This week's hints:

• A Greek poet who is credited to have authored two well known epics.
• Both of his epic poems feature a legendary king named Odysseus. 
• In Dante's Inferno, he is referred to as the "Poet Sovereign" and Alexander Pope considered him to be the "greatest of poets."

Library Poetry Hour

April 25th at 3pm at the UCC Library 

Click here to register.

In ancient Rome, recitationes were a literary practice that involved one or more public readings of a text by the author.

Tomorrow, April 25th at 3pm, the UCC Library will be hosting our own recitationes with our second poetry hour. Come to recite your own work or a favorite. Don't want to share? Come and listen. This event is not exclusive to poetry, come and share a short story or essay instead. 

Need help finding a poem? Click here to access the LitFinder database. Simply type in an author or the word "poetry" and start exploring. 

Above painting: Catullus Reading His Poems to Friends by Stephan Bakalowicz

 How to Use the UCC Library Catalog 

This 19th century artistic rendering of the Library of Alexandria by O. Von Corven, shows that the ancient library has a lot in common with modern libraries found across the world, including at UCC. Stacks of books surround busy readers shuffling through pages, a librarian taking some items down from a bookcase while an eager reader awaits below. Also like UCC, the Library of Alexandria was a research institution, which means that its main focus was on academic inquiry instead of pleasure reading. While this ancient library and our modern one function in a similar way, many things have changed in the field of librarianship. Such as how we catalog our collections, and how our patrons access those collections. Currently, the UCC library uses the Dewey Decimal System, and while we don't have a physical card catalog, we do have a digital one. Read below for steps on how to access and use this catalog. 

• To access the UCC catalog, first visit our website by clicking here.
• Then click on "Databases." A drop down menu will appear, then click on "Library Catalog" on the bottom of the menu. 
• You should see a page that looks like the image below. Type your inquiry in the search bar. This could be a keyword, author name, or title. There are other options in the drop down menu. 

• Lets say that you want to find a book on the Library of Alexandria. After typing that subject in to the search bar and hitting enter, there will be a display of titles with that key word in the record. 

• From here, click on a title that seems to fit your interest. For this example, lets look at the fourth title. 

• If we had a card catalog, this is the information that would be displayed on this item's card. But where is this book located in the library collection? For that we look at the Dewey Decimal Number, or call number, on the bottom of the record. For this item, the call number is "027 BAT." 

• Take this number and find the same number in the bookcases in the library. The collection is ordered from 000 to 999, with the 000's being towards the front of the building. If you get lost, that's okay. Ask a library staffer for help.  

• Here is the book on the shelf. Note how the other call numbers are in order. 
• You have read the book, but you don't want to check it out. That's okay, instead of putting it back on the shelf, we ask that you instead put it on one of these carts, or hand it to a library staffer to re-shelve. 

• Hint 1: Not from the ancient world, but some of his plays take place in ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. 
• Hint 2: One of his more popular plays is a comedy that takes place in Athens.
• Hint 3: Died on April 23rd, after a successful career as a writer in London.

A Night at the Theater with Kanopy!

Kanopy is an on-demand streaming video platform for all UCC students, staff, and faculty that offers a world of cinema including films, TV shows, educational videos, and documentaries. The best part? This service is free! 

Explore the ancient world and beyond with Kanopy! With films such as...

First time using Kanopy?

To access Kanopy, go to the UCC Library website. Click on "Databases." A menu will drop down, from here select "All Databases." This page shows all of the databases provided by the UCC Library to students. Click on the letter "K" for Kanopy. Finally, click on "Kanopy." 

If you wish to create a watch later playlist, or start a film and continue watching later,  you will have to create an account. To do this, click the icon in the top right hand corner. Then click "create an account." Follow the prompts. 

Jeopardy Game

Don't forget to register for the Ancient Worlds Jeopardy game, taking place on May 16th at 3pm in the library. You can register here.

