@ HCC Library

HCC Library Celebrity READ Posters – 2011

2011-05-04T13:11:00.018-04:00

This year's celebrities:

Gloria DeFillipo

Katherine Hamling
Steve Huard
James Knapp
Gail Vivian

2011-04-20T17:18:00.001-04:00

Collection Development | The Rise of the Locavore (Locavores), in Library Journal, April 1, 2011.

A selected collection development resource that includes books, DVDs and the following websites. Click on the links below for some cited websites.

Civil Eats
Focused on food politics, with over 100 contributors to the dialog about the American food system and its global effects, as well as sustainable agriculture and food systems.

The Daily Green

This online publication owned by Hearst Digital Media provides news and information about going green.

Eating Well Guide Find farms, markets, restaurants, and more, in the United States and Canada.

Eco-Friendly GuideA guide to green living and green companies for a variety of products.

Farmbrarian
A collaboration between an academic librarian and a nutrition student, with reviews of books on growing and eating real food; an excellent resource for new books.

Grist
A bastion of environmental news and commentary since 1999.

Local Harvest
Find farmers’ markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area, where you can buy produce, grass-fed meats, and many other goodies.

Mother Earth News
The mother of them all: the self-proclaimed longest-running sustainable lifestyle magazine.

Organic Gardening
This website to accompany the magazine of the same name provides organic gardening video how-to’s as well as free articles.

Pick Your Own Food
Find a farm where you can pick your own food.
Slow Food USA

Find local chapters, read the blog, donate, or become a member of the Slow Food Movement, which seeks to connect communities and the environment.

Sustainable Table
An excellent resource for educating yourself and the public about the benefits of eating local, sustainable food.

You're Reading What?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-03-31T16:22:00.002-04:00

At the library we have some great posters up from faculty and staff holding their favorite books. However, we did have to draw a line somewhere so here we present to you the REJECTED Read posters which didn't make it to the walls. Enjoy. (click on an image for a better view)

Learning About eReaders Workshop

2011-02-18T13:54:00.000-05:00

Digital Reader Workshop

Wednesday, March 9^th, 2011

Kittredge, Room

11-12:30 pm

Did you get a new eReader recently? Are you thinking of getting one?

The library will be hosting a Digital Reader Workshop. In this workshop, you will learn about the different digital readers, explore the free eBook collection available through CWMars and how to check out and download an eBook. Feel free to bring your reader!

There will be a Q&A section.

Contact Camille Close at x2277 or cclose@hcc.edu with questions.

spring ahead

2010-12-14T15:05:00.000-05:00

Thinking ahead…

2011 BUILD Library Research Competition

Plan ahead! The 4^th Annual BUILD Library Research Competition will take place in the spring 2011 semester. The purpose of the competition is to encourage and support student research using library resources. Papers and projects that were completed during the 2010-2011 academic year are eligible. That means that work being done this semester will be eligible for the $250 prize. Faculty – if you see promising work from any of your students this semester, please encourage them to enter their work in the competition this spring. Students – if you are proud of a piece of research, be sure to put it in a safe place so that when the competition begins, you can submit your work.

Application packets will be available early in the spring 2011 semester. In the meantime, you can read about last year’s competition at the library’s webpage:

http://www.hcc.edu/campus/library/information_build.html.

Need a primary source for that research project?

2010-12-14T14:57:00.001-05:00

The Library of Congress has a section devoted to primary sources in a variety of subject areas including, Japanese American Internment During World War II, Jim Crow in America, Women's Suffrage, Dust Bowl Migration, Found Poetry and even Baseball: Across A Divided Society plus many more and new sets added regularly. So if you need speeches, correspondence, campaign materials, photographs, federal government reports, cartoons, and maps - to name just a few - look into Primary Source Sets and be certain that the information you find is accurate and reliable.

Classics with a twist

2010-12-13T12:43:00.000-05:00

We just received two titles Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and Henry V by William Shakespeare but in graphic novel form. So if you like graphic novels, the classics or both come and take a look at these two books now on the New Books display on the second floor. You just might want to take them home.

Infographic Fun

2010-12-09T15:25:00.003-05:00

Created by Online Education

Your Vote Needed

2010-12-09T14:47:00.001-05:00

This year, One Book Holyoke read The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien and now it is time to vote for next year's choice. Help choose the book to be read in 2011. Click here to be taken directly to the voting page and choose up to three titles from a selection of 10 possibilities.

