Masland Library Blog

As college students, we have very busy schedules. Every minute there is something new begging for our attention and sleep is typically the first thing we put to the wayside. With all of the classes, homework, jobs, sports, intra-murals, ministries, and other commitments it becomes easy to become completely engulfed in what is immediately going on around you. The danger with this is that we manage to completely lose touch with the outside world and major events that are going on around us. The biggest example recently has been what is going on in Syria.

As Syria continued in their two year long civil war, around 1,046 Syrians were killed with chemical warfare, over 400 of which were children. Obviously everyone was very upset about this and attempted to figure out what should be done. The U.S. almost took action but was able to make a deal with the help of Russia avoiding a war.  Here is an article that explains in more detail what happened in Syria and why we almost went to war, much better than I ever could: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/08/29/9-questions-about-syria-you-were-too-embarrassed-to-ask/.

So, in the midst of a possible war, over a thousand innocent people had been killed and a great majority of students here had no idea that anything was even happening.  I understand that news is not always the most uplifting thing, but it is so important to understand what is taking place in the world around us. Having such a busy schedule makes it near impossible to sit down and physically watch the news, but there are many other ways to keep track of what is going on! With smart phones it is easy to download free news apps, such as the BBC world news, and receive notifications when major events take place. Although I appreciate my BBC app, my favorite way to keep in touch with what is going on is through the Wall Street Journal, located in our very own library.

YES! The library has newspapers that are updated daily, four of them to be exact. These newspapers are located in the lobby on a wooden display case. From local to world news, you can sit and glance through all they have to offer. Some articles are more lighthearted, but they also contain crucial information about the intense situations that are going on across the globe. I encourage you to use these newspapers while you have them at your disposal. Once you graduate these newspapers don’t come cheap. Seize the opportunity you have now. As you read pray for those who are suffering, and pray for our leaders as they make difficult decisions.

~Leia Brunette

This is a list of 6 helpful tips that, if I had cared more about them earlier, would have saved me from a lot of stress. As a Senior, I wish I had taken this advice much seriously much sooner. (Disclaimer: All of these are from my life. If they describe you it is merely coincidence)

1. Check and respond to your Cairn email. I’ve missed numerous deadlines (payments, book return dates, etc.)  because I either neglected to read my email or just chose not to care, expecting that things would go my way. Entitlement is not an appropriate Christian attitude.
Lesson Learned: Freshman Year


2. Take responsibility. I don’t know about you, but I have weaseled my way out of lots of problems, even at a Biblical university. I like to blame the cosmic forces that are (so, God I guess) for every problem that comes my way. “I’m sorry,” is a much better response than, “I can’t pay that $500 fine for this overdue book because I’m busy and never check my school email."
Lesson Learned: Sophomore Year

3. Work now, play later. Prioritizing your life as a student means that assignments come first. If for some reason they can’t, then you need to re-prioritize so they can. Completing work on-time and completing work well can be an act of worship with the right motivation. Do all things to the glory of God.
Lesson Learned: Junior Year

4. Print assignments early. A lot of folks like to print out papers 10 minutes before their class starts. Waiting in line at the printer can be super frustrating especially if the printer malfunctions (which can happen), and puts you in a poor mood for class.
Lesson Learned: Sophomore Year

5. Accept help with grace. Cairn faculty, staff, and student workers are not out to get you. We want to help because we in fact do know that life is tough, stressful, and out-of-control at times. If you let go of pride and accept help (or let go of pride that things could ever dare go wrong for you) then we can help you more effectively.
Lesson Learned: Junior Year

6. Trust Jesus. Ultimately, a failing grade does not have eternal weight. It may bring shame or disappointment, but your righteousness and approval before God is found solely in Christ. If you truly grasp that, you have the power to go before a professor and admit your mistakes (not hiding them because you fear punishment) and even ask for help. Repentance plays just as important role in human relationships as it does with God and will prevent a lot of problems from getting as bad as you might let them. 
Lesson Re-learned: Every Year

~Ben Overbey

Guest Post by Abbie Fehr

I didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I came to work at the library the beginning of my freshman year at Cairn. I just thought I’d be working with a bunch of books. And while that has been overwhelmingly true, four years of working at the library—including 2 J-terms and 3 summers—has taught me that it’s so much more.  

