Things to Do – Page 7 – Mary and Jeff Bell Library Blog

A Green Quarantine

Post author:Bell Library
Post published:April 28, 2020
Post category:Things to Do Today's Special

To start off, this current pandemic is a serious global health crisis and official updates and recommendations should not be ignored. This means that over half of Americans are staying home to prevent the spread of this virus. However, many of us find ourselves slowed down with more time on our hands. This period is a perfect opportunity for re-assessing our lifestyles. One aspect of our lives that requires special consideration is the impact our actions have on the environment.…

COVID 19 Archiving Project at Mary and Jeff Bell Library

Post author:Bell Library
Post published:April 24, 2020
Post category:News @ Your Library Service for You Things to Do

When the illness first began, we read about it on news sites and watched shows talk about the COVID-19 virus affecting China in horrendous ways. But we did not quite gather that it was zooming towards us and the rest of the world at breakneck speeds. Then it was here, and life changed within a few days. We were confined to our homes except for a few essential employees. The grocery stores were wiped clean of paper and canned goods,…

Things to Do During Quarantine

Post author:Bell Library
Post published:April 21, 2020
Post category:Things to Do

Hello everyone, This is Ali Swar, student assistant for Access Services in the Mary and Jeff Bell Library. I am going to discuss things different people with different preferences can do during isolation. Below you’ll see different things to do separated into different topics, where you can go read about what interests you and skip any subjects you may be uninterested in (however, I will still recommend that you go through all of it to explore your options). Hopefully this will…

Learn More at an I-Create Workshop

Post author:Bell Library
Post published:April 17, 2020
Post category:Service for You Tech in the Library Things to Do We Made This

Want to learn more about projects you can do at the I-Create Lab? If so, the I-Create Lab's workshops have been a great way to learn about projects anyone can do using the equipment in the lab. The first student lead workshop was "Painting 3D models," where patrons were invited to learn how to paint their 3D models made by the lab's 3D printers. Since then, the workshops have become more advanced, with the last two being a "Sticker Workshop"…

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…

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…

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…

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,…