May 1-7, 2013: Study ‘Round the Clock Returns (Library Open 24/7 Much of Exam Period)

Hackney Library’s incredibly popular “Study ‘Round the Clock” will return during final exams in May.  As always, for much of this exam period, the library will remain open 24/7.

The librarywill be open the following hours during Reading Day and Exams:

• Wednesday, May 1 (Reading Day) through Friday, May 3: Open 8 am Wednesday, remaining open continuously until closing at 8 pm Friday
• Saturday, May 4: 10 am – 7 pm
• Sunday, May 5 through Tuesday, May 7: Open 2 pm Sunday, remaining open continuously until closing at 6 pm Tuesday
• Wednesday-Friday, May 8-10: 8 am – 5 pm

“Study ‘Round the Clock” provides an additional 37 hours that the library will be open during exam period compared to the regular semester. In addition, during exams, free coffee, tea, and hot chocolate will be available while supplies last to Barton students, faculty, and staff.

During these 24/7 periods, library services will be available from 8 am until midnight only. From midnight until 8 am the following morning, no library services will be available, but a police officer will be on hand providing security during that time. (Access will be limited to Barton students only during the midnight to 8 am time slots. Barton ID will be required for admission from midnight until 8 am).

So plan to visit Hackney Library during exams (remember to bring your ID for admission after midnight!) to get some extra study time in, and get your favorite hot beverage for free!

“Study ‘Round the Clock” is sponsored by Hackney Library, the Friends of Hackney Library, the Barton College Office of Student Affairs, and the Barton Student Government Association.

Gérard Lange’s “Slow Death of Memory” Art Installation Now On Display in Hackney Library

“Slow Death of Memory: A Sculptural Interpretation of Alzheimer’s Disease,” by Gerard Lange

Anyone who has had even the slightest encounter with someone suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia will be moved by the latest piece of artwork to be installed in Hackney Library. 

Barton’s Gérard Lange, Associate Professor of Art, has just installed his recent work, Slow Death of Memory: A Sculptural Interpretation of Alzheimer’s Disease, adjacent to the stairs on the first floor of Hackney Library. 

Lange describes the genesis and meaning of the work as follows:

Dementia, in the personal experience watching my grandmother slip away from Alzheimer’s disease, has shown me that the slow death of memory is more like a living death.  This sculptural installation demonstrates my understanding and observations of my grandmother’s mental decline.  On the table surface are objects collected throughout her lifetime.  Arranged as though they might be on her mantelpiece, each object has been painted white, obscuring details and identity.  This treatment represents the initial loss of memory through the homogenization of objects.

A cameo is positioned above the objects with the black literally falling from the picture. Charcoal dusted into the picture fades within the profile so at the top of the cranium is white and the bottom, dark.  Black sand also careens from the edge of the picture to the surface below. Beneath the pile only portions of the objects are visible.  This envelopment represents a second level of memory loss, where even the outlines of “memories” are becoming obscured.

Like an hourglass fills over time, the installation also appears to grow deeper with sand, showing gradual decline – my grandmother’s memories dying with her.

Slow Death of Memory was recently displayed at both the Barton Faculty Exhibit in November, 2012 as well as the 34th Annual Meeting of the Southern Gerontological Society in Charlotte on April 5, 2013.    Dr. Steve Fulks, Associate Professor of Gerontology at Barton, encouraged Lange to find a place to display the installation so that his gerontology students, as well as the general public, would have access to viewing it. 

Slow Death of Memory will remain on display in Hackney Library through the Fall 2013 semester.  Please come by and take a look!

Friends of Hackney Library Book Signing to Feature Co-Authors and Health/Science Communications Experts Stephanie Barnard and Deborah St James April 16

Co-authors Deborah St. James (left) and Stephanie Roberson Barnard will speak at the Friends of Hackney Library book signing on April 16, 2013.

On Tuesday, April 16, 2013, the Friends of Hackney Library will welcome co-authors Stephanie Roberson Barnard and Deborah St James to campus for a book signing from 5:30-7:00 pm in Hackney Library.  Barnard and St James, communications consultants and speakers as well as authors, specialize in facilitating communication skills among science, health, and technology professionals.  Refreshments will be served at the book signing, which is free and open to the public. 

