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As we move into this part of the planning process, we thought it would be useful to find out exactly what today's student wants in a library. A survey, conducted this fall, tells us that students want comfortable chairs and cozy couches; large study tables; more color and design; more computers and network hookups; windows and skylights affording natural light and beautiful views; lots of art, including displays, stained glass, sculpture, and paintings; more copiers housed in a separate room to limit noise; a coffee cart; vending machines with fruit, sandwiches, milk, and yogurt; rooms for groups to work together; more quiet study space; study lounges with comfortable furniture; a commons area/lobby; space for the Library to host movie nights (History Channel night); and more. Students also want more of a variety of academic resources, a larger book collection and increased book stacks, an updated selection of reference books, more books in art history, more novels, more literary and critical text analysis. Some want later hours at the reference desk; more reference librarians on duty; bigger audiovisual facilities; faster computers for conducting research; a larger selection of journals and books, especially in nursing, hospice care and ethics.
As we plan the expanded library, we envision a congenial space, where students find the academic resources they need for their scholarly work. They can also get help researching a paper, mastering computer software, polishing writing skills, brushing up on math skills, practicing American Sign Language, preparing for a public presentation, or producing a video for a class project. There will be spaces for those students desiring quiet and privacy and those students desiring space for groups to meet. Above all it will be a place that is particularly inviting for women of all ages, whether they be the 18-year-old "traditional" undergraduate, the student/mother and her children, the mid-career woman seeking career or life education, or the senior citizen continuing education student. Stay tuned as we continue to plan for the twenty-first century's College of St. Catherine Library. |
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Written by Carol Johnson
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by Amy Shaw |
Online Databases: What's the Latest? |
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Things never stay the same long at the library, and as usual, we have some new databases to tell you about. You can connect to them by selecting Online Databases from the Library's web site. Jump-start your research with these new tools: |
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| We hope you find these new resources useful. Please consult our web site or call the Reference Desk at 651.690.6652 for more information. | |
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Director's Corner
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Notable New Books in the St. Paul Campus Librarywritten by Deborah Kloiber |
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Contrary to the fantasies of Microsoft, the world of information is not being completely digitized. Our Library continues to purchase excellent print resources that may be overlooked in our rush to electronic formats. Two exciting multi-volume sets are now in the Reference Collection. The first, Encyclopedia of the Renaissance (Ref CB 361 .E52 1999) is a 6-volume work covering the Renaissance period from its beginnings in Italy in around 1350 through its spread across Europe into the 17th century. The International Encyclopedia of Dance (Ref GV 1585 .I586 1998), also 6 volumes, is the first comprehensive encyclopedia of dance worldwide. It includes both Western and non-Western theatrical dance, as well as ritual and recreational forms of dance throughout the world. |
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St. Kate's is very active in adding books about women and women's issues to the collection, and we have several new books in this category . Some examples are Women and American Television: An Encyclopedia (Ref PN 1992.8 .W65L69 1999) which contains entries for TV shows and the female actresses, journalists, writers, and directors associated with them; Miriam Schapiro: Shaping the Fragments of Art and Life (N 6538 .S34G68 1999), a portrait of a pioneer in the feminist art movement of the 1970s; Contemporary Women Writing in the Other Americas (3 vols. PN 843 .W66 1996) containing essays on women writers and their work from Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada; and Women in Scripture (Ref BS 575 .W593 2000), covering over 800 women or groups of women mentioned in the Bible, including more than 600 women not identified by name. | |
| Other new books related to religion and/or spirituality are Roman Catholicism in America (BX 1406.2 .G45 1999) which discusses the history of Catholics in the U.S. and tries to answer questions about who they are, what they believe, and what is distinctive about American Catholicism and Praying the Labyrinth (BV 4509.5 .G45 1999), a meditative resource for new or seasoned labyrinth users containing scripture, poetry, and questions for self-discovery. The Sun in the Church (QB 29 .H33 1999) combines astronomy, Church history, and religious architecture to tell the story of how cathedrals were built to function as solar observatories. The small but well-illustrated book, Our Saints Among Us (N 7910 .N6A94 1998), shows examples of 400 years of devotional art from New Mexico. | |
