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October-November 2005
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CAMPUS NEWS |
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Library Celebrates One Millionth Book, Faculty and Alumni Authors, and More!
Bender Library recently exceeded one million volumes with the acquisition of a rare title that was unveiled at an event celebrating the milestone. The millionth book: a first edition of John Locke's 1693 "Some Thoughts Concerning Education." A 1792 copy of Mary Wollstonecraft's "A Vindication of the Rights of Women," was also added to the collection. “To reach the magic million represents a major accomplishment for the institution, generous donors, and library employees,” says Librarian Patricia A. Wand. “Besides providing a wealth of knowledge for inquisitive minds, the collection size symbolizes the university’s commitment to learning and scholarship.” Fewer than 150 of the 3,500 academic libraries in the United States have acquired one million volumes, according to national statistics. In addition to the multitude of books available through the consortium, Bender Library updated its collection this past summer to include rare book collections, artistic and religious compilations, one-of-a-kind journalism and communications media, and other special items, like the National Peace Corps Association Archives. Aside from taking advantage of the consortium, AU students can acquire a user card to gain access to books in the Library of Congress, the largest library in the world. The Bender Library is currently ranked 12th in The Princeton Review’s, “This is a Library?” category. While the ranking, an assessment of AU students’ opinions, is not grounded in a scholarly review of the facility, prospective students often use the reviews as a guide when ranking the colleges to which they apply. Today's students
are likely to see more library advertisements around campus than their predecessors.
“The advertisements are helpful because they show the Internet-dependent
students that we still have a library to go to,” says SOC junior
Adam Glazer. The ads have received notice from more than just students, too. The library won a marketing award from the Association of College and Research Libraries for Best Practices in Marketing Academic and Research Libraries, says Nick Banovetz, SPA/BA '03, assistant to the librarian. This semester’s Celebrating Scholarship event honored Professors Brian Forst, Helen Langa, and Sabiyha Prince on Oct. 21 for publication of their books, each containing the underlying theme of social justice. Each professor spoke briefly about his or her book and signed a copy to remain on display in the library. There was a question and answer session following the event. To be considered for the distinction, the book must be a first edition, contain one author, and have been published within the last two years.
The
library also featured five alumni authors during Alumni Weekend at the
Alumni Author Book Fair on Saturday Oct. 22, discussing and signing copies of their books:
Jennifer Allison (Brostrom), CAS/MFA '98, author of
Gilda Joyce Psychic Investigator; Anne Snowden Crosman, SOC/MA '68, author of
Young at Heart: 61 Extraordinary Americans Tell How to Defy Age with Zest, Work and Healthy Lifestyles;
Howard Dvorkin, KSB/BSBA '86, author of
Credit Hell: How To Dig Out Of Debt; Alison Pace, CAS/BA '93, author of If Andy Warhol Had A Girlfriend; and
Deandra "Brooksie" Brooks, SIS/BA '94, and Kristina "Morgan" Rose, SPA/BA '94, coauthors of
The Recovering Sorority Girls' Guide to a Year's Worth of Perfect Parties. -Tara
Shlimowitz '08 | |||||
