Meet the Librarian: Phineas Phoenix

We are posting daily "Meet the Librarian" profiles to celebrate National Library Week. Along with information about his or her job duties, we also thought it would be fun to ask some offbeat questions so readers could get to know each librarian's personality.

Here is our profile of Phineas Phoenix, Official Library Logo.

Phineas Phoenix has been the Official Library Logo of the Vise Library since 2009. He was designed by Art Instructor, Margie Monde and is used to represent the library on social media and informal communications. On formal library communications and library promotional materials, his counterpart, Fancy Phineas (also designed by Professor Monde) is used.

A few questions for Phineas: 

If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do?

Expand the library- more computers, more study spaces, maybe a small coffee shop (phoenixes like their caffeine), and pictures of me...everywhere. 

If you could be any fictional character (from a TV, movie, or book), who would you choose?

Definitely Fawkes from the Harry Potter series.

What grown-up job did you want to have when you were a child?

Mayor of the city of Phoenix, Arizona. Wouldn’t it be great to have a phoenix in charge of Phoenix?

If you were a criminal master mind, what would be your criminal racket? 

Arson. I’m already a bit of a self-contained arsonist anyway, so no one would ever figure out how the fires got started 

What do you have an irrational fear of?

Someone throwing a bucket of water on me when I’m trying to catch on fire and rise from the ashes

What word do you have trouble saying?

I don’t say words that I can’t pronounce.

What was the last book you read? 

 The Phoenix Rising: The Sesquicentennial History of Cumberland University, 1842-1992.

What book can you read over and over again?

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. 

What is the thing you like best about your work?

I like letting people know what’s going on in the library.

What do you do when you cannot sleep?

I rarely sleep, so this is not a problem for me.

What are you always late for?

Nothing. Phoenixes are extremely punctual.

What are you grateful for today?

Being alive and well! 

What are the perks of your job?

Getting to know what’s going on around campus through social media, sharing news about the library, and giving out prizes to the monthly library trivia winners.

Thanks Phineas, and thanks to everyone who read all of our postings this week. We hope that you enjoyed learning more about your library and librarians.

 

Meet the Librarian: Ashli Thomas

We are posting daily "Meet the Librarian" profiles to celebrate National Library Week. Along with information about his or her job duties, we also thought it would be fun to ask some offbeat questions so readers could get to know each librarian's personality. 

Here is our profile of Ashli Thomas, Library Assistant.

Ashli has worked at the Vise Library since December 2011. Her primary duties include handling Interlibrary Loan (ILL) requests, tracking overdue items, and posting content on the library's social media accounts. 

A few questions for Ashli:

If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do?  
Be super lame and pay off my school loans and then go on vacation somewhere! 

If you could be any fictional character (from a TV, movie, or book), who would you choose?
I think Elaine from Seinfeld, even if she couldn't dance, she still seemed to have some good laughs everyday.

  
What grown-up job did you want to have when you were a child?
I wanted to be a veterinarian.  

  

In what way are you superstitious?
Anytime I run in a race I eat the same thing.  I don't think that's me being superstitious, just knowing what works for me!

What do you have an irrational fear of?
I don't like people or clothes touching my neck.  Don't even try it or I might karate chop you!  

What word do you have trouble saying?
Galoshes.  I can't ever decide if it has an r on the end when I say it or the -es.  Clearly there is no "r" in this word, but I have to think about it.

What was the last book you read?
I usually read quite a bit, but I read a book that was terrible and it scarred me I think!  I haven't read much since I finished that book.  I have several checked out right now that I really need to get started on!

What is your favorite way to spend a Saturday? Run, maybe cook (since I ran! haha) and spend time with good friends/family.

What book can you read over and over again? Persuasion by Jane Austen, any of the Harry Potter books, and any book by Emily Giffin.  

What is the thing you like best about your work? I really enjoy doing interlibrary loan requests.  I always find it interesting what people request from us and what we request from other people!  I also really enjoy seeing what new issues of magazines we have received.  

What do you do when you cannot sleep? Think about how I wish I could sleep.  Which never helps.

