There’s just so much to talk about!

It’s Halloween! The History Channel has an amazing web site about the history of this holiday. Check it out at http://www.history.com/minisites/halloween/.

Now…back to the blog. First, huge apologies for taking so long to get back to this blog. The semester started with a very intense bang, and I was out for a week with a bad back, so updating the blog just had to take a back seat.

However, I’m back and that back is better, and there’s just so much to talk about: the CA fires, Al Gore getting the Nobel Peace Prize, Freedom to Marry discussions in VT, Holly Near’s visit to the NEK, Red Sox won the 2007 World Series, and the brouhaha on campus about a particular column in the student paper The Critic.  Please, I know I’ve forgotten a lot. Bu

I’m going to highlight a few topics that are close to my heart.

First, Holly Near’s visit on campus. Holly is a singer and activist. The message I got that day is that activism starts with one small step, and it doesn’t have to be a loud banging step either. To read more about her, visit http://www.hollynear.com/. Oh, and checkout the LSC Library which has several of her recordings such as Singing with You, an album with Ronnie Gilbert.

Hey, how about those Sox! If you’re a Red Sox fan, or just a baseball fan (Is there such a thing?), we’ve got several books in the library that just might interest you: The Yankees vs. the Red Sox, 796.35764 R536y, and Still, we believe: the Boston Red Sox movie, DVD 796.35764 St54.

Finally, it’s been announced that there will be a public hearing in the Alexander Twilight Theater. The Vermont Commission on Family Recognition and Protection (http://www.leg.state.vt.us/WorkGroups/FamilyCommission/) will be there to hear testimoney for and against the right for gay and lesbian Vermonters to marry.  The Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force (http://www.vtfreetomarry.org/) asks that everyone get out there and attend. If you’re not sure where you stand on this issue, the library has some books that you might want to check out: Same-sex marriage in the United States, 306.848 C119s and Why marriage matters, 306.848 W833w.

As always, if you need assistance, don’t hesitate to stop by your library and ask for help!

Sept. 11th

I started my job at Lyndon State on Monday, Sept. 10, 2001, so the anniversary of my job will always be tied in with the 11th. I won’t be able to think of one without the other. 

My partner and I had just moved that weekend from the Boston area, leaving behind many dear friends. I was sitting in my office, reading manuals, when my partner called to tell me the news.

Her sister, my sister-in-law, lives in DC and works for the Smithsonian. I have a good friend, from grad school, who works in the Congressional library. We have family and friends who live in that south, central part of Pennsylvania or in northern Maryland. And, certainly, we knew many people in the Boston area.

We were fortunate. Our friends and family were safe. Scared but safe. 

Today, as we take time to remember lives lost, relationships ruined, lives that will never be the same, let’s also remember the survivors, the folks that give us hope that things can be better, and that we can survive.

To learn more about al-Qaeda, New York City, the towers, CIA intelligence, and what’s happened after, you might want to check out these items from the LSC Library:

The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright. This book is recognized as THE manual about al-Qaeda. Wright is a journalist, who also wrote the screenplay for the Denzel Washington movie, The Siege (1999). The Siege was not a critically acclaimed film, yet, because of Wright’s knowledge and insights into terrorists, this film was a spooky premonition of what was to come.

Aftermath by Joel Meyerowitz is a beautifully presented pictorial work of the heros and destruction of 9/11.

Beyond Retribution: peaceful tomorrows. This documentary, produced by the September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, shows the organization of this group and the work they do to promote peace.

Come into the Library and let us help you locate these resources as well as the other resources on 9/11.

Academic Support’s Most Excellent Move to the Library!

This summer, Library space was given for the creation of a new Academic Support Center. The Library shifted books, periodicals, offices and more so that ASC could move onto the main floor of the Library. It was a busy summer.

To show you just how excited we are,  take a look at this short and fun video we shot for YouTube. And, if you’d like to see some of the work that went into prepping space for Academic Support’s move to the Library, check out this great slideshow created by our very own Janet Thorn, photographer extraordinaire.

Come in and see what we’ve done, how we’ve changed, yet more importantly, what has stayed the same…great staff willing to help you succeed!

Today’s Trivia: “There’s Only Good Music and Bad Music”

Today in the news, opera legend and best-loved tenor, Luciano Pavarotti has died at his home in Italy. Recognized as one of the best tenors of his time, he was often criticized for expanding his song catalogue to include pop songs and singing with folks such as Bono, Elton John,  and the Spice Girls. He’s quoted as saying, “There’s only good music and bad music.” And, another, “Why should be elite, music? Music must be for everybody?”

So, if you like your heavy metal, your jive, your reggae, your classic rock, your opera, or your country and western…that’s ok…as long as you like and get something out of it.

And, if you’d like to hear this amazing voice, come on in to the library and we’ll help you find something.

Enjoy the music!

Today’s Trivia: Help!

On Sept. 4, 1965, the Beatles had a #1 hit with “Help!” This single stayed at #1 for three weeks.

I thought this was rather appropriate for today’s opening piece of trivia. Whether you are a new student, or you’re returning for another year, you will probably need to ask for help at some time during this year.

If you’re faculty, or staff, or community member, we all will need to ask for help from our friends, our colleagues, our community.

There are a ton of resources here at LSC for each and every one of us to rely on for assistance. If you don’t know where to go or whom to ask, start by saying, “I’d like some Help!” Help is here. You just need to take the first step.