Most popular books of 2014

January book display 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.

Meet your Hamersly staff: Stewart Baker

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.

Scary books for Halloween

Does your idea of a good Halloween include curling up with a scary book? If so, this list is for you! Here are some of the books we have right here in Hamersly that will give you a fright. Happy Halloween!

“Stephen King returns to the characters and territory of one of his most popular novels ever, The Shining, in this instantly riveting novel about the now middle-aged Dan Torrance (the boy protagonist of The Shining) and the very special twelve-year-old girl he must save from a tribe of murderous paranormals.” – Goodreads
Doctor Sleep by Stephen King. Call Number: REC KIN (1st floor)

A collection of short, but no less terrifying, stories. Ideal for reading aloud to scare your roommates.
Skeleton Crew by Stephen King.Call Number: PS3561.I483 S55 1986 (3rd floor)

If you’re looking for a more old-school Halloween experience, give this classic tale a try. “Jonathan Harker, incarcerated in a Transylvanian castle, has an alluring but terrifying dream of three women, eager to prey upon him. His host and jailer is none other than Count Dracula, or Nosferatu, the Un-Dead, controller of the wolves.” – Goodreads
Dracula by Bram Stoker.Call Number: PR6037.T617 D7 2011 (3rd floor) or as an eBook.

Most people ignored the outrageous reports on the news. But they became too frequent, they became too real. And soon, they began happening down the street. Then the Internet died. The television and radio went silent. The phones stopped ringing. And we couldn’t look outside anymore. – Goodreads
Bird Box by Josh Malerman.Call Number: REC MAL (1st floor).

Another timeless classic – short and perfect for reading aloud. “Holmes and Watson are faced with their most terrifying case yet. The legend of the devil-beast that haunts the moors around the Baskerville families home warns the descendants of that ancient clan never to venture out in those dark hours when the power of evil is exalted. Now, the most recent Baskerville, Sir Charles, is dead and the footprints of a giant hound have been found near his body. Will the new heir meet the same fate?” – Goodreads
The Complete Sherlock Holmes – The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle.Call Number: PR4620.A5 .M67 1953 (3rd floor).

A collection of stories by the legendary horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. Prepare to face terrors beyond your wildest imaginings…
Tales by H.P. Lovecraft.Call Number: PS3523.O833 A6 2005 (3rd floor).

Need a midterm break? Check out Films on Demand

Watch online streaming videos about everything from biographies of famous musicians to the history of unions in the U.S. to tips for writing fiction from famous writers (and much more!) for free. Watch the videos in Films on Demand for class or for a study break – there’s something for everyone.

Films On Demand is almost like the library’s version of YouTube, except it’s all legal and appropriate for use in class assignments!

The vast Films on Demand archive currently includes more than 6,100 complete titles and 63,000 shorter video segments. You can browse by subject, such as Health & Medicine, World Languages, Nursing, Criminal Justice & Law, or Archival Films & Newsreels, under the ‘Collections’ menu option. Or you can simply search for videos using keywords.

Happy watching!

Meet your Hamersly staff: Valerie Latham

This week, meet Valerie Latham. If you’re a night owl, you’ve probably seen her at the Information desk where she works during the term until the library closes (usually at midnight!) She also works behind the scenes to make sure the book you’re looking for is put on the shelf in the right place so that it’s there when you need it.

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What do you do in the library? I supervise the Stacks Department and work the evening shifts at the Reference Desk until midnight.

How long have you worked in the library? Six years.

What is your education and professional background? I started at Hamersly in the Library Administration Office as an Office Specialist II, and then I moved to the Stacks Department in Public Services at the same time as continuing my college education.

What is one thing about the library you think everyone should know? That the library has so many useful resources for studying. Take full advantage of the Reference desk, Information desk and the Checkout desk for any questions. We have our Chat that is available and we have librarians here during the day that would benefit you greatly. Come and visit us, we welcome you any time and any day! We are here for YOU!

What is the last good book you read? Divergent by Veronica Roth.

What was your favorite book as a kid? The Hiding Place by Corrie Boom.

Tell us a fun fact about you! I love to read textbooks, history books especially. And I love dogs and cats. I also change my hair a lot, so you might or might not recognize me. It’s a girl thing!

