Talking in the Library

K-State Keepsakes: K-State's Sesquicentennial; Celebrating 150 Years!

Tony Crawford — 2013-02-12T18:54:57-06:00

34th in the Series

February 16, 2013 marks the beginning of K-State's Sesquicentennial! On that date in 1863 the Kansas legislature accepted an offer from the Bluemont Central College Association to transfer its property and assets to the state and become a college under the provisions of the Morrill Act, agreed to by the state only 13 days earlier. The three story college building, constructed of native limestone in 1859, stood at the northwest corner of present day Claflin Rd. and College Ave. On March 3, 1863, the new institution was designated as Kansas State Agricultural College. It is reported that 52 students equally divided between male and female started classes on September 2 of that year under the instruction of four faculty; Joseph Denison, president and professor of mental and moral science and ancient languages; J. G. Schnebly, professor of mathematics and natural science; Belle M. Haines, preparatory department; and Mrs. Eliza C. Beckwith, music on melodeon and piano. Although the original charter for the college called for four departments--science and literature, agriculture, mechanic arts, and military tactics--it is not clear to what extent classes from the four areas were offered the first few years. After the original 155 acres of land were acquired where K-State's main campus is now located, classes were transferred to a renovated stone barn on the property in 1875.

From this humble beginning as the first public institution of higher learning in Kansas, K-State has evolved into a comprehensive land grant university. Under the leadership of Kirk Schulz, K-State's 13th president, the goal of becoming a top 50 public research university in the U.S.by the year 2025 has been established.

Last fall K-State announced a record enrollment of 24,378 undergraduate and graduate students at campuses in Manhattan, Salina, and Olathe, along with extensive distant education programs. With many academic programs nationally ranked in their disciplines, faculty and students winning numerous awards each year, and K-State embarking on landmark initiatives such as the National Bio and Agri-Defense Facility, the university is well on its way to achieving top 50 status.

The first college catalog in 1863-1864 concluded, "This is the first Institution the State has endowed and put in operation and it is destined to become an instrument of great profit to the Country." After 150 years, and generations of success, K-Staters and Kansans can celebrate and proudly hail, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY!

Anthony R. Crawford, Curator of Manuscripts

Color aerial view of campus courtesy Photographic Services, K-State Communications and Marketing. Original painting of Bluemont Central College and photographs of early Manhattan and Anderson Hall, University Archives.

It Matters What You Leave Behind

donna_ekart — 2013-02-07T11:08:23-06:00

We see a lot on the Libraries’ Twitter account. You tell us when you’re tired, when your study group is amazing, when you wish it was quieter or louder or warmer or colder. And you tell us what your fellow students leave behind. Earlier this week, @graciediane posted the following photo with the caption “Found this gem in the library. #encouragement”

If you can’t quite make out the writing, the note says “You are worth so much more than you can ever imagine.” Seeing it made @graciediane’s, and likely other people’s, day much better.

Contrast that experience with that of another K-State student, who found not words of encouragement, but hateful racism that we won’t repeat here. He felt unwelcome, unsafe, unsure if he should be here at all. That’s not the K-State way. It doesn’t make us feel K-State proud to have to assure his parents that we’ll take care of it right away. It makes us, and everyone who encounters it, a little smaller, a little less part of a community.

The library space is yours. In many meaningful ways, some large, some small, it was bought and paid for by K-State students who came before you, so that it would be here for you to have. They did that because they believed in the future of the K-State family, and valued your educational experiences even though they will never know you. They left behind this library. Someone else left behind encouragement. Sadly, one person chose to leave behind their ignorance. We won’t stand for that, as a library, or as part of the K-State family.

We’re grateful to the students who let us know what they find in the library, and hope always for more experiences like @graciediane’s.

You *are* worth so much more than you can ever imagine. And it matters what you leave behind.

The Weather Outside is Frightful!!

dianaksu — 2013-01-30T09:55:11-06:00

So why not find something for your reading or listening pleasure in the Leisure Reading Collection? The collection is located on 2nd floor of Hale Library to your right after you enter through the gates.

To go along with the theme of this post, try Iced, an audio book by Karen Moning where the main monster is literally icing the world. Or if your tastes run more to the factual, try Bitter Brew about the rise and fall of Anheuser-Busch. Or if you liked the movie Jack Reacher, try one of the novels about the character written by Lee Childs.

Below are some of the titles that have been added to the collection in December and January.

