Q & A with a Library Student Worker: Kamaya Bogar

Hometown: Minneapolis, Minnesota 

Psychology Major, Family Studies Minor, Class of 2015

How long have you worked in the library, and what's been your favorite part?

I started in December of 2011, so for three-ish years. My favorite part is just getting to see all the student body. I've made a lot of friends working in the library. Some of the people here, I see their faces every day, and establish relationships with them that way. I love seeing my friends, getting to say hi, and helping customers out. Before I started working in the library, I used to come here every night. When I’m getting down to the wire, the library is my safety net. I know that I can come here and get stuff done.

The library is a really fun place, with a lot of fun people, so don’t be scared to come in and ask a lot of questions, because we love questions!

What is your ideal job after graduation?

In the future I would like to be a Family and Marriage Therapist. I want to work with families who are going through divorce or do premarital counseling. I’m really big on relationships. I am just so interested in them! And then also with the divorce aspect, I've gone through it, so I want to learn more about it and see how I can be a help with it, see how it’s an issue in the world.

Do you have a book recommendation for us?

One of my favorite books that actually just got turned into a movie is Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. That’s been a long time coming - I didn't even know it was going to be a movie until it came out. My mom has a lot of the Alexander books, and she collects a lot of picture books - Peef: the Christmas Bear, Elmer the Colorful Elephant, stuff like that.

Looking back on the past four years, what is the thing you are most proud of accomplishing here at Concordia?

Being involved in everything that I've been involved in. Being on cheer, getting a leadership role in psychology club, those are things that I think will help me in the future and they’re also things I can look back on and be proud of doing. And I'm also proud of working hard, getting my degree. Being able to see success afterwards. It’s pretty nice.

What advice would you give yourself as a first-year?

To pace myself and to enjoy a little more. As a freshman, I didn't get too much involved. I was kind of nervous and shy, and now I would tell myself to just embrace everything and be open to everything. Take it one step at a time. It flies by very fast. I can’t believe that this is my senior year. It doesn't even feel like it - it feels like I just got accepted here. It flies by really fast, so make the most of it.

What are you going to miss most about Concordia?

I’m going to miss seeing people. And being close to people, being part of this community and all the activities that go on. I feel like once you get into the real world, it’s harder to stay connected to the people you've built relationships with, and it’s harder to have that community you get from campus events, meeting new people, and socializing. I’ll miss that. I will miss everyone that I've met at the library. It’s going to be sad. Most of these people I've known since my freshman year, so it’ll be weird not coming into the library and not seeing everyone everyday.

Tell me one weird fact about yourself.

I can wiggle my ears. Can you wiggle your ears?

Faculty Spotlight: A Conversation with Eric Dregni

As part of the library's new Faculty Spotlight program, it's our pleasure to feature Eric Dregni, Associate Professor of English. Visit the library to see the full display and page through Dregni's books, including his newest, By the Waters of Minnetonka. 

What’s the most bizarre story you have to tell about Minnesota? One I've been thinking a lot about recently is Carver’s Cave in St. Paul. With all the talk about the stunning prehistoric cave drawings in Lascaux, France (and elsewhere in that area), we should know that Minnesota had similar petroglyphs here that Jonathan Carver wrote about. Unfortunately, the cave was chopped up by the railroads and only a portion of it survives.

What sparked the idea for your newest book, By the Waters ofMinnetonka? I grew up in Minnetonka and slowly learned some of the unusual history of the lake. I wished that the trolleys still made it out there. I freelanced historical articles about the lake for Lake Minnetonka Magazine – everything from pastors allegedly shooting saloonkeepers to dredging up streetcar boats stuck in the muck at the bottom of the lake for 70 years.

I hear you speak Italian. How did you become interested in

Italy?  I went to Italy in high school at 17 years of age as an exchange student. I didn't know a word of Italian (spaghetti and ravioli don’t really count) and stayed with a family for a year that didn't speak a word of English (hamburger and Elvis Presley don’t count). I kept going back because I love the Italian lifestyle.

