Remembering VHS

Many of the students at Coe seem to forget about our wonderful AV department. To me, this place has and always will occupy a special place in my heart. You don’t just browse through films in the AV department but rather you browse through history. Looking through the VHS tapes, personally, brings back fond childhood memories of rewinding a tape before watching it or the pure frustration of renting un-re-winded movie. To many this experience is foreign but to me, and surely many others, it takes me back to simpler times I dearly miss. Unfortunately, technology has made places like the AV Theater more obsolete, since with a click of a mouse you could find any thing you desire. However, I would like to challenge everyone to take a moment and walk through the aisles of not just film but history, before it is too late. Yafet M.

Adventures of working at the library

When I first started working at the library last year I thought I was going to be very productive and get a lot of homework accomplished while working at the Circulation Desk. The opposite could not have been truer. Instead of working on my academics at work I learned a lot of other new things, most importantly improving my social life. When I walk into the library I always see a friendly face and that is what I love about Coe College; there is always a friend wherever I go, whether it is at the library, in the cafeteria or workout.
Working at the circulation desk there is never a dull moment, there is always someone to greet when someone walks in the door or say bye to when leaving. I am constantly learning new things about books and authors because everyone likes to share a story about their favorite book or author when checking a book out. There is always something to explore when shelving books or dusting. Sometimes when I am straightening the books on the shelves or doing inventory I pull out an interesting book just take a few minutes to read the back out of curiosity.
People not only come to the library to study and do their homework but some people come to the library to be social. I have seen many friends sit in a study room or at a study table chatting or playing card games. I have also seen people napping at a desk or sleeping on a couch. Many people bring food into the library as a snack; I have even seen Jimmy John’s and Pizza Hut being delivered here for dinner. There is always something interesting going on in the library and a great place to be! ~Taylor W.

Time Away

These last couple of semesters I have spent less time in the library, and more time over in Dows keeping up with art projects, as well as in Eby and the Racquet Center for track. But now every time that I am here things look different and even new. As I walk from computer to printer I see these paintings that I must have seen a hundred times and stop to re-examine them. While I am putting books back on shelves one catches my eye and I open it to see what it’s about, and catch myself reading it later that night. I have worked here for 3 and a half semesters, and am realizing how awesome it is to see all the new faces come in and ask questions, the stillness of the 11pm to 1 am shift, and excitement of finding a book that I will read(not just for class). I remember just starting this work study job thinking that this could be an awful job, but now I barely think of it as a job at all, I come to Stewart Memorial Library because I work here, but I stay because I just don’t want to leave. Gordon R.

Notes from a Circ worker.....

I am a senior nursing student and Stewart Memorial Library has been my second home for the past couple years. Whether it is studying, researching, or working I am normally here in the library. Apart of the nursing program we are expected to learn and know how to find evidence based research, I often use the library web site to help guide me. Because we are expected to know evidence based research so well I have become very comfortable with the databases we have here at Coe. I prefer to use Pub Med or CINAHL. I can normally find good sources that pertain to my topic which helps to strengthen my papers. The staff in the Reference office have helped me many of times and are always willing to help if problems or issues ever occur. ~~Allie

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Take time to see the Art work in the Library

One of my favorite parts of working in the Library is the art. While walking around shelving books, or counting students, or even just sitting at the desk I see these pictures and am still amazed. This will be my second year working at the Library and I it is like the pictures are always changing and I am finding new ways to look at these works. After a long day of class and soccer it is relaxing coming to work just so I can look at the extensive amount of art this building holds, and try to interpret it from my understanding.~~~~Gordon

Productivity

The study rooms are really nice to be able to work, by yourself or with a group, without any distractions. It's also helpful because if you need a book, you're already in the library! And, my personal favorite, you don't feel like people are staring at you and silently judging you. That's always a plus. So use the study rooms! Be productive! Yay, productivity!~~~~Angela

View from the Circ Desk

As a student at Coe there is a good chance thar you visit the library regularly, but do you really know what it has to offer you? I was recently given the privelege of working at the circulation desk, which gave me the opportunity to learn more about the library. I have learned that the people that work here are very willing to help you with anything that you may have a question on, but you have to be the one to take initiative. Right now I personally take full advantage of the AV department in using movies for class but also for pleasure. My most recent watch was A Beautiful Mind, which was for class but also a movie that I wanted to see but have never gotten the chance. I also am in the process of writing a research paper over Paris, and will most likely be asking the people who work at the reference desk to assist me in finding useful information over the topic. Also the library gives you many online options to use, one that I frequently use for my major is psYchARTICLES, which gives me a variety of scholarly articles to use for papers and projects. Overall we have many resources that you should take advantages of to help with your success in college.~Rachel