Title: Gift of hope : helping the homeless / Danielle Steel.
Author: Steel, Danielle.
Callno: HV4505 .S737 2012

Title: Rn of the thin man / Dashiell Hammett ; edited by Richard Layman and Julie M. Rivett.
Author: Hammett, Dashiell, 1894-1961.
Callno: PS3515.A4347 R48 2012

Title: Silvered / Tanya Huff.
Author: Huff, Tanya.
Callno: PS3558.U324 S55 2012

Title: Bitter brew : the rise and fall of Anheuser-Busch and America's kings of beer / William Knoedelseder.
Author: Knoedelseder, William, 1947-
Callno: HD9397.U54 A847 2012

Title: Lola's secret [sound recording] / Monica McInerney.
Author: McInerney, Monica.
Callno: COMPACT DISC PR9619.4.M385 L65 2012b

Title: One shot : a Jack Reacher novel / Lee Child.
Author: Child, Lee.
Callno: PS3553.H4838 O53 2012

Title: Poseidon's arrow [sound recording] / Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler.
Author: Cussler, Clive.
Callno: COMPACT DISC PS3553.U75 P67 2012b

Title: Last man : a thriller / Vince Flynn.
Author: Flynn, Vince.
Callno: PS3556.L94 L37 2012

Title: Guardian [sound reccording] / Nicholas Sparks.
Author: Sparks, Nicholas.
Callno: COMPACT DISC PS3569.P363 G8 2012

Title: Iced [sound recording] : a Dani O'Malley novel / Karen Marie Moning.
Author: Moning, Karen Marie.
Callno: COMPACT DISC PS3613.O527 I24 2012b

Title: Flash point : a novel / Nancy Kress.
Author: Kress, Nancy.
Callno: PZ7.K8842 Fl 2012

Title: Days of blood & starlight / Laini Taylor.
Author: Taylor, Laini.
Callno: PZ7.T214826 Day 2012

Title: Legend of Broken / Caleb Carr.
Author: Carr, Caleb, 1955-
Callno: PS3553.A76277 L44 2012

Title: Night sins [sound recording] / Tami Hoag.
Author: Hoag, Tami.
Callno: COMPACT DISC PS3558.O333 N54 2012

Title: Buzzard table / Margaret Maron.
Author: Maron, Margaret.
Callno: PS3563.A679 B89 2012

Title: Bossypants / Tina Fey.
Author: Fey, Tina, 1970-
Callno: PN2287.F4255 A3 2011

Title: Nano [sound recording] / Robin Cook.
Author: Cook, Robin, 1940-
Callno: COMPACT DISC PS3553.O5545 N36 2012b

Title: Notorious nineteen [sound recording] / Janet Evanovich.
Author: Evanovich, Janet.
Callno: COMPACT DISC PS3555.V2126 N68 2012c

Title: Victory at Yorktown [sound recording] / Newt Gingrich and William R. Forstchen.
Author: Gingrich, Newt.
Callno: COMPACT DISC PS3557.I4945 V53 2012b

Title: Racketeer [sound recording] / John Grisham.
Author: Grisham, John.
Callno: COMPACT DISC PS3557.R5355 R33 2012d

Title: Shiver [sound recording] / Karen Robards.
Author: Robards, Karen.
Callno: COMPACT DISC PS3568.O196 S54 2012b

Title: Shiver / Karen Robards.
Author: Robards, Karen.
Callno: PS3568.O196 S55 2012

Title: Starting from here / by Lisa Jenn Bigelow.
Author: Bigelow, Lisa Jenn.
Callno: PZ7.B4822 St 2012

Title: Pirate cinema / Cory Doctorow.
Author: Doctorow, Cory.
Callno: PZ7.D66237 Pi 2012

Title: Beautiful redemption / by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl.
Author: Garcia, Kami.
Callno: PZ7.G155627 Bfr 2012

Title: Casual vacancy [sound recording] / J.K. Rowling.
Author: Rowling, J. K.
Callno: COMPACT DISC PR6068.O93 C37 2012c

Title: Mrs. Lincoln's dressmaker : a novel / Jennifer Chiaverini.
Author: Chiaverini, Jennifer.
Callno: PS3553.H473 M77 2013

Title: Empire and honor / W.E.B. Griffin and William E. Butterworth IV.
Author: Griffin, W. E. B.
Callno: PS3557.R489137 E47 2012

Title: Perfect hope [sound recording] / Nora Roberts.
Author: Roberts, Nora.
Callno: COMPACT DISC PS3568.O243 P44 2012c

Title: Scoundrels [sound recording] / Timothy Zahn.
Author: Zahn, Timothy.
Callno: COMPACT DISC PS3576.A33 S36 2012b

Title: Agenda 21 [sound recording] / Glenn Beck [with Harriet Parke].
Author: Beck, Glenn.
Callno: COMPACT DISC PS3602.E2685 A34 2012b

Spring Semester!

