Top Ten Ways to Motivate Yourself

 

Welcome to the home stretch!

The semester is winding down and projects are wrapping up. Finals and graduation ceremonies are right around the corner. Some of you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. For others the goal may seem far away. Some are feeling accomplished. Others are feeling stretched and overwhelmed. How do you stay motivated when this happens to you? 

 
 Here are 10 ways to keep yourself motivated when things become overwhelming:

1. Make yourself a deal
2. Do something small
3. Do the toughest tasks first
4. Compare yourself with yourself, not with others
5. Remember to have fun
6. Don't fear failure
7. Write your goals down and work towards them
8. Break it down
9. Do what makes you happy
10. Think outside the box

Visit the Positivity Blog to learn more motivational tips.

 Looking for even more ideas? Here is a selection of books that are available in the library:

 

• 9 Things Successful People do Differently by Heidi Grant-Halvorson
• The Happy Student: 5 Steps to Academic Fulfillment and Success by Daniel Wong
• Motivation and Learning Strategies for College Success: a Focus on Self-Regulated Learning by Myron Dembo

 

Top Ten Tuesday: The Top Ten Horror Novels and Stories

Since Halloween is just a couple of weeks away, you might be in the mood to read something scary. According to The Top Tens (a website where Internet users can create and vote on top ten lists on a wide variety of topics) these are the top ten horror novels and stories:  

1. The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe. Available in the library in the Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. 

Poe in 1849.
This work is in the public domain.

2. Misery by Stephen King. Available in the library. 

3. Cujo by Stephen King. Available in the library. 

4. The Black Cat by Edgar Allen Poe. Available in the library in the Ghostly Tales and Eerie Poems of Edgar Allen Poe. 

5. The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allen Poe. Available in the library in the Ghostly Tales and Eerie Poems of Edgar Allen Poe. 

6. They Thirst by Robert McCammon

7. The Cellar by Richard Laymon

8. Pet Sematary by Stephen King

9. It by Stephen King

10. Incarnate by Ramsey Campbell

The bottom five aren't currently available in the library. However, you can use our interlibrary loan service to request them. Or you could get a TexShare card from us and use it to borrow them from another library. Or you could use the suggest a purchase form if you think we should add these books to our collection.

Top 10 Tuesday - Twelve Library Resources & Services

Welcome (back, to you returning students)!  Here, in no particular order, is a list of ten things (plus a bonus two) the library has to help make your semester a success. Note that some resources have been relocated from their original locations during our Learning Commons renovation project.

mobile whiteboard

• Individual and group study rooms - on the upper level - most are first come, first served, two (225 and 231) are reservable at the Circulation desk on the main floor.
• Charging station for your mobile devices - on the upper level near the stairs and elevator.
• Mobile whiteboards - available on the upper and lower levels.  You can check out markers and erasers at the Circulation Desk on the main floor.
• Vending machine - for scantrons and other supplies - in the hallway near the coffee bar, main floor.
• TexShare cards - get yours at the Circulation Desk, main floor.
• Collaboration table for group projects - on the lower level - first come, first served.
• Presentation practice room - also on the lower level - reserve it there or at the Circulation Desk on the main floor.
• Comb binding machine - in the curriculum workroom on the lower level.
• Die cuts - also in the curriculum workroom.  We have a new die cut machine - ask us how to use it!
• Discovery -  the library's search tool that allows you to simultaneously search the library’s catalog and most of the databases using one interface - http://lib01.tarleton.edu/scripts/lib_redirect.pl?eds - accessible 24/7 from anywhere.
• Apps and mobile-friendly resources - also available any place, any time.
• Research Guides - to help identify which resources might be helpful for your assignments - also available 24/7.

collaboration table

presentation practice room

Have a GREAT semester, and please remember the library is here to help you! The library is open 101 hours per week (more during finals and the week before them).  You may get help and ask questions in person at the library, by phone at 254-968-9249, by email at reference@tarleton.edu, or via the web at http://www.tarleton.edu/~library/askaref.html.

