Pop Culture Universe, or The Database that Ate My Tuesday Afternoon

One of the perks of my job here at the library is the opportunity to explore different databases during my downtime. Maybe that sounds like about as much fun as balancing your checkbook? You might be surprised. Take Popular Culture Universe for example. It contains more than 300 full-text volumes of material covering pop culture over the last nine decades. Music, fashion, entertainment...if it caused a buzz anytime from the 1920s through today, there's a good chance you'll find it here. Need a catchy topic for your Marketing class? How about researching the way Madonna has reworked her image over the years? Need to find out about the way women's roles change during wartime? Why not look up Rosie the Riveter? You'll find serious and scholarly research on PCU; it's no TMZ or Perez Hilton-type gossip site. I especially like the overview page for each decade, with links to the major films, television series, books, music, plays, fads, products, discoveries, sports and news events. It would be a good starting point for any student who wanted to know what life was like during that time.

There is the danger of distraction, of course. Start researching one topic about the 1960s, and you may easily find yourself surfing the database for hours reading about "The Andy Griffith Show", for example. Just speaking from my own experience here. It's not a bad way to procrastinate!

You can take a virtual tour of the site here.

The Burgess Arboretum-- thanks Zach!

Are you aware of the Burgess Arboretum?

The Burgess Arboretum was built by former Reinhardt College President Dr. James Rowland Burgess, who served from 1944 to 1973. Dr. Burgess indexed more than 1,300 and planted more than 500 tree and shrub species across the College campus. You've probably seen labels on the trees around campus, identifying their species. Dr. Burgess labeled all the trees and shrubs and created an index map for the Arboretum, which is housed right here in the Hill Freeman Library and Spruill Learning Center.

In 2007, Zach White, Reinhardt horticulturist, and the Master Gardeners of Cherokee County and the Cherokee County Extension Service began working to restore the Burgess Arboretum. They've been reindexing all the trees and shrubs and planting new species, including a very exciting project to help reintroduce the American chestnut! Reinhardt College is one of the test sites approved by the Georgia chapter of the American Chestnut Society. The chapter is working to breed a version of the American chestnut that can withstand the chestnut blight that nearly wiped out the species in eastern North America during the early 20th century. At one time, about a quarter of trees in the Appalachian mountains were American chestnut; now the number of large surviving American chesnut trees in the region is probably less than 100. Maybe this project isn't exactly Jurassic Park for trees, but it's close!

This Thursday at 2 pm as part of the Spring Day festivities, they will be planting American chestnut seedlings at the site of the new American Chestnut orchard near the Fincher building. Go check it out! And also check out Zach's blog about the Burgess Arboretum. The Arboretum is scheduled to have a grand re-opening in October.

Speaking of Spring Day, look for the library's booth at the Athletic Center. I'll be there--and there will be cookies!

The Library's own Nahum Vigo-Fas, ladies and gentlemen...

YM Movie Today: The Syrian Bride

Today at 1:30 pm in the library Media Room, the Year of the Mediterranean program will show the 2004 Israeli film The Syrian Bride. Set in 2000, the film tells the story of Mona, a young Druze woman living on the Golan Heights (a contested area on the Israeli/Syrian border currently under Israeli control). She is engaged to marry a Syrian man. At the time this movie is set, there is a UN-observed demilitarized zone between the two countries. It is very rare for anyone to be allowed to cross the border. Mona's family has waited six months to obtain permission for Mona to leave the Golan, and once she crosses the border to marry her fiance, she will not be permitted to return. She will be separated from her family, unable even to visit them--and her future husband is a man she has never met.

The Syrian Bride won the Best Film award at the 2004 Montreal World Film Festival, the 2004 Best Screenplay award at the Flanders International Film Festival, the Audience Award at the 2004 Locarno International Film Festival, and the Best Film award at the 2005 Bangkok International Film Festival. Hiam Abbass, who plays Mona's unhappily-married sister Amal, was nominated for the Best Actress award at the 2005 European Film Festival.

