Hyde Highlights

Are you looking for something fun and entertaining to read this summer in your spare time?

The Class of 2009 came up with a list of their all-time favorite books.  There are 99 books on the list in order of popularity, so you're sure to find something to match your interests here:

 

Seniors 99 Favorite Books 2009.doc

 

We all heard some very good advice from Ben Ferguson's Rogers Leadership Forum talk in chapel this morning.  One of the things he encouraged was reading as much as you can and doing it now, before your life gets busier with work and the demands of adult life.  He encouraged you to read about whatever interests you.  The Hyde Library is here for exactly that purpose.  The library has the books you need for your research papers and projects, of course, but you will also find interesting books about every topic imaginable.  You will find books for almost any subject, such as sports, music, art, science, biography, popular culture, social issues and even math!  There are lots of fiction books, both contemporary and classic.  If you can't find something to interest you, talk to anyone on the library staff.  We are always open to student suggestions and recommendations.  You don't have to go to the public libraries or bookstores to find what you want to read.  It's all here for you and it's free!

Many of you enjoyed reading Gordon Korman’s books and talking to him when he was on our campus last year.  His newest book was just published a few weeks ago:

 

The Juvie Three by Gordon Korman

Gecko, Arjay, and Terence, all in trouble with the law, must find a way to keep their halfway house open in order to stay out of juvenile detention.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you were impressed by the science department demonstrations last semester and want to try your hand at blowing things up, you might be interested in Backyard ballistics : build potato cannons, paper match rockets, Cincinnati fire kites, tennis ball mortars, and more dynamite devices

by William Gurstelle.  Just be sure to follow all the safety precautions so that you don’t end up in the emergency room!

 

 

 

 

 

 

You might not be able to afford sessions with a sports psychologist, but this book will help you train your mind as well as your body:

 

Mind gym : an athlete's guide to inner excellence by Gary Mack

 

Drawing on his work with some of the top teams in professional sports, noted sport psychology consultant Gary Mack shares with you the same techniques and exercises he uses to help elite athletes build mental "muscle." These 40 accessible lessons and inspirational anecdotes will help you gain the "head edge" over the competition.

 

 

 

 

Need a new book series to start on?  We now have 9 books of Jim Butcher’s fantasy/sci fi Dresden Files series, beginning with Storm Front:

 

In this first book in the offbeat Dresden Files, readers are introduced to Harry Dresden, a wizard with a consulting practice in modern-day Chicago. Dresdens profession offers him little money, lots of mockery, the suspicion of his magical colleagues, and plenty of danger.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ender in Exile by Orson Scott Card is a new sequel to the sci fi classic Ender’s Game:

 

At the close of "Ender's Game," Andrew Wiggin--called Ender--is told that he can no longer live on Earth. The 12-year-old chooses to leave his home world and begins the long relativistic journey out to the colonies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neil Gaiman has just won the Newbery Award for The Graveyard Book and is becoming wildly popular.  Are you one of his many fans?

 

Prince of stories : the many worlds of Neil Gaiman by Hank Wagner

 

This book chronicles the history and impact of the complete works of Neil Gaiman in film, fiction, music, comic books, and beyond. Containing hours of exclusive interviews with Gaiman and conversations with his collaborators, as well as wonderful nuggets of his work such as the beginning of an unpublished novel, a rare comic and never-before-seen essay, this is a treasure trove of all things Gaiman. In addition to providing in depth information and commentary on Gaiman's myriad works, the book also includes rare photographs, book covers, artwork, and related trivia and minutiae, making it both an insightful introduction to his work, and a true "must-have" for his ever growing legion of fans. -- from publisher's description.

 

 

 

Curious about our new administration or the presidency in general?  Check out some of our newest books:

 

"At this defining moment in our history, Americans are hungry for change. After years of failed policies and a failed politics from Washington, this is our chance to reclaim the American dream. Barack Obama has proven to be a new kind of leader-one who can bring people together, be honest about the challenges we face, and move this nation forward. Change We Can Believe In outlines his vision for America."  -- from publisher's description.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"This is the story of a man who faced down personal challenges and tragedy, to become a public servant who refuses to be cynical about political leadership. As a senator from Delaware since 1973, Joe Biden has been a witness to the major events of the past four decades. Here he reveals what these experiences taught him about himself, his colleagues, and the institutions of government. He shows how the guiding principles he learned early in life--the obligation to work to make people's lives better, to honor family and faith, to get up and do the right thing no matter how hard you've been knocked down, to be honest and straightforward, and, above all, to keep your promises--are the foundations on which he has based his life's work as husband, father, and public servant.--From publisher description.

 

 

 

 

 

"After November 4th, 2008, the President-elect will have just over six weeks to set up his administration. Hess, first involved in the U.S. presidential transition process when it was between Ike and JFK, here delineates every step of "how to best organize a presidency." He addresses the reader as the President-elect and magically combines expertise, charm, and implicit wit. Numerous diagrams show, e.g., the real layout of the West Wing (with a text box on the TV version) and the seating arrangement for the cabinet at its meetings and questions to ask your potential PIP (that's primus inter pares-read the book!). This is a marvelous, elegantly informative read." -- Review from The Library Journal by Margaret Heilbrun

 

 

 

 

 

 

"This thoroughly researched work provides an unbiased examination of the office of the President of the United States." -- from the Library Journal review.

