McPherson College Miller Library

Old librarians don't retire...

2009-05-15T08:06:00.002-05:00

...they just check out!
Jill Brax's and Susan Taylor's last day in Miller Library will be May 29. Jill has worked at MC for 25 years, Susan for 30.
We've enjoyed serving our patrons, and we wish you the best.

Poem In Your Pocket Day

2009-04-28T09:56:00.003-05:00

THURSDAY, APRIL 30

Lunch Time PIYP – Carry a poem in your pocket and read it to a PIYP Official in the cafeteria between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., and get a FREE candy bar.

4 P.M. Miller Library
Poetry Reading – bring a poem to read aloud. Winners of the McPherson College English Department’s 5th Annual Poetry Contest will be announced. Refreshments will be served.

Limerick Contest – be a contestant in our limerick contest and win coffee from Java Johns and free Sonic coupons. Fill in the last word (which rhymes with the last word of the first two lines); an example is provided below. Our apologizes to NPR’s Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me radio show.

Final Drawing – Have you been signing up all year? Then you’re in the running for the $200 cash prize

It’s Poem in Your Pocket Day
And the poets will have their say.
Limericks, our name
Rhyming, our game
So come to the library and play

National Library Week & Poetry Month

2009-04-14T08:36:00.002-05:00

Miller Library thanks you for your patronage this year! We'll delay our celebration of National Library Week and conclude Poetry Month with the return of our Poem in Your Pocket Day contest on April 30. Also on April 30 we will have the Grand Prize drawing for $200; be sure to sign up each time you come to Miller!

Museum Roadshow

2009-04-07T13:38:00.000-05:00

2nd Annual Museum Roadshow
Saturday, April 25, 6 p.m. Cedars Wellness Center
Bring an antique, collectible or work of art for oral evaluations.
Tickets ($30) include dinner and one assessment.
Contact the McPherson Museum and Arts Foundation for more information, 241-8464.

Rick Robbins on Jeopardy

2009-04-06T14:54:00.001-05:00

Rick Robbins, Miller Library assistant, 2006-2008, will appear on Jeopardy sometime the week of April 4. Catch him on Channel 3, 4 p.m.

Easter Break hours

2009-04-06T14:52:00.000-05:00

Thursday, 4/9 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Friday–Sunday, 4/10-12 Closed

Monday, 4/13 8 a.m. – 10 p.m.

Happy Easter!

Desoto Taxi

2009-03-30T14:37:00.002-05:00

Our newest puzzle is a photo of a DeSoto Taxi; can anyone tell me what year? This 1,500 piece puzzle, gift of Gary Entz and Ocie Kilgus, is going to take awhile so drop by and put a piece or two in for us.

We thank Michael Kirkman, Kristen's father, for supplying us with the three American history puzzles just completed. Now we know more about U.S. presidents, the Civil War, and aircraft history.

Spring Break Hours

2009-03-12T09:29:00.000-05:00

Please note our hours over Spring Break:

CLOSED Sat-Sun March 21-22

OPEN Mon-Fri March 23-27 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. (note change in hours)

CLOSED Sat March 28

OPEN Sunday, March 29 6 – 10 p.m.

Libraries During Hard Times

2009-02-27T15:55:00.002-06:00

Newspapers are carrying articles about the benefits of libraries when dollars are short. Miller Library is no exception.
Check out our collection of movies, music, and leisure reading titles. Also, our online databases and those of the State Library of Kansas offer information on everything from health to fine arts, horticulture to culinary arts, home improvement to travel and leisure, and a collection of popular magazines. McPherson College students and staff may access these through our Online Resources page for Gale/Cengage: http://find.galegroup.com/menu/commonmenu.do?userGroupName=klnb_mcphercol.

Black History Month

2009-02-03T09:22:00.003-06:00

February is Black History Month. Celebrate by reading one of our recent acquisitions related to African Americans.

Historical titles include: Harlem Speaks: a Living History of the Harlem Renaissance; The Hemingses of Monticello; Race and Reunion: the Civil War in American Memory; The Reel Civil War: Mythmaking in American Film; Closer to the Truth than Any Fact: Memoir, Memory, and Jim Crow; and Black Americans in Congress, 1870-2007.

Related to race relations, we now have Can We Now Talk about Race? and Other Conversations in an Era of School Resegregation; and Diversity and Social Justice in College Sports.

Don't miss the delightful children's book I Love My Hair!

Presidents' Month

2009-02-03T08:43:00.002-06:00

February is the month we celebrate the birthdays of U.S. presidents, and our new jigsaw puzzle has photos of the presidents plus info about their libraries/museums and other historical information. Take a study break and learn something about U.S. history while working this puzzle.

Miniature Tin Cars

2009-01-05T10:01:00.002-06:00

It's January and time for our annual automobile-related display. This year we are featuring miniature tin cars from the collection of Luke Chennell. Come by and see the Bugatti T-35 racer, Sir Ian's Bluebird, and more toy gems.

Extra Hours

2008-12-13T11:51:00.003-06:00

Miller Library will stay open until 12 midnight on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, Dec. 14-17, as you prepare for your final exams. We wish you the best!

Christmas Party

2008-12-04T08:50:00.005-06:00

Miller Library's Christmas Party is Wednesday, Dec. 10, from 7:30 - 10 p.m.

We will draw for the $50 cash prize! Other giveaways and gift certificates as well.

