Though originally it seemed to make sense to place this collection near the education books, we realized that little kids - or bigger kids rediscovering a favorite from the past - might have trouble keeping the noise down. So now the collection resides on a floor where quiet is optional.

If you were used to studying in that space on the lower level, don't despair - we have kept some cozy study nooks.