Gleeson Gleanings

Jane Austen with zombies.

Photos by Rob Guillen

Frankenstein’s monster living on in the twenty-first century.

Abraham Lincoln, vampire hunter?

And then there are the classics: Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the legendary Golem of the Prague ghetto, the heroic tale of Beowulf and Grendel.

So-called “genre literature” is often the subject of debate in the academy. Mysteries, romance, science fiction, children’s books – all are sometimes stigmatized though often studied by literary snobs and scholars. The emerging genre or sub-genre of “monster lit” is no exception. Some may sniff but there are college courses and lots of erudite criticism of books that feature monsters.

Whatever your take on the question, monster books and movies are definitely a lot of fun! So check out the Library’s collection, featured this month in the lobby.

Here’s a list of some of the books and DVDs we’ve gathered.

I can hardly wait for Little Women with werewolves!

Vlad the Impaler

To kick off USF’s celebration of International Education Week 2009, USF students, staff, and faculty are invited to enter the IEW photo contest.  Last year we had two fabulous entries from Gleeson Library staff! To enter, send a photo from your experiences abroad to usf.iew@gmail.com by Friday, October 30th. Include a brief (one or two sentences) caption explaining or describing the photo circumstances.

Co-sponsored by Gleeson Library along with International Student and Scholar Services, the ESL program, Residence Life, the Center for Global Education, and Bon Appetit, the IEW theme this year is “The World At Our Doorstep.”

Photo contest entries will be posted around campus and the campus community will vote on the photo that best depicts aspects of international educational or cultural exchange . You can see last year’s photos on the IEW@USF Facebook page. And here’s a taste of Culturescape, the signature event of International Education Week to be held on Friday, November 20 this year.

The American Psychological Association (APA) recently published a new, sixth edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. You can find a copy of the manual at the library reference desk, on course reserve, and in the Gleeson library online catalog.

Shortly after the new edition was released, news began to circulate about errors in the manual. You can read more background on the errors here and here.

APA Style issued a set of corrections [PDF document] late last week.

Mary Lynn Skutley, Editorial Director, APA Books wrote in a recent email:

We realize that, by listing all corrections in one document, we created a sense that all were significant errors.  While any error is regrettable, that is not the case.  To clarify this, we have reposted the corrections according to category.

You will see that, of the 188 APA Style rules, two errors were made.  You will also see that, of close to 1,000 examples that illustrate various style rules in the book, 36 errors were made, and half of these have been corrected [emphasis added] in the form of new sample papers and posted on the internet where they are available for download.

While many who have purchased copies of the new Publication Manual are less than pleased with the first printing of the sixth edition, there is no indication that APA will publish a revised edition anytime soon.

Gleeson has printed copy of the corrections, and the document is available at the reference desk.

Greetings! The USF Book Club will discuss Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout on Tuesday November 17, 2009. We will meet in the seminar room of Gleeson Library (room 209) from 12 noon – 1 pm. Bring your lunch and tell your friends!

Olive Kitteridge is a short story cycle where all the pieces are about Olive Kitteridge, a “redoubtable seventh-grade math teacher in Crosby, Maine,” and work to create a full tapestry that illustrates her life, but each piece can stand alone. It is very popular right now so make sure to order it soon!

How to get a copy: you can try requesting it through Gleeson Library’s free service, Link+, although the book is very popular and may not be available. Try requesting it through this link, this link, or this link. If you successfully request it, the book will be delivered to USF within about 4 business days. Also, you can put a hold on one of the Public Library’s copies. (They currently have 10 copies but are processing at least 30 more.)

“Anyone who gets in Olive’s way had better watch out, for she crashes unapologetically through life like an emotional storm trooper. She forces her husband, Henry, the town pharmacist, into tactical retreat; and she drives her beloved son, Christopher, across the country and into therapy. But appalling though Olive can be, Strout  manages to make her deeply human and even sympathetic, as are all of the characters in this “novel in stories.” Covering a period of 30-odd years, most of the stories (several of which were previously published in the New Yorker and other magazines) feature Olive as  their focus, but in some she is bit player or even a footnote while other characters take center stage to sort through their own fears and insecurities. Though loneliness and loss haunt these pages, Strout also supplies gentle humor and a nourishing dose of hope. People are sustained by the rhythms of ordinary life and the natural wonders of coastal Maine, and even Olive is sometimes caught off guard by life’s baffling beauty.” –BookList

Hope to see you there!

Please note, based on the recent announcement that the University will be closed on Wednesday, December 24th, Gleeson Library/Geschke Center has revised our hours.  The Library will close at 4pm  on Wednesday, December 23rd and will be closed  Thursday, December 24th, 2009 through Sunday, January 3rd, 2010 for the Christmas Break.

University of Aalborg Library

Remember, you can check library hours online @ http://www.usfca.edu/library/hours.html or type m.usfca.edu into your mobile phone browser.

On Thursday evening, October 8, at 5:00 p.m.  the Gleeson Library Associates will  host a program in the Donohue Rare Book Room on The Seven Wonders of the World: Ancient and Modern. Dr. Andrew Jameson, historian, world-traveler and lecturer will present an illustrated slide talk. His presentation begins with consideration of the canonical number seven and what constitutes a “world wonder” followed by a description of the ancient and modern sites.

Gleeson Library Associates are free and open to the public. All are welcome to attend. Light refreshments will be served. For further information, please contact John Hawk in the Donohue Rare Book Room at (415) 422-2036.

John Hawk
Head Librarian, Donohue Rare Book Room