@library.edu The Newsletter of the Swarthmore College Libraries http://www.swarthmore.edu/library/newsletter/news.html
Vol. 3 no. 2 Spring 2001
Faculty assess pros and cons of instructional technology By Cecelia Buchanan, Tri-College Coordinator of Instructional Technology, with Ushi Tandon
F
aculty from Swarthmore, Haverford and Bryn Mawr Colleges participated in two focus groups last May to survey their attitudes towards instructional technology, to determine its impact on teaching and learning, and to identify ways to improve instructional technology support. One group consisted of faculty who do not ...the wealth of material regularly use a signifiavailable to students has cant amount of instructional technology or who increased dramatically... have just recently begun access to materials on the to use it. The other group was made up of faculty Web enabled some stuwho were experienced dents to “go well beyond users of instructional technology. what is expected in an The experienced users assignment.” saw instructional technology as an educational tool with a broad array of uses ranging from enriching the classroom experience to aiding discussions to providing administrative support. A common (although not universal) reason that members of this group used computer technology was its support of multiple learning styles. Faculty in the other group had a more limited view of and were more skeptical about instructional technology’s ability to enhance the learning experience. They identified a considerable number of barriers and objections to using instructional technology including philosophical issues, time constraints, and a lack of knowledge and technical support. Faculty in both groups raised a number of interesting and as yet unanswered questions: What is the best balance of technology use? When is the use of technology ideal, and when is it problematic? What is best done in class, and what is best done outside of class, either individually or as a group? What are the “pedagogical ends” of instructional technology?
Concerns about time required and students’ use Two main themes emerged from the focus groups. First is the perception that it takes a tremendous amount of time to use information technology effectively in the classroom. Faculty in both groups expressed concern that the time they spent developing instructional technology materials might be better spent working directly with students or doing research. One experienced user voiced a strong warning that all too often faculty try to stretch the possibilities of technology, while neglecting the rich variety of “low-tech” alternatives that might achieve their pedagogical goals in a better or simpler way. On a related note, faculty also mentioned that they need to control the amount of time that students spend on online work. They stressed that assignments should be well-defined and that it should be easy for students to evaluate when they have completed the assignment.
The second and more disturbing theme was that the faculty in both groups felt that students do not use, or do not know how to use, their critical thinking skills when using the Web. Students appear to trust and depend on the Web too much without evaluating the quality of the sources that they use. In addition, students often try to impress faculty with the amount of information they present rather than with their analysis of the information. Plagiarism of material from the Web was mentioned as a problem. However, many faculty felt that it was no worse than in the past and that they could address it by formulating assignments that go beyond information gathering, for example, by asking students to write an essay that poses a question rather than answering one.
More material available, greater access to faculty On the other hand, there seemed little doubt that the wealth of material available to students has increased dramatically. Some faculty mentioned that access to materials on the Web enabled some students to “go well beyond what is expected in an assignment.” Technology also allows students and faculty to do things that simply can’t be done with paper and pencil. For example, one can link concepts with images, show things that simply can’t be drawn by hand, or see the impact of changes to the variables in a problem. Given the wealth of available information, most faculty indicated that their teaching has shifted from conveying information to evaluating, analyzing, and synthesizing it. The use of email between faculty and students has increased students’ access to faculty, but most faculty felt that they had deeper relationships with students they met face-to-face or worked with in the lab. They acknowledged that students who have not been socialized to talk with a professor may find it easier to communicate via email. Faculty mentioned that email gave them additional flexibility in scheduling time to answer students’ questions. However, they added it was easy to get overwhelmed unless they establish clear The voices of the faculty limits on turnaround time for providing of all three campuses feedback. echoed this theme Electronic interaction among students repeatedly...do the pedahas broadened the learning experience gogical benefits of instrucfrom an individual to tional technology justify a group activity. Several faculty the time investment? mentioned that not all students are comfortable with this shift. For example, some students are uncomfortable making their work public, so it is important that they be given the option of keeping their work private. Faculty also mentioned that some students find it difficult to comment on one another’s work or continued on page 2
page 2
@library.edu
Vol. 3, no. 2 Spring 2001
New electronic resources
Pros and cons of instructional technology
Available to students, faculty, and staff at Swarthmore Library’s Databases A-Z: http://www.swarthmore.edu/Library/databases/ alpha.html
continued from page 1 to collaborate on projects because they have repeatedly been told not to look at what others are doing.
