Dr. Cornel West to speak at ASU

Next week brings the opportunity to see one of the nation's preeminent scholars right here in Alabama. Dr. Cornel West will speak on the campus of Alabama State University this coming Monday. From the ASU website:

The National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture at Alabama State University will host the Ralph D. Abernathy Civil Rights Lecture Series on Monday, December 3 at 7 p.m. at the Joe L. Reed Acadome. Dr. Cornel West will be the guest speaker. His topic will be “Democracy and African Americans in the 21st Century” The public is invited to attend.

One of America’s most gifted and provocative public intellectuals, West’s writing, speaking and teaching weaves together the American traditions of the black Baptist church, progressive politics, and jazz...

The National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture at ASU is located at 1345 Carter Hill Road. For more information, call (334) 229-4824 or (334) 229-4876.

You can read more about this visit at the link above.

Photo of Dr. Cornel West and Tavis Smiley by J&R Music & Computer World. Creative Commons license.

Bibliography of Resources on Suicide and Depression

Bibliography of Resources on Suicide and Depression

Books | Websites and More

The October 25, 2007 edition of the Shelby County Reporter included a story about the efforts of some of Montevallo's own to raise awareness about suicide. The Reporter piece highlights the unfortunate fact that incidents of suicide have been on the rise over the past year locally.

In September, members of UM's Chi Sigma Iota counseling honor society participated in an Out of the Darkness awareness walk. The goals of these events, which are sponsored by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, include raising money for AFSP's research and education programs to prevent suicide and save lives, increasing awareness about depression and suicide, and assisting survivors of suicide loss.

Carmichael Library presents these resources on the related issues of suicide and depression. All of the following books can be found in the library's circulating collection on the second floor. Check the catalog for availability.

Bolton, Iris and Curtis Mitchell. My Son - My Son -: A Guide to Healing After a Suicide in the Family. Atlanta, Ga.: Bolton Press, 1991. HV6545.B6

Capuzzi, Dave. Suicide Prevention in the Schools: Guidelines for Middle and High School Settings. Alexandria, Va.: American Counseling Association, 1994. HV6546 .C38 1994

Colt, George Howe. The Enigma of Suicide. New York: Summit Books, 1991. HV6545 .C596 1991

Daniell, Rosemary. Fatal Flowers: On Sin, Sex, and Suicide in the Deep South. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1980. HQ1438.A13 D35

Gilbert, Paul. Overcoming Depression: A Step-by-Step Approach to Gaining Control Over Depression. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. RC537 .G534 2001

Hawton, Keith, and Catalán, José. Attempted Suicide: A Practical Guide to its Nature and Management. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987. RC569 .H38 1987

Johnson, Wanda Yvonne. Youth Suicide: The School's Role in Prevention and Response. Bloomington, Ind.: Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation, 1999. HV6546 .J645 1999

Joiner, Thomas E. Why People Die by Suicide. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2005. HV6545 .J65 2005

Karp, David A. Speaking of Sadness: Depression, Disconnection, and the Meanings of Illness. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. RC537 .K367 1996

Keir, Norman. I Can't Face Tomorrow: Help for Those Troubled by Thoughts of Suicide. Wellingborough: Thorsons Pub. Group, 1986. HV6545 .K45 1986

Lester, David. Making Sense of Suicide: An In-Depth Look at Why People Kill Themselves. Philadelphia: Charles Press, 1997. HV6545 .L419 1997

Menninger, Karl A. Man Against Himself. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1985. RC569.5.S45 M46 1985

Miller, Leslie A. and Paul A. Rose. Suicide. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2000. HV6545 .S818 2000

Minois, Georges. History of Suicide: Voluntary Death in Western Culture. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999. RC569 .M55 1999

O'Malley, Nancy. Suicide on Campus: Caring and Coping. Madison, Wis.: Magna, 1987. HV6546

Reynolds, David K. and Norman L. Farberow. Suicide: Inside and Out. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1976. RC569 .R49

Rickgarn, Ralph L. V. Perspectives on College Student Suicide. Amityville, N.Y.: Baywood Pub. Co., 1994. HV6545.8 .R53 1994

Shneidman, Edwin S. Death and the College Student: A Collection of Brief Essays on Death and Suicide by Harvard Youth. New York: Behavioral Publications, 1972. HV6545 .S354

Slaby, Andrew Edmund and Lili Garfinkel. No One Saw My Pain: Why Teens Kill Themselves. New York: Norton, 1994. RJ506.S9 S53 1994

Solomon, Andrew. The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression. New York: Scribner, 2001. RC537 .S598 2001

Vidal, John A. Student Suicide: A Guide for Intervention. Washington, D.C.: National Education Association, 1989. HV6546 .V54 1989

Web Sites and More

UM Counseling and Career Center - Resources for students. Professional staff members are available for consultation, training and intervention. To schedule an appointment call (205) 665-6262.

