Treasures from the Archive: Luther Statue

On October 30, 1921, our statue of Martin Luther was installed on campus. This week marks the 94th anniversary of the installation. We recently had a number of silent films from our archive digitized through Minnesota Reflections. This film is from the dedication ceremony of the Luther Statue.

Halloween: Staff Picks!

by Jackie Martini, Library Social Media Student Worker

Halloween approaches and everything is getting spooky (and darker!)!  The CSP library staff is busily working away--not just in the aftermath of the Harry Potter trivia night, but on future displays and events as well--but I got some of them to slow down for a few minutes and talk to me about a topic near and dear to everyone’s heart: books.  I got all kinds of answers to my question, Do you have a favorite fall/Halloween/scary read, author, or genre that you pick up this time of year for a good read?

"Halloween makes me want to read anything by Neil Gaiman: Coraline, The Wolves in the Walls, and the Sandman graphic novel series are particularly great for the Halloween season." -Megan

"There’s nothing “themed” right now--I’m reading Harry Potter, of course, and I love to write fall-themed pieces.  I would say it’s a very creative time for me!" -Amber


"I don't necessarily do a favorite Halloween read, but I can tell you about the book that terrified me when I first read it: Salem's Lot by Stephen King. It was the first King book I read when I was a teen, and not really knowing anything about it, I brought it with me to a babysitting job --and this was back in the pre-cable days when broadcast channels all went off the air around 1 am, so no TV to watch.
So... two little kids asleep, strange house, middle of the night, creepy vampire book... it totally freaked me out! I had to stop reading and hide the book under the sofa cushion!" -Jeanine

"I increase the amount of theology I read this time of year, particularly about the Reformation.  For more, see my new display downstairs on where All Saint's Eve came from!" -Nathan

"This is a challenging question for me since I really dislike all of the creepy stuff and have no typical Halloween/Fall reading habits. Usually it's whatever happens to strike my interest. This year, it just so happens, I'm in the midst of rereading the entire Harry Potter series. Currently I'm in the middle of book 2." -Jennifer

"I don’t have anything themed that I read specifically at this time.  I try to read one book a week.  I’m falling down on that a little, but I really like Stephen King things!" -Patrick

"I don’t do any themed reading, but I do watch Hocus Pocus every year!"  -Priscilla

Do you have a favorite fall read? Share it with us in the comments!

Q & A with a Librarian: Pang Kou Yang

Hometown:  St. Paul

Position:  Evening & Weekend Reference Librarian

How did you end up working at CSP?

I'm an alum!  I was a student worker while I went to school here so it made a lot of sense to come back and take the reference position.

When did you decide to be a librarian, and what did you go to school for?

I started working at the circulation desk and got interested in my senior year, so kind of late.  I love working in the library and finding information!  I decided to take that extra step and get the degree--Master of Library and Information Science.

What's it like being part of a mixed student/adult staff?

It is different from my usual experience working in a public library setting. I like it. It brings back my college years working in the library.

What's your dream job?

I do love working here, but I would love to be a public librarian full-time.  Right now I'm working here at Concordia part-time, and also over at the Dale Public Library part-time.

What's your favorite part of your job?

I love helping people with the research for a paper!  Just helping someone is a good feeling, and I like meeting and talking to the students as well.

What is your favorite book?

I have many favorite books!  One of my favorite is a children's book, The Rainbow Fish.  I read it to some kids for a class assignment and had a lot of fun!

Interview conducted by Jackie Martini, the CSP Library's social media student worker.

Treasures from the Archive: Dick Siebert

As the professional baseball season is coming to a close, let’s highlight one of Concordia’s "claims to fame": Dick Siebert. Before Richard “Dick” Siebert played first base for the Philadelphia Athletics and became one of the greatest coaches in college baseball history, he played baseball for Concordia Academy and Concordia College.

College Baseball Team, 1929 or 1930. Dick "Lefty" Siebert is center of the seated row. 

“Lefty” was pitcher for the Concordia Comets. During the 1929 season, his junior year of college, he was approached by a scout for the St. Louis Cardinals; however, Dick had every intention of become a Lutheran minister and wanted to continue his education at Concordia Seminary. While at Seminary, baseball continued to tug at Dick’s heartstrings until he got an offer he couldn’t refuse and signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1932. Between 1932 and 1945, Dick played pro baseball with the Dodgers, Cubs, Cardinals, and finally, the Philadelphia A’s as the first baseman. During the off season, Dick coached basketball for Concordia, Saint Paul high school and junior college.

1937 Concordia Comets basketball team. Coach Dick Siebert's first year as basketball coach.

In 1948, he took a job as head coach for the University of Minnesota Golden Gopher’s baseball team. Over the next 30 years, Coach Siebert became one of the greatest coaches in college baseball history, was twice named as college baseball’s Coach of the Year, is a member of the College Baseball Hall of Fame, and a recipient of the Lefty Gomez Trophy for outstanding contribution and service to college baseball.

Q & A with a Librarian: Elizabeth Jacobson

Hometown: Roseville, MN

Position: Night/Weekend Reference Librarian

So, Elizabeth: how did you come to work at the CSP library?

I've known Greg and some of the other librarians for several years - Greg called or emailed me, I can’t remember which, and asked if I was interested!  I was a student worker [in the library] when I was at CSP for my undergrad studies.  That’s how I got interested in library work.

How interesting!  So did you always want to be a reference librarian?

I actually didn't intend to be a reference librarian, but I knew right away that I wanted to be a college librarian.  As a student, I was into cataloging and a lot of the behind-the-scenes work, but now I realize I probably do want to be a reference librarian instead!

What do you like so much about the reference position?