Philosopher’s Index
Support for information technology
Contains author-written abstracts covering scholarly research in the 15 fields of philosophy, published in journals and books from 38 countries since 1940.
There was a wide range of opinion about the adequacy of support for information technology across the three campuses. Most Swarthmore faculty, however, felt that the support provided by Information Technology Services (ITS) has been very good and has met most of their needs. Experienced users from all three colleges felt that there was a lot of support for faculty who wanted to get started with technology but not for more experienced users. Both groups also indicated that they did not find existing training courses to be very useful. The newer users felt that group classes usually miss what individual faculty need, and they indicated a strong preference for intensive, one-on-one training. Faculty in both groups expressed a strong desire for greater collaboration between faculty, staff (departmental, ITS and library) and possibly students to explore the uses and difficulties of technology in the classroom. They also expressed a strong preference for getting help as close to their offices as possible. Many faculty indicated that they frequently seek help from colleagues, administrative assistants, students, and, occasionally, external resources, such as the Math Forum (at Swarthmore), and software vendors. However they noted a number of problems with this approach. (For example, some support staff may be uncomfortable with technology.) Furthermore, they felt that the salaries for these
Accessible Archives Online Contains primary source material from early American periodicals. Swarthmore’s subscription includes access to the following: • Godey’s Ladys Book 1830-1880 • The Pennsylvania Gazette 1728-1800 • The Civil War: A Newspaper Perspective November 1860 - April 1865 • African American Newspapers: The 19th Century • The Pennsylvania Newspaper Record: Delaware County 1819-1870 • The Pennsylvania Genealogical Catalogue: Chester County 1809-1870 For further descriptive information about each of these databases, please visit: http://www.accessible.com/about.htm HARPWeek Consists of the pages of Harper’s Weekly, scanned as images, together with a series of controlled-vocabulary indexes, which are interactively linked. 1857-1883 presently available for searching with 1878-1912 to follow as the scanned images become available and indexing is completed. HarpWeek is made available to the Swarthmore community by a generous donation by Jerome Kohlberg, Jr.
positions would need to be raised significantly to attract and retain individuals with an appropriate level of technological expertise. In addition, faculty who provide technical assistance mentioned that they often feel overwhelmed to the point of exhaustion, especially when this task is not included as part of their job description.
Weighing the benefits The issues raised about resource allocation (of both time and money) are not limited to Swarthmore College or the teaching profession. The learning curves for most new technologies are always steep until they become integrated into mainstream culture. After the initial upheaval associated with a major change, balances must be reestablished and the costs and benefits must be reweighed. The voices of the faculty of all three campuses echoed this theme repeatedly. Do the pedagogical benefits of instructional technology justify the time investment? Are the benefits high enough to justify the reallocation of financial resources to provide addition and more individualized support? What is the long term future of instructional technology? What effort ought to be atrributed to the normal growing pains of chanchanging teaching metholodology? For the full report, see http:// www2.haverford.edu/mellon3/Events/ FacultyFocusGroups/Report/index.html
Associations Unlimited (US National only) (Previously Encyclopedia of Associations) Contains information for approximately 23,000 U.S. national nonprofit membership associations in all fields. Features full contact information, description, SIC codes, meetings and publications information, and more. Grove’s Dictionary of Music Online New edition of music dictionary now online.
