1498 People in the UCC Library

On February 18th, June Davies from UCC Community Relations, walked into the library with a camera just in time to take a few pictures to capture the moment.

If you were the Webster's Unabridged Dictionary in our reference collection (and you were a book with eyeballs), here's what you would have seen:





















Meanwhile, the view from the hand-crank pencil sharpener looked like this:


The wireless printer saw it this way--














Whether from the shelves amongst the literary criticism
















or over by the computer lab . . .



. . .things were hopping.

(1498 people passsed through the library doors that day according to the gate counter.)

Nooks and crannies of the library collection #1

Climate change, global economic meltdown, corrupt politicians, wars. . .If the news about contemporary civilization has you down, how about investigating some highly evolved civilizations of the past?

The UCC Library has recently added some new titles about old places and peoples. Did you know that the Irish neolithic tomb, Newgrange, is older than the Great Pyramid of Giza? It was originally built around 3,000 B.C. As the sun rises on the winter solstice, a beam of sunlight pierces the dark passageway of Newgrange and lights up the inner chamber. Although currently residing in our "New Books" section, these two books will soon move to 936.15 in the back of the library.


Around a thousand years later the mysterious Stonehenge was completed. Who built it and at what effort? Archaeologist Anthony Johnson reexamines 250 years of fieldwork and speculation of this prehistoric site, explains the geometry, and lays out the rationale for this monumental landmark in his book "Solving Stonehenge".

"Stonehenge Complete" is a third edition of a classic. Even though 20,000 visitors gather at midsummer dawn, as this new edition explains, "they are in error: although Stonehenge is indeed astronomically oriented, it is not aligned on the midsummer sunrise at all." Our Stonehenge books hang out near Newgrange. Look for them in the stacks at 936.2.



Finally, take a look nearby (932 W) at "Genesis of the Pharaohs: Dramatic New Discoveries Rewrite the Origins of Ancient Egypt". Archaeologist Toby Wilkinson argues that ancient Egyptians were semi-nomadic herders and not settled farmers. The book has dozens of illustrations, including 25 in color.

Personal Finances, the New Year, and You

Are you one of the many who's New Year's resolution involves keeping better track of your finances? If so, or if you just like money in general, you might find these links from Library Journal of the best personal finance education and assistance websites and books useful!

Thrift for Tough Times: personal finances (LJ Jan. 2009)

Some of the Best Lists of the Best Books of 2008

Publishers Weekly book review staff put together their PW's Best Books of the Year and include Fiction, Poetry, Mysteries, SF/Fantasy/Horror, Comics, Non-fiction, Religion, Children's Picture Books, Children's Fiction, and more.

National Public Radio assembled several lists for their "recommended reading for the 2008 Holidays" and the critics there are recommending all sorts of stuff: Five Books to Give Yourself This Year, Best Superhero Graphic Novels, Booksellers' Picks For Your Holiday Lists, Top Five Crime and Mystery Novels of 2008, 10 Best Cookbooks, and more.

Amazon goes all out with their usual Top 100 Editor's Picks, Customer Favorites, and Featured Categories Top Ten Lists.

The New York Times settles for a tidy 10 Best Books of 2008 and includes links to lists of years past.

How about the Pick of the Pile from The Economist? Their list covers 2008 titles about history, current affairs, politics, economics, business, biography, and even fiction.

The Seattle Times recommends Our Picks for the Best Books of 2008 and an editor from The Oregonian put together a list of the Top 10 Northwest Books of 2008.

Surely there's something here to make you feel guilty about not reading enough last year?

2008's Top Album Lists Galore

The 50 Best Albums of 2008 -- Rolling Stone Magazine. TV on the Radio's Dear Science makes it to their top.

Mojo Magazine Top 50 Albums of 2008 Fleet Foxes (band name and album title) is their #1.

The 40 Best Albums of 2008 -- Spin Magazine comes up with a list of ten less and names (again) Dear Science as #1.

Pitchfork Presents -- The 50 Best Albums of 2008 Another win for Fleet Foxes at #1.

The Best Albums of 2008 -- from the editors of eMusic. They name 88 albums and The '59 Sound by The Gaslight Anthem tops their list.

NPR listeners voted for their top 25. . .and the winner is Fleet Foxes.

Amazon puts together a top 100 for Best Music of 2008 with The Kings of Leon's Only By The Night as #1. Amazon also has top 10 and 100 lists for many specific genre's of music.

50 Albums of the Year named by the Guardian/The Observer in the United Kingdom. Their #1? For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver.