Donate a new or gently used children's book and receive another ticket.

Games, caroling, movie trivia, puzzles, cookies and hot chocolate.

Join Rick Tyler, Kim Stanley, Connie Kramer and Susan Taylor plus students from the Advertising Class for a fun evening.

Snacks...and now cocoa

2008-11-20T14:07:00.003-06:00

It's cold outside, but warm up inside the library with a cup of cocoa or cider (25 cents). And snacks--candy, crackers, chips--are available for 50 cents. Coffee, as always, is free.

Election Information

2008-10-31T10:38:00.001-05:00

For those voting in Kansas, learn how, when, and where to vote:

Step 1. To find your district for Congressional leaders, State Board of Education, and state officials go to http://www.ipsr.ku.edu/ksdata/vote/ . Type in your address and your current elected officials will pop up as well as your districts.

Step 2. Once you know your districts you can find out who is running in your districts at the Secretary of State’s candidate list: http://www.kssos.org/elections/elections_upcoming_candidate_display.asp and select Featured Link – Official 2008 General Candidate List (lower left side of page)

Step 3. To find out where you need to go to vote, access your personal voter registration information. This will name your polling site. You can find that at https://myvoteinfo.voteks.org/

Need help knowing how to vote on judges? Performance evaluations may be found at: http://www.kansasjudicialperformance.org/judgeevaluations.cfm

Don't forget to vote on Nov. 4!

Happy Halloween

2008-10-30T09:58:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow's Halloween...did you know
--An old magical belief says if persons hold a mirror on Halloween and walk backward down the stairs to the basement, the face that appears in the mirror will be their next lover?
--Magician Harry Houdini died on Halloween in 1926?
--According to the Kansas Census of Agriculture, in 2002 102 Kansas farms harvested 705 acres of pumpkins for eating and carving?

Read ghost stories of Kansas at:
http://www.prairieghosts.com/haunts.html/

Or check out these movies and books from Miller Library:
Rocky Mountain Horror Picture Show DVD
Phantom of the Opera VHS and sound recording
Little Shop of Horrors VHS
Haunted Kansas: Ghost Stories and Other Eerie Tales book by Lisa Heitz
The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe
Famous Ghost Stories book by Bennett Cerf
Horror Literature: A Core Collection and Reference Guide
Children's Books: Arthur's Halloween, Shy Mama's Halloween, Hallow-Wiener, Cinderhazel, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Happy Halloween

Our puzzle finished

2008-10-28T09:04:00.003-05:00

On our first game night, we started a 1,500 piece puzzle, which was finished recently. Wednesday night, Oct. 29, we'll break out a new puzzle, featuring the Kansas City Chiefs (I know, they need all the help they can get this year!). We'll have treats, a movie, and games. Take a study break and put in a piece of the puzzle.

Smithsonian Exhibit and Special Activities

2008-10-02T09:49:00.003-05:00

The Smithsonian exhibit, New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music, opens with a reception for members today, Oct. 2, and for the public Oct. 3, beginning at 7 p.m. at The Mcpherson Museum and Arts Foundation, 1130 E. Euclid . Come for free food, live music, and a companion exhibit on local music. The exhibit runs through Nov. 9.

Miller Library’s exhibit Sweetening the Voice of the Harp: Brethren Hymnody in America also opens Oct. 3 and features many old hymnals, some in German dating from the 18th century, and music up to 2008, including the piece commissioned for the 300th anniversary of the Church of the Brethren and sung by the McPherson College Choir in Schwarzenau, Germany, this summer.
Many events in the community are being held in conjunction with this exhibit. They include the McPherson College Choir concert on Oct. 12 and Theatre Department’s production of Quilters Nov. 6, 7, 8, 9. A complete list is available in the library.

If you get a passport and attend five events, you are eligible for a drawing for the complete DVD set of American Roots Music. Passports are available at Miller Library, and our exhibit counts as one event.

Another musical event features the FreeStaters on Thursday, Oct. 9, downtown at the Community Building at 7 p.m. These authentic 1850s musical re-enactors will take you back to another era! Tickets are $5 and are available from Susan Taylor in the library.

Model T anniversary

2008-09-30T12:29:00.003-05:00

Miller Library celebrates the Model T centennial with a book display outside the automotive special collection. Included are two new books, including Robert Casey's The Model T: A Centennial History and The Ford Model T: The Car That Put the World on Wheels by Lindsay Brooke. Also, see a photo of a Tourer bearing a McPherson College pennant parked outside the Ford factory ; if anyone knows the history behind this, we'd be eager to hear it!

Friday night in MIller

2008-09-29T14:11:00.004-05:00

Connie Kramer's advertising class hosted a games night in Miller on Friday night. Here Ms. Kramer cuts the ribbon, signaling the start of the fun. Winners of the drawing were Joe Bader, Garry Deason, Cody Compton, Mira Coulter, Duisty Kithou, David Kraft, Audrey McTaggert, and Zack White.

Marker Top Tables

2008-09-24T13:11:00.002-05:00

Our new marker top tables are great for studying, as this chemistry group discovered this week. And, we're enjoying the art work MC students are leaving us to enjoy!