Birmingham Crisis Center - Crisis and Suicide Line is (205) 323-7777 or 1-800-273-TALK.

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Out of the Darkness Community Walks - A project of the AFSP

Suicide Prevention Resource Center

Suicide Prevention and Survivors' Resources - Provided by GriefNet

Bibliography compiled by Jason Cooper, Maribel Martinez, and Tiffany Walker

Connect with the library from your Facebook

There's a new way to connect with Carmichael Library—from your own Facebook profile! If you're a member of the Montevallo network, you'll see a Carmichael search box every time you click into the Facebook Librarian application. Once you've added this application, you'll be able to:

• Search our catalog
• Click into our homepage and blog
• Ask a Carmichael librarian a question
  

All from your Facebook profile. Give it a try and if you like it, tell your friends!

Day of the Dead 2007 Program Pics

It's been a busy couple of weeks but we've finally gotten photos from our 2007 Day of the Dead programs posted to our Flickr. Also, if you haven't yet seen them, we posted a half dozen shots of the brickwork that's been taking place at the intersection of Highland and Boundary Streets. Check them out!

Have a SIP! And while you're at it, get googlewhacked

I must admit that my favorite part of participating in our wired world is discovering the kooky jargon that evolves and affords us the fodder to "word-drop" during party chatter or committee meetings or any situations in which we want to appear technologically savvy. Here are two terms that I recently added to my brain's virtual dictionary:

SIPS--which stands for statistically improbable phrases. It is actually a system developed by Amazon.com to compare all the books they index and to find phrases in each that are most unlikely to be found in any other book. For example, if you are interested in the phrase "global urbanization", Amazon's program helps you find books that use that phrase somewhere in the text. Scientific research programs are providing similar tools, referred to as "text mining" tools. Of course, librarians, always ahead of the curve, have long been using creative and original cataloging in their catalog subject headings to promote the finding of a unique subject.

Another word I recently discovered was googlewhacked. It's a term and game that have been around for awhile...which is why I emphasize that I just discovered it. Characterized by C/net.news as "the latest pursuit of legions of bored and increasing obsessed Web Surfers searching for the next big thing. " The googlewhack game begins by typing two words into Google's search bar. A googlewhacker's ultimate goal is to see the words "Results 1-1 of 1." It has become more and more challenging to find a googlewhack because of the enormous size of Google.

Gary Stock, who invented the term, humbly says that people have been searching for odd combinations for years. He likes to view googelwhacking, not as a waste of time, but as an incentive to get people to explore the Web.

Please share your favorite or just some fun tech terms with me. I'm going to a committee meeting and a soiree party soon and need some fresh buzz words to oh so casually drop into the conversation!

Lastly, I need a fresh tech web resource to compliment my Urban Dictionary. So recommend one to me if you please.

Patsy
searsp@montevallo.edu

University Scholar’s Presentation Today, November 14th

Please join us today in the library for the 2007 University Scholar's presentation.

University Scholar Lee Rozelle, assistant professor of English, will give the University Scholar’s presentation. Rozelle’s book, Ecosublime: Environmental Awe and Terror from New World to Oddworld, established him as a visionary leader in the emerging field of ecocriticism. His articles have been published in scholarly journals such as Twentieth-Century Literature, ISLE, Critical Studies and the University of Paris Press-Sorbonne’s Frontières collection. He offered a plenary address at the ASLE-UK First Biennial Graduate Conference at the University of Glasgow, and has given scholarly presentations in places such as Warsaw, Calgary, Istanbul, Alaska and, closer to home, Disney World.