Watch Streaming Educational Videos

2010-12-03T15:49:00.002-05:00

Films On Demand is a web-based digital video delivery platform that allows you to view streaming videos from Films Media Group anytime, anywhere, 24/7!
Over 6,00 academic videos are available with the ability to organize and bookmark clips, share playlists and store quick links to favorite videos. The subject areas included are Humanities & Social Sciences, Business & Economics, Science & Mathematics, Health & Medicine and even Archival Films and Newsreels. Additional searches include Most Viewed Videos and Recently Released Videos.

You can access the videos by going through the library's Databases and Journals portal and then either choosing the Subject listing and looking under Interdisciplinary Databases or even simpler, choose Name and then F for Films on Demand.

Remember to log in through the Off Campus access page when not using a computer at HCC.

Interesting Reading

2010-12-02T16:22:00.000-05:00

What do Robert Crumb, Truman Capote, Simone de Beauvier , Orhan Pamuk and James Baldwin have in common? You can now read their interviews which were published in the Paris Review beginning in the 1950's and continuing to the present. You will probably find your favorite author among those interviewed.

Impressive Website

2010-12-01T16:07:00.000-05:00

If you are doing research on any aspect of the Holocaust, make sure you take a look at the official free website of the United States Holocaust Memorial. You will be able to access background information, topics of study, oral histories, photographs, videos, the Holocaust Encyclopedia and much, much more. You will be impressed with what is available.

Display Down, Contest On

2010-11-01T16:12:00.000-04:00

Maybe you noticed that we took down our banned books display recently but it isn't completely over - yet. We have a special 20th anniversary autographed copy of one of the books that was displayed, Heather Has Two Mommies by Lesléa Newman, and now is your chance to win it.

All you have to do is fill out an entry form available at the Reference desk telling us why the book was banned. A drawing will be held December 1st, 2010 and you can be the lucky winner. Come in and fill out the entry form today.

One Book Holyoke Upcoming Event

2010-11-01T13:12:00.003-04:00

OneBookHolyoke is reading The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. Please join us for an on campus Reading Group/Book Discussion in KC 224 on Thursday, November 4th at 2:30 pm.

Interested persons may pick up a copy of the book at the HCC Library
Reference Desk!

Tea and goodies will be served!

A Different Kind of Library

2010-10-29T14:44:00.000-04:00

At the Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy website, there are some very interesting photographs and facts about this unique traveling library. Take a look.

Campaign Commercials

2010-10-29T14:32:00.000-04:00

The Living Room Candidate contains more than 300 commercials, from every presidential election since 1952, when Madison Avenue advertising executive Rosser Reeves convinced Dwight Eisenhower that short ads played during such popular TV programs as I Love Lucy would reach more voters than any other form of advertising. This innovation had a permanent effect on the way presidential campaigns are run.
From the MUSEUM of the MOVING IMAGE

Community Colleges: In the News

2010-10-19T12:44:00.000-04:00

Celebrating Community Colleges and Their Students by Melinda Gates

Community Colleges and the Green Economy by Ed Begley Jr.

White House Summit on Community College

Your library's on the phone!

2010-10-14T12:48:00.000-04:00

Got a research question? Send a text message to the library staff at: 413-282-8552.
You can also call us at the same number, stop by in-person or email us using this handy link - http://hcc.edu/campus/library/ask We're here to help.

One Book Holyoke: tonight! "The Things They Carried"

2010-10-14T12:23:00.001-04:00

OneBookHolyoke's Opening Reception

Thursday, 10/14/10, 7pm, Holyoke High School Auditorium

One Book Holyoke’s opening ceremony features Jim Munroe and Gumersindo Gomez, Vietnam-era veterans who will share their stories of war and return. The event also includes a welcome from Holyoke mayor Elaine Pluta, performances by Holyoke High School’s band and chorus, a dramatic reading by Enchanted Circle Theater, and remarks from Holyoke High School student Nick Allende, a longtime supporter of One Book Holyoke. Refreshments will be served.

Reading List

2010-10-13T14:24:00.000-04:00

Working-Class Heroes in Literature by Gerald Howard at Utne Reader.

National Book Awards Announced

2010-10-13T13:20:00.000-04:00

For information and a list of nominees, check out this link to Publishers Weekly for further details.

Some Sites We Like

2010-10-13T11:18:00.001-04:00

What do "staycation", "LBD", "hockey mom" and "bromance" have in common? They all made it into the New Oxford American Dictionary, 3rd edition published this year. Check out this link and see many more words as well as phrases like "the new black" and "what's not to like?" Makes for informative reading plus it's a lot of fun.

From the New York Times Magazine, an interesting graphic timeline of learning machines from the Horn-Book wooden paddle c.1650 to the 2010 iPad. Take a look and see if you recognize some of the "machines".