Top 10 Influential Women in History

Discovery has compiled a list of the top 10 influential women in history based on the following criteria:

• The women changed the opinions or actions of others.
• Their impact was international.
• Their influence was positive.
• The effects were sustained over time.
• They come from a variety of professions and geographic locations.

http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/curiosity/topics/top-10-most-influential-women.htm

10. Maria Montessori (1870-1952): Education Pioneer

Films on Demand video: Maria Montessori: Her Life and Legacy
https://zeus.tarleton.edu/login?url=http://digital.films.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?aid=22636&xtid=44903


9. Helena Rubinstein (1871-1965): Unexpected Entrepreneur
Madame : an intimate biography of Helena Rubinstein.
Book: Call Number TP983.A66 R86 1971 - General stacks

8. Margaret Mead (1901-1978): Tireless Anthropologist
Films on Demand video:  A Conversation with Margaret Mead—From NBC's Wisdom Series
https://zeus.tarleton.edu/login?url=http://digital.films.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?aid=22636&xtid=43390

7. Grace Hopper (1906-1992): Dedicated Computer Scientist
Grace Hopper and the Invention of the Information Age
Ebook: https://zeus.tarleton.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=291790&site=eds-live

6. Frida Kahlo (1907-1954): Suffering Artist
Films on Demand video:  Frida Kahlo: Portrait of a Woman
https://zeus.tarleton.edu/login?url=http://digital.films.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?aid=22636&xtid=3191

5. Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986): Feminist Philosopher
Simone De Beauvoir, Philosophy & Feminism
Ebook: https://zeus.tarleton.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=74596&site=eds-live

4. Dorothy Hodgkin (1910-1994): Nobel Prize-winning Chemist
Article: Ferry, G. (2010). The making of an exceptional scientist. Nature, 464(7293), 1268. doi:10.1038/4641268a
https://zeus.tarleton.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=49787330&site=eds-live

3. Gertrude Elion (1918-1999): Inspired Medical Researcher
Article: Colvin, M. (1999). Gertrude Belle Elion (1918-1999). Science, 284(5419), 1480.
https://zeus.tarleton.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pbh&AN=1902417&site=eds-live

2. Doris Lessing (1919- ): Humanist Writer
Films on Demand video:  World of Ideas: Doris Lessing
https://zeus.tarleton.edu/login?url=http://digital.films.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?aid=22636&xtid=32217


1. Queen Noor (1951- ): International Humanitarian
Leap of faith [sound recording] : memoirs of an unexpected life
Audiobook: Call Number DS154.52.N87 A3 2003 - Lower Level

Do you agree with their Top 10 List?
Find more information about these influential women @ Tarleton Libraries.

 

Top 10 Tuesday: 12 New Audiobooks

Here, in no particular order, are ten (and a bonus two) new audiobooks recently acquired by the Dick Smith Library.  Many of these won either a Newbery Medal or an Audie Award.  You can find them on the lower level in the Audiovisual Collection.

 1. Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt, call number AV-Audio PZ7 .H9156 UP 2011 - a timeless story that won the 1967 Newbery Medal.

 2. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain, call number AV-Audio PS3563 .C383495 P37 2011 - a popular choice with book clubs, this is a biographical novel about Ernest Hemingway's first wife, Hadley Richardson.

 3. Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski, call number AV-Audio PZ7 .L54 ST 2011 - historical fiction about life in central Florida in the early 1900s, it won the 1946 Newbery Medal.

 4. The King's Speech by Mark Logue, call number AV-Audio DA585 .L57 L64 2011 - 2012 Audie Award Winner, Solo Narration/Male, based on the Academy Award-winning film.

  5. The Watch that Ends the Night: Voices from the Titanic by Allan Wolf, call number AV-Audio PZ7.5 .W64 WAT 2011 - 2012 Audie Award Winner, Distinguished Achievement in Production.

6. New York to Dallas : an In Death novel by J. D. Robb, call number AV-Audio PS3568 .O243 N48 2011 - 2012 Audie Award Winner, Romance.


