Using the library's resources over break

Although Spring Break is a time for relaxation, fun, and volunteer opportunities for many students at Coe, some students may find that they still need to do some work on their coursework in order to stay caught up and get things turned in on time.  If you find yourself in that situation, just remember that the library makes many of its databases and ebooks accessible from off campus for student and faculty use.  The important thing is that in order to use the library's resources from anywhere other than Coe, you must log in through My.Coe, and from there you must access the database or ebook that you want through the Campus Life tab.  You can't go through the library's webpage directly as we have to verify that you are in fact affiliated with Coe.   Not sure if you're doing it correctly? Here is a link with a video that will let you see the whole process from start to completion. Encounter problems? Just email Katelyn Wazny or Harlene Hansen in the reference department the nature of your access problem, and we'll try and get it resolved for you.

Related to database access, the library will be doing some upgrades to our systems internally on March 5, so be prepared for possibly spotty access to library resources that day. Thanks everyone, good luck on your upcoming midterms and have an awesome spring break!

-Katelyn, Head of Reference

Coe Daily Life - The Great Sadie Finkelstein Hoax

"Her arrival, tinged with gossip, was recorded on the calendar of the 1922 Acorn: "Friday, the 17^th: 'Sadie' makes her first appearance on the campus for the coming year. Understand that she wears a rock on her left hand." Perhaps the most surprising part of learning of this engagement is the fact that Sadie was not a real person at all."


Created as a joke by students in Professor Leroy Coffin's freshman mathematics class, "Sadie's" name was secretly placed onto the roll sheet, and a female student would quietly say "Here!" to continue the charade. Students went so far as to complete an exam for Sadie after finishing their own, and both the professor and registrar were impressed by the excellent grades Sadie managed to pull in.

And so begins the tale of "The Great Sadie Finkelstein Hoax" dreamed up and perpetrated by the class of 1922.  To hear tell of Sadie's time at Coe, as reported by the Cosmos, check out her article on the site "Coe College: The First Hundred years".

~Sara Pitcher, Archives Assistant

Reference Desk

I'm in sort of an odd position at the library. I work both at the circulation desk (where you check out books) and at the reference desk (where you can go to ask for help). I've noticed a strange thing. More people have asked me questions (that the reference desk exists to answer) at the circulation desk than they have at the reference desk. The reference desk is a great tool and students should take advantage of it. It can be a simple question such as help finding a book or a more complicated question such as how to find resources for a paper. I've met the reference staff and they are very nice and helpful. We love getting questions at the reference desk. ~Aura

Coe College Athletics: Mabel Lee

"She did the cake walk for Buffalo Bill. . . she square-danced with Henry Ford. . . Alonzo Stagg called her "Miss Nebraska” . . . she fought to let women be seen on the campus in bloomers and tangled with a sheriff when women danced in flowing chiffon around a May Pole. She is Mabel Lee,” said Roby Kesler in 1978.

Mabel Lee graduated from Coe in 1908.  She returned to Coe in 1910 to spend eight years as the Director of Physical Education for Women.  She startied two (now defunct) Coe traditions her first year: The May Fete, and The Colonial Ball.

Mabel would go on to be the first elected female president of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education and Recreation and the first female president of the American Academy of Physical Education.  In 1932 she presided over the women's sessions of the Los Angeles Olympics in place of Lady Lou Hoover.  In 1982 Lee was honored by the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports as one of the five women in the nation who meant the most to the women of the country in the area of fitness.  This athletic diva refused to slow down and at the age of 85 began a career as an author.  She published four books before her death at the ripe age of 99.  There is much more to know about her story.  You can read the full article on Mabel Lee on "Coe College: the First Hundred Years" along with many other tales of athletics at Coe.

~Sara Pitcher, Archives Assistant

Ninja Coe Squirrels

Since the dawn of time, man has befriended the squirrel. Man provided the squirrel with acorns and the squirrel provided man with cuteness. As time went by, man began presenting the squirrels with a pile of apples near Armstrong and the squirrels entertained with many leaps earning the title, Ninja Squirrels. Today, the circulation clan of the library wishes to honor the relationship between man and squirrel by rewarding those who can find the ninja squirrels hidden within the library.
So here’s the deal, guys! Paper squirrels will be hidden in the library and if you find one, you can get your picture taken (and put on the super awesome blog under amazing people) and a free piece of candy. But, there are some rules.
1. The squirrel and book must both be brought to the circulation desk.
2. The squirrel and book must be brought between the times of:
8:30 am to 4:00pm Monday-Friday
3. You can only win once a week.

