Monday Morning lawlz

Shout out to the employee of the week @@@ :25---Joy, ftw (for the win)!

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Dear Berry Blog,

So many new things have happened since we last spoke. I GRADUATED and got my diploma in the mail (lawlz)--so anti-climatic, but who cares! I'M DONE! I now work two part-time jobs here @ Crowell Library and I am about to start volunteering @ the Read/Write Library on the weekends in Humboldt Park! I currently am reading I and Thou by Martin Buber--and found a new favorite song of mine written about I and Thou by The Daredevil Christopher Wright. 

Enough about me--how are you patrons? Oh not so good? Why's that? IT'S TAX SEASON!??? I guess I should know about that now since I'm an "independent"--sigh. Although I personally am not a great resource (aka my life experience is little to none! whoopz), Crowell Library not only has state tax forms located on the first floor--but great resources on filing taxes--AND why we should pay taxes. Or maybe you want to learn about taxes in ancient Israel. Or maybe you'd like to use tax season as a motivator to help you actually organize your finances. So, even though I personally don't know a lot about taxes--@ Crowell Library we're here to help! So just ask! And we'll do our best to point you to the best resource--even if that means we need to get it through interlibrary loan--we have time for that! because TAXES ARE DUE IN EXACTLY TWO MONTHS!

. 

P.S.  I JUST TOOK ADVANTAGE OF OPEN BOOKS' VALENTINE'S DAY DEAL AND BOUGHT MY BOYFRIEND The Little Prince, a chess book, and Herzog! Help support local literacy and become a member (for $25) and receive a Half Off coupon* valid through February 17th--and a relationship with open books that lasts all year long! If you become a member your year-round relationship perks include:

• A $10 coupon for every $100 spent in store
• 10% off all used books bought in store
• A free used book of your choice during your birthday month and
• Early entry to special sales. 

*Become a member before 2/17/13 and we will email you a Half Off coupon. The Half Off coupon is valid on 1 transaction of used books- with as many books in that transaction as you want!- and expires February 17th, 2013.

@Y, @R3, T3@

Today I bear good news!

You might notice a really strange structure under the sky light--

behold dear patrons & readers alike, there is a new art exhibit at the berry! 

Dr. Wilkinson's communications class has their art on display until Thursday!

 (Featured Student: Matt Rogers)

The variety is wide and I urge you to go ponder these pieces yourself! As a fellow viewer and aesthetics enthusiast, I urge you to not just look, but contemplate. Art in of itself may not be subjective, but once displayed the piece as seen/interpreted through the eyes of the viewer is subjective.

 (Featured Piece by Jonathan Critcher)

A few questions to guide as you look:
-Does this piece evoke an emotion? If so, can you identify why?
-Is this piece self explanatory--or does it urge you as the viewer to decipher the meaning and contextualize it to your experience?
-What colors are used? Why do you think they chose these colors/do they signify anything?
-What medium is used? Why did the artist choose to communicate via that medium as opposed to another?
-Can you tell what the artist might be contemplating when creating (certain ideas/concepts i.e. politics, theology, nature, etc)?
-Why did the artist write what they did in their blurb? How does it correlate to their piece/their identification through their art?
-How does this piece (including blurb) affect you and your life experience especially within a Christian "worldview"?

The list can be long (and let your questions go on!) when observing a piece! But more than anything--remember it is okay to have an opinion! I encourage you to have a reason behind your opinion (even if it's "just" a "feeling") and please do spend more than 30 seconds viewing a piece!

SO DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND GO TAKE A PEAK AT THE PIECES! 

AND ENJOY YOUR ART EXPERIENCE!  

(it's something we rarely get at a Bible Institute lololol)

P.S. I'd like to take a moment to toot my own horn and say--I have completed my undergraduate degree in biblical studies here at MBI!!!! woohoo! But don't fret dear readers (lawlz) I will continue to work at the berry and update the blog! But for now enjoy Christmas--I hope it's not a Christmess.