 7.  Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos, call number AV-Audio PZ7 .G15334 DD 2011B - the 2012 Newbery Medalist.

 8.  State of Wonder by Ann Patchett, call number AV-Audio PS3566 .A7756 S76 2011 - 2012 Audie Award Winner, Literary Fiction.


 9. Bossypants by Tina Fey, call number AV-Audio PN2287 .F4255 A3 2011 - double 2012 Audie Award Winner, for Audiobook of the Year and for Biography/Memoir.

10. The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh, call number AV-Audio PS3604 .I2255 L36 2011B.  this realistic fiction title is another popular choice with book clubs.

11. Feast Day of Fools by James Lee Burke, call number AV-Audio  PS3552 .U723 F43 2011 - 2012 Audie Award Winner, Mystery; set in southwest Texas.

12. Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor, call number AV-Audio PZ7 .T214826 DAU 2011B - 2012 Audie Award Winner, Fantasy.

Top 10 reasons to use Films on Demand

1. All videos include public performance rights and can be shown on campus or in the library to students, faculty, patrons, and community members.
2. About 600 new titles are added every year.
3. Videos can be searched by subject categories, which include Communication, Criminal Justice, Education, Sociology, and many more.
4. Users can create and share customized playlists.
5. Videos can be shared through permalinks, embed codes into BlackBoard, and playlists.
6. Most titles have closed captioning.
7. Videos are mobile-friendly for iPad, iPhone, Kindle Fire, and Android.
8. If you need help, there are several video tutorials from searching for content to editing playlists.
9. Most films have Interactive Transcripts which allow you to view the full text of the video, search within the full text, or click on any word in the transcript to jump to that exact point in the video.
10. Video contributors include: PBS, National Geographic, Royal Opera House, TED, Ken Burns, and others.   

Films On Demand is a state-of-the-art streaming video platform that can be accessed from the Library Database page: http://www.tarleton.edu/library/databases.html

Top 10 Reasons to Use Testing & Education Reference Center

Testing and Education Reference Center database, located on the library's A-Z Database list, is a tool that can be used by all: high school seniors, incoming freshmen, undergraduates, graduates, and even professors. It can help you prepare for your future in each stage of your life.

1. CLEP Test~  Provides a complete subject review and 2 practice tests for the 5 CLEP general subject tests. The CLEP gives students the chance to earn college-level credits through a series of exams.
2. TOEFL~ Gives students the opportunity to test their English language skills through reading, writing, listening and in some cases speaking.
3. GRE Prep~ You'll get subject reviews, along with test-taking tips and strategies, and also have the chance to practice your skills and diagnose your strengths and weaknesses by taking nine practice tests.
4. Graduate Program Search~ Search for the Graduate Program that's right for you. Programs can be found in England, Russia, or even Nova Scotia.
5. Scholarship Search~ With this search, you can find private awards and grants to help cut college costs as an Undergraduate or Graduate.
6. Military Test Prep~ Prepares students for entrance into the Armed Forces with practice entrance exams such as the ASVAB.
7. Resume Builder~ Helps students build a resume for a future career.
8. Career Assessment~ Find the career that fits you best.
9. Virtual Career Library~ These modules will help you search for jobs, prepare for an interview, and even learn how to negotiate job conditions, to say the least. 
10. Current Articles for Careers, Schools, etc.~ You can find current resources and articles for not only careers, but also universities and graduate programs.

TERC can help you do so much more than what is listed above. Take the time to thoroughly look over the database to find the tools you are looking for. It's your future, be prepared.

If you need assistance call the Information desk at (254) 968-9249 or email us at reference@tarleton.edu.

Top 10 Reasons to love Tarleton Libraries

There are lots of reasons to love Tarleton Libraries, but here are my Top 10.

1. We have friendly, knowledgable staff that love to help you! Call us at 254-968-9249 or click  http://www.tarleton.edu/library/askaref.html for assistance.

