December Break Hours

What’s Happening at WhatstheBook?

Over the last eleven months the Sullivan Library and Learning Resource Center has tweeted 541 times on our Twitter account WhatstheBook. While we haven’t come close to Justin Bieber’s or Ashton Kutcher’s tweet volume, we tweet nearly every day from a book in the library’s collection. On the following day we provide the title to the previous day’s tweet, and we tweet from another book in the collection.

During the month of November we tweeted about the subject of food to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. Here are some of the tweets and the titles from which they came. We’ve also provided the call numbers for the books featured below in case you want to check them out from the library.

“Biting into a crunchy cornbread crust is just one of the pleasures associated with this treat.” Appalachian Home Cooking by Mark F. Sohn (641.5974 S682a).

“But then it was Thanksgiving, and my grandmother’s kitchen was ablaze in harvest color. . .” The New Thanksgiving Table by Diane Morgan (641.568 M847n)

If these tweets have piqued your interest, we invite you to follow us at WhatstheBook. In December we will be tweeting about such topics as: National Cookie Week (yum!), Christmas, Kwanzaa, the start of the Islamic New Year, and much more.

A Pleasant Surprise

When I first picked up the book Heart of a Samurai I wondered if I would like it because the cover, which had a whale and some fishermen on it, made me think of Melville’s Moby Dick, a book that I didn’t enjoy. To my delight, Preus’ story about Nakahama Manjiro, a shipwrecked young Japanese man who comes to the United States to start a new life, captivated me from the very beginning. Not only was the story of Manjiro full of adventure and history, I got a feel for what it might be like to move to another country and encounter the culture and people of that new land. From the well-realized settings to a character full of depth and life, this was a book that far exceeded my expectations. At the end of the book Ms. Preus included a wealth of information about the real Manjiro and his life in Japan and in the United States.

Publisher’s Weekly, a national book magazine, recently included the book Heart of a Samurai on its 2010 Best Books for Children list. The Sullivan University Library and Learning Resource Center has this well-written book about a remarkable young man, and anyone who is interested may borrow it from the library. Here is a link to more information about the book, and one of the librarians will be glad to help you find it on the shelf if you want to read it.

Facebook on the Big Screen

Columbia Pictures recently released, The Social Network, a movie that loosely chronicles the creation and early years of the social networking site known as Facebook. Actor Jesse Eisenberg stars as the Facebook founder and current CEO, Mark Zuckerberg.

The screenwriter, Aaron Sorkin, who also wrote the screenplay for Charlie Wilson’s War and A Few Good Men, worked with author, Ben Mezrich, to create the screenplay of The Social Network. Mezrich wrote the book The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, a Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal, on which the movie is based. The Sullivan Library and Learning Resource Center has Mr. Mezrich’s book, and it is available for students, faculty, or staff to borrow. For more information on the movie or the book, The Accidental Billionaires; 006.754 M617a, here are some sites and articles of interest.

Internet Movie Database article on The Social Network


Time magazine has an article about Facebook and The Social Network, titled "Face-Off," in the October 4, 2010 issue.

The library also has other books about Facebook, and here are a few of those titles.

Creating Facebook Applications; 006.7 K53c
Essential Facebook Development; 006.754 M461e
Facebook Cookbook; 004.69 G619f
The Facebook Effect; 338.761 K59f
The Facebook Era; 658.872 S555f
How to Find a Job on LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and Other Social Networks; 650.14 S325h

If you have any questions about the movie, The Social Network, any of the books mentioned in this post, or how to find out more about Facebook, please don’t hesitate to ask one of the librarians for help.

Fall 2010 Tutoring Schedule

(click on image for larger display)

Banned Books Week-What's the Big Deal?

What are banned and challenged books? What is Banned Books Week, and why is it important?

According to the American Library Association, a challenged book is one that someone has attempted to remove from a library or restrict access to within the libary, and a banned book has been removed from a library because of complaints by an individual or group. Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others. Due to the commitment of librarians, teachers, parents, students and other concerned citizens, most challenges are unsuccessful and most materials are retained in the school curriculum or library collection.

