Entries by Kathy Irwin

• Meetings will be held four times per year from noon to 1 p.m. in room 1210 in the library. Target months are February, April, September and November.


• Meeting dates and times will be emailed to the members and posted on the library web site.


• Participants will select the books the group will read.


• Participants are encouraged to bring their lunch, and the library will provide a variety of beverages.


• R.E.A.D. is open to all UM-Dearborn faculty and staff. UM-Dearborn students are also welcome.


• Contact Barbara Kriigel at bkriigel@umd.umich.edu to be added to or removed from the Book Club email group.

Register online for two events being held during the exhibition, "Laura's Enduring Tale: Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of Little House on the Prairie."

The first event is the opening reception on Friday, October 29, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. in the Berkowitz Gallery, on the third floor of the Mardigian Library. William T. Anderson, a noted Wilder biographer, will give a presentation on the writing of this classic children’s book that is loved by many. Register for this event.

The second event is a special children’s program that will be held Saturday, October 30, 2010 from 10:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Activities will include trivia games related to the books, storytelling, and a contest for the best prairie costume. Grab your bonnet or boots and come along for the fun! Register for this event.

The exhibition runs from Friday, October 29, 2010 through Friday, December 10, 2010. Extended Gallery hours will be available Monday through Thursday and on Saturday and Sunday. For more information, call Susan Flannery at 313-593-5236.

September 2010 R.E.A.D. (Read, Eat, and Discuss) Meeting

Book: How Does it Feel to be a Problem? Being Young and Arab in America by Moustafa Bayoumi

Date: Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Time: Noon to 1:00 p.m.

Location: 1210 ML

The Interlibrary Loan (ILL) department has implemented a new software system for managing ILL requests. The new system, ILLiad, enables ILL staff to manage requests more effectively and efficiently. Within your ILLiad account, you can submit and track your ILL requests, view electronic documents, view ILL items checked out to you, and request renewals.

First, create your ILLiad account:
1. Go to the ILLiad First Time Users webpage
2. Read the information, then click the button labeled “First Time Users Click Here”.
3. Complete the “New User Registration for ILLiad” online form.
4. Click the Submit button. You will be taken to the ILLiad main menu.
5. Your ILLiad account is now ready to use!

Request materials using your ILLiad account:
1. Log in to ILLiad
2. Select the appropriate form for your request: Article, Book or AV, or Book Chapter
3. Complete the form and click the Submit button.

What about ILL requests placed prior to September 8, 2010?
Requests that were placed in the former ILL system will be completed using that system. You may view these requests in your library account. Articles requested in the former ILL system will either be e-mailed to you or made available for pick up online.

Questions?
If you need help setting up your ILLiad account or placing requests, library staff at the Circulation Desk (313-593-5559) or the Library Research Center (313-593-5563) can help you.

If you have questions about ILL requests placed prior to September 8, 2010, contact the ILL department at 313-593-3284 or ill-library@umd.umich.edu.

Frequently Asked Questions about ILLiad

An exhibition honoring Little House on the Prairie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder, will open on Friday, October 29, 2010 with a reception at 5:00 p.m. in the Berkowitz Gallery, on the third floor of the Mardigian Library. William T. Anderson, a noted Wilder biographer, will give a presentation on the writing of this classic children’s book that is loved by many.

Exhibit displays will focus on Mrs. Wilder, the series, her family, and the times in which they lived. We are collaborating with the Detroit Public Library, The Wilder Home Association, The Henry Ford, HarperCollins, the Alfred Berkowitz Gallery, and various Wilder museums to create the displays.

Little House on the Prairie was first published in 1935. It is the third title in the “Little House” series, coming after Little House in the Big Woods (1932) and Farmer Boy (1933). The series is based on Mrs. Wilder’s life as a pioneer girl and has remained constantly in print since the initial publication. The books are considered classics of American children’s literature.

A special children’s program will be held Saturday, October 30, 2010 from 10:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Activities will include trivia games related to the books, storytelling, and a contest for the best prairie costume. Grab your bonnet or boots and come along for the fun!

Register online for the 10/29 reception or the 10/30 children's program.

The exhibition runs from Friday, October 29, 2010 through Friday, December 10, 2010. Extended Gallery hours will be available Monday through Thursday and on Saturday and Sunday. For more information, call Susan Flannery at 313-593-5236.

Librarian Barbara Kriigel recently collaborated with Erna Gorman, a Holocaust survivor, to compile Mrs. Gorman’s memoirs into the book, While Other Children Played: a Hidden Child Remembers the Holocaust. Barbara Kriigel first became acquainted with Mrs. Gorman in the mid-1990s when the Mardigian Library began working with Dr. Sidney Bolkosky to transcribe interviews he conducted with Holocaust survivors. His 1989 videotaped interview with Mrs. Gorman was one of the first interviews to be transcribed and made available over the Internet. As the project grew, the Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive was established in the Mardigian Library.

