How to Renew Items from the Dick Smith Library in Stephenville

1.  On the library’s home page (www.tarleton.edu/library), select “Services” in the right-hand column, then “Renew Items.”

2.  Log in with your NTNET user name and password.

3.  Then click on the "Checkouts" tab.

4.  Use the checkboxes to mark the books you want to renew, or check the "Select All" box, then click the "Renew" button.

5.  If an item does not renew, you will get a message, and you will need to return the item. 

6.  Items won’t renew if someone else has placed a hold on them. Items also won’t renew beyond the last date of the current semester.  Finally, you can only renew items three times online.  If you need to renew the item again after that, you will need to bring it back to the Circulation Desk on the main floor of the library and ask to speak to a supervisor.

Interlibrary Loans

The library's software for processing interlibrary loan requests changed over the summer.  Here are the steps you go through to request a book or other physical item be sent to you from either another Tarleton library, or from a library somewhere in the world that might have the item:


1.  On the library's home page (https://www.tarleton.edu/library/), click “Services” in the right-hand column to open the menu, then click "Interlibrary Loan.”

2.  READ everything on the Interlibrary Loan page (https://www.tarleton.edu/library/services/ill.html), then click "Login to Interlibrary loan" (in center of screen). 

3. Login using your NTNET user name & password.

4. Then click the "Create Request" button.

5. This example is a request for the loan of a book or other physical item, and not an article from a periodical such as an academic journal or a newspaper, so click the "Loan" button.

6. Then use the drop-down menu to select the correct Pickup Location.

7.  All the fields with an asterisk * (also highlighted in yellow below) on the page should be filled out.  Some of the fields, such as your first and last name, and the service type, should already be complete.  You can add information for the other fields, if you have it.  For the "Needed Before" date, you should probably put the date the assignment is due.  Keep in mind, though, that most loans of physical items will take at least a week to arrive, even if they are coming from another Tarleton campus, so plan accordingly.

 

8.  Finally, click "Submit Request" at the bottom of the screen (as in the photo just above).


For an article from a periodical, you'll still need to provide/check your first and last name, your NTNET number, and the Needed Before date.  Under About my item, the required fields are Journal Title and Date, Page Numbers, and Title of Article.  The Service Type should be COPY.  Articles can often be sent as a PDF and so often they will arrive quickly, but again, you need to plan for delays.

If you have any questions, please ask a librarian or contact the Interlibrary Loan staff at ill@tarleton.edu, or 254-968-9660.

New Online Room Reservation System

The Dick Smith Library has several spaces that you can reserve: two group study rooms, a presentation practice room, and the multi-purpose room for faculty/staff events or meetings for student organizations with an approved library event request in TexanSync. Click here for more information about all of the library's spaces.

To reserve library rooms you can always call 254-968-9450. However, starting this semester you can also reserve these spaces online. To do so, click on the Facilities link on the right hand side the library's website: https://www.tarleton.edu/library/ (see screenshot below).

Under Facilities click on the Reserve a Room link (see screenshot below).

That will take you to this page. From here you can select the room you want to reserve. In this example, I have chosen Group Study Rooms (see screenshot below).

After you select the room you want to reserve, then click on the Go To Date button to choose which day you want to reserve the room (see screenshot below).

The online system will show you the times that the rooms are available on that day. Green means available, red means unavailable and yellow is your reservation (see screenshot below). Click on the available time you want, and the color will turn from green to yellow.

When you click on the time you want, the default is to reserve the room for one hour. If you need it for longer, select the dropdown menu below to extend the time requested (see screenshot below). Each type of room has different limits for how long your reservation may last.

When you're ready click on the Submit Times button. You will then be asked to log in with your NTNET username and password. After you log in enter your phone number and the number of people who will be using the room. Then click Submit my Booking (see screenshot below).

A confirmation email will then be sent to you.

If you need to reserve a room, or have any questions about using the online system, please call 254-968-9450.

Meet Our Staff: Jacob Martin

Jacob Martin
User Services Assistant - Access Services
254-968-1896
jsmartin@tarleton.edu
Dick Smith Library – Main Floor

The User Services Assistant has many different areas of operation, but the main tasks revolve around scheduling rooms inside of the library, most notably the Multi-Purpose Room and the Practice Presentation Room, and staffing the Reference Desk 5-8 p.m. on weekdays. Other tasks that are assigned to this position involve an inventory and recurring health checks of the collection.

Jacob says, "I attended Stephenville schools for my whole life and graduated from Stephenville High School in the top 10% of the class of 2015.  I began studying at Tarleton in August 2015 with the intention of securing a bachelor’s degree in English along with teacher certification to teach at the secondary level.  Due to changes in interest, I graduated on August 10, 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Spanish."