This is just one sample from Jane Austen's Persuassion that is now available to be viewed digitally as part of an on-going project of the Austen Fiction Manuscripts, a joint project of University of Oxford and Kings College London. Quite an impressive collection already with more to come.

At the New York Public Library, librarian Billy Parrott has created a fun and informative blog on what books have appeared on the hit television show. Read along with your favorite characters.

The Nobel Prize in Literature 2010 Mario Vargas Llosa

2010-10-08T13:00:00.000-04:00

The Nobel Prize in Literature 2010 was awarded to Mario Vargas Llosa "for his cartography of structures of power and his trenchant images of the individual's resistance, revolt, and defeat". from nobelprize.org

You can read more about this author at the Nobel Prize Organization site and just to let you know, in our collection we have the following titles:

La ciudad de los perros - PQ6641.A77C5

Death in the Andes - PQ8498.32.A65L5813

Elogio de la madastra - PQ8498.32.A65E4

La fiesta del Chivo - PQ8498A65F4

A fish in the water: a memoir - PQ8498.32.A65P4913

The storyteller - PQ8498.32.A65H3413

We have many other titles, so come in take a look and check one out.

2010-10-07T14:21:00.000-04:00

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

Holyoke Community College is proud to be a collaborator again this year for this community event.

What is One-Book Holyoke?

The idea is simple: Holyoke residents read a selected book during a set period of time. Participants then come together for a variety of activities planned around the book. 2010 will mark our fourth annual "One Book Holyoke" community-wide programming.

One-Book Holyoke takes place for an eight-week period beginning in October 2010 through November 2010.

One Book Holyoke's Opening Reception

Thursday, 10/14/10, 7pm, Holyoke High School Auditorium
Refreshments will be served.

Vietnam veteran speakers Jim Munroe and Gumersindo Gomez
Holyoke High School Chorus
Holyoke High School band
Dramatic Read (from title chapter) by Enchanted Circle Theater
Greetings from Mayor Pluta

Presenters:

Actor (Dramatic Shorts) Biography - John Haag has narrated over 70 titles in a wide range of genres for the National Library Service’s reading program for the vision impaired, as well as for commercial publishers, including Recorded Books, Audible, Oasis Audio and Hovel Audio. You can find samples of John’s vocal work on his website (http://www.johnhaag.biz/). He has performed with Enchanted Circle Theater in BETWEEN THE CANALS: The Evolution of a Mill Town.

For more information and updated events click on this link to One Book Holyoke.

We suggest you check out the The Big Read website from the National Endowment for the Arts. The site contains other books chosen around the country with information about the Authors, Reader's Guides, Teacher's Guides and a Radio Show with excerpts from the book as well as a discussion. Tune in.

New Lobby Display

2010-09-19T16:07:00.000-04:00

Come and see the display we have created in the lobby of the library. Each year throughout the country, libraries feature books which over the years have been subject to requests either to be removed completely or allowed limited access. By sifting through various lists and resources, we have taken some of those books in our collection and put them on display.

Banned and Challenged Books Week

September 25−October 2, 2010

"The books featured during Banned Books Week have been targets of attempted bannings. Fortunately, while some books were banned or restricted, in a majority of cases the books were not banned, all thanks to the efforts of librarians, teachers, booksellers, and members of the community to retain the books in the library collections. Imagine how many more books might be challenged—and possibly banned or restricted—if librarians, teachers, and booksellers across the country did not use Banned Books Week each year to teach the importance of our First Amendment rights and the power of literature, and to draw attention to the danger that exists when restraints are imposed on the availability of information in a free society". American Library Association

Banned Books Week is sponsored by the American Booksellers Association, the American American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the American Library Association(ALA), the Association of American Publishers, the American Society of Journalists and Authors and the National Association of College Stores. The Library of Congress Center for the Book endorses it.

Cookbooks On Display

2010-08-20T14:12:00.001-04:00

We recently added two Mark Bittman cookbooks to our collection including

And along with some great donations, a display was created. Come see what other interesting food-related books we have available for school and fun.

Staff Picks: Staff Pets

2010-08-17T12:37:00.007-04:00

Retirement Party Fun

2010-08-12T10:33:00.004-04:00

Honoring Peg Breslin -our evening Circulation Assistant from 1994 to 2010. Happy retirement Peg, from your family at the HCC Library.

On Display - AUDIO/CD's new to our collection

2010-07-09T14:17:00.003-04:00

Our collection now includes some recent titles on AUDIO CD. Perhaps a vacation drive is coming up or just the normal commute to and from work. We have the unabridged books on CD and what is better than to hear the actual author read their own work. We have quite a number of titles so come up to the display area across from the Reference Desk. Happy listening.