Sigur Ros, Blitzen Trapper, Portishead, Brian Eno/David Byrne, Bob Dylan, MGMT, and Vampire Weekend show up in most of the lists. So how do the critics' choices match up to your favorites?

New @ the library: films from the world for your long weekend

Did you enjoy the cultural diversity conference on campus this fall? Looking for something different to watch beyond "Miracle on 34th Street" this year, post-turkey? We've just received a fantastic selection of new DVDs at the UCC Library that let you bring a world of cinema into your own living room.

All of the films below are available to checkout: see our catalog for more details.

Eat Drink Man Woman (China)

This film, directed by Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Sense and Sensibility) focuses on Chu, a master chef who tries to win over his three selfish and self-absorbed daughters through his cooking. When that goes up in flames, he tries a more dramatic approach- with results.


Blackboards (Iran), Osama (Afghanistan), Zaman (Iraq)

Osama and Zaman are both the first films released to a wider world audience after the dramatic conflicts the countries faced (and continue to stuggle with). All three are about journeys:

In Zaman, a village man travels upriver to Baghdad to find a cure for his wife.

In Osama, a young girl disguises herself as a boy to safely travel through Afghanistan after women are confined to their homes.

In Blackboards, dedicated teachers travel the length and breadth of Iranian Khurdistan, carrying their blackboards on their backs which serve as tool, professional symbol, and sometimes, shelter from gunfire.

The Host (Korea), Infernal Affairs (Hong Kong)

Or maybe you'd like something a little more shlocky? The Host is one of, well, a host of Asian horror movies, critically acclaimed for its underwater environmental sensibilities as well as its many thrills.

Infernal Affairs stars Tony Leung (Hero) in a tense police procedural, and may be best-known as the movie that directly inspired Scorese's The Departed.


Cinema from your Computer: The Criterion Collection's film festivals

Last, but certainly not least, if you think NetFlix's online "Watch it Now!" feature is the greatest thing since turkey-and-cranberry sandwiches, the new Criterion website is for you! Every month, the label plans to "host" a new online film festival with high-quality streaming video available online. This is only one of a plethora of features they are rolling out, so if you're a classic cinemaphile, make sure to check them out.

Laptops Available for Library Use!

Yes, the UCC Library now has laptops to loan out to students for use anywhere in the library. In a nutshell: 1) check out a computer, using your student ID; 2) use it responsibly; 3) return it to the desk before it's overdue. Yes, there are some policies, like bring it back to the desk within 3 hours or pay a big fine, don't check it out on your card and then hand it over to your friend with a reputation for dropping things, don't save your 10 page paper to the hard drive and expect it to be there tomorrow. Stuff like that. The policies are pasted right on top of the computer. And they're pasted right here, if you want a preview:

1. Library laptops are available to currently enrolled UCC students for 3 hour periods for use inside the library only.

2. Only UCC students currently enrolled in CREDIT CLASSES, faculty, and staff are eligible to check out Library Laptops. Credit students pay student technology fees to make these laptops available. Students must have their UCC ID card with a current term sticker.

3. If you checkout a laptop, it is assumed you know how to use it responsibly. The library staff and lab aides are not able to provide hardware or software troubleshooting, tutoring, or assistance.

4. Laptops will be available on a first come, first served basis and may not be reserved in advance. Only one laptop at a time may be borrowed by an individual.

5. Laptops may be checked out at the circulation desk from 8 a.m. until one hour before the library closes. Laptops must be returned at least a half hour before closing.

6. Laptop checkouts can be renewed, if there is no other student waiting. The library does not maintain a waiting list.

7. Save files to your own storage media. Do not save personal files or download software to the laptop hard drive at any time. Files will be deleted and you may lose the privilege of checking out laptops.

8. The student to whom the laptop is checked out is responsible for any associated costs if the laptop is lost, stolen, damaged, or overdue. Do not leave the laptop unattended.

9. Report any problems with the laptop immediately. If available, another will be checked out to you.

10. Laptops are battery powered, unless it is plugged in. Watch for “battery low” warnings.

11. Comply with all library and college policies regarding use of technology. (http://www.umpqua.edu/library/aup.htm)

12. Don’t be late! Return the laptop before it is overdue. Always return the laptop to a library staff member and do not leave it unattended. FINES: $10 overdue fine per hour . $1500 replacement cost for a lost, damaged-beyond-repair, or stolen laptop. After 24 hours overdue, the laptop will be considered lost.

13. The College is not responsible for any viruses which may be transferred to a user’s personal storage device, nor is it responsible for any lost or corrupted files.