Hawk Squawk Flies to a New Home!

As of September 21, 2011, we have a spiffy new home for the Hawk Squawk at http://www.hnu.edu/hawksquawk/.

Library Hawk Squawk: Salon to Feature Guest Artist Pablo Serrano

The big news we have today is about a very special Cushing Library Salon for SOA (School of the Americas) Awareness Week, in cooperation with Campus Ministry and the Center for Social Justice, and an installation of photography on the main floor of the Library.

What: Art Talk: “La Otra Cara: Human Rights in Colombia,” by noted photographer and human-rights activist Pablo Serrano

When:  7 p.m. Tuesday, September 27

Where: Cushing Library, Glass Lounge (Holy Names University, 3500 Mountain Blvd; no RSVP needed to attend)

Who: Everyone, including the public.

Questions? Email hnulibrary@hnu.edu , or call 510-436-1332

Refreshments… Will be served.

By Pablo Serrano

A little more about this event: Pablo Serrano is the Library’s fifth artist-in-residence. He is a photographer for the Colombian news agency Agencia Prensa Rural, which was created by peasant farmer organizations.  During the past ten years Serrano has taken thousands of photos documenting civil resistance in the Colombian social conflict.

A collection of Mr. Serrano’s work has been touring California. The Library at Holy Names University is privileged to host an installation of Mr. Serrano’s work through the Fall Semester, 2011. Thanks to Alyise Bernardino and Jessica Escobar of the Center for Social Justice and Carrie Rehak, Director of Campus Ministry, for their roles in making this happen.

More Fall Events: The Cushing Salon Lineup

 We are always open to hosting student readings and events, as well!

October 13, 12:30 – 1:30: Brownbag Book Talk: Karen Armstrong, 12 Steps to a Compassionate Life(led by Carrie Rehak and Karen Schneider)

October 20, 7:00 – 8:00: Panel Discussion: Jesus of Galilee, ed. Robert Lassalle-Klein (Robert Lassalle-Klein, Sr. Sophia Park, Marina Zavala)

October 27, 12:30-1:30: Brownbag Concert: Lars Rosager, Autumn Stylings

November 3, 6:30-7:30: Author Book Talk: Chad Williams, Torchbearers of Democracy.

November 10, 12:30 – 1:30: Brownbag Book Talk: bell hooks, Teaching to Transgress (led by Laura Truxler)

November 28, 4:30  – 7:30: Elba Sanchez, student reading (flash fiction)

Library Hawk Squawk: International Welcome Reception

We've got the whole world at HNU!

International Welcome Reception, Thursday, September 8, 12:30 – 1:30

International students and faculty and everyone else (who isn’t international, anyway?) are invited to a fun reception co-sponsored with the Student Success Center.

Mingle and nibble international treats while enjoying International Bingo and other festive activities.

Guest musician Doug Jones, a student in the Holy Names University music program, will entertains us with “international” renderings.

Drop in and out as your schedule permits. We look forward to seeing you there! Big thanks to Michelle Ayazi and Maureen Nikaido of the Student Success Center for their efforts in coordinating what will be a very fun event for one and all.

Overdrive Collection a Hit

We learned one thing this past week: Hawks love to read! Over the Labor Day weekend you hopped onto Overdrive, our new, mobile-friendly eBook collection, checking out everything from In the Garden of Beasts to 39 Years of Short-Term Memory Loss. Note: we have multiple copies of Katherine Stockett’s The Help and Dave Egger’s Zeitoun in paper as well as Overdrive eBooks.

HNU Library Hawk Squawk: Three New Services for You

We have a lot happening this fall, but the big, big news for this week is the launch of our redesigned website, spiffy new catalog, and new Overdrive eBook service, all at http://library.hnu.edu. Have questions? Drop by the research desk, send us email, or open a chat session (see “Ask a Librarian” on our website). We’re still gearing up our research desk hours, but we’re here to help!

HNU WorldCat: Articles, Books, eBooks, and More!

HNU WorldCat, our awesome new catalog, delivers what you’ve been asking for: one-stop shopping for books, eBooks, full-text ejournal articles, and most other databases. Search everything at once in HNU WorldCat, or pick a tab and search by category. (You can still find our traditional database list and our journals-by-title list.)

Our increasingly popular Camino interlibrary borrowing service is integrated seamlessly into HNU WorldCat. If we don’t carry a book, you’ll get a chance to request it from the growing Camino statewide network (fast statewide van delivery). Pepperdine and U Pacific are soon joining Camino! If Camino doesn’t have the book you’re looking for, you can request it from libraries worldwide–one click to request, and we take care of the rest. (That could be our motto!)

