March 2020 – Mary and Jeff Bell Library Blog

International Transgender Day of Visibility 2020: Works in our Collection

Post author:Emma Drumright
Post published:March 31, 2020
Post category:Books & More Today's Special

Today is March 31st, the annual International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV)! Founded in 2009 as a response to the lack of positive commemorative days associated with the transgender community, TDOV is dedicated to celebrating the lives, accomplishments, and diversity of transgender people while also raising awareness of the work that is still needed to be done to save and protect trans lives. For friends, family, allies, and our communities, today is a devoted time for us to visibly show…

Something to Watch While You’re Self-Isolating

Post author:Bell Library
Post published:March 27, 2020
Post category:Library Hacks Service for You Things to Do

Spring 2020 and the threat of COVID19 have us all holed up in our homes self isolating and social distancing. I thought this would be a great time to tell you all about one of our library databases called Kanopy. Kanopy is a streaming video database similar to Netflix. While there are academic videos in Kanopy, there is also a wealth of feature length movies and documentaries. You can even load the Kanopy app on your smart TV, log into…

Updates and Changes to Library Resources and Services

Post author:Jennifer Anderson
Post published:March 24, 2020
Post category:News @ Your Library Service for You

As we transform our spring courses to online delivery, some changes will need to take place to help us successfully navigate the rest of this semester. We are following University guidelines and changing some of our resources and services to offer students, faculty, and staff find the help that they need in the transition. For the health and safety of the Island community we have made the following changes: At this time, the library will remain open Monday – Thursday…

I-Create Student Worker Spotlight: Skally

Post author:Bell Library
Post published:March 20, 2020
Post category:Behind the Scenes Hello, from the Staff Service for You Things to Do We Made This

While the I-Create lab is full of neat gadgets and gizmos, it is nothing without our student workers. This month we are spotlighting one of our student workers, Skally Benitez. Skally has worked in the I-Create Lab for nearly a year and is a Senior here at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. She is working on her Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA). Skally received her Associates in Arts from South Texas College in 2018. Her focus in art is traditional art;…

Things I Looked Up Last Week

Post author:Bell Library
Post published:March 20, 2020
Post category:Library Hacks Library Randomness Things to Do

Research means a lot of things to a lot of people. If we’re talking primary research, we’re referring to someone who’s conducted a study, observed the results, and drawn a conclusion. If we’re talking about secondary research then we’re usually referring to when a researcher searched for a bunch of research and information sources and created something new with all of that information, like a literature review, systematic review, or a book. We do research all the time, even if…

Read more about the article Popular Reading: Staff Picks!

Brace Yourself: Tax Season is Here

Post author:Bell Library
Post published:March 17, 2020
Post category:Service for You Things to Do Today's Special

It’s that time of year again – no, not just Spring -- tax season! While it may seem like a daunting, costly, and stressful process, you may be able to get help for free. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program is an IRS-initiative that offers free basic tax help for those who qualify. VITA programs are led by VITA volunteers that are IRS-certified and are trained by IRS-certified instructors. VITA volunteers must also pass a certification exam before assisting taxpayers. Who…

Q&A with a Library Student Assistant & Graduate Assistant

Post author:Bell Library
Post published:March 6, 2020
Post category:Behind the Scenes Hello, from the Staff

As the Student Coordinator for Access Services, prospective employees often have questions about the Student/Graduate Assistant positions we offer. I figured I’d take the time to interview a current Student/Graduate Assistant so that they can provide some insight about their positions here with Access Services. For this interview, I interviewed Alexandra (Lexy) Tomes (Student Assistant) and Kevin Wong (Graduate Assistant). Can you describe your position and what it entails? AT: I am a student worker at the Circulation Desk in the…

Open Education Week 2020 – Getting Involved!

Post author:Lisa Louis
Post published:March 3, 2020
Post category:Behind the Scenes News @ Your Library Things to Do

Over the years, open education – the use of free, openly-licensed educational materials and the teaching practices that have developed around them -- has continued to grow in impact and importance. Last February, OpenStax, a publisher of open textbooks based at Rice University, reported that free OpenStax textbooks had saved students $177 million dollars in 2018. In North Dakota, the state auditor’s office reported that a statewide OER initiative had resulted in savings of over $1 million for students. Also in 2018,…