Author Archives: Susan Broady
Join us this weekend for the Meijer Used Book Sale
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Filed under Latest News, New Stuff, SOKY Book Fest
212° Academy students win Young Authors contest
212° Academy students Emma Jayne McGuffey and Shelby Cockrill have been selected as the winners of the SOKY Book Fest – 212° Academy Young Authors Contest. 
McGuffey, daughter of Karen and Steven McGuffey, wrote A Family of Spies: Sunrise – A New Dawn, and Cockrill, daughter of Wendy and Rhett Cockrill, wrote Game Warning. McGuffey is a 6th grader from Richardsville Elementary School, and Cockrill is a 6th grader from Oakland Elementary School.
SOKY Book Fest Coordinator Sara Volpi said there was a wonderful variety of books this year. “We were once again so impressed with the imagination and effort put into each book the 212° Academy students wrote,” said Volpi.
According to Jennifer Sheffield, teacher for the 212° Academy, the goal of this project was to experience the process of crafting a book for publication from start to finish.
“Students were given the assignment to write a book with an elementary school-aged reader in mind,” said Sheffield. “Each book was published through lulu.com, an online book self-publishing website, printed in full-color and assigned an official library ISBN number.”
The contest is a combined effort between the Southern Kentucky Book Fest partners (Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Warren County Public Library, and WKU Libraries) and the teachers at the Academy. The two students will receive certificates of recognition and are invited to sign copies of their books at the Southern Kentucky Book Fest on April 22-23.
For more information, visit www.sokybookfest.org or contact Sara Volpi at (270) 745-4502.
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Filed under General, Latest News, New Stuff, People, SOKY Book Fest
SOKY Book Fest partners select finalists for 2016 Kentucky Literary Award
The Southern Kentucky Book Fest partnership announces the three finalists for the 2016 Kentucky Literary Award. This year’s award will go to a work of fiction by a Kentucky author or with a significant Kentucky theme that was published in 2014 or 2015. The three finalists include:
The Marble Orchard, Alex Taylor
Cementville, Paulette Livers
Hurry Please, I Want to Know, Paul Griner
The winner will be announced at the Southern Kentucky Book Fest’s Meet the Authors Reception to be held Friday, April 22– the night before the main Book Fest event. The Kentucky Literary Award is presented annually by the Southern Kentucky Book Fest partnership. The 2016 award is sponsored by the Friends of WKU Libraries. For more information about the award, contact Sara Volpi, Book Fest and Literary Outreach Coordinator, at sara.volpi@wku.edu or 270-745-4502.
The Southern Kentucky Book Fest is a partnership of Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Warren County Public Library, and Western Kentucky University Libraries. For more information, visit sokybookfest.org.
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Filed under Events, Latest News, New Stuff, People, SOKY Book Fest, Uncategorized
WKU Libraries Participates in International Student Fair
Dean Connie Foster, Library Public Services Department Head Brian Coutts, Library Faculty John Gottfried, and Marketing Coordinator Jennifer Wilson represented the Libraries at a student fair for the incoming International Students on Tuesday, January 19 at the Honors College and International Center. Approximately 100 international students who are new to WKU’s campus participated in the orientation, asking many questions, including library hours, locations, and services.
Fall 2015 Library Student Assistant Scholarship
Western Kentucky University (WKU) senior Katie Gamble from Hopkinsville, has been selected as the recipient of the WKU Library Student Assistant Scholarship. Gamble is a senior who will graduate in May 2016 with a B.S. in Communication Disorders, completing her degree in only three years.
Pictured: Doug Wiles, Gamble, and Dean of WKU Libraries Connie Foster.
According to her supervisor Doug Wiles, Gamble has worked as a Stacks Management student for two-and-a-half years. “During that time, I have noted Katie’s motivation to be exceptional in every endeavor: academic, work-related, and personal,” said Wiles. “Katie has been a leader in several projects, including a significant transition for Stacks Management to staff the Helm Information Desk.”
Gamble has performed at a superior level academically, maintaining a 4.0 grade point average while working in WKU Libraries and volunteering in the Kelly Autism Program. In addition, Katie was the first student employee to serve on the WKU Campus Library Advisory Council.
“I take pride in telling people that I am a WKU Libraries Student Assistant and am very thankful for the opportunity to work here,” said Gamble. “I can genuinely say that being a student assistant has strengthened my time management skills and has made me more independent.”
Katie was recognized at a reception on Wednesday, December 9 in Cravens Library. The scholarship is sponsored through funding from the Friends of WKU Libraries. For more information on the Friends program, go to wku.edu/library and click on “Support Us.”
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WKU students receive undergraduate library research awards
Western Kentucky University undergraduate students Daulton Cowan, Maggie Flanagan, and Jefferson Sanders were honored for winning undergraduate research awards at a recognition ceremony in Cravens Library on Monday, November 30. WKU Libraries and WKU University Experience faculty offer the awards in an effort to recognize the important role of good undergraduate research in college academic success.
“Information literacy and library skills are essential for student success at any level, and I am happy to be a part of introducing the importance of college-level research skills to our first year students,” said Sara McCaslin, University Experience Coordinator.