John Hope Franklin 1915-2009

American history lost one of its most brilliant scholars yesterday with the death of John Hope Franklin. Best known for his work From Slavery to Freedom, Franklin served as president of Phi Beta Kappa, the Organization of American Historians, the American Historical Association and the Southern Historical Association. In 1995, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. In 2002, scholar Molefi Kete Asante listed Franklin on his list of 100 Greatest African Americans, and on November 15, 2006, Franklin was announced as the third recipient of the John W. Kluge Prize for lifetime achievement in the study of humanity.

John Hope Franklin was the author of over 20 books and was considered the leading African American historian. Not only did he chronicle history, he was involved in making history, having cowritten the brief the NAACP submitted to the Supreme Court in Brown v Board of Education. This led to the 1954 United States Supreme Court decision ending the legal segregation of black and white children in public schools.

We have several books by John Hope Franklin in our collection, including From Slavery to Freedom [E185.F825], first published in 1947 and continually updated. Franklin's scholarship has had a tremendous impact on the fields of African American history and American history in general, and his work will continue to inform many generations to come.

Sequoyah Regional Library Staff visits

The Hill Freeman Library and Spruill Learning Center was honored with a visit today by the reference librarians from the Sequoyah Regional Library System. They were here for their quarterly meeting. Public Services Librarian Karen Preslock gave them a presentation on how to help job searchers make the best use of their resources, and then they took a tour of our facility. It was great to spend some time and exchange some ideas with our public library colleagues! If you're a resident of Cherokee, Pickens or Gilmer County, I highly recommend you pay a visit to your local library branch and see what they have to offer!

Visit Sequoyah Regional Library's Web site here.

COMPUTER LAB OPEN SUNDAYS!

We have great news for folks who want to use their weekends to get ahead on their classwork (since I know we don't have any people who wait until the last minute to do a paper that's due Monday, right?)

Through a special arrangement among the business school, IT, public safety and the library, the computer lab in Lawson 204 will be open on Sundays from 3 pm to 7 pm, with a possibility of the hours being extended until 11 pm later in the semester. The lab will be staffed by our own library student worker Jason Harmon.

According to library director Michael Martinez, this is an effort to open up more computers for student use, especially late in the semester when major papers become due. I've seen for myself the cutthroat competition for library computers during finals!

Martinez cautioned that this agreement is on a trial basis--meaning if enough students don't show up to take advantage of the computer lab's new hours, we won't be able to keep it open. So spread the word! The lab will be open Sundays for the rest of this semester, and if the program is successful, it will continue to be open Sundays in the fall.

(Just a reminder: there is no food or drink permitted in the Lawson computer labs).

Women and Social Movements

Hello again, I'm here to share another database with you! In honor of Women's History Month, may I present Women and Social Movements.

WASM is a database focusing on the achievements of women in America from the 1600s to the year 2000. According to the site, "this collection seeks to advance scholarly debates and understanding at the same time that it makes the insights of women's history accessible to teachers and students at universities, colleges, and high schools." The database includes a semi-annual online journal, "Women and Social Movements of the United States," as well as the biographical dictionary Notable American Women and the database of the President's Commission on the Status of Women. All in all, 87 document projects with almost 2,700 documents and 150,000 pages of additional full-text documents and more than 2,060 primary authors are included.

WASM is a useful resource for students of American history and women's history.

You won't want to miss the Griot!

Tonight, at 7 p.m. in the Glass House, the Women's Griot will be performing for Women's History Month. According to Student Activities Coordinator Becky Cavender, "She is an entertainer, singer, storyteller, comedian and teacher all rolled into one. You will laugh, learn AND have a great time."

I usually don't promote non-library events on the blog, but I'm making an exception here for three reasons. 1) The event ties in thematically with my blog posting on Women's History Month. 2)I am on the WHC committee, and I promised to mention it, and 3) she's just an amazing performer! If you don't believe me, check out a clip of one of her performances.

YM Speaker THIS MORNING

At 11:00 am on the third floor of the library, Fr. Panyiotis Papageorgiou will be speaking about the beliefs and practices of Greek Orthodoxy. This lecture is presented by the Year of the Mediterranean program.