How did you first become interested in Scandinavian culture? My dad would make a monthly “Norwegian dinner” with everything white and bland. As a kid, though, taste-free food is good. Only when my wife and I lived in Norway for a year did I learn how potent many of the dishes truly are. Try salt licorice or fermented fish (rakfisk) and you’ll never say Scandinavian food is flavorless. We have much to learn from Norway with its universal health care, free student tuition for college, and love of winter. I’d love to go back someday. 

  

What advice do you have for Concordia students who want to write books some day? Read! We have this idea that inspiration always comes from within, but it’s crucial to know what others are writing. Then get to work writing by setting aside some time each week to put down your thoughts. Even if you are a creative writer, don’t forget about journalism. Freelance writing for magazines, newspapers, or websites will help hone your skills.  

Anything else you’d like to share with us? I’d encourage students to study abroad for a semester, even if it doesn't “fit into the schedule.” Believe it or not, it’s much easier to live abroad now than it will be once you graduate.

Q & A with a Library Student Worker: Priscilla Rivera

Hometown: Hatillo, Puerto Rico

Major: Child Psychology, Class of 2018

What drew you to work in the library?

My first couple days here I was really lost. I came into the library and asked a student worker for help. They were really friendly and open, and I realized I wasn't alone. They gave me directions to where I needed to go, but they also made me feel okay. They reassured me. I realized I wanted to be helping people too.

I also really enjoy books! And I love organizing. I thought, this is the best thing ever - I get paid for doing my OCD!

What’s your favorite part of your job?

I love the paging list. It’s like going on a scavenger hunt in the library! So satisfying.

What surprised you most about moving to Minnesota?

How much snow you got in so little time! And you have a lot of squirrels here. They’re EVERYWHERE. The squirrels in Puerto Rico are more sad looking. They’re white and look like rats. Don’t look at them. The ones here are cute - they have fluffy tails!

What do you miss most about Puerto Rico?

Sitting on my front porch in my hammock watching the sun go down, with the ocean right there. It was part of my ritual each day.

What makes you most excited about being at Concordia?

Getting to take classes for my major, child psychology. I want to work in special education. I know that there’s not that many people out there that can help them. I’ve had friends with special needs and it’s not fair the way they are treated in school and it’s not fair for them to not get the resources they need. For example, someone might want to join the marching band, but they have trouble walking so they aren’t allowed to. But they should be able to! I want to help because special needs students are capable of succeeding.

What’s one of your favorite books? How about a favorite author?

One of my favorite books is The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. I’m a very imaginative person, and it takes my imagination to a different world. And one of my favorite authors is John Green. He just plays with your heart. It’s evil and maniacal of him, but it’s also amazing.

Try Out the PBS Video Collection For a Limited Time

The PBS Video Collection includes hundreds of documentary films and series from the history of the Public Broadcasting Service into one convenient online interface. A core of 245 titles, selected for their high quality and relevance to academic curricula, covers many educational disciplines, including history, science and technology, diversity studies, business, and current events. This collection provides access to the films and series users already know, including Frontline, NOVA, American Experience, Odyssey, and films by Ken Burns and Michael Wood.

Direct URL: http://ezproxy.csp.edu/login?url=http://search.alexanderstreet.com/pbsv

Trial ends: December 11, 2014

Send feedback and trial ideas to reference@csp.edu.

Trial of Emerald Education eJournal Collection

We are running a trial of the Emerald Education eJournal Collection for the next month, which includes 21 full-text journals. This collection presents global coverage of highly topical areas, including administration, technology, social justice and diversity, and includes key titles like Education + Training and Journal of  Educational Administration. Access this trial at the following URL:  http://www.emeraldinsight.com.ezproxy.csp.edu/

Trail ends: October 8th, 2014.

Below, find instructions on limiting to only the content which we have access to.

1. To see only the content we have access to at the journal title level, go to http://www.emeraldinsight.com.ezproxy.csp.edu/action/showPublications?&userAccess=user

Depending on the browser being used, the user may then have to check the box "Show: Only content I have access to", shown below:

​ 2. To see only content we have access to after performing a search, first go to this URL to perform a search: http://www.emeraldinsight.com.ezproxy.csp.edu/

Perform the search, and then check the box in the right sidebar under Include which says "Only content I have access to" and then click Search to rerun the search.