Banned Books Week occurs annually, and it is designed to remind people of the importance of the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the freedom to read. The librarians at the Sullivan University Library and Learning Resource Center-Lexington Campus promote Banned Books Week to raise awareness about the materials banned or challenged and to remind students, faculty, and staff of the importance of having diverse materials available to read. To learn more about Banned Books Week go to the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week site.

Don't forget to stop by the library and see the display of banned and challenged books.

September Break Hours

The World Is Coming to Us

In case you haven't already heard, Lexington, KY, our fair city, is the host of the 2010 World Equestrian Games (aka WEG).

Here are some brief facts about the games and a couple of websites that have even more information for you. The majority of this information was gathered from the World Equestrian Games event site.

-The first World Equestrian Games were held in Stockholm, Sweden in 1990.
-This is the first time in the history of the games that a non-European country has hosted the games.
-You often see the abbreviation FEI on the logo for the World Equestrian Games. FEI stands for Federation Equestre Internationale, and you can find out more about the FEI here.

For more information on what events are occurring locally to celebrate the games and how the games will impact the Lexington area, click here.

Whether or not you attend the games, you may encounter visitors at restaurants, malls, or on the road. Let's take this opportunity to show the world how much the great state of Kentucky has to offer.

Watching the Weather

Wow - is it hot! Are you wondering when it will rain and cool things off?

Listed below are our favorite sites for forecasts on weather in Kentucky, maybe one will have some good news!

• Kentucky Mesonet - a partnership between Western Kentucky University and NOAA. Great place for a quick lookup on temperature.
• Intellicast - current radar picture for the state or just Lexington.
• AccuWeather - animated radar w/ predictive 4-hour future.
• University of Kentucky Ag Weather Center - weather AND maps of road construction for travelers.

Weather blogs:

• Chris Bailey
• Bill Meck of WLEX 18

What are your favorites?

Celebrating Farmers Markets

Now hear this, August 1-7 is National Farmers Market Week. The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Thomas J. Vilsack, in his proclamation for this week, “Encourages the people of the United States to celebrate the benefits of farmers markets with appropriate observances and activities.” Here are some U.S. government links related to farmers markets, including one where you can find a farmers market near you.

National Farmers Market Week Proclamation
Find a Farmers Market
Get to Know Your Local Farmer
Farmers Market Statistics

For those who live in the Lexington area, Lexington has a farmers market that is open on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Look at the Lexington Farmers Market website for hours, locations, and more information. While you’re at the website, you’ll see that Sullivan University is one of the sponsors of the Lexington Farmers Market.

After you finish your shopping at the farmers market, come to the Sullivan Library and Learning Resource Center-Lexington Campus where we have an abundance of materials related to farmers markets and cooking with local, seasonal foods that you can check out. Here is just a sampling of the items you can find here at your library.

Crescent City Farmers Market Cookbook by Poppy Tooker; 641.564 T669c

Fresh from the Farmers’ Market: Year-Round Recipes for the Pick of the Crop by Janet Fletcher; 641.65 F612f

How to Pick a Peach: The Search for Flavor from Farm to Table by Russ Parsons; 641.35 P251h

Southern Farmers Market Cookbook by Holly Herrick; 641.5636 H566s

To Market to Market to Buy a Fat Pig (videorecording) produced by Rick Sebak; DVD 641.01 T627

If you need help locating any of the featured titles or if you want more information about farmers markets, please don’t hesitate to ask one of the librarians. We will be glad to assist you.

Did Your Favorite Fictional Lawyer Make the List?

For those of you interested in the legal profession or who just can't get enough of Law & Order and its spin-offs, the ABA Journal has published a list of "The 25 Greatest Fictional Lawyers {Who Are Not Atticus Finch} in the August 2010 issue. Did your favorite fictional lawyer make the list?

If you’re curious to see who made the list, just come to the Sullivan University Library & Learning Resource Center to see the August 2010 issue.

