Thanksgiving Hours

Odum Library will close at midnight Tuesday, November 24 and will be closed all of Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

The library will reopen at 9:00 am on Saturday, November 28.

Remember, the library webpage is always open!

The library hours are posted on the Hours of Operation page.

Do You Read At All?

Penguin USA has posted a trailer about the top ten “essential” literary classics, suggesting you can’t impress women at parties if you don’t know your literature.

Before you attend any holiday soirees you might want to check these out:

Inferno by Dante Alighieri

Walden by Henry David Thoreau (also available here to read online)

Oedipus Rex in The Complete Plays of Sophocles (you can read it here online or watch a 1984 British production of the play featuring Sir John Gielgud)

The Odyssey of Homer (read it online here)

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (online here)

Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre (online here)

Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis

Moby Dick, or, The Whale by Herman Melville (read it here online)

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet (watch the 1948 production directed by Sir Laurence Olivier here)

Of Mice and Men in The Short Novels of John Steinbeck

Conversely you could take a shortcut and check out Pierre Bayard’s How to Talk About Books You Haven’t Read.

woman reading

(Almost) Daily Photo

It’s time for a super secret renovation tour!

The main circulation desk got a nice new laminate top.

And built ins for increased efficiency.

See the dangling cord?  There will be spiffy under counter lighting there.

We are looking forward to getting our little computer classroom back.

The next picture is a good example of what the renovation was all about. The floors, wall and ceiling were renovated. This means new carpeting, newly painted walls, updated lighting, and an updated air conditioning system.

We’re renovating the view, too! Ok, we don’t really have anything to do with the Student Union construction, but the view does change constantly.

Someday you’ll be able to walk from the library to the Student Union.

Odum Library purchases JSTOR A&S V

Odum Library just purchased JSTOR Arts & Sciences Collection V.  This collection includes a wide variety of full-text journal content, including journals in the humanities, fine arts, sciences, and social sciences. You can view the full list of journals, or just log into JSTOR to search for yourself!

MLIS Program receives Laura Bush grant funding

WCTV recently featured VSU’s MLIS Program, which received scholarship funding for library school students:

The Master of Library and Information Science Program at Valdosta State University will receive $680,327 in federal funding.

The endowment will provide 45 students with a full scholarship to the Master of Library and Information Science program.

A laptop and membership to the American Library Association for the selected students will also be provided.

VSU was one of 37 colleges awarded this grant nationwide.

“We’re thrilled,” said Wallace Koehler, the director of the Master of Library and Information Science Program at Valdosta State University. “We can provide education to another 45 people across the state and perhaps outside of Georgia.”

The first 15 students to receive the scholarship will be selected in March.

Anyone who’s interested in applying should contact Odum Library for more information.

Light Reading Over the Holidays

With the holiday breaks looming, we recommend you curl up by your hearth with a lovely beverage and a lovely celebrity tell-all:

Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin

Bill O’Reilly’s A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity

Maureen McCormick’s Here’s the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice

Artie Lange’s Too Fat to Fish

Steve Martin’s Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life

Kathleen Turner’s Send Yourself Roses: Thoughts on My Life, Love, and Leading Roles

Julie Andrews’ Home: A Memoir of My Early Years

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mayan_cocoa

(Almost) Daily Photo

The second floor is still closed for renovations, but they took down the plywood partitions near the staiwell and we can see how things are progressing.

In Lieu of The Hunger Games . . .

. . . we can recommend other scary, futuristic stories:

In The Adoration of Jenna Fox a 17-year-old recovers after a car crash, but doesn’t quite feel like herself, somehow.

In Unwind three teenagers run away after their parents schedule them for “unwinding”– a legal human sacrifice.

These are pegged as “young adult” novels, but they’re good yarns, well-written and well-reviewed, so don’t be shy!

clones

(Almost) Daily Photo

Wow! They really mean it.

(Almost) Daily Photo

The GHP Collection has been moved from the third floor to the first floor. It is now located to the right of the Reserves desk, as you enter the North, campus-facing, entrance.