What are you always late for?  
I'm pretty much early to everything. :)

If you were a police officer for one day what would you do with the authority? Ride around with the sirens turned on.  That might get old after awhile though...

What are you grateful for today?
The beautiful sunshine!  The sun has not been out in months it feels like.  It's hard to be in a bad mood when the sun is shining so bright!

  
What are the perks of your job? 
I enjoy showing students how to search for books.  I also like the interacting with students and faculty.  Plus, I get to work with some great people (including you, Phineas!)

Thanks Ashli! Join us tomorrow for a profile of Phineas Phoenix, Official Library Logo

Meet the Librarian: Amber McKee

We are posting daily "Meet the Librarian" profiles to celebrate National Library Week. Along with information about his or her job duties, we also thought it would be fun to ask some offbeat questions so readers could get to know each librarian's personality.

Here is our profile of Amber McKee, Reference and Instruction Librarian.

Amber has worked at the Vise Library since November 2007. Her primary job duties include managing the library's electronic resources, teaching library instruction sessions, and posting content on the library's social media accounts.

A few questions for Amber: 

If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do?

I’d like to say I’d do something responsible like paying off bills or tithe the winnings, but chances are, I’d go shopping before anything else...

What do you have an irrational fear of?

Crickets. I know they’re completely harmless, but there’s something about their legs and them jumping at me that freaks me out! 

What is your favorite way to spend a Saturday?

Sleeping in, going to the gym, shopping, church, date night.

What is the thing you like best about your work?

No two days are exactly alike!

What do you do when you cannot sleep?

Usually I’ll lay there and think about how tired I’m going to be the next day. I’m sure that doesn’t help me fall asleep any faster!

What are you always late for?

Not much anymore because my husband is so punctual that it’s starting to rub off on me!

What was the last book you read?

I can’t remember the name, but it was something about saving money grocery shopping; I live a really exciting life!

If you were a police officer for one day what would you do with the authority?

I’ve actually been on a police officer ride along before for an 8 hour shift. During the shift, we pulled a few people over, responded to a couple of calls, and did a lot of driving around. It was more tedious than I thought, and it wasn’t nearly as fun pulling people over as the officer did it more. So, all of that to say, I’m not really sure what I would do!

What are you grateful for today?

God, family, friends, health, and my job! =)

What are the perks of your job?

Getting to figure out new ways to help people in person and electronically, variety, new books/magazines (of course!)

Thanks Amber! Join us tomorrow for a profile of Ashli Thomas, Library Assistant.

 

Meet the Librarian: Eloise Hitchcock

We are posting daily "Meet the Librarian" profiles to celebrate National Library Week. Along with information about his or her job duties, we also thought it would be fun to ask some offbeat questions so readers could get to know each librarian's personality. 

Here is our profile of Eloise Hitchcock, Library Director. 

Eloise has worked at the Vise Library since August 2007. Her interests include promoting library use and teaching students how to locate and evaluate information.

A few questions for Eloise:

If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do?

Pay bills

What grown-up job did you want to have when you were a child?

Librarian

If you were a criminal master mind, what would be your criminal racket?
Art thief


In what way are you superstitious?
Luck is an attitude


What word do you have trouble saying?
Wasps

What was the last book you read?
Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks


What is your favorite way to spend a Saturday?
At the Lake


What book can you read over and over again?
Harry Potter series

What is the thing you like best about your work?
Access to information

What do you do when you cannot sleep?
Think

What are you grateful for today?
Every breath

What are the perks of your job?
Learning   


Thanks Eloise! Join us tomorrow for a profile of Reference and Instruction Librarian, Amber McKee.

Meet the Librarian: Rick Brown

We are posting daily "Meet the Librarian" profiles to celebrate National Library Week. Along with information about his or her job duties, we also thought it would be fun to ask some offbeat questions so readers could get to know each librarian's personality. 

Here is our profile of Rick Brown, Library Technical Assistant.