Journal Collection Purchases: JSTOR Ecology & Botany Collection http://www.jstor.org/cgi-bin/jstor/gensearch (to search) http://www.jstor.org/about/ecobot.list.html (for a list of ecology/botany titles) Contains 29 titles and approximately 1 million pages of journal literature in the biological sciences. The material included in this archive reaches back to the 19th century and covers approximately 1,500 journal titles.
LIBRARY HOURS McCabe Library (610) 328-8477 M-Th: 8:15 - 1:00 a.m. F: 8:15 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. Sat: 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Sun: Noon – 1:00 a.m. Cornell Library (610) 328-8262 M-F: 8:15 a.m.– midnight Sat: 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. Sun: Noon – midnight Underhill Library (610) 328-8232 M-Th.: 8:30 a.m.– 5:15 p.m.; 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. F: 8:30 a.m – 5:15 p.m. Sat: 10:00 a.m. - 5:15 p.m. Sun: 1:00 p.m.– 5:15 p.m. 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. During breaks and summer: M-F: 8:30 – 4:30; closed weekends
@library.edu is the newsletter of the Swarthmore College Libraries, published once a semester. Editorial Staff: Pam Harris, Terry Heinrichs, Ushi Tandon Technical Advisor: Tammy Rabideau Thank you to all who contributed to this issue, especially: Cecilia Buchanon, Anne Garrison, Alison Masterpasqua, Pat O’Donnell, Peggy Seiden, Barb Weir E-mail: <libnews@swarthmore.edu> Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA 19081
Vol. 3, no. 2 Spring 2001
@library.edu
What’s new at the library more computers...consultants...HarpWeek...comic books...VPN Looking for a computer to use? Visit one of the libraries! Information Technology Services and Digital Library Services work together to provide access to dozens of computing workstations in the three libraries. The Underhill Music Library has several public workstations. Cornell Science Library has more than a dozen Macs, a Dell, and a scanning workstation. McCabe Library has approximately 40 workstations distributed throughout the four floors of the Library; there are slightly more Macs than Dells. 12 of the Dells available for public use in McCabe are located in a lab on the 4th floor.
Expanded computing consultant service in McCabe Library Beginning this semester, Information Technology Services and Digital Library Services will offer expanded computing assistance in McCabe Library. There will be a Computing Consultant Desk staffed by students on the main floor of McCabe during all the hours that the library is open.
Jerome Kohlberg Jr. donates money for library to buy HarpWeek Mr. Kohlberg donated over $25,000 to enable the Library to purchase HarpWeek for the college community. The HarpWeek Database consists of the pages of Harper’s Weekly, scanned as images, together with a series of controlled-vocabulary indexes, which are interactively linked. 1857-1883 are presently available for searching with 1878-1912 to follow as the images are scanned and indexing is completed. Access HarpWeek here: http://app.harpweek.com.
Comic book collection donated by Greg Erskine Students looking for something a little different to read on a study break can thank Greg Erskine (’01). Greg has donated an extensive collection of comic books to the library including everything from “A. Bizarro” to the “Uncanny X-Men.” The collection of about 350 comics will be housed in the current periodicals/newspaper lounge on the main level and will be available for reading in the library only. In addition, the library is purchasing some graphic art novels and comic compilations.
New remote access to library databases option In order to gain access to most library databases, a computer must be identified as being within the Swarthmore network; this is most frequently determined by the IP (Internet Protocol) number assigned to the computer. A computer is automatically assigned an IP number that allows access to library databases in one of three ways: • if you use a computer on campus. • if you dial-in to the campus network remotely (off-campus) using (610) 328-8377. • and finally, through a Virtual Private Network (VPN) service that was announced by Information Technology Services in January. Documentation for installing and using Macintosh and Windows VPN client software is available at the ITS Web site at: http://www.swarthmore.edu/cc/docs/macpppvpn.html (Mac dial-up ISP) http://www.swarthmore.edu/cc/docs/maclanvpn.html (Mac DSL or cable-modem) http://www.swarthmore.edu/cc/docs/WindowsVPNClientSetup.pdf (Windows) The VPN service is only available to faculty, staff, and current students of Swarthmore College. For further information or assistance with using VPN, contact Bob Velez at extension 8581 or send email to velez@swarthmore.edu. For other questions about accessing library databases, please contact Tammy Rabideau, Digital Services Librarian, at extension 8647 or send email to trabide1@swarthmore.edu.
