Masland Library Blog

 I was shelving books a couple months ago at the library like I usually do when I stumbled across an interesting book. Its title read The Very Private Matter of Anorexia Nervosa. This piqued my interest because all throughout high school my best friend was very skinny and had often been accused of being anorexic. I decided to educate myself on this eating disorder so I checked out the book and I headed back to my dorm room. Once I started reading, I could not stop. It was the author’s own personal story of her struggle with anorexia. In this book the author, Shanon Christian, described every emotion, every thought she had over a 3 year period of her life. It all started innocently when she wanted to lose a little bit of weight but it rapidly became an obsession of counting every calorie and exercising to the point of fainting. Shanon became lost in this cycle and started to lose control. Her hair started falling out, she experienced anxiety and depression, and she had no energy to do anything-except continue to count calories and skip meals. Family and friends tried to help her understand that she was destroying her body but Shanon would not listen. It had become an obsession. As she struggled to get her life back under control she finally hit rock bottom. Shanon cried out to God to heal her and slowly but surely Shanon started to become better. It took quite a while but in time with the help of God, she learned to overcome her anorexia.

 If you or someone you know on campus is struggling with anorexia and is trying to find a way out, there are many places that you can check out, one of them being on our own campus. The Oasis Counseling Center can provide you with private Christian help for no cost at all. You can also visit the nurse to receive information about anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders or check out the website http://www.anad.org/ which is the National Association of Anorexia and Associated Disorders.

~Jenny Dunning

One of the first things you will notice as you step through the wooden doors of the library are the colorful paintings on the wall facing you. These paintings all carry a story, each of them unique. Art has a funny way of expressing stories. Each piece adds a part to an even bigger story that the curator tries to tell. And art, being a very subjective topic, will lead you to interpret the story differently from you brother standing next to you and your sister across the room.

And to think that just a few years ago, our library had very little to offer in the aesthetic realm. Our school has changed a lot. It's constantly ebbing and flowing, out with the old, in with the new. Soon, students will register for classes next semester, finish the semester strong, leave for the summer, and come back again in the fall. I know this next fall will be different. I know for sure that there will be new students who will contribute to a new PBU community culture. I know some of my favorite professors will be gone, and there will be new professors to fall in love with. Yet, loss is still a hard thing to deal with. Several of our students have been personally hit with this emotional tear, speechless, confused, angry, numb. Dr. Hirt, dean of the Bible department, has been struggling with cancer since last year. We've just been informed that Lisa Weidman, Director of Communications and Marketing and a key catalyst for the appearance of fine arts on campus, has a rare form of cancer. Unlike Dr. Hsu's death, theirs will be expected. We will have a little bit longer to celebrate our last times with them,
stories ebbing and flowing.

I wonder what stories Lisa intended to share with each piece of art she contributed to for our campus. I wonder what stories she will be sharing in heaven, stories that God has embedded on her heart, full of color and wonder and so much beauty, full of ebbs and flows.

~Hanah Bae

Lisa Weidman's Honorarium page

Dr. Hirt's Honorarium page

Dr. Hsu's Honorarium page

 The Library is such a cool place. Not only because of all the cool books but also for the art that is displayed throughout the library.  Recently new art has been displayed in the main lobby of the library. It is very easy to simply overlook it as you walk through on your way to printing your papers that are due in 10 min or while you are on your way to meet a study group.  I myself have walked past it without every really stopping to look.  One of my favorite things about art is that to fully appreciate it you have to stop, observe (for a long time), and contemplate.   

The same thing goes for the art in the library.  At first I kind of thought that the artwork was cool but I never gave it a second glance, but since I work at the front desk in the library I obviously spend a lot of time in the main lobby.  This has given me some time to just sit and look at the artwork and ponder what the meaning or message behind it might be.  It has been a really cool experience.  Instead of getting bored of looking at the same artwork over and over again my appreciation for it simply grows.  I would like to challenge each person that comes into the library to take some time to notice the artwork that the Library has to offer.  You might be surprised to realize that you do actually appreciate art!

~Emily Rush

Art: http://acgosser.com/archives/prepress_portfolio/alice