Luis — 2013-01-24T10:37:32-06:00

Hey K-Staters! Welcome back!

I hope everyone had a good first day of classes and look forward to the spring semester! I spent the entire break back home catching up on sleep and anything else I didn't have much time for during the fall semester. As for projects, I continue working on adding additional books to the Dow Center for Multicultural and Community Studies. I'm also working on compiling historical data in regards to Kansas State enrollment. Here's a fun fact, Tuition was actually free back in the 1800s! Wouldn't that be nice if it still applied?

Remember, if you ever need assistance with with research or if you're looking for certain books, stop by Hale Library and we'll be glad to assist you! Good luck with your semester!

- Luis

Fall Break 2012 Hours

K-State Libraries — 2012-11-15T10:37:00-06:00

Campus will be mostly empty during Fall Break, but if you plan to take advantage of that by packing in some quality library time, be sure to check your favorite library's hours first. Here's a quick run-down fir the Manhattan campus.

Sunday 11/18 Hale open 1p-5p, branches closed
Monday 11/19 Hale open 8a-6p, branches open 8a-5p
Tuesday 11/20 Hale open 8a-6p, branches open 8a-5p
Wednesday 11/21 Hale open 8a-6p, branches open 8a-5p, except Weigel closed 12p-1p
Thursday 11/22 All libraries are closed for the University holiday
Friday 11/23 All libraries are closed for the University holiday
Saturday 11/24 Hale open 1p-5p, branches closed
Sunday 11/25 All libraries resume normal hours, except Weigel remains closed until Monday

Enjoy your break, whether it involves tons of study time or tons of family time or tons of sleeping time!

Diversity Intern check-in

Anita — 2012-11-15T08:20:10-06:00

Hey guys, Its me again checking in from Hale library. The semester is getting pretty heavy so its nice that work has been pretty laid back for the most part. However, I've heard that finals week is insane here at Hale so I guess I'll have to wait and see! I have finally finished my art project here. I had a list of designers and I went through the catalog and looked up every book and subject heading they were under. Although it was a very tedious project (it took me over a month to finish) I enjoyed working on it! I know that it will be very helpful to all the interior design, architect, and art majors. Being an art major myself gave me even more inspiration to do a great job on the project. So that's it for the most part! I am starting more projects, but I'll tell more about those when I get the full description. Hope everyone's semester is going great and Thanksgiving is just right around the corner! Pretty soon the semester will be over before we know it :)

PURLs of Information: Uncovering Government Documents in the K-State Libraries’ Online Catalog

Ashley — 2012-11-12T14:00:00-06:00

If you’ve ever looked for an electronic version of a government document, if you had the full title, you found it via a Google search. But did you know that, as a member of the depository library program, K-State actually catalogs all of the government documents we receive or access—yes, even those in electronic-only format—and they can be accessed from the OPAC record? These hyperlinks or PURLs (persistent uniform resource locators) basically ensure that even if the URL changes, the link to the document remains stable.

Take a look at this example:

In 1993, since the passage of the Government Printing Office Electronic Information Access Enhancement Act of 1993, the Government Printing Office’s (GPO) mandate to provide access to government information was updated to include the creation and dissemination of government documents in electronic format. Since then, there has been a marked decline in the number of print documents issued while the number of electronic titles have increased. By 2005, approximately 90% of the titles available to depository libraries through GPO were available in electronic format. You might wonder why the Libraries would bother to catalog titles that are freely available via the Internet. Well, part of our responsibility as a depository library requires us to “provide custody and service for depository materials”. That just means that we agree to maintain a collection of government documents and that we help our users find and access the information. In the case of older documents, PURLs provide an additonal means of access to government information. K-State Libraries imports an average of 500 PURLs a month to the online catalog.

Need help locating a government document? Ask a Librarian, or contact Regina Beard (rmbeard@k-state.edu).

Jaeger, P. T., Bertot, J. C., & Shuler, J. A. (2010). The federal depository library program (FDLP), academic libraries, and access to government information. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 36(6), 469-478.

U.S. Government Printing Office, (2009). Legal Requirements and Program Regulations, 2.