McCabe selling fair trade coffee in lounge Coffee is now for sale on McCabe Library’s main level early morning, late afternoon and late night. Even better, it’s Transfair certified fair trade coffee. This project, a joint effort by students from the campus group “Conscious Consumers” and McCabe Library staff, is part of a growing nationwide effort to engage colleges and universities in more responsible business practices. During a visit here in November, Paul Rice, chairman of the independent monitoring group TransFair USA, and Santiago Rivera, a coffee grower in a fair trade cooperative in Guatemala, addressed the importance of fair trade to coffee growers and the role of consumers in advancing the success of coffee cooperatives. In order to receive fair trade certification, a
company must meet the standards of fair wages (wages above poverty level), cooperative workplaces, consumer education, environmental sustainability, financial and technical support to coffee-growing communities, respect for cultural identity within these communities, and corporate accountability. Companies must ensure fair, direct trade between growers and buyers, without the interference of middlemen, and must remain accountable to coffee growers and their families, and to the local environment. The local “Conscious Consumers’ group states that “Fair trade coffee at Swarthmore represents a step towards more socially conscious practice, which reflect the school’s Quaker tradition.”
page 3
Introducing Questia by Pam Harris and Peggy Seiden QuestiaSM, the first online subscription-based research service with unlimited access to the full-text of a large digital library of books and journals, is marketing itself directly to undergraduates for fees of about $20/month. Students can develop researchable topics, highlight and take notes on the books, automatically cite sources, and instantly format bibliographies. Introduced with a collection of over 50,000 monographs, the company expects to have more than 250,000 books online within three years. The books were selected by a team of librarians and are largely focused in the humanities and social sciences. Many academic librarians have had a negative response to what Questia is trying to do. They worry that Questia promotes the idea that students can accomplish their academic objectives from a limited collection of sources and without using the multiple resources of the academic library. They are also concerned that where budgets are particularly tight and collections are small, administrators might cut off support for the libraries and require students to use Questia. Those most angry about Questia question whether commercial interests should be in competition with non-profit educational institutions, and they raise concerns about whether the content of such a library can be free of bias or represent more radical viewpoints. Digitization costs a great deal of money, and commercial sources have paid for the lion’s share of substantive online material. Many of these, like Questia, are “aggregators,” who pull together collections from diverse publishers and other sources of information. Libraries do pay extraordinarily large amounts of money for this content. Our own library budget for materials alone is close to $1.5M, and over $200,000 now goes to purchase digital materials. That Questia is a for-profit company is not unusual. Is this service of use to Swarthmore students? Swarthmore students currently have access to far more than the 250,000 books which Questia eventually promises. Tripod alone has close to three million records and our electronic databases (available at www.swarthmore.edu/Library) offer access to millions of full-text articles and abstracts. The new Virtual Private Network now provides access to these resources from anywhere on campus. So while not particularly valuable to Swarthmore students, Questia and other services like it will find their own niche in the information economy and will cause academic libraries to maintain a competitive edge. See http://www.questia.com for a free trial. (At this time, Questia will not work with Macintoshes.) @library.edu welcomes feedback.