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE "omg i have so much to do"

 

I know what you're thinking "Hey! It's November 27th WHY IS THERE A PICTURE OF THE DECEMBER CALENDAR?!" Why? Because the end is in sight! and I KNOW there will be a mad dash to the berry for all those last minute papers/assignments that professors love to give! I mean, we've all known about these papers/assignments...but with all the other work throughout the semester it's nearly impossible to complete these end of the semester papers/assignments "ahead uh time" right? So instead of being out of the berry loop--HERE ARE THE HOURS! I also know no one ever goes to library.moody.edu to look up the hours...so here they are you lazy bums! (jaykay...kind of)

Also, a reminder to all students! THERE ARE BOOKS AT THE LIBRARY. I know, sounds silly right? But come on there are totally quite a few "noobs" who only use internet resources...and unless it's from a MBI Crowell Database--THAT'S NOT REALLY ACCEPTABLE IN THE ACADEMIC WORLD. So do yourself a favor--USE ATLA, USE ACADEMIC SEARCH PREMIER, USE ALL THE eResources under the Chicago tab (if you refuse to step foot in the berry) BUT SERIOUSLY! do yourself a favor & COME ON IN, cozy up in the stacks and know MBI Crowell Library is the place to get work done! Plus you can have drinks with lids on them! So get yourself a mason jar and fill that puppy up with your choice of caffeine! AND JOIN THE "HOME STRETCH" BERRY PARTY! But please--don't jam too hard to those christmas tunes (just because you have headphones doesn't mean we can't hear you...) lolololol

P.S. I just became a member at Open Books today 

so I can attend the membership preview for their upcoming HALF-OFF SALE! 

Don't be jelly! Go get your own membership today! 

And help support literacy and your local bookstore 

Just because we're a berry doesn't mean we just have books!

Today we ensue a topic that may not be of interest to most. Or maybe it's an opportunity that you knew of--but you do not care to ensue. Or maybe you're like me--and you just don't have time. Or maybe you think THIS IS A BERRY, NOT BLOCKBUSTER! Well Blockbuster is barely scraping by, so I guess maybe it'd be better to state--MBI Crowell Library is not netflix nor red box--but by golly MBI has a great selection of films!

For my Violence and Grace in the Novel class we have required films to view and interact with. Before even trying to find the required films at the library for the first few films--I went to netflix. I went to amazon instant. I went to ebay. I tried everything under the sun not to check it out from the library! Why? I wanted convenience! The films I'm required to watch are all on reserve. I didn't wanna drudge on over to the berry and get a movie for 3 hrs. But I understand the need to place required films on reserve--so many students to watch em' so little time! I appreciate the time restriction because even though it may not seem like it--I'm kind of a procrastinator...especially with films! I can hardly stand to sit and watch an entire film--even if I love the movie/documentary.

But you know what. The films Dr. de Rosset requires me to watch end up being splendid. And you know what else! Through being forced to use the reserve movies (lololol)--I realized that THERE ARE TONS OF OTHER MOVIES THAT ARE NOT ON RESERVE! And you can check em' out for three days instead of three hours! 

Located on the first floor, you'll find yourself in a room just past the circulation desk and you'll see shelves of movies! And if you so desire, there is even a viewing room located on the first floor! In the viewing room there are TVs with DVD players and they come with headphones! But be careful, because you might find yourself like me--watching Shadowlands with headphones on in the viewing room crying your eyes and not realizing how loud you are. So maybe you wanna check out your film and watch it in the privacy of your own "home"--or maybe you'll wanna watch a more light-hearted film in the viewing room. Regardless! Scope out MBI Crowell's movie selection--and maybe you'll find yourself with a free date, or a nice way to relax--or better yet, you'll find yourself with some heavy truths being taught through the art of a film.

