December Break Hours

Sugar and Spice and. . . Mashed Potatoes?

Hello Cupcake! By Karen Tack & Alan Richardson


As its welcoming title suggests, this book features examples of scrumptious cupcakes. In eight chapters with such headings as, “April Fool’s,” “Party Animals,” “Nightmare Before Thanksgiving,” and “Holiday on Icing,” cupcakes of all shapes and designs, with their accompanying recipes, are displayed. Step-by-step instructions on how to create specific culinary concoctions, a photographic display of the decorating materials and tools, cupcake and frosting recipes, and a list of food supply stores enable readers to tackle even the most advanced creations. The innovative cupcake designs can be used by those interested in catering, baking, and working with children. The only negative comment that can be made about the book is that it doesn’t come with free samples. Reviewed by Wendell Barnett

If you've been bitten by the baking bug, Hello Cupcake is a fun title to satisfy the craving. For even more cupcake goodness check out the companion title, What's New, Cupcake?.  Click on either of the titles to find reviews and more about the books.

Hello Cupcake; 641.8653 T118h
What's New, Cupcake?; 641.8653 T118w

You can borrow either one of these titles and others from the library, and if you need helping finding don't forget to ask one of the librarians. We will be glad to assist you.

Happy Baking!

Thanksgiving Break - Library Hours

The library will be OPEN :

Monday - Wednesday                                           8am-5pm

November 21-23                                                (closed 12-1 for lunch)

The library will be CLOSED :

Thursday - Sunday

November 24-27

Regular hours will resume 7:30am on Monday, November 28th.  

Have a wonderful

Holiday!

Remembering Our Veterans

In rememberance of Veterans Day the library staff wants to say thank you to all of the faculty, staff, and students who have served our country. Thank you.

Click on the links below to learn more information about Veterans Day, and be sure to check out the link for our previous Veterans Day blog post too.

Arlington National Cemetary

Ft. Campbell

Ft. Knox

Kentucky veterans

Sullivan University's veterans page

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Check out our Twitter account, @WhatstheBook, where we tweeted something in honor of veterans too.

A Veteran and His Daughter

With Veterans Day approaching it is a fitting time to highlight Crow Call; JF L, a picture book by the Newbery award-winner, Lois Lowry.

Lois Lowry’s skills as a writer are evident in this picture book, her first ever according to her website, about a girl named Liz reconnecting with her father after his return from WWII. While Liz practices remembering to call the man who is her father, “Daddy,” her father learns that Liz’s favorite food is cherry pie. The two get reacquainted as they set out to hunt the crows which destroy the family’s crop, and by the end of their trip they are holding hands. Ibatoulline’s sepia-toned illustrations match well with the story’s setting and its nostalgic nature. Some of his illustrations are so well-rendered that I felt like I was looking at a photograph. At the very end of the book, in the note to readers, I found out that this story was autobiographical, and I was quite pleased to get to see a photograph of Lowry in the shirt Liz wears in the book.

The book can be found in the library's juvenile book section. If you need any help locating it or you want to check it out, please ask one of the librarians. We will be glad to assist you.

Check the blog next week for another post related to Veterans Day.

Happy Birthday, Chef Escoffier

Before Thomas Keller and Alice Waters worked their culinary magic, the French chef Auguste Escoffier, made his mark on the gastronomic world. Chef Escoffier lived from 1846-1935, and during his lifetime he served both socialites and royalty.

To learn more about Chef Escoffier, come by the library and check out his biography, Escoffier: The King of Chefs, 641.5092 J27e, or some of his cookbooks.

Even though today is Escoffier’s birthday, you may be interested to know about other famous chefs from around the world. The library has books and DVDs featuring a variety of different chefs and their cookbooks. Click on this link to see some of the materials available at your Sullivan University Library and Learning Resource Center. One of the librarians will be glad to help you find any of the books or DVDs.

Remembering a Nobel Prize Winner

Though it has been almost a month since her passing, it is still appropriate to remember the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Wangari Maathai.

Dr. Maathai was a professor of veterinary anatomy, an environmental activist, and a human rights activist. In 2004, she was awarded the Nobel Peace prize for her efforts to improve the lives of women and the land by planting trees in her native Kenya.

