Students Create Whiteboard Animations

By Olivia Archiblad

As part of their creative writing projects in Dr. Olivia Archibald’s UNI 101 class this fall, students made  RSA animated-style videos in the O’Grady Library’s new multimedia center.  Dr. Belinda Hill, Associate Professor in the Education Department, directed the project.

Dr. Belinda Hill advises Sarah McCreary and Alexis Schupbach on their animation

RSA animations, also known as whiteboard animation and video scribing, involve an “artist” creating cartoon images on a whiteboard as a voice-over narrator explains a concept or, in the case of the UNI project, a personal narrative (we only see the artist’s hand and the whiteboard’s illustrations).

Brooks Ellingsen and Daniel Echtle work out their animation

In the UNI 101 project, students created whiteboard drawings that depicted creative nonfiction stories that they had written in an earlier UNI project.  Each student used an IPAD to create a stop-motion camera effect as the student drew the illustration representing events in the narrative, and then created a voice-over by developing a 1-2 minute telling of the story.

Gabriela Virgen and Emma work out their project

The project was one that, as with other assignments in the class, focused on creativity, imagination, and experimentation, while also encouraging Community as most of the students worked in pairs.

Shea Kelly and James Fielder prepare to start shooting their stories

How Saint Martin's Came to Be

Fr. Peter Tynan, O.S.B.

How did Saint Martin’s University get here? We often take this beautiful place for granted, but just you have a family history, Saint Martin’s has a family history. Why not take a moment to find it out?

On the lower level of the O’Grady Library, just outside the curriculum room you will find a display that talks about our school’s early history. Saint Martin’s comes from a long lineage of monastic schools. In 1890 monks from Saint John’s Abbey in Minnesota heard about the need for priests and schools out in the newly established Washington State (1889). They first came to Tacoma and founded Holy Rosary Parish, whose steeple is easily recognizable from I-5. Once this base parish was established the monastic priest, Fr. William Eversman, began looking for a good location to build a school and monastery. The search was not easy. Land to the north was at a premium. An available location west of Centralia was deemed too remote. What to do?

Fr. William Eversman

Fortunately, the former Olympia mayor and businessman, A. H. Chambers, heard of the monks desire to build a school and felt it would benefit his community. So Chambers contacted the monks and used his connections to have some public land near the Lacey (then called Woodland) train station put up for auction so the monks could build there. Not everyone was excited to have Roman Catholic monks move into the area, however. Members of an anti-Catholic organization attempted to outbid the monks for the land. They failed because the auctioneer deemed the sale to be cash only, which the Chambers and the monks had fortunately brought with them.

A. H. Chambers

The monks began building in January 1895 and sent out a prospectus to towns in the region. Despite having a tuition of $100 plus fees only one student arrived in September at the newly finished schoolhouse, Angus McDonald. Fortunately for the school, more students began to come here and the rest, as they say, is history.

Caricature of Angus McDonald

Come down and learn more about our University’s beginnings at the O’Grady Library.

APA/MLA Gorilla in the Room?

Papers are coming due...need a refresher on APA and MLA styles?



There's a site for that:
http://stmartin.libguides.com/citations

Image by Brett from Flickr
Creative Commons BY NC

JSTOR access issues

For the last few days, there have been intermittent problems accessing journal content on the JSTOR platform.  This is an issue affecting all users of JSTOR (not just here at Saint Martin's), and they are working to correct it.  For more information, please see the link below for updates.

http://about.jstor.org/jstor-help-support/jstor-updates

Day Five • Page Five: Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes

Bailey Walter, M. Div

Assistant for formation and outreach at the School of Theology and Seminary at Saint John's University

In Mark’s gospel, Jesus’ heart is moved by a group of people who are hungry.  Upon receiving the
request to let the people go and buy food, Jesus tells his disciples to feed them. With five loaves and two fish, Jesus and his disciples feed the crowd.  This beautiful illumination captures the multiplication of the loaves and fishes with its abundance of gold and color that consumes much of the page, alluding to the abundance at the divine banquet. Today, our world contains a much larger crowd of hungry people than the 5,000 that Jesus encounters in this story; close to one billion people go hungry each day.

In his Message for World Food Day in 2013, Pope Francis called world hunger a global scandal. Many of us who live in developed countries view food as a luxury and have access to it in abundance. Catholic Social Teaching and Pope Francis remind us that the primary function of food is to nourish our bodies and sustain life. Food is a basic human right for all people. We each have a responsibility to heed Jesus’ instructions that he gave to his disciples when he said, “You give them something to eat” (Mk 6:37).  There are many ways in which we can help: participation in a local food shelf, getting involved with national relief efforts such as Catholic Relief Services, and being conscious of personal food consumption and waste, just to name a few.  How will you respond to Jesus’ call to feed the crowd?


