Due to the winter storm Morton Library will be closing today, Saturday, December 19, at noon.
We intend to re-open on Monday with our Christmas week hours:
December 21 and 22: 8:00am - 5:00pm
Rachel
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
Christmas Book Suggestions, part 3
This is the last in a series of posts recommending books I love for reading and sharing at Christmas. Have a joyous holiday.
Ann Dunbar, Joyce. This is the Star. Harcourt Children’s Books, 1996. ISBN: 0152008519. The text builds on itself in a way similar to "The House that Jack Built," with the repetition making it a wonderful way to tell the story to young children. (The text is considerably more sophisticated than "The House that Jack Built," but it is the building-on-itself nature of the text that makes it so effective.) The pictures are beautiful.
Paterson, Katherine. Angels and Other Strangers: Family Christmas Stories. HarperCollins, 2006. ISBN: 0060783761. Paterson has written nine stories that can easily be read by upper elementary children, but that also lend themselves to reading aloud. Although several of the stories do not reflect the happiness that we traditionally think of in imagining Christmas, her stories are full of real people and real hope that is grounded in the reality of God’s presence in our world. I have used these stories in elementary church school classrooms, and my own family read them every Christmas as a part of our Advent ritual on Sunday evenings. (I've known several ministers who have used these stories at Christmas Eve services.) Another good collection of similar stories is Paterson’s A Midnight Clear and Cynthia Rylant’s Children of Christmas.
Visions of Christmas: A Renaissance Nativity. Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing, 1997. ISBN: 0689813597. Pairing the words of the Christmas story from the King James version of the Bible with full color reproductions from Renaissance painters (many done as triptychs) makes for a beautiful marriage of text and picture. Although the publisher says this is for ages 9 – 12, I think it works best as a book to share. Although it is out of print, it is still possible to find some used copies.
Ann Dunbar, Joyce. This is the Star. Harcourt Children’s Books, 1996. ISBN: 0152008519. The text builds on itself in a way similar to "The House that Jack Built," with the repetition making it a wonderful way to tell the story to young children. (The text is considerably more sophisticated than "The House that Jack Built," but it is the building-on-itself nature of the text that makes it so effective.) The pictures are beautiful.
Paterson, Katherine. Angels and Other Strangers: Family Christmas Stories. HarperCollins, 2006. ISBN: 0060783761. Paterson has written nine stories that can easily be read by upper elementary children, but that also lend themselves to reading aloud. Although several of the stories do not reflect the happiness that we traditionally think of in imagining Christmas, her stories are full of real people and real hope that is grounded in the reality of God’s presence in our world. I have used these stories in elementary church school classrooms, and my own family read them every Christmas as a part of our Advent ritual on Sunday evenings. (I've known several ministers who have used these stories at Christmas Eve services.) Another good collection of similar stories is Paterson’s A Midnight Clear and Cynthia Rylant’s Children of Christmas.
Visions of Christmas: A Renaissance Nativity. Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing, 1997. ISBN: 0689813597. Pairing the words of the Christmas story from the King James version of the Bible with full color reproductions from Renaissance painters (many done as triptychs) makes for a beautiful marriage of text and picture. Although the publisher says this is for ages 9 – 12, I think it works best as a book to share. Although it is out of print, it is still possible to find some used copies.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Christmas Reception This Morning
Whether you're finished your courses or you just need a study break or need a break from your office, join the staff of Morton Library this morning from 10:00 - 11:00 for a Christmas reception. Have a snack, enjoy a beverage, and join us as we celebrate this holy season.
Rachel
Rachel
Monday, December 14, 2009
ATLAS for Alumni/ae changes coming
We have been notified that after 31 December 2009, the American Theological Library Association will no longer provide support for the interface and login we have been using in our ATLAS for Alumni/ae program.
It will be necessary for us to change the username and password that give our alumni/ae access to the ATLAS database. Because this is confidential information, we cannot post it here. You will need to email our Reference Librarian, Paula Skreslet, to obtain the new user ID and password. She will check your alumni status and then reply to your email with the necessary information. We realize that this is inconvenient for you, and we do apologize.
PLEASE BE SURE TO GO TO THE ATLAS FOR ALUMS PAGE FOR FURTHER IMPORTANT DETAILS !
Paula
It will be necessary for us to change the username and password that give our alumni/ae access to the ATLAS database. Because this is confidential information, we cannot post it here. You will need to email our Reference Librarian, Paula Skreslet, to obtain the new user ID and password. She will check your alumni status and then reply to your email with the necessary information. We realize that this is inconvenient for you, and we do apologize.
