Masland Library Blog

There has been a lot of talk in the press and news-boards about e books lately. With the arrival of the iPad and other tablets to the market, electronic books are highly visual lately. One of the many debates about e books are the cost, e books are digital representations of books, they aren't something you can stick on your shelf, and yet the cost the same as many paperbacks. However as a PBU student, you have the opportunity to enjoy and benefit from the immediacy of electronic books for your work, and the cost to you is part of your tuition. What is it? Ebrary Academic Complete.

Last year the Masland Library added over 40,000 electronic books to our collection. The books range from Religion to Science, from Literature to Business and everything in-between. The books available are searchable through the PBU Library Catalog and readable on your computer or mobile device. If you create an account for yourself in Ebrary you can also make notes, and highlight sections of a book as necessary.

So if you are in the market for a tablet computer, have a web enabled device, or you are longing for something to read, instead of purchasing a book through the Kindle or BNreader App, use Ebrary- it's free and wonderfully informative. Watch for more reviews of books that can be found in Ebrary!

We had a mission’s week, and I think many students heard His calling to the mission field. Some may go for a short-term mission, and some may go for a long-time.

I’ve been here for almost 3 years since I came from Japan in 2007. So, I can say that traveling overseas and living in a foreign country are totally different things! I had traveled the US more than 10 times before, but once I started living here…I was shocked by so many things. I felt myself as a little girl and so many times I thought “why did I come here? Why did God send me to the US?”

I still think that Japan and the US have many commonalities like the way of living, but I also experienced many differences (yes, it is called “culture shock”)…and of course, language barrier is very big (still for me, so many struggles…). Therefore, I really recommend you to read good books before going to your mission field! The Library has many books which were written by the missionaries who served Christ and the people in foreign countries. These testimonies are so powerful that you can prepare for your mission. I read some of them, written by the missionaries who were working in Japan, and their insights were really interesting. “Hyakubun-wa-ikkenni-shikazu” …this is a Japanese proverb which means “Seeing it gives you stronger impact than hearing it 100 times.” (Maybe “Seeing is Believing” is similar proverb in English.) But, still to know from the books and the testimonies helps you a lot. Plus, I recommend you to have some good books with you when you go to your mission field; especially if you go to non-English speaking country…you should have any books written in English! These must comfort you a lot.

Someone told me that people will be depressed and homesick 3 days, 3weeks, and 3 months after moving to a foreign country. I don’t know why, but these really happened to me! 3 years after…I haven’t experienced yet…but, hope I will be alright then.

CI

Today is Ash Wednesday. It is not a day that is observed by the evangelical community, but perhaps it should be. The following entry can be found in Oxford Reference.


Ash Wednesday. The first day of Lent, six and a half weeks before Easter. This was symbolized by the imposition of ashes, in token of mourning and penitence, upon the heads of clergy and people, a rite still ordered for AshWednesday in the Roman Missal. In the American Books of 1929 and 1979 AshWednesday is mentioned as a special fast-day (with Good Friday), and in the Scottish Book of 1929 it is named (together with the six days before Easter) a ‘Greater Fast’.

"Ash Wednesday" The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Ed F. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone. Oxford University Press Inc. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Philadelphia Biblical University. 17 February 2010

T.S. Eliot also wrote a poem to commemorate Ash Wednesday it can be found here. Or for a modern interpretation you can read an article by Ryan Hamm.

LAS

We hope all of the students and staff enjoyed their 2 consecutive snow days. I do not believe I have experienced 2 snow days quite like these (and I have been here since 2001). I hope you all had some rest and were able to catch up on your work.

We also wish to thank all of the participants of the Poetry and Art Contest. We received a number of entries which are currently being judged. Please look out for them as we will be placing them on display shortly.

Enjoy the snow!

LAS

This week is the due date for the Art and Poetry competition. We have a number of submissions and are excited by the work we have seen. With that subject in mind I wanted to introduce you to Camio or Catalog of Art Museum Images Online.

This collection has a number of images that can be used in your studies, whether you need a piece of art to critique for Prof. Ebersole's Lit and Art's class or you are trying to jazz up your powerpoint presentation for Prof. Ferner you can find thousands of images of art from around the world. One of the best aspects of this database is that when you have to cite an image the information will be available.

For more information on resources for art and architecture click here.

LAS

The Spring school term has officially begun. The halls and classrooms are once again filled with activity and controlled chaos. In the midst of all the noise and chatter I invite you to join the Library for our first ever Art competition.

There are so many wonderfully talented individuals here at PBU, I had many friends who were artists when I was a student here at PBU, but there wasn't really an outlet. These friends and individuals come in all shapes, sizes, classes, and forms. Last Spring we had an art auction that produced so many wonderful pieces of art I was stunned. From that event a vision of a contest, something PBU oriented came to my mind. I cannot share the whole vision with you here, but needless to say it is something that is slowly coming to fruition.

My desire is that you will participate in this event not necessarily out of a spirit of competition but instead participate to create, to wonder, to explore. You each see things in ways that are unique, help us to see your perspective.

LAS

Welcome back for the J-term and Spring semester. I have a very hard time writing that, not simply because I am regretful that the holidays are over, but rather because when I walk outside on campus, the word Spring is not what comes to mind. If we could call the time after Easter spring, when there is only a vague possibility of snow, rather than its absolute certainty it would make more sense to me.

Regardless of the weather we do welcome you back to campus, our hope and prayer is that you all were blessed to be among people who love you, and that you had a wonderful time of fellowship and fun during the holidays.

There have been a few changes while you were away. Once again TS has been in the computer labs this time to install Windows 7 on all of the machines. If you would like to purchase Windows 7 at a reduced student rate please contact TS for the details (TS@pbu.edu). They have also re-installed Logos on all of the computers in the hopes of making it easier to find, therefore if you cannot find it please contact one of the Library students workers or use the phone in the labs to call ext. 4554.

We also wanted to make you aware that we will be promoting a theme of quiet in the library this semester. We want students to use the library to study and gather materials, however last semester we had a number of students complain that it was too noisy in the library, therefore please keep in mind the following.

~Cell phones can only be used in the back hallway by the computer labs and outside of the lobby. The bathroom is not an appropriate place for a phone conversation, it makes others feel uncomfortable.

~Group study should be done in one of the group study rooms or in the curriculum lab. If you are on the main levels please keep it to a whisper.

~If you are listening to music you must be wearing headphones, you cannot play your laptop through the speakers.

~Food is not allowed past the lobby, please do not eat in the library. It invites bugs, and bugs eat and nest in books.

~Please do not run through the library, running is only permitted in case of emergency.

~ Be considerate of others when using the computer lab, if you are enjoying YouTube or Facebook but notice that there are people waiting for a computer allow them to print or work on their assignment.

Thank you so much for returning! Looking forward to a great semester.

LAS