Image credit: Multiplication of The Loaves and Fishes, Donald Jackson, © 2002, The Saint John’s Bible, Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota USA. Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Catholic Edition, © 1993, 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 

Day Four • Page Four: A Reflection on Peter’s Confession

 Rev. Michael Patella, OSB

Professor of New Testament and seminary rector at the School of Theology and Seminary at Saint John's University, Collegeville, MN

In this illumination, Jesus is rendered entirely in gold. He is shown in the center with the enlarged text, “You are the Messiah the Son of the Living God” (Mt 16:16). He is alive, fully incarnate, standing in the midst of a contemporary representation of hell.

The Church is the sacramental presence of Christ in the world.  Just as Satan and the forces of evil tried in vain to eliminate Christ by death, they attempt, also in vain, to eradicate those baptized in Jesus’ name by the same means.  Christ’s words to Peter, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it” (Mt 16:18) is the guarantee that sin and death have long failed in subverting God’s ultimate plan of redemption.

Historians agree that we are in a period of Christian persecution greater in scope than the Church has ever before faced, even greater than the persecutions under ancient Rome. The faith and hope etched on the face of current martyrs, such as the Coptic Christians on the beach in Libya just before ISIS beheaded them, is proof that the gates of Hades (Hell) will not “prevail against it” (Mt 16:18). In Pope Francis’ recent homily celebrating the feasts of Peter and Paul, he commended these martyrs for their supreme witness as they died with Jesus’ name on their lips. Additionally Pope Francis implored that those of us, who are fortunate to experience peace and prosperity, continue to witness to Christ as well as set aside time to pray to God, who does not abandon his children. How else might you stand in solidarity with our Christian brothers and sisters undergoing persecution?


Image credit: Peter’s Confession, Donald Jackson, © 2002,
The Saint John’s Bible, Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Day Three • Page Three: A Reflection on the Ten Commandments

Rev. Michael Patella, OSB

Professor of New Testament and seminary rector at the School of Theology and Seminary at Saint John's University, Collegeville, MN

Human society and civilization depend upon right relationships, and those relationships can only succeed when there is proper respect shown to God and neighbor.  The Ten Commandments, as a compendium of laws foundational to the well-being of all humankind, connects the homage due to God alone (Ex 20:1-11) with the obligations and deportment shown to neighbor (Ex 20:12-17).        

In Laudato Si’ Pope Francis proclaims that when we neglect to identify God as the all-powerful One who alone has created the world, “we end up worshiping earthly powers, or ourselves usurping the place of God” (75). When we place ourselves at the center of the universe, our personal and communal lives will disintegrate and vanish as do the letters at the bottom of the page. Only when we as humans recognize that God is the Lord of the cosmos and we are the fruit of his loving creation do human relationships function in a way that reflects the love and goodness of our Creator.  

Exodus 20:1 says, “Then God spoke all these words...” What does God’s voice sound like as you hear the Ten Commandments? In what ways do God’s commands allow you to love more freely? 


Image credit: Ten Commandments, Thomas Ingmire, © 2002 The Saint John’s Bible, Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota USA. Used by permission.  All rights reserved.

Day Two • Page Two: A Reflection on Abraham and Sarah

Rev. Michael Patella, OSB

Professor of New Testament and seminary rector at the School of Theology and Seminary at Saint John's University, Collegeville, MN

The Menorah, the ancient symbol of Judaism, repeats across the double folio, dominating the illumination.  This is the moment in salvation history where the Lord seals the covenant with Abraham, a moment so important that it is recounted twice, once at Genesis 15:1-21 and again at Genesis 17:1-19.

While Abraham also has a son, Ishmael, through Sarah’s maidservant, Hagar, the Lord forms his covenant through Isaac, the son of Abraham and his wife, Sarah.  Their descendants include Isaac and Rebekah’s son, Jacob, and his twelve sons along with the whole royal line of David, a lineage that ends with Jesus.  For this reason, the Menorah also becomes the primary symbol in the Matthew frontispiece, which recites Jesus’ genealogy and confirms his connection with the Abrahamic Covenant.

Pope Francis reminds us in Evangelii Gaudium, that this covenant between God and the Jewish people has never been revoked (247). As Christians we must honor the sacred roots that our identity has in Judaism. We are enriched by the complementarity of our concern for justice and well-being of peoples, which we have inherited from the Jewish tradition (247-249).

In what ways do you hold the covenant sacred over time?

Image credit: Abraham and Sarah, Donald Jackson, © 2003, The Saint John’s Bible, Saint John’s University,Collegeville, Minnesota. Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Catholic Edition, © 1993, 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Day One • Page One: A Reflection on Creation

Dr. Barbara Sutton

Associate Dean for Formation and Outreach at the School of Theology and Seminary at Saint John's University


In this illumination Donald Jackson, artist and calligrapher, dares to illuminate that which leaves us speechless. Seven days of creation, choreographed by God: heavens and earth, sea and sky, birds and beasts. With eyes of faith, a new ‘world view’ emerges. Chaos turns into order. God calls forth light from darkness; and then breathes life into human kind. In this first panel we see a sliver of gold shining in the center of darkness and chaos.  It explodes outward as if driven by a powerful force that wrestles the remaining days into order with God hallowing the seventh day.  These seven days, hinged with gold, open the doors of a greater mystery that rest in silence on the horizon. Silence is golden. Entering the seventh day requires courage to enter the silence as the Unspeakable shows itself as the thread of light that holds the web of life together.