Mrs. Gorman’s memoir tells the tale of how she and her family survived the Holocaust because a Ukrainian farmer had the courage to hide them in his barn. As Erna, her sister, and parents climbed the ladder into a tiny hayloft, no one dreamed that this would be their home for almost two years. The space was very small with just enough room for a small blanket the family could lie or sit on as they picked lice off each other and whispered stories to pass the time. The farmer did his best, but the family’s health quickly deteriorated due to horrible sanitary conditions, lice, vermin, and malnutrition. Although they could hear the farmer’s children playing outside, Erna and her sister Suzanne had to maintain silence so that the family’s presence would not be revealed. As the days and months passed, the family stopped talking and merely existed. When Russian soldiers liberated the area, the farmer told the family they had to leave. Unable to walk due to atrophied muscles, Erna and her family crawled through frozen fields to join the soldiers. Sadly, Erna’s mother was killed several days later by a stray bullet during an airplane raid.

As an adult, Mrs. Gorman had to come to terms with the horrific experiences of her childhood. She became determined to share her story with others, especially school children, so that they could learn the effects of intolerance, hatred, and racism on others. She has been working with school groups for over twenty years. In December 2009, she received an honorary doctoral degree in Education from Northern Michigan University, in recognition of her work with students. She gave a moving commencement speech to the new graduates.

Mrs. Gorman’s book is being published under the auspices of the University of Michigan-Dearborn and the Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive. For more information, contact Barbara Kriigel at bkriigel@umd.umich.edu or x35614.

The Interlibrary Loan (ILL) department is implementing a new software system for managing ILL requests. The new system, ILLiad, will enable the ILL staff to manage requests more effectively and efficiently. Users will still be able to initiate and track their ILL requests through a web interface and will still receive electronic documents at their desktops. Everyone who completes an ILL request form will need to set up an ILLiad account before placing their first request. Instructions for using the new system will be posted to the library website and sent through e-mail. The ILL department plans to have the new user interface ready to use at the beginning of fall term.

The ILLiad software will increase the library’s capacity to manage an ever-increasing number of ILL requests. ILL requests from UM-Dearborn faculty, students, and staff have increased 64% in the last five years and MeLCat requests have nearly tripled. While the library is able to obtain a majority of requested books through the MeLCat service, article requests are obtained using the traditional ILL service.

Inspired by UM-Dearborn’s EverGreen Team, the Mardigian Library formed its own Green Committee. To save electricity, the Green Committee surveyed lighting in the staff areas and deactivated unnecessary lights. Also, to save electricity, the Green Committee has been using a Kill-a-watt™ meter to measure the energy use of various electronic items (computers, printers, monitors, refrigerators, etc.) to determine their current efficiency and how much energy can be saved by turning them off when not in use. Employees are encouraged to shut down their computers when away for extended periods of time and to shut off office lights when out of the office. The Circulation Desk is phasing out plastic book bags and is encouraging borrowers to bring their own bag, or buy a reusable library book bag.

The committee is also investigating whether some of the less-used trash cans can be removed, thereby reducing the number of plastic bags going to the landfill. The Green Committee will continue to seek ways in which the library can reduce waste and become more energy efficient.

Librarians can quickly and easily set up online research guides to help faculty and students find information for a particular subject or course using LibGuides, a service recently added by the Library Research Center of the Mardigian Library. Using LibGuides (short for “Library Guides”), librarians can create customized guides providing links to appropriate books, articles, subscription databases, Web sites, and more.

The Mardigian Library’s LibGuides also include an embedded library catalog search box and a reference chat box. The search box allows users to search the library catalog directly from the LibGuide, while the reference chat box allows users to chat live with a librarian if one is currently on duty. LibGuides also have the capability to include embedded video, podcasts, RSS feeds, and interactive polls.

LibGuides have already been established for composition, environmental studies, political science, psychology, human paleontology, and other courses. New guides will be added on a regular basis. To have a LibGuide set up for your particular course or subject area, contact the Library Research Center at 313-593-5563 or e-mail us at ask-a-question@umd.umich.edu.

Looking for what’s new at the Mardigian Library? The New Books and Other Materials list on our web page allows you to see what has recently been added to our collection. The lists are compiled monthly. Previous new materials lists can be viewed here as well. The materials are arranged by call number (Library of Congress classification) and there is a call number/subject guide to take you directly to the subjects you are interested in.

Thanks to a generous donation by Student Government, the Mardigian Library now has six portable whiteboards on the second floor for students to use. The library previously had two very heavily used portable whiteboards. Due to their popularity, Student Government offered to buy four more for the library. They were available to students the week of final exams for the winter semester. These six portable whiteboards, along with another wall-mounted board, make the second floor an ideal place for students to gather together for collaborative study.

