Van Wylen Library

Need something light and fun to guide you through the end of finals and into the holidays? Look no further! Did you know you can use your Hope ID and a driver’s license or state ID to get a library card at Herrick District Library? Check out some of the fun things you have access to with your card:

Zinio (Must create account) is a full color, interactive digital newsstand, with popular titles like Bicycling, Country Living and Eating Well.

Hoopla (Must create account) Free digital movies and music albums! Automatic returns and no waiting to borrow! Use it on your tablet, computer, or smart phone. What are you waiting for?

Freegal Use your library card login to access free downloads of popular songs. (Library users have a weekly download limit.)

Overdrive Access eBooks and Audiobooks with your library card. Download them to your device and enjoy them on your way home for break.

…Plus so much more! Don’t rule out a good, old fashioned book. Herrick has many book lists, so you’ll never want for something to read. Enjoy!

As the semester draws to a close and you find yourself overwhelmed with papers and upcoming tests, remember there is a light at the end of the tunnel. In her blog article on Harvard Business Review’s Blog Network “Nine Ways Successful People Defeat Stress”, Heidi Grant Halvorson outlines these tips for a path to a stress-free life:

1. Have self-compassion. Basically, cut yourself some slack!

2. Remember the “Big Picture.” Don’t think of your paper as hours and hours of mind-numbing research. Think of it as a path to your future successful career.

3. Rely on routines. Routines are less stressful, because you’re doing things by rote and not making all those hard decisions.

4. Take five (or ten) minutes to do something you find interesting. Give yourself time to do interesting things that will help you refuel your energy.

5. Add where and when to your to-do list. Use if-then statements to get the work done: If it is 7pm, then I will be at the library writing my paper.

6. Use if-thens for positive self-talk. Keep your emotions in check by saying things like, “If my paper is due in three hours, then I will remain calm and relaxed.”

7. See your work in terms of progress, not perfection. Think about your accomplishments in terms of what you’ve already learned, not how much more you have to go to achieve perfection. Accept that you will make mistakes.

8. Think about the progress that you’ve already made. As in the point above, reflect on what you’ve already accomplished. Appreciate your small wins. Did you gather all the sources for your paper? Good job! Have you made an outline? Way to go!

9. Know whether optimism or defensive pessimism works for you. What’s your motivational style? Do you thrive on opportunities for achievement (promotion) or working to maintain what you already have (prevention)? Knowing how you get motivated will help you in achieving your goals. 

As always, the library can help you! Whether it is a student worker or a librarian, ask us for help and we’ll get you the research you need to complete your papers.

Bibliography
Grant Halvorson, Heidi. “Nine Ways Successful People Defeat Stress.” Web log post. Harvard Business Review. Harvard Business Publishing, 13 Dec. 2012. Web. 02 Dec. 2013. .

Starting on Friday, November 22nd and going until Friday, December 13th, Van Wylen Library is hosting a food drive through the Holland Community Action House (CAH). Students, staff, and faculty can all help their community by donating food and other simple items to CAH’s pantry, which is currently understocked. Some of the common items that people are encouraged to donate range from canned fruit, oatmeal, and ramen noodles to shampoo, toothpaste, and napkins. Even furniture or appliances are greatly appreciated! A complete list of the highest priority items that are required can be found at http://www.communityactionhouse.org/most-needed-items/. As long as you are giving thanks in this holiday season, please find time to give back! Every little bit counts!

by Gemma Davies, student blogger

The Media Services Desk provides the necessities for basic schoolwork throughout the year.  It serves as the circulation desk on the 2nd floor & a satellite Copy Works! location. Here are some of the available tools at the Media Desk:

Available for Checkout:
•Books & Videos
•Laptop Computers – 3 hours
•Digital Still & Video Cameras – 3 days
•iPads – 24 hours
•Kindle – 2 weeks
•Scientific Calculator

Available for Purchase:
(Cash, debit/credit card, & Hope ID)
•CD Roms & DVDs
•Papers, Cardstock, Envelopes
•Flash Drives & office supplies
•Lamination & Binding
•Large format & color printing

The TechLab, a staffed computer lab next to the Media Desk, is also available to assist with your project needs. The TechLab Coordinator and student tutors are there to support any projects that require digital technology, such as editing videos in iMovie, converting video files, creating a finished DVD, or editing images in Adobe Photoshop. In the TechLab, you can utilize tools for:

•Scanning, Printing, & Digitization

•Video and Photo Editing & Design

•Access to Audio Visual Project Room

•Education Department Software

Watch a quick film about the Tech Lab to learn more about the many available services. With all these tools, the Media Services Desk and the TechLab are ready to help along the way with whatever you need!

U.S. President Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed Armistice Day for November 11, 1919. In proclaiming the holiday, he said:

To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations.

The same year, The American Expeditionary Force, North Russia, 1918-1919 (“Polar Bears”), a contingent of 5000 US troops, landed as part of the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War and fought the Red Army.  Available from the Hope College Libraries Joint Archives in Digital Commons, you may listen to oral history interviews and read transcripts of an oral history project done with local “Polar Bear” veterans. The physical collection includes interview transcripts, cassette tapes, articles, bibliographies, diaries, clippings, photographs, microfilm and a book.