Novelist

2008-09-22T10:54:00.003-05:00

Looking for a novel to read? Or want to discover books similar to ones you've already read?
Try NoveList. This database helps you find more to read based on what you already know and also includes feature articles, book discussion guides, reviews, and sometimes the first chapter. There are over 150,000 fiction titles, 50,000 nonfiction titles and over 4000 custom created articles and lists.
Our campus community can access it at at our online resources page. Go to EbscoHost K-12, and select NoveList. Or, access it and other databases at the State Library of Kansas website, page: http://skyways.lib.ks.us/KSL/ and Explore Our Resources.

Group Study Room

2008-09-18T14:12:00.004-05:00

Our Group Study Room (Miller 104) with two computers, a printer, and seating for eight is ready. Drop by or reserve the room by calling x2487.

Poker Run

2008-09-18T14:12:00.003-05:00

First-Seminar Seminar students came to Miller Library on Thursday, Sept. 18, for the annual Poker Run. In addition to learning how to find books and magazine articles, each group drew a poker hand. The winner, with a full house, was Mel Wright's 1:30 class. Shown are Herb Smith and some of his seminar group getting instructions.

New in Miller Library

2008-09-01T09:16:00.001-05:00

Miller Library welcomes new and returning students!
To better serve you, we now have a media viewing room (106) and group study room (104) with computers! Both can be reserved, or use them anytime they are free.
On our Main Level we have added a snack machine and some tables with marker board tops.
Laptops are available for check-out for in-library use, and we also have digital cameras available.

For the resources you need, or a study space to match your learning style, come to Miller.

Faculty Feed & Weed

2008-08-27T15:06:00.003-05:00

Faculty came to Miller Library on Tuesday of Faculty Workshop week to help weed the collection and enjoy refreshments.

Weeding out-of-date materials helps keep our collection up-to-date.

Thanks, faculty, for your participation.

Summer Hours

2008-05-30T11:03:00.000-05:00

Miller Library's summer hours will be:

June 2-6 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday - Friday

June 9-Aug. 8 9 a.m. – 12 noon Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays

Aug. 11-29 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday - Friday

Finals Week

2008-05-16T08:56:00.002-05:00

We will be open until midnight Sunday - Wednesday, May 18-21, and the coffee will be on. Good luck with finals!
Please remember to return all your library materials before you leave. If you need materials past May 16, check with Susan.
Happy Graduation, seniors, and see the rest of you next fall!

National Library Week

2008-04-14T14:41:00.003-05:00

Join the Circle of Knowledge @ your library during National Library Week, April 13-19.
Did you know academic librarians answer 72.8 million reference questions each year - that's almost twice the attendance at college football games!
You can ask reference questions at Miller Library by coming in, phoning ext. 2487, emailing library@mcpherson.edu, finding Susan Taylor on Facebook, IM (instant messaging) Susan Taylor on Windows Messenger, using the AskMac links on the library webpage and/or EbscoHost Database page.

Announcing PIYP Day

2008-04-02T11:05:00.003-05:00

Miller Library will host Poem in Your Pocket Day on Tuesday, April 29, to celebrate National Poetry Month.

First, we encourage you to carry a poem in your pocket to share with others that day. We will have some poems available in Miller Library, if you’d like one of our selections.

Second, we will be having a PIYP contest. A list of ten poems will be announced through e-mail (with hard copies available at the library) at 8 a.m. on April 29. Your task is to discover who in our campus community is carrying each poem in his/her pocket. For example, a poem entitled “Egypt Poem” by Suzy Vidal might be carried by Herb Smith, who is leading an Interterm trip to Egypt, or the poem “The Library” by Albert Goldbarth might be in the pocket of Miller Library employee Rick Robbins.
The first person who identifies all ten correctly, or the person who identifies the most by 5 p.m., will receive a $25 Amazon gift certificate.

Third, the library will host a poetry reading (time TBA) where the winners of the McPherson College English Department’s 5th Annual Poetry Contest will be announced.

More detailed contest rules will follow.

Jazz Appreciation Month

2008-04-01T14:55:00.001-05:00

April is Jazz Appreciation Month. Stop by Miller to pick up a jazz CD…we have Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Dave Brubeck, Jelly Roll Morton, Diana Krall, Woodie Herman, and more. Can’t find your favorite jazz musician? Let us know, and we’ll try to add something by your favorite artist. And check out the Smithsonian’s jazz webpage for more resources: http://www.smithsonianjazz.org/.

Women's History Month

2008-03-04T14:57:00.000-06:00

It’s March, Women’s History Month, and we have a display on “The Dreaded F-Word.” Yes, Feminism. Come learn about the three waves of the movement’s history and the contributions of some key women leaders.
Also, Britannica is celebrating Women's History Month, highlighting women whose actions and ideas influenced history. Follow the illustrated timeline to identify developments in the lives of women since antiquity in Encyclopaedia Britannica's Profiles, 300 Women Who Changed The World.
Read quotes, essays and speeches. Enjoy biographies about Women's Rights luminaries such as Joan of Arc, Jane Adams, Phillis Wheatley and Sandra Day O'Connor. Watch video clips, use the learning activities to take an in-depth view of women's achievements, or read articles on topics such as feminism and the history of Mother's Day.

Black History Month

2008-02-20T15:54:00.003-06:00

Miller Library would be remiss if we let Black History Month pass without telling you about some of our new books dealing with African American issues and history. All of the books discussed below were published in 2007 and are part of our collection.