Exciting new database: American History in Video

The biggest question I have about our newest database is "How much time can I reasonably spend on this site and call it 'work-related research'?"

American History in Video, one of the newest databases from Alexander Street Press, may have a deleterious effect on library productivity, but is certainly a boon for history buffs. When the database is complete, it will have 2,000 hours and more than 5,000 titles. The collection is an exclusive collaboration with A&E television networks and features the most important documentaries and series from The History Channel, A&E and Biography. There are also public affairs video of interviews and debates, archival footage of events,and vintage newsreels. Yesterday I watched WWII-era newsreels, and today I've been watching a documentary about Arlington Cemetery. All in the line of duty, folks, no need to thank me!

Wouldn't it be interesting to compare and contrast contemporary coverage of historical events with the perspective offered by later documentaries? And which would be more valid?

The videos are searchable by historical era and event, people, place, subject and type of film. The videos run side by side with a transcript. That would certainly aid in accurate quotation! While several of the programs are quite long, there is a feature that allows you to create custom clips of the portions you want. That could be very useful for a professor who wants to show something to her class or a student who is putting together a presentation!

Oh well. Back to work. I think I'll watch a documentary on the lost colony of Roanoke. Happy Vernal Equinox, everyone!

New eBook access!

I've mentioned our eBook collection before. Now we have another source in addition to eBrary and Netlibrary.

The Springer eBook Collection is now accessible from the library home page. We have the database on a trial basis from now through April 30.

The Springer eBook collection has access to over 30,000 eBook titles, divided into thirteen categories: Architecture&Design; Behavioral Science; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Business and Economics; Chemistry and Materials Science; Computer Science; Earth and Environmental Science; Engineering; Humanities, Social Science and Law; Mathematics and Statistics; Medicine; Physics and Astronomy; and Professional and Applied Computing. You can tell from glancing at that list that their science collection is very strong. Another 3,500 titles are added every year.

Again, this database is available to us on a trial basis, so be sure to check it out and let us know what you think!

"Everywhere I travel, Greece wounds me."

I love that title!

Just a reminder about the Year of the Mediterranean lecture today at 2:30 on the third floor of the library. M. Todd Harper of Kennesaw State University will be discussing Cultural and Historical Travel in the Poems of C.P. Cavafy and George Seferis.

In Dr. Harper's own words: "It should be of no surprise to travel is an important theme in modern Greek literature. Historically, Greek travel literature has always been about the journey outward to obtain a goal in order to make the more important trip home. Jason and the Argonauts seek the Golden Fleece,while Odysseus and his men, having fought in Troy, travel back to Ithaca. Similarly, many modern Greek poets, most notably C.P. Cavafy and George Seferis, pick up the theme of the journey back home to ask what is "home" and what does the journey ultimately mean." In this illustrated talk, Dr. Harper will examine how C.P. Cavafy and George Seferis attempt to understand the journey as a metaphor for life and home in an ever-changing Greece.

Dr. Harper is an associate professor of English at Kennesaw State, teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in rhetoric and writing. He first became interested in Greek rhetoric and
literature while researching and teaching on the Greek island of Corfu on a Fulbright scholarship. Currently he is working on a book that examines the rhetorical nature of the Byzantine liturgy.

Thank you to Dr. Anne Good for this information.

By the way, the title of this lecture is from a poem called "In the Manner of G.S" by Georgios Seferis. I looked it up on Columbia Granger's World of Poetry.

Patrick the Shape-Shifting Saint

Sometimes it's surprising what you turn up on our databases!

I thought I'd research St. Patrick for today's blog, so I started poking around in our databases to see what I could find. I found an informative article from the Columbia Encyclopedia on Credo Reference. That wasn't surprising of course. Credo Reference is a good, general reference database that's very quick and easy to search. I found many basic facts about his life, some of which I knew and some of which I didn't.

