The Dominican University community arrived en masse this past Monday to help Inez celebrate over 23 years of service as Director of the Rebecca Crown Library.

Inez has been affiliated with the university for over 30 years, having received her undergraduate degree and graduate degree in Library Science from Rosary College. Inez began her career in librarianship at DePaul University. While at DePaul she earned her M.A in Philosophy and began work towards a Ph.D. Inez spent 9 years at DePaul before returning to Dominican as Director of the Library. Inez’s many accomplishments include leading a retrospective conversion of the library’s catalog records and bringing the catalog online, and streamlining the cataloging and circulation procedures , all while raising a family and finishing her Ph.D.

Although no longer the Director of the Library, we’ll still see Inez on campus, as she will teach a Senior Seminar course this fall. Inez will certainly remain busy as ever, tending her garden and starting her
“new career” as babysitter for her two grandchildren.

We thank you again, Inez, for all your contributions to Dominican and wish you well in the future.

After over 20 years dedicated and hard-working years, Inez’s last day as director of the Library is tomorrow,  Friday, June 27th.  Thank you, Inez, for all the years.  She can’t stay away for long and will be back in the fall to teach an LAS seminar.  Until then, enjoy these:

Crown Library has new reference hours for the summer. Beginning June 2, a librarian will be at the reference desk:

Monday - Thursday: 9:00am - 10:00pm

Friday - Sunday: 9:00am - 5:00pm

You can IM, call or email us during that time, too.

Alexander Street Press is offering free access to its Civil War resources until June 30, 2008. Find letters, diaries, photographs, posters, newspapers, magazines and more. Also find information on battles, regiments and individual soldiers.

To access the resources, go to: http://alexanderstreet.com/resources/civilwar.access.htm.
User name: american
Password: bicentennial

Image above from: http://cpho.alexanderstreet.com/displayimage.php?pos=-1457

Last week, the GSLIS faculty lured Inez to its weekly meeting in order to honor her for over 20 years of service as the director of Rebecca Crown Library.  Thinking she was there for another reason, Inez was completely surprised to learn the real purpose of the invitation.  After short speeches and a standing ovation, the party moved outside where this all too wild picture was taken.

Look for more tributes to Inez in the coming weeks.

(Inez thought she was at the meeting to honor Mary Pat Fallon for her Excellence in Teaching Award.  Congratulations, Mary Pat!  You deserve it.)

If you are currently a Dominican University student like myself, you probably never had the opportunity to meet Sister Candida Lund, who served as the school’s President from 1964-1981 and Chancellor, 1981 until her death in 2000.

Up in the archives I’ve spent the last severalmonths going through boxes associated with 4083.8 (Presidents: S. Candida Lund). I emphasize the word “several” because her collection is extensive. Sister Candida wrote and wrote and wrote and saved everything–not to mention the papers from all the awards, boards, and clubs she was associated with. The experience of being submersed in her collection has given me a deep appreciation for Sister Candida, to the point that I feel as if I had actually known her, despite the fact we had never met.

One of my favorite parts of her collection was going through the endless thank you letters she wrote.  It didn’t matter if you’d donated thousands of dollars to the college or if you opened her car door–an thank you card would be on its way within days with a unique and well transcribed sincerity.  This prime example, a letter to The Honorable Susan Getzendanner (August 19, 1987) was the only text on the paper:

Whatever you do, you’ll do it with wonderful panache and smashingly well.
Fondly,
Sister Candida Lund

Sister Candida was a woman–in the boldest and truest sense of the word.  She was graceful, charming, humble, sincere, well educated, daring, and funny.  She demanded a presence by simply entering a room, and she captivated you the moment conversation began. In looking at pictures of her, I found that Candida could be surrounded by dignified and powerful individuals, but my eyes cannot help but be drawn to her signature smile. Aside from watching her clothing alter from the full habit to (continually stately) every-day attire, I was also fascinated by her eyeglasses. Sister Candida always wore large eyeglasses–another statement that was distinctly Candida. Throughout the years they too continually changed; but their size never decreased and they were always fashionably ahead of their time. Being one that supports they belief that the right glasses add an intellectual sense of fashion, I have loved watching her frames change in each image I uncover–but each new pair also remains unmistakably Candida.

Champion of the arts, faithful friend, advocate of women’s rights, scholar, and leader: Sister Candida Lund.

You can also help conserve paper by not getting a receipt when you check out books. Just tell the library employee that you don’t need one. We won’t print one. You can always find out the due date of your books, and renew them, through MyAccount.

Coincidentally, Matt Damon, who bears a striking resemblance to Ken in the last post, is a proponent of saving paper as evidenced by his many green initiatives, including participation in Green Dimes. For a tiny one-time fee, Green Dimes will stop up to 90% of your junk mail and plant trees.

Welcome to part 2 of a six part series.

Ken Orenic is a Reference and Instruction Librarian at Dominican University’s Rebecca Crown Library.  Orenic’s responsibilities include providing reference services, teaching information literacy and subject specific library workshops, managing the Government Documents collection, and is the liaison for LIBRAS, a consortium of local private liberal arts colleges and universities.  He received his MLIS from Dominican University, and is pursuing an MA in History at Roosevelt University.  Orenic will teach LIS 704, Introduction to Reference Services in Dominican’s GSLIS this summer.  When not engaging in library-related activities, he can be found in his office playing the ukulele, much to the chagrin of anyone within earshot.

1. What is your favorite word?

Erudite - I like the way it flows.

2. What is your least favorite word?

It’s a toss up between “no” and “shush”

3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?

The trance-like state achieved through deep study.

4. What turns you off?

Intolerance of any kind.

5. What is your favorite curse word?

You’ll have to ask my kids.

6. What sound or noise do you love?

The howl of strong winds before a storm.

7. What sound or noise do you hate?

The groan of my home’s air conditioner when first started. I pray for just one more year of service before I have to replace it.

8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

Attorney for the ACLU.

9. What profession would you not like to do?

Preschool teacher.

10. If Heaven exists, what do you think God would say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

SAINT PETER, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!

These are only a few of the myriad environmental books out there. Dominican owns most of these. Some of them are currently checked out (see how popular they are), but can be requested through I-Share.

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson : SB 959 .C3

An Inconvenient Truth DVD : DVD QC 981.8 .G56 I53 2006 AV

The Mountains of California by John Muir : F 866 .M9

A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold : available in I-Share

The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan : GT 2850 .P65 2002

The Library provides free printing. But we do ask you to please conserve paper whenever possible.

If you don’t absolutely need a hard copy of an article, you could:
• save the PDF or HTML full text to your flash drive
• save the citation in your RefWorks account. RefWorks contains ArticleLinker so you can easily get from your account back to the full text of the article (if the full text is available)
• email yourself the full text right from the database

When printing PowerPoint slides, you have several options. You can print up to 9 slides per page and can save ink by changing colored backgrounds to white. In the print dialog box, just choose the following options:
• Under “Print what,” choose Handouts
• Under “Slides per page,” choose up to 9 slides per page. Check the preview to the right of the menu for each option to see how much room you would have for taking notes.
• Under “Color/grayscale,” choose Pure Black and White. This eliminates the slide background and changes the text to black
• Use Print Preview to see exactly what you’re printing

We unfortunately do not have the ability to print double-sided. But we can all follow the tips above to save paper. Thank you.