African-American Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations explores the history, customs, and symbols associated with traditional and contemporary religious and secular events observed by Americans of African descent. 394.269 G285a

Interested in sports? Race, Sport and the American Dream discusses the genetic argument, the athletic industrial complex, and future of sports. 796.089 S646r. Tennis fans will enjoy Charging the Net: a History of Blacks in Tennis from Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe to the Williams Sisters. 796.342 H313c

Interested in history? The friendship and work of Frederick Doublass and Abraham Lincoln are recalled in The Radical and the Republican by James Oakes. 973.7114 O11r. Thomas Jackson discusses Martin Luther King, Jr. and the struggle for economic justice in From Civil Rights to Human Rights 323.092 K53Yj. Many Minds, One Heart presents SNCC (the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) and its 1960s' movement. The movie The Great Debaters tells the story of James Forman, and you can read his speech at the Waveland November 1964 debate in this book. 323.1196 H714m.

Talkin Black Talk contains essays on ebonics, rap, and other aspects of language, education, and social change. 427.973 B346t

Business and Law are discussed in two books. Race, Law, and American Society: 1607 to Present discusses the struggles for education, property rights, civil liberties, voting rights, and criminal justice. 342.7308 B882r. The Real Pepsi Challenge tells the story of breaking the color barrier in American business. 338.7 C247r

The development of black identity through art are discussed in Picturing the New Negro which presents illustration in the Harlem Renaissance. 760.044 G598p

African-American Muslims are one of the groups included in American Islam: The Struggle for the Soul of a Religion. 297.09 B274a

Finally, the Coretta Scott King award book for 2008 is Elijah of Buxton. This children's book tells the story of eleven-year-old Elijah Freeman, the first free-born child in Buxton, Canada, who uses his wits and skills to try to bring to justice the lying preacher who has stolen money that was to be used to buy a family's freedom. J 813 C978e

In Cold Blood

2008-02-07T13:48:00.000-06:00

The Kansas Center for the Book's 2008 title is Truman Capote's In Cold Blood. Published in 1966, the book tells the now famous story of the brutal killings of the Western Kansas Clutter family and their murderers. Our current library display features news articles from the time of the murders (1956) as well as information about the book, which brought in a new way to write nonfiction, sometimes called "The New Journalism." Capote was consumed by this story, as captured in the recent film Capote.

Find out more about the One State, One Book project at: http://skyways.lib.ks.us/orgs/kcfb/incoldblood.htm

Interterm ends; new leisure materials

2008-01-28T08:36:00.001-06:00

As Interterm ends on Thursday, remember that all materials are due then. We will be open 8-5 on Friday but closed this Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 2 and 3.
Got some extra time? Come look at our new selections in our leisure collection. We've got books in Spanish, and genres western, romance, sci fi, fantasy, and mystery--including three of Rita Mae Brown's Mrs. Murphy mysteries. Nonfiction include books about body language, Tom Petty, the nerds, and sports--Fanatic (10 Things Sports Fans Should Do Before They Die). Learn about Andrea Jaeger's work with children after her tennis career ended in First Serve.
Audio books include The Nanny Diaries, Blade Runner, and Dean Koontz' Icebound.

Martin Luther King Jr.

2008-01-15T10:37:00.000-06:00

Today is the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., which we'll celebrate on Monday. The library recently added the six volume Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr., and they are currently on the new book shelf. Also, we have many King materials including biographies, videos, and children's books. Let's honor the accomplishments of this great American by becoming more familiar with his message.

New books

2008-01-14T08:29:00.001-06:00

As you enter the library, you'll notice our new location for new books. Come by and look at our latest additions, covering subjects from photography and trains to CSS and organ transplants. We have new biographies of Peanuts creator Charles Schulz and baseball's Branch Rickey.
Isms is a brief guide to major religions; How Much Should a Person Consume looks at environmentalism in the U.S. and India. The newest book in the Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands series gives tips for doing business in Asia.
Interested in why humans act as they do? Flavor of the Month explains why smart people fall for fads, Happier helps one understand the nature of happiness, and Social Intelligence explains the science of human relationships.
Happy reading!

New Library Display

2008-01-10T07:58:00.000-06:00

Come see antique automobilia from the collection of Chris Paulsen. Brass lamps, horns and hubcaps, license plates, dash clocks, spark plugs, and a road devil radiator mascot--all on display now in the lobby of Miller Library.

Kansas Tax Forms

2007-12-27T16:05:00.000-06:00

Kansas Income Tax forms are now available in Miller Library.

Christmas Break Hours part 2

2007-12-17T14:30:00.000-06:00

We actually do not resume regular hours Jan. 2. We'll be open 8-5 Jan. 2-4, closed Jan. 5 & 6, and regular hours resume on Jan. 7 when classes start.

Christmas Break Hours

2007-12-12T10:19:00.000-06:00

Thursday-Friday, 12/13-14 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Saturday–Sunday, 12/15-16 Closed
Monday,12/17--Friday, 12/21 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday, 12/22-Tuesday, 1/1 Closed
Resume normal hours Wednesday, Jan. 2

Extra Hours

2007-12-06T09:30:00.000-06:00

Miller Library will be open until midnight during finals week, Sunday, Dec. 9, through Wednesday, Dec. 12.
Remember, all library materials are due Friday, Dec. 7.