Explore the Ancient World at the UCC Library

For the next several weeks the UCC library will be stepping back in time to Ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. (But don't worry, we'll still have printing and Wi-Fi available)

Each week will bring a different ancient figure to our Smarty Awards (scroll down to see this week's)

Be sure to check out our display covering ancient history, modern novels set in the ancient world, and regional cooking.

Learn how you, as a student, can explore the ancient world and beyond using our databases.

Finally, on May 16th at 3pm, we will be having our Ancient World Jeopardy game. Register here. 

• Hint 1: A young pharaoh who ruled Egypt for nine years.
• Hint 2: His tomb was discovered in 1922 in the Valley of the Kings. His tomb was so well preserved that he became the most well known Egyptian pharaoh. 
• Hint 3: After his mysterious death, his successors attempted to wipe out the legacy of his reign. 

Take Action for Libraries Day!

On this annual day of action during National Library Week, advocates are joining together to affirm their participation in 2024 elections. Libraries are nonpartisan, but they are not indifferent. The nation’s libraries play a critical role in our democracy, encouraging readers, educating voters and preparing all of us to participate in elections. To launch ALA's new Reader, Voter, Ready campaign, we're asking library advocates to pledge to get informed, get registered, and get ready to vote! Use our action form to sign the pledge and commit to voting:

I am a reader. I am a voter. I will be registered, informed, and ready to vote in all local, state, and federal elections during 2024 and beyond.

Sign the pledge

National Library Outreach Day

National Library Outreach Day (formerly National Bookmobile Day) celebrates library outreach and the dedicated library professionals who are meeting their patrons where they are. Whether it's a bookmobile stop at the local elementary school, services provided to community homes, or library pop-ups at community gatherings, these services are essential to the community. Each year, National Library Outreach Day is celebrated on Wednesday of National Library Week. In 2024, National Library Outreach Day will be April 10. 

National Library Outreach Day is an opportunity for library advocates to make their support known—through thanking library staff, writing a letter or e-mail to their libraries, or voicing their support to community leaders.

National Library Outreach Day is coordinated by the ALA Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services (ODLOS), the Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services (ABOS), and the Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL).

-American Library Association

Library outreach at a Community College looks different than it may at a public library. We may not operate a bookmobile, but we offer a variety of services beyond traditional library services. For example, did you know that we offer a digital chat service? You can reach library staff via the library website, your Canvas course shell, or text (541-835-8146, standard text-messaging rates apply)! After hours? The library participates in a 24/7 statewide cooperative chat, Answerland, to provide service when we're not at the library.

Library Instruction Request

We also offer library instruction sessions in your classroom! UCC professors can use the Library Instruction Request form to book a classroom session with me, the Library Director. Sessions can be customized to each class and cover any number of topics.

Are there other ways that you think the UCC Library can provide Outreach to UCC students? Let us know by filling out the Library Suggestions/Feedback form here or in the building!

-Liz

Liz Teoli-Thomason | Library Director
Umpqua Community College

(she, her, hers)

National Library Workers Day: Libraries work because we do!

Tuesday, April 9, 2024 is National Library Workers Day (NLWD), a time to recognize library professionals for their expertise and leadership skills in transforming lives and communities through education and lifelong learning. The day also reminds the public that library workers serve as community compasses that lead users to endless opportunities for engagement, enrichment, and development. 

To show appreciation for library workers and the work they do throughout the year, library users are invited to Submit at Star by providing a testimonial about a favorite library employee at ala-apa.org/nlwd. Check out these 10 Ways to Celebrate National Library Workers Day

- American Library Association

Don't forget to stop by the Sue Shaffer Learning Commons & Library to say thanks to the amazing Library Staff! I'm lucky to have such an amazing team to work with! There are our two full-time Library Assistants, Nik & Peggy who help make sure that all of your circulation and trivia needs are met, Sonja & Jackie our two part-time Library Clerks who aid in keeping everything running smoothly during the mornings and evenings, Ivana, Zack, & Seren our dedicated student workers, and even a few volunteers from the UCC Scholars program! Without this team you we wouldn't be able to provide you the stellar service, warm welcomes, kind words, informed assistance, and physical and digital collections that we do. 