Working in the library

There are many reasons that working for the Coe Library is an enjoyable job, the flexible hours, the ability to do some homework between tasks, and being able to say hi to your friends as they come in to print something out or to study. But there are two main reasons that I love it here; being able to help someone out when they need something and learning the layout of the library that I wouldn’t have known so well otherwise.
With the shelving, book searches, and shelf reading that I do for the circulation desk I have gotten to know where things are in the library. As a result of that it is pretty easy to help someone out if they are looking for a specific book or a subject in the library. Whether I am looking for books to read just for fun (the Whipple section) or looking for books for a class, working at the library has helped me have a better idea on where to start.
Ashley Kupka

Marvin Cone and his legacy at Coe College

Ever wondered about the art galleries that are bathed in sunlight, right inside the front doors of the library? The paintings in these galleries belong to Marvin Cone, a native of Cedar Rapids who graduated from Coe College in 1914 and was on faculty at Coe from 1919 to 1960. In fact, Cone started the Art Department at Coe! He began as a French professor and established the Art Department in 1934.

Marvin Cone is known as one of the most important Iowa artists, as was his close life-time friend, Grant Wood. Grant Wood is known most famously for his “American Gothic.” The Winnifred M. Cone galleries, named after Cone’s wife, feature 60 works of art by Marvin Cone. You can read more about the artworks in the library here.

Marvin Cone is also currently being featured at a solo exhibition at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art; the show is up until January 20, 2012. You can find out more information about the exhibition here.

Pictured above: “Old Quarry, Stone City”, 1936, oil on canvas

--Laura, Head of Audiovisual

Upper Reading Room

 When I was a first year, it was difficult to get into the swing of appropriate study methods. In high school I always studied at home at the dining table, never in a library. Depending on what time of the day you are studying, Coe's library can be a very distracting place. It took probably the whole first semester to learn how to use the library to my advantage. It was a long semester of trial and error; studying at a table with other people, listening to music while studying, facing a window while studying, etc. None of those methods worked for me. I found that the best way for me to use the library is the second floor reading room. In those cubbies, I am removed from distraction and most of the time it is silent. There are plug ins in each cubbie so I am able to charge my laptop while working. I also believe it is the best spot to pick up WiFi in the library! ~Kallie

Study, Study, Study Part 2

So, you need to get some studying done and you’ve come to the library. Chances are you’ve gone done this path before and it has, of course, resulted in lots of finished homework (hooray!).  But there’s a twist- today you’re studying with someone else, maybe even a group of people, and you guys need somewhere to get some serious studying done without annoying the rest of the library.

Good thing Stewart Memorial Library has so many choices! If your group is small try one of the group study rooms on the 2^nd floor. They’re comfy, made for two or three people and have a whiteboard. The rooms are located on the left side and there are two, so it’s no sweat if one is occupied. Equally comfy,  there is a small group study room to the right of the stairs on the 2^nd floor and one in the basement.

If your group is a little bigger try the Eaton room on the 2^nd floor, to the left to the stairs. It’s almost impossible to miss and has lots of space, enough room for roughly four or five people, a whiteboard and a great view. On the right side is another room identical to the Eaton named the Bodey room. There’s also the Engle room on 2^nd, notably the biggest study room. Its historical feel makes for a great study atmosphere. In case you need a computer, there’s always the group study room in the basement, to the right of the stairs, which also has a whiteboard.

On 1^st floor there’s a quiet little nook in the Reading Room called the Knapp room. Although there’s no whiteboard it’s got plenty of space for a study group! Last but not least, there are the Dougie Peters (to the right) and Frank McDonald (to the left) study areas on 1^st floors. Both areas are open to the rest of the library, but have cozy couches and lamps to make for a great study atmosphere. No matter where you pick, we’re sure you and your friends will have a great and productive time! ~Whitni

Mauricio Lasansky, 1914—2012

Mauricio Lasansky, an Argentinian-born artist who established the printmaking workshop at the University of Iowa, passed away last Monday at the age of 97. Lasansky was a very prolific Iowa artist, and Stewart Memorial Library at Coe is lucky enough to have two of his etchings. “Mr. President: Study of Lincoln” and “Einstein” are two of the over 180 works of art hanging in the library. They hang just behind the Reference Desk, keeping a wise watch over the students at the computers.

To find out more information about the artwork in this library, click here.

 

--Laura, Head of Audiovisual

Film Clubs on Campus

Looking for some fellow students that appreciate film as much as you do? The AV Department is glad to partner with three film clubs on campus:

--The Film Appreciation Society meets Saturday nights from 7:00 to 10:00 in Kesler Auditorium. Contact Colin Morris at crmorris@coe.edu for details.

--The Horror Flicks Club meets from 7:00 to 10:00 PM on Fridays in Kesler Auditorium. Contact Ryan Chavez at rcchavez@coe.edu or horrorflick@coe.edu for details.

The Kohawk Otaku Anime Club meets from 7:00 to 10:00 on Thursday nights in the AV Preview Room (downstairs in the AV Department). Contact Alexis Berman at amberman@coe.edu or anime@coe.edu for details.

Each group holds special screenings complete with catering and related events, so make sure to check your email inbox for upcoming events!

--Laura, Head of Audiovisual