Author Archives: Haiwang Yuan

On November 5, WKU Libraries’ Leadership Council, in addition to related personnel from the Special Collections Library and the Kentucky Museum, was given a tour of the Augenstein Alumni Center Building under construction on campus. Within the facility, there will be space for displaying special collections and museum objects. There will also be opportunities for the Libraries to use the spaces therein for marketing purposes.

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Thank you all for your continued patience with the renovation of Cravens 4^th floor. Please express acknowledgement to the students too as you are able.  I wanted to provide a monthly update and let you know that everything is still on schedule for reopening in January. We’ve put banners on the walkway to Cravens and renderings inside Helm and Cravens to give you a glimpse of the transformation.

• Ceiling clouds are being hung to define Circulation Services, the laptop counter and the Single Service Point (Research, Technology, and Writing). Ceiling tiles and light panels are being installed. The grids have been painted to give a fresh look to the ceiling.
• November brings painting to be mostly completed, the carpentry to be finished, paneling to be installed, as well as carpeting and tile to be installed.
• Certain areas of the 4^th floor will be closed at different points through the month while the carpet and tile is being laid. During the week of November 12^th the main area will be carpeted and tiled. For the couple of days that the breezeway is being tiled/carpeted we will have to lock it and close it off. The lobby area will be getting tiled on the week of November 19^th (unless things are moved up), during which time the entrance off the bridge and access to that area of the floor will be closed off, presumably only for a few days.

We will let you know specifically when the 4^th floor entrance will not be available when the lobby area is being retiled as I know some students have concerns about access to that HigherOne ATM.

Thank you.

Connie Foster, Interim Dean
WKU Libraries

Thanks to Glenda, Jan, Jennifer, student Christine, and many others in the Libraries, it held another successful and fun Halloween Party this year. As usual the party featured potluck meals, costume contest, and door prizes.

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Well-known actor, author, producer, and director, Henry Winkler will headline the 15th annual Southern Kentucky Book Fest scheduled for Saturday, April 20, 2013. Best known for his portrayal of “The Fonz” for 10 seasons on Happy Days (1974-1984), Winkler is one of the most recognized actors in the world. In 2003, he began writing a series of children’s novels with his partner Lin Oliver entitled, Hank Zipzer: The World’s Greatest Under-Achiever. Inspired by Winkler’s struggle throughout his education due to his learning challenges, the books have appeared on several bestseller lists including The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times. In 2011, Winkler published I Never Met an Idiot on the River, a collection of anecdotes and heartfelt observations he gathered while fly fishing in Montana. Earlier this year, he released the first installment of a new children’s Ghost Buddy series.

“We couldn’t be happier to have the talented Henry Winkler be a part of our upcoming SOKY Book Fest,” said Kristie Lowry, Literary Outreach Coordinator. “From his long running TV series and cinema exposure to his highly successful children’s book series, Winkler will attract a large fan base from a wide range of ages.”

Bestselling children’s author Obert Skye will headline Children’s Day on Friday, April 19. Best known for the Leven Thumps and Pillagy series, Skye is also the author of the comic novels The Creature from My Closet. Other children and youth authors attending include Amy Ignatow with The Popularity Papers series and Jarrett Krosoczka, author of the Lunch Lady series. Krosoczka will also lead a writing workshop on the afternoon of Book Fest for children in upper elementary and middle school grades.

Mary McDonough, the actress best known for her role as Erin Walton from The Waltons, will be in attendance with her book Lessons from the Mountain, What I Learned from Erin Walton. Mary is a public speaker and workshop leader who focuses on personal change, creating a balanced life, and returning to a sense of self. McDonough will give a presentation on body image during a breakfast on Saturday, April 20.

More than 125 authors for adults and children will be in attendance at the 2013 SOKY Book Fest, one of the largest, most successful book festivals in the state. All Book Fest events, including the Kentucky Writers Conference, will take place at the Knicely Conference Center in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Friday’s Kentucky Writers Conference will appeal to new and experienced writers, educators, and high school and college students. At the conference, a dozen authors attending the Book Fest will offer workshops on various writing topics from 9am to 3:30pm. Children’s Day will also be on Friday, April 19 from 9 am to 2 pm and is a day devoted to children in kindergarten through middle school, teachers, and librarians. The main Book Fest event with all participating authors will be from 9 am to 3 pm on Saturday. All events are free and open to the public except for the breakfast with Mary McDonough and Friday night’s “Meet the Authors” reception.

SOKY Book Fest is a partnership project of WKU Libraries, Warren County Public Library, and Barnes and Noble Booksellers. For more information, visit the website at sokybookfest.org or contact Book Fest organizer Kristie Lowry at WKU Libraries at (270) 745-4502 or kristie.lowry@wku.edu.