Rick has worked at the Vise Library since January 2011. His primary job duties include ordering and cataloging library materials, maintaining the online catalog, handling course reserves, and designing promotion materials.

A few questions for Rick:

If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do?

Give half to charity and spend the rest building my long-delayed fortress of doom.

If you could be any fictional character (from a TV, movie, or book), who would you choose?

I don't know what character I might want to be, but I can tell you which one I wouldn't want to be: Henry Bemis in the Twilight Zone's "Time Enough at Last."

What grown-up job did you want to have when you were a child?

Author. I've yet to yield that ambition, in point of fact.

If you were a criminal master mind, what would be your criminal racket?

Book pirating -- but not online. No, I'd have literal shipments of "liberated" books in the holds of my antiquated pirate fleet, capturing new releases from publisher frigates with steel, shot, and obscenely sharp bookmarks. They'd call my flagship the Black Verso.

In what way are you superstitious?

Not really at all. But I do avoid ladders, because when you get right down to it, why would you walk under one anyway?

What do you have an irrational fear of?

Spiders--of any size really, but particularly the giant, fantastical kind.

What word do you have trouble saying?

"Solicitous." A pity, because the word is so useful.

What was the last book you read?

The Tower of Fear by Glen Cook (shortly after A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin).

What is your favorite way to spend a Saturday?

Reading and listening to film scores on LP.

What book can you read over and over again?

Dune by Frank Herbert. Richer with every reading. And if you can count series as well, The Black Company by Glen Cook.

What is the thing you like best about your work?

The ability to indulge my reverence for the written word in all its forms. There is a visceral satisfaction in handling books, but whether physical or electronic, information has a power all its own.

What do you do when you cannot sleep?

Read! A stereotypical answer for one in our field, but it's true.

What are you grateful for today?

Literacy. There is nothing that so cogently reminds you of literacy's benefits then being surrounded by information all day.

What are the perks of your job?

Among many other things: first dibs on new books!

Thanks Rick! Join us Wednesday for a profile of Library Director, Eloise Hitchcock

A History of National Library Week and Vise Library

Today is the start of National Library Week, which is a week-long celebration of the contributions of our nation's libraries and librarians. National Library Week is also intended to promote library use and support, and for that reason, all types of libraries- public, school, special, and academic- participate each year. Each day for the rest of the week, we will feature a librarian profile to celebrate our librarians here at Cumberland University!

To kick off National Library Week, here is an excerpt from "A History of Vise Library" written by Eloise Hitchcock.

Cumberland University was founded in 1842 with programs in the liberal arts, law and theology. During the Civil War, the campus was destroyed by fire, but reopened in 1866 with a “resurgence from the ashes.” The first mention of the Library in the college catalogue was in the academic year, 1858-1859. Under the Law Library it states, “each student pays the University Treasurer $1, which admits him to the Law Library. The contingent fund thus created is expended to increase the number of books in the Library.” The Law Library was located in Caruthers Hall, known as the “Law Barn,” and contained 6,500 volumes of standard law books.

By 1873, a University Library is established containing over six thousand volumes. Additionally, it is noted: “The Reading Room is supplied with the leading periodicals in the English language. They constitute, under their present admirable arrangement, a new feature in the University, and afford great advantages.” In the next year the collection grew to 7,000 volumes as “several hundred books and a number of valuable maps have been added to the Library, by donation, since the last catalogue.” In 1882, the collection was 8,000 volumes, and in 1883 it is noted that the Library is “free to all students.” In 1887, the collection grew
to ten thousand volumes, and by 1889, twelve thousand volumes were in the collection.

In the 1897 catalogue, Mrs. E. J. Hale is recognized for her gift of $1,000.00 “for the purpose of furnishing a room in the new University building . . . to be known as the Hale Reference Library, the Departmental Library of the Seminary. “The room is conveniently situated, commodious, well-lighted, finished in oak, and superbly furnished with oak chairs, tables, librarian’s desk, beautiful shelving and costly carpeting.” It is also noted that there is a General Library in Caruthers Hall.