Before joining the library staff, Jacob worked as a machine operator and packaging assistant at Square One Machine, inspected and packaged goods at Schreiber Foods, and served as a student worker in our cataloging department.

Jacob's off-the-job interests include reading philosophical or fantastical material, creative writing, language learning, and  traveling (intercontinentally or internationally).  His spare-time activities include ultimate frisbee, walking and hiking, and reading when there is time.  His favorite books are
The Divine Comedy, by Dante Alighieri, and World War Z by Max Brooks.

Summer Reading Recommendations - Three from Kim Gragg

A couple months ago, the Library posted a video on our YouTube Channel with staff recommendations for summer reading.  Here's the "why?" behind some of those recommendations, as well as other books that did not make it into the video.  All are available as e-books in our OverDrive collection.

Kimberly Gragg, our Circulation and Interlibrary Loan Manager, had three suggestions.

Kim said, "I really enjoyed The Alice Network. It’s historical fiction and based on a network of spies that utilize women to get knowledge on the enemy in World War I." This fascinating story is based on the real-life "Alice Network" of mostly-female spies centered in Lille, France, on the border with Belgium.  This book has two story lines, one set during World War I and the other in 1947.  Eve Gardiner is the character that ties them together.

The tale goes back and forth in time and between narrators.  The other narrator is Charlotte "Charlie" St. Clair, who enlists Eve's help in 1947 to find her French cousin Rose, who disappeared in World War II.  Author Kate Quinn does a masterful job weaving them and other characters (some real-life), places, and incidents into the story.

Lois Lowry's The Giver is a popular fantasy.  This 1994 Newbery Medalist has become a classic, and one that is frequently challenged in schools and libraries, for reasons ranging from “contains graphic themes,” and  “contains blasphemous ideas and content,” to “depicts ideas and actions that are inappropriate for young readers,” and “inappropriate for [elementary] grade level.”

The plot in a nutshell:  Jonas, the main character, learns his utopian world is really dystopian.

Same Kind of Different as Me is the true story of a wealthy white man, Ron Hall, and a homeless black man, Denver Moore, brought together by the white man’s wife, Deborah, who dies from colon and liver cancer. The book is short chapters alternately narrated by Ron and Denver.

The Giver is also available in both print and audiobook format, both on the lower level of the Dick Smith Library.  Same Kind of Different as Me can also be found in print in the General Stacks on the upper level of the library.

Top Ten Tuesday - Last Minute Summer Activities

photo from Pixabay / CC0 1.0

Summer is coming to a close and it is time to gear up for school. If you are like me, you might be wondering where the summer went. You might also be trying to think of ways to enjoy the end of summer. 

Thanks to a post by Gina Alyse, here are some Last-Minute Bucket List ideas for summer.

• Find a new workout routine.
• Take a road trip with friends (or by yourself).
• Make popsicles.
• Set up an informational interview with someone in your chosen field.
• Get ahead of your school year by developing your portfolio.
• Get out and volunteer in your community.
• Create a blog.
• Spend time with your family.
• Attend a concert.
• Relax and read a book. You can explore our recent OverDrive blog posts if you need suggestions. 

What else would you add to your Summer Bucket List? Personally, I would add camping to mine.

Please comment and share.

Summer Reading Recommendations - Two Audiobooks from Amanda Pape

A couple months ago, the Library posted a video on our YouTube Channel with staff recommendations for summer reading.  Here's the "why?" behind some of those recommendations, as well as other books that did not make it into the video.

Amanda Pape, Coordinator for Archives and Special Services, has a 45-minute one-way commute to the Stephenville campus, so she is a big advocate of audiobooks.  These suggestions are available as e-audiobooks in our OverDrive collection.


"'The Nightingale' is the code name for a member of the French Resistance during World War II, and it's also the last name (in English) for three characters in the book, Vienne Rossignol Mauriac, her younger, single sister Isabelle Rossignol, and their father Julien Rossignol.  They are each part of the resistance, in different ways.  Vienne's story in some ways is the most compelling, for she has to pretend to be 'normal' both for the sake of her children and because of the German officers billeting in her home.

Kristin Hannah states in her author's note and a conversation in the reading group guide that she based Isabelle on a 'young Belgian woman named Andrée de Jongh, who had created an escape route for downed airmen out of Nazi-occupied France.'

Polly Stone was an excellent reader - she has lived in France, and it shows in this audiobook, which won the 2016 Audie Award for Fiction and was a finalist for best female narrator and Audiobook of the Year."  The Nightingale is also available as an e-book in OverDrive.