On Display - LGBT Titles

2010-06-07T14:01:00.002-04:00

With a generous gift from the class of 2006, the library was able to purchase a selection of GLBT titles to enhance our collection. Below are just a few the the new books we have so come to the Reference Department and take a look. All the books on display can be checked out. Come in a take one (or two) home.

Wonderful News

2010-05-20T11:54:00.000-04:00

The staff is happy to announce that we now have TWO new members. Welcome Tennyson Eli and Harrison Benjamin Close. Proud parents Camille and Stacy shared this photo with us on May 18, 2010 and we can't wait for their first visit to the library.

2010-05-18T11:36:00.000-04:00

Graduating senior Mark T. Humphrey won Holyoke Community College Library’s annual BUILD Research Competition with his project "Wal-Mart: How It Hurts Us and Why We Love It Anyway."

Mark's project was written for the honor's Learning Community "Philosophy of Sustainability," under the direction of Professors Donald Hanover and Kathleen Maiolatesi. Mark will win a $250 prize at the Awards Night ceremony.

BUILD is an acronym for Better Use of Information and Library Databases and the competition is a way to encourage and support student research using legitimate library resources.

"The BUILD competition provides both recognition and reward to HCC's high achieving students. The winners over the past three years have all demonstrated abundant academic skills. These students have taken full advantage of all the resources that HCC provides and we, in the Library, are pleased to have been part of their experience," says Interim Library Director Kathleen McDonough. "We want students to do more than just a Google search."

Six students submitted entries, McDonough said, noting that all were qualified entries. However, Mark Humphrey's work stood out for its strong writing, creativity and myriad resources used that included library books, audio-visual material, research journals and valid website data.

"It was clear he was passionate about his topic," McDonough said.

The competition, which began in the 2006-2007 academic year, rewards students who show exceptional skill and creativity in the application of library resources to a research project. It is designed to complement the Information Literacy Program at HCC. Students submit material from coursework in which they have already done the research, reporting and writing. They also submit an essay of 500 words or less explaining the process they used in completing the work; why they chose the research materials they did; what they learned during the research process, and what they would do differently.

McDonough said the judges were looking to see if students took advantage of HCC's library resources as a participating member of the C/W MARS (Central/Western Massachusetts Automated Resource Sharing network), and other legitimate sources for their work. As a member of the C/W Mars network, HCC's Library offers on-line access to the collections of over 140 academic and public libraries, and 60,000 journals.

Photo above: BUILD winner Mark Humphrey outside the HCC Library
Original source: Office of Marketing & Public Relations

Stairwell Art - Rosa Parks

2010-05-11T16:37:00.001-04:00

Have you seen this wonderful art piece yet? The Rosa Parks work is located in the stairwell leading up to the Reference Room. Still going strong since 2004.

Database name change and new features

2010-05-04T18:11:00.003-04:00

An improved new version of Facts On File’s acclaimed World Atlas, the new World Geography and Culture Online reference site takes a global approach to facilitate the study of countries, places, peoples, and geography concepts and skills. Some highlights and new features include:

Country Entries: descriptions of more than 200 countries, with information on geography, people and culture, weather and climate, history, government, and society; maps and flags; facts and figures; images; compare/ rank tools; and news articles.

U.S. State Profiles: descriptions of all 50 states and Washington, D.C., with political, outline, elevation, and locator maps; city and geographical features maps; flags; images; facts and figures; government information; biographies; chronology; and images.

Maps: more than 1,600 easy-to-read political, elevation, and outline maps; regional geographic and thematic maps; city, state, and physical feature maps; and more

Compare and Rank Tools: tools that compare and rank countries and non-sovereign territories

News Articles, updated regularly.

• Gazetteer • Geography concepts and principles • Flags and images • Special features • Geography glossary • Currency converter • Conversion calculator • “Did You Mean…?” search feature • Persistent record links • Full citations in both MLA, 7th Edition and Chicago formats.

Want to take a look?

Go to the HCC library's homepage and click on Articles/Databases. Select Reference Books Online and scroll down to the bottom of the page where you will find World Geography & Culture Online. Have fun exploring.

A ROOM OF YOUR OWN

2010-04-27T13:46:00.028-04:00

Now that finals are almost here and study time is at a premium, we have a few special rooms here at the library that can help you study in peace and quiet alone or with your classmates. There are two study rooms in the computer lab - A306 - which have a large table and several chairs for your study group or friends. Nor reservations are needed so come by, see if one is empty and then make it your own.

In addition, we have a large study group room - A326 - in the reference area that has more space, a DVD player, a couple of tables and comfortable chairs. So if you have a large study group or just want to spread out in all that space, just come on in and
make it yours.