Peace Studies Archives

2007-11-12T09:51:00.000-06:00

The Plowshares Digital Archive for Peace Studies provides primary documents – including minutes, diaries, correspondence, pamphlets, newspapers and periodicals – ranging in date from the 1700s to the present. This collaboration of Earlham, Goshen, and Manchester colleges chronicles the social justice efforts of the students and faculty of these colleges as well as the members of their affiliated historic peace-churches – Quakers, Mennonites and the Church of the Brethren.
Plowshares is available at: http://replica.palni.edu/cdm4/index_keplow.php?CISOROOT=/keplow

BUS-eum features "Behind Barbed Wire"

2007-10-15T09:52:00.000-05:00

The BUS-eum exhibit "Behind Barbed Wire" will explore the experiences of Midwest prisoners of war in Nazi Germany during WWII. The exhibit will be at the McPherson Museum, 1130 E. Kansas, on Sunday, Oct. 21, from 1:30-4:30 p.m.

Visitors will gain insights into conditions the POWs experienced; how art, free time, and religion helped POWs survive; assistance that was given by Germans and Austrians; how liberated POWs later came to terms with their experiences; and much more.

The exhibit consists of display panels illustrated with photographs, documents, audio and DVD documentaries, and artifacts.

For more information, check the web site McPherson Museum & Arts Foundation website: mcphersonmuseum.com. Miller Library is one of the event's sponsors.

Banned Books Week

2007-09-28T15:07:00.000-05:00

"Banned Books Week: Ahoy! Treasure Your Freedom to Read and Get Hooked on a Banned
Book" is the theme for the 26th annual Banned Books Week, September 29 - October 6, 2007.

Miller Library is celebrating with a display of books from our collection that have been challenged or banned in 2006-2007. We hope this annual event reminds Americans not to take our democratic freedom to read for granted.

Works challenged range from the Bible to John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men," from the popular "Harry Potter" series of fantasy books for children by J.K. Rowling to Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." See a complete list of this year's books as well as the display on the main level of Miller Library, and pick up your pirate-theme bookmark.

Hispanic Heritage Month

2007-09-11T15:25:00.001-05:00

In September, Britannica is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15) with its Spotlight, "Encyclopædia Britannica's Guide to Hispanic Heritage in the Americas."
This feature explores the people, places, events and traditions that have shaped — and continue to shape — the vibrant Hispanic culture that thrives today in South, Central and North America. Read and learn about writers, artists, political and business leaders such as Diego Rivera, Hugo Chavez and Celia Cruz. Learn about various Latin American countries, historical events and cultural celebrations.
In addition to a wide array of articles, this Spotlight also contains essays, speeches, images, videos, related Web sites and learning activities. Try it today!
www.search.eb.com/hispanic_heritage

Credo Reference

2007-08-17T15:25:00.000-05:00

Do you need to check a definition, understand a literary reference or a scientific term? Tired of getting too many irrelevant results from Web search engines when you need quick, accurate answers? Need trustworthy reference information with properly formatted citations?

Credo Reference is now a part of our library's online reference collection, and it features full-text content from 100 reference books covering a broad range of subjects. It's a search engine like Google, but instead of searching the entire Internet, your results come from a comprehensive library of trusted reference sources without advertisements, clutter, or irrelevant hits.

Access Credo at http://www.xreferplus.com/ or click on Credo on our Online Resources page. The network will recognize all McPherson college students, faculty, and staff. If you're at home, you'll have access 24/7 by supplying your e-mail login and password.

With Credo, you get content covering every major subject. Credo includes print entries, art, diagrams, maps, photos, and audio pronunciation files. Cross-reference links cut across topics, titles and publishers to give you accurate, contextual results. Each Credo record is also found in our online catalog.

For more assistance with Credo, please check with Susan in the library.

Harry Potter

2007-07-25T14:57:00.001-05:00

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
by Jessica Foulke, MC '08
Six hours. That’s how long it took for me to finish Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Six hours to end a ten year journey for me, and 72 million people worldwide (the number of books sold the first weekend – 8.3 million in the United States in the first 24 hours – me included). That tells us one thing: a teenager with a lightening-shaped scar has captured the imagination of many people. A commercial success, without a doubt. But does that mean it’s a good book?
Yes. In fact, it is nothing short of brilliant. It is the best piece of creative writing I have ever read. Please don’t get me wrong – it’s not the best writing I’ve ever read. It’s a children’s novel, so the language, for the most part, is simplified, the dialogue quick. But it is by far the most imaginative, capturing and intelligent plot I have ever been enveloped in. I could not stop reading, though I had made a vow to read it slowly and digest it. I wept unashamedly over the losses I felt for the characters and laughed at myself for being so attached to them.
There was, however, a portion of the book that almost marred the entire series for me. The epilogue. I almost shudder even to utter those words. Overtly cheesy and almost confusing, I understood the need for it, but personally disliked it to the point of anger for its inclusion. My advice to the readers of the book is to skip it, at least for a few days. It cannot hurt to wait a couple of days and it may save you from repeating my frustration in yourselves, because it will give you processing time without having it all neatly tied up with a bow for you. If you like that sort of thing though, be my guest. Just don’t say that I didn’t warn you.
This book lived up to my expectations in every way. And somehow, in some ways, when I closed the last page, I felt the chapter on my childhood close as well. We all grew up with friends in Hermione, Ron and Harry. We all wished we had a Dumbledore to seek advice in. We all loved Dobby and Winky, with their mismatched socks and tea cozies for hats. We all dreamed of the day when we ourselves would get our Hogwarts letter to take us away from the ordinary to become extraordinary. Through Harry Potter’s adventures, we indeed feel the extraordinary in ourselves.
I was twelve when Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was released – the same age as Harry himself. Captivation at this point seems like it was inevitable. I’m now 21, the same age as Lily and James Potter were at their deaths. I’m no longer that kid in the corner of my room, devouring the books as quickly as possible. But I love the series no less today. Maybe more because of this last book.
I hope that Harry is lasting. I hope that the lessons those books teach continue within myself and my peers and everyone else around me that loves the series.
I have a feeling that it will.