page 4
@library.edu
Alumni books reviewed by students Dusty Exile by Catherine Embree Harris ‘41 (Honolulu: Mutual Publishing, 1999) This book focuses on the internment of the Japanese Americans following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor and the U.S. entrance into World War II. This is a story which has often been told, but Harris has a perspective which is particularly interesting. She was hired by the federal government to teach the school-age children of Poston camp, in the Arizona desert, and remained there until the camps closed in 1944... Clearly Harris is a good Swarthmore graduate - her Quaker roots are evident and her compassion for the evacuees is real. She contacted family and friends “on the outside” and mobilized a network to help those evacuees released and sent to the East or Midwest for college or jobs. And her writing is neatly constructed. However, the book tries to cover so much (national policy, important Poston events, daily life at the camp, personal history) in so few pages of big print that it comes off as a bit simplistic. Very little is explored indepth. While it may seem hard to ask a personal memoir to analyze the historical data more closely, this is precisely what I felt was missing from the book. I wish Harris had chosen to concentrate solely on an account of two years in the single camp; in the same space, she could then have provided a more satisfying look at the particular events she experienced, sending curious readers to her excellent bibliography for the historical background. - reviewed by Catherine Osborne ‘01
Vol. 3, no. 2 Spring 2001
STAFF NOTES Minda Hart Minda Hart, interlibrary loan librarian of Swarthmore College Library, passed away November 27 at the age of 63. Minda managed the ILL department for 14 years after working as an ILL assistant. She previously worked in Acquisitions and Periodicals; her first job at McCabe Library 20 years ago was as the weekend receptionist. Minda was a meticulous and thorough professional who cared deeply for students and faculty alike and was tenacious in seeing that their scholarly needs were fulfilled. A woman of slight build, she possessed great spirit, humor, and wit. She will be greatly missed. Minda is survived by her two brothers, Samuel Newman and Dr. Philip Newman; her daughter, Marcy Newman Hart, son-in-law Neal Abrams, and three grandchildren.
New staff member at McCabe Not All Black and White: Affirmative Action and American Values by Christopher Edley, Jr. ‘73 (New York: Hill & Wang, 1996) This book on affirmative action describes the author’s experiences working with the Clinton administration, analyzes current thinking, and presents his views. Christopher Edley, Jr.’s book about affirmative action is really several books at once. First of all, it is a first-hand account of Edley’s experiences working with the Clinton White House as the architect of the President’s review of affirmative action programs. Second, it is a survey of the current debate about affirmative action, and a careful analysis of arguments on both sides, from the perspective of the academic mind that put together Clinton’s famous “mend it, don’t end it” approach to the debate. Finally, Edley is arguing that affirmative action cannot be considered as a strictly legal or factual question; instead, he said that those on both sides of the debate are engaging with fundamental questions about American values. Edley... is a brilliant legal thinker and a good writer. His arguments about American values are fairly persuasive, and he does an unusually good job of applying this kind of thinking to each of the sticky policy points that might otherwise consume and distract the reader…In the book’s best moments, it makes clear how a scholarly approach can shed light on public policy debate. Perhaps most crucially, Edley unpacks the individualistic assumptions that underly some of the conservative discourse on race… - reviewed by Tim Stewart-Winter ’01 For the complete reviews, see http://www.swarthmore.edu/library/swarthmoreana/. This site is managed by Jonah Gold ‘04.
Mellon grant fosters tri-college cooperation The Mellon Foundation recently gave a grant to the tri-college libraries to investigate ways to enhance collaboration among them. While the tri-college libraries have had a strong record of coordination around such issues as borrowing policies and cooperation in areas such as cataloging, much of the history has been marked by competition, particularly regarding the quality and size of each college’s collections. The grant is intended to help staff explore those projects which would otherwise be impossible for any one library to accomplish alone. Some of the projects being evaluated are: • Community Needs Assessment: Develop a core group of experts on qualitative data gathering and analysis techniques to aid in
understanding information-seeking behavior of students and faculty. • Student Training: Address ongoing problems with inadequate training for student library assistants by developing tools and training programs. • Digital Collections: Develop in-house expertise in digitization and investigate technologies and collections. • Professional Development: Assess the professional development needs of all library staff and develop a coordinated approach to provide education and training. • Cooperative and Virtual Reference Services: Investigate various models of cooperative reference services among the tri-colleges as a means to support specialized research.
