Information Creation!

SWOSU Libraries is dedicated to providing our patrons with the best information available, but a library is not just about providing information, a library should also strive to help patrons produce their own creative and scholarly content.

To this end we have a number of digital cameras, video cameras, audio recorders, webcams and other equipment available to facilitate this goal. The devices in this display are available for check out. 

Just ask for assistance at the circulation desk!

In our media creation room we have many other devices that can be used within the library. These range from state of the art to the hard to find! This equipment includes: A flatbed scanner, a digitization scanner, 2 VHS to DVD recorders, a CD duplication unit, LP Record to CD recorders, Audio Cassette duplicators, and a typewriter.

If you are interested in creating a more involved media project requiring HD video creation or green screen photography, make an appointment for a session in our new Media Studio, located in the basement level of the Al Harris Library! 

Make an appointment to use the SWOSU Libraries Media Studio!

Caldecott and Newbery Award Winners

The Caldecott and Newbery Book Awards are the most prestigious of children’s book awards. Both awards are presented annually at the Mid-Winter American Library Association Conference in late January by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association.

Named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator, Randolph Caldecott, the Caldecott Award was begun in 1938 to celebrate the best of children’s picture books. This award is given to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published in the United States during the preceding year. To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Caldecott Award in 2013, Brian Selznick, 2008 Caldecott Medal winner, created a special 75th anniversary logo.

The Newbery Award was the first children’s book award in the world and is probably the best known and most discussed children’s book award in the United States. Established in 1922, the Newbery Award was named in honor of eighteenth-century English bookseller, John Newbery. It is given to the author of the most distinguished American children’s book published during the preceding year.

More information about Caldecott Award and a complete list of winners since 1938, can be found online. More information about the Newbery Award and a complete list of winners since 1922 can also be found online.

To celebrate these two prestigious awards, The Al Harris Library has a display of some of the many Caldecott and Newbery winners. Come and see our display and see why these books are winners that will likely be loved and read by children for many years to come. While you're there, please pick up a free Caldecott trivia quiz bookmark.

Robots, Among Us!

Once purely a construct of science fiction, robotics is now a field of study that has forged our future.

Modern robotics are used in various utilitarian venues, from manufacturing plants, to space exploration to the creation of modern art exhibits; and although they have become almost common place in our society, they still remain a staple of the science fiction genre.
 
The Al Harris Library has many books and media dedicated to the subject of robotics. We have text books that relay the process of designing and building such devices, books that detail their everyday usage, and fictional works from visionaries such as Isaac Asimov, Phillip K. Dick and Fritz Lang.

Whether your interest is in the work they are doing, the principles of their design, or speculative fiction about their future, we are sure to have some interesting information to process!

Feel free to check out any of the materials on this display!

Art Projects from Recycled Books

The idea of recycling or changing materials that are no longer used into new and more useful projects has gained in popularity in recent years. Although books are made up mostly of paper which can be recycled, it is often difficult to get recycling companies to take them because of the adhesives that are used for binding. This Fall semester the students in Dr. Joana Hyatt’s Art Foundations II class worked on this problem by using their creativity to design and make art projects out of worn and discarded books. They came up with some very original and creative projects that are now on display in the glass case at the entrance of the Al Harris Library.

Come visit the Library and see the variety of projects that are on display! Maybe you will get ideas for creating your own art projects from old books. Also, if you search the web, you will find images of many types of projects created from books.

Check Out the Audiobooks

When you are traveling over the holidays, there's nothing better than having the opportunity to enjoy listening to an audiobook. The Al Harris Library owns an extensive collection of audiobooks, and they are available for you to check out. Take a look at the collection of classics located in the small glass case that is southeast of the building's entrance. Any of these books can be checked out by asking for assistance at the Circulation Desk. Many more audiobooks are located on the shelves near the coffee machine at the south end of the library.

Check out something from the collection today and listen to an entertaining and informative book. This is a good way to take a break from your studies as the semester is reaching conclusion or as a great escape before the a new semester begins.

Film Franchises

The Al Harris Library is home to a diverse collection of television series and films. For the months of November and December, we have chosen to feature examples of famous film franchises.

Film franchises can represent well-crafted examples of escapist entertainment, or provide a well told narrative that is expanded and enriched with each additional installment. The best film franchises have been able to achieve both of these distinctions.

Films selected for this display are varied and encompass a wide range of genres including: Drama, Space Opera, Fantasy, and Cliffhanger Serials. These films have helped shape the cultural landscape of cinema and continue to be viewed for their unique contribution to film studies and film audiences.

Film Franchises represented in this display include:

• The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
• The Godfather Trilogy
• The Star Wars Trilogies
• The Indiana Jones Trilogy
• The Harry Potter Saga
• The Rocky Collection

The President Is Shot

On November 21, 1963, President John Kennedy flew to Texas to give several political speeches. The next day, as his car drove slowly past cheering crowds in Dallas, shots rang out. Kennedy was seriously wounded and died a short time later. Within a few hours of the shooting, police arrested Lee Harvey Oswald and charged him with the murder. On November 24, another man, Jack Ruby, shot and killed Oswald, thus silencing the only person who could have offered more information about this tragic event. The Warren Commission was organized to investigate the assassination and to clarify the many questions which remained.

President Kennedy's death caused enormous sadness and grief among all Americans. Most people still remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in Washington for the President's funeral, and millions throughout the world watched it on television.

As the years have gone by and other presidents have written their chapters in history, John Kennedy's brief time in office stands out in people's memories for his leadership, personality, and accomplishments.

Take a look at the books on the Kennedy display in the Al Harris Library and select something to read about the life and experiences of the president who was killed 50 years ago. Another excellent source of information about the man is the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts.