Fall 2012 Lecture Series

MBI Crowell Library has the pleasure of hosting a lecture series  by Moody's very own, Adjunct Professor Christopher Yuan. Professor Yuan, in a four part installation, will cover a spectrum of subjects related to homosexuality. The first lecture, entitled "Homosexuality: Texts and Hermeneutics," will begin Tuesday September 4th at 7pm in MBI Crowell Library's lower level:

There are six passages in Scripture which touch on the issue of homosexuality. Traditional interpretation of these texts condemns any sex outside of marriage between a husband and wife. And yet some claim that the Bible does not condemn homosexuality. So what does the Bible really say? With a solid background in biblical exegesis—knowing both Hebrew and Greek—Christopher presents and analyzes the gay-affirming interpretations of Old Testament and New Testament passages on homosexuality with clarity and compassion.

Thanks to the work of Amy Koehler, there is an avenue of information available regarding homosexuality found in the libguides. In order to be a well informed listener and contribute to the conversation we highly suggest that you at least take a minute to give this libguide an overview! Featured in the homosexuality libguide is Professor Yuan's book (2011) Out of a Far Country: A Gay Son's Journey to God: A Broken Mother's Search for Hope.

Grab a flyer in the library 

and post it as a reminder to join us 

this upcoming Tuesday (September 4th) @ 7pm 

for Professor Yuan's enlightening lecture, genuine discussion, and light refreshments!

Que me cuentas de nuevo--What's new?

Dear Blogosphere,

You must forgive me as I've been out of town and out and about and took the past two weeks off from volunteering--hence this blog has been a bit bleak and empty in content. But the buzz on the street is that this week has been a big week! School is starting up this upcoming Monday August 27th--and I'm already marking due dates down on my calendar. Dr. de Rosset sent out the syllabus early for my literature elective, Violence and Grace in the Novel, and bless her heart--because you know planners like me love that! In fact slightly unrelated to Crowell Library (forgive me for a second time in one post I beg!) I compiled a list of local bookstores that are wonderful for school book shopping. Since my class is a literature elective most of the required novels found on my syllabus I've found right here in the city. And with no shipping these books have been cheaper than most competing online sources! With finds like these you've gotta be a debbie downer if you don't like cheap books and supporting a local economy!

 Here's the list of my favorite local stores to choose from:

http://www.unchartedbooks.com/

http://www.bookleggers.com/

http://www.unabridgedbookstore.com/

http://www.myopicbookstore.com/

http://www.open-books.org/

http://www.powellschicago.com/ 

And if you don't think you can find the books you need for classes at these places (because honestly some don't carry specifics like Grasping God's Word--which is a necessity for Hermeneutics!) these places are great for studying and to find pleasure reading! Even though the school year is busy--pleasure reading is a nice way to unwind before bed or to pass time on transit.

If you don't have money to buy the books needed for classes or maybe you don't have the space to store them--come to Crowell Library! If we don't have the book on reserve, or in the stacks  Joe Cataio is more than happy to help you acquire the book you need through interlibrary loan! And believe me you'll get whatever book you need and have a wonderful conversation! Whether it's book sales at Newberry library, help with the reference section, or recommendations on movies--Joe's got the in on the city and interlibrary loan books!

Now to the meat and potatoes of this week's post; Crowell library has NEW CHAIRS!

With our new carpet--our new chairs fit right in! If you navigate your way to the sky lights in the basement of Crowell Library you'll find these lovely golden chairs looking both sleek and modern! And as a "student tester" these chairs pass the test! They are not only aesthetically appealing they're perfect for studying. These chairs are comfortable and yet still firm. Because although I may be guilty for a few snoozes here and there during my research breaks at the library, chairs are meant to enhance one's energy in the library--not put us to sleep! (wink) Regardless of your personal choice of use--these chairs are ready and available for you!

Last, but definitely not least! If you're feeling down about the money spent towards tuition, books, or heck, even anything at all! High tail it to the free shelf because it was updated August 15th! And believe me--there are some goodies! In fact I snagged a set of what every self-proclaimed Evangelical would love to own--Jesus themed paintings by an unknown artist. I might keep these goodies as they are, or I might add a bit of an artistic touch--either way I'm happy to be the proud owner of these FREE paintings!

As you can tell by this weeks abundance of exclamation points (!) I'm excited for the fall semester to begin and for all that's happening in Crowell Library! Until next time--stop on by since we're open again!

Pig in a Poke // Cat in a bag

With a jog of my memory, this week's volunteer time was an implementation of something I learned a few weeks ago from Technical Services Librarian Lori Johnson: libguides! The need for this jog down memory lane (one that although was only a few weeks ago, definitely was a bit rusty) was in preparation for the upcoming fall semester.

This upcoming fall I will be an "unofficial" member of the Student Theological Society. And I am currently brainstorming on how to cultivate a relationship between Crowell Library and STS! Pairing a few conversations with Gary Corcoran, the new president of STS and a good friend of mine--along with the wise words, per usual, of Amy Koehler...we got the ball rolling! The Student Theological Society desires to bring in speakers who are scholars in specific fields of theological interest in order to have an open conversation about issues, questions, and of course their area of expertise. One thing that I would like to see happen is not just a conversation during the lecture/interview/q&a, but also a continual conversation after they leave, as well as an informed audience before the arrival of the speaker!

And that is where Crowell Library comes into play! In order to have an informed audience there needs to be adequate resources! So Amy proposed the idea of a both a biographical and bibliographic libguide for all the different speakers. Although the speaker is confirmed (one of my favorites if I might add) the libguide I worked on is not to be announced until STS officially begins in the fall! Let's just say it's a she and I think this urbanite institute would welcome her insightful words of agrarian thought (wink)

Apologies for keeping the cat in the bag, but at least your appetites are wet! But if you scour the libguides...you might just get lucky in finding my current WIP (work in progress)!