Barnard and St James will address the gathering for a mini communication skills workshop at 6 pm, followed by a time for questions.  Some of the issues they will be addressing in their mini workshop include the following:

• How to be an influential speaker in meetings, job interviews, and small group settings
• How to communicate to save time and increase understanding without compromising content
• How to be more persuasive when you communicate with others who disagree with your view

The two communications experts, who have collaborated since 1996, are the co-authors of  two books from Yale University Press.  The most recent is Listen. Write. Present:  The Elements for Communicating Science and Technology (2012).  The book has received high praise from a variety of reviewers.  Abraham Verghese, MD, professor of medicine at Stanford University and the acclaimed author of the novel Cutting for Stone, says of the book, “So often we are judged not by what we know, but by what people think we know based on our presentations and our ability to communicate.  This lovely book will serve the tyro [novice] and the pro alike.  It will be on my bookshelf.”  Michele Vivirito, Fellow of the American Medical Writers Association, says that “With its engaging, conversational style, this little book is an important, new resource for its intended readers, who seldom receive academic training in communication skills.” 

They are also co-authors of Writing, Speaking, and Communication Skills for Health Professionals (2001), which won the 2002 Will Solimene Award for Excellence in Medical Communication and the 2002 Allied Health Medical Book Award, both from the American Medical Writers Association.

Copies of both books will be available for purchase at the event for $23.50 each; credit cards, cash, and checks (made out to Quail Ridge Books) will be accepted.

Stephanie Roberson Barnard

As a communication consultant, Stephanie Roberson Barnard has trained thousands of pharmaceutical industry professionals on how to be more effective speakers, writers, and communicators.  She has written patient education literature, developed online video compliance training modules, and helped create and implement personalized communication training plans for science and technology professionals. In addition to her work in the pharmaceutical industry, over the past 15 years, Barnard has coached hundreds of health care professionals on presentation skills for FDA hearings, CFO reports, and scientific speaker programs, as well as national and international congresses.  Some of her clients include AstraZeneca, Bayer Corporation, WL Gore, and Boehringer Ingelheim.

Barnard, a native of Washington, North Carolina, studied communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  She has been involved in a variety of volunteer activities over the years, and she has just recently accepted an invitation to be a director for the Wilson Community College Foundation.  She currently lives in Wilson.

Deborah St James

Deborah St James is a Partner in Listen Write Present LLC with offices in Wilson and Raleigh, NC. She was formerly Director of Scientific Communications and Publication Planning at Grifols and Manager of Editorial Services at Bayer Corporation, Pharmaceutical Division in West Haven, CT. During that time, she developed and directed the Writing and Speaking for Excellence seminars – seminars designed for physicians, pharmacists, and other health care professionals. She is a former Editor of Better Health magazine and has taught English, technical, business, and medical writing at both the graduate and postgraduate levels. She is the author of Writing and Speaking for Excellence: A Guide for Physicians and editor of Writing, Speaking, and Communication Skills for Health Professionals. She is co-editor of Empathy and the Practice of Medicine and Doctors Afield.

Please join us for an enlightening look at how to communicate effectively, particularly in the fields of science, health, and technology.  We hope to see you here in Hackney Library on April 16th!

“Once Upon a Time”: New Exhibition by Barton Art Student League Members Now on Display in Hackney Library

“Transcending Dreams” by Leslie Briley is one of the pieces of art on display in the “Once Upon a Time” exhibition.

 On Friday, March 18, the Barton Art Students League members installed a new exhibition in Hackney Library’s art gallery area.   Titled “Once Upon a Time,” the new installation is inspired by nursery rhymes and fairy tales and features both two- and three-dimensional pieces in various media.

 Art Student League faculty sponsor Gerard Lange explains the idea behind the artwork:

For many cultures, nursery rhymes, fairy tales and folklore form the foundation of children’s understanding of social themes that dominate the world.  Within these stories is also the basis of mental pictures – preconceived notions of how things are or should be – that channel one’s interpretation of subsequent literary musings, to some extent even influencing their imagination and creativity.