2. Shhh...we have quiet places to study. Check out the Quiet Zone located on the upper level of the library.

3. We offer mobile apps for searching our library catalog and databases such as JSTOR, SciVerse, Ebsco, and American Chemical Society. For a complete list: http://www.tarleton.edu/library/mobile.html

4. Our Discovery search tool saves you time by allowing you to do one search and get results from several different library databases. http://www.tarleton.edu/library/discovery/

5. The Suavé Coffee Bar offers delicious drinks and food to keep everyone going.

6. Our Interlibrary Loan (ILLiad) staff work hard to find books, articles, dvds, microfilm, etc. to borrow from other libraries for your research needs. Did you know that they can also get fiction and other recreational books for you and it's almost always free!! http://www.tarleton.edu/library/ill.html  

7. We know your time is valuable, so we have a charging station for your phone located on the main floor and a supply vending machine in the Student Lounge for pens, pencils, scantrons, etc.

8. All students, staff, and faculty can check out materials from our library free-of-charge. All you need is a photo id.

9. Our Display Committee provides interesting and informative displays. Stop by to see our display in the lobby and the new book display in the reference area bookcase.

10. We like to hear from you! We're doing a Library Lovers twitter contest through Wednesday, Feb. 13th @ noon. Use @TarletonLib and #WeLoveTarletonLib to participate. The winner will be announced Feb. 14th.

Top Ten Newbery Medalists at the Dick Smith Library

Last Monday, the American Library Association announced its annual Youth Media Awards, the top books, video and audiobooks for children and young adults.  Here at the Dick Smith Library, we own all of the Medalists and nearly all of the Honor Books for the top two awards, the Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children, and the John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature.

I thought it would be interesting to see which Newbery Medalists have been most popular (in terms of the number of times it has been checked out since we started keeping records in July 1996).  Here are our top ten, with the year the book won listed after the author's name:

 1.  Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry - 1990 - PZ7 .L9673 NU *
 2.  Dear Mr. Henshaw, by Beverly Cleary - 1984 - PZ7 .C5792 DE 1983
 3.  Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson - 1978 - PZ7 .P273 BR *
 4.  Sarah, Plain and Tall, by Patricia MacLachlan - 1986 - PZ7 .M2225 SAR *
 5.  Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred Taylor - 1977 - PZ7 .T21723 RO *
 6.  Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O'Dell - 1961 - PZ7 .O237 IS *
 7.  Sounder, by William Armstrong - 1970 - PZ7 .A73394 SO *
 8.  Holes, by Louis Sachar - 1999 - PZ7 .S1185 HO *
 9.  Dicey's Song, by Judith Voigt - 1983 - PZ7 .V874 DI 1983
10.  Missing May, by Cynthia Rylant - 1993 - PZ7 .R982 MJ 1992

All of these can be found on the lower level of the Dick Smith Library, in the Curriculum Collection.  When you click the links, you'll see that some of these (* also marked with asterisks after the call number in the list) are also available here as audiobooks, in the Audiovisual Collection, also downstairs. 

How many of these have you read (or listened to)?  Tell us in the comments!  Our top ten were all published between 1960 and 1998, so most of you may have had an opportunity to read these in school.  My goal is to read all 92 (so far) medalists, but I have a long way to go.  In our top ten list, I've read seven (the ones we have as audiobooks), and I've read (or listened to) 40 in all.  I started working on this goal in August 2007!

Don't forget - February is Library Lovers Month! #libraryloversmonth @TarletonLib.