Mobile-friendly eBooks and Audiobooks

Our new Overdrive eBook collection features hundreds of popular books you can download to your favorite mobile devices, such as iPad, Droid, Nook, Touch, and more. Find bestsellers such as The Help and In the Garden of Beasts, hot titles in higher-ed such as Reframing Academic Leadership, and three special-to-HNU collections: “Connections Project,” “Diverse Voices,” and “Student Success.” More titles added every week. Caution: highly addictive for book-lovers!

Event Reminder: International Welcome Reception, 9/8

Next week, the Library and the Student Success Center are co-hosting the International Welcome Reception, Thursday, September 8, 12:30 – 1:30. Enjoy music by HNU music student Doug Jones; festivities; an appearance by the Hawk; and great international nibblies. All are welcome!

Cushing Library Hawk Squawk: GAs Wanted

What’s new at the library? Many things are on the horizon (see last week’s post for news about our upcoming events, including the poetry workshop and gaming night coming up this weekend), and our new website, catalog, and mobile-friendly ebook service should launch before the end of the month, but right now we are…

DESPERATELY SEEKING GRADUATE ASSISTANTS…

The Library has one full GA position that can also be shared as two half-time GA positions. We provide tuition remission as well as training that will give you marketable skills! Contact us by email hnulibrary@hnu.edu if you’re interested or you know of a likely candidate.

The two roles this GA will play are support for academic technology and support for Access Services. We are seeking a graduate student who is flexible, mature, service-oriented, and tech-savvy.

In your academic technology role, you will help faculty members learn emerging technologies, provide assistance to the Associate Director for Library Technology, assist the Library in conducting a fall pilot of web-conferencing software, and other duties as assigned.

In your Access Services role, you will provide direct assistance to library users, checking out books and other materials, shelving books, helping users with their questions and computer problems,  assisting in the management of the library facility, and other duties as assigned.

Both roles will require some night and weekend work. You may be required to work shifts that are not supported by local public transit. Contact us for a full description, including other requirements.

HNU Library Summer Squawk: New Year, New New Things!

We have a lot of “new” this fall, and we’re also planning many wonderful events. Expect more as we break into the fall semester! And the drum roll begins…

SAVE THE DATES

All events open to the Holy Names community. Nibblies will be served.

Poetry in the Library, Sunday, August 21, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. A special event for student orientation (a “Mass alternative”), but open to all. We will have fun co-creating a poem to celebrate a new year and new students!

Gaming Night, Monday, August 22, 6:30 – 10:30 p.m. Another Orientation event open to all in the Holy Names community. Play traditional board games, use our computers to play online games, or take off your shoes and have fun with Twister.

 

We've got the whole world at HNU!

International Reception, Thursday, September 8, 12:30 – 1:30. International students and faculty and everyone else (who isn’t international, anyway?) are invited to a fun reception co-sponsored with the Student Success Center. Mingle and nibble international treats while enjoying International Bingo and other activities.  Guest musician Doug Jones, a student in the Holy Names University music program, will entertains us with “international” renderings.

Chad Williams

Cushing Salon Literary Event,  Thursday, November 3, 6:30 p.m. Chad Williams will read from his book, “Torchbearers of Democracy: African American Soldiers in the World War I Era,” which in 2011 won the prestigious Liberty Legacy Foundation Award from the Organization of American Historians.

Chad will also be on hand to sign copies, which will be for sale. Produced in cooperation with Jon Neeper of the Holy Names University Bookstore.

Other fall events in work: Expect a panel discussion about “Jesus of Galilee,” featuring Robert Lassalle-Klein, Sr. Sophia Park, and others; student poetry readings; lunchtime music concerts;  two book talks (“12 Steps to a Compassionate Life”; “Teaching to Transgress”); an art event featuring the work of student Alex Sing; and more! Propose an event and we’ll make it happen.

We also have some wonderful personnel news!

Eugenia Chan

New Role: Eugenia Chan has been our half-time temporary research librarian since October, 2009. With generous support from Academic Affairs we have managed to hang on to her all this time.

Eugenia has now moved into a new role as Head of Access Services — a regular, full-time position — where she trains and supervises student workers, oversees facility management and classroom scheduling, oversees our checkout system and our systems for borrowing books and articles worldwide — plus a little research help (and of course, “other duties as assigned”).

Stop on by and say hi!

HNU Library Hawk Squawk: Cool Off, July Hours, Mural in Work

Chill Out With Us

Happy Solstice! Don’t forget the library’s lower level is one of the coolest places on campus — literally. We have small study rooms, big desks facing the greenery across from the road, and places to plug in, plus of course, free wifi. Food and beverages welcome, so yes, use us as a lunch spot.