Hints to the location of the squirrels can be found on the twitter: @CoeSquirrels which will be updated with either a short summary of the book, a famous quote from the book or a pop-culture allusion to the book. The twitter will be updated on a weekly basis.

Happy hunting!

*no squirrels were injured in the making of this activity

possibly more important than Valentine'​s Day...

NATIONAL FERRIS WHEEL DAY

February 14th is the annual celebration of the National Ferris Wheel Day. This “unofficial” holiday is held on this day to honor the birth of the inventor of the Ferris Wheel, George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr.

This first Ferris Wheel was invented for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois.

The original Ferris Wheel was sometimes also referred to as the Chicago Wheel.

The Ferris Wheel was the largest attraction at the Columbian Exposition with a height of 264 ft.

It has been dismantled and moved to the 1904 World’s Far in St Louis Missouri and there it was demolished in 1906.

Today the Ferris Wheel is still a popular ride in amusement parks and carnivals around the world.

Coe College Campus: The Victory Bell

Another week, another tab on the site “Coe College: the First Hundred Years.”   This week it is 'The Campus', containing 'The Buildings of Coe' and 'The Attractions of Coe'.  One attraction being the "Victory Bell".

The Victory Bell: Celebrating 76 Years of Victories

“O mighty bell, thy power is great;
Your vibrant tones ecstatic swell,
And speak again of kindly fate
Thy notes are notes we all love well.


Ring out and tell of vict’ry won,
With penetrating tones, O bell.
Whene’er you speak, to live is fun;
When you keep still, to live is –!”

Roteiv
Cosmos November 12, 1925

Students first encounter the Victory Bell during orientation week when they ring it to signal the beginning of their career at the college.  This tradition, having begun in 1992, is relatively new to the bell .  The bell itself is also new having been donated by the class of 2000, but the tradition of a Victory Bell goes back to 1913.

The class of 1913 were the first to donate a Victory Bell to the college.  Athletics at Coe was going through a loosing streak at the time and the students decided that the athletes needed more collegiate support, hence the Victory Bell was born.  Over the years the bell has been apart of many traditions, been many bells, and traveled around the campus to many locations.  Check out the article, "The Victory Bell" on “Coe College: the First Hundred Years” to read the full story of it's journey.

~Sara Pitcher, Archives Assistant

Useful Website

In a class I'm taking this semester called Fundamentals in Exercise and Nutrition, we came to the library to use the computers. Our class needed the computers to fill out a health assessment called the RealAge Test. The test asks questions regarding one's health, feelings, fitness, and diet. The results the test gives varies depending on your answers to the questions. For example, my current age is 19.6 but based on my answers to all the questions, my RealAge is 18.7. The assessment gives you your RealAge and then it breaks down all of your answers and tells you whether you need to make changes or if you need to maintain your current choices. For example, there was a question in the diet section about the amount of grains I consume each week. From my answer the test told me that I need to eat more grains. It was a great assessment that made it easy to evaluate my current health and identify any changes that need to be made.
~Nathan

Coe College Events: Colonial Ball

"Coe History: the First Hundred Years" divides its events tab into three categories: annual traditions, disasters,  and special events.  Currently there are six Coe events covered on the website, surprisingly Flunk Day is not one of them.

An annual tradition from 1911-1961 was the Colonial Ball.  The ball celebrated George Washington's birthday with an all female banquet and dance in colonial period costume.  Over the years the celebration evolved to include toasts, George  Washington (an honor similar to a homecoming queen) and dance performances.  If you did not catch it when mentioned above this was a ladies only event with half the attendees dressing in colonial styled drag.

While some may find it odd that men were not included in this celebration, the young ladies apparently preferred an all-female dance, as evident in this Cosmos article describing preparations for the 1921 Colonial Ball: "Once a year the men of the College find that they are not indispensable. The fair damsels plunge into an orgy of costume and date making about which, if questioned, they reply sweetly that the mere man is not in on this." 

To read the full article on the Colonial Ball go here.

~Sara Pitcher, Archives Assistant