The library’s about journals. I wouldn’t be a proper library employee if I didn’t at least give the obligatory nod to some of the other resources the library offers. I bet you didn’t even know this job was an option, but I worked two years as the Serials Clerk—stamping, shelving, and shifting the various periodicals that come into the library. They’re nifty, but most people don’t even know that they exist on the right side of the bottom floor of the library. Check them out sometime, except not literally because they’re set as Library Use Only and taking them from the library would be considered stealing. And that would make me sad. And for goodness sake, please use the online databases sometime. They make your work a whole lot easier and more credible, and you’ll have less to regret when you graduate and have no access to them anymore. At least make the most of the time you have. There’s also CDs and DVDs, including all three seasons of Downton Abbey, which of course you have the time to watch during the semester.

The library’s about studying. I didn’t actually do all that much studying in the library because, as an employee, I invariably got people coming to me with library questions when I was trying to do my homework. I didn’t like the tension between the joy of helping someone and the frustration at being derailed from my train of thought, so I just stayed away. But I’ll still think fondly of how I used the uncomfortable chairs to spur me on to finish my paper faster or how I felt lost and confused when I found that some cruel person had taken my spot at study carrel #42. Sometimes the library felt like an existential time loop, where hundreds of students have written that same eschatology paper in this building over the past 20 years. There’s a strange solace in that kind of solidarity.  

The library’s about people. While library patrons are all well and good, the people in the library that will stick with me the most are the librarians. Having worked in both parts of the library—the “downstairs” Circulation department and “upstairs” Technical Services department—I’ve had the privilege of working with all 7 of Cairn’s librarians. (Yes, there are more than just the two you see on a regular basis.) I will miss the quiet kindness that I observed in Gwenn, the teasing I took from Alice, the thunderous theological discussions I had with Melvin, the vegan recipes I stole from Laura, the analysis of period dramas I thought through with Stephanie, the laughter I shared with Nang Tsin, and the polite banter I ventured with Dr. Hui. Those things might have little to do with actual work, but that is not to imply that everyone’s lazy. We’re not. We do a lot more than patrons will ever see, and we like it that way. More than all of the stamping and shifting and shelving that I’ve done in the library, these conversations that happened amidst and around that work will stick with me the longest.  

The library’s about Jesus.  Mostly, I think, the past four years have taught me that the library’s about Jesus. I mean this on more than the fundamental fact that it’s a theological library at a biblical university. That’s just the obvious part. But through example and explanation, I’ve seen the Gospel play out between those pale pink walls. I was forgiven one day when I completely forgot to show up to work as a freshman and then restored to the point where I was given a key and the freedom to come work on library projects at off hours. There was the time where I sent my boss an email because I was nearing an emotional breaking point and didn’t know if I could keep it together at work—and rather than lecturing me about professionalism—he simply told me that he and his wife were praying for me. From serious talks on Calvinism and church music to advice on how to seduce men with pie, I’ve been convicted, challenged, amused, unsettled, and encouraged by the various people at the library. They’re not perfect. I’m not perfect. But beyond a shared love of books, a shared love of Jesus draws us together in a way that nothing else can.
I’ve learned a lot in these past four years, and the library has been a big part of it. Though gone for less than a week, I already miss it. I will always be grateful.

Goodbye.

abbie fehr.

Looking for a book this summer? Student worker Ryan Eshelman provides us with a view into e-books.
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It seems like every time a new piece of technology is introduced, people are quick to jump on the bandwagon and proclaim it as “The next big thing”, often supposedly rendering whatever it replaced obsolete. This happened somewhat recently, with the introduction of electronic books, or “eBooks” for short.

eBooks were not regarded as much of a threat to physical print at launch, as they had to be read on a bulky home computer. However, in 2007, Amazon released the Kindle, a portable eBook reader. Able to store over a thousand books, this changed everything. Although not the first eReader, the Kindle was so wildly popular that it sold out within 5 hours of launch, and libraries everywhere started integrating technology to allow patrons to “check out” eBooks, which would then delete themselves after a set period. 6 years later, eReaders have become mainstream, with many people owning one, or a tablet with an eBook reader app.[For more information see our Libguide on Tablets.]

