Reminder – JSTOR Access at No Charge for Alumnae

Thanks to an alumna gift supporting access, the well-liked, scholarly journal archive JSTOR is being made accessible at no charge to graduates of Agnes Scott College who request access through McCain Library. JSTOR offers backfiles (and not always although some of the most recent issues) of core academic journals in many disciplines. JSTOR limits the number of libraries with which it is partnering on this pilot. When we informally polled alumnae on Facebook, there was overwhelming enthusiasm for the idea, so we are happy that it’s worked out.

ASC undergraduates use JSTOR heavily, so that fondness must continue after Commencement! If you are applying to grad school and need sources for a writing sample, or just want to stay connected to more than a thousand academic journals and primary sources, JSTOR is one of the world’s most trusted sources for academic content.

Alumnae who earned an Agnes Scott College degree and who are in good standing with McCain Library may email us requesting remote JSTOR access. You will be sent a link with which to create a My JSTOR account. If interested, contact library@agnesscott.edu with “Alumnae access to JSTOR” in the subject line.

Note: Our other research database license agreements do not permit remote access for alumnae; however, you may use them on site at visitor computers.  If you are a Georgia resident, contact your local public library about access to their GALILEO databases, and if you are no longer in Georgia, ask what databases your local public library provides.

Movie Filming Completed – Library Being Restored

The filming of “Endless Love” has wrapped up using the Main Reading Room.  The film crew is clearing their equipment and the First Floor of our building is being put back together.

If you would like to use the Library, come on over.  Thank you for your patience during the disruption!

Note: not all DVDs are back in place yet, but they will be soon.

Library Hours for the Rest of May 2013

Monday – Friday (May 13-24) (Semester Break)         8:30 am – 4:30 pm

Saturday, Sunday                                                                CLOSED

Wed.-Thurs., May 22-23      MOVIE FILMING – Email library@agnesscott.edu before visiting, and NO VISITS are feasible on Thursday, May 23.

Mon., May 27 (Memorial Day)                                          CLOSED

Tues., May 28 – Thurs., May 30 (Summer I Starts)   8:00 am – 5:15 pm

Fri., May 31                                                                         8:30 am – 4:30 pm

Student Spotlights: Kathryn Dean

Kathryn Dean ’13

Major: English

Minor: History

Do you have any special areas of interest, academic or otherwise?

I’m really interested in women’s history and women’s writing– that’s what I tend to focus on in my classes and where my interests tend to lie! Specifically, I love to look at formations of identity and spaces where women’s experiences can intersect.

What are your favorite resources at McCain Library?

Currently, I’m loving the Historical New York Times database– I’ve lost chunks of what could have been productive time looking through old headlines and articles. I’ve also been known to get sucked into the bound periodicals on the ground floor. (Pick up an old volume of TIME magazine sometime. So interesting.)

Do you enjoy reading? How would you describe yourself as a reader?

I love reading! As a reader, I’m a bit difficult, actually. It takes me a couple of tries to get into a fiction book unless it really captures me in the first few pages. I tend to be reading a lot of different things at one time, which can get tricky. I also like having something to eat or drink (or both), so I find myself reading in coffee shops a lot. And in the kitchen, which isn’t always ideal if you’re cooking. (Tip: watch your pasta. It will boil over. Dubliners can wait.)

It appears that my two adjectives would be fickle and hungry, which reflects very positively on me as a scholar.

What kind of books to you like to read outside of your classwork?

I like all kinds, really. Lately, I’ve been reading a lot of poetry and young adult novels. It’s a nice break from the more dense and lengthy reading I do for class. (But it’s not any less meaningful, of course!)

What books do you recommend as must-reads?

My old standbys: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (a delightfully funny play– do yourself a favor and increase your enjoyment of Hamlet); F. Scott Fitzgerald‘s short stories; Persuasion by Jane Austen (a slim and refreshingly lovely volume); Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (for those who like fairy tales with a new spin on them– this has been one of my favorite books for most of my life); anything by Virginia Woolf.

Books I’ve read lately: poetry by Natasha Trethewey, especially from her new volume Thrall; The Invention of Hugo Cabret (which I actually read for class! it’s such a cool and interesting way to tell a story); Adoption Papers by Jackie Kay (I read it in a poetry class while I was abroad last semester); The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

What kind of movies do you enjoy watching?

I generally love comedies and old movies. I’ve also been drawn to indie dramas in the past with mixed reactions.

Are there any movies you recommend?