"Barkskins is an epic (713 pages in print) novel tracing two families involved in different ways in the timber industry in North America (primarily - also a bit in New Zealand as well).  It starts in 1763 with two French immigrants to Canada, René Sel and Charles Duquet.  Both are indentured servants, but Duquet runs away and becomes a successful fur trader - and eventually a timber baron, changing his surname to Duke.  Sel marries a Native American woman, and their descendants work in the forest, but rarely own much.

The book then follows down each line about six generations, to 2013.  Along the way, the two families intersect.  Some characters are more memorable than others.  In particular, I liked René's great-great grandson Jinot Sel and his (mis-)adventures in New Zealand, as well as Lavinia Duke Breitsprecher, who is about as ruthless in business as her great-great-grandfather Charles.

The stories move all over the world too, from Nova Scotia and Maine to France, London, Amsterdam, New Zealand, China, and the Amazon, as well as to various American cities (Boston, Detroit, Chicago) as the Duke company enterprises move westward.  Lots of period details make the settings come alive.  It's obvious author Annie Proulx has done her research.

Actor Robert Petkoff is an outstanding reader on the audiobook, creating appropriate accents and voices for each character that help to distinguish them."

The Living New Deal

The Living New Deal is a non-profit organization that exists to document all of the public works that were created by various New Deal programs from 1933-43. Several professors at the University of California-Berkeley began this project in 2005 by gathering information on New Deal public works projects in California. In 2010, they expanded and began documenting projects nationally. The New Deal refers to a wide range of economic programs that President Franklin Roosevelt's administration enacted in response to the Great Depression. 

The Living New Deal's website contains a wealth of information and resources. My favorite tool is the map. You can use navigation tools in the map to either zoom in or search for a specific location in the United States and see New Deal public works projects in the area. 

Map from the Living New Deal website.
Each red dot represents a public works project built by a New Deal program between 1933-43. 

Close up view of Stephenville and surrounding towns reveals several New Deal projects in the area.  

This map reveals that there are two buildings in Stephenville that were built by New Deal programs. One is the current Public Library and former post office building located at 174 N. Columbia Street. It was funded by the US Treasury Department and completed in 1935.

Current Stephenville Public Library and former post office.
The building was a New Deal public works project completed in 1935.
Michael Barera [CC BY-SA 4.0  (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0), from Wikimedia Commons.

The other is the Recreation Hall located at 378 W. Long Street. It was built the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and completed in 1938. Today it houses the offices of the Stephenville's Parks and Recreation Department.

Recreation Hall in Stephenville. Built by the WPA in 1938.
Joshua Wallace - Photographer & Copyright Holder, 2018. 

If you want to learn more about the New Deal, the Dick Smith library has a large collection of items on the subject. Such as these titles:

Digital Film:
A Chaos of Experimentation

Books & eBooks:
A Concise History of the New Deal by Jason Scott Smith
The Crash of '29 and the New Deal by Bruce Glassman
Designing a New America: The Origins of New Deal Planning, 1890-1943 by Patrick D. Reagan

The Great Depression & the New Deal: A Very Short Introduction by Eric Rauchway

Nature's New Deal: The Civilian Conservation Corps and the Roots of the American Environmental Movement by Neil M. Maher 

The New Deal by David E. Hamilton
The New Deal: America's Response to the Great Depression by Ronald Edsforth
The New Deal Art Projects: An Anthology of Memoirs by Francis V. O'Connor
The New Deal: The Depression Years, 1933-40 by Anthony J. Badger

Contact us at 254-968-9249 or reference@tarleton.edu if you have any questions about library resources on the New Deal or any other topic.

Summer Reading Recommendations - Two from Tracy Holtman

A couple months ago, the Library posted a video on our YouTube Channel with staff recommendations for summer reading.  Here's the "why?" behind some of those recommendations, as well as other books that did not make it into the video.  All are available as e-books in our OverDrive collection.

Tracy Holtman, our Assistant Director for Collections Management, had two suggestions.

"What I liked about The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend [by Katarina Bivald] was that it was different from what I normally read.   Two women correspond sending book recommendations.  However when the woman from Sweden visits, her pen-pal has passed away.  She stays in the friendly small town, and opens a book store, giving book recommendations to everyone.

I enjoyed revisiting all the books mentioned. (It was nice to know I had read several!!)  It was just a good sweet book – small town America."

Tracy also recommends the Sullivan’s Crossing series, set in rural Colorado, because "It was by an author I love [Robyn Carr], with a family storyline.    I like family stories – this one [What We Find, first in the series] is about a daughter and her aging father.   (And of course some romance too.)   Just a good, short, fun read."

