Masland Library Blog

Has the thought of not being able to use the library over the holiday break got you down?.....

It’s hard to believe it, but the holidays are approaching ever so quickly. To most students, this means finally being able to catch all of those ZZZZ’s that were missed during the semester. However, there are a few who just can’t seem to get rid of the school bug. For those of you who just have a hankering to do some sort of research over the break (holiday related maybe), I have some FANTASTIC news for you! The PBU Online Databases are AMAZING!!! I’m sure by now you are extremely tired of hearing about online databases and how beneficial they are…blah, blah, blah. It is a topic that has almost worn out its welcome. I am here though, to tell you that the online databases, JSTOR in particular, have been my lifesavers throughout this semester. I was assigned many projects this semester that required art pictures as well as analysis of them. I was at a loss to know how and where to find them until I stumbled across JSTOR. We as students at PBU have so much knowledge and information right at our fingertips, but I find that we don’t often use it. This is just another reminder that the online databases are WONDERFUL, and should be used for any type of research!

One last note on these resources…Did you know that some database platforms will formulate a citation for you?! One that I have found that does this is EBSCO Host. This is just another one of the many reasons why you MUST try out the online databases! Have fun with it!

~Denae

During this time of Thanksgiving, one of the many things I’m thankful for is the…

Multitude of resources which

Aid with research projects and

Study sessions on

Long, stressful nights

Alone or with a group of friends.

Never a dull moment surrounded by

Dozens of books, papers or maybe sitting at one of the

Lab stations trying to finish up the last few sentences of your paper before you print it.

I love working at the library

Because I

Really enjoy helping others,

And I get to work with all the many

Rich resources our library holds.

You never know what surprises might be waiting for you on those shelves!

- ~Allison Beyer

Veterans Day, what is it and how did we come to make it a national holiday? As this holiday was approaching I wondered what people thought of it and if they really knew what it was. Do people actually acknowledge this day or is it just another day that has some benefits for us? Can we say that we truly know what this holiday is and what it represents? To be honest I did not really know what it was until last week. I knew it was a holiday to celebrate those who had fought in wars but nothing more than that, which is a shame. For that reason I researched it some more.

Our country has been in many wars and many men and women have given their lives for the freedom and liberty that we have in the United States. It is amazing how many people fought for the country and cause that they believed in whether it was in the World War I or II, Vietnam, the Gulf War, or even the war we are in now. People see a cause that they want to stand for and they want to protect the rights and freedom of their fellow citizens and so they fight. Veterans Day is not only about those who died or only about the veterans still alive but all veterans past and present. It was first created for those who fought in World War I and even then it was not a national holiday nor was it called Veterans Day but rather Armistice Day. President Wilson declared November 11, 1919 the first Armistice Day saying,

"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…"

This is definitely something to reflect on and to be thankful for that people were willing and are willing to put their lives in danger for this country, a cause, and for people they may not even know. That is why we celebrate the veterans of the wars because they have fought for the freedom and liberty that we now have and even for other countries that may not have had it. They fought against an injustice in order to make the situation right.

So I challenge you to not take this holiday for granted. Acknowledge Veterans Day for what it really is, a day to remember those who fought for the freedoms and liberties we have so freely.

~ Sara Garms

Imagine having to write a paper on a book of the Bible and the only source you had was a Bible in a language that you couldn’t read. How would you complete your assignment?

Imagine going to church and all you can understand of the Scripture being read is the pastor’s interpretation, if you’re lucky. You may not even have that because your pastor doesn’t speak a language you understand very well.

Imagine the joy and excitement you would experience when you heard God speaking in your own language. Imagine the enthusiasm that would well up in you as you were able to hold the Word of God for the first time in your language and read it for yourself!

We are so blessed to have the Scriptures in our own language. The library carries multiple versions of the Bible, and then hundreds of commentaries to supplement your individual study of a particular passage. Many of us have multiple Bibles at home as well and yet there are hundreds of people who have never heard God speak in their own language.

Next time you have to write a paper for your Bible class and you come to the library to research using one of the commentaries that we have, think about this and praise God for how He’s blessed us. I will try to remember to do that too. I know that this kind of thinking totally changes my perspective on my work.

- Allison Beyer