WKU Libraries featured Taryn Rice from its Special Collections Library in its monthly “We’ve Been Everywhere” program in Helm Library room 100 on the morning of October 24, 2012. Taryn talked about her visit to the historic sites of royal palaces and towers in Britain in light of its history.

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New York Times bestselling author Joe Drape spoke to a group at Barnes & Noble on Tuesday, September 25 about his book Soldiers First: Duty, Honor, Country, and Football at West Point. Drape offered insight to the challenges of being cadet at West Point as well as a member of the football team. The book spotlights five of the Army football players, including former Bowling Green High gridiron star and West Point quarterback Trent Steelman. Trent’s parents attended the program, which was made possible by the Southern Kentucky Book Fest partnership.

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WKU Libraries Interim Dean Connie Foster (front and center) holds the Certificate of Commendation surrounded by members of the WKU Library Advisory Council. Front row L to R: Pat Porter Miller, Nancy English, Nancy Baird, Connie Foster, Laura Eason, and Christine Sowders; Middle row L to R: Nancy Priest, Howard Margolis, John Fitts, Pam Kielty, Joann Jones; Third row L to R: Carl Dobson, Cindy Gaffney, Kristie Lowry, Gretchen Niva.

On Monday, September 24, Tara Griffith presented Lisa Rice, Director of Warren County Public Libraries, Connie Foster, Interim Dean of WKU Libraries, and Kristie Lowry, WKU Libraries Literary Outreach Coordinator, with a Certificate of Commendation for the Southern Kentucky Book Fest for an event that empowers school librarians as knowledgeable educators.

This formal commendation from the American  Association of School Librarians, a division of the American Library Association, was offered by Griffith from the Kentucky School Media Association and librarian at McNeil Elementary School.  “The Book Fest has an impact on the lives of children throughout the region and provides a shared responsibility among educators to promote the love of learning,” says Connie Foster, Interim Dean of WKU Libraries.

The Southern Kentucky Book Fest, a two-day community event, is one of the largest in the Commonwealth and represents a key partnership by WKU Libraries, Warren County Public Library and Barnes and Noble Booksellers for promoting reading, writing, and lifelong learning. The Kentucky Writers Conference is a project of the Book Fest partners and provides free workshops as part of the overall event. The next Book Fest is April 19-20, 2013.

Left to Right (scroll down to see picture): Amy Hardin, Development Director for Libraries; Kristie Lowry, WKU Libraries Literary Outreach Coordinator; Ashley Fowlkes, Assistant Director of Warren County Public Library; Steve Marcum, WCPL Board member; Lisa Rice, Director of WCPL; Jim and Darlene Johnson; Jessica Carver, granddaughter of Jim and Darlene Johnson; Abraham and Mildred Williams, WCPL Board member; Holly Hedden, WCPL; Jayne Pelaski, WCPL and Connie Foster, Interim Dean of WKU Libraries

At the annual Kentucky Library Association Conference held at the Galt House in Louisville on Thursday, September 20, Jim and Darlene Johnson were awarded the prestigious William H. Natcher Award for their contributions to Western Kentucky University Libraries and the Warren County Public Library.

Each year the Kentucky Library Association gives the award to an individual, organization, or corporation who has made a significant philanthropic contribution to Kentucky libraries.  The contribution may be monetary, materials, or equipment. The Johnson’s are the first to be recognized from Bowling Green, Kentucky.

“Jim and Darlene have been longtime supporters of WKU Libraries,” says WKU Libraries Interim Dean Connie Foster.  “They have been a main supporter of the Southern Kentucky Book Fest for numerous years and other literary outreach events. We can’t thank them enough for their immeasurable support to library programs in South Central Kentucky.”

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WKU Libraries professor and Coordinator of Glasgow Regional Center Library Katherine Pennavaria talked about her trip to Tangier Island. It turned out to be “the strangest place you’ve never heard of,” as we learned from her presentation. Kath said she had been attracted to the island by the quaint accent the island people spoke. A crowd of her colleagues were her fascinated and amused audience in Helm Library Room 100 today, September 25, 2012. Her presentation was part of the Libraries’ “We’ve Been Everywhere” talk series, where library employees share with their own their experience outside the United States.

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While construction doesn’t start in the Circulation area until the 1st of October, Circulation will begin operations in the Reference Room tomorrow, Wednesday, September 26. This is to allow a couple of days to work out the bugs.

I’m sure there will be a few bumps, but we hope it will go smoothly overall. Please let someone know if you’re seeing any problems.

John Goffried, Coordinator
Reference Services, WKU Libraries