It's Christmas on Campus

Even though it doesn't snow very often in Georgia, it does get cold at this time of the year and the Christmas spirit is definitely present on campus.  We are fortunate to have National Management Resources to keep our campus clean and working as well as beautiful.  They do a fabulous job and here are some of the results. 

On the Patio with the Lewis Library in the background

The Chapel

The Clock Tower with a wreath around its timepiece.

Another view of the patio.

The recently constructed pergola.

  

Holly berries (Ilex cornuta)

Each year at Christmas our staff and director show their appreciation to all our  students who work at the library.  We don't know what we'd do without them.

Happy Holidays from Lewis Library!

Happy Holidays from the staff at Lewis Library!

From left to right:
Mary Lou Dabbs, Rachel Evans, Patricia Barrett, Jennifer Wiggins, Lisa Morgan, Stacey Davis, 

Caitlin Vest, Jacque Hornsby, David Wiggins, Charlene Baxter, Carolyn Graham, Arthur Robinson.

Finding Used Books Online

Amazon has made buying books a lot easier, but what if you're looking for out-of-print books, for yourself or as a Christmas gift? Or you want to find a cheaper second-hand copy, or a first edition? Sometimes Amazon will list sellers of used copies, but what if they don't have the book you want?

Thanks to the Internet, finding that elusive book is much easier than it used to be, whether you're a serious collector or just want cheap copies of everything your favorite author wrote. There are websites that allow you to search the holdings of thousands of booksellers worldwide with one click. Here are my favorite resources:

• AbeBooks.com

AbeBooks.com lets you limit your search in many ways-by publisher, by price, or first editions in dustjacket. (Read the seller's description carefully, though; the seller may specify "No dustjacket" and the computer catches the "dustjacket" and ignores the "No.") You can sort your results-cheapest copies first, or "most recently listed" (to see what's been added since you last checked. Best of all, you can register "wants" if you can't find the books you want (or the copies listed are too pricey), sign up, and you'll be e-mailed as soon as they become available. There's no charge for this service, and you can sometimes get great bargains.

• alibris.com

alibris.com works similarly, and also allows you to sort results by condition. You can often get discounts by checking http://www.alibris.com/coupons or Googling for "alibris coupons."

• Bookfinder.com

Bookfinder.com the most comprehensive site. Bookfinder.com allows you to search abebooks, alibris, Amazon, Biblio.com, and other sites simultaneously to find the best price (especially useful if you're looking for textbooks). But since it searches several databases simultaneously, it's less efficient than abebooks and alibris at limiting your search and sorting results.

If you have questions, feel free to see me in the library, or email me. If you want to borrow books rather than purchase them, there's always interlibrary loan.

* This blog post was authored by Arthur Robinson, the Reference and Interlibrary Loan Librarian at Lewis Library.

Staff Picks #6: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

For the sixth edition of Staff Picks, our recommendation comes from Charlene Baxter. Charlene is the technical and public services librarian at Lewis Library. Here's what Charlene has to recommend for holiday reading:

"Need some light reading for the holidays? My favorite mystery series, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novels can provide that. The author, Alexander McCall Smith, was born and educated in what is now Zimbabwe; later taught law at the University of Botswana so he brings knowledge of south Africa to his books."

"The library has the latest one, The Double Comfort Safari Club, on the McNaughton browsing shelves. Also in the collection is a DVD version of the HBO series based on the first novels in the series. The stories revolve around the detective work of Mma Ramotswe, owner of the only detective agency in Gaborone, capital of Botswana. The personal lives of Mma Ramotswe, and her assistant, Mma Makutsi, slowly evolve along with cases concerning lost relatives, scams and cons, and unfaithful spouses."

Watch a video teaser for the DVD version below:

Photograph of book series courtesy of The Yellow Library blog.

Staff Picks #5: Rowling's Other Books...

For the fifth edition of Staff Picks, our recommendations come from Caitlin Vest. Caitlin is one of the evening and weekend library assistants at Lewis Library, as well as a former student and history major at LaGrange College. Caitlin brings us three great recommendations. Check it out:

Are you a Harry Potter fan looking for some light reading over Christmas Break? If so, you may be interested in one (or all!) of Rowling’s 3 other books.

•The Tales of Beedle the Bard

This collection of children’s stories is integral to the plot of the 7th and final book in the Harry Potter series. While Muggle (nonmagical) children grew up on tales of “Snow White” and “Cinderella”, Wizard children read “The Wizard and the Hopping Pot” and “The Warlock’s Hairy Heart”. This delightful book of wizard fairy tales was translated from the Ancient Runes by Hermione Granger and includes an introduction and commentary written by Albus Dumbledore.

•Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

A Hogwarts textbook, this book is referenced throughout the Harry Potter series. It includes descriptions of creatures that frequent the books, such as dragons, bowtruckles, and trolls. I found the most amusing part of the book to be the comments that Harry and Ron scribbled in the margins.

•Quidditch Through the Ages

This is another title frequently discussed in the Harry Potter series. It tells the amusing and fantastic history of Quidditch, the popular wizarding sport played on broomstick.

All three books can be found on the third floor of Lewis Library, shelved with the Juvenile fiction books. The call number is JUV Rowling.

Extended Exam Hours!

Need to get some extra studying in? The Library's Extended Exam Hours begin Friday, Dec 2!
Friday, Dec 2 - open 8am-9pm

Sat, Dec 3 - open 11am-4pm

Sun, Dec 4 - open 2-11pm

Mon, Dec 5 - Fri, Dec 9 - open 8am-11pm

Sat, Dec 10 - 8am-3pm

Staff Picks #4: "1776"

For the fourth edition of Staff Picks, we bring you a wonderful recommendation from Patricia (Pat) Barrett. Pat works in the Suber Archives and Special Collections of Lewis Library. Her recommendation if for the book 1776, by David McCullough. You can find this item in the library on the bottom floor using the call number, E208 .M396 2005. McCullough, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, explores the events, people, and extraordinary moments of courage that led to the founding of our country. This is an eloquent story of that tumultuous year. Here's what Pat had to say about this book:

Pulitzer Prize winning David McCullough has brought George Washington and the citizen soldiers who served under him, farmers, teachers, doctors and other ordinary men, to life describing the immense challenges these patriots had to confront in the face of the British military juggernaut. The men who devoted their lives to the patriot cause had to endure extreme cold, sickness, and lack of arms but even these were not enough to deter them. Their courage and ingenuity was in stark contrast to others who responded in to these privations by running away or deserting to the British. After Americans declared their independence in 1776, it was nothing short of miraculous that this country survived and it was largely due to the efforts of George Washington who set aside regional and personal differences to allow the most able people to serve with him.

Are you interested in this title, but not the world's fastest reader? The library also has in the collection the audio book version of 1776, which spans 10 sound discs. "[He] narrates in a sonorous, grandfatherly voice, keeping his speech vibrant and engaging, as if he were simply telling a story."—Publishers Weekly. The audiobook version of 1776 was an Audie Award finalist and winner of a 2005 PublishersWeekly Listen Up award. Takes Pat's advice and check out this book or audio book over your Christmas break!

Holiday Spotlight: The LaFayette Collection

With the Christmas holidays right around the corner, the Suber Archives & Special Collections department in Lewis Library would like to pay a special tribute to the LaFayette collection. The Library and the College are very thankful for the pieces in the LaFayette collection, which aid in illustrating the rich history of both the college and the city of LaGrange with the legacy of LaFayette, an important French aristocrat and American Revolutionary hero.

The central point of downtown LaGrange is the square. From 1828 to 1936, the square was home to the county courthouse. Later, the square became a public park with a fountain. In 1976 a statue of the Marquis de Lafayette was placed on a pedestal in the fountain, and the park was named LaFayette Square. The city of LaGrange itself was actually named at the suggestion of Colonel Julius Caesar Alford (known as the "War Horse of Troup" in Congress), who in 1825 overheard Lafayette remark on the similarity between the west Georgia countryside and LaGrange, his wife's estate in France (located about 30 miles from Paris).

The LaFayette collection itself is made up of materials related to Marquis de LaFayette. Pieces from the collection were given to Dr. Waights G. Henry, Jr., for LaGrange College by Dr. Leland D. Case, of Tucson, Arizona, who was a friend of Count Louis de Lasteyrie and of Count Rene de Chambrun, both descendants of LaFayette. This gift resulted from Dr. Case's friendship with Dr. Georges de Bone, Associate Professor of Modern Languages at LaGrange College.

Included in the LaFayette collection are a variety of old postcards from France and the era of the American Revolution. The post card pictured here is just one example of the LaFayette postcard collection, featuring Washington and LaFayette at Valley Forge. For more information on historical postcards, visit the Chicago Postcard Museum online. The collection also includes an original copy of an article that was published in March 1975 in Columbus, Georgia's Ledger-Enquirer Magazine. The article tells the complete story of the statue of LaFayette and how it came to guard the square in downtown LaGrange, GA. You can find out more information about the LaFayette collection and the other collections housed in Lewis Library by visiting the Suber Archives & Special Collections online guide. Click on the images in this post to view them larger.

Photo and text Courtesy of the Georgia Encyclopedia. Pictured in the photograph is LaGrange, Georgia's town square with statue of LaFayette. The statue itself belongs to LaGrange College, but is on permanent loan to the city of LaGrange. This blog post co-authored by Patricia Barrett and Rachel Evans.