Works in this exhibition both pay homage to the stories from the western tradition of fairy tales as well as take inspiration from them, forming a point of departure.  As with many creative works, including modern literature, film, and television, some pieces reference childhood stories but present them in an updated and modern look.  Others explore classical tales evoking a sense of wonder and exploration, as seen in such literary works as Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, by Lewis Carroll.

Providing a counterpoint to these nostalgic tomes, some works in the exhibition wax and wane between fantasy and reality, reinterpreting imagery, moving it away from its familiar understanding. Whether presenting a black unicorn as opposed to the typical white, by constructing a grotesque creature but cladding it in teddy bear fur, or by exploring the dark side of childhood stories, these artists present the nightmares that haunt one’s dreams.

The following student works are on display in the exhibition:

•  “Karst Van de Boszorg” by Teresa Hilton
• “Transcending Dreams” by Leslie Briley
• “Teapot” by Renee Moore
• “Through the Looking Glass” by Brianna Frazier
• “Nightmare” by Daniel O’Neill
• “Misunderstood Creature” by Leslie Briley
• “Seeking the Wolf” by Nicole Achorn
• “Rotten” by Mikayla Anderson (with Leslie Briley)
• “Sleeping Beauty” by Anna Blackwelder

The exhibit will remain up through the remainder of the spring semester.  Come by and compare these takes on nursery rhymes, fairy tales, and fantasy to your own!

Hackney Library Provides Access to Two New Databases

Have you ever wondered whether to tip a cabbie when traveling for business in Argentina?  Or whether advertising of tobacco products is allowed in Ethiopia?  Or where you can find the latest news occurring in Kathmandu, Nepal—or at the other end of the world in Yadkinville, NC?  Hackney Library has recently purchased access to two new databases that will make finding answers to questions like these, and many more, much easier:

• AtoZ World Business from World Trade Press contains a wealth of information on international business, trade, travel, culture, finances, government, and much more concerning 100 countries, covering 108 topics per country, in a variety of languages (the default is English).  The database can be a helpful place to start to get a variety of information about countries around the world.  When searching the database, first choose a country in the drop-down menu, then choose sub-topics about aspects of that country from the expandable left-hand sidebar.  Documents contained within the database can be downloaded, printed, or emailed.

• Access World News from NewsBank is a comprehensive news collection that is ideal for exploring issues and events at the local, regional, national and international level. Its diverse source types include print and online-only newspapers, blogs, newswires, journals, broadcast transcripts and videos. It can be used to explore a specific event or to compare a wide variety of viewpoints on topics such as politics, business, health, sports, cultural activities and people. Content is easily searched and sorted through an intuitive, map-based interface—just click on the region or area of the map you’re interested in. Or search the entire database and limit by location or source type.  Many local and regional newspapers are available full-text in this database, including many North Carolina papers such as the Raleigh News & Observer, the Charlotte Observer, the Winston-Salem Journal, the Wilson [Daily] Times, the Rocky Mount Telegram, the Greenville Daily Reflector (and, in answer to the question above, the Yadkin Ripple), to name a few. 

Both of these databases are linked in a variety of places on the library’s web site, but the most prominent links can be found under the “Search general full-text article indexes” section on the “Articles Plus” tab on the library’s home page.  Like most of our resources, these two can be accessed from on campus, as well as from off campus with your Barton login.

So the next time you have a question about any aspect of a country, or about news and events anywhere in the world, give these two new databases a try.  If you have any questions about them or how to access them, please contact the reference desk at 252-399-6502, or email us at reference@barton.edu.

Hackney Library Hosts Two Paintings by Barton’s own Artist-in-Residence, J. Chris Wilson

Artist J. Chris Wilson

Hackney Library is privileged to host two paintings by Barton College’s professor emeritus of art and inaugural artist-in-residence, J. Chris Wilson, from February 18 to April 29.  The two works, which are both rendered in oil on canvas, are part of Wilson’s “From Murphy to Manteo—An Artist’s Scenic Journey” collection of paintings.   As implied by its title, the series—which the artist envisions will eventually encompass 100 paintings—depicts various scenes along U.S. 64 stretching from the western to the eastern borders of North Carolina. 