Top Ten Tuesday - Library Resources & Services

Welcome back!  Here is a list of ten things (in no particular order) the library has to help make your semester a success.

charging station

• Charging station for your mobile devices - on the main floor.
• Mobile whiteboards - available on all floors.  You can check out markers and erasers at the Circulation Desk on the main floor.
• Vending machine - for scantrons and other supplies - in the student lounge near the coffee bar, main floor.
• TexShare cards - get yours at the Circulation Desk, main floor.
• Comb binding machine - in the curriculum workroom on the lower level.
• Die cuts - also in the curriculum workroom.  We have a new die cut machine - ask us how to use it!
• Presentation practice room - also downstairs on the lower level - reserve it there or at the Circulation Desk on the main floor.
• Discovery -  the library's search tool that allows you to simultaneously search the library’s catalog and most of the databases using one interface - http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?authtype=ip,uid&profile=eds - accessible 24/7 from anywhere.
• Apps and mobile-friendly resources - also available any place, any time.
• Research Guides - to help identify which resources might be helpful for your assignments - also available 24/7.

new die cut machine

comb binding machine

Have a GREAT semester, and please remember the library is here to help you! The library is open 101 hours per week (more during finals and the week before them).  You may get help and ask questions in person at the library, by phone at 254-968-9249, by email at reference@tarleton.edu, or via the web at http://www.tarleton.edu/~library/askaref.html

Top Ten Tuesday - Study food

Walking through the library yesterday afternoon, I saw all kinds of meals being consumed - sandwiches, tacos, chicken, pizza, nuggets, burgers, and LOTS of coffee and power drinks.  That got me to thinking about the best type of food to help you study.  According to this post on the Campus Talk Blog: the Top 10 Brain Foods that Help You Study and Get Better Grades are listed below.

• Fish
• Nuts
• Grains
• Apples
• Vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, etc.)
• Dark Chocolate - YEAH
• Spinach
• Colorful Berries or Grapes
• Beans (legumes)
• Onions

What is your favorite type of study food? The library encourages you to make yourself at home while you study, but please follow our food and drink policy (no eating around computers or in the Special Collections area).  Post a comment and share your best study foods.  Good luck with finals!!!  Oh  BTW - I have some nuts I will share if you need a snack - Library Room 250 - while supplies last.

Top Ten Tuesday - Ready for Halloween?

Tomorrow is the big day!  I have my candy, and my jack-o-laterns are made.  I thought I would give you a list of fun movies you might watch as you wait for the trick-or-treaters. (Sorry I don't do scarey.)

• Beetle Juice - 1988
• Hocus Pocus - 1993
• The Goonies -  1985
• The Nightmare Before Christmas - 1993
• Corpse Bride - 2005
• Casper - 1995
• Monsters, Inc. - 2001
• Ghost Busters - 1984
• Young Frankenstein -1974
• Germlins - 1984

Hope you all have a GREAT Halloween!

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Circulated Audiobooks

Here are the audiobooks that have been checked out most frequently at the Dick Smith Library:

1. Harry Potter series, by J. K. Rowling - five of the the seven audiobooks in this series would be in the top ten list, so in the interest of variety, I'm lumping them all together as number one.  Narrated by the incomparable Jim Dale, these are a real treat.
2. The hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien - PZ8 .T52 HO 1997
3. The lion, the witch and the wardrobe, by C. S. Lewis - PZ7 .L58474 LI 2000
4. The bear and the dragon, by Tom Clancy - PS3553 .L245 .B42 2000
5. On the street where you live, by Mary Higgins Clark - PS3553 .L287 O5 2001
6. - a tie: I don't know how she does it: the life of Kate Reddy, working mother, by Allison Pearson - PR6116 .E17 I2 2002,
   Guns, germs, and steel: the fates of human societies, by Jared Diamond - HM206 .D48 1999,
   and Standing in the rainbow, by Fannie Flagg - PS3556 .L26 S73 2002
7. - another tie: Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis - BT77 .L348 2000,
and The secret life of bees, by Sue Monk Kidd - PS3561 .I44 S38 2001
8. Shopgirl, by Steve Martin - PS3563 .A7293 S56,
   
9. - yet another tie: Murder can spoil your appetite, by Selma Eichler - PS3555 .I226 M83 2001,
   The Da Vinci code, by Dan Brown - PS3552 .R685434 D3 2003B,
   and Who moved my cheese? by Spencer Johnson - BF637 .C4 J64 1998
10. - still another tie: Night, by Elie Wiesel - D810.J4 W5211 2000,
    Ireland, by Frank Delaney - PR6054 .E396 2005,
    From the mixed-up files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, by E. L. Konigsburg - PZ7.K8352 FR 1995,
    The fourth hand, by John Irving - PS3559 .R8 F68 2001,
    and Junie B. Jones CD edition, Books 1-8, by Barbara Park - PZ7 .P2197 J86 2003

You can find these on the lower level of the library, in the AV section to the right as you exit the stairs or elevator.