Local Celebrities

2010-04-12T14:51:00.004-04:00

A Must Read

2010-03-30T17:28:00.003-04:00

I read Marilyn Johnson's previous book The Dead Beat: Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs, and the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries a few years back and today I picked up a copy of her new book through inter-library loan. I have a feeling this is going to be as good as her other book. Here are a few reviews to get you interested:

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. In an information age full of Google-powered searches, free-by-Bittorrent media downloads and Wiki-powered knowledge databases, the librarian may seem like an antiquated concept. Author and editor Johnson (The Dead Beat) is here to reverse that notion with a topical, witty study of the vital ways modern librarians uphold their traditional roles as educators, archivists, and curators of a community legacy. Illuminating the state of the modern librarian with humor and authority, Johnson showcases librarians working on the cutting edge of virtual reality simulations, guarding the Constitution and redefining information services-as well as working hard to serve and satisfy readers, making this volume a bit guilty of long-form reader flattery. Johnson also makes the important case for libraries-the brick-and-mortar kind-as an irreplaceable bridge crossing economic community divides. Johnson's wry report is a must-read for anyone who's used a library in the past quarter century.

From Booklist

Contemporary librarians are morphing into undisputed masters of the information cosmos. An Internet-savvy, database-crunching cohort of multimedia manipulators passionately dedicated to empowering the data-deprived, they democratically distribute all the fruits of the emerging hypertext universe. Johnson’s paean to this new generation of librarians demolishes superannuated myths and stereotypes of fusty librarians filing catalog cards and collecting fines for overdue books, and replaces that with a vision of the profession’s future where librarians serve as guardians and guides to information in cyberspace. These rock-star librarians maneuver their way through a labyrinthine network of glowing computer-terminal screens to retrieve whatever answers patrons may seek. If that’s not high calling enough, librarians stand tall as superhero sentinels bravely beating back every assault on civil liberties and Constitutional government. Johnson offers portraits of American librarians, both institutional and freelance, already achieving fame as cybrarians and informationists, and she affirms and celebrates their conquests. Take that, Nicholson Baker! --Mark Knoblauch

2010-03-05T12:38:00.002-05:00

We have just received these 3 interesting and informative titles published by Greenwood Press from the collections of ABC-CLIO and each edited by Ilan Stavans. Below is a brief bio of the editor from www.abc-clio.com. All titles are available to be checked out from the library.
Ilan Stavans has been called the czar of Latino culture in the United States by the New York Times and Latin America's liveliest and boldest critic and most innovative cultural enthusiast by the Washington Post. Stavans is the Lewis-Sebring Professor of Latin American and Latino Culture and Amherst College and the recipient of numerous honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Latino Literature Prize, the Antonia Pantoja Award, Chile's Presidential Medal, and the Ruben Dario Distinction. He earned an Emmy nomination as host of the PBS show La Plaza: Conversations with Ilan Stavans. He has taught at Columbia University, Oberlin College, and Smith College, among other institutions.

Upcoming event at HCC

2010-02-26T10:35:00.001-05:00

HCC Professor of ESL, Vivian Leskes, worked on an English Language Specialist Program for the US Department of State in May and June 2009 in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Russia. During the trip, she trained English secondary and university teachers in the communicative approach to teaching the five ESL skills: reading, writing, speaking, listening, and culture. Associate Professor of Photography, Frank Ward, accompanied her on this journey.

On March 10 in KC 303 at 11AM, Leskes will offer "Checkmate: Your Visa Has Been Cancelled," a presentation on the joys and confusions of an inter-cultural teachers' exchange in Central Asia. Ward's photographs will accompany the talk.

Featured Database

2010-02-11T13:44:00.004-05:00

Pop Culture Universe. If it's... Peachy, The Bee's Knees, Swell, Nifty, Slick, Mean, Smooth, The Most, Cool, Neat-O, Far Out, Dyn-o-mite, Rad, Bitchin', Mint, Stupid Fresh, Dope, Fly, En Fuego, Phat, Off The Hook, Hot, or Awesome... you've come to the right place.

Does this sound interesting? Want to combine some fun with your research topic? Well you are almost there. Just go to the library's Articles/Databases page and click on Reference Books Online then scroll down to Pop Culture Universe
This database includes more than 200 volumes of reviewed, published material that offer thousands of overviews of pop culture from the 1920's through the present, including TV shows, awards, fads, fashions, and news. Includes images, Decade Pages, Web links and more.