IT'S OH-FISH

Dear Blogosphere and MBI Crowell Berry Patrons,

All my volunteering has paid off! Literally! (lololol) Today is officially my second day of work here @ MBI Crowell and with the help of Rachel Gliebe and Amy Koehler, I'll (mainly) be taking on the work load for ADA/Kurzweil! Along with dabbling at the information desk and doing some weeding--which we all know I will be more than thrilled to do! Speaking of weeding, thanks to the free shelf I now have wonderful material for greeting cards (as shown below). Thankfully these pamphlets were weeded not just because I'm a selfish art hoarder of all things collagable &free, but because I'm pretty sure Jesus did not go to church, he was not just a "special teacher" and he was totally not just a humanitarian! (as well as other ideas promoted by these publications!) BUT we will leave a theology of children's sunday school materials for another day! hahahaha is there even a theology of children's sunday school materials? Alas, a different Q for a diff day! //sigh

On a more "technical" note today I explored the online database of:

Well more like how to access these abstracts! I decided to search "John Howard Yoder" within the Religious & Theological Abstracts and started reading through some of the blurbs. I chose one article that seemed of particular interest from the Journal of Religious Ethics called "The Politics of YHWH: John Howard Yoder's Old Testament Narration and Its Implications for Social Ethics" by John C. Nugent. Can you guess what side I'm on for a group debate regarding a biblical theology of war? hahaha Because this is an abstract it is necessary to find the actual article! So now we venture over to the A-Z database list-- and click on the "titles" tab! (P.S. The A-Z List is the best way to scour the online world of electronic journals)

According to my search! ATLA has the journal I'm looking for and the issue (March 2011) BUT it is "Embargo: 5 years"--AKA the full text of my 2011 article is not available due to copyright/legal. So for now it is a no go! No need to bummerdrag for long, because Academic Search Premier has come through with an "Embargo: 1 year" AKA I can read the article in full text! Not hard right?? AND NOW YOU DON'T HAVE TO TYPE IN RANDOM WORDS TO ATLA'S SEARCH ENGINE trying to find a good article. Go to the Religious & Theological Abstracts and give it a whirl! Abstracts work wonders if you're looking for efficient research!

Critical Mistakes

Today I was given free range to choose any database in order to explore the "unknown” and write of my discoveries. Although I just recently promoted the "Literature Resource Center" I could barely help myself when I saw the "Salem Press Literature" database. At 11am I have Dr. de Rosset's class—hence upon arrival for today’s volunteer time, being seeped in T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” I was on a “literary” kick. Doing as most patrons/browsers do, I just clicked on the link—and dove into the depths of Salem Press Literature. Trying to find more information about T.S. Eliot I was clicking on the Authors tab and my search would come up empty! I clicked on the “About” section and read how recently a critical insight of T.S. Eliot had just been added to the “Salem Press Literature” database collection. Yet this so called “T.S. Eliot” insight was nowhere to be found—how insightful! hahaha

Frustrated as all get out, I decided to go back to the original link on the eResources for the Chicago campus. I then read the blurb ABOUT Salem Literature—which I should have done before even entering the unknown world of Salem. 

I must state, I’m horribly embarrassed at my ignorance! The about blurb clearly states that Moody has access only to Critical Insights regarding: The Metamorphosis and Pride and Prejudice with a Critical Insight of the author Flannery O’Connor. If I had stopped and read BEFORE entering the “unknown” I wouldn’t have had to scour for something that was not even accessible! Today I learned my lesson. Before jumpin’ the gun and getting excited about a new database—STOP AND READ THE ABOUT BLURB BEFORE CLICKING THE LINK! Also, if you want to be more informed than the average browser (aka me) you could scope out the “Literary Research” libguide! Prepared by Amy Koehler and Jenny Greening this libguide gives you the knowledge to profitably peruse. In the end it all worked out, because I’m a fan of Metamorphosis and thoroughly enjoyed reading about Kafka’s upbringing and how “ordinary” his life actually was despite his bizarre stories. 

P.S. From our neighbor's @ Open Books!