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Another strength of the CSC collection is books about other cultures and beliefs. Two new reference books are Female Genital Mutilation (Ref K 5304 .F46 2000) which provides some background, history, and policy recommendations for FGM plus a country by country review of legal and policy initiatives, and Folk Costumes of the World (Ref GT 511 .H38 1999) containing descriptions and drawings from 85 countries and regions of the world. Of particular interest is African Ceremonies (2 vols. GN 645 .B4 1999) with wonderful photographs of rituals and sacred ceremonies of indigenous Africa. Topics include birth & initiation, courtship & marriage, royalty & power, seasonal rites, beliefs & worship, and spirits & ancestors. Also new is the Cambridge Companion to Modern Spanish Culture (DP 48 .C233 1999) covering Spanish prose, poetry, theater, and arts from 1868 to the present day. | |
| Finally, The Great Libraries: From Antiquity to the Renaissance (Z 723 .S7313 2000) traces the history of libraries from the first ones in Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt to the humanist buildings of the Renaissance. The second section contains photographs and drawings of many of the great libraries of the world, including the Vatican Library, Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, and Bodleian Library in Oxford. | ||
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This fall, library staff on the Minneapolis campus are concentrating on strengthening our collection in several key areas. As we continue to purchase books, journals and audiovisual materials to support health sciences courses, we are focusing on adding materials on health topics of interest to women as health consumers. These topics include multiple sclerosis, repetitive stress injuries, breast cancer, pregnancy, menopause, chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. We will continue to build our women's health collection this year. We have also made significant book purchases in support of coursework on immigrants and refugees, folk art, ecology and diversity. Faculty, staff and students of the College are encouraged to recommend books for the library to purchase. This is easily done by using our online book recommendation form found at . Follow the link to the appropriate department and campus to submit your request. Library/AV staff will evaluate all requests in accordance with our collection development policies. |
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Amy Naughton |
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Amy Naughton -- Reference/Circulation Librarian, Minneapolis Campus I am pleased to join the staff of the Minneapolis campus Library and AV center. Starting in July, I took over the reins of circulation and reserves and will be assisting with reference service. I am originally from Iowa, where I attended Grinnell College and developed a long-lasting love of small private colleges. I received my MLS degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Most recently, I worked as a reference librarian at American University in Washington, DC. I moved to the Twin Cities this spring with my partner Geoff and son Leo and am warily awaiting my first winter in the Northland. The Minneapolis campus staff have assured me that you don't have to be part polar bear to enjoy the winters here!
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Leslie Bloedel -- Reference Librarian, St. Paul Campus I'm glad to be back in Minnesota after a three-year absence filled with occupational and educational adventures in Cortland, New York and Madison, Wisconsin. I grew up in Cottage Grove, Minnesota where my family still lives today. I received my B.A. in Psychology from Gustavus Adolphus College and I also hold an M.A. in Kinesiology/Sport Psychology from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities and an M.A. in Library and Information Studies from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Before becoming a Reference Librarian, I was a faculty member and the head women's gymnastics coach at the State University of New York in Cortland as well as the assistant women's gymnastics coach at Gustavus Adolphus College. I was a gymnast myself in college and you will find me watching this sport whenever I can at the many local meets and events each year. When I'm not at a gymnastics meet, I'm either reading mystery novels (especially Agatha Christie) or watching a movie. |
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This
fall, the College of St. Catherine
Board of Trustees approved the design phase of a project to renovate and
expand two venerable St. Paul campus buildings -- St. Joseph Hall and
the Library. St. Joseph Hall will be enlarged and renovated to become
the new Student Union, and the Library will double in size to accommodate
the collections and services that our students expect and need. 
It's
clear that the typical St. Kate's student knows and understands
the value of a learner-focused library environment. She wants a space
rich in academic resources with skilled reference librarians and staff
to assist her with her assignments and scholarly research. She also values
the beauty of the campus' natural landscape, and understands the value
of art in the environment and the boost art gives to the human spirit.
ComAbstracts indexes and abstracts 49 journals in the field
of communication. This database comes from the Communication Institute
of Online Scholarship.