Keep Calm You Survived Exams

Final exams ended yesterday, December 16th.

Through the week of December 9 - 12 the Library was open an extra hour to provide more time to study.  139 students took advantage of Library services after 9pm, and a further 30 or so in the last hours of December 16th.

Thanks to all staff who donated study break snacks!

The Library will observe Intersession from December 17 - January 10.  Hours will be 8.30am - 5.00pm.

Exam Cram!

The Library will be open for an extra hour this week (December 9 - 12) closing at 10pm.

Study break snacks served at 9pm!

Study with us for Final Exams.

Sculptural chairs

Professor Gardner's Design students' sculptural chairs return to the library for an end-of-semester show:

Midsummer Night's Breeze

Handle with Chair

Mother Nature's Throne

Ready For My Close Up

Students in the Film Production course (part of the AFA Cinema program) brought the lights, camera and action to the Library this week:

Look for the Library's tarring role in a film coming soon!

Veterans Day

And Remembrance Day

On the 11th Hour, of the 11th Day, of the 11th Month.  The guns in France fell silent.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
  That mark our place; and in the sky
  The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
  Loved and were loved, and now we lie
      In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
  The torch; be yours to hold it high.
  If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
      In Flanders fields.

Read more about it:

Eleventh Month, Eleventh Day, Eleventh Hour: Armistice Day 1918, World War I and its Violent Climax.  D523 P44 2004

#FightFinished

From our friends at the National Gallery:

Finish(ed) the Fight!!

World Series, Baby!

The Washington Nationals secured the National League Championship and have advanced to the World Series (the first time a DC team has done so since 1933.

So let's show some Natitude and root, root, root for the home team!

And if you can pause from singing Baby Shark for just a few minutes, check out a book or two:

National Pastime: Sports, Politics, and the Return of Baseball to Washington DC. GV863 W18 S87

The Washington Nationals 1859 to Today: The Story of Baseball in the Nation's Capital. GV683 W18 F76

GO NATS!!!

Curiosity and the Creative Process

Fine Arts Emerita Rebecca Kamen was recently back in town giving a talk at American University.

(l-r: Denny May (ENG, Emeritus), Matt Todd (Dean, Learning and Technology Resources), Rebecca Kamen (Star.  ART, Emerita.  Artist in Residence U Penn); Sylvia Rortvedt (LTR, Emerita); Alka Gandhi (previously ECO NVCC.  Currently ECO UMD).

Drawing inspiration from astronomy, neuroscience, philosophy, and physics, sculptor Rebecca Kamen reflects on the scientific and artistic processes as unique but complementary catalysts for making the invisible visible.

Professor Kamen is a friend of this blog.  See her history with us here. 

Library celebrates Dia Del Nino

Day of the Child

Day of the Child: Dia del Nino

The Alexandria Campus Library will be OPEN this Saturday, September 28 from 11am - 2pm to join in the Day of the Child Celebration.

Community members can register for FREE library cards and borrow books, videos, graphic novels, magazines and more.   Computers and internet access also available.

Frankenstein: Penetrating the Secrets of Nature

The Alexandria Campus Library is excited to host the latest traveling exhibit from the National Library of Medicine, Frankenstein: Penetrating the Secrets of Nature.

In 1816, an Englishwoman still in her teens, Mary Shelley, conceived a story about a scientist obsessed with creating life. The scientist, Victor Frankenstein, succeeds. But while Frankenstein's creature can think and feel, he is monstrous to the eye. Spurned by all, the embittered creature turns into a savage killer. Frankenstein: Penetrating the Secrets of Nature explores the power of the Frankenstein story to expose hidden fears of science and technology—both in the original novel and shaped into new forms, such as plays, films, and comics. Captivating audiences for 200 years, as scientists have gained new knowledge, the Frankenstein story remains like a warning beacon, throwing its unsettling beam upon human efforts to penetrate the secrets of nature.

Shelley, Mary.  Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus.  PR5397 F7

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.  DVD PR6037 T617 D7

FREE Laptops

Need a laptop?  Use your NOVACard to borrow one from our self-service laptop kiosk:

Located on the first floor near room 194, students can borrow a laptop for up to four hours.

Brought to you by YOUR Alexandria Campus Library.

A new Semester

Welcome to Fall 2019!

Over the summer YOUR Alexandria Campus Library has been busy preparing new and improved ways to serve our campus community.  We've been cleaning, tidying, and reviewing the collection.  Out-dated or redundant materials have been removed and new materials have been added.  Check out our holdings in the Library Catalog.  Click on "Sort by..." and select "Date-Newest" to see the most recent additions to the collection.

We know the Library can be loud (it's a popular place!).  If you are looking for a quiet place to study look no further than our newly reconfigured silent study rooms on the upper level.

Looking for group study?  You can reserve a Group Study Room on the main level for two hours.

Intersession

August 12 - 16 is the week between classes.  The Library will close at 5pm this week.

Fall classes will begin on August 19th and regular hours will resume.

NEW NovaCard Machines!

NOVACard staff have installed new improved NOVACard machines which will allow students and community users to add value to their NOVACards or purchase guest cards.*

New NOVACard machine in the first floor Bisdorf Lobby,  outside the Library

Use your NOVACard to print or make photocopies in the Library and Open Computer Lab.  Also use to make purchases in the Cafeteria, Bookstore, and selected vending machines.

