The Press, Hamersly’s new cafe, is officially open for business. Its hours will be Mon-Thurs 8am-8pm, and Sun 3pm-8pm, closed Fri and Sat.
Thanks for all your patience as this project was completed. We hope you like having this new spot to study, catch up with friends, and get some much-needed caffeine while you’re hard at work in the library.
Last spring we set up a Post-It board in the lobby of Hamersly and asked you what books you’d like to see in the library’s Recreation Collection. We were delighted with the flood of responses and have worked over the summer to bring in as many of the suggestions as possible.
Some of them we already had – the people who requested Leaves of Grass, Catcher in the Rye, books by Oscar Wilde, the Twilight series, the Hunger Games series, the Harry Potter series, and books by Neil Gaiman are in luck!
And below is just a sampling of new arrivals that we purchased over the summer in response to your other requests. Browse the collection online or in-person to see all of our recreational books. Welcome back to campus and happy reading!
In Real Life by Cory Doctorow & Jen Wang. Call Number: REC DOC
From Goodreads: “Anda loves Coarsegold Online, the massively-multiplayer role-playing game where she spends most of her free time. It’s a place where she can be a leader, a fighter, a hero. But things become a lot more complicated when Anda befriends a gold farmer–a poor Chinese kid whose avatar in the game illegally collects valuable objects and then sells them to players from developed countries with money to burn. This behavior is strictly against the rules in Coarsegold, but Anda soon comes to realize that questions of right and wrong are a lot less straightforward when a real person’s real livelihood is at stake… A perceptive and high-stakes look at adolescence, gaming, poverty, and culture clash.”
Raven’s Shadow #1-3 by Anthony Ryan. Call Number: REC RYA
From Goodreads: “Vaelin Al Sorna was only a child of ten when his father left him at the iron gate of the Sixth Order. The Brothers of the Sixth Order are devoted to battle, and Vaelin will be trained and hardened to the austere, celibate, and dangerous life of a Warrior of the Faith. He has no family now save the Order. From ‘a new master storyteller’ comes an epic fantasy saga of blood, honor, and destiny…”
Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson. Call Number: REC WIL
From Goodreads: “Kamala Khan is an ordinary girl from Jersey City — until she’s suddenly empowered with extraordinary gifts. But who truly is the new Ms. Marvel? Teenager? Muslim? Inhuman? Find out as she takes the Marvel Universe by storm!”
Gulp: adventures on the alimentary canal by Mary Roach. Call Number: REC ROA
From Goodreads: “Why is crunchy food so appealing? Why is it so hard to find names for flavors and smells? Why doesn’t the stomach digest itself? How much can you eat before your stomach bursts? Can constipation kill you? Did it kill Elvis? We meet scientists who tackle the questions no one else thinks—or has the courage—to ask. And we go on location to a pet-food taste-test lab, a bacteria transplant, and into a live stomach to observe the fate of a meal. Like all of Roach’s books, Gulp is as much about human beings as it is about human bodies.”
Jesus Land: a memoir by Julia Scheeres. Call Number: REC SCH
From Goodreads: “For Julia Scheeres and her adopted brother David, ‘Jesus Land’ stretched from their parents’ fundamentalist home, past the hostilities of high school, and deep into a Christian reform school in the Dominican Republic. For these two teenagers – brother and sister, black and white – the 1980’s were a trial by fire.”
Percy Jackson & the Olympians #1-5 by Rick Riordan. Call Number: REC RIO
From Goodreads: “Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can’t seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse—Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him…Join the adventures of Percy Jackson and his demigod friends as they fight mythological monsters and the forces of the titan lord Kronos.”
This cozy, handmade wolf quilt in WOU colors could be yours! Buy raffle tickets at the Information Desk in Hamersly to benefit the Library Student Employee Scholarship Fund for your chance to win. We’re selling 1 ticket for $3 or 2 tickets for $5 for a quilt that is valued at $90!
This beautiful Labyrinth patterned quilt is made with brilliant red, silver and black material with a solid black backing. The center is embroidered with a majestic “Northwoods Silhouette Wolf” pattern. The quilt measures 60” x 60” and comes with a hanging strap. It would be a great focal point quilt for a wall, but is also cozy enough to use as a lap quilt on chilly days.
The quilt was handmade and donated by Carol Tripp. It will be on display in the Hamersly Library lobby until the drawing on May 14th. The winner will be notified by 5pm that day. If you have any questions, contact the Hamersly Library Reference Desk at x8-8899.