We also have the next two books in the series in OverDrive:  Any Day Now, and The Family Gathering.

Independence Day

On July 4th we celebrate Independence Day. On this day in 1776 the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, which formally declared that the United States was free of any connection to Great Britain. However, actual independence was not achieved until the conclusion of the American Revolutionary War and the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783.

On June 10th, 1776 the Continental Congress designated the Committee of Five to write a declaration of independence.  The five men on the committee were: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman. The committee chose Thomas Jefferson to be the author of the document, and the other members of the committee assisted with editing and revisions. The committee approved the final draft on June 28th, and then submitted it to the Congress. The Congress adopted the declaration on July 4th.

1791 portrait of Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)
Third President of the United States and primary author of the Declaration of Independence.
 [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. 

The library has a lot of resources for learning more about the Declaration of Independence. Such as these titles:

American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence by Pauline Maier 

The Annotated U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence by Jack N. Rakove

Collected Works of Roger Sherman by Roger Sherman

The Declaration of Independence: The Evolution of the Text as Shown in Facsimiles of Various Drafts by its Author, Thomas Jefferson by Julian P. Boyd
The Declaration of Independence: A Global History by David Armitage
The Declaration of Independence: Its History by John H. Hazelton
The Declaration of Independence of the United States in Ten Languages by United States
Greatness to Spare: The Heroic Sacrifices of the Men Who Signed the Declaration of Independence by T. R. Fehrenbach
Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence by Benson John Lossing
Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality by Danielle S. Allen

If you have any questions about library resources then please contact us at reference@tarleton.edu or 254-968-9249.

Summer Reading Recommendations - Two from Lisa Wan

Recently the Library posted a video on our YouTube Channel with staff recommendations for summer reading.  Here's the "why?" behind some of those recommendations, as well as for other books that didn't make it into the video.

Lisa Wan is our Tarleton - Fort Worth Librarian.  Here are her recommendations, both of which are available as e-books in our OverDrive collection:

"A Gentleman in Moscow, by Amor Towles, takes the reader into the fictional life of a Russian gentleman imprisoned in a world-class Russian hotel during the Russian Revolution.  I enjoyed the fictionalized glimpse of old world life in Russia through descriptions of the hotel life, but the real gem for me was growing to know the characters more deeply and enjoying their interactions. The book’s ending is intriguing, leaving my friends and I in disagreement about the conclusion.

I read The Only Woman in the Room, by Eileen Pollack, because I know that women still struggle to belong in primarily male-dominated fields.  Pollack’s book is her biographical story as one of the first two women to earn a degree in physics from Yale University. Pollack describes her encounters, not only with learning physics, but also with, literally, being the only woman room in a the classroom full of men.  Pollack’s unbarred description of the struggles of a female in a STEM [science - technology - engineering - math] field in the 1970s gave me perspective on the subtle prejudices women face when working in a male dominated field, yet encouraged me with her will to overcome."

Summer Reading Recommendations - Non-Fiction Titles from Joshua Wallace

Recently the Library posted a video on our YouTube Channel with staff recommendations for summer reading.  Here's the "why?" behind some of those recommendations, as well as for other books that didn't make it into the video.

Joshua Wallace, our Instruction Librarian, says,

"I enjoy reading non-fiction works, and personally find it difficult to become engrossed in fiction. If you’re like me then here are some books you might enjoy.

Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah – This autobiography is an emotional rollercoaster, and you probably want to have a box of tissues handy when reading it. Adeline’s mother died two weeks after giving birth to her, and the family considered her bad luck as a result. Years later her father remarried, and her stepmother was exceedingly cruel. Despite these challenges, Adeline excelled academically. As this family drama unfolds, World War II and the Chinese Civil War occurs in the background." 

[This e-book is available 24/7 in our OverDrive collection.  The next two print books can be found in the General Stacks on the upper level of the Dick Smith Library.]

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris – "A hilarious read that is a nice break from the tear-jerker mentioned above. You might still need that box of tissues, but this time it will be because you’re laughing too much. This is a collection of autobiographical (possibly humorously exaggerated) essays of the author’s life. From taking a speech therapy class in his childhood, to living abroad in France, and much more in between. This author finds humor even in the mundane and challenging events of his life.

Japan 1941: Countdown to Infamy by Eri Hotta – This work tells the story of Japan’s decision to bomb Pearl Harbor from the Japanese point-of-view. This book reveals that many Japanese officials realized that bombing the US would have terrible consequences, but the tragi-comic realities of Japan’s government and society at the time pushed them along this disastrous course. Hotta is a great writer and the way she tells the story makes this book hard to put down."

