Fast Friday Fun: Get Spooked in Our Stacks

YOUR Alexandria Campus Library wants to wish you a very Happy Halloween!

A smorgasbord of spook?

Truly frightening to some

Read this in bits and pieces

You vant to read this book

Before you go out on your missions of mischief remember that you can come into the library for a real fright. Our stacks are full of witches, devils, goblins, werewolves, and monsters. Check them out, if you dare!

Throwback Thursdays: The Poe Amongst Us

Who better to celebrate the Halloween edition of Throwback Thursday with than Edgar Allan Poe, beloved native son of our region? The Northern Virginia area abounds with places with which to commune with the spirit, books, and artifacts from Poe’s life. Our users can also frighten themselves silly by reading Poe’s collected works and learn more about his tragic life from biographies found in our collections.

Those seeking additional thrills can witness the horror writer come to life once more on October 30^th  at the Lyceum: Alexandria's History Museum. Members of the audience will experience the author's dramatic readings of some of his most famous works, including The Tell-Tale Heart and The Raven. 

Fast Four Friday: Books into Autumn Film Edition

It is a well-known fact that Hollywood borrows heavily from the publishing world for its creative ideas. Many of the movies in theaters or coming out this fall are based on books that we have in YOUR Alexandria Library. So before you open up your Fandango app, why not come into the library and check out some of these titles?

Boy and girl meet, fall in love, marry, and then girl vanishes. Read this critically acclaimed and deeply unsettling book about all the ways a marriage can break or coalesce before you see the thrilling movie in theaters.  

Curl up with the last book from the Hunger Games trilogy before you head to theaters to see Katniss suffer and rebuild her life in the fourth cinematic installment of this franchise. May the odds be ever in your favor as you fight for a prime seat on opening day.

Looking for an escape? Read Nicholas Sparks’ book on familiar themes of love lost and reclaimed before indulging in a screening of the sugary adaptation.

Some stories are so extraordinary they demand our respect and attention. Read Laura Hillenbrand’s novel about heroism, pain, and triumph before you see director Angelina Jolie’s film translation. 

Throwback Thursday: Revisited Debate and Reminder

NOVA Alexandria students have always been a passionate bunch. You need only take a look through the archives of student publications to understand how engaged our campus has always been in the big issues of the community, the state, and the nation. 

Take this example of the editorial page from the October 1^st, 1968. Two students express very different opinions on the Democratic National Convention, and the role of the United States in the Vietnam War. 

Reading material like this is a fascinating snapshot into a very turbulent but important time in our nation’s history. You can find more of this material by going to the library homepage and clicking on the NOVAHistory Collections. The collection is very user friendly, as the items in this database are searchable by campus, item type, and by keyword. 

Don’t forget to attend the Frederick Downs’ book event. The author will be giving a lecture on his own Vietnam experiences today at 3:30pm in Bisdorf AA 196.

Book Talk Event: Come Meet Frederick Downs

YOUR Alexandria Campus Library is pleased to highlight an author event taking place on campus. Author Frederick Downs Jr., author of The Killing Zone: My Life in the Vietnam War, will be giving a lecture on his book and military experiences on Thursday, October 23 at 3:30pm. Come join the discussion in Bisdorf AA 196.

Fast Friday: Fall Break News Flash

According to eye witness reports, an ax wielding man was spotted inside the Alexandria Campus Library last Saturday afternoon. The man felled two absurdly tall, prehistoric victims before dragging the remains to an awaiting pickup truck. 

While members for the Alexandria campus staff were somewhat saddened by the loss of these oxygen emitting life forms, there is no denying that the abundance of sunshine and the unobstructed views of the campus from the library's windows were welcomed developments.

Hark! What (abundant) light in yonder window breaks.

Did you notice?

RIP.

Throwback Thursday: It's American Archives Month

Did you know that October is National Archives Awareness Month? Well it is, and YOUR Alexandria campus library wants you to celebrate the crucial role that archives play in preserving institutional, social, and personal memories.

You can get a small taste of what archives can do from delving into the NOVA History Collection. Inside you will discover documents, photographs, and other records that track the college’s growth over the last four decades.

Residents of Northern Virginia are also blessed to be near so many notable state and federal archives. Besides the National Archives, the Library of Congress, and the Smithsonian Institution locals can visit a variety of places that specialize in preserving the history of civilizations, cultures, and families. Why not celebrate archives by visiting or interacting with some of the historical items held nearby collections?

Fast Five Friday: #TURNOUTFORWHAT Edition

On Tuesday, November 4^th the state of Virginia will be holding elections. YOUR Alexandria Campus Library wants you to know that the deadline to register to vote in the upcoming election is Tuesday, October 14^th. Interested and eligible citizens can register to vote online, at local election offices, at Department of Motor Vehicle Customer Service Centers, and at other Virginia government agencies. 