Mel Brooks movies, especially Young Frankenstein– classic.
Roman Holiday– I watched this movie for the first time last semester right before I did some traveling and it’s lovely.
The Up Series is a series of documentary films that follows a group of children from when they’re seven years old– there’s one made every 7 years. The first film is sort of based around the proverb “Give me the child at seven, and I will give you the man.” The children from Seven Up are now in their 50s. It’s really interesting to see not only the way their lives turn out, but the way in which they start pushing back on the concept of the project.
The Women (1939) is based on the play by Clare Boothe Luce– it’s a really fast-paced, witty movie that is certainly a product of its time and really interesting for that reason! No men make an appearance on screen for the entire movie, which is pretty cool.

Do you have any memorable stories about reading that you can share?

I started reading at an early age and have always been a voracious reader. But I think To Kill a Mockingbird was the first book that I really interacted with in a way that resembles the kind of literary analysis I do now as an English major– not only was I completely captivated by the story, but I was also analyzing it as a work of literature. I go back to it periodically and every time I’m shocked by how much I’ve grown. It’s a different book every few years

Is there anything else you would like to share?

My favorite places to sit in the library– because I’m sure you wanted to know– are on the patio on the first floor and the little hallway with the comfy chairs beside it. Lots of natural light! I also love my study carrel on the ground floor, but it’s mine, all mine. (Just kidding. Or AM I?)

Student Spotlight: Maddye Mitchell

Maddye Mitchell ’13

Major: History

Minor: Psychology

Do you have any special areas of interest, academic or otherwise?

I am interested in American history, women’s history, almost anything pertaining to Appalachia.

What are your favorite resources at McCain Library?

The librarians are by far the most valuable resource. They’ve helped me countless times when I was overwhelmed and didn’t know where to start. Other than that, America: History & Life is my jam!

Do you enjoy reading? How would you describe yourself as a reader?

Reading is definitely my favorite occupation. When I was a kid, I started school a year early because I begged my mom to let me go. I became obsessed with reading because I found that I really did not enjoy the company of my peers, who were all a bit older and way cooler than me (it showed). Reading gave me a reason to have more conversations with my teachers and librarians, who were the people I most wanted to be like. I think this is how I became so attached to history. My life revolved around “stories” – any stories, I did not have much of a discriminating taste when it came to selecting books – and the narrative is the basic essence of history.

What kind of books to you like to read outside of your classwork?

I will read just about anything, but I rarely have the time. There are only a handful of books I can remember that I have not finished because I didn’t like them or found them uninteresting. Even books I don’t really enjoy I will attempt to finish so that I can have informed criticism. I like novels, such as the Millennium trilogy and The Hunger Games. I have a soft spot for historical fiction, so long as it is not completely outlandish and inaccurate. I will read any book on the topic of feminism or the Jazz Age.

What books do you recommend as must-reads?

Honorable mention: My favorite childhood books were the Madeline series. My sister named me after these books. I read Angela’s Ashes this summer and became enamored with the work of Frank McCourt. If you do not like this book, you are dead inside. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. I got really into these stories as a kid, but they are enjoyable for people of all ages. The Hound of the Baskervilles contains my favorite phrase from all literature, which is a description of a man who is “as tenacious as a lobster”. To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic and also my favorite book. This might be because it was also my mother’s favorite book. I grew up aspiring to be Harper Lee. If you haven’t read Atonement by Ian McEwan, stop everything and go read it. This is another favorite. Yes, James McAvoy is sexy and awesome in the film version, but the book is even better. It was a highly emotional read for me. I don’t think any other book has made me feel such profound sadness and rage. I read just about every fiction/nonfiction book about the Holocaust in my preteen years. The Pianist, Night, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Devil’s Arithmetic, Maus, Number the Stars, Survival in Auschwitz, Sophie’s Choice, I Have Lived A Thousand Years, All But My Life, Escape from Sobibor, Five Chimneys, The Girl in the Red Coat, Rena’s Promise, Sala’s Gift…I devoured them. Highly recommended. Others that require no explanation but will make you a better person: The Harry Potter series, The Catcher in the Rye, All Quiet on the Western Front, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Gone With the Wind, Candide, Wuthering Heights, The Bell Jar, The Color Purple.

What kind of movies do you enjoy watching?

I am mostly torn between classic movies and 90s teen movies, which are on the opposite ends of the spectrum. I like anything that reminds me of the awesomeness of the 90s, like Cruel Intentions, 10 Things I Hate About You, Romeo + Juliet, Bring It On (technically from 2000, but close enough). Any movie with Meg Ryan, Julie Andrews, or Diane Keaton automatically gets top priority.

Are there any movies you recommend?

It Happened One Night. Claudette Colbert is so adorable and Clark Gable is so handsome. Ideal cute 1930s movie.

O Brother, Where Art Thou?, mostly because it is punctuated by the folksy Bluegrass music I grew up listening to.