2010-02-06T10:36:00.003-05:00

GRAND PRIZE of $250.00

The Holyoke Community College Library is pleased to announce the 3rd annual BUILD Research Competition. The purpose of the Better Use of Information and Library Databases (BUILD) Competition is to encourage and support student research using library resources. The competition rewards students who show exceptional skill and creativity in the application of library resources to a research project. It is designed to complement the Information Literacy Program at the Holyoke Community College Library.Click HERE for more information (and past winners) as well as an application packet or come by the Library and pick up your packet at the Circulation Desk.

California Connection

2010-01-28T11:53:00.003-05:00

Welcome, Gizmo.
The library staff now has a new addition as part of its extended family. We think he's pretty cute and Peg is really wanting to see him (and maybe take him a new sweater).

National Book Critics Circle Announces Finalists

2010-01-26T16:17:00.001-05:00

In addition to book awards, the NBCC gives two awards that were also announced on Saturday. The Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award, given to an individual who has made a sustained contribution to American Arts & Letters, was awarded to Joyce Carol Oates for her ongoing support of emerging authors. The Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing was given to New Yorker author Joan Accocela.

The complete list of book finalists is below; winners will be announced on March 11, 2010, at the New School in New York.

Autobiography:

Diana Athill, Somewhere Towards the End (Norton)
Debra Gwartney, Live Through This: A Mother's Memoir of Runaway Daughters and Reclaimed Love (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

Mary Karr, Lit (Harper)

Kati Marton, Enemies of the People: My Family's Journey to America (Simon & Schuster)

Edmund White, City Boy, Bloomsbury

Biography:

Blake Bailey, Cheever: A Life (Knopf)

Brad Gooch, Flannery: A Life of Flannery O'Connor (Little, Brown)

Benjamin Moser, Why This World: A Biography of Clarice Lispector (Oxford University Press)

Stanislao G. Pugliese, Bitter Spring: A Life of Ignazio Silone (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

Martha A. Sandweiss, Passing Strange: A Gilded Age Tale of Love and Deception Across the Color Line (Penguin Press)

Criticism:

Eula Biss, Notes From No Man's Land: American Essays (Graywolf Press)

Stephen Burt, Close Calls with Nonsense: Reading New Poetry (Graywolf Press)

Morris Dickstein, Dancing in the Dark: A Cultural History of the Great Depression (Norton)

David Hajdu, Heroes and Villains: Essays on Music, Movies, Comics, and Culture (Da Capo Press)

Greg Milner, Perfecting Sound Forever: An Aural History of Recorded Music (Faber)

Fiction:

Bonnie Jo Campbell, American Salvage (Wayne State University Press)

Marlon James, The Book of Night Women (Riverhead)

Michelle Huneven, Blame (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall (Holt)

Jayne Anne Phillips, Lark and Termite (Knopf)

Nonfiction:

Wendy Doniger, The Hindus: An Alternative History (Penguin Press)

Greg Grandin, Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City (Metropolitan Books)

Richard Holmes, The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science (Pantheon)

Tracy Kidder, Strength in What Remain (Random House)

William T. Vollmann, Imperial (Viking)

Poetry:

Rae Armantrout, Versed (Wesleyan)

Louise Glück, A Village Life (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

D.A. Powell, Chronic (Graywolf Press)

Eleanor Ross Taylor, Captive Voices: New and Selected Poems, 1960–2008 (Louisiana State University Press)

Rachel Zucker, Museum of Accidents (Wave Books)

Library Hours - Intersession 2010

2009-12-24T09:33:00.004-05:00

We will be open - January 4 to January 23, 2010
Monday-Thursday:
8:30am - 4:30pm
Friday:
8:30am - 4:00pm

(No Saturday hours during intersession)

Ready to Read?

2009-12-21T13:26:00.009-05:00

We know you've been reading all semester long - textbooks, that is. Here are a few links to Best of 2009 lists to help you catch up on some interesting titles now that you have an all-too-short break.

The Obvious:
The New York Times
Publisher's Weekly
Library Journal

The Indies:
NPR
Nancy Pearl, Librarian Social Networking:
goodreads
listal

Also, check out Novelist at the HCC library's database page. Go to databases and then under subject, select #3 for Book Information. Scroll down to Novelist and have fun while searching.

HCC in the news

2009-12-20T15:01:00.003-05:00

Holyoke Community College's Pathways Program is the focus of this article in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Read about this great HCC program and appreciate the great work done by coordinator Irma Medina. Wonderful job, thank you.

Just a reminder... Please Read

2009-12-17T11:43:00.005-05:00

All library material must be returned OR renewed on Dec. 18, 2009.
This is your only reminder. Failure to comply will result in diploma and transcript being held.