Top Ten Tuesday: Japanese Anime

Did you know that the library now has a few Japanese anime movies in its collection? This list is a little more than 10 items long, but I wanted to include them all.

• Roujin Z - In this sci-fi comedy, an elderly invalid is forced to take part in an experiment designed to replace human nurses with machines.
• Ghost in the Shell - A cyberpunk classic. It's set in a future where few people lack cyber enhancements of some sort. An elite assault team tries to track down a hacker responsible for "ghost-hacking" several people's minds.
• Grave of the Fireflies - An adaptation of Akiyuki Nosaka's semi-autobiographical novel. Two children try to survive in the the aftermath of a World War II bombing that destroyed their home and killed their mother.
• Perfect Blue - A psychological thriller about a pop star who quits her singing career in order to become an actress, only to be stalked by one of her fans.
• Princess Mononoke - A historical fantasy that starts with a young man defending his village from a giant boar-demon. Although the young man is able to kill the boar, one of his arms is cursed in the process, and he must journey to find a way to remove the curse.
• Spirited Away - While on their way to their new home, 10-year-old Chihiro and her family end up at a bathhouse intended for spirits. After Chihiro's parents are turned into pigs, Chihiro works at the bathhouse and looks for a way to save them.
• Millennium Actress - A filmmaker interviews a reclusive former actress about her life and her career. Fantasy and reality mix, as happens in many of director Satoshi Kon's films.
• R.O.D. (Read or Die) - An action movie starring a special agent working for the British Library Special Operations Division. Bibliophile Yomiko Readman has the ability to manipulate paper into any object she can imagine. She and a couple other agents work together to stop reincarnated historical figures from controlling the world.
• Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence - Another cyberpunk thriller. Batou, a heavily cyborged police officer, works with his mostly human partner to investigate a series of murders.
• The Girl Who Leapt Through Time - A girl discovers she has the ability to move backwards through time. While she has fun with this ability at first, she eventually realizes that changing the past can have serious consequences on those around her.
• Tokyo Godfathers - Three homeless people find an abandoned baby on Christmas Eve and try to locate its parents.

Top Ten Tuesday: New Audiobooks

Going somewhere for Spring Break?  For you commuters or anyone about to take a long road trip, the Dick Smith Library has a growing collection of audiobooks in CD format, with many audiobooks still available in cassette format. They are located on the lower level of the library, just to the right, as you exit the elevator or the stairs, through the glass doors, in the Audiovisual Collection area. You can check them out for four weeks; plenty of time to take them on a vacation (just be sure you don't lose any of the pieces!).

Here's a post on how to search the library catalog for audiobooks. You can create lists for mysteries, historical fiction, or your favorite author, for example.

If you're in RDG301, Children's Literature, some of  you need to read five novels or chapter books for your investigation project! Spring Break is a great time to do this, and if you will be on the road part of that time, listening to an audiobook makes the travel time pass more quickly. Here is a list of 50 audiobooks that might work for this assignment.

Here, in no particular order, are ten of our newest titles (click the titles to check availability):

1. Life - ML420 .R515 A3 2010B - An autobiography by Rolling Stones founding member Keith Richards, this was the 2011 Audiobook of the Year and 2011 winner of the Audie Award for Biography/Memoir.

2. Moon Over Manifest - PZ7 .V28393 MO 2011 - With dual narrative lines set in 1917-1918 and 1936, this 2011 Newbery Medalist is the story of a small town in Kansas called Manifest (modeled after the real town of Frontenac, where author Clare Vanderpool's grandparents grew up), with an intriguing plot, compelling characters, and a lot of heart and soul.