Thank you to my amazing library staff for all you do!

-Liz

Liz Teoli-Thomason | Library Director
Umpqua Community College

(she, her, hers)

Hints for this week's smarty award:

• 1 - This week long celebration begins today (April 8th). 
• 2 - Not only dose this week celebrate libraries and library workers, but also our collective right to read. 
• 3 - Is sponsored by the American Library Association. 
• Bonus: See the library blog for a post mentioning the answer! 

National Library Week, 2024

"The American Library Association (ALA) is thrilled to celebrate National Library Week from April 7 to11. This year’s theme is "Ready, Set, Library!" which illustrates the idea that in an always-online world, libraries give the community a green light to connect with others, learn new skills, and focus on what matters most." - ALA Press Release April 2, 2024.

Right to Read Day

Right to Read Day, is a day for readers, advocates, and library lovers to take action to protect, defend, and celebrate the right to read. Today, the State of America's Libraries Report was released. This annual report discusses many important factors, and also includes the most up to date Top 10 Most Challenged Books list.

Below is from an Introduction to the Report (18 pages; PDF)  by ALA’s Interim Director, Leslie Burger:

Library workers never cease to amaze me, and that’s saying something because I’ve been in the field for quite some time. Toward the end of 2023, I joined the American Library Association (ALA) in a new capacity, as interim executive director, at a time when book bans were plaguing school and public libraries and when library workers were being threatened and attacked for defending the First Amendment freedom to read. The first thing I noticed was that so many libraries across the country were bursting with new programs, new displays, new services, and new ways to serve their communities, whether patrons or students. In the face of adversity, library workers were taking action.

Let’s look for a moment at the hot topic of artificial intelligence (AI) and libraries. Well over 1,000 people took advantage of ALA’s continuing education sessions on AI in 2023. Library workers are learners, first and foremost. When something new looks to shake up library processes, our members eagerly search for answers. When it comes to AI, many library workers are fascinated by the possibilities and determined to avoid the pitfalls. In this edition of the State of America’s Libraries, Leo S. Lo, dean and professor of the College of University Libraries and Learning Services at the University of New Mexico, talks about exciting advancements made possible by AI, such as automated cataloging and chatbots for user support.

Libraries found support at every level of government for efforts to increase access to high-speed internet connectivity. Tribal libraries took advantage of programs that offer deep discounts on broadband infrastructure. The Learn Without Limits proposal, introduced in 2023, offers library patrons and students access to hotspots off-premises. Libraries continue to serve as hubs for people living in areas that lack high-speed internet.

Partnerships with community organizations help put libraries at the center of their communities, and 2023 was full of fascinating examples. For instance, Cleveland Housing Court worked with Cleveland Public Library to open videoconferencing kiosks in four libraries to bring the court closer to the people. In Baltimore County Public Library, a Pop-Up Shops program for local vendors—from candle makers to photographers—provides free space and offers vendor-preparation classes for aspiring entrepreneurs. Schools innovate constantly, including one in El Cerrito, California, where librarians and teachers worked with students on an award-winning global human rights research project.

Some librarians at universities, including University of Iowa and University of Puerto Mayagüez in Puerto Rico, help people apply for trademarks. It’s heartening to find library workers doing amazing work even as they face a barrage of challenges. Libraries have always been magical places, filled with stories, hopes, and dreams. Library workers are the magicians who create that magic.

Stay tuned for more information tomorrow on National Library Workers Day!

Family Friendly Space Now Available to Students

Are you torn between studying and keeping your young ones entertained?

Then come by the library and reserve a space in our recently remodeled Moody Room.

Room features desks for you, play table, reading nooks, and books for them!

To reserve the Moody Room, click here and then select "Family-friendly Room."

For more information about the space click here.

Any questions? Ask library staff.

This week's hints: 

• A Canadian-American actor and comedian. 
• Won a Golden Globe in 1999 for his role in The Truman Show.
• His breakthrough role was in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.