Florence Bendrick has joined McCabe Library as the new weekend access and lending services specialist on Sundays and on Monday evenings. She also works for Immaculata College, supervising the student teaching program. Previously, Flo worked for about 30 years in the Philadelphia School District in a variety of positions and with elementary and middle school children.
New curator at Friends Library Christopher Densmore is the new Curator of the Friends Historical Library and Archivist of Swarthmore College. “I am delighted to come to the Friends Historical Library. It is a cultural treasure, not only for the study of Quaker history but for the history of the Quaker initiated efforts that have helped shape America, particularly anti-slavery and the women’s rights movements,” Densmore said. Densmore most recently served as the University Archivist for the State University of New York at Buffalo. A professional archivist with 26 years of experience, Densmore is the author of Red Jacket: Iroquois Diplomat and Orator ( Syracuse University Press, 1999). He has also authored over 40 articles, reviews, and encyclopedia entries on Quaker history, Native American history, and archival administration. Densmore was awarded the Owen B. Augspurger Award for 2000 by the Board of Managers of the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society; he was cited for his outstanding contributions to local history. One of the co-editors and authors of Quaker Crosscurrents: Three Hundred Years of Friends in the New York Yearly Meetings (Syracuse, 1995), he is chair of the Canadian Friends Historical Association, is on the steering committee of the Conference of Quaker Historians and Archivists, and was recently elected to the Board of the Friends Historical Association. He is a graduate of Oberlin College and the University of Wisconsin.
Associates of the Swarthmore College Libraries Volume 3, Number 2
Spring 2001
Fourth Annual Irish Poetry Reading Paul Muldoon, poet and scholar, will read from his poetry in the Scheuer Room, Kohlberg Hall, on February 13 at 4:15 p.m. One of Ireland’s major contemporary poets, Muldoon’s work is characterized by mischievous humor, imaginative rhyme, and multi-layered structures of meaning. His reading will be the fourth annual Irish Poetry Reading in memory of Michael J. Durkan, College Librarian, 1976-96. A reception will follow the reading. Paul Muldoon was born in 1951 in Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. Educated at Queen’s University in Belfast, he wrote poetry there under the tutelage of Seamus Heaney. After receiving his degree, Muldoon worked as a radio and television producer for the BBC in Northern Ireland. He moved to the United States in 1986 and has taught at numerous institutions including Columbia, the University of California at Berkeley, and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He is currently the Howard G. B. Clark ’21 University Professor in the Humanities and Director of the Creative Writing Program at Princeton University. In 1999 he was elected to the honorary position of Professor of Poetry at Oxford University for a term of five years. His books include Bandanna (1999), an opera libretto; Hay (1998); New Selected Poems 1968-1994 (1997); The Annals of Chile (1994); the opera libretto Shining Brow (1993); Madoc: A Mystery (1990); Meeting the British (1987); Quoof (1983); Why Brownlee Left (1980); Mules (1977); and New Weather (1973). Muldoon has been awarded the Sir Geoffrey Faber Memorial Award, the T. S. Eliot Poetry Prize for The Annals of Chile, the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Literature, and, in 1997, the Irish Times Irish Literature Prize for Poetry for his New Selected Poems. “On top of everything else, Muldoon is, in his poems, a retriever of the golden fact, a breaker-open of the habit-encrusted outer shell of words, a maker of Cornell collages from the materials of perception and recollection.” (Sven Birkets, “About Muldoon” Ploughshares, Spring 2000)
Library Associates’ Events - Spring ‘01 February Irish Poetry Reading: Paul Muldoon Reading & reception: Feb.13, 4:15 pm, Scheuer Room, Kohlberg Hall. Introductory remarks by Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill. March The Dyke as Everyman: Alison Bechdel’s Comic Strip Art Talk & reception: March 1, 4:15 pm, Scheuer Room, Kohlberg Hall Exhibit: February 26 - March 26, McCabe Lobby April Self-Portraits and Other Anatomy Lessons: Selected Works from Fall 2000 Figure Sculpture Talk & reception: April 3, 4:30 pm, McCabe Lobby Professor Brian Meunier: “History of Figurative Sculpture” Exhibit: April 2 - April 30, McCabe Lobby
Horses I A sky. A field. A hedge flagrant with gorse. I’m trying to remember, as best I can, if I’m a man dreaming I’m a plowhorse or a great plowhorse dreaming I’m a man. II Midsummer eve. St. John’s wort. Spleenwort. Spurge. I’m hard on the heels of the sage, Chuang Tzu, when he slips into what was once a forge through a door in the shape of a horseshoe. From Hay, New York: Farrar Straus Giroux. 1998. Reprinted with permission of the author.
Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, the Charles A. Heimbold Professor of Irish Studies at Villanova University and winner of the Sean O’Riordain Award for Poetry in Irish and the Irish Arts Council Prize for Poetry, will introduce Paul Muldoon. Dhomhnaill, a poet, playwright, and mother of four, has been praised as “the most widely known and acclaimed Gaelic poet of the century” (Irish Literary Supplement). She gave the Michael Durkan Memorial Poetry reading in 1999.
Alison Bechdel Cartoonist Extraordinnaire Witty and notorious social commentator and cartoonist, Alison Bechdel, will exhibit selected works in the McCabe Library lobby, February 26 to March 26. Bechdel will open the exhibit, The Dyke as Everyman: Alison Bechdel’s Comic Strip Art, and talk about her work on March 1 at 4:15 p.m in the Scheuer Room, Kohlberg Hall. With 34 books to her credit, worldwide syndication, including over 200 newspapers in the United States, and two law-suits because she has offended Jesse Helms, the time is right to ask: Who is Alison Bechdel? How is she able to create and keep up with the daily lives of her burgeoning cast of characters: Lois, Jezanna, Clarice, Toni, Ginger, Sparrow, and— Mo? Alison Bechdel’s Dykes to Watch Out For appeared in 1983. Since then, her award-winning comic strip has become a cultural institution for lesbians and discerning non-lesbians all over the world. Part soap opera and part documentary, the strip lovingly chronicles the intimate affairs and global concerns of its characters. Bechdel grew up in rural Pennsylvania and, after graduating from Oberlin College in 1981, moved to New York City. Her most recent books are Split-Level Dykes to Watch Out For and The Indelible Alison Bechdel: Confessions, Comix, and Miscellaneous Dykes to Watch Out For. Bechdel’s work has also appeared in Ms., The Village Voice, Gay Comics, American Splendor, and many other comic books, ‘zines, and anthologies. “Alison Bechdel’s work is both political and hilarious, and she’s created a cast of characters that you feel you know. Some of them are even irritating.” (Nicole Hollander / “Sylvia” from back cover of The Indelible Alison Bechdel)
Student Exhibit Selected works from the Figure Sculpture class taught this past fall by Professor Brian Meunier will be on display in McCabe Lobby, April 2-30. The exhibit includes various figure studies, reliefs, self-portraits, and a few examples of the final project, in which students were free to explore various alternative materials and approaches to the figure. As Meunier explains, “The major project of the semester was the self-portrait. The human figure is always a loaded subject, but becomes even more so when the subject is self. The issue is not just one of objective anatomy, but greater, an issue of selfidentity. It is always a dynamic and cathartic project, given that it comes at a time in a person’s life, as a student in college, when one’s self-identity is in its most active phase of construction.” During the opening reception on April 3 at 4:30 p.m., the students will be available to talk about their sculptures.