3. The Reversal - PS3553 .O51165 R48 2010B - Part of Michael Connelly's Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch series, this audiobook won the 2011 Audie Award for Mystery.

4. This Body of Death - PS3557 .E478 T48 2010B - One of Elizabeth George's Inspector Lynley novels, this audiobook was a finalist for the 2011 Audie Award for Mystery.

5.  The Postmistress - PS3552 .L3493 P67 2010B - The effects of war on those not fighting it are explored in Sarah Blake's 2011 Audie Award for Fiction finalist.

6.  Chapters from My Autobiography - PS1331 .A2 2010D - by Mark Twain was a finalist for the 2011 Audie Award for Distinguished Achievement in Production.

7.  A Visit from the Goon Squad  - PS3555 .G292 V57 2010B - by Jennifer Egan won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.  This unusual novel about time is really a series of linked short stories.  Characters in one story will pop up in one or more later stories, set earlier or later in time (even somewhere into the 2020s).  The two main characters are Sasha, a kleptomaniac, and her one-time boss, Bennie Salazar, a music company executive.

8. Snakewoman of Little Egypt - PS3558 .E4753 S63 2010B -  The Snakewoman is Sunny, who has just gotten out of prison after shooting (but not killing) her husband, pastor of a snake-handling church in present-day rural Illinois. She rents a garage apartment from Jackson, a professor facing a midlife crisis.  Robert Hellenga's chronicle of their adventures (yes, it involves snakes) won the 2011 Audie Award for Literary Fiction.
9. In the Garden of Beasts - E748 .D6 L37 2011B - Erik Larson's latest narrative nonfiction is set in pre-World War II Berlin, and focuses on then-US Ambassador to Germany William Dodd and his reckless daughter Martha .  This audiobook follows the rise of Hitler and is a nominee for the 2012 Audie Award for History.

10. The Girl in the Garden - PS3614 .A565 G57 2011B - This debut novel by Kamala Nair is as lush as its cover.  It begins with an adult Rahkee Singh leaving her engagement ring and a long letter to her fiance, explaining why she cannot yet marry him and must go back to India to deal with her past.  The book then flashes back to a visit she made there in the summer when she was ten-going-on-eleven.  Rahkee has to deal with her parents' crumbling marriage, and the secrets being kept by her mother and her other relatives.  One of those is the mysterious girl in the beautiful garden...

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Tips for Achieving Your Goals

Have you ever set a goal for yourself? I’m sure many of you have since you’re here at Tarleton State University! But, have you ever set a goal that you felt was impossible to achieve? If you’re having trouble meeting your goal(s), here are 10 great tips to help you achieve them!

Concentrate on 1-2 goals at a time
Prioritize
Create a plan
Create Milestones
Find a Goal Buddy
Know your work habits
Track your goals
Give yourself a reward
Learn to say no
Take time off to be social

If you would like to see the complete article on setting your goals and achieving them, click here.

Also, the Dick Smith Library has a few resources within its collection on setting goals.

Here are two electronic resources available:

Self-management & Personal Effectiveness: How to Achieve Your Personal Goals in Life and at Work

Coach Yourself to Success: 101 Tips from a Personal Coach for Reaching Your Goals at Work and in Life

Ten Facts About Sleep

With the end of Daylight Savings Time about ten days ago, I've been trying to re-adjust my body's internal clock.  It seems to take me at least a week to adapt my sleeping when I travel across time zones or endure the switch to or from Daylight Savings Time.