The R.E.A.D. meetings for the 2010-2011 academic year are as follows:

Sept. 28, 2010 (Tues.):
How Does it Feel to be a Problem? Being Young and Arab in America by Moustafa Bayoumi

Nov. 17, 2010 (Wed.):
Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom

Feb. 1, 2011 (Tues.):
Still Alice by Lisa Genova

April 6, 2011 (Wed.):
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Meetings run from noon to 1:00 p.m. and are held in room 1210 ML. Information about R.E.A.D. is posted on the library news blog and on the campus calendar.

Giuseppina (Josie) Price, one of the library’s longest-serving volunteers, was recently honored at a luncheon in recognition of her ten years of outstanding service to the Mardigian Library. Josie joined the library’s volunteer program in 2000 because she missed the college campus environment.

Originally trained to help prepare journals for the bindery process, Josie soon took on the additional responsibility of book repair when another long-time volunteer “retired”. Book repair has become Josie’s favorite responsibility, perhaps because of her artistic back-ground and interests. She says she also enjoys the challenge of “taking a wreck and making it presentable and useable”!

Josie has an interesting family history. Her father, Alessandro Mastro-Valerio, came to the United States from Italy in 1913, moving first to Chicago and then to Ypsilanti when some friends decided to move there. He always said, “I had no idea where Ypsilanti was, but it sounded interesting.” As an artist, he traveled around the Midwest painting commissioned portraits. In the early 1920s, he taught art classes for Ypsilanti Normal College (now Eastern Michigan University) where he met his future wife, Nola Manchester. Josie was born in Italy in the late 1920s when the couple was on an extended trip to visit his family. Shortly afterward, the family returned to the United States and Josie’s father became a full-time faculty member at the University of Michigan. Mastro-Valerio is best known for his mezzotints but also worked in other media. The Ypsilanti National Bank commissioned a mural by Mastro-Valerio and the work entitled “Progress” still hangs there today.

Josie received a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Spanish, from the University of Michigan in 1949. She married Stuart Price in 1952 and they raised two sons and a daughter. Josie and Stuart love to travel and we always enjoy seeing Stuart’s gorgeous photographs from their trips. Another hobby of Josie’s is jewelry making and her beautiful silver bracelets are truly amazing.

Josie volunteers most Thursday afternoons at the library and has become an integral member of the Technical Services team. She says staff and student workers have all become good friends and she looks forward to seeing them each week.

Volunteers are a vital part of the library’s workforce. We could not accomplish all of our work without them. Josie joins Betty Nickerson in achieving a ten year anniversary as a volunteer. Betty is our longest serving volunteer; she is one of our original volunteers who began in 1997 when the program started. Volunteers contribute more than just the work they perform; they are great role models and mentors for our students. We thank all of our volunteers for the important role they play. We offer our special thanks to Josie for her ten years of dedicated and outstanding service to the library!

Vote online by April 30, 2010 to select the books R.E.A.D. will discuss during the 2010-2011 academic year. You may vote for four of the following titles:

• The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
  
• Have a little faith by Mitch Albom
  
• Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
  
• How Does It Feel to Be a Problem?: Being Young and Arab in America by Moustafa Bayoumi
  
• March by Geraldine Brooks
  
• People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
  
• Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origins of Species by Sean Carroll
  
• Still Alice by Lisa Genova
  
• Tomorrow's Table: Organic Farming, Genetics, and the Future of Food by Pamela Ronald and R.W. Adamchak
  
• Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman by Jon Krakauer
  

To read book summaries or reviews refer to the following websites:

Reading Group Guides

Publishers' Weekly

Over Booked (search box at bottom of page)

Book Lust

Amazon.com

The R.E.A.D. bookclub is open to all UM-Dearborn faculty and staff and meets four times a year.

The Mardigian Library has several new digital bookplates to acknowledge and thank individuals who give a donation of $50 or more to the library: the "50th Anniversary" bookplate and the "Honor Your Graduate" bookplate.

General donations made during the 2009-10 academic year will go to the library’s Collection of Excellence fund, which is used to purchase books, videos, e-books, and much more. A note with the donor’s name is added to a newly acquired library item. The note displays in the online catalog and links to the special digital bookplate website commemorating the university’s 50th anniversary. When a donation is made in honor of or in memory of an individual, that information is also included in the note. A list of all titles associated with a bookplate can be displayed by clicking on the appropriate link at the bookplate’s home page.

The “Honor Your Graduate” bookplate was designed to allow family and friends of our graduates to recognize their special graduate with a lasting tribute. This will be an ongoing initiative with a special bookplate created for each graduating class. You can view these online by graduation year:
Honoring the Class of 2009
Honoring the Class of 2010

Details about making a gift are available on the library's website.