1968 Fire

2009-11-30T09:55:00.000-05:00

On January 4, 1968, Holyoke Community College's main building was destroyed by fire. The schedule was different in 1968 so Thursday January 4, classes were in full session and it was the final week of the fall semester classes and 1 week before final exams. HCC had renovated the old Holyoke High School and moved into their new campus in the Fall of 1967. A false fire alarm had taken place a few days earlier so many did not suspect anything was wrong when the alarm sounded and left behind books, notes, coats and personal belongings. An electrical fire had begun in the attic of the 3 story building. It was bitter cold with very low water pressure and fire hoses were quickly turned to ice. No one was injured but the building was a total loss. Administrative files including student transcripts were saved and the college was up and running in temporary locations and final exams were held days later. The Spring semester began a few weeks later in temporary locations and the city and alums rallied the state to keep the college in Holyoke and re-build. A new temporary building opened Fall 1968 and construction began on the Sheehan Farm on Homestead Ave for a new campus which welcomed students Spring semester 1974.

1968 Fire photos

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HCC President George Frost surveys the aftermath of the fire

Wednesday's Special

2009-11-17T19:29:00.005-05:00

HCC Faculty

FALL POETRY READING

Featuring

Vivian Leskes
Mark Clinton
Marsha White
Michael Tillyer

Wednesday, November 18, 2009 @ 11:00 am

DON 344

Pursuing "Writers, Plumbers, and Anarchists" in Massachusetts

2009-11-17T18:06:00.004-05:00

Saturday, November 21, 2009

2:00 pm

in Forbes Library, Northampton

In conjunction with the Soul of a People: Voices from the Writer's Project, you are invited to join Christine Bold as she discusses some of the secrets, surprises, and unexpected silences which she discovered in the archives of the Massachusetts Writers' Project (1935-43) while researching her book Writers, Plumbers, and Anarchists: The WPA Writers' Project in Massachusetts (University of Massachusetts Press, 2006). The press of the day routinely disparaged Project writers as "plumbers" and branded them as anarchists and subversives after the publication of the Massachusetts state guide, with its controversial passages on Sacco and Vanzetti and labour struggles. The surviving records shed new light on these controversies and offer intriguing glimpses into life as a "worker-writer" in 1930s' Massachusetts.

Christine Bold is Professor of English at the University of Guelph in Canada and author of three books--Writers, Plumbers, and Anarchists: The WPA Writers' Project in Massachusetts (2006); The WPA Guides: Mapping America (1999); and Selling the Wild West: Popular Western Fiction, 1860-1960 (1987)--as well as numerous chapters and articles on popular culture and cultural memory. She has also coauthored the award-winning book Remembering Women Murdered by Men: Memorials across Canada (2006) by the Cultural Memory Group, a collaboration between academics and social justice workers. She is currently editing U.S. Popular Print Culture, 1860-1920 (one volume in the Oxford History of Popular Print Culture) and writing a book titled The Frontier Club: Popular Westerns and Cultural Power, 1880-1924.

Halloween Fun with staff and friends

2009-11-16T11:15:00.016-05:00

2009-10-24T10:29:00.009-04:00

PLEASE JOIN US FOR
THE LIBRARY’S ANNUAL HALLOWEEN PARTY…

COME FOR THE TREATS

STAY FOR THE STORIES AND THERE MAY EVEN BE
A TRICK OR TWO!

A PRIZE WILL BE GIVEN FOR THE BEST COSTUME!

(Open to children/grandchildren, family members and friends of students, staff and faculty members)

OCTOBER 27th, 2009 @ 4:00

HCC LIBRARY – CHILDREN’S LITERATURE COLLECTION SECTION

Take a book home

2009-10-13T17:36:00.002-04:00

Did you know that you can find the books displayed here on this blog on the New Books table in the Reference room? Keep looking for new titles and then come check them out.

National Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15-October 15

2009-10-06T14:13:00.007-04:00

September 15 was chosen as the starting point for the celebration because it is the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. They all declared independence in 1821. In addition, Mexico, Chile and Belize celebrate their independence days on September 16, September 18 and September 21, respectively.

By clicking on Databases at the HCC Library site, you can access the Latino American Experience.
This database focuses on the history and culture of Latinos living in the United States spaning from the pre-Columbian Indigenous civilizations of the Americas, through the Spanish and Mexican settlement of much of what is now the United States, to the triumphs and challenges facing present-day U.S. Latinos. It Features more than 150 full-text book titles, 1500 images, hundreds of primary documents, Spanish-language content, a Timeline, and 225 vetted web sites. It includes the history, culture, and customs of the people of Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Iberian Peninsula.