It’s such a new position to me!  The thing that makes it the most attractive and fun is getting to help students, even if it’s a small or simple or seemingly mundane thing, like the printers - it’s satisfying to help guide someone to the information they need!  Hopefully they learn to use the resources we show them for their future research, too.

What is your favorite thing to research?

That’s a hard question!  I guess the arts, because I have a bigger background in them, so they’re more exciting to me personally.  

What are you most excited about in terms of events coming up?

Definitely excited about the Harry Potter trivia night!  It would be fun to be Snape.  I have a long black robe a lot like his from graduation.  I would need a long plastic nose, though.  I was also very impressed with all the banned book displays.

Do you have any advice for students going into the library sciences division?

Sure!  My big advice is that if your program offers a practicum, you should definitely do it.

Last question!  What one thing would you like to tell everyone about the library?

It’s an awesome place with awesome librarians who really want to help you!

Thank you Elizabeth!  Welcome to the library!

Interview conducted by Jackie Martini, the CSP Library's social media student worker.

Treasures from the Archive: Homecoming, Birth of a Tradition

Homecomings are a deep rooted tradition in many schools and Concordia is no different. In fact, this Saturday marks 46 years since the school’s first college homecoming! That’s not to say that this was our first ever homecoming. In fact, the homecoming tradition started in 1949 with Concordia High School and its Meteors.

When football was first introduced on campus it was only a high school sport. The first homecoming was a week of prep rallies and build up as the theme of “Wreck Breck” was taken to heart by the students. Yet on game day, it was the Meteors who were wrecked, 19 to 38. Though the first big game was a loss, the enthusiasm leading up to it helped cement football into our school’s structure.

After a 2 year hiatus during the high school merger, 1969 brought the triumphant return of football to campus under Athletic Director Robert Barnes. Our first college homecoming was on Friday, September 26. Concordia faced Northwestern and history was not repeated as the Comets won 14 to 6!

Enjoy OktoBEARfest this year!

- Michael

The following photos are from 1969 Homecoming celebration and the 1969 football season:

President and Mrs. Poehler at the 1969 Homecoming Banquet. 

1969 Homecoming Queen candidates await coronation. Anne Andrich (far left) was crowned Concordia's first Homecoming Queen. 

1969 Comets. Concordia's first college football team. 

Co-captains Phil Mueller and Mike Bailey present Concordia's first game football to President Poehler. 

Concordia Comettes, the college drill team. 

1969 Pep Band

Michael Hernick recently graduated from Concordia University, Saint Paul with a major in History. He spent his summer buried in the Archive digging up interesting nuggets of Concordia's history. We will be highlighting his work with Throwback Thursday post, Treasures from the Archive, throughout the year!

A Student Perspective: Banned Books Week

by Jackie Martini

Banned Books Week comes and goes every year.  Libraries, bookstores, and schools tend to display banners, posters, bookmarks, t-shirts, and sometimes even actual displays full of books that are or were banned at one point.  For a whole week, “banned” books are more proliferous than any other kind.  What gives?  What is it all about?

Banned Books Week is more than just an excuse for book lovers to wear the colors red and black; it is a celebration of the freedom to read and the freedom from censorship of any kind, the week dedicated to a particular focus on the written word. 

Throughout history, people seeking to oppress others have burned books that do not fit into their world view.  One of the most famous examples is Adolf Hitler, whose oppressive laws on what books were or were not allowed were a mere foreshadowing of the horrors to come.  As Heinrich Heine (1797-1856), himself a controversial author, poet, journalist, and critic, said, “Where they have burned books, they will end in burning human beings” – and this idea has been shown time and time again as oppressors attacked and destroyed the libraries of Alexandria, numerous university libraries, the original collection of the United States Library of Congress, the early braille books in Paris, and hundreds of other examples. 

The freedom to read has never meant only the freedom to access paper printed with ink.  It stands for the freedom of communication, the freedom of ideas, and the freedom of personhood.

Seeing that the United States had its own problem with censorship, one Judith Krug – a prominent First Amendment and library activist – founded the first Banned Books Week in 1982 after a sudden surge in book challenges and bannings in schools, bookstores, and libraries.  Readers, publishers, librarians, booksellers, and schools began to gather behind the movement, and today almost every American school-age child has seen the effects, though many are too young to understand exactly how significant the last week in September truly is.

According to the American Library Association, over 11,000 books have been challenged since the first Banned Books Week.  In 2014 alone, over 300 challenges were made to the Office of Intellectual Freedom.  Banned Books Week is about bringing these besmirched darlings into the light – books which include things like “foul” language and unorthodox or unpopular ideas – by calling attention to these works. 

CSP joins the ranks of thousands of other establishments each year, and it’s something our librarians get very excited about.  This year, there are display cases set up throughout the library, and the library’s social media presence for the week is dedicated to spreading the word.  To see what books our library has – full of words and ideas challenged by someone, somewhere – stop in and simply check out a display, find us on on Facebook and Twitter, or ask a librarian about Banned Books Week and the books that it celebrates.  Our librarians are very excited to share this week, the love of reading, and the freedom of information with anyone and everyone seeking the knowledge.

The top ten most frequently challenged books of 2014 are as follows:

1.  The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie

2.  Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi

3.  And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell

4.  The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison

5.  It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris

6.  Saga, by Brian Vaughan and Fiona Staples

7.  The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini

8.  The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky

9.  A Stolen Life,  by Jaycee Dugard

10.  Drama, by Raina Telgemeier

The list and reasons for their challenges as well as additional information can be found at www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10.

Jackie Martini is a senior at Concordia and a student worker in the CSP Library. She will be writing "A Student Perspective" blogs posts throughout the 2015-16 school year. Stay tuned for more of her work!