Moderated Comments Allowed

2007-07-16T09:32:00.000-05:00

The Miller Library blog will now allow comments, moderated by the library. We hope this blog will become a better tool for sharing information, ideas, and learning.

Summer Reading

2007-06-07T08:22:00.001-05:00

Looking for something to read this summer? OCLC has a new prototype fiction finder at http://fictionfinder.oclc.org/. It provides access to millions of records for books, eBooks, and audio materials identified as fiction (including novels, short stories, dramas, and comics). You can search for books by title or many other access points; browse by genre, fictional character, imaginary place or setting, and subject; and find a library that owns a copy.

If you're looking for a cool, quiet place this summer, come on over. We're open 8-5 Monday-Friday.

Automobiles in Miller!

2007-04-25T10:21:00.000-05:00

We now have on display a 1911 Maxwell Roadster, a 1902 Mercedes-Simplex, a 1903 Cadillac Rear Entrance Tonneau, and other automobiles...Matchbox Models of Yesteryear and other miniatures owned by Chris Paulsen, Project Manager and Instruction Assistant, Auto Restoration. Come see our display now through May in Miller Library!

National Library Week

2007-04-16T14:49:00.000-05:00

It's National Library Week. We hope you'll have time to visit Miller Library, view our Gordon Parks display, look at our new art on loan from Kacy Smith, and see the new automobile posters in the Technology Room. As always, you're welcome to come over to study with friends, have a cup of coffee, and/or curl up in a comfy chair with a good book or magazine.

Poetry Month

2007-04-02T13:26:00.000-05:00

April is National Poetry Month. Come in and look over some of our new contemporary poetry books, and please, feel free to check some out. We have more in the stacks.
Can't get enough? Check out the McPherson College Poetry Month project
http://wwwi.mcpherson.edu/~claryb/npm
or the Academy of American Poets Poem a Day website
http://poets.org/poemADay.php

More Books

2007-03-29T08:15:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple more faculty responses to the books you couldn't live without.
Ocie Kilgus writes:
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
This is an overwhelmingly heart-wrenching story of friendship, hope, and loneliness about those individuals who are often overlooked in our society. This book makes me want to be a kinder person.

Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire
I love the analysis of social oppression and the tone and urgency of this call-to-arms book.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
I read this dystopian novel as an undergraduate. At that time I was amazed at Atwood’s assertions regarding the direction in which she thought women’s rights were headed. Now in 2007, it’s not amazing anymore; it’s just scary to think that some of the situations that she described are unfolding before our eyes.

Babbit by Sinclair Lewis
I love his funny and sarcastic dry wit about our society’s ambitions, narrow outlook, questionable intelligence, and lack of culture. Not recommended for the staunch believer in the supremacy of U.S. culture!

Big Beverage by William T. Campbell
I analyzed this book for my dissertation, and I was so happy that I could examine a Lewis-like novel. Campbell pokes fun at the men behind the Coca-Cola industry and its good-old-boy network of running a business. It’s a hoot!

Jeanne Smith shares "most of these books were formataive ones for me in some way":
The Bible (New Revised Standard)
Norton Victorian Literature textbook (especially the poetry)
Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
The Early Christians After the Death of the Apostles by Eberhard Arnold
Storyteller's Beads by Jane Kurtz (This is a children's book, but it is written so beautifully)
My Experiments with Truth by Mohandas Gandhi
Mother Teresa by Navin Chawla
Dr. Schweitzer of Lambarene by Norman Cousins
Writing to Learn by Donald Murray
Green Mansions by William Henry Hudson

Audio Books

2007-03-14T11:23:00.000-05:00

Looking for a book on tape or CD to listen to over Spring Break?
Check out our Rotating Books collection and our catalog. Also, with a Kansas Library Card (available at Miller), you can download audio books and tapes onto your computers or MP3 players. See Susan for more info.

Delicious

2007-03-13T14:22:00.000-05:00

Miller Library now has a list of Internet sites we recommend to you, posted on del.icio.us. This social networking site lists our bookmarks to help with your research or ready reference questions. Find it at http://del.icio.us/millerlibrarymc . If you're already a del.icio.us user, feel free to add us to your network.

Women's History Month

2007-03-06T12:23:00.000-06:00

In honor of Women's History Month, Britannica's Spotlight, "300 Women Who Changed the World," focuses on 300 women whose actions and ideas influenced history. Extensive biographies provide users the opportunity to examine in depth the lives of these women, the times they lived in and how they influenced their world.
Access Britannica Online through the Miller Library online resources page. Remember, Britannica is your library-endorsed alternative to Wikipedia.

Books Not to be Without

2007-03-05T14:02:00.000-06:00

Thanks to several faculty, and one student, for responding with their list of books they wouldn't want to live without.
Several gave caveats--this is my list today, I could add more, I usually don't respond to such hyperbole--so, simply read, enjoy.
And if I get more lists, I'll share them as well. --Susan

Joe Dickhudt
My all-time favorites:
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
To Kill a Mockingbird

Richard Dove
The New Webster Handy College Dictionary is my most frequently open book, so it asked that I choose it. The title also probably gives you a clue as to why I agreed with the book to choose it.