PLEASE BE SURE TO GO TO THE ATLAS FOR ALUMS PAGE FOR FURTHER IMPORTANT DETAILS !
Paula
Friday, December 11, 2009
More Christmas Books
Last week's Friday post provided information about four Christmas books that I really like. Here are three more to consider:
Berry, James. Celebration Song. Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing, 1994. ISBN: 0671894463. Set in the West Indies, Mary tells Jesus about the day of his birth on his first birthday. The cadences of the text are Caribbean, and the art work captures the feel of a different world. A joyful book that reminds us that the story of Christmas is told and heard in other cultures in ways that can help us hear the familiar story in new ways.
Crespi, Francesca. The Nativity: Six Glorious Pop-Up Scenes. Sterling Publishing, 2005. ISBN: 1402729197. Crespi is known illustrations using elaborate paperwork (and most specifically what we would call popup books) and has a number of them related to Christmas and Advent. Popup books come with some anxiety for most parents, so you’ll have to determine for yourself whether it is one you’d like to purchase. But I’m intrigued by how popups work, and both the art and the text in this book are very, very nice. (Crespi has also done popups on Christmas carols and an advent calendar, but you’ll have a hard time finding them available in used bookshops.)
DiCamilo, Kate. Great Joy. Candlewick Press, 2007. ISBN: 0763629200. Centered around a young girl who will be an angel in her church’s Christmas play, and a homeless organ grinder, this story puts flesh on the announcement that the angels bring tidings of great joy.
Ann
Berry, James. Celebration Song. Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing, 1994. ISBN: 0671894463. Set in the West Indies, Mary tells Jesus about the day of his birth on his first birthday. The cadences of the text are Caribbean, and the art work captures the feel of a different world. A joyful book that reminds us that the story of Christmas is told and heard in other cultures in ways that can help us hear the familiar story in new ways.
Crespi, Francesca. The Nativity: Six Glorious Pop-Up Scenes. Sterling Publishing, 2005. ISBN: 1402729197. Crespi is known illustrations using elaborate paperwork (and most specifically what we would call popup books) and has a number of them related to Christmas and Advent. Popup books come with some anxiety for most parents, so you’ll have to determine for yourself whether it is one you’d like to purchase. But I’m intrigued by how popups work, and both the art and the text in this book are very, very nice. (Crespi has also done popups on Christmas carols and an advent calendar, but you’ll have a hard time finding them available in used bookshops.)
DiCamilo, Kate. Great Joy. Candlewick Press, 2007. ISBN: 0763629200. Centered around a young girl who will be an angel in her church’s Christmas play, and a homeless organ grinder, this story puts flesh on the announcement that the angels bring tidings of great joy.
Ann
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
A-B Section
You may notice some partially empty shelves, cleaning cloths, and moving carts in the A-B section. We are in the process of re-organizing this area to alleviate overcrowded shelves and maximize our space. If you have difficulty locating a book in this section our Circulation staff will be glad to help.
Thank you for your patience as we enhance this part of our collection.
Rachel
Thank you for your patience as we enhance this part of our collection.
Rachel
Monday, December 7, 2009
Catalog update now complete
We have finished updating the interface to our Morton Library catalog, and we have also uploaded new pages to our catalog tutorials, both text and video. You will probably perceive a newer, cleaner, less cluttered look and simplified functioning of these sites.
We are still testing all of the links and features of every page, so you might find a few anomalies. If you have any trouble, we suggest reloading the page you are viewing ("refresh" your browser) and try again. If it still doesn't seem right, please drop me a quick email. I'm also happy to receive any other questions or comments you may have.
We hope these changes will make your use of our catalog easier and more pleasant!
Paula
We are still testing all of the links and features of every page, so you might find a few anomalies. If you have any trouble, we suggest reloading the page you are viewing ("refresh" your browser) and try again. If it still doesn't seem right, please drop me a quick email. I'm also happy to receive any other questions or comments you may have.
We hope these changes will make your use of our catalog easier and more pleasant!
Paula
Friday, December 4, 2009
Tis the Season...
Advent has begun and as we move towards the celebration of the birth of Christ, I've begun geting out all my creches and Christmas books. As you can well imagine, there are thousands of children's books that focus on this season. Over the next three weeks, I'll share ten of my favorites. Some are out of print but are still available through used booksellers on the web.
Slate, Joseph. Who is Coming to Our House? Putnam Juvenile, 1988. ISBN: 0399215379. The animals in the stable are getting ready for visitors. In simple rhyme, they outline their preparations for the guest that they don’t yet know. Children will recognize the animals, but would also need to know the Christmas story in order to understand who the guests are. There are not too many books with Advent themes written for young children (the suggested ages for this are 4-8) but this catches the anticipation and preparation that are part of our Advent focus. My 3 year old granddaughter requests this book year round.
