Presidential Election Display

Ramaker Library has recently created a display all about the presidential election, including information on the candidates, political strategy and major issues.  Stop by to check it out.  (The photo was taken at high noon, so there are some serious shadows – my apologies.)

If you’re interested in getting information about any of this year’s major topics, whether it’s ANWAR or the economy, Ramaker has resources where you can learn more. A good place to get background information about a topic is CQ Researcher. This database contains full-text reports written by seasoned journalists, and each report includes the background and chronology of an issue, an assessment of the current situation, pro/con statements and bibliographies.

Kathleen Norris Writes Again

Last year, writer and poet Kathleen Norris visited our campus for the Day of Common Learning. During one of her speeches, she mentioned the book she was working on at the time. Her theme was acedia, a term few people know. The word means, literally, an absence of caring. It’s also known as sloth, malaise, ennui, apathy, “the blues,” being in a funk. Norris says she first started having episodes during her teen years, and since then she has periodically experienced the feeling or condition.

I happened to catch an interview with Norris on Minnesota Public Radio yesterday about her new book, titled A Marriage, Monks and a Writer’s Life: Acedia and Me.  She explores the condition of acedia, tracing it back in monastic life to the 6th century, and how it affects her – and others – still today. 

If you’re interested, you can listen to the interview online at Minnesota Public Radio.

Faculty Collection

You are invited to browse and check-out books from the Faculty Collection.  Faculty members of Northwestern College have a long tradition of publishing in their fields.  Thus, in the collection, you will find earlier works by Dr. Keith Allen, Professor Emeritus of Theatre, and Dr. Syl Scorza, Professor Emeritus of Religion.  Likewise, the collection includes recent works Dr. Joonna Trapp, Dr. Jim Mead, Dr. Sara Tolsma, and Dr. Jackie Smallbones.  Along with publishing in their fields, Northwestern faculty grapple with how to integrate their scholarly expertise with the Christian faith.  Their thoughts on integrating faith and learning are found in the Tenure Papers that are included in the Faculty Collection.  The staff of Ramaker Library invites you to peruse the works of our faculty. 

Ramaker: Anytime, Anywhere

The Northwestern community — faculty, staff and students — can access Ramaker Library’s virtual holdings from off-campus. To do so, simply enter http://vpn.nwciowa.edu in your address bar. You may see a Microsoft message indicating that “this is not a recommended site.” Simply disregard the message and continue.

At the prompt, enter your campus login information. Once you are logged in, click the Ramaker Library Resources link.  You can now browse the library’s resources, including our online catalog and databases.

You can also access the VPN from the link on Ramaker’s home page. Look for the Off-Campus Access graphic: 

Do note that the network runs more slowly when accessing it via the VPN.  Also, you can only access the VPN when off-campus.

Remembering September 11

Today marks the 7th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, DC.  Do you remember where you were when you heard?

I was in my office in the library and heard about some planes hitting some buildings somewhere.  At first, we thought it was a joke, but then heard from another staff member who had been listening to the radio, that it was not a joke.  We began to listen to the radio and eventually moved to the RSC to watch the big screen TV.  It was there that I watched the first tower fall on LIVE television.  It was surreal.  All I could think about was how I wanted to see and hug my family.

My thoughts and prayers go out to all of the families who are remembering loved ones lost today.

Find It @ Ramaker

Perhaps you have noticed a new feature in the EBSCOhost databases: the Find it @ Ramaker Library links that are in the citations for journal and magazine literature. Here is an example: 

During the past couple of months, library staff have been working to implement OpenURL Resolver software (WebBridge) in our library systems. WebBridge will enable you to link to full-text articles when they are available in any of the databases purchased by Ramaker. When the literature is not available through Ramaker, WebBridge will provide a link to the interlibrary loan forms, then populate the forms with the necessary citation information. We are excited about how WebBridge can help you when using the electronic resources available through Ramaker Library.

Currently, WebBridge is only partially implemented and is not fully working. In fact, you may have experienced this when clicking on the Find it @ Ramaker Library link. We apologize for the frustration. Implementing WebBridge is a difficult task and must be ‘live’ during the implementation. We are confident that, during the upcoming weeks, WebBridge will be working more effectively.

Please feel free to contact Dan Daily, Library Director, if you have questions.  Thank you for your patience as we make this change to our system.

Getting Started with ILLiad

Over the summer, Ramaker Library implemented a new interlibrary loan system. ILLiad allows you to request materials online.

To get started with ILLiad, go to the Interlibrary Loan page. Log in using your usual Northwestern log-in combination. The first time you visit, you will need to complete a registration form; this only needs to be done once.

To request a material, click on the type of material in the left column. Then fill in the form as completely as possible. You must fill in the fields marked with an asterisk.

When your material is ready, you will be notified via e-mail. Most articles will be available for download from the ILLiad interface; simply log in and click on the “electronically received articles” link to view it. You also have the ability to print it or save it to your computer drive. Books will need to be picked up at the library circulation desk.

You can also use ILLiad to review what you’ve requested and received. To do so, explore the View options in the left column.

If you have any questions about interlibrary loan or ILLiad, please contact Bryan Van Gelder, Interlibrary Loan Coordinator, at bvangeld@nwciowa.edu or 707.7311.