Hamersly has books to read for fun, too!

Looking for a good book (or two) to read over summer break? We can help!

The Recreation Collection on the 1st floor of Hamersly has something for every type of reader. *And* we just got a bunch of new books in. We have everything from thrillers to love stories to biographies – and everything in between.

Want a suggestion? Fill out this short form and your WOU librarians will get back to you with some books you might like.

Meet your Hamersly staff: Elaina Glasscock

This week, meet Elaina Glasscock. You won’t see her at the library’s busy first floor desks, but if you visit the WOU Archives or enjoy one of our quarterly exhibits on the 2nd and 3rd floors, you are benefiting from her hard work.

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What do you do in the library? I work in Archives and Exhibits, most of my time is spent filing newspapers, finding information for exhibits, and going through the archives to help answer reference questions.
How long have you worked in the library? Since August 2013.
What is your major and year in school? I’m majoring in Art with an emphasis in painting, and I am currently in my Freshman year.
What is one thing about the library you think everyone should know? That there is a community puzzle on the third floor! Also, there is more than one set of Encyclopedia Britannica on the second floor, which is awesome.
What is the last good book you read? The last good book I read on my own time was A City of Bells by Elizabeth Goudge. She’s an incredible writer and I adore her work.
What was your favorite book as a kid? Oh gosh, there are too many. Can I list three? The Horse and His Boy by C. S. Lewis, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, and the entire Anne of Green Gables series by L. M. Montgomery. But there are so many more that could be on this list.
Tell us a fun fact about you! I read all seven Harry Potter books in one week (spring break, my Sophomore year of high-school).

New Books in the Recreation Collection

We just got a fresh, new batch of books for the Recreation Collection on the first floor of Hamersly. We have something for everyone: Oprah book club picks, literary award winners, celebrity memoirs, historical fiction, and more.

Below is just a sampling of our new arrivals. Browse the collection online or in-person to see all of our recreational books!

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd, the bestselling author of The Secret Life of Bees. Call Number: REC KID

Frog Music by Emma Donoghue, the bestselling author of Room. Call Number: REC DON

One More Thing by B. J. Novak. A collection of short stories by the actor who played Ryan the Intern on The Office. Call Number: REC NOV

Things a Little Bird Told Me by Biz Stone, one of the co-founders of Twitter. Call Number: REC STO

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, winner of this year’s National Book Critics Circle prize. Call Number: REC ADI

Longbourn by Jo Baker. The story of Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen as told from the servants’ point of view. Call Number: REC BAK

The Good Lord Bird by James McBride, winner of this year’s National Book Award. Call Number: REC MCB

Meet your Hamersly staff: Robert Monge

This week, meet Robert Monge, one of our Instruction Librarians. If you take courses in the College of Education, there’s a good chance your class will get a visit from Robert at some point. Here’s more about him:

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What do you do in the library? I am an Instruction Librarian. I teach students how to do research, and I create digital tutorials. I am also the library liaison to Teacher Education, Special Education, Health and Physical Education, Interpreting, and Rehabilitation Counselor Education.
How long have you worked in the library? Six years
What is your education and professional background? I have a Master of Arts in English Literature and a Master of Library and Information Science. I taught college composition courses in Colorado and Virginia for five years before going back to school to get my library degree. I worked as an instruction librarian at the University of South Dakota prior to coming to Western.
What is one thing about the library you think everyone should know? The library at its core is about information and access. It is a place that connects people with the information they need in order to understand, create, and change the world.
What is the last good book you read? The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
What was your favorite book as a kid? And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street by Dr. Seuss
Tell us a fun fact about you! I once won 3rd place in The Dirtiest Kid in America Contest

Stream videos for class or fun with ‘Films on Demand’

Watch online streaming videos about everything from biographies of famous musicians to the history of unions in the U.S. to tips for writing fiction from famous writers (and much more!) for free. Use the videos in Films on Demand for class, to learn something new, or just to satisfy your curiosity.

Films On Demand is almost like the library’s version of YouTube, except it’s all legal and appropriate for use in class assignments!

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Happy watching!

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Hamersly Library

Most popular books of 2014