Cowan, a first-year student from Bowling Green, Kentucky, received the award for his annotated resource list project for the University Experience class on the main campus. His work featured the TED Talk “How to Start a Movement” by Derek Sivers. His instructor was Aaron Peters.
Flanagan, a first-year student from Russell Springs, Kentucky, received the award for best annotated resource list in a major-specific area. Representing the College of Health and Human Services, her project featured her area of interest titled “Nursing: The Career that Saves Lives.” Her instructor was Marsha Hopper.
Sanders, a first-year student from Nashville, Tennessee, representing student essays of the South Campus University Experience class, was recognized for the best career essay titled, “Sports Broadcasting News Analyst.” His instructor was Dr. Anne Heintzman.
Students received a monetary gift along with a plaque honoring their achievements. The winning documents, along with those of past recipients, are posted on TopSCHOLAR–WKU’s research and creative database—at digitalcommons.wku.edu/ueul_award/.
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Filed under Flickr Photos, New Stuff, People
Faraway Flix featured Brazilian film in November
On Friday, November 20, a good crowd of 40 plus students, faculty, and staff turned out for the Brazilian film The Way He Looks at the Faculty House. Ashley Givan, International Enrollment, introduced Brazilian students Felipe Fabricio and Sarah Pereira Martins who led discussion about their native country. Prior to the movie, students enjoyed fried polenta along with specialty breads common in Brazil. After the film viewing, Fabricio and Martins answered questions regarding their Brazilian culture, and door prizes were handed out.
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Filed under Faraway Flix, Flickr Photos, Stuff
Evelyn Thurman Young Readers Book Award
Friday, November 20, YA author Alecia Whitaker was honored at a reception at the Kentucky Building on Western Kentucky University’s campus for winning the Evelyn Thurman Young Readers Book Award for her novel Wildflower, featuring a teen girl from Kentucky.
Prior to the luncheon, Ms. Whitaker visited three middle schools in the area to talk to students about writing and what it takes to publish a book. Ms. Whitaker was pleasantly surprised to be serenaded by the student body at Moss Middle who sang the main character’s featured song “Notice Me” from the book.
This program is made possible by the Evelyn Thurman Children’s Author Fund, the Southern Kentucky Book Fest partnership, and WKU Libraries.
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Filed under Events, Flickr Photos, Latest News, New Stuff
WKU PROFESSOR RECOGNIZED AT HIS ALMA MATER IN CHINA
Professor Haiwang Yuan of WKU Libraries was recognized last month at his alma mater Nankai University in Tianjin, China for his contributions to the academic development of the College of Foreign Languages (CFL). On October 22, the College of Foreign Language held a Book Donation and Guest Professorship Ceremony for Yuan with Dean of the Foreign Language College Yan Guodong presiding, along with several professors and graduate students from the English Department at the University. Dean Yan Guodong presented the Guest Professorship Letter of Appointment to Yuan and received the books donated by Yuan to the CFL.
“It was an honor to be recognized by one of most prestigious universities in China,” said Yuan. “I am thrilled that I was invited back to the place where I first taught English 30 years ago.”
Yuan thanked his alma mater and gave a presentation on English writing and answered questions. Yuan was a 1977 undergraduate of the College of Foreign Languages Department of Nankai University. Upon his graduation, he taught at the department until 1988. He attended Indiana University and received his Master degrees of History and of Library and Information Science in 1990 and 1995. Professor Yuan has published several monographs and translated works, as well as dozens of research articles. The monographs include The Magic Lotus Lantern and Other Tales from the Han Chinese, Princess Peacock: Tales of Other Peoples of China, Tibetan Folktales, and This is China: The First 5,000 Years.
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The English Club and WKU Libraries host “Poetry Open Mic”
Late in the afternoon on Tuesday, November 10, members of the English Club began trickling through the doors at Java City, notebooks and hand-written pages in hand, backpacks crammed with brick-sized volumes of literature; the words of poets past and present buzzing in the air between the scent of brewing coffee and cinnamon roll samples. You may have seen the “Poetry Open Mic” fliers dotting tables and bulletin boards in the library (if not, you missed out; they were pretty cool).
The English Club and WKU Libraries teamed up to host this open mic on a small stage near the entrance of Java City. Eight student readers representing a broad swath of English interests and specialties took to the stage to read their wares to an audience that waxed and waned during the hour long event. Passersby and patrons tuned their ears to hear passionate verse exploring everything from heartbreak to politics to culinary obsessions to The Simpsons. A choral ensemble even showed up and showered the crowd with some lovely South African-themed song.
The impetus behind an event like this is pretty simple. Open mics and similar opportunities to share the written word encourage students to nix stage fright and get their work out there to a larger audience. It’s also just great reading practice to cultivate that poetic voice. Not only does this help poets practice rhythm, it builds community and creates a fun atmosphere where writers can be comfortable in sharing their writing with no judgment or criticism.
Next time there’s an open mic, don’t be afraid to share your work. You don’t have to be a Creative Writing Major – all are welcome. We’d love to have you join!
Do you have a literary event you’d like to bring to the library? Want to see more Open Mics and the like? Send Sara Volpi an email at sara.volpi@wku.edu, and she’ll help you out!
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