The Sullivan University Library has three books which hightlight Dr. Maathai's life and her work, and any student is welcome to borrow these titles from the library.

Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya; JF N (Lexington campus)

Planting the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maathai; JF N (Lexington campus)

Unbowed: A Memoir; 333.72 M111u (Louisville campus)

To learn even more about Dr. Maathai, visit the Nobel Prize website, which has a biography of Dr. Maathai.

Here are two obituaries for Dr. Maathai that contain photographs and further information about her extraordinary life.

New York Times obituary

The Guardian obituary

Please let us know if you have any questions about how Dr. Maathai or how to locate the featured library books. One of the librarians will be glad to help you.

Source: N.A. (2011, October 20). Wangari Maathai-Biography. Retrieved from http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2004/maathai-bio.html

Banned Books Week-Show Me the Titles

Now that we've talked a little about what Banned Books Week is and how titles get banned or challenged, here is a selected list of some of the banned and challenged titles available at the Sullivan University Library and Learning Resource Center. Click on the title to learn more about it.

1984 by George Orwell; 824.912 O79n

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain; DVD 813.4 T969a

And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell; JF R

Beloved by Toni Morrison; DVD 791.43 B452

Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger; 813.54 S165c

The Color Purple by Alice Walker; 813.54 W759c and DVD 791.43 C719

The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler; JF M

Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L. Going; JF G

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck; 813.52 S819g

Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling; JF R

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair; 813.52 S616j

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov; 813.54 N117l

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien; 823.912 T649l

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil; DVD 791.43 M6296

Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes; JF H

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor; JF T

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison; 813.54 M882s

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway; 813.52 H488s

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee; 813 L478 and DVD 813.54 T627

This is just a representative list, so if you want to find more titles that have been banned or challenged search in the library's catalog for banned books. If you need any assistance finding these titles or if you want more information about any of the titles, please don't hesitate to ask one of the librarians for help.

Banned Books Week-Are Books Still Being Banned and Challenged?

In short, yes, books are still being banned and challenged, and the American Library Association, along with others in the book industry, sets aside a week each year to promote the freedom to read books. The week is known as Banned Books Week, and this year it occurs from September 24-October 1, 2011.

Are librarians really banning books? No. The books that have been banned or challenged were banned by people and organizations who thought the books were inappropriate for one reason or another.

According to the American Library association, a banned book is a book that has been removed from a library because of complaints by an individual or group. A challenged book is one that a person or a group has attempted to remove from a library or to restrict its use. Due to the dedication of librarians and other individuals, most challenges are unsuccessful and books are still available to be read.

Come to the library during the next few weeks to see our display of titles that have been banned or challenged. You can also check out and read any of the books that are on display. Stay tuned to the library's Facebook page and our Twitter account for more information about banned and challenged books.

The Library staff would like to welcome all new and returning students to Sullivan University.  To help you get oriented  (or just remember where things are) we will be offering drop-in tours of the library during Week 2.  Stop by at any of these times for a walkthrough of the library. 

If you would like a tour and can’t make these times, we will be happy to schedule a time that works for you – talk to a librarian at the desk anytime!

September Break Hours

Hours for the Fall Break are below.  The library will also be closed in observance of Labor Day on September 5th.

A Photobiography of a President

Using a photobiography format, Martin Sandler presents the life of John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States. Sandler pairs black and white and color photographs with his own commentary and quotes from President Kennedy. From images of Kennedy’s formative years through the poignant and horrific pictures surrounding his assassination, Sandler documents the president’s life in an engaging way. He deftly navigates the touchy subjects of the President’s physical ailments and his personal indiscretions without glamorizing them. While substantial enough to use for a research paper, the general reader may simply enjoy browsing through it. Those who are interested in learning more about President Kennedy, can refer to the list of recommended books and websites that the author provides.

See the catalog record for Kennedy Through the Lens to learn more about the book.

Click on this link to see the additional library resources about the turbulent 1960s. Be sure to ask one of the librarians if you need assistance locating Kennedy Through the Lens or anything else of interest.

Tiny Kitchen? No Excuses.

Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens by Jennifer Schaertl


In her debut cookbook, Schaertl tackles 2 myths of gourmet cooking—one doesn’t need lots of space or a host of appliances. For example, she points out that Chantilly Cream was invented without an electric mixer. She writes from experience too. Her first job, as a dishwasher & working her way up to sous chef, was in a professional crappy little kitchen (CLK). Not only does she include useful advice on tools, techniques, layouts and pantries for CLKs, she also presents 130 recipes geared to preparation in CLKs. This book is recommended to anyone who has or may be working in a crappy little kitchen in the future. Reviewed by Wendell Barnett, Collection Management Librarian

If you want more information about the title or if you'd like to borrow it from the library, here is the book's call number, 641.5 S295g, and a link to the book's catalog record. Any of the librarians will be glad to help you find the book too.

REMINDER: Harrodsburg Road closing this weekend!

Don't forget that a portion of Harrodsburg Road from Beaumont Center to Pasadena Drive will be closed from 7 PM August 12th to 5 AM August 15th. If you will be on campus for Friday evening courses, Saturday courses or to use the library, please make alternate arrangements.

For more information see articles from the Herald-Leader dated August 3 and August 12.  

Framing a Great Paper

Do you have a research paper to do this quarter? Are you stressing out about where to find information for your topic since your teacher said you can’t use Wikipedia?

Cast your worries aside and come to the Sullivan Library. The librarians are here to help you find great resources, and right now we have a display in the library about how to do research and cite your sources using the APA format.

Here are links to some helpful sites if you can’t stop by the library.

APA Citation Guides

How to Do Great Research Fast

Research Basics

4th of July Holiday

The library will be closed Monday, July 4th to observe Independence Day.

2011 Student Survey Results

During May the library conducted its annual student survey, asking students to rate and comment on the library services and collections. Results from the survey are used to determine how well student needs are being met by the library.

According to survey results, 98% of students rated the library as Good or Excellent overall. The following areas were also rated very highly by student participants in the survey:

91% of respondents said that the electronic databases are Good or Excellent.
97% of respondents rated the e-books collection as Good or Excellent.
90% of respondents rated the research guides as Good or Excellent.
98% of respondents reported that the library collection was Mostly Adequate or Always Adequate at meeting their research needs.
96% of respondents reported that the on-site library resources are Good or Excellent.

The Library staff would like to thank all of the students and faculty who participated in the survey. Over the next few weeks the survey results will be tabulated and analyzed for areas needing improvement. Special attention will be paid to areas in which we can improve our services including maintaining a studious atmosphere, offering up-to-date, dependable technology resources, and providing excellent customer service.

Please feel free to share any additional comments with the library by sending us an e-mail.

Congratulations to the winners of our giveaway drawings:
Jeff Walsh – Kennedy Through the Lens book
Lisa O’Hara – Food Network, Feasting on Waves Sunhat
Jeremy Kelly – USB drive
Ralph Woolums – USB drive
Shannon Thomas - $25 Sullivan Bookstore certificate
Liz Denham – Zuni Café Cookbook

8th Annual Library Student Satisfaction Survey

ANNUAL LIBRARY SURVEY
Your opinion is important to us!

As a valued member of the Sullivan University library user community, we want to hear from you about your library. Please take a few minutes between the dates of May 9th and May 21th to complete a library survey at http://library.sullivan.edu/survey.htm. Your input will be kept anonymous and your feedback helps the library to enhance collections and services.
In addition, this year’s survey also includes questions about Career Services and the Tutoring Center. By completing a survey you will be entered into a drawing to win a $25.00 bookstore gift certificate as well as other great prizes.

Thank you for your help in improving your library!

Get to Know Your Library

As part of our National Library Week celebrations, the library staff created a display detailing our last 25 years of service to the Sullivan community. Take a look:

Women's History-Personal Histories

Two remarkable women from two different generations can be found in these featured titles.

Healing Hearts: A Memoir of a Female Heart Surgeon; 617.412 M195h

A cardiothoracic surgeon, who seeks to educate women about the importance of taking care of themselves and their hearts, writes an approachable memoir in which she details her roles as physician, wife, and mother. Magliato intersperses anecdotes from her personal life with emergency medical situations, and, without being heavy-handed, she doles out medical advice. Magliato discusses her struggles with issues affecting women professionals, such as sexual harassment and parenthood, with frankness. As she recounts her formative years and her training to become a doctor, she writes as if she is talking to one of her friends or her family members. One comes away from this memoir having an appreciation for life and for those who work to save lives.