The Apostle of Ireland is considered one of the most successful missionaries in history, and he certainly camer from humble beginnings. He was born around 365 A.D. to a Christian family of Roman citizenship, and first saw Ireland when he was captured by marauders at the age of 16 and brought to its shores as a slave. Supposedly he heard a voice which prompted him to escape his captors and head for the Continent. In Gaul (modern-day France) he became a monk. Later Patrick returned to his native Britain. It was there he had a vision calling him to return to Ireland to Christianize it. His mission was successful; according to this article, Ireland was almost completely Christian by the time of Patrick's death in 461.

The article only hints at the many legends attached to his name. Of course there is the famous one about his driving the snakes out of Ireland, which is symbolic of his driving the "demons" out as there probably weren't any actual snakes there to begin with.

However, when I checked my favorite folklore database, Daily Life Online, I learned about a legend I'd never heard before. An article from World Folklore and Folklife, written by Cassandra Eason, tells this story:

It is told that Saint Patrick and his men were travelling to the king’s court, when he discovered that the Druids (Celtic priests) had prepared an ambush for him. As they walked, the saint and his followers chanted the sacred Lorica, or Deer’s Cry, that later became known as the St. Patrick’s Breastplate Prayer, claimed, again with some uncertainty, to have been created by the saint. According to the myth the Druids did not see the saint and his followers pass, but saw only a gentle doe followed by twenty fawns.

Eason goes on to explain that there may have been deer present, and that Patrick either distracted the Druids and slipped away, or the Druids may have been so intently watching the deer, a sacred animal to them, that they didn't notice the saint and his followers slipping by them. Many stories of the amazing deeds of Christian saints, Eason suggests, were probably created to win over pagan worshippers by convincing them that the Christian God was more powerful than their old ones. The Celts had myths of their own about goddesses shape-shifting into deer.

If you're interested, I suggest you look up the Deer Cry. It's a very beautiful prayer. And if you're out drinking Irish whiskey or green beer as part of your St. Patrick's Day celebrations tonight, please have a designated driver, and do watch out for the deer...

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Sneak Preview of the Digital Archives!

Here is Reinhardt co-founder Colonel J.J.A. Sharp in his Confederate uniform.


And here is a Reinhardt student in his cadet uniform. (We have one of these uniforms on display here at the library).



The first automobile on campus caused quite a stir...

As did other methods of transportation...

Man, some of those Reinhardt freshmen were definitely unattractive...

Just kidding! Reinhardt used to have a working farm where students helped to raise their own food.

They also had stables:

And of course, there are many fashion statements in the archives, such as this lovely young lady chatting on the phone between classes...

...and these students lining up to register for the college's first evening classes. Dig those crazy sideburns and plaid pants!


Thanks to Karen and Larry for sending these to me!

Reinhardt Archives Going Digital!

There's an exciting project underway at the Hill Freeman Library and Spruill Learning Center Archives. Most of you may not have had the occasion to peruse the college archives. Due to security concerns, library policy states that access to the archive room is restricted to staff or patrons accompanied by staff. We have some fascinating things over here. In addition to our collection of Reinhardt memorabilia, publications such as The Hiltonian and The Phoenix, many rare books of regional history and the Annie Laurie Jones Cunyus Hymnal Collection, we have many historic letters and documents from the entire history of Reinhardt College as well as many old photographs, some dating from the nineteenth century.

Fortunately, we are working on a way to open up access to our archives without either compromising security or necessitating a staff escort. All you will need is a computer with an Internet connection.

For the past eight months, our intrepid Special Projects Librarian Larry DeLapp has been diligently scanning photographs and documents with an eye to putting them up on our Web site one day.

"He's already done all the pictures we have, and now he's working on documents such as letters from our presidents and college officials, correspondence from Captain Reinhardt, bank statements, deeds, some reports on the state of the college, some speeches," says archivist Joel Langford (I want to be his disciple for Reinhardt College history). "He just has a couple more collections to go."

"It's an extremely interesting job; it's very worthwhile," Larry says. "There is nothing more interesting to me than history, and that's what we're dealing with here." He adds that he loves the old photographs and the wartime documents. "It's interesting how we survived and grew despite two world wars."