Student Library Prize Competition The A. Edward Newton Student Library Prizes of $300, $150, and $100 are awarded annually for the three best undergraduate book collections as judged by the Committee of the Award. Books must be owned and have been collected by the student. Each collection will be judged by the extent to which it represents a well-defined principle giving it unity and continuity; for example, an author, a subject, or a group of authors. Non-print material may be included in the collection. Textbooks should not be included. Entries should have a bibliography of at least 25 titles in the collection. Sample entries from previous years are available in the Librarian’s Office, McCabe Library. Please attach a brief (one page) commentary describing how, when, where, and why the books were acquired. Winners will be invited to display their collection in the library and to give a brief talk. Entries should be submitted by March 16, 2001, to Pam Harris, McCabe Library.
Attention: Associates What services are of interest to you as a member of the Associates of the Swarthmore College Libraries? Do you enjoy the exhibits and receptions? Would you like to have library workshops offered; for example, on Internet searching, papermaking, or marbling? Are private receptions with guest speakers, poets, or writers, of interest to you? Please send your ideas to Pam Harris, Swarthmore College, 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA 19081, (610) 690-2056, or pharris1@swarthmore.edu.
Membership in the Associates of the Swarthmore College Libraries SWARTHMORE IS KNOWN AS ONE OF THE COUNTRY’S OUTSTANDING LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGES and its library is central to that reputation. The excellent quality of our library system may be attributed both to the strong support from the College and to the generosity of our many friends and benefactors. The Associates of the Swarthmore College Libraries, an organization established in 1978 by Michael J. Durkan, the College Librarian from 1976-1996, is dedicated to continuing that tradition of support. The Associates provide a link between the campus and the community of book-lovers. The purpose of the Associates is: • To serve as a medium through which friends of the library may advance their own intellectual pursuits and share their enthusiasm for books, • To provide financial support that permits us to enrich the collections and the services beyond that which could be done otherwise, • To sponsor programs that enrich the cultural life of the community, such as poetry readings and our political cartoonist series, • To encourage a greater awareness of the book as artifact by sponsoring workshops, exhibits and lectures on topics in the book arts, and • To encourage an understanding and appreciation of the work of the College Libraries, which form a resource of immeasurable value in the intellectual life of the College. If you are already a member of the Associates, we thank you for your patronage and urge you to renew your membership; if you are not, we cordially invite you to join. Membership in the Associates bears the following practical rewards: Associates receive announcements and invitations to exhibitions, lectures and other library events, Associates receive @library.edu - The Newsletter of the Swarthmore College Libraries, Associates may obtain library borrowing privileges by bringing the acknowledgement receipt for their donation to the Circulation Desk, Associates’ memberships are fully tax-deductible, and Associates know that their contributions are going toward maintaining and strengthening the collections and services provided by the libraries at Swarthmore College. Please join the alumni, faculty, staff, students and community members whose generous contributions are insuring the success of the Associates of the Swarthmore College Libraries. Board of Trustees 2000-2001 Nathalie Anderson Lester I. Conner James A. Hinz, Chair Daniel G. Hoffman William Huganir’42 J. William Frost Edward Fuller Kendall Landis’48 Amy Morrison, Programs/Membership/Treasurer William Robert Peter Schmidt Peggy Seiden Carol Shloss’68
Associates of the Libraries - Annual Membership Registration - 2001 For new members or members who have not yet sent in their membership fees. Annual memberships run from January to January. Corporate Matching Gift Forms may be included with your check or mailed directly to the College’s Gift Records Office.
CIRCLE: Individual $20; Family $30; Patron $100; Benefactor $500; Life $2500; Student $2; Other $ ____ Enclosed is $ _________ for my/our annual membership payable to Associates of the Swarthmore College Libraries. Please charge my/our membership to: VISA MASTERCARD DISCOVER Account Number: ______________________________________________Expiry Date: _________________ Or CALL Swarthmore College Credit Card Hotline: 1-800-660-9714 Fund: Associates of College Library NAME: ADDRESS: EMAIL: TELEPHONE: Mail to: Associates of the Swarthmore College Libraries, 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA 19081