Oesterle Library wants to know what you think about our Research by Subject guides. Tell us which features you like and what you would like to see more of. When and where do you use the Research by Subject guides? You can leave comments on a particular subject guide, comment on this blog post, stop by our Facebook page or send us an email.  And as always, feel free to leave any resource suggestions or comments on any of the Research by Subject guides.

Galileo's Dialogo

Oesterle Library and the mathematics department invite you to witness the nationwide unveiling of two stunning, large-scale, multi-wavelength images showing the core of the Milky Way Galaxy as viewed by the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra Space Telescope and the Spitzer X-Ray Observatory.

The event will take place from noon to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10 in the College’s Oesterle Library.

Visitors will also be able to see a first edition copy of Galileo’s “Dialogo,” the Italian astronomer and philosopher’s greatest work.  Published in Florence in 1632, the volume is the most rare and valuable item in North Central College’s Special Collection.

North Central College is one of only 11 cultural and scientific sites in Illinois and 152 nationwide authorized by NASA to unveil the images as part of the International Year of Astronomy celebration.

Oesterle Library, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 12 p.m. – 2 p.m.
At the event:

• Richard Wilders, professor of mathematics, will discuss the Aristotelian and Copernican views of the universe, which debated whether the sun orbited the Earth or the Earth orbited the sun.
• Michael de Brauw, assistant professor of classics, will discuss North Central’s copy of “Dialogo.”
• John Zenchek, professor of biology, will demonstrate a Galileoscope—a modern telescope that allows users to see the sky in the same way Galileo would have with his telescope.
• William Higgins, an engineering physicist who works on radiation safety at Fermilab and a representative of NASA’s Solar System Ambassadors Program, will unveil the images and describe them.

For more information about Galileo, the Milky Way Galaxy or the International Year of Astronomy, visit the library’s subject guide.

Many students come to the library asking for books containing reproductions of art. Did you know that you can access 30,000 digital images of paintings, sculpture and architecture online via the library’s Saskia Art Images Collection? Included are images from many important collections, the Prado, the Kunsthistorisches Museum, the Uffizi, and the Louvre, as well as images from archaeological sites in Greece, Italy, Turkey and Egypt. Even if you don’t need images of art for a course, it may just make you happy to look at your favorite paintings. I love this Monet of a Paris railway station.

The database has several useful features, such as the ability to download high-resolution images and to save selected images using the “My Favorites” feature. Favorites can also be saved to your computer as a web page containing thumbnails with links to the high-resolution images. Check out Saskia Art Images and other interesting subject-specific databases on the library’s web page, Databases Listed Alphabetically.

A miniature version of a Boy’s Day decoration from Japan will be on display in the lobby of the Oesterle Library through the Homecoming Weekend. Boys’ Day, now called Children’s Day, is a national holiday that is celebrated every May 5th in Japan. The holiday is an opportunity to show respect for all children and to celebrate their happiness and unique personalities.

The ornament is a gift from Shige Masaki ‘54 Nagamura, a North Central College Alumnus. Mrs. Nagamura traveled to the United States to attend NCC to study math and French.

Mrs. Nagamura has established the Shige Masaki Nagamura Endowed Scholarship to support outstanding students from Japan attending North Central College.

Need another source for your paper? No need to leave your room. Check out some of the e-Books available through Oesterle Library. For general information or to get some ideas for developing your topic, try searching these collections of subject encyclopedias and reference books: Gale Virtual Reference Library, Credo Reference, and Sage eReference. In each collection, you can search across all the resources or access a particular work such as theEncyclopedia of Urban Legends or the Encyclopedia of Business Ethics and Society.

For access to over two thousand electronic books, try NetLibrary. These are regular academic library books that you can use online. My search for “McDonald’s” resulted in 301 books; some covering the business and marketing aspects of the company, some focusing on the company history, and some addressing the health issues with fast food. Connect to any of these resources and more, such as the Encyclopedia Britannica, from the library’s Find Books, Movies, and More page.

Working on that first paper of the term? Check out Oesterle Library’s online guide to writing, “Citing Sources, Research Tips and Tutorials.”

The guide provides examples of citation formats and tips about using Oesterle Library to find books, articles and other research materials.

A section on research resources provides information about different types of sources (primary, secondary) and about issues like copyright and plagiarism. It might be just what you need to get that project finished.

Also check out the other subject guides on the library website.  There are guides to resources in many areas of study; Accounting , Theater, and Environmental Studies, just to name a few.

The upcoming Art Exhibit at the Oesterle Library Gallery will feature a career retrospective of the works of Native American artist Ramson Lomatewama. Lomatewama is a Hopi elder with a deep knowledge of Hopi and Native American culture.

The artist has won praise and fellowships for his art. He has taught and lectured at many schools and is currently teaching courses at North Central College as an adjunct professor of humanities.

The public is welcome to attend a reception on Tuesday, October 13th, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Gallery located in the upper level of the library.  The artist will be available to discuss his art which includes the use of carving, stained glass, painting and glass blowing, and jewelry making.

Lomatewama’s art will be on display from October 11th through November 12th.  The Gallery is open during normal library hours.

This week (through Oct. 3) is Banned Books Week, a celebration of the the freedom to read.

Started in 1982, Banned Books Week is a response to the books that are challenged in schools, bookstores and libraries.  More than 1000 books have been challenged in every state and in hundreds of communities.  Books have been challenged for a variety of reasons including sexuality and violence, profanity and slang, offensive portrayals of religious and racial groups, and positive portrayals of homosexuality.

www.bannedbooksweek.org has a list of the top challenged books as well as more information on the week’s celebration. Also be sure to check out Oesterle Library’s Guide to Banned Books.

Some titles include:

The Scary Stories series by Alvin Schwartz

The Golden Compass and the rest of the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.

Check out this map of book challenges from 2007-2009 to see what books have been challenged across the US in the past two years.

Position: Secretary, Oesterle Library

Brief Description: The Oesterle Library Secretary responsibilities include preparing correspondence, creating and maintaining files, serving as liaison to the Business Office and Maintenance Department, assisting the Director of Library Services with administrative and professional duties, assisting with the student assistant program.

Brief Qualifications: A high school diploma, experience with some computer-based systems and a minimum of one year of experience in an office environment is required.  Secretarial experience in a library or academic environment is preferred.

For a more complete position description and information about applying please see the North Central College Human Resources posting.

Don’t miss the fall archives exhibit in the Lobby of Oesterle Library. The exhibit features a photographic history of student housing at North Central College. When the College moved to Naperville in 1870 students were originally housed in the tower of Old Main. Students were eventually squeezed out of Old Main as the demand for classroom and office space increased.

Bolton and Johnson halls were opened in the mid 1920’s and the first residence hall (Kaufman Hall) was built in 1928. Seager, Geiger, and Rall Halls made their appearance between 1955-1963 and more recent additions for student housing include Patterson and Ward Halls, the Townhomes and the new Residence Hall/Recreation Center.