The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life of Frances Perkins, FDR’s Secretary of Labor; 331.092 D748w

Though her name may have faded from all but the history books, Frances Perkins’ work as an activist and politician lingers into the 21st century. Perkins, President Franklin Roosevelt’s Secretary of Labor and the first female cabinet member in U.S. history, was instrumental in securing an eight-hour workday, safer fire escapes, and Social Security. She also oversaw and/or implemented some of the New Deal initiatives like the Works Progress Administration. Kirstin Downey recounts the fascinating and challenging life that Frances had as the Labor Secretary and as a working mother with a husband who was institutionalized for much of their married life. In addition to synthesizing the facts of Ms. Perkins’ life, the author engages the reader in the person of Ms. Perkins; a woman who was down to earth despite her political position. For those who have an interest in U.S. history, labor relations, or women’s history, this biography delivers.

To check out one or both of these titles, come to the library and one of the librarians will be happy to assist you.

Women and the Right to Vote in the U.S.

Women’s Right to Vote: America’s Suffrage Movement by Katie Marsico

In this chronological account of the women’s suffrage movement in the United States, Ms. Marsico details the events and the major participants involved in securing women’s right to vote. Though women could vote in some states, until the 19th amendment was ratified, there was no national law granting women’s suffrage. Even with the 19th amendment, African American women couldn’t vote until the Voting Rights Act was passed in the 1960s. The author highlights the less glamorous side of the struggle women faced, by talking about the arrest and forced feeding of some of the activists. The well-researched text is accompanied by black-and-white color photographs, which document the suffragists, their marches, and contemporary activists today.

To find out more information about this book, click here, and to learn more about women’s suffrage, legislation related to women’s rights, or women’s history, stop by the Sullivan Library and Learning Resource Center. One of the librarians will be glad to assist you.

Women History: A Cornucopia

The library received two journals with our mail today that featured women or women's issues in them.


The first journal, Newsweek, has Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton on the cover. Inside the March 14th issue is an article about Secretary Clinton and her work with women and women's rights around the world. The most recent issue also highlights 150 women who shake the world.


In the second journal, T+D (Training + Development), writers Saudra Stroope and Bonnie Hagemann ask if women have made much progress in gaining executive leadership positions in corporate America. The article can be accessed through the Academic Search Premier database in EBSCOhost.

The library has both of these journals here in the periodicals section, and one of the librarians will be glad to help you locate them.


Newsweek, March 14, 2011
T+D, March 2011

Check the blog again later this week for more about women's history.

Women's History Month in the Library

March is Women's History Month, and to celebrate it the library has put up a book display featuring titles related to women and women's history.

Some of the titles included in the display are listed below, and to learn more about the book, just click on the title. If you want to check out any of these titles, please bring the title to the reference desk and one of the librarians will be glad to help you.

Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Frontlines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture
Creative Girl: The Ultimate Guide for Turning Talent and Creativity into a Real Career
Farmer Jane: Women Changing the Way We Eat
Iron Butterflies: Women Transforming Themselves and the World

Here are some websites that provide more information about Women's History Month.

National Women's History Project
Women's History from the Library of Congress

Check the blog again next week to see more about women's history.

Paperback Exchange Wednesday

Paperback Book Swap at the Library

Wednesday, March 2nd (week 9)

Trade a paperback book for the chance to "dress down.”

Students, faculty & staff that donate a book to the Sullivan-Lexington library on March 2nd will earn the privilege of bypassing the customary Wednesday professional-dress requirement. Donated books benefit the library's free paperback swap, which offers light reading materials to the university community.

No Justice

Two authors illuminate how little justice African Americans received from the U.S. court system in the decades following the Civil War.

In this captivating true story, The Day Freedom Died, Mr. Lane tells about the horrific events that happened on Easter Sunday in Colfax, LA, in 1873 and the subsequent legal battles that ensued. In an attempt to defend the legitimate officeholders for the parish, between 50-80 African American men were brutally murdered by a mob of white men. The case against the murderers went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, but those who committed the massacre were acquitted and never punished for their actions.