We won't be able to digitize the entire archives of course, as many of our holdings are protected by copyright, but we look forward to offering what we can in pdf form on our Web site soon.

YM Movie Today: A Room with a View

Today at 1:30 in the library Media Room, the Year of the Mediterranean program will be showing "A Room With a View", directed by James Ivory, produced by Ismail Merchant and based on the novel by E.M. Forster. This is one of the best-known films the YM program has shown this year. The movie won three Oscars in 1986, for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, and Best Costume Design. It was nominated for five more, including Best Director, Best Picture, Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Denholm Elliott) and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Dame Maggie Smith... you know, she plays Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films, although she was an esteemed actress long before she added that little credit to her resume).

The movie begins in one of my favorite cities in the world: Florence, Italy. Two English women, Lucy Honeychurch (Helena Bonham Carter) and her chaperone Charlotte Bartlett (Smith) are there on holiday, and they are disappointed that their hotel rooms don't have views. At dinner they meet fellow hotel guests Mr. Emerson (Elliott) and his son, George (Julian Sands). The gentlemen gallantly offer to trade rooms with the ladies. During their Italian vacation, George and Lucy develop feelings for one another. Too bad she's engaged to someone else... Will Lucy choose the traditional path and marriage that is expected of her? Or will she choose a wild life of unrestrained passion with George?

Well, I'm not going to tell you. Come to the movie and see for yourself.

New Hiltonian posted!

Check it out here

Library furnished in Reinhardt history

Hello! As readers of this blog are no doubt aware, the Hill Freeman Library and Spruill Learning Center has been very fortunate recently to receive the display of the old college uniform and the painting of Witham Hall. Our collection of artifacts from Reinhardt's history is not confined to these wall displays, however.

Perhaps you've noticed the two antique desks flanking the double doors on the second floor. If you stand facing them, the one on the left is the desk of Captain Augustus Michael (A.M.) Reinhardt, co-founder of Reinhardt College (then Reinhardt Academy). You know, I had always thought the college was named after Captain Reinhardt, but in fact Reinhardt named the school in honor of his father, Lewis W. Reinhardt.

In 1883, Captain Reinhardt and fellow Waleska resident John J.A. Sharp decided to start a school for the children of this Civil War-ravaged area. Reinhardt Academy opened in January of 1884 with the help of the North Georgia Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. There were approximately 40 students, ranging from grammar school to high school. The first class graduated in 1888 with four members. Among these was Reinhardt's niece Fredonia Blanton. It is Ms. Blanton's desk you will see on the right, and her portrait hangs above it.

Fredonia Blanton's own contribution to Reinhardt College did not end with her student days. She taught school for 50 years, most of those here at Reinhardt. With the help of our archivist Joel Langford, I located in our archives a copy of the Hiltonian article celebrating her retirement in 1933. From all accounts she was a much-loved teacher and a "guiding light unto [the] feet" of her students. She is described as a patient and dedicated teacher and a kind and generous woman, who not only cared for Captain Reinhardt (her beloved "Uncle Gus") in his final years but took several students into her own home, treating them like members of the family and helping them to secure an education.

Although Captain Reinhardt and Fredonia Blanton are gone now, I think they would have appreciated the fact that their desks, where they sat and did so much work on behalf of the college and its students, occupy a place of honor in our library and still watch over the hard work of Reinhardt students in the year 2009.

Staff member spotlight: Nikki Preslock

According to many of the students here at Reinhardt, if any single person makes the Hill Freeman Library and Spruill Learning Center "the place to be," it's Nikki Preslock. That's not just because the part-time library assistant has been known to bring in yummy homemade treats for our patrons, or even for the lively conversations she strikes up. It's because Nikki, a former Reinhardt student herself, knows where they're coming from.

"I like helping students because I remember when I was in their situation," Nikki says. "I've been there, done that."

Nikki started working for the library back in July of 2006, when she was still a student herself. She was initially hired for a special project, although she's now segued into wearing multiple hats at the library. (That's not a reference to her St. Patrick's Day hat, but be sure to check that out next Tuesday). Library director Michael Martinez says Nikki originally came on board to help with the retroactive conversion project.