After you register make sure to check out these five library resources that outline the struggle for voting rights that included all American citizens.

Women in this country have only had voting rights for 95 years. Let that sink in, and then watch this inspirational film about the flinty women who bleed and fought to change that. 

One of the lasting legacies of the student movements of the 1960s is the right for 18 year olds to vote. Learn about the campaign for youth enfranchisement from this book. 

This landmark legislation did much to make certain that disenfranchised populations were offered the robust protections needed to protect their rights. Read about the passionate civil rights campaigning undertaken in the South that prompted the Johnson administration to draft and push through this act.

Use this volume as a primer on joining voices to promote a cause in a representative democracy.

This history outlines the social and political consequence of the passage of the Voting Rights Act. Less violence, more voices. 

YOUR Alexandria campus library has many other books and films that outline the battles fought in the name of political participation. So come in, check our collections, educate yourself about the issues and candidates in this election, and read up on our political system.  Remember, if you do vote on this November, you can take pride in exercising a right that so many fought for and suffered to secure. Voting allows you to decide what matters to you and then to take action.

Need some additional inspiration? Take it away, Little Jon. 

Throwback Thursday:YOUR Old School Library Catalog

For Throwback Thursday we thought we would showcase a crucial piece of library technology from the library’s past, its first catalog. This version is actually a 1968 copy of Books in Print. Books owned by the Eastern Campus Library were outlined in red, and the cataloging librarian would meticulously record the item’s call number in the margins. Patrons could then take this call number and locate the book on the shelves. 

New Books at YOUR Alexandria Campus Library: No Place to Hide from Our Book Enthusiasm Edition

YOUR Alexandria Campus Library is always getting new books, and we want you to share in our excitement as these freshly processed books take their maiden voyages on our shelves.

Don't like new books? Sorry, we can't be friends.

Here are some highlights from our batch of new books:

This book, influenced by some of Adichie’s own experiences in American higher education, is all about the ways that assumptions about nationality, race, and gender can stifle the individual. Read this highly acclaimed novel when you are in a contemplative mood.

Flowers are naturally beautiful but the paper versions created by these crafters might just have those organic beauties beat. Explore the art of flower making in this beautifully photographed manual.

Every great Mediterranean civilization has wanted a piece of this building since its formation. Learn all about the Parthenon as a piece of architecture, a prize of empires, and as a symbol in this history.

Music can shape human emotion no matter what the context or setting. Learn more about how composers create a richer experience for gamers with sound in this book.

Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald was one of the first people to converse with Edward Snowden after he fled the United States for Hong Kong to reveal NSA secrets. Read what Greenwald thinks about modern state surveillance, and its implications for democratic societies in this book. 

Come check out these new titles, or browse through our many other fresh volumes at YOUR Alexandria Campus Library.

Raise the Red Flag and Prevent Violence On YOUR Alexandria Campus

Tuesday, October 7^th the Alexandria Campus will be observing Red Flag Day with lectures on dating violence and prevention given by NOVA Sexual Assault Coordinator Negar Ehsani. The event will take place from 2-3 pm in the Women’s Center, in Bisdorf AA- 331.

Students interested in this important topic can visit YOUR Alexandria Campus Library for additional research and reference materials.

To learn more about the Red Flag campaign, and how you can prevent relationship violence in your community,  visit http://www.theredflagcampaign.org/index.php/. 

Fast Five Friday: Fall for a Good Book Edition

It's raining...books, hallelujah

Happy October, faithful readers! The staff of YOUR Alexandria Campus Library has been embracing the change of seasons with a beautiful and interactive autumnal display. 

Here are five items from our collection we think you might fall for:

Learn all about what those surly kids have been up to from this book.

Can affection for an object set you on your life’s path? This book is an enjoyable exploration of how the human mind can be shaped and inspired by its environment.

This German film from director Stephen Lacant follows the story of one man as he faces the consequences and reaps the rewards of traversing societal, familial, and personal boundaries.

Curl up with this Camus classic, which helped secure the 1957 Nobel Prize for Literature, about the amorality of man. Then take yourself out for a nice walk and try to cheer up. It might take a while.

Disgraced Oxford man Paul Pennyfeather is forced to take a teaching position at an abysmal boys’ school, and hilarity ensues in this comedy of manners from British novelist Evelyn Waugh. 

Throw Back Thursday: Happy 20th Anniversary, Bruce!

Our favorite Technology and Circulation Librarian, Bruce Carroll, just celebrated his 20^th year with the Alexandria Campus Library. 

Bruce always strives to deliver information with a smile

Bruce, here with retired librarian Jean Hogan, emphasizing some of the finer points of library etiquette  

Please come by and congratulate him on his two decades of brightening the lives of our students, faculty, and library staff. Way to go, Bruce!