We were saddened to hear that famed children’s author Maurice Sendak passed away today at age 83. His children’s books inspired and comforted many and he will be greatly missed. If you are interested in reading his books, you can click here for books owned by Webster University Library.
We are getting excited about welcoming the Susan Polger Institute for Chess Excellence to Webster this fall. If you need a chess fix in the meantime, check out our newest resource guide.
The Pulitzer Prize has been in the news this week because no prize for fiction was awarded. Three books: Swamplandia! by Karen Russel, Train Dreams by Denis Johnson, and The Pale King by David Foster Wallace were nominated, but no award was given. Some publishers say it can’t hurt to have only the three finalists, while others lament the lost book sales a Pulitzer can bring. Read more about that on American Public Media’s Marketplace story.
According to the Christian Science Monitor, an award hasn’t been given 62 times across all categories in the 95 year history of the Pulitzer Prizes. Georgetown professor of English Maureen Corrigan, one of three judges says, “We nominated three novels we believe to be more than Pulitzer-worthy... That the board declined to award the prize to any of these superb novels is inexplicable.” Also of note this year, the national reporting prize was awarded to David Wood of The Huffington Post, a first for that publication.
Each year in April, we celebrate National Library Week. The theme this year is You Belong @ Your Library. Here at Webster, we have lots of great resources for the Webster community, whether you visit our library building or not. You can access our databases from anywhere, request books, or visit our building for a lovely studying experience. We appreciate all of our library users and we’re happy you’re here!
Webster University Press has just published Missouri Harvest: A Guide to Growers and Producers in the Show-Me State, the first definitive guide to producers and growers in Missouri. Written by Maddie Earnest and Liz Fathman, Missouri Harvest is now available for sale at the library’s front desk ($18 cash or check). For more information, please visit the Webster University Press page.
The Association of College and Research Libraries Instruction Section announced the winners of the 2012 Innovation Award. Webster University Library’s John Watts, Instruction and Liaison Librarian, shares the award with Joshua Vossler from Coastal Carolina University “for their work on a series of information literacy videos, a collaborative professional development project created in cooperation with Coastal Carolina University’s First Year Experience Program and designed to introduce first-year students to fundamental information literacy concepts.” John and Joshua will receive their award at the American Library Association Meeting this summer in Anaheim, California. See the full press release and check out one of the video tutorials. John served as the script writer, voice talent, chicken handler, and hand. John attributes much of his success as a teacher to skills he honed as a undergraduate at the Webster University Conservatory for Theatre Arts. Congratulations, John!
Tomorrow, January 18, 2012, Wikipedia will go dark to protest a proposed law. You can read more about their reasons here. Our reference database, Credo Reference, is a great Wikipedia alternative. It includes entries from over 500 reference books and is the perfect place to get a quick definition or basic information on a topic. From library.webster.edu, click on Articles/databases and visit our Reference databases page to find Credo Reference. If you have any questions about using it, please contact the Reference desk at (314) 968-6950, (800) 985-4279 or visit this page.
Logging into Webster University Library databases has changed a bit today. Instead of entering your Webster ID number, you will now need to enter your last name and then your ID number followed by our campus code which is EWL. If you have any questions about this process, please give us a call at 314-968-6950 or 1-800-985-4279.
Ten days after the Pearl Harbor attack, Webster College President George Donovan wrote the following in the student newspaper: “Our students are asked to continue to manifest a normal interest in their studies and other activities; to remain in college until the time comes when it is considered best in view of the national emergency to act otherwise. Our students are also asked to be prepared to make sacrifices especially in those projects where considerable expense is involved. They are invited to place the money saved in defense and relief projects…Pray that our country will be victorious against her enemies. Pray, too, that all the forces opposed to us will see the light of peace and justice.” (The Web, Dec. 17, 1941, p. 1).
Webster students began to get involved in the war effort almost immediately. The January 16, 1942 issue of the student newspaper reported that students “assisted in the registration for Civil’an Defense during the Christmas vacation.” Their job was to interview “civilian volunteers on their capabilities and interests.” That same issue of the paper reported that two members of the faculty had been appointed by President Donovan to be liaisons to the Red Cross and USO.
In his annual report for 1941-1942, President Donovan listed several war activities in which Webster students had participated: “blood donor groups, classes in First Aid, drastic curtailment of the yearbook expenditure, weekly attendance at USO events, participation to the number of seventy-five in the annual Memorial Day parade of Webster Groves, daily prayer in the Chapel, the surrender of the formal dinner at the mid-winter party, and the abandonment of the Educational Tour (p. 5).
The students were particularly successful in selling war bonds and stamps. During World War II, they were able to raise enough money to purchase a fighter plane, bomber, and tanker ship.
As the spring 1942 semester came to a close, President Donovan wrote the following in the last issue of the student newspaper: “In conclusion, may I urge the students to continue their education so that there will be trained [leaders] for the prosecution of the war and for the reconstruction. May I ask you to re-examine our American democracy so that it will ever be a motivation in your lives. Pray for the success of our armed forces and for a just peace. May God inspire you to every possible sacrifice during the coming months.” (The Web, June 2, 1942, p. 4)
The librarians have created a resource guide on sustainability with a heavy focus on sustainability on college campuses. Check it out at http://libguides.webster.edu/sustainability and check back often as we begin to add information about sustainability films in our collection.