Simcox, Helen Earle. For All the World. Augsburg Fortress, 1994. ISBN: 0806627123. Less a book that tells the Christmas story than one that tries to show through text and art what it means that Jesus was born for all, the simple words and illustrations make this book wonderful for young children and old. I love this book and have given it to many children.
Macdonald, Alastair. First Christmas. Welcome Books, 2008. ISBN: 1599620553. Written as a poem (and a long one at that – the book is 44 pages) narrated by Zeke, the donkey that carried Mary to Bethlehem, I find the text slightly jarring. (Reading Joseph say, “I thought I was your man!” when reacting to Mary’s pregnancy didn’t quite ring true!) But, goodness, the pictures are magnificent. They are done by Coptic Christian artist Adel Nassief who lives in Egypt, and are painted in the style of ancient Coptic icons. There is a fascinating chapter at the end of the book on the history of Coptic iconography.
Hendry, Diana. Christmas in Exeter Street. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 1989. ISBN: 0679801340. This book was originally published in England and came out in paperback in 2002, so if you want to find a used copy, look for all versions. This is the only book in my collection that has Father Christmas in it (the book’s reference to Santa Claus), but it is the joyful, exuberant ‘room in the inn’ theme that makes this one of my favorite Christmas books. There is no word of Jesus in this book, but I think it’s theme of welcoming and hospitality and making a place for all makes it a wonderful Christmas addition.
Ann
Slate, Joseph. Who is Coming to Our House? Putnam Juvenile, 1988. ISBN: 0399215379. The animals in the stable are getting ready for visitors. In simple rhyme, they outline their preparations for the guest that they don’t yet know. Children will recognize the animals, but would also need to know the Christmas story in order to understand who the guests are. There are not too many books with Advent themes written for young children (the suggested ages for this are 4-8) but this catches the anticipation and preparation that are part of our Advent focus. My 3 year old granddaughter requests this book year round.
Simcox, Helen Earle. For All the World. Augsburg Fortress, 1994. ISBN: 0806627123. Less a book that tells the Christmas story than one that tries to show through text and art what it means that Jesus was born for all, the simple words and illustrations make this book wonderful for young children and old. I love this book and have given it to many children.
Macdonald, Alastair. First Christmas. Welcome Books, 2008. ISBN: 1599620553. Written as a poem (and a long one at that – the book is 44 pages) narrated by Zeke, the donkey that carried Mary to Bethlehem, I find the text slightly jarring. (Reading Joseph say, “I thought I was your man!” when reacting to Mary’s pregnancy didn’t quite ring true!) But, goodness, the pictures are magnificent. They are done by Coptic Christian artist Adel Nassief who lives in Egypt, and are painted in the style of ancient Coptic icons. There is a fascinating chapter at the end of the book on the history of Coptic iconography.
Hendry, Diana. Christmas in Exeter Street. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 1989. ISBN: 0679801340. This book was originally published in England and came out in paperback in 2002, so if you want to find a used copy, look for all versions. This is the only book in my collection that has Father Christmas in it (the book’s reference to Santa Claus), but it is the joyful, exuberant ‘room in the inn’ theme that makes this one of my favorite Christmas books. There is no word of Jesus in this book, but I think it’s theme of welcoming and hospitality and making a place for all makes it a wonderful Christmas addition.
Ann
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Improved Library catalog coming soon !
We are happy to announce that an update to our Morton Library catalog is almost ready to implement. We now expect it to go into active service on Monday, Dec 7th.
These changes will simplify the look and feel of our catalog interface, which has always been cluttered with links and options that we don't actually use. You will notice a nicer look, with more intelligible links and labels, and fewer steps needed to accomplish various operations. We have also added a number of helpful options that you may want to try out to see if you like them.
The Morton Library Catalog Tutorial is also being updated to reflect these changes.
For more information about these changes, click HERE. And once the changes are in place, feel free to contact me with any questions or comments you may have.
Paula
These changes will simplify the look and feel of our catalog interface, which has always been cluttered with links and options that we don't actually use. You will notice a nicer look, with more intelligible links and labels, and fewer steps needed to accomplish various operations. We have also added a number of helpful options that you may want to try out to see if you like them.
The Morton Library Catalog Tutorial is also being updated to reflect these changes.
For more information about these changes, click HERE. And once the changes are in place, feel free to contact me with any questions or comments you may have.
Paula
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