I recently read and reviewed a book about sleep, and it was full of interesting information about the science and culture of sleep.  Here are ten facts, all from sleep research, in no particular order:

• People can partially awaken from REM (rapid eye movement, the deep) sleep, but they cannot move.  REM muscle paralysis is carried over into wakefulness.  This sleep paralysis goes away by itself after a few minutes, but can be frightening (page 11).
• A person’s core body temperature drops to facilitate the onset of sleep.  Body temperature is lowered by increasing blood circulation in the surface of our bodies.  Since hands and feet have a large surface area, warm hands and feet are an unmistakable sign that the body is getting ready for sleep (pages 13-14).
• Melatonin, a hormone released by the pineal gland that promotes sleep, is secreted starting in the late afternoon and early evening and reaches its peak while we are asleep.  If we open our eyes and receive strong light impulses through the optic nerve, the pineal gland immediately stops producing melatonin, which causes us to awaken (page 14).
• "Nap shops," where exhausted workers can rent a short-term sleeping space, are very popular in Japan (page 49).
• Are you an early bird or a night owl?  The next time you have the next day off (ideally, during a vacation or a break from school), write down what time you go to bed and when you get up the next day.  Then determine your sleep midpoint by dividing the length of time you sleep in half.  Early birds have sleep midpoints before 3 AM; night owls have sleep midpoints after 4 AM (page 63).
• Insomnia is more likely to affect women than men (page 82).
• Snoring is more frequent in men (page 83).
• The ideal room temperature for sleep is between 59 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit (page 92).
• Women who smell peppermint before going to bed sleep longer, with more SMS (slow wave sleep) and less REM sleep.  Men did not experience the same effects, but said they felt more awake and refreshed in the morning.  However, if the scent of peppermint is present all night long, it tends to awaken people from light (stage N1 and N2) sleep, making it difficult to fall asleep quickly (page 113).
• Lavender, jasmine, and vanilla are soothing scents that can help you fall asleep and stay asleep, but can have undesirable side effects in the morning, such as with tasks involving physical exercise. (pages 112-113).

More facts about sleep: 16 Things You Didn't Know About Sleep (infographic)
and 60 Eye-Opening Facts About Sleep.

Top 10 Pumpkin Dessert Recipes

As Halloween and other holidays approach, pumpkins are always a popular decoration and delicious treat. If you are looking for a new idea for dessert instead of serving the same old pumpkin pie, give these top 10 pumpkin recipes a try.

Top 10 Pumpkin Dessert Recipes Taste of Home Recipes

Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 Children's Books Writers

As I was searching Top-ten-list.org, I found a list of the top ten children’s books writers. I noticed that several students have been checking out children’s literature for class projects so I thought this would be an interesting blog post to share. The library actually has items from all of the authors mentioned; just click on their name and the link will take you to their items in the library catalog!

According to the Top-ten-list.org website, the following authors are the top ten children’s books writers:

1. Kevin Henkes
2. Patricia Polacco
3. Eric Carle
4. Beatrix Potter
5. E.B. White
6. Margaret Wise Brown
7. Maurice Sendak
8. Shel Silverstein
9. Dr. Seuss
10. Chris Van Allsburg

Top Ten Tuesday: Donated Audiobooks

Besides purchasing a few new audiobooks each year, the library also receives a number of donations from our various "road warriors" - faculty and staff that commute a good distance to work in Stephenville, or to teach classes there and in Weatherford, Fort Worth, and/or Waco as well! Here, in no particular order, are twelve (not just ten!) recently-donated audiobooks (click the titles to check availability):

1. Undone by Karin Slaughter
2. The Scarpetta Factor by Patricia Cornwell
3. Black Hills by Nora Roberts
4. The Alexandria Link by Steve Berry
5. The 6th Target by James Patterson
6. 7th Heaven by James Patterson
7. A Painted House by John Grisham
8. A Chance to Make History by Wendy Kopp
9. The Wave by Susan Casey
10. Two Little Girls in Blue by Mary Higgins Clark
11. Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm (a 2011 Newbery Honor Book)
12. The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin (National Book Awards 2006 Young People's Literature Finalist)

Donations of gently-used audiobooks on CDs are gratefully accepted - all we need are the discs and the original box they came in!  We'll take care of putting the audiobook in a sturdy plastic case, with protective sleeves for each disc.