John Tyler Community College Library Blog

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains. ”

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies has at last arrived at the Midlothian Library. The book has circulated several times at Chester since it was received–readers cannot get enough of the classic regency romance, now with ultraviolent zombie mayhem!

Zombies, or Unmentionables as they are called here, are swarming all over Hertfordshire, and causing havoc amidst the landed gentry. You’ll recognize the story - the Bennets, Mr. Bingley  and  Mr. Darcy are all here - but the plot is enhanced with zombies.

If you’d like a good laugh, let us know and we can place a hold on the book for you. Meanwhile, check behind your office door…..

Also coming soon from Seth Grahame-Smith: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Darnell Arnoult, poet and author of the acclaimed novel Sufficient Grace will attend the John Tyler Community College Literary Festival, March 1-4. Activities are planned for both campuses.

Events include student readings and a student speech contest. Ms. Arnoult will lead two writing workshops for students.

Ms. Arnoult will hold readings on both campuses, and an additional reading, book signing and reception at the Midlothian Campus Thursday, March 4.

Need more detail? Check out the Literary Festival page HERE.

The world is spiraling out of control, changing at an alarming rate; the environment is failing, as are the social contracts that hold society together. And then, the apocalypse comes, a waterless flood that destroys most humans on planet earth.

The Year of the Flood tells the story of this catastrophe, the before and after, through the very personal stories of two strong female characters, each spared from the catastrophe by being accidentally locked in their place of work. Toby is trapped in a spa (AnooYoo, full of soaps and health bars.) Ren is locked in a gentlemen’s club (Scales and Tails, full of drinks and bar nibbles.) As the narrative unfolds, we hear of the years leading up to the waterless flood, the different but interconnected paths Ren and Toby have taken, and their connection to the eco-religion God’s Gardeners.

Though this is both an apocalyptic and dystopian novel, Atwood adds humor. Science has played with gene splicing, creating unlikely combinations of animals like rakunks (raccoon/skunks) and liobams, dangerous lion-sheep splices with curly hair and a taste for both grasses AND meat. God’s Gardeners (the cult itself a mix of Christianity, asceticism, and the back-to-the-land movement ) have made saints out of well known figures in the science, like Saint Rachel Carson of All Birds and Saint Linnaeus of Botanical Nomenclature. (Some of the more obscure saints send the reader to the internet for more information!)

With The Year of the Flood, Atwood gives us speculative fiction at its very best. She takes clues from today and extrapolates them to create a new reality which is somehow both believable and haunting.

Check out the companion/prequel Oryx and Crake, which tells of the same apocalyptic event from a completely different perspective.

Both are available from the John Tyler Libraries. Check availability HERE.

Monday begins exam week at John Tyler. Campus libraries will be open normal business hours; the same helpful staff will be on hand for academic emergencies. The Midlothian library has:

• 120 networked computers
• 24 comfy lounge chairs
• 7 study tables
• 4 private study rooms
• 4 laser printers
• 2 flatbed scanners
• 1 large book collection
• And a partridge in a pear tree (only joking on that one.)

Monday, December 21, the library will switch to its reduced hours of 7:30 AM -5 PM.

The library and the college will be closed starting December 24, and will reopen-along with the rest of the college-Monday January 4, 2010.

Books can still be returned in the book drop. Electronic resources will be available remotely during this time.

Enjoy the break; we will hit the ground running in 2010!

So often magical realism sounds like a children’s book, yet the books are so much more than the summary.

• Metamorphosis: Man wakes up one day as cockroach. Problems ensue.
• Time Traveler’s Wife: Librarian time travels randomly. Romance is complicated.
• A Year of Cats and Dogs: Woman discovers she has animal telepathy. Life changes.

At the beginning of A Year of Cats and Dogs, Maryanne’s partner of ten years has left her for a job in another city. Philip takes what is important to him (his clothes), but leaves his furniture and their two pets, a dog and a cat. Maryanne decides to go AWOL from life. She quits her job (writing slogans for resin statuettes!) and decides to just be, live off her savings, do some freelance work, volunteer. Her life is quiet.

One day in the pet store Maryanne hears a Poodle thinking, and he hears her answering.

Maryanne’s new power makes her very valuable as a volunteer at the animal shelter, giving comfort to sick and lonely animals. Her life evolves.

Hawkins builds honest emotion without overemphasis, and allows the strong characters of both people and pets drive the story. She is darkly humorous on the serious matters of loneliness, aging and death. Self-consciously absurd recipes (Chicken Soup for the Sad, Quitting Your Job and Vowing to be Frugal Stew) add lightness to this ultimately hopeful tale.

Check on the availability of A Year of Cats and Dogs in the John Tyler Community College Library (or place a hold if the book is not available.) Call the library if you need help (594-1520.)