According to Martinez, about five years ago the library changed from its previous cataloguing program to the one it currently uses. "The vendor said it was supposed to be a 'seamless' migration," Martinez says. "What happened was we lost about 50% of our titles." In other words, half of the library's collection was no longer listed in our computers, and there was no quick and easy way to figure out which ones had been lost. Someone had to go through each book in the collection individually and check to see if it was listed. If it wasn't, the book had to be added.

Enter Nikki.

It's been a painstaking process, and one which Nikki says is very close to an end.

"When it's done, all of our holdings should be catalogued in our database," Martinez said.

The job hasn't been without its rewards, as Nikki says she's discovered some interesting things in the collection over the past couple of years.

"I actually find really cool old books, some signed by famous people like the past college presidents and some of the original Reinhardts," Nikki says. "Those go into our archives when I find them.

"I also find money in books sometimes. I find old notes and love letters."

Nikki also repairs old books for us, and works evenings and weekends helping in reference and circulation. Martinez says Nikki is going to get to work on developing course guides in the future. She is going to work with some of the new programs starting up at the North Fulton campus, such as the Homeland Security program and fire and police professional development.

Nikki, a Biology major at Reinhardt who also studied dietics at Life University, says her true passion is for science, and her ultimate goal is to be a park ranger at a fish hatchery. In the meantime, she definitely keeps the library hopping and running smoothly.

"Nikki's a great worker," Martinez says. "She's friendly, courteous, kind and very nice. She seems to have quite a following of people who come in here on Sundays just to see her."

She's also this blogger's dear friend and officemate. I can personally attest to what others have said about Nikki. When she's here, the library is a much more pleasant and friendly place!

Original painting portrays Reinhardt history

Have you noticed one of my favorite pieces of the art we have on display in the library? It's on the second floor, hanging above the desk of Frieda Blanton (Reinhardt's first graduate--more about her later). The painting is on loan from the collection of Waleska resident Roy A. Pritchard, in memory of Lucy Hufstetler Pritchard (Reinhardt College class of '41) and in honor of the artist, Linda J. Peters. The painting depicts the second Adminstration Building, circa 1940.

Here's a little history, courtesy of technical services librarian and Reinhardt College historian Joel Langford:

"The first permanent college building opened in 1885 and burned on November 28,1911.
School leaders and students were devastated and unsure as to whether Reinhardt would remain open. But soon a temporary building was opened, and classes resumed. Plans were made to construct a new administration/classroom building."

(If you take a look at the cornerstone of our current administration building, you will see it says the college was established in 1883 by A.M. Reinhardt and rebuilt in 1911. I don't know as much about Reinhardt history as Joel does, but I do like to walk around campus. Back to Mr. Langford now...)

"Mary Reinhardt Sharp, widow of college co-founder J.J.A. Sharp, sister of co-founder A.M. Reinhardt and mother of Reinhardt President R.C. Sharp, gave her 17 acre home place to the college for it to rebuild. A fund drive was begun aimed at building a larger and better college building. The cornerstone of the new building was laid on May 14, 1912, and the building was completed by that fall. The building was constructed of wood with a stucco exterior and beaver-board interior. The ground floor housed eight classrooms, offices, the library and music rooms. The basement had three classrooms and a laundry. The top floor was an auditorium that also served as the college chapel. The building had a slate roof which weighed forty tons, thus requiring reenforcement of the roof beams. An air heating system was installed, but did not work very well. It was replaced with steam radiators.

The building was named Mary Stuart Witham Hall, in honor of the mother of Board of Trustees member William S. Witham. Mr. Witham served as Chairman of the Building Committee that had raised funds for the building. Witham Hall had a water system installed, and in 1916 became electrically lighted when Reinhardt built an electric plant on campus. By the late 1940s, Witham Hall was in disrepair, although it was still the main college building. A new fund raising effort was begun and in 1950 the cornerstone was laid for a new brick building. This building opened on Thanksgiving Day 1951 and is now known as the Burgess Administration Building. Witham Hall was torn down and became just a memory to all the students who had attended Reinhardt during its almost forty year lifespan."