Submitted by Regina Beard, Government Documents coordinator

K-State Sesquicentennial Celebration Kickoff!

Tony Crawford — 2012-11-08T15:53:30-06:00

The University's 150th anniversary celebration kicks off on February 14, 2013 in Ahearn Field House, 1:00 to 7:00 pm. During that time there will be historical displays created by 27 departments, colleges, units, and organizations on campus (including the K-State Libraries!); birthday cupcakes and ice cream; a musical performance that features a piece composed by our own Laurel Littrell specifically for the Sesquicentennial; and other entertaining and informative activities.

On Friday evening, February 15, GALA ONE FIFTY will take place at the Hilton Garden Inn and Manhattan Conference Center followed the next day by a celebration of K-State Founder's Day at the basketball game on Saturday, February 16, when the men play Baylor University.

In McCain Auditorium on Sunday evening, February 17, a special Sesquicentennial performance will be held. It was just announced that Carol Burnett will be the star attraction!

The Sesquicentennial celebration ends during K-State's homecoming activities in October. Prior to that time a variety of events will take place, memorabilia will be available (tee shirts for men and women, women's scarf, men's tie, note cards, flag, ornament, to name a few), exhibitions, speakers at brown bag lunches, etc.

Information about the multitude of activities is available on the 150th website so check it out and continue to do so because the content changes on a regular basis as more events are finalized. So, save the date of February 14, 2013, the year of the Sesquicentennial will be here before we know it!

Go Cats, getting better with age!

Research, research, and some more research!

Luis — 2012-11-01T10:10:25-05:00

Hi everyone! This is Luis with another one of my library updates! Since the Gala, I’ve been assisting students with and research and completing the DOW Chemical Multicultural Center reference list. Since we’re more than halfway finished with the semester, more and more papers are being assigned. I’ve helped students with topics on immigration to searching for “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”. Needless to say, there are tons of research topics out there! If you ever need help with research, you should stop by the help desk. If you need help with writing your paper, stop by on Sundays from 7:00PM – 9:00PM and Writing Center tutors can help you revise your paper! The reference list I’m working on is taking longer than I had expected. Going through 900+ books can be a bit time consuming and finding their subjects, can take time. Now I’m going through our catalogs and finding additional books that would be a good addition to the center. I hope to have this done pretty soon, so that I may start suggesting which books to purchase. That’s it for now! Luis

What's hot in K-REx today?

K-State Libraries — 2012-10-25T13:00:00-05:00

K-REx stands for the K-State Research Exchange, Kansas State University's Institutional Repository. Items in K-REx are available through Open Access, which you've been hearing a lot about this week. These are items that are available freely, without subscription or other access fees that you or your library may otherwise have to pay. Which means that really, K-REx is our way of showing the world some of the cool things that K-Staters have done. Items in K-REx really do get seen from all around the world, by people in nearly 200 countries. So, what are our most widely viewed items in K-REx?

Top Five most widely viewed Electronic Theses, Dissertations, and Reports:

Matthew Vanden Boogart's "Uncovering the social impacts of Facebook on a college campus" was viewed 5855 times.
Rosemary Eustaces’ "Factors influencing acculturative stress among international students in the United States" was viewed 1139 times.
Staci Stokes "Deception in environmental advertising: consumers’ reactions to greenwashing" was viewed 959 times.
Luke Johnson’s "An examination of the works of Mother Earth by David Maslanka, English Folk Song Suite by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Symphony #1 In Memoriam Dresden – 1945 by Daniel Bukvich, and Concertino for B[flat] clarinet by Carl Maria Von Weber, OP. 26/arranged by M.L. Lake" was viewed 916 times.
Joel Lundstrom’s "A new use of frame-of-reference training: improving reviewers’ inferences from biodata information" was viewed 732 times.

Top Five most widely viewed Faculty works:

"Carcass disposal: A comprehensive review" by multiple authors has been viewed 2237 times.
"YouTube and You: Experiences of Self-awareness in the Context Collapse of the Recording Webcam" by Michael Wesch has been viewed 1982 times.
"Sustainability of algae derived biodiesel: a mass balance approach" by Peter Pfromm, et. al. has been viewed 1384 times.
"An anthropological introduction to YouTube" by Michael Wesch has been viewed 1187 times.
"A way of seeing people and place: Phenomenology in environment-behavior research" by David Seamon has been viewed 951 times.
"Effect of planter speed and seed firmers on corn stand establishment" by S. A. Staggenborg, R. K. Taylor, and L. D. Maddux has been viewed 627 times.