In another equally disturbing title Inherently Unequal: The Betrayal of Equal Rights by the Supreme Court, 1865-1903, Mr. Goldstone details how the U.S. Supreme Court, through its decisions on specific cases and laws, failed to uphold the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the Constitution. The case that involved the massacre in Colfax, LA, is covered in the book along with more well-known cases like Plessy vs. Ferguson. The author also discusses the impact that the Supreme Court’s decisions had on African Americans living in the South during this period.

Both of these titles can be found in the Sullivan University Library and Learning Resource Center, and a librarian will be glad to assist you in finding them. Click on the title of the book to find book reviews and other information.

The Day Freedom Died; 976.367 L265d

Inherently Unequal: The Betrayal of Equal Rights by the Supreme Court, 1865-1903; 342.7308 G624i

Civil Rights and a Teenager's Camera

In Margaret McMullan’s Sources of Light, a young lady named Samantha (aka Sam) uses a camera that her mom’s boyfriend gives her to create a visual portrait of life in Mississippi in 1962-1963. Sam and her mother are white, but, because of their support of the civil rights movement, they are threatened and attacked by those who oppose equal rights for African-Americans. The author touches on other themes besides civil rights, including single-parenthood, war, and coming-of-age relationships, and she weaves them in beautifully. Her characters and their reactions to their circumstances ring true because she grew up in Mississippi during the time in which the story is set.

This isn’t an easy book to read, but those who are interested in the civil rights movement or life in the South during the 1960s may want to borrow it from the library. It can be found in the library by looking for the call number JF M. If you want more information about the book or to read other reviews of it, click here to be taken to the library’s catalog entry. Please don’t hesitate to ask one of the librarians for help in locating the book or the catalog record. We will be glad to assist you.

Black History Month

The Sullivan Library and Learning Resource Center commemorates Black History Month with a book display featuring items from our collection. Please feel free to speak with one of the librarians if you want to check out one of the books on display, if you want more information about Black History Month, or if you want to find other books about African-Americans in our collection.

Here are links to some websites that focus on African American history.

Black History Month (Library of Congress)

The Black Past

Civil Rights Research Guide

From Slavery to Civil Rights: A Timeline

The March from Selma

Marching to Freedom: Linking Literature to Primary Resources

Photographs of Signs Enforcing Racial Discrimination

Check the blog in a few days to learn more about Black History Month.

What a Concept

Ms. Miles' Early Childhood students have created concept books for the Creative Enrichment class (ECE152), and their original works are on display in the library. Some of the topics featured in the concept books include: numbers, animals, and shapes.

What are concept books, and why they are important for young children? Concept books are designed to give information to young children about a specific subject or concept like shapes, colors, letters, and time. Reading concept books to young children teaches them about a specific subject and introduces them to new words, allowing them to develop their reading and language skills. (Vardell, 48, 239).

If you want to learn more about concept books the library has a great resource titled Children's Literature in Action by Sylvia M. Vardell; R 025.55 V291c. Here is a website that lists concept books for children. You can also visit the Lexington Public Library's site for tips on reading books with children.

Without further adieu, the library staff invites you to come and view the concept books created by students in ECE152.

Source cited: Vardell, S. (2008). Children's Literature in Action. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

The Oscars of the (Children’s) Book World

Yesterday morning the American Library Association announced the winners of the Newbery, Caldecott, and other children's book awards. These awards have been around for decades, and they are given to authors and illustrators for excellence in children’s literature.

The Sullivan University Library & Learning Resource Center in Lexington has some of the titles that either won or received an honor yesterday. If you want more information about the American Library Association’s awards click on the award. For more information about the individual books, click on their titles. You will be taken to the library’s online catalog that has reviews and other information about the books.

Caldecott Winner (this is given for excellence in illustration)

A Sick Day for Amos McGee written by Philip C. Stead and illustrated by Erin E. Stead; JF S

Caldecott Honor Book

Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein; JF S

Newbery Honor Book (the Newbery is given for excellence in writing)

Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus; JF P (see the previous blog post about this title)

Schneider Family Book Award (given for excellence in expression of the disability experience)

The Pirate of Kindergarten by George Ella Lyon; illustrated by Lynne Avril; JF L

The author Tomie DePaola won a lifetime achievement award. The library has several of his titles for you to borrow. Look in the children’s section for the call number JF D to see his titles.

You are more than welcome to borrow any of these titles; just come to the library and one of the librarians will be glad to assist you.