Now, thanks to Ms. Peters' work, Witham Hall once again has a place on the Reinhardt campus. Stop by and have a look!

Welcome Back!!! And Women's History Month

Welcome back students and faculty! I hope you all had a great spring break and are ready to hit the books again. Our wonderful student assistant Nahum reminded me yesterday that we're halfway through the semester now! Two more months until summer vacation (or summer classes).

My favorite coworker Nikki put together a little welcome back gift for you guys. First come, first served. Check it out at the circ desk.

As you may or may not know, March is Women's History Month. The college has some great activities planned in conjunction with WHM, including a special performance by the Women's Griot, a "goddess"-themed art contest, a showing of the movie Iron-Jawed Angels , a high-heel obstacle course (are you man enough to walk in her shoes?)and, on a more serious note, a special program on the global problem of human trafficking.

Over the break, I put together a display for Women's History Month of works by southern women writers. The display is on the second floor of the library, next to the stairs. The works of Flannery O'Connor, Eudora Welty, Katharine Anne Porter, Eugenia Price, Alice Walker, Dorothy Allison, Fannie Flagg, Mary Lee Settle, Olive Burns, Margaret Mitchell, Maya Angelou and others contributed to the culture of the region and to American literature in general. This collection is very close to my heart, and I hope you all will check it out.

It's good to see you all again!

Plan ahead, do your research and be persistent if you want to go to grad school

On Thursday, February 26, a panel of uniquely-qualified graduate school “experts” among Reinhardt’s faculty and staff met with interested students for a Graduate School Workshop. They shared the benefit of their knowledge and experience, giving tips on how to apply to graduate school, how to get accepted, and how to pay for it.
The panel consisted of Financial Aid Director Robert Gregory, Dr. Wayne Glowka (Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities at Reinhardt and former Director of Graduate Studies at Georgia College), Dr. Irma Santoro (Assistant Professor of Biology at Reinhardt and former Graduate Coordinator for the School of Biology at Georgia Tech), Dr. William DeAngelis (Dean of the School of Math and Science at Reinhardt), Janet Rodning (Director of Registration, Records and Advisement at Reinhardt), Assistant Professor of Business Dr. Katherine Hyatt, Dr. Thomas Reed (Professor of Special Education at Reinhardt), Public Services Librarian Karen Preslock and Director of the Center for Student Success Dr. Catherine Emanuel.

They spoke about the stiff competition for slots and for student assistantships, and gave tips on how to improve one’s chances. It seems the first and most important step is to do one’s research. Find the program that is the best fit for your strengths and interests.

“Talk to the professors in the program,” said Dr. Santoro. “See what the program’s strengths are.”

“Go to the Web site,” said Dr. DeAngelis. “Research the facilities, the community. Look at the program! Find programs where you have an interest. The information on the site will tell you what kind of school it is.” The Psychology program at the University of Georgia, for example, places heavy emphasis on research. Dr. DeAngelis suggested checking to see where schools are ranked in different areas, and finding a program with strengths that match yours.

“The faculty is on the Web,” Dr. Santoro said. She emphasized making personal contact with the professors, and making connections.

Library director Michael Martinez agreed with her. “Contact the school at least a year before you apply,” he advised. Write to the faculty and introduce yourself, he suggested, and visit them if possible. Tell the school that you want to attend there because you want to study under a certain professor. “They will see you made the effort. You want to study under the people you admire the most.”

The statement-of-purpose letter, said Dr. Santoro, is a very important part of the application. “A good statement-of-purpose letter shows commitment, why you want to be there, your passion.”

“They want to see what you can do for their program,” said Dr. Emanuel.

Your letters of recommendation from your professors are also important, and it doesn’t hurt to coach them a little. Dr. Emanuel advised reminding your teachers of what you’ve done in their classes and what they should mention in the letters. The graduate programs will be looking to see what kind of experience you have.
Graduate schools are competitive. Dr. DeAngelis recommended applying to a range of schools.