Rich Trembley
I would like to cast my vote for Stephen King's Dark Tower series. After I was done with one book, I couldn't wait to get into the next one, and with release dates often months away, it was grueling!!!! I was really disappointed when the story actually ended in the seventh book. Possibly his finest work.

Bruce Clary
Song of Myself, Walt Whitman. The book most responsible for my becoming an English major and, subsequently, a teacher of American literature.
The Manuscript Books of Emily Dickinson. It’s a head rush to read ED’s poems in her own hand and in the same order in which she hand bound them.
Moby-Dick, Hermann Melville. I just pulled this off my shelf yesterday morning and reread the chapters “The Whiteness of the Whale” and “Ambergris.” Amazing.
The Four Gospels. Besides being the one of the touchstones of Western art and culture, when read in order of composition, they offer the fascinating history of the development of the early church’s Christology.
The Idiot, Fyodor Dostoevsky. Prince Myshkin, the epileptic “holy fool,” remains for me the most vivid portrayal of all that is involved in being a follower of Jesus.
Wise Blood, Flannery O’Connor. Hazel Motes, the Christ-haunted protagonist, is a comic, backwoods, Georgia redneck version of Myshkin.
The House of Mirth, Edith Wharton. Lily Bart finishes in a dead-heat with Isabella Archer for the Greatest Female Character Created by an American Writer award.
Dubliners, James Joyce. The greatest single volume of short fiction that I can think of.
East of Eden. I read every John Steinbeck novel when I was in high school. Grapes of Wrath is a better novel, but this riff on the Cain and Abel story was the one that most fascinated me then and now.
Winesburg, Ohio, Sherwood Anderson. This collection brought Chekhov’s compassion for his characters to the American short story.

Gary Entz
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
This book inspired me to read Tolstoy’s War and Peace, although I still like the book Anna Karenina better.
Johnny Got His Gun, by Dalton Trumbo
This is one of the most moving anti-war novels ever written.
Common Sense, by Thomas Paine
This is the book that convinced me to major in U.S. history.
Desert Solitaire, by Edward Abbey
This book is one of the strongest condemnations ever written of modern consumer society and how it is destroying our environment.
Letters from a Stoic, by Seneca
Even after 2000 years, Seneca gives common sense advice.

Rod Gieselman
The Berkshire Hathaway Annual Report (any year). Warren Buffett could be a modern day Samuel Clemens if he chose to write rather than make billions.”

Kim Stanley
Little Dorrit, Charles Dickens. What would life be without the Circumlocution Office, whose job is to see that It Doesn't Get Done?
Middlemarch, George Eliot. Still the absolute truth about being a woman.
Candide, Voltaire. Reminds you of how terrible and how wonderful people are.
The Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats. Even when you don't understand Yeats, reading his poems out loud makes you feel that it's worthwhile to be human.
The Stuffed Owl: An Anthology of Bad Verse, D.B. Wyndham Lewis and Charles Lee.
I read it over and over. Even the index is priceless. OK, especially the index.

Luke Chennell
I’ve worn out two copies of H.L. Mencken’s A Mencken Chrestomathy – it always serves to maintain my faith in skepticism.

World Book Day

2007-03-01T08:33:00.000-06:00

March 1 is World Book Day, celebrated primarily in the United Kingdom. In England, readers were asked, what are the 10 books you couldn't live without? Their answer:

1) Pride and Prejudice Jane Austin

2) Lord of the Rings JRR Tolkein

3) Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte

4) Harry Potter books JK Rowling

5) To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee

6) The Bible

7) Wuthering Heights Emily Bronte

8) (tie) 1984 George Orwell and His Dark Materials Philip Pullman

10) Great Expectation Charles Dickens

What are the books you couldn't live without? Send us your answers, and we'll post on our blog.

Stafford books

2007-02-22T08:33:00.000-06:00

In conjunction with Kim Stafford's upcoming lecture, Miller Library has prepared a display featuring some of both Kim and his father William Stafford's books.

Kim Stafford will deliver a lecture, “Better to Wear Out than Rust Out: One Family’s Literary Affection for Kansas,” on Sunday, Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m. in Brown Auditorium on the McPherson College Campus.

The speech is presented as a Mohler Lecture, a lecture series that was established in 1975 by a donation from Robert E. & Fern Mohler to bring outstanding speakers and lecturers from all fields of knowledge to the McPherson College campus.

Kim Stafford says...
"My father, the poet William Stafford, was born in Hutchinson, and his parents rest in the McPherson Cemetery. My mother lived in McPherson as a girl, while her father went to McPherson College (his motto in the yearbook: "Better to wear out than rust out"). Every chance I get, I return to the place of my people, for there is a spirit big and open in Kansas that I do not find abroad. In my time at McPherson College I will share some stories from the family lore that contribute to my feeling of affection for Kansas, and how these stories have given me a foundation for living far away."

Stafford has taught at Lewis & Clark College since 1979. He is the founding director of the Northwest Writing Institute and serves as the Literary Executor for the William Stafford Archive. His publications include books of poetry, essays and short stories. His book “Having Everything Right,” won a Western States Book award and he has received two creative writing fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Stafford holds a Ph.D. in medieval literature from the University of Oregon. He lives in Portland with his wife and children.

