Service for You – Page 4 – Mary and Jeff Bell Library Blog

Why Access to Information Should Be Open: COVID-19

Post author:Alexa Hight
Post published:April 7, 2020
Post category:Books & More Service for You Today's Special

Unless you live like Jared Leto, you’ve probably heard about this thing called the novel Coronavirus, or COVID-19. You’ve most likely experienced a complete upheaval in your life, home life, work life, school life, social life, every aspect of your life. We’ve made some pretty huge changes at the Bell Library, which you can read about on our new Bell Library COVID-19 Updates Guide. But today I would like to write about one of the things our completely overturned reality demonstrates: the…

80s Fashion, Punk Music, and Zombies: A Review of Dan O’Bannon’s The Return of the Living Dead

Post author:Robert Rios
Post published:April 3, 2020
Post category:Service for You Things to Do Today's Special

I love all things horror. Be it film, books, video games, you name it - if it is horror I love it. So it is no surprise that even when I am looking for a comedy movie it has to also be a horror movie. One of my all-time favorites is 1985’s “The Return of the Living Dead” written and directed by Dan O’Bannon. This movie currently holds a 91% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and it deserves it. Plot…

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;…

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…

Laser Cutting Love

Post author:Bell Library
Post published:February 28, 2020
Post category:Service for You Things to Do We Made This

Love is in the air! What kind of love am I talking about? Laser cutting love, of course! The laser engraver/ cutter is one of the many features in the I-Create Lab that can be used in a variety of creative ways. With the laser engraver/cutter, patrons and community users can cut natural wood, acrylic, glass, and even denim. The laser not only cuts but also engraves these materials. The photos below show examples of engravings and cuttings that took…

Texas Archival Resources Online

Post author:Bell Library
Post published:February 21, 2020
Post category:Library Hacks Service for You

When I moved from New York to Texas last year, I discovered that Texans are truly devoted to their state’s history. Perhaps then it’s no surprise that Texas repositories have banded together to offer a really cool way to research their state’s history: Texas Archival Resources Online. As we discussed in my last blog post, TARO is a website that gathers finding aids from institutions across Texas in one place. But why does it exist? How can you use it? And why…

Will You Be My Anti-Valentine? An Alternative Valentine’s Day Celebration

Post author:Trisha Hernandez
Post published:February 14, 2020
Post category:Service for You Things to Do Today's Special

On this day of love and romance, I offer an alternative means of celebrating. Don’t misunderstand, I respect the concept of love and those deep connections (why some need a special day to make a big deal out of these things, I’m not altogether sure - not cynical); but a number of years ago, I was introduced to a new way of celebrating Valentine’s Day. A friend of mine, who despite being in a stable and loving relationship, felt a…

Live in Texas? Read E-Books for Free

Post author:Bell Library
Post published:February 7, 2020
Post category:Library Hacks Service for You

Gifted a Kindle for Christmas? Don’t want to send Amazon all your money? You should join the Houston Public Library! Houston Public Library supplies library cards to all Texas residents free of charge. So, if you call Texas home you have access to all of Houston Public’s e-book collections. Moreover, by using the Libby app, you can send checked-out e-books directly to your Kindle. There’s an easy online application. And if that doesn’t work (sometimes the webpage has trouble verifying…