Students will also need a NOVACard to borrow regular and Reserve materials from the Library.

* note that guest cards cost $1.00 to purchase and then require value to be added.

NOVACard is managed by the NOVACard office.  Questions, comments, concerns and technical assistance should be directed to NOVACard.

Virginia Top State for Business

Virginia ranks as #1 State for Business AND best education system in the nation!  Read more:

According to CNBC’s analysis, Virginia has the nation’s best workforce, including the fourth-highest concentration of science, technology, education and math workers. It also said strong school test scores, small class sizes and a wealth of colleges and universities make Virginia’s education system the best in the nation.

Read more:

How To Start A Business In Virginia.  HD62.5 H68636

Virginia Business Registration and Incorporation Guide.  KFV2613 V573

Business Practice (Virginia Entities).  KFV2613 B87

Military Friendly

NOVA was recently recognized as one of the most military-friendly large colleges, and one of the most friendly to military wives.

Balancing Life and Education While Being Part of a Military Family:  A Guide to Navigating Higher Education for the Military Spouse.  UB403 V45 2017

Called to Serve:  A Handbook on Student Veterans and Higher Education.  UB357 H36 2013

Financial Aid for Veterans, Military Personnel, and their Dependents.  UB403 F47

From the Army to College: Transitioning from the Service to Higher Edcucation.  UB357 V342 2015

Arms and the University: Military Presence and the Civic Education of Non-Military Students.  U428.5 D68 2012

Summer session

The days became longer, the temperatures became warmer, and campus became quieter.  Which can mean only one thing:  it's SUMMER!

Alexandria Campus Library hours remain the same in summer:

Monday - Thursday 8.30am - 9.00pm

Friday: 8.30-5.00pm

Saturday-Sunday: closed

But some campus offices adopt different summer hours, so be sure to check the campus website.

And check out some good "summer" reads (and watches):

Wharton, Edith.  Summer.  PS3546 H1 S86

Sommersturn.  AV PN1997.2 S66278876x 2006

Long Hot Summer.  AV PS3511 A86 L66 2003

Carey, Allen.  Yellowstone's Red Summer.  SD421.32 Y45 C38 1989

(500) Days of Summer.  AV PN1997.2 A165x 2013

Fagan, Brian.  The Long Summer: How Climate Changed Civilization.  QC 981.8 C5 F34 2004

Extended Hours Success

From April 4th through May 8th the Library once again observed Extended Hours to provide additional study time for the last week of classes and final exams.

283 students used the Library between 9-10pm, when the facility would normally be closed.

Thanks to all Library staff who arranged their schedules to make this popular event possible.  And many thanks to Student Life for providing what seemed like an endless supply of SNACKS!

Labor Day in May?

May 1st is May Day in some parts of the world, but in most places it is International Workers Day, so depending on your inclinations you can have a political march or protest:

or you can put flowers in your hair and skip around a pole with streamers:

Read more about it:

The Ritual of May Day in Western Europe: Past, Present, and Future (available online).

Festivals and Holidays.  GT3925 F47 1999

MORE TIME TO STUDY

Last week of classes is almost upon us which means just one thing:  Final Exams are around the corner (as well as final projects, term papers, make-up work &tc).

It also means lots of studying is on the horizon.

Alexandria Campus Library is here to help!

Library hours will be extended April 29 - May 2 and May 6 - 8:

open 8.30am - close 10pm.

Extra hour to study!

Study break snacks available!

Burning the midnight oil.  Get it????

Fifty Shades Less Good?

E.L. James released her new novel, and her first departure from the 'Grey' series, today April 16.

It was received with less than positive reviews.

Those interested in (re)visiting the publishing sensation that some regard as bringing erotica into the mainstream (especially for female readers) can borrow the 'Grey' series from the Annandale and Loudoun Campus Libraries.

Poisoned Beauty: Pollen

The DC region is awash in blooms of all sorts, riots of color have erupted in the trees and shrubberies and gardens all over the DMV.

And the Alexandria campus is no exception:

The unfortunate side-effect for many allergy sufferers of all this beauty is the flower's evil side-kick: POLLEN.

Read all about it (and take your allergy meds!):

Pollen: The Hidden Sexuality of  Flowers.  QK658 K49x 2006

Allergy Sourcebook.  RC584 A3443 2011

The Allergy Book.  RJ386 S43x 2015

Exploring Plant Reproduction.  AV QK825 E9756x 2010

Sculptural Chairs

Professor Jessica Gardner's students are once again exhibiting their Sculptural Chairs in the Library:

Come and see them (but please don't sit on them!) soon.

March Madness

Will the UVA Cavaliers go all the way?

Read more about March Madness:

How March Became Madness:  How the NCAA Tournament Became the Greatest Sporting Event in America.  GV885.49 N37 E56 2006

Last Dance: Behind the Scenes at the Final Four.  GV885.45 N37 F45 2006

Nowruz

Nowruz is the Persian celebration of the New Year.

Nowruz is a special time for the Alexandria Campus Library because it marks the anniversary of the arrival of Willi, the Library Fish.

Read more about Iran and Persian culture:

Iran's Diverse Peoples: A Reference Sourcebook.  DS254.5 P75 2005

Historical Dictionary of Iran.  DS270 L67 2007

And read more about Willi and his kind:

Aquarium Fish: A Portrait of the Animal World.  SF457 C54x 2013