Memorial Day has its origins in the end of the U.S Civil War. There are many ways to read about the civil war, two very recent titles look at how the war shaped American ideas of death. In This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War Drew Faust contends that the massive loss of life had a fundamental effect on political, intellectual and spiritual thought in America. On the other hand, Mark Schantz postulates in Awaiting the Heavenly Country: The Civil War and America’s Culture of Death that Americans already had a fairly well developed view of death which helped them face the costs of war. Two new books, two different points of view; you’ll find them both at the library.
Connection: Voorhees Hall Gets a New Roof
Hope’s beloved Voorhees Hall is getting a new roof this month. Voorhees has a long history, one filled with renewal as told this past fall in The Joint Archives Quarterly by May 2008 Hope College graduate Lauren Berka. Bring your questions about Hope College history to the Reference Desk or to the Joint Archives of Holland.
The Third Saturday in May
Saturday is Armed Forces Day, a day first set aside to honor those serving in all branches of the armed services in 1949. “It is our most earnest hope that those who are in positions of peril, that those who have made exceptional sacrifices, yes, and those who are afflicted with plain drudgery and boredom, may somehow know that we hold them in exceptional esteem. Perhaps if we are a little more concious of our debt of honored affection they may be a little more aware of how much we think of them.” (New York Times, May 17, 1952) Today there are many in harm’s way, and you can learn about them at the library. Tommy Franks, a career soldier, wrote American Soldier. The Last True Story I’ll Ever Tell‘s author thought he was just getting a college education out of the National Guard. See No Evil is about intelligence officers, Blackwater: the Rise of the Most Powerful Mercenary Army is about soldiers for hire. Tell Them I Didn’t Cry was written by a young, female, embedded journalist. Set aside some time this summer to read a story of modern military life.
Connection: NCAA Golf Championships
Hope College’s men’s golf team plays in the NCAA Division III golf championship this week. NCAA men’s golf is undergoing a change in how teams reach championship play. Read about the new criteria and how teams are responding in an April Golf World article. For more information about the game of golf, ask for source ideas at the Reference Desk.
Connection: Orchid Show
The Orchid Show is open in the A. Paul Schaap Science Center this week. The world’s largest orchid show is an annual event in Miami, Florida described in a Miami Herald article earlier this year. For more information about the increasing popularity of orchids and how you might start cultivating a few orchid plants of your own, ask at the Reference Desk.
Holocaust Remembrance Day
Tomorrow is Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. It is a large subject to wrap your mind around. Some say a prayer, some light candles, why not read? If general history is not one of your interests, try remembrances from The Netherlands, including those of Anne Frank. We also have Richard Lourie’s book “A Hatred for Tulips” which is a work of fiction narrated by the person who turned the Frank family in to the Nazis. There are many ways to honor and remember.
Connection: Exam Week
It’s Exam Week and an excellent time to find a favorite spot in the library where you may (or may not) find yourself among the 40% of college students who believe finals are more stressful than a first date, according to a 2007 survey. 44% of surveyed students admit to being last-minute crammers but they know just who they’d study with, given the chance. Women most frequently named Oprah as their top choice for a study partner while men picked Stephen Colbert. While we can’t promise their appearance here, we can assure you of quiet or conversation, depending on the floor you pick, as well as coffee, a comfortable chair, and lots of time to prepare. Good luck!
Theology and Earth Day
Our collection contains many readings on the relationship between religious faith and responsibility for the environment. Interested in ecotheology or a greener faith? Do you wonder “Is God Green?” Keep the momentum of earth day going by taking time to read about this important topic.
Connection: Earth Day
Tuesday is Earth Day, first commemorated on April 22, 1970. The library’s archival access to digitized images of The New York Times means that we can easily see the newspaper’s coverage of Earth Day that first year. Under the headline Millions Join Earth Day Observances Across the Nation appeared this article summarizing events across the United States. An editorial, “The Good Earth” appeared on the same date, as did several other news stories. For more information on searching the archives of The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, and The Times (London), contact the Reference Desk.
Van Wylen Library is Twenty
April marks Van Wylen Library’s twentieth anniversary.The dedication of Van Wylen Library on April 21, 1988 was celebrated with a convocation in Dimnent Chapel, a luncheon in Phelps Hall, and a renaissance fair in front of Van Wylen and Van Zoeren.Classes were cancelled to emphasize the importance of dedicating a new library.In his dedication address, John Hope Franklin referred to the Van Wylen Library as “a stately mansion of learning,”urging those who would use it to “do so with the objective not merely to learn, noble as that is, but also for the purpose of using knowledge to improve the world in which we live.”Franklin concluded by saying “My great hope is that this facility will inspire all who use it to build their own stately mansions of learning.”
At the dedication luncheon, MaxDe Pree, Chairman of the Board of Trustees in 1988, noted that the renaissance fair demonstrated the intention that the new library would “signal a renaissance of learning and scholarship in HopeCollege.”The record of undergraduate research and faculty publication over the past twenty years attest to a continuing renaissance of learning and scholarship at Hope.
The college will observe the twentieth anniversary of the Van Wylen Library dedication with a reception on the first floor of the library on Monday, April 21, 2008 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.Refreshments and music will be provided.A short program will begin at 2:30. All students, faculty and staff are invited to attend.