Dracula is now reading To Hell and Back: Race and Betrayal in the Southern Novel by Jeff Abernathy. He says that he wants to check out the Dean’s scholarly expertise. And if you noticed a rock on Dracula’s chest, well, it’s like a paper weight, only it’s a book weight–helps keep the book open. D’s hands are kind of unmuscular. –Margi

Dracula

Dracula has been with us several days now.  We’ve noticed that he is a voracious reader; he reads a book a day. He’s read Bats in Forest, Crocodile, and to prove that he likes fiction just as much as nonfiction, is now reading The God of Animals which takes place on a horse ranch. Hmmm. He likes animals, I guess. He’ll probably start a new book today. We’ll have to see what he chooses. He’s had his eye on the Leisure Reading collection. Many people have commented on Dracula’s shoes which are dancing slippers really. Might be a clue to his fondness for night life. Some of our student workers are not fond of closing the library at night with Dracula lying there, but he’s quite harmless, until after hours, at any rate. And so intellectual. A little egotistic; have you noticed his big chest?–Margi

Naked Came The Librarian: Chapter Two

Naked Came The Librarian: Chapter Two
By Jenny Hansen Peterson, Former Head of Circulation 

Putting the phone on hold,  I asked Tammy, “Who worked reference last night?”

“Lia,” answered Tammy. She had come in early today, after working the night shift herself. It was Monday, the beginning of a new week.

I returned to the caller to take a message. It was a student whom Lia had helped last night. I promised to put her in touch with him as soon as she came in. A quick e-mail took care of passing along the message. Normally, I would pass the call on to any reference librarian so the student would get immediate assistance, but he had referred to something specific from the night before and wanted to talk with the same librarian. Truthfully, he sounded a bit desperate. I knew Lia would respond quickly.

Continue reading Chapter Two . . . (click below)
nakedlibrarian_two.pdf

Blood Lust for Books

Dracula is here! You’ll find him in a “coffin” on 2nd floor of the library, reading from “Bats in Forests.” Each day he’ll read from a different book, so be sure to visit the display each time you’re in the library.

Stitched Books Display

“Stitched Books: Eight Artists Collaborate”

Tricia Coulson is a fiber artist who lives in LeClaire. When she attended a workshop at the Split Rock Arts Program in Minneapolis two years ago, she didn’t want to lose touch with her fellow artists and, to be honest, she wanted to get stuff in the mail, so she suggested that she and her classmates collaborate on making eight stitched books. The results are on display in the library on 2nd floor. Made mostly of fabric and stitching, you’ll find beads, buttons, sticks, and stamps in these books, too, and even a few words here and there.

Week 7 Seminar

At 3:30 today, faculty are invited to the Week 7 Seminar in the library: “The Book Goes Digital: The Good, the Bad, and the Realistic.”

Special Collections librarians Jamie Nelson and Sarah Horowitz will lead the discussion.