National Sewing Machine Day

National Sewing Machine day is an unofficial holiday that is celebrated every year on June 13. It was created in recognition of the invention of the sewing machine, a machine that made clothing production easier and quicker.

Who invented the sewing machine?

In 1790 an English inventor, Thomas Saint, received a patent for a machine that would be powered by a hand crank and could sew leather and canvas. Alas no one has ever found evidence that his idea went beyond initial drawings.

In 1874, William Newton Wilson discovered Saint's design and built a working model. The model was later donated to the London Science Museum.



Since Saint's initial design, many inventors have tinkered with the machine in order to improve its functionality. One of the most notable modifications to the machines came in 1851 when Isaac Singer adapted the design to include a foot pedal and a push down needle. Singer was then able to bring the machine beyond factories and into American households.



You can click on this link to further explore the history, and controversies, behind the creation of the modern sewing machine.

How to celebrate National Sewing Machine Day?

• Sew something for charity
• If you do not already have a machine, borrow one and practice
• Examine quilts and reflect on familial heritage

Lastly our library has a large collection of materials to help generate ideas for projects. Below are some examples: 

Books and Ebooks 

• The Complete Book of Sewing
• Power Sewing Step-by-Step by Sandra Betzina
• Quilts, 1700-2010: Hidden Histories, Untold Stories by Sue Prichard
• Sewing for Fashion Designers by Annette Fischer

Digital Videos

• Beginning Sewing Techniques
• Levi's: Sewing a Legend
• Sewing ABCs

If you need help finding resources, contact the library at reference@tarleton.edu or 254-968-9249.

Texas Traveling

Are you planning a trip somewhere in Texas this summer? If so, then make a stop by the library before you do. We have a wealth of travel information available in our collection.

The Alamo, San Antonio, TX 2009.
By Daniel Schwen [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia Commons.

Periodicals 

• Texas Highways - magazine published monthly by the Texas Department of Transportation. Contains many articles with Texas road trip ideas.
• Texas Monthly - this magazine covers all things Texas (politics, culture, and much more). It also frequently publishes useful information for Texas travel such as this recent article on traveling in the hill country. 
• Texas Parks and Wildlife - monthly magazine published by the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife. Contains useful information on the recreational activities available at Texas state parks.

Books & eBooks

• 25 Bicycle Tours in the Texas Hill Country & West Texas by Norman D. Ford 
• Along the Texas Forts Trail by B.W. Aston
• Backroads of the Texas Hill Country: Your Guide to the Most Scenic Adventures by Gary Clark 
• The Courthouses of Texas by Mavis Parrott Kelsey
• Enjoying Big Bend National Park: A Friendly Guide to Adventures for Everyone by Gary Clark
• Exploring the Edges of Texas by Walt Davis 
• Finding Birds on the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail by Ted Eubanks 
• Fly-fishing the Texas Hill Country by B.L. Priddy  
• Fort Worth & Tarrant County: An Historical Guide by Carol E. Roark 
• A Gangster Tour of Texas by T. Lindsay Baker
• Ghost Towns of Texas by T. Lindsay Baker 
• Historic Hotels of Texas: A Traveler's Guide by Liz Carmack 
• Official Guide to Texas State Parks & Historic Sites by Laurence Parent and Joanna Ruley-Garza
• Paddling the Wild Neches by Richard M. Donovan 
• Photographing Wild Texas by Erwin A. Bauer and Peggy Bauer 
• Restaurantes, Rumba, y Mas: A Gringo's Guide to Latino Fort Worth by Peter A. Szok
• Roadside History of Texas by Leon Claire Metz 
• Texas Coast by Laurence Parent 
• Texas Forts: Lone Star Guide by Wayne Lease 
• Texas Hill Country by John Graves
• Texas Mountains by Laurence Parent
• Texas Road Trip: Stories from Across the Great State and a Few Personal Reflections by Bryan Woolley
• Texas Wineries by Melinda Esco
• A Walk Across Texas by Jon McConal
• Why Stop?: A Guide to Texas Historical Roadside Markers by Betty Dooley-Awbrey 

1933 Texas Highway Map.
Probably don't want to use this for current travel purposes.
[Public Domain], from Wikimedia Commons. 

Websites

• TravelTexas www.traveltexas.com - Official travel guides of Texas. 
• DriveTexas https://drivetexas.org - Map of current Texas road conditions. 

If you need help finding travel information for Texas or any other destination, then contact the library at reference@tarleton.edu or 254-968-9149.