Also, check out the AllYouCanRead and Paperboy websites to read hometown newspapers and magazines in Spanish as well as to brush up on that high-school Spanish.

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For the next few months, some wonderful events have been planned both here at HCC and at the Wistariahurst Museum in Holyoke in support of this event that includes book discussions, exhibits, discussions and forums. You can find out more about this project at this American Library Association web site. For a complete list of local events, please click HERE

Coming up on October 8 at HCC a viewing of the "Soul of a People" documentary will be held at 11am at the Kitterdge Center. "The campus community is invited to view excerpts of the documentary "Soul of a People: Voices from the Writer's Project". Join in a lively discussion with Dr. Maura Henry, Professor at HCC. Light refreshments will be served.

On Wednesday, November 4 there will be a book discussion with Professor Allia Matta on Zora Neale Hurston to be held at the Taber Gallery. "Prof. Matta will lead a stage reading (by students) and a discussion/commentary. This event is open to the campus community and the public. Light refreshments will be served.

In November there will be an exhibit by Curator Penni Martorell which will run from November 2-29, 2009 at the Holyoke Community College Library. "The library in collaboration with the Holyoke History Room & Archive will host an exhibit about the era during the month of November in the display cases in the lobby of the HCC Library. Also during the month of November there will be a tab;e display in the reference area of the HCC Library featuring writers of the WPA."

Further events as they are scheduled will be posted here so keep checking our blog.

Flu Vaccine Availability at HCC

2009-09-22T18:24:00.000-04:00

Health Services is expecting delivery of the seasonal flu vaccine by Wednesday, September 23. If you are interested in receiving a vaccine for yourself or a family member, please do the following as soon as it is convenient for you:

- Visit Student Accounts in Frost Building, Room 201 during normal business hours
- Pay $20 per dose in cash or check made payable to HCC
- Retain your receipt
- Call ext. 2180 or email me mpysznik@hcc.mass.edu to set up an appointment
- Bring your receipt to your appointment, please.

The flu vaccine is available to anyone who wants to avoid the flu, but especially recommended for those over 65 years of age and those with chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes, or compromised immune systems. This vaccine will not help protect you from the H1N1 virus nor the common cold; it will only afford protection against the three strains that are included in the vaccine. If you are allergic to eggs or have a history of problems receiving the flu or other vaccines, you should consult your primary care provider for advice about receiving the flu shot. The flu vaccine in injectable form is a "dead" vaccine, which means that it can't cause you to get the flu.

Keeping Informed This Flu Season

2009-09-22T17:17:00.003-04:00

Here are a couple of reliable sources for current information so that we are all well-informed this flu season:

As public concern about Pandemic H1N1 and the upcoming flu season continues to grow, the medical and nursing editors from EBSCO Publishing (EBSCO) respond by offering the latest evidence-based flu-related information available for free. Click here

This free flu information resource will provide continually updated, evidence-based clinical information from DynaMed™ and Nursing Reference Center™, EBSCO’s clinical and nursing point-of-care databases, along with patient education information in 17 languages from Patient Education Reference Center™. Please visit this site often and feel free to share, post, and email this link to your colleagues, patrons, family and friends.

Also check out this link from the Massachusetts Department of Health:
Campaign materials include a 33 page comprehensive booklet, a 24 page basic literacy booklet, a 22 minute video as well as many helpful flu related documents. In addition to this campaign, MDPH has many seasonal, H1N1 and pandemic related educational materials available. Click here

2009-09-17T11:17:00.002-04:00

New book titles recently purchased by the Library are on display in the Reference Room. Next time you are in Donahue, make a side trip into the Library. All displayed book can be borrowed.

Keep Informed

2009-09-03T12:55:00.002-04:00

2009 H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu)
Reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Dates to remember

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Grandparents Day (Sept. 13 in 2009), Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 - Oct. 15), Constitution Day (Sept. 17), and Library Card Sign-up Month.

If you like to surf...

2009-07-23T18:25:00.006-04:00

Here are two particular, trustworthy sites that offer interesting site links for work, pleasure and yes, even both at the same time.

A weekly round-up by librarian Marylaine Block with archives going back to six months. Click here

New This Week with an archive back to 2005. Click here

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

2009-07-13T17:24:00.004-04:00

Summer has brought a few changes to the library. In addition to our newest staff favorite, Noah, we also saw the retirement of our long-term library director, Judy. Though we are all missing her, Kathy has stepped in to temporarily be the library's acting director. We are very excited about the coming year and the changes that may come our way.

Library's newest staff member

2009-07-02T15:31:00.004-04:00

Welcome to our newest staff member, Noah!