3. To limit to only content we have access to before searching, go to Advanced Search and check the box under Include which says "Only content I have access to" before submitting your search:

​

Environment Complete: A Multidisciplinary Resource Covering Environmental Topics

This new multidisciplinary database offers deep coverage in the areas of agriculture, ecosystem ecology, energy, and affiliated areas of study.  Full text is available for over 1,000 journals.



Direct URL: http://ezproxy.csp.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?authtype=ip,uid&profile=ehost&defaultdb=eih

Or start your environmental studies at our Subject Guide:
http://libraryguides.csp.edu/environmental-science

Consumer Behavior and Industry Analysis Just Got Easier With Market Research Academic

This new database of lengthy, narrative-style market research reports compliments the industry reports of IBISWorld very nicely, and also has reports on consumer behaviors and market segments.

Sample reports include:

• Foodies in the US: 192 page report
• Non-GMO Foods: Global Market Perspective: 142 page report
• Wireless Opportunities in Healthcare (The Market for Bluetooth, RFID, Zigbee, UWB WWAN, WMAN, WLAN and other technologies): 200 page report
• The iPad and Its Owner: Trends and Statistics 2014: 78 page report
• The African-American Consumer Market, 9th Edition: 142 page report

Access it via this URL: http://ezproxy.csp.edu/login?url=http://www.academic.marketresearch.com

Or start at our Business Management Subject Guide: http://libraryguides.csp.edu/business-graduate

Summon: Your New Search Experience

Summon has replaced WorldCat Local as your new search interface for discovering books, eBooks, peer-reviewed articles, films, music, and other things all at once. The Summon search box can be found on the CSP Library's homepage: http://library.csp.edu. It contains most of our subscribed database content and all of our library holdings from CLICnet (which is scheduled to expire on June 1, 2015).

Try it today! http://csp.summon.serialssolutions.com

Concordia Reflections: interviews with old Concordia students digitized and available!

In the early 1980s, as a part of her sabbatical, the late Concordia librarian Margaret Horn (pic below) interviewed more than twenty former Concordia students living in the south.  Thanks to the Minnesota Digital library, those interviews are now available to listen to and download from the Minnesota Reflections website.  

The interviews are with students who attended the college in the 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s and feature recollections of their experiences at Concordia.  Among other things the former students are asked about:

• teachers they enjoyed and why
• their friendships on and off of campus
• the hierarchy among students
• the places in the Twin Cities that they visited
• the way they paid the bills (i.e. working off campus and through donations)
• extracurricular activities including athletics, clubs, and the hazing of younger students. 

Even in those days, the school was focused on not only cultivating future pastors and teachers for the church body of which it was a part (the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod), but also laypersons possessing the benefit of a Christian liberal arts education.  As such, there are about thirteen interviews with those who went on to become pastors, and eight of those who went on to do other work. 

Take some time in the near future to enjoy listening to some of the interviews!  Again, here is the link for the interviews (and here a link that gets you to all the Concordia items found in the collection)
 

Here is a summary of one of the more colorful interviews with Rudolph Ritz, class of 1935: 

 

"Pastor Ritz, whose mother was the chief cook for Kaiser Wilhelm II, talks about, among other things, why he came to study for the ministry at Concordia, how public school teachers sacrificed extra time to help him learn English and math, the President’s long list of responsibilities at the school (leading chapel, night watchman, his own secretary), outstanding profs and what made them great, the dissection of stray animals for biology classes, how city boys at Concordia avoided hazing and who got it the worst, classroom clowning and fun, playing sports, the difficulties professors faced, the scandal of dating students (dancing, movies), extracurricular night lectures by a professor on sexual matters, a “rebel” student newspaper (the “Rebel Comet”), pro baseball and the St. Paul Saints (Babe Ruth), work outside of school, the conversion of a co-worker to Christianity through his preaching, and an interesting story about a personal letter from President Nixon.”