Looking for some study music? The library has hundreds of CDs available for checkout from all sorts of different genres.
From Bon Iver to Kanye West, Bela Fleck to Etta James, Taylor Swift, and The Beatles: whatever your taste we’ve got something for you.
Search Primo (above) for the name of your favorite band or artist to get started.
Happy studying!
Just in case you need another reason to be excited that Spring Break is coming up… We just put out some fun “Spring Break Reads” on the 1st floor. Whether your idea of fun is a light beach read, a suspenseful mystery, a sci-fi thriller, or a collection of humorous essays.
No matter what genre, you can be sure they’re perfect for whiling away those lazy break days. Take a study break and check them out!
Each term, we introduce you to a few of the people who work to make Hamersly your favorite place on campus to do research, study, print your papers, meet with a group, or simply kick back and read in a quiet place.
This week, meet Jackson Stalley. He is an elusive, behind-the-scenes type library employee, but if you have ever used an online resource through the library you’ve benefitted from his hard work. Here’s more about him:
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What do you do in the library? I work with the serials and electronic resources helping the Collection Management Librarian ensure our serial and electronic collections are accurate and available when patrons want them. I also assist in creating local solutions for data normalization, manipulation and collection needs.
How long have you worked in the library? I’ve worked at Hamersly Library for 8 years and I’ve moved work areas within the library as much as anybody. I started on the second floor in Collection Management then shifted to a different location there before heading to the first floor as a part of Collection Development. I moved back upstairs to my old work area as a member of the merged Tech Services/Collection Development unit a few years ago. Sometimes I am not sure what unit I’m really in…I think it is Collection Management.
What is your education and professional background? I grew up in a small Idaho town and fled the cold for college in the sunny southwest. I debated at the University of New Mexico before moving with my partner to the University of Utah and later WOU where I took computer science and biology classes. I also worked as a student employee in the library. Before moving to Oregon, I worked in beer (worked I said) and later in the outdoor industry specializing in canyoneering and climbing and as an instructor in primitive navigation/survival.
What is the last good book you read? The last book I read that wasn’t about fly fishing was The Political Economy of Human Rights by Noam Chomsky.
What is one thing about the library you think everyone should know? Printed books are power.
What was your favorite book as a kid? My favorite book as a young person was Das Kapital by Karl Marx, or the Bhagavad Gita.
Tell us a fun fact about you! Here are three:
Each term, we introduce you to a few of the people who work to make Hamersly your favorite place on campus to do research, study, print your papers, meet with a group, or simply kick back and read in a quiet place.
This week, meet Dr. Allen McKiel, our Dean of the Library:
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What do you do in the library? As dean of the library I am responsible to the university through the Academic Vice President for the administration of the library. My responsibilities include overseeing the library’s budget, coordinating its planning, operations, and personnel, and acting as liaison to the Academic Vice President and his management team.
How long have you worked in the library? A little over 7 years
What is your education and professional background? My undergraduate is in English Literature from Purdue University; the Master is in Library and Information Technology from Indiana University; and the Ph.D. is in Higher Education Administration from Indiana State University.
My first professional job after my Master was as a programmer for a large software development firm in Los Angeles, CA. Libraries were not hiring at the time because Proposition 13 had destroyed the tax base in California. Programming eventually took me back to libraries with programming jobs at companies that serve libraries, OCLC and then Notice at Northwestern University. Stepping out of the library realm, I worked for a few years as the Senior Systems Analyst for Planning at the Indiana Toll Road. From there I found my current career as an academic librarian, first as the Director of Libraries for Region 2 of Ivy Tech State College, then as Director of Libraries for Northeastern State University in Oklahoma, finally landing here in the most delightful of all my professional experiences at Western Oregon University.
What is one thing about the library you think everyone should know? Libraries are the collective efforts of society to provide equitable access to its intellectual and cultural heritage. They will continue indefinitely into the future albeit in forms integral to society’s evolving information and communication infrastructure.
What is the last good book you read? Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire.
What was your favorite book as a kid? The Hardy Boys series by Franklin W. Dixon.
Tell us a fun fact about you! I have a 2-year-old grandson that loves anything with wheels. He goes “beep, beep, beep!” when he backs up.
We just got a fresh, new batch of books for the Recreation Collection on the first floor of Hamersly. We have something for everyone – from thrillers and mysteries to celebrity memoirs (we have A LOT of new celebrity memoirs) and everything in between!