In 1901, the University Library collection had grown to 15,000 volumes. It was in this year that the University received two thousand dollars from Mr. David Earle Mitchell “for the equipment of a library adapted to the special needs of the Literary department.” The Mitchell Library was established and occupied “a large and well-lighted room on the first floor of the University building, and thus is within easy reach of all students. It is handsomely equipped with sectional bookcases, elegant tables, and a cabinet mantel, etc. and at present contains some two thousand one hundred volumes.” During this time Cumberland housed four departmental libraries including the University Library, Hale Reference Library of Theology, the Law Library, and the Mitchell Library. A newly renovated Law Library opened in 1903 containing 3,000 volumes.

In October of 1989 a new library building opened its doors on campus. It is named the Doris & Harry Vise Library after its principle benefactor Harry Vise, founder of the Texas Boot Company and a Trustee Emeritus of the University. Mr. Vise, who currently lives in Nashville, is a Jewish immigrant who barely escaped Nazi Germany in 1939. Shortly after its construction, the building was selected as a winner of the Middle Tennessee Excellence in Development Award.

The Library is 18,000-square-feet and houses meeting rooms and study areas, computer and audio-visual facilities, the University Archives, and special collections in Tennessee History, Nobel Laureates, Women’s Studies, and Children’s and Young Adult Literature. The current collection [in 2010] consists of 35,000 volumes and an additional 35,000 e-books, as well as access to over 42,000 journals available through more than seventy-two full text online databases.

To read it in its entirety, check out the Spring 2010 issue of the Vise Connection newsletter, and be sure to visit tomorrow for a profile of Library Technical Assistant, Rick Brown.

Vise Library celebrates Women's History Month: Inventors

Here are some famous female inventors.

Ruth Handler
Ruth Handler created one of the most famous toys ever.  She noticed that most dolls were of babies and children but noticed her daughter like to pretend that her dolls were adults doing things she dreamed of.  So, she created the Barbie doll and founded the company Mattel.  More than 350,000 Barbies were sold in the first year of their creation.  She later on created Ken and more than 100 family and friends of Barbie.  In case you were wondering, the names Barbie and Ken were named after her daughter and son.  

Ruth Wakefield
Everyone should thank Ruth Wakefield for her amazing invention.  Without her, who knows how long it would have taken for someone to make a chocolate chip cookie.  These were actually created by mistake! After running out of baking chocolate, she decided to cut up a candy bar (given to her by Andrew Nestle of Nestle Chocolate) and put it in her cookie dough.  She thought the chocolate would melt as it cooked.  However, it did not and the chocolate chip was born!  The recipe became very popular and Nestle noticed their sales improved dramatically after the recipe was published.  The decided to pay her to publish her recipe on their packaging and name it the "Toll House Cookie."  Not only did she receive money for this, but she received all the chocolate for a lifetime.  What a great deal!

Stephanie Kwolek

Stephanie Kwolek's original plans were to be a doctor.  She could not afford medical school, so she became a chemist instead.  Her most notable invention was Kevlar.  This is the material in bulletproof vests.  This material is also used in space vehicles, tires, helmets, and underwater cables.  She has supported girls to pursue science careers versus being housewives.

Sources Consulted:
http://www.legacy.com/ns/news-story.aspx?t=ruth-handler--inventor-of-the-barbie-doll&id=151
http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/wakefield.html
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blkevlar.htm

Vise Library celebrates Women's History Month: Writers and Poets

Here are some writers and poets that have broken the mold.

Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou is known for being a writer/poet that has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.  She started out being an overall performer in San Fransisco and started writing about her experiences.  She became the first African American woman to have a screenplay produced.  She has been nominated for a Tony award and for an Emmy.  Her most popular book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings was on the NYT non-fiction bestseller's list for over two years, which is the longest period for any book on this list.

• Maya Angelou in the Vise Library: Checkout the book All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes located at 818 A584a, 1991.

Louisa May Alcott
Louisa May Alcott is known for her books Little Women and Little Men.  During the Civil War she was a nurse.  She also did her part to end women's suffrage by organizing rallies for women to vote in school elections.