Appliqued Quilt, African American

Most people living in Virginia have visited Colonial Williamsburg. Some were dragged as fourth graders, others visited as amateur historians, others breezed through on the way to the outlet malls. But Williamsburg is not just the Governor’s Mansion and Duke of Gloucester Street; the foundation also owns a large collection of antiques which are rarely on display. These 60,000 objects are the stars of Colonial Williamsburg’s new eMuseum.

The online collection includes ceramics, art, costumes, textiles, furniture, prints, maps and firearms from the seventeenth to the twentieth century. Each item has a photo, a detailed description, and a date. The collection is indexed, making directed searches possible.

A search on “art” brought this fantastic quilt from the turn of the 20^th century, described as an “expressive collage” of braids, beads and lampshade pulls. Because of their fragility, textiles are rarely displayed in museums. But online one can view bedspreads, embroidered clothing, and delicate gowns in great detail (all without leaving the comfort of the computer desk.) Firearms and silver pieces also feature prominently in the collection.

Experience history in a new way through Colonial Williamsburg’s eMuseum.

JSTOR (Journal Storage) is an electronic archive of academic journals. JTCC subscribes to four of JSTOR’s collections, which gives students and faculty to approximately 550 journals. The collections are particularly strong in the humanities, notably history, language, literature, political science, art, and philosophy. JSTOR journals work on a moving wall system; there is a time lag of (usually) 3 to 5 years from the most current issue of a publication and the full text available in JSTOR.

Crucial facts:

• All full text, so no frustration with finding the perfect citation with no access to the article.
• Facilitates interdisciplinary research (like background on the Victorian era when studying Charles Dickens).
• Digital formats with links to related articles and related references in Google Scholar.

Check for JSTOR on the main databases page on the JTCC library website and add another tool to your researcher’s toolbox.

Filmmaker and film historian Kevin Brownlow has spent over forty years working tirelessly to preserve and document the age of silent cinema.  In the 1960’s he began to interview hundreds of people associated with the era. From actors and directors to stuntmen and technicians, he realized that a whole generation of knowledgeable artists was beginning to pass into history, taking their stories with them. His efforts resulted in the 1968 publication of The Parade’s Gone By… and it remains, even today, perhaps the most important book ever written about the period.

The book is filled with rare photographs which include portraits, production stills, and even frame by frame analysis of the editing in certain film scenes to illustrate how a certain stunt was accomplished. Brownlow studied studio documents, personal correspondence and contemporary publications during his research, but it is the interviews that make this book so valuable. They provide an incredible window into the era. These firsthand accounts are told with passionate detail and a sense of gratitude that someone finally took the time to ask. These oral histories, whether from big name directors such as Clarence Brown, or stuntmen like Eddie Sutherland, bring this lost era back to life.

The Parade’s Gone By…is a must read for any aspiring filmmaker. Kevin Brownlow has created an important collection of primary source documents for anyone interested in researching silent films. Those with a more casual interest will be captivated by the author’s enthusiasm for his subject, and the fascinating details and insights provided by these artists of a sadly forgotten era.

This book is available for check out at the Midlothian Campus library. You can access the John Tyler library catalog here.

80 Years of Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards is Robert Osborne’s latest update to a series of histories he began when the Academy celebrated its 50^th anniversary in 1978. Osborne, a columnist for The Hollywood Reporter and long time host of the Turner Classic Movies network, is also the official historian of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. His genial manner and non-confrontational style make him the perfect choice for this detailed account of the Academy’s long history.

Readers will find it an excellent reference. It begins with a brief introduction to the Academy itself, detailing the events that led to its founding and the goals the academy wished to achieve. The awards themselves were almost an afterthought. The book is then divided into sections. Each decade is given a brief overview, followed by a description of each ceremony held during that time period. A detailed list of award categories is provided which includes all nominees and winners for each ceremony.  Osborne provides interesting anecdotes and covers all the controversies, without ever veering off course or overemphasizing the sensational aspects of the story.

The book is filled with wonderful photographs, many taken from the ceremonies, as well as production stills from the many films honored. These photos contribute to the historical narrative, illustrating the changing faces, styles and times through which the Academy Awards have managed to endure.   Serious students of film will find it an invaluable resource, while casual readers and novice film buffs will appreciate its user friendly chronology and hopefully be moved to further explore the personalities and films it so attractively showcases.

The Midlothian library has been open for nearly two months and is even more popular than the old library.  The new library is located on the second floor of the new Science Building, in room C202. The new space features:

• 120 networked computers, all with Vista and Office 2007
• Comfortable seating
• More open study tables
• Four quiet study rooms with flat screen monitors
• Free Wi-Fi for students, staff and faculty
• HUGE windows

The new library space has the same helpful staff and the same extended hours. Drop by and see for yourself!