The Sound of Music is my all-time favorite movie because Julie Andrews is the essence of a perfect human being. You cannot watch this movie and not smile.

You’ve Got Mail. Meg Ryan is my other example of a perfect person. This is my go-to feel good movie.

Gone With the Wind. Another classic. I fell in love the first time I watched it as a kid because I realized that Scarlett O’Hara was the sassiest bitch ever.

Do you have any memorable stories about reading that you can share?

I used to have to walk a mile from the bus stop to my house in middle school, so I would read as a walked, lest I lose valuable Harry Potter time. I do not recommend this. I walked headfirst into a parked truck. Very embarrassing.

Student Spotlight: Elle O’Brien

Elle O’Brien ’13

Major: English

Do you have any special areas of interest, academic or otherwise?

I’m really heavy into computational neuroscience, the intersection of mathematics with the biology of the nervous system. I’m also an avid musician with a growing penchant for Irish, bluegrass and early blues music.

What are your favorite resources at McCain Library?

I always stop by for one of the free papers.

Do you enjoy reading? How would you describe yourself as a reader?

I read regularly, on the train or before bed. I confess that it’s not totally natural to me and requires a fair amount of discipline. I like to read journal articles about unusual, generally controversial or fringe mathematical models before bed so that I can dream on them.

What kind of books to you like to read outside of your classwork?

I suspect I am a bit unusual in my selection habits. I seldom take up a fiction book for fun. It’s not because my imagination is tired, it’s that I am so wildly in love with this reality I can’t stand to abandon it. My favorite topic is the birth of mathematical movements, such as chaos theory starting in the 1960s: who were the players, what were they up against, and what were their inspirations? This type of literature also tends to be a fantastic introduction to the feeling and intuition of theories without getting bogged down in details. I always leave with a new, creative framework for considering the natural world. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I also enjoy books about strategy (I have an unexplained affinity for Gary Kasparov), linguistics and history.

What books do you recommend as must-reads?

The Mystery of the Aleph by Amir Aczel is a thrilling examination of the forces that changed how mathematicians conceptualize infinity. The reader uncovers the work and life of Georg Cantor, who is driven by mental illness as much as the pioneering spirit, and the ancient mysticism attached to numbers that that was to some degree formalized by his work.

What kind of movies do you enjoy watching?

Mel Brooks!

Are there any movies you recommend?

The History of the World, Part 1.

Do you have any memorable stories about reading that you can share?

I was always a fast reader, and while I could tear through books in elementary school, I rarely got any joy out of it. I suppose I just didn’t get any thrill from escapism, and I relished feeling busy beside a textbook. I didn’t read much for fun in middle school or high school aside from philosophy, which I laboriously copied on a pad beside me to drill the logic in. One winter break from college, though, I finally came to enjoy a work of fiction. It was Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game. I was captivated by the empathy I felt for the characters, for the thought and consideration the writer had put into their motivations. They were people I wanted to read. Not only did I finish the book, I actually read the rest of the series. After that, I suppose the whole “reading fiction for fun” business made sense to me.

Future Library Superstar: Elaine Holliday ’10

Though Elaine Holliday ’10 worked in McCain Library for over 2 years at the Circulation Desk, it took several sessions with Gail Bell in the Career Planning Office at Agnes Scott College  to help Elaine realize that a career in libraries was a perfect match for her.  “I like to help people, ” she said, “and I also like to be the holder of knowledge.”

Though new to the idea of librarianship, Elaine showed clear signs of a librarian mind when she set out to research and apply for graduate programs.  “I looked for programs that were considered more ‘bang for your buck,’” she said, “and applied to University of South Carolina, University of Oklahoma, and University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Did you know that although there are 3 library programs in NC, 1 in SC, there are 8 in Hawaii?”

Elaine decided to attend University of South Carolina -Columbia and is currently working towards a Master’s of Library and Information Science. When her studies are complete, Elaine said she wants “to work in a small academic library, like McCain. Or in a larger academic library were I could specialize and be a cataloger or a science/technology reference librarian. Or in a special library, like a Medical Library.”

Already Elaine is embedded in the library culture, she has tales of “someone turning in a book to the library that wasn’t a library book” and adventures finding “really odd old documents.”

For students interested in pursuing an Masters in Library and Information Science, Elaine encourages them to consider online courses.  “All of my courses have been online,”  she said.  “Not all the courses offered are, but it was very doable to have mine be all online, and this seems to be not uncommon in library programs. Also, there really is a good bit of specialization amount libraries and that affects what courses you’d want to take. And different programs might have a stronger “department” or more courses for one type of librarian or another.”

Good luck Elaine! We hope you end up working with a population as wonderful as the one we encounter at McCain Library.