Yet this doesn’t necessarily mean that physical books are dying. There are many reasons to still head to Masland Library to check out a book. For one thing, it’s free. While there are a few classics that can be downloaded onto a reader for free, the majority of eBooks cost money. Another wonderful feature of the physical book is that it can’t run out of power. Some people just prefer the feel of turning the pages of a physical book in their hands, or even the satisfying “thud” of slamming a finished book closed. Whatever your preferences, the Masland Library has both physical and electronic resources available to you, to suit any need or inclination.

To see what the Masland Library has available you can check the Library Catalog for more information.  To download ebooks from the Masland Library you will need to download the ebrary app from either Google Play or the iTunes store.   

Ever wonder about when and where you can take your girl or spouse on a date for no cost? I know the exact place for you to take your date for free of charge and when that place is open. The Masland Library at Cairn University is open for couples to go on library dates! Library dates are a fun experience for couples to have if they are broke and want to have an excellent but studious time together.

A library date occurs when a guy (or girl) wants to take their loved one on a date that is free of charge. The first thing that they need to know is when the Masland Library is open. The library is open on Monday to Thursday from 7:30 AM to 11:00 PM; Friday from 7:30 AM to 7:00 PM; Saturday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM; and Sunday from 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM.  For special hours please see our library hours page here. When the library is open, the date will begin when once a couple enters the library. The order of events that will be described does not have to be done chronologically.

If the couple has a love of art and romance then the first place they should go together in the library is to see the Grace Livingstone Exhibit and also see the other art that is featured on the Mezzanine level. Second, they will go to the downstairs computer lab where a lovely student assistant will greet them. In the computer lab, they will sit at two different computers and get on Facebook (if they have Facebook accounts) and Facebook chat with each other. They will continue to send each other adorable messages for a little while. Next, while they are still at their computers, they will show each other their favorite databases that are offered on the library website: library.cairn.edu. Some of those databases may include ARTstor (which is famous for Lit/Arts projects), Business Source Elite (which is very helpful for business research), JSTOR Arts/Sciences Collections, and many more!

After sharing some memorable moments in the computer lab, the couple will go to Juvenile Lab which is located next to the Curriculum Lab on the Mezzanine level. As they browse the various children's books, they will have an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia and will grab their favorite children's books from the shelves and proceed to read to their loved ones. The time in the Juvenile Lab is a great time to pour your childhood feelings into someone else so that they may love you all the more. The books in the Juvenile Lab are also useful for the elementary education majors. When the couple finishes with their stories, they will find one of the small cubicle desks in the library and share it. The cubicle desks are very useful for all students to use when they want to do homework with peace and quiet. So with peace and quiet, the couple can sit together and whisper sweet little nothings to each other. The couple will leave the library very much in love and still without money. Nonetheless, they will treasure those sweet moments together during their library date for the rest of their days.

Some of these ideas are simple ideas for loved ones to invest their time in if they want to have cheap library dates. Enjoy the Masland Library and all of the wonderful dates you may have there. I trust that the student body at Cairn University will also have ideas to contribute to the concept of a cheap library date, and I hope they will treasure those moments.

~Daniel Wright

It has come upon us once again. That time of the year where students pull all-nighters with their noses stuffed into books and coffee in their hands. We all know the stress of finals week, so the library is offering some good news to hard-core study students! The library will be open an extra hour than later, making closing time midnight instead of 11! We also advise you to make use of the study rooms that can be checked out at the front desk, if having people going by will get you distracted. The study rooms help you to focus on your studies and not get distracted by friends who walk by.

And if you need time to de-stress, you can check out a movie to help relax! With May 4th having just passed us, a personal recommendation is one of the Star Wars movies. The movies will come up on a search in the library catalog, and can be checked out at the front desk. And for those of you who listen to music while you study, the library has headphones to check out at the front desk as well!

Hope all of our commodities help with this last week of craziness. Good studying!

~Rachel