The following movies, which can also be found in the library, feature some of the top 25 fictional attorneys. One of the librarians can help you locate the ABA Journal or these movies if you want.

Anatomy of a Murder; 791.43 A535
And Justice for All; 791.4372 A543
A Few Good Men; 791.43 F432
My Cousin Vinny; 791.43 M995
Rumpole of the Bailey; 791.4572 R937s
A Time to Kill; 791.43 T583
The Verdict; 340.1 V484
Witness for the Prosecution; 791.43 W825

Who is your favorite fictional attorney?

June Break Hours

The Library's hours during the June 2010 break are:

2010 Student Survey Results

During weeks 6 and 7 Library on the Lexington campus conducted their 6^th annual survey of the student body to determine how well student needs are being met by the library. 326 students took a few minutes to provide the library with feedback and thoughts on ways to improve service.

According to this year’s survey results, 99% of students rated the library as "Good" or "Excellent" overall. The following areas were also rated very highly by student participants in the survey:

• 95% of respondents reported that the online library catalog provides clear and useful information.
• 100% of respondents said that the library's website provides them with useful information.
• 94% of respondents rated the quality of service provided by library personnel as "Usually helpful" or "Always helpful."
• 99% of respondents reported that the library "Usually" or "Always" provides a welcoming environment in which they are comfortable asking for assistance.
• 98% of respondents reported that the library is "Mostly adequate" or "Usually adequate" for meeting their research and information needs.

As well as ranking the library and its services, survey participants were invited to comment on their library experiences. Students added over 600 comments to their survey forms, emphasizing their opinions of the library:

• everyone always seems happy to be there - even if I'm not.
• Anytime there are problems w/computers or finding materials they are great!
• great help! - wonderful, clean, organized environment
• I like the library a lot. The people are really helpful to help me find the resources I need to get my research papers done
• They have never let me down.
• it's nice to know there is a database with the info I need organized somewhere

We appreciate each student that participated in the survey. During the upcoming year, constructive comments for improvement will be studied, with emphasis placed on:

1. Maintaining a studious, welcoming atmosphere.
2. Continuing to develop current, pertinent collections of both print and electronic resources.

Even though the survey is over, we always want to hear from the Sullivan community -- feel free to share your comments with the library by sending us an email at liblex@sullivan.edu.

Anybody Hungry for Chinese Food?

The most recent edition of the journal Flavor and Fortune has a list of the 100 Best Chinese Restaurants in the United States. Lo and behold, two of these restaurants are in the great state of Kentucky.

Without further adieu, the winners from Kentucky are:

8 China at 1850 Hurstbourne Parkway in Louisville
August Moon at 1550 Lowes Drive in Murray

To find out more information about the other winners look at pages 23-24 of the Summer issue of Flavor and Fortune. Just ask for it at the desk, and one of the librarians will be happy to let you read it.

By the way, the Sullivan University Library and Learning Resource Center also has some terrific books on the subject of Chinese (and Asian for that matter) cooking. Here are just a few of the titles that can be found in the library. Please don't hesitate to ask one of the librarians if you need help finding any of these titles.

Asian Dumplings by Andrea Nguyen; 641.595 N576a
Chinese Cooking by Belinda Hulin and Kian Lam Kho; 641.5951 H912c
The Complete Asian Cooking Companion by Vicki Liley; 641.595 L728c
Haute Chinese Cuisine from the Kitchen of Wakiya by Yuji Wakiya; 641.5951 W149h
Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking by Eillen Yin-Fei Lo; 641.5951 L795m

Happy cooking and eating from your Sullivan Library and Learning Resource Center!

Annual Library Survey

Please take a few minutes over the next two weeks, May 3rd through 14th, to complete a library survey. In addition to questions about the library, this year’s survey includes questions about the Tutoring Center and Career Services. Surveys can be completed either online or stop by the library for a form. By completing the survey, you become eligible to win a $25.00 bookstore gift certificate.

Thank you for your help in improving your library!