The two paintings currently displayed along the back wall of Hackney Library near the Office of Student Success are Rainy Day on the Rocky Broad River, Henderson County, (2013) and Study for Looking Down Toxaway Falls, Transylvania County (2007).

Wilson, who served on Barton’s art faculty since 1974 until his 2012 retirement and subsequent appointment as artist-in-residence, has thus far completed over 30 landscapes in the series and plans to finish the 100^th by 2014.  Currently, 11 paintings from the “From Murphy to Manteo” collection are on display at the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh.  Additional works from the series will be on exhibit at the Arts Council of Wilmington and New Hanover County from March 4 – April 22.

‘Rainy Day on the Rocky Broad River, Henderson County,’ left, and ‘Study for Looking Down Toxaway Falls, Transylvania County,’ both part of J. Chris Wilson’s “Murphy to Manteo” series, will be on display in Hackney Library until April 29.

According to a July 28, 2012 article by Betsy Church in the Raleigh News and Observer, the series was inspired by Wilson’s 1995 half-year teaching exchange experience at a university in Nagoya, Japan, where “Wilson was captivated by Japanese serial landscape paintings.  He resolved to apply the same idea to his beloved adopted state.”  Planning for the series actually began in 2001.

Wilson’s art is the focus of an Our State: North Carolina magazine feature article in the March 2013 issue:  “Scenes from 64” by writer Michael Graff.  “Our State’s March issue is devoted to the idea of ‘Crossing North Carolina,’” shared Elizabeth Hudson, editor of Our State magazine.  “We were interested in exploring how we traverse this state from Murphy to Manteo, and our profile of artist Chris Wilson was a perfect fit.  Our story not only describes an artistic journey across North Carolina, but also it reveals Wilson’s personal life journey, as well.  We were so proud to publish this compelling portrait of an artist and North Carolina resident who embraces this state from east to west.”  

Copies of Our State magazine’s March 2013 issue featuring the article about Wilson are available for browsing in Hackney Library.

Don’t miss this brief, serendipitous opportunity to examine “up close and personal” two of our very own artist-in-residence’s works from this series here in Hackney Library!

“Hackney Library Celebrates Academic Achievement” with Book Signing Featuring Dr. Jane S. Webster, Barton College Professor of Religion

Dr. Jane S. Webster

As another installment in the “Hackney Library Celebrates Academic Achievement” series, the Library will host a book signing on Thursday, March 21 from 5:30 – 7:00 pm in Hackney Library featuring Dr. Jane S. Webster, co-editor of the recently published book Lady Parts:  Biblical Women and the Vagina Monologues (Wipf & Stock, 2012).  Copies of the book will be available for purchase for $18 at the event (cash and checks made payable to Jane Webster will be accepted).  The book signing is free and open to the public, and refreshments will be served. 

Dr. Webster, Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Barton College, contributed a monologue to the book in addition to serving as co-editor with Kathryn D. Blanchard, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Alma College in Michigan.

As the subtitle of the book implies, Lady Parts monologues provide some imaginative answers to the question “How might women in the Bible tell their stories if they were prompted to do so by Eve Ensler’s controversial play, The Vagina Monologues?”  Written by a variety of authors—including scholars, students (some of whom are current Barton students and alumnae), clergy, and laywomen—these narratives are at times faithful or irreverent, tragic or even funny.  All seek to give twenty-first-century voices to women in canonical texts who are often speechless, nameless, or otherwise marginalized, in an attempt to end religiously-sanctioned violence against women and girls.

At 6:00 pm during the event, Dr. Webster will describe the project and share a reading from the book. She will then introduce several students and alumnae, including Crystal Davis and Lizy Velazquez, who will perform their monologues.

Please join us in celebrating the academic scholarship not only of Barton College faculty but also of our students and alumnae as we take a look at the women of the Bible as reinterpreted by present-day women through the lens of The Vagina Monologues. 

We hope to see you in Hackney Library on March 21, 2013!