The 2007 University Scholar award was presented to Dr. Rozelle at the annual Founders’ Day convocation held Thursday, Oct. 11. Rozelle earned a B.S. degree in English and biology education from the University of South Alabama, then went on to earn a Master of Arts degree in English and a Ph.D. in American literature from the University of Southern Mississippi. Prior to joining the UM faculty in 2003, Dr. Rozelle was on the faculty at L.S.U.

For more information on Dr. Rozelle and the University Scholar tradition, read this piece from the October 17^th Wednesday Memo.

The presentation will take place this afternoon at 3:30 pm on the ground floor of the library. A reception will immediately follow the presentation. Refreshments will be served.

Making the Difference

Looking for a good job after college? The October 26, 2007 Chronicle of Higher Education Newsblog reports on a campaign to fill thousand of Federal jobs opening up soon.

The campaign for jobs, dubbed Making the Difference, will appeal to the service-minded college graduates by highlighting the work the federal government does, for example, to fight poverty, maintain national security, and protect the environment.

Making the Difference site offers links to Hot Jobs, Cool Internships and information on What Kinds of Jobs are There and Why Choose a Federal Career.

I found some cool jobs for Art Majors. Want to work for the National Parks Service? A Special Events Coordinator? Check out the jobs for Communcation Majors.

Classical Music Library Scheduled Outage: Saturday, November 10th

This just in from Alexander Street Press, CML will be unavailable Saturday evening:

Alexander Street Press databases will be unavailable on Saturday, Nov 10 from approximately 7:00pm to 11:00pm Eastern Standard Time, as we perform some routine maintenance and implement several upgrades to our servers.

Note the time difference as this planned outage will affect us from around 6:00 to 10:00pm Central Time.

You can read more news about Classical Music Library, including their free music downloads on ASP's music blog.

Harper Lee Receives Presidential Medal of Freedom

The Birmingham News has picked up an AP report about one of Alabama's best known authors. Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird, has been awarded the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

You can find copies of Lee's classic in the library's circulating collection at PS3562.E353 T6.

Day of the Dead at Bare Hands Gallery

During Friday's presentation of Day of the Dead altars here at the library, Eric Vaccarella mentioned a piece in the Birmingham News about the Day of the Dead display at Bare Hands Gallery. This morning, I found a short video clip produced by the News on this popular exhibit and festival in the Magic City.



Bare Hands celebrated their fifth Day of the Dead last week establishing them as one of the first known major observances of this unique Mexican holiday in the Birmingham area. It just so happens that we've been celebrating here at Carmichael Library for six years now! :) Thanks to Dr. Vaccarella, Dr. Michelle Duran-McClure and all of our talented students for putting on another terrific event again this year.

Finally, those interested in the Day of the Dead tradition, and/or the local art scene won't want to miss this second video, produced by Bare Hands Gallery. It features local artists Tracy Martin and Wendy Jarvis, who talk about the history of Day of the Dead at BHG.

Day of the Dead 2006 Video Review

Carmichael Library presents highlights from last year's Day of the Dead event. Under the direction of professor of Spanish Eric Vaccarella, UM students present ofrendas to Steve Irwin, Johnny Cash, Fred Rogers, Charles Schultz, and Pat Morita. Also mentioned in this clip are Claude Monet, Don Knotts, John Lennon, Mitch Hedberg, and Luther Vandross.



Video taken by Joel Bullock

Internet Librarian, Continued

You never know when you'll run into someone from Montevallo! I began my presentation on Tuesday by asking if anyone knew the University of Montevallo. Right in the front row, there was Virginia Haynie Gause, now the Web Librarian at the University of Texas Pan American. She's a graduate of UM and proud of it.

From my side of the podium, our panel on Second Life went very well. We showed the potential that Second Life and similar virtual worlds have for reaching out to people, as venues for instruction and experiential learning, for connecting people from around the world, and for having fun. Before I got into Second Life, I never would have thought I'd stand in front of a room full of people and discuss what to do when zombies attack a library, but I did it on Tuesday.

Yesterday, I attended a fascinating presentation on mobile technologies and their potential for library applications. This is a rapidly changing arena, as anyone who has seen the iPhone knows. Imagine being able to carry around your library catalog in your pocket! Or being able to use your smart phone to register for classes through the Forum portal!

I'm heading out on a whale watch this morning and then home again tomorrow. See you all next week!