Thursday, February 09, 2006

Augustana Library Is Awesome From the world of libraries [posted by Troy} As a librarian and an Alum of Augustana College, I was very happy to hear that The Thomas Tredway Library at Augustana won the Excellence in Academic Libraries Award from ACRL. This is a pretty big honor, which justly spotlights one of the treasures of the Augustana campus. Here's a quote from the award press release: The Thomas Tredway Library at Augustana College, winner of the college category, demonstrated success at implementing innovative library programs in order to enhance its involvement with faculty and students on campus. “The Tredway Library at Augustana College provides an impressive range of services, well beyond what would be expected by a library of its size and resources,” said Julia Zimmerman, member of the 2006 Excellence in Academic Libraries Selection Committee . “The staff has developed a number of exciting and often quite innovative collaborations with faculty, academic support units, and student groups. They are committed to accountability and assessment, with results that show that students and faculty place a very high value on the library as a vital contributor to academic life and ‘the living room of the campus.’” 10:22:38 PM  permanent link  Reader Comments []  Google It! First Newspaper November 29, 1641 [posted by Troy] It is arguable that the first newspaper was published on November 29, 1641 during the time leading up to the Englich Civil War. Parliment published regular news from outside of the country and proceedings from the day's events in in Parliment. Soon these became dated and numbered. The 1600s in England (and across Europe) was the century when print really began to have a great impact in history. This was the point when literacy hit a high enough level and publishing techniques became effective enough that the printed word had the power effectily communicate. For the first time, regular people felt that they had the right, or at least the need, to be informed. The factions that fought the English Civil War in the 1640s were largely defined and categorized via print in ways that had never been done before. Both sides waged a war of words long before any kings were killed. The conceptualization of "us" and "them" revolved aroudn the printed word. We often think of print as a way to bring people together and express ideas, but from the beginning, print was a tool used to divide and influence. Studying the impact, growth, and rise of print has several lessons for us as the Internet continues to warp how we see our world. 9:16:03 PM  permanent link  Reader Comments []  Google It!

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