• Louisa May Alcott in the Vise Library:  Checkout the book Louisa May Alcott located at 813.4 Alc Che.

Pearl S. Buck
Pearl S. Buck was an author that got her start writing stories for Atlantic Monthly and Nation.  Her book The Good Earth was the best selling book of 1931 and 1932.  This book won the Pulizter Prize and was turned into a movie.  She won the Novel Peace Prize for Literature.  This made her the first American woman to ever win this award.  During her life she wrote over 70 books.  She became very involved in American civil rights and women's rights.

• Pearl S. Buck in the Vise Library:  Checkout the book The Child That Never Grew located at 362.3 B922.

Sources Consulted:
http://www.biography.com/people/maya-angelou-9185388
http://www25.uua.org/uuhs/duub/articles/louisamayalcott.html
http://www.english.upenn.edu/Projects/Buck/biography.html

Vise Library celebrates Women's History Month: Women in Arts and Entertainment

Here are some women that have made a huge impact in the world of arts and entertainment.

Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey attended Tennessee State University and got her start by working at radio and television stations in Nashville.  She began hosting a morning show in Chicago and eventually gained worldwide fame.  She was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in The Color Purple.  She helped with the resurgence of book clubs by starting the "Oprah Book Club."  She runs her own magazine and her own TV network.

• Oprah Winfrey in the Vise Library: Checkout the book 28 Business Thinkers Who Changed the World located at 338.092.

Georgia O'Keeffe
Georgia O'Keeffe was an artist that focused on landscapes, flowers and cityscapes.  She always wanted to be an artist, but for a time she was actually a teacher.  She became one of the most influential American painters.  She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977.

• Georgia O'Keeffe in the Vise Library:  Checkout the book Full Bloom: the Art and Life of Georgia O'Keeffe located at 759.13 O41.

Kathryn Bigelow
Kathryn Bigelow is a movie director.  She has made films such as Point Break and the Wild Ones.  In 2009 she became the first woman ever to win the Oscar for Best Director for her film The Hurt Locker.  This past year she directed the movie Zero Dark Thirty that showed the pursuit of Osama Bin Laden by the Navy Seals.  This film was nominated for five Academy Awards.

• Kathryn Bigelow in the Vise Library:  Checkout her movie The Hurt Locker located at 791.43 H96.

Sources Consulted:
http://www.biography.com/people/oprah-winfrey-9534419
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/georgia-okeeffe/about-the-painter/55/
http://www.biography.com/people/kathryn-bigelow-546542

Vise Library celebrates Women's History Month: Women in Sports

These women showed that women can be extraordinary athletes.

Mia Hamm
Mia Hamm is considered one of the greatest athletes ever.  She scored more goals than any male or female soccer player.  At the age of 15, she was the youngest woman to play for the U.S. national team.  She played in three Olympic games and won two gold medals and one silver medal.  During her playing days, she also won two World Cup titles.  She is one of only two women on FIFA's list of the 125 greatest soccer players. Nike's largest building at their headquarters is named after Mia.  After retiring from soccer, she started a foundation that focuses on families that need marrow donations.  She also promotes sports for young women.

• Mia Hamm in the Vise Library: To read about Mia  and other talented athletes, checkout the electronic book Great Athletes by clicking on the "links" tab on this page.

Danica Patrick
Danica Patrick started racing IndyCars.  She was only the fourth woman to race in the INDY 500.  She was the first woman to ever lead that race.  In 2005, she was named Rookie of the Year.  In 2008, she became the first woman ever to win an IndyCar race. Earlier this year she won the pole position at the Daytona 500. She was the first woman to accomplish this feat and finished 8th in the race.

Althea Gibson

Althea Gibson was a very successful tennis player.  She was the first African American woman to win the French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open.  She became the first African American to be named Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press.  She was the first woman to win a Tennis Grand Slam title.  

Sources Consulted:
http://www.athletesforhope.org/miahamm.html
http://www.biography.com/people/danica-patrick-201312
http://www.altheagibson.com/biography