Below is just a sampling of our new arrivals. Browse the collection online or in-person to see all of our recreational books!
Rainbow in the Cloud: The Wisdom and Spirit of Maya Angelou by Maya Angelou. Call Number: REC ANG
From Goodreads: a “collection of sage advice, humorous quips, and pointed observations culled from the author’s great works…Rainbow in the Cloud offers resonant and rewarding quotes on such topics as creativity and culture, family and community, equality and race, values and spirituality, parenting and relationships. Perhaps most special, Maya Angelou’s only son, Guy Johnson, has contributed some of his mother’s most powerful sayings, shared directly with him and the members of their family. A treasured keepsake as well as a beautiful tribute to a woman who touched so many…”
As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes. Call Number: REC ELW
From Goodreads: “From actor Cary Elwes, who played the iconic role of Westley in The Princess Bride, comes a first-person account and behind-the-scenes look at the making of the cult classic film filled with never-before-told stories, exclusive photographs, and interviews with costars Robin Wright, Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, and Mandy Patinkin…”
And if you like celebrity memoirs, you should also check out:
The Secret Place by Tana French. Call Number: REC FRE
From Goodreads: “The photo on the card shows a boy who was found murdered, a year ago, on the grounds of a girls’ boarding school in the leafy suburbs of Dublin. The caption says, I KNOW WHO KILLED HIM…The Secret Place is a powerful, haunting exploration of friendship and loyalty…”
The Wild Truth: The Untold Story of Sibling Survival by Carine McCandless. Call Number: REC MCC
From Goodreads: “In the more than twenty years since the body of Chris McCandless was discovered in the wilds of Alaska, his spellbinding story has captivated millions who have either read Jon Krakauer’s iconic Into the Wild or seen Sean Penn’s acclaimed film of the same name.
And yet, only one person has truly understood what motivated Chris’s unconventional decision to forsake his belongings, abandon his family, and embrace the harsh wilderness. In The Wild Truth, his beloved sister Carine McCandless finally provides a deeply personal account of the many misconceptions about Chris, revealing the truth behind his fateful journey while sharing the remarkable details of her own.”
The Republic of Imagination: America in Three Books by Azar Nafisi. Call Number: REC NAF
From Goodreads: “A passionate hymn to the power of fiction to transform people’s lives, by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Reading Lolita in Tehran.”
Interested in what the WOU community was reading for fun last year? Looking for a good book to dive into before classes get busy? Check out our new display showcasing the most popular books of the past year from Hamersly’s Recreation Collection: from thrillers like Gone Girl to series sensations like The Hunger Games to nonfiction explorations of mental health and military history.
The display is located on the first floor of the library between rooms 108 and 107, and the rest of the Recreation Collection is on the other end of the first floor.
Each term, we introduce you to a few of the people who work to make Hamersly your favorite place on campus to do research, study, print your papers, meet with a group, or simply kick back and read in a quiet place.
This week, meet Stewart Baker, our Systems & Institutional Repository Librarian. He was an integral part of the team that made the switch to our new library system, Primo, over the summer. And if you take classes in Computer Science, Social Sciences, Modern Languages, or Philosophy your class may get a visit from Stewart at some point. Here’s more about him:
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What do you do in the library? I work on our website- and catalog-related things, including the recent migration to our new library system, Primo. I also provide reference services and teach library instruction sessions.
How long have you worked in the library? Since late October, 2013.
What is your education and professional background? I have a BA and MA in literature (with a focus on Medieval Europe and critical theory) and an MLIS in library science. I had a long and varied undergraduate career, taking courses in computer science, graphic design, art history, philosophy, and linguistics. Prior to starting work at WOU last October, I worked for 5 years as a reference and web services librarian at California State University, Dominguez Hills, located on the outskirts of the urban sprawl that is Los Angeles.
What is one thing about the library you think everyone should know? Librarians like answering questions, anything from the ones that seem too easy to ask about to the ones that seem impossible and weird. Please bring them all to us!
What is the last good book you read? I’m always reading, so there are too many to list. The last book I read which I really couldn’t put down was Ha Jin’s In the Pond.
What was your favorite book as a kid? As a younger kid, anything by Roald Dahl. As a teen, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, parts of which I can still quote from memory. (“Life? Don’t talk to me about life!”)
Tell us a fun fact about you! I am semi-fluent in Japanese, and spent half a year living and studying in Japan in 2005.
