My Favorite Room in the Library…

Hi. I'm Ed Warga. I'm the digital collections librarian and subject liaison to the life science and physical science programs at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. I thought I might tell you all about my favorite room in the library. Bell Library has many great spaces. There's a nice little nook tucked away on the second floor with study space under one of the three banks of windows in the library. I like this space because of the natural light and flexible…

Continue ReadingMy Favorite Room in the Library…

“Dort wo man Bücher verbrennt…”: A Look at the Burning of Books

"Dort wo man Bücher verbrennt, verbrennt man auch am Ende Menschen – where they have burned books, they will end in burning human beings.” – Heinrich Heine In 1933, some of the finest young minds in Germany gathered in Berlin. Fueled by the antisemitic fervor that was being cultivated, they built a bonfire in a public square and fed the flames with the words, thoughts, and ideas of Jewish authors. This destruction was a declaration. A statement was being made…

Continue Reading“Dort wo man Bücher verbrennt…”: A Look at the Burning of Books

I-Create Lab New Pricing Structure

This semester marks the first time since the opening of the I-Create Lab that we will begin charging to use the equipment in the makerspace. There are several materials that must be maintained in order to keep the equipment in running order, such as cleaning cartridges for the large format printer, filters for the laser cutter, painters’ tape for the 3D printers, router bits and screws for the CNC router. These are just a few items needed for maintenance, and this doesn’t…

Continue ReadingI-Create Lab New Pricing Structure

Bring on the Brown Lit!: The Importance of Latinx Literature

Have you ever had the pleasure of reading a novel and instantly relating to the main character? As you progress through the story, questions like, “How would I handle that situation” feel natural to navigate, and moments intended to elicit an empathetic response are that much more impactful. There is much to be said about the connection a reader can make when they identify themselves in a novel. While this can be achieved based on common human behaviors – if…

Continue ReadingBring on the Brown Lit!: The Importance of Latinx Literature

New Library Website!

We’re excited to announce the launch of our new and refreshed website. Just a few days before the beginning of the Fall semester, Bell Library launched an improved website with all new content and organization. If you’ve visited the library home page recently, you might not have noticed much change. We kept the same look and feel for the home page that was launched in January 2018. You’ll find most of the major changes by poking around in the menu…

Continue ReadingNew Library Website!

A Day in the Life of…Diana Gaona

For the past 7 years I have been part of Bell Library's Technical Services department. We recently joined forces with the Periodical’s Department to become the Resource Management & Discovery Team. The joining of these two departments makes our workflow smoother. Now if we have a question, we go to each other for answers and we are all together as a support team for our students, faculty, staff, and the community. In July 18, 2018, I transitioned to my current position…

Continue ReadingA Day in the Life of…Diana Gaona

The Most Requested Interlibrary Loans: The 2018-2019 Academic Year

In the 2018-2019 Academic Year, Interlibrary Loan (ILL) filled just shy of 10,000 requests! To put this in perspective, this is almost double the number of requests filled just 5 years ago in 2013-2014. And we did it all with less staff! That said, we thought it would be fun to share with you the year's most borrowed journals and books, as requested by TAMU-CC students, faculty, and staff, then follow up with a few observations. Top 11 most borrowed…

Continue ReadingThe Most Requested Interlibrary Loans: The 2018-2019 Academic Year

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Librarian Selected as SPARC Open Education Leadership Fellow

Ms. Lisa Louis from the Mary and Jeff Bell Library has been selected as a fellow in the SPARC Open Education Leadership Program, an intensive professional development program to empower library professionals with the knowledge, skills, and community connections to lead successful open education initiatives that benefit students. The two-semester program blends online, peer-to-peer, and project-based learning to build a comprehensive understanding of the open education space coupled with practical know-how to take action on campus and beyond. Lisa is one…

Continue ReadingTexas A&M University-Corpus Christi Librarian Selected as SPARC Open Education Leadership Fellow