 

Michael Nelson, professor of political science at Rhodes College, is a co-editor of this book.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This carefully selected batch of letters, from over one hundred years of archiving letters to the President, includes such gems as the letter from a ten-year-old Fidel Castro to Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940 requesting ten bucks; an offer from Annie Oakley to President McKinley to raise a company of fifty American lady sharpshooters in the event of a war with Spain; a scrawled note on American Airlines in-flight letterhead from Elvis Presley to Richard Nixon offering his services to fight "The Hippie Elements;" and a very moving letter about the state of civil rights from Jackie Robinson to President Eisenhower. The letters themselves are reproduced where possible as full-size facsimiles and are accompanied with commentary to help the reader place them within historical events. -- from publisher's description.

 

 

 

 

 

Books with Bite" was this year's theme for Teen Read Week, October 12-18.

 

Activities included a vampire trivia quiz, prize drawings, and daily give-aways of candy, overdue book coupons, and vampire teeth!  6 lucky guys won gift cards valued from $10 to $25 to iTunes, Starbucks, and Barnes & Noble. During OP on Tuesday and Thursday of Teen Read Week, we had our ever-popular home-made cookie give-aways in conjunction with dramatic presentations.  A special thanks to all the moms who baked over 27 dozen cookies for our enjoyment! 

 

On Tuesday, Mr. Andy Saunders gave a dramatic reading of Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart."  Watch a clip here: BookswithBite08.mov

 

On Thursday, actors from the MUS production of MacBeth presented a scene from the play.  Watch a clip here:

TeenReadWeekMacbeth08.mov

 

During our week of fun, 219 books were checked out.

 

Can reading be toxic to your brain? Take a look at our "toxic books" display in the library foyer.  You'll find several books that have been challenged or banned somewhere in the U.S. for various reasons.  Usually those reasons are political, religious, or social.  For example, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird have been challenged for racial issues.  The Golden Compass and all the Harry Potter books have been challenged for religious reasons.  The Chocolate War has been challenged for mature content, offensive language, and violence.

The books on display are marked with locations and reasons for being challenged or banned.  You can find more about banned books and the reasons they have been banned at these sites:

 

http://www.forbiddenlibrary.com/

 

http://ala8.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/challengedbanned/challengedbanned.htm

 

http://www.ila.org/pdf/2008banned.pdf

 

According to the American Library Association, "A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials. Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others."   This is a basic intellectual freedom issue and The American Library Association states that it is your right to "seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction."

 

  

 

Who would you vote for or, if you're 18 already, who should you vote for?

Play the Select A Candidate game to see how your political interests, opinions and views match up with those of the 2008 Presidential candidates and compare your choices with those of other demographic groups:

http://americanpublicmedia.publicradio.org/engage08/selectacandidate/

 

Try this 3-D multimedia online game where you make tough decisions as you run for the presidency:

www.ciconline.org/eLECTIONS

 

This Budget Hero game lets you try to manage the federal budget:

http://americanpublicmedia.publicradio.org/engage08/budgethero/

 

Take a look at this 2008 Interactive Electoral Map:

http://www.270towin.com/

 

Watch political campaign ads from 1952 to 2008 here:

http://www.livingroomcandidate.org

 

Find more information on the issues and candidates as well as information on how to register to vote here:

www.declareyourself.com/index.php

 

http://www.votesmart.org

 

 

When you look up a book on our library catalog, a lot of information about the book displays on your screen.  All of that information is there for a reason, but sometimes it can be confusing.  When you look for a book on the shelf, be sure you use the call number instead of the ISBN (international standard book number).

 

Every edition of a book has a unique number (the 13 digit ISBN), just as you have a unique social security number or student id number.  A library book has a call number that represents its' home location on the library's shelves, just as you have a home address where you live.  Different editions of a book can have the same call number, just like your family members can have the same home address.  Your social security number will not help someone find out where you live, and neither will the ISBN help you find a book on the shelf.  The call number is the only number that tells you where to find a book on the shelf.  The call number consists of a Dewey classification number and a Cutter number, which is the second line on the book's spine label and serves to arrange books alphabetically within a classification number.  In our library, fiction books will not have a Dewey number, but will have FIC before the Cutter number.

 

When you want to find a book, be sure to look at the bottom of the catalog record screen and copy down the call number and location.  The location will give you the general location of the item (reference, stacks, college collection, videos, etc.) and the call number will give you the specific shelf location.

 

 

 

 

As the presidential election campaigns heat up, check out our V for Vote! display to read about the candidates and the process.  We have books by and about the candidates (such as McCain’s Faith of My Fathers and Why Courage Matters; Obama’s Audacity of Hope and Dreams from my Father). 

 

 

 

 

You’ll also find new takes on the process (Millennial makeover: MySpace, YouTube, and the future of American politics by Morley Winograd & Michael D. Hais) as well as historical perspectives of past elections.  There’s humor, too, when you're feeling cynical – Jon Stewart’s America: a citizen's guide to democracy inaction among others.