Museum of World Treasures Presentation

2007-02-18T15:19:00.000-06:00

Lon Schmidt of the Museum of World Treasures will make a special presentation Friday, Feb. 23, at 12:30 p.m. in Miller 105. All are invited; bring your lunch, if you wish.
Schmidt's speech is in conjunction with the special exhibit from the museum now on display in Miller Library.
“The presentation covers our early founders as white collar criminals, a reenactment of the duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton utilizing actual flintlock pistols, a demonstration of the loading and use of an 1851 Colt revolver owned and carried by none other than Frank James of the infamous James Gang, and the telling of a wonderful story about a Nazi flag captured and signed by WWII American war heroes,” LaWanda Smith, Director of Collections for the museum, said. “Lon is a dynamic speaker and these presentations are a lot of fun!”
The special traveling exhibit on display on the main level of Miller Library includes a variety of artifacts such as a German horse pistol, a fossilized tooth from 95 million BC, a Korean bronze kundika or water sprinkler, and a Japanese rifle from World War II. The historic presentation on Friday involves additional artifacts seen only on the day of his address.
The exhibit in Miller Library will continue until mid-March.
The Museum of World Treasures, a 501(c)(3) non-profit Kansas Corporation, is located in the heart of Wichita’s Old Town district. It is home to a $50 million collection of antiquities, including one of only four battling dinosaur exhibits in the world, the tailcoat worn by Alexander Hamilton during the Revolutionary War and an extensive collection of ancient art and artifacts. The museum is open 10:00am – 5:00pm Monday thru Saturday and 12:00pm – 5:00pm Sunday.

Library help

2007-02-12T08:50:00.000-06:00

Need help with a research paper? Having trouble getting into an online database?
Susan Taylor is now on MC's Facebook and Windows Messenger. E-mail (library@mcpherson.edu) and phone (242-0487 or x2487) are also options. Any and all questions welcome!

Music for Valentine's Day

2007-01-31T10:40:00.000-06:00

CDs with love songs are currently located near the book return and available for check-out.

Getting married? Listen to wedding music on the Wedding Classics CD.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Kansas Reads: The Learning Tree

2007-01-29T13:16:00.000-06:00

Kansas Reads: The Learning Tree by Gordon Parks is a statewide project encouraging all Kansas adults to read, discuss and experience the same book. Several of McPherson College's EN111 classes will be reading The Learning Tree this spring. Stop by Miller Library and see our display featuring poems and photography by Kansas native Gordon Parks.

The project is sponsored by the Kansas Center for the Book at the State Library and promoted by Kansas libraries, bookstores and others from January 29 to April 30, 2007. The Learning Tree was chosen for its broad-based appeal and ability to encourage and sustain spirited discussion. For information about activities around the state, visit http://skyways.lib.ks.us/orgs/kcfb/learningtree.htm

You asked for it!

2007-01-10T16:10:00.000-06:00

Now when you search in the online catalog, call numbers appear on your search screen. They also appear when you print, e-mail, or save records.

Choice Reviews Online

2007-01-02T13:25:00.000-06:00

Choice Reviews Online has a new website: http://www.cro2.org/.
Choice reviews academic books and websites and is one of the ways MC faculty recommend books to add to the collection. Any MC student, faculty, or staff member is welcome to use the site.
Faculty, you will need to disable pop-up blockers to use the print, e-mail, and download functions. For assistance, contact Susan.

Catalog upgrade

2007-01-02T13:22:00.000-06:00

Our integrated library system (MacPAC) will be updated Wednesday Jan 3 after 4 p.m. The update will take approximately 7 to 8 hours and during this time the systems will not be available. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Mice in Miller

2006-12-05T09:58:00.000-06:00

Yes, we have new optical mice for the lab computers. Thanks to Computer Services for this student requested improvement!

Christmas Items

2006-11-28T10:12:00.000-06:00

Make your season bright with Christmas books, CDs, tapes, and LPs. They're now available for check-out. Items will be due Dec. 8 but can be renewed.

New Books

2006-11-14T11:28:00.000-06:00

Our "New Books" shelf features our latest additions to Miller Library. Among the recent titles is Truck; On Rebuilding a Worn-Out Pickup and Other Post-Technological Adventures. Called the Zen of the art of truck repair, John Jerome's book tells of his yearlong adventure restoring a 1950 Dodge pickup and coming to grips with technology.

Barack Obama's Dreams from My Father is the memoir of this up-and coming politician's early years. Obama retraces his parents' roots, from his white mother's childhood in Kansas to his father's native Kenya, on his path to self discovery.

Happiness: the Science Behind Your Smile by Daniel Nettle presents recent research in a readable format, examining the concept of happiness and why we are wired to pursuit it.

A hot concept today is Social Capital, and David Halpern's book of that title explores the phenomena of social networking, our connections with others that affect how, when, and with whom we associate. He discusses how social capital affects economic growth, health, crime, government, and other aspects of society.

Stop by the "New Books" shelf, or search for Recent Items in the catalog to discover other new titles.

Miller Library Blog

2006-11-13T10:47:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the Miller Library Blog. We'll keep you up-to-date with the lastest news, including library displays, recent additions to our collection, and other helpful information. If there's something you'd like to know, please e-mail us at library@mcpherson.edu.