“These days everything is on the Web,” Dr. Glowka said, advising students to check out the program’s criteria for admission. “If there’s no published criteria, know that it’s competitive.”

Certain things can always improve your chances—such as having good grades, for example. Dr. Glowka said applicants were turned down at Georgia College based on GPA alone. Test scores are also important, and not every school requires the same test! Find out which test you need to take--the GRE, the GMAT, the LSAT—then “get the book and study it!!” Dr. Glowka emphasized. Go over the format of the test and prepare for it. Ms. Preslock announced that study guides for the major tests are available in the library on reserve.

There are other ways to help your chances. Ms. Preslock mentioned a book the library recently acquired, called Graduate School: Winning Strategies For Getting In With or Without Excellent Grades by Dave G. Mumby, Ph. D., among other guides. She suggested joining a professional organization to show your commitment, adding that many offer special membership rates to college students. Dr. Hyatt said MBA programs are looking for people with business acumen and experience. Mr. Martinez said a stint in the Peace Corps always looks good on an application! Dr. Glowka said some graduate schools will offer provisional admission to those whose credentials aren’t quite up to their standards; they’ll let you in, but you have to prove yourself once you’re there and make the grade!

Of course, if the application isn’t complete or filed correctly, all of the student’s hard work and research will be for naught. Janet Rodning spoke about obtaining official transcripts, and how the Records office can help in the application process. Know your deadlines, she advised. Know how many transcripts you need and to whom they should be sent. “You need to give us the details,” she said. “Be aware of your deadlines; don’t wait until the last minute.” Undergraduates will need to send two copies of their transcripts: one current one and then a complete one after graduation. “Many schools require two copies of your transcript or more,” she said, “and they have to be official transcripts.” Ms. Rodning encouraged students to be proactive and follow up with the schools to make sure the transcripts have arrived safely. There is a $5 fee for each official transcript, and a handwritten signature is needed to release a transcript.

“We are happy to help you,” Ms. Rodning said. “Just let us know what you need.”

Okay, so after you’re accepted into graduate school, the next question is how to pay for it. The good news is there are several options. Many programs offer teaching assistantships for their graduate students.

“Find someone who wants you enough to pay you,” said Dr. Eddie Robertson, professor of Biology at Reinhardt.

“Apply for fellowships!” urged Mr. Martinez. “They have to give them to someone. “
Some money is available for people who want to work in certain fields. Mr. Gregory said there is money available from HOPE for teachers who want to teach in critical need fields in Georgia. Ms. Preslock said government agencies such as the US Patent Office and Veteran’s Administration will pay their employees for graduate work in hard-to-fill areas. She recommends checking government Web sites.

“Only apply for a loan if that’s all you can get,” said Mr. Martinez.

Of course, not everyone can get an assistantship. The competition for them is even stiffer than for admission to the program. If you do need a loan, “there is money available for grad school,” said Mr. Gregory. “You need to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and check that you have received a bachelor’s degree. There are Stafford and Direct Loans available for grad school, and the maximum is higher than for undergrad.” Mr. Gregory added that there is also a fee waiver for the GRA for students who qualified for the Pell Grant their last undergraduate year, and they can talk to the Financial Aid Office for more information.

Dr. Hyatt and Dr. Reed spoke about the graduate programs available at Reinhardt.
Reinhardt’s MBA program is inexpensive and geared toward working adults, said Dr. Hyatt. “We do reserve slots for Reinhardt students.” She said the MBA program is looking for a good GPA and a good score on the GRE. “Any major can get an MBA,” she added.

“We have two graduate programs in Education,” Dr. Reed said, “One for those who have an education background, and one for those who haven’t. “ He added there were many different ways to get your teacher‘s certification.

And if you haven’t decided what kind of a career you want, it is never too early or too late to think about it. Ms. Preslock suggested checking the Web site for the Bureau of Labor Statistics and looking at the Occupational Outlook Handbook to see which careers are expected to see growth in the future.