Jennifer Smith

Belk Library is helping Elon celebrate National French Week by displaying items from our French collection.  Stop by to learn more about the language and the country!

National French Week
French@Elon

Introducing Sundeep Mahendra our new Part-Time Evening Librarian!

Sundeep works nights in Belk Sunday through Thursday.  Here, we ask Sundeep a few questions about his background and why he chose librarianship as a profession.

Where did you go to school as an undergraduate and what were your degrees?
As an undergrad I went to the University of Cincinnati, where I completed a B.A. in History.  I received my Master of Science in Library Science here in NC at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

What drew you to the library profession?
In college I worked at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.  While there I got the chance to work as a reference assistant, helping users with a variety of research questions.  I fell in love with the process of helping users unlock puzzles, and have worked in libraries ever since.

What is your favorite part of being a librarian?
I really enjoy helping students find the information they need, and helping them understand how to use it.  With the ever-increasing amount of information available to us from so many outlets, I think the librarian’s role as mediators of information is more important than ever – we offer the training to understand what is reliable and useful, and how to put it all into context.  Whether at the reference/information desk or in the classroom, I thrive on that interaction.  I am most interested in reference and instruction, and the ever-changing way in which we help our users navigate the flood of information available to them.   Along those lines, I am also interested in understanding how language may be a barrier to librarians working with some students.  For example, at UNC I conducted a study to determine how effective IM/chat reference was for students whose first language was not English.

How about your spare time?  Do you have any hobbies?
I’m sure this will come as a shock: I really enjoying reading.   I have been reading across many genres lately, from sci-fi/fantasy and mystery novels to political non-fiction.   I also spend a lot of time walking and hiking with my girlfriend and our dog, watching movies, and traveling as often as I can with family and friends.

You work until midnight.  Do you consider yourself a night owl?
I am a bit of a night owl, yes.  I am much more comfortable and alert at midnight than I ever am at seven in the morning!

Non-Print Librarian Lynne Bisko and English Professor Dr. Rebecca Pope-Ruark published the article “Making the video:  tips for successful library-class collaborations” in the October edition of College & Research Libraries News.

The article details the library’s collaboration with Pope-Ruark’s Professional Writing and Rhetoric class at Elon to develop fun and innovative videos that the library could use to educate students about the our services.

Take a look at these videos and other videos made by Elon students about Belk!

Frightened by all the work you have ahead of you this week?

De-stress with a scary movie on display in
Belk Library!

Stop by Belk to see our new displays!

Leadership – This week Belk will host a display of materials about leadership in celebration of the Elon Center for Leadership’s Leadstrong week.

Pakistan – This week and next week Belk will have materials on display to help readers learn more about Pakistan in conjunction with next Tuesday’s Convocation Speaker Pervez Musharraf, former Chief of Army Staff and President of Pakistan.  This display will be in the “New Book Area”.

September 27th – October 1st Belk Library will join the nation in celebrating Banned Books Week.

Banned Books Week is an event that celebrates your freedom to read what you choose and the importance of the First Amendment by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States.

Visit the library to see our display of banned books.  You will be surprised by what you find!

Enter our daily drawing for a FREE banned book!

Please join us at College Coffee on Tuesday to learn more about banned books, and get a free bookmark!

Free Banned Downloadable Audiobooks from NC Live

10 ways to Celebrate Banned Books Week from the New York Times

About Banned & Challenged Books from the American Library Association

All week Belk Library will have a display of books and
DVDs to help you learn more about the founding of our
country to celebrate Constitution Day on Friday, September 17th.

Take a virtual tour of Belk Library!

Belk Library on Flickr

Belk has lots of great stuff you can check out to help you discover the globe.  Stop by and take a look!

We are excited to anounce that Belk Library is on the latest cover of “North Carolina Libraries”.  The award-winning, peer-reviewed journal of the North Carolina Library Association.