A Mural in Work

Mural in Progress

While you’re down there, walk northwest to visit our new study room and see the mural-in-progress, led by HNU credential student Rebecca Blakley and a team of high-schoolers. Rebecca has a degree in fine art from UCLA, and has designed a mural that reflects the HNU themes of diversity and education. When Rebecca’s art crew is done we’re putting in a table and six rolling chairs, and a humongous whiteboard, and that room will  be one of the nicest group-study rooms on campus!

Midsummer Hours

Finally, we will be closed Saturday July 2 through Monday July 4, and we will reopen July 5 with our midsummer hours (through August 24):

• Monday through Thursday 1 p.m. – 6 p.m.
• Friday 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
• Saturday 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
• Closed Sunday

Don’t forget our databases and statewide book-request system, Camino, are available 24/7, and our librarians would be delighted to serve your research needs by appointment — see our website for our services.

Library Hawk Squawk for June 1, 2011

Summer Hours

Through June 30, the Library is open 10 a.m. through 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (a little later on Nursing Weekends).  Our electronic databases and journals are available 24/7 on- or off-campus. We will announce hours for July and August when we have more information about next year’s budget.

Research Help

We also offer research help by walk-up assistance 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, or contact us through the library website for an appointment.

Summer Projects

Like many departments on campus, we’re deep into major projects. Some of them are highly arcane and library-specific. (Circ interop over NCIP, anyone?) But we will have at least 5 Good Things Coming Your Way by the time Orientation rolls around, and you might like to hear about them:

* We’re fulfilling the #1 request of students, faculty, and staff by providing a single website for searching our book catalog and our databases. It’s called WorldCat Local. You will continue to be able to request books worldwide with just two clicks–one to search, one to request!

Download to iPads and other devices!

* We’re adding a new way to read ebooks, from a company called Overdrive. “Check out” books through the free Overdrive software console and download to iPads, Nooks, PCs, Macs, Sony Reader, and other  devices (as of next fall, Kindle, too).  Titles will automatically expire at the end of the lending period. There are no late fees!

* We’re replacing 4 of the old PCs on the main floor with 4 brand-new PCs, and we’re adding 4 “laptop stations” where you can charge up your lappy and connect it to a big monitor.

* We will have at least one more large study room that can be reserved or used on a walk-in basis. The downstairs room has been cleaned, painted, and carpeted (thanks, Campus Services!) and will be ready in July. (Should we throw it a little party?) If everything else works out, we’ll have an even larger study room — large enough to use as a small classroom — by Orientation.

* We will have more wall space for art, and a special section on the main floor to highlight the publications and other achievements of our faculty.

Happy June!

Cushing Library Summer Squawk: We’re Here For You!

Commencement Singers 2011

We let the Hawk Squawk nap for a couple of weeks while we all made it through Commencement (two of our library’s Frequent Flyers are featured in this photo), but we want to emphasize that we’re here to support your research, information, and pleasure-reading needs all summer long.

Summer Hours

Through June 30, the Library is open 10 a.m. through 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (a little later on Nursing Weekends).  Our electronic databases and journals are available 24/7 on- or off-campus.

Research Help

We also offer research help by walk-up assistance 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, or contact us through the library website for an appointment.

But Wait, There’s More!

We have two art exhibits (by Dr. Martivon Galindo and Dr. Ian Sammis), so if you’ve been too busy to see them, stop on by.

A little later this summer, we’ll host a brown-bag book talk on the book, “The Checklist Manifesto.” Watch for an announcement.

We in the library use the summer for major projects (things we promise you’ll like), so once in a great while we might close for all or part of a day so that, to quote an American sage, we can “Get ‘er done.” But for the most part we’re here all summer. (And don’t forget, when those dog days arrive, our lower level is deliciously cool. Bring your lunch, grab a book or magazine, put your feet up, and chill!)

Cushing Library Hawk Squawk, Final Stretch Edition

It’s the final stretch, and we’re here to help!

Extended hours through Finals (see our website, http://library.hnu.edu for more info and for email/chat assistance):

• Friday, May 6: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Saturday, May 7: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Sunday, May 8: 1 p.m. – 7 p.m.
• Monday, May 9: 9 a.m. – 10 p.m.
• Tuesday, May 10: 9 a.m. – 10 p.m.

Wednesday, May 11 we close at 1 p.m. to begin preparation for Commencement activities, and we remain closed until Monday, May 16, reopening then for summer hours. However, Wednesday through Friday, if you need assistance, call us at 510-436-1332, or visit our website, http://library.hnu.edu, to email us or start a chat session.

Summer Hours

These are still being finalized, but we are planning on the following hours through June 30 (hours for July and August will be known later):

• 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday through Friday
• 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Saturday
• Closed Sunday

A big congrats to graduates, and a see-you-soon to everyone else!