While this illumination appears to be a well-oiled machine, brought out of chaos and hinged together by God, it is not.  It does not run on its own!  It has been ruptured by sin.  Pope Francis in his Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ suggests that human life is hinged on three fundamental and closely intertwined relationships: with God, with our neighbor, and with the earth itself.  He writes, “The harmony between the Creator, humanity and creation as a whole was disrupted by our presuming to take the place of God and refusing to acknowledge our creaturely limitations.  This in turn distorted our mandate to ‘have dominion’ over the earth (cf. Gen 1:28), to ‘till and keep it’ (Gen 2:15)…our sin is manifest in all its destructive power in wars, violence and abuse, the abandonment of the most vulnerable, and attacks on nature” (66).

On the sixth day God looked at everything and saw it was very good. God wanted us to revel in the Garden and in love.  Woven into the sixth day of this illumination is Chris Tomlin’s coral snake leading us away from resting in God symbolized by the figures turning their backs away from the light.

We live in a world where constant activity is the norm. We run from one event to another, arriving at a new place before our minds and hearts are able to let go of what we were doing or where we were.  We pass through life and do not allow ourselves to experience deeply or be touched by people. We are in need of soul-searching.  We must learn again love, compassion and honor so that we might heal the earth.  How might you be held in the light? Restore harmony to creation?

Image credit: Creation 2, Donald Jackson, © 2003, The Saint John’s Bible, Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota, USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 

O'Grady Library helps celebrate Pope Francis's visit to the United States

In an effort coordinated by the Saint John's School of Theology and Seminary in Collegeville, Minnesota, the O'Grady Library at Saint Martin's University is participating in the "Illuminating the Mission: 7 Pages-7 Days" project to celebrate the historic first visit of Pope Francis to the United States.  In this effort, institutions that hold and display copies of the Saint John's Bible will display for seven days the same page and have a common brief reflection on the image featured on each page as a gesture of unity.

Rev. Michael Patella, OSB, of the Saint John's School of Theology and Seminary said, "These particular Illuminations were specifically chosen because they resonate with values Pope Francis holds dear: hospitality; concern for the poor, sick, and marginalized; the dignity of all people; and care for creation."

SMU's copy of the Saint John's Bible in the entry way of the O'Grady Library

The final volume of the of the Saint John's Bible was recently presented to Pope Francis in April.  Abbot John Klassen, OSB, of Saint John's Abbey reported that the Pope reacted to the illumination of the Vision of the New Jerusalem by "[lifting] his hands with a smile on his face in a gesture of joy and appreciation."1  The volumes are a contemporary illuminated Bible that were commissioned by Saint John's Abbey and University in 1998.

The 7 Pages-7 Days effort will feature illuminations for passages in in the books of Genesis, Exodus, Matthew, Mark, and the Acts of the Apostles.  If you are interested in seeing SMU's copy of The Saint John's Bible or have any questions about it, please contact Fr. Peter Tynan, University Chaplin and Archivist: Fr_Peter@stmartin.edu.

A list of participating institutions includes:

Assumption College - MA	Loyola Notre Dame Library - MD
Azusa Pacific University - CA	Loyola University Chicago - IL
Baptist Theological Seminary - VA	Malone University p OH
Berea College	Molloy College - NY
Brigham Young University - UT	Mount Marty College - SD
Carson Newman College - TN	Mount Saint Mary College - NY
Cathedral Church of St. John - AZ	Mount St. Benedict Monastery - Website
Cathedral of Christ the Light - CA	Saint Agnes Medical Center - CA
Chaminade University - HI	Saint John's University - MN
College of Saint Mary - NE	Saint Martin’s University - WA
Creighton University - NE	St Mary's University College - Canada
Edgewood College - WI	Saint Catherine University - MN
Fairfield University - CT	St. Hubert Catholic Community - MN
Franciscan Renewal Center - AZ	St. John's Cathedral - CO
George Fox University - OR	St. Mary's College - IN
Gonzaga University - WA	Saint Peter's University - NJ
Gustavus Adolphus College - MN	University of Dayton - OH
Holy Family Catholic High School - MN	University of Mary - ND
Houston Baptist University - TX	University of Minnesota - MN
John Carroll University - OH	University of Portland  OR
La Roche College - PA	Xavier University - OH
Loyola Marymount University – CA

1. See "His Holiness Pope Francis Received Final Volume of The Saint John's Bible at the Vatican" on The Saint John's Bible website: http://www.saintjohnsbible.org/promotions/lp/francis/

Welcome Student Workers!

After the usual hectic start of the semester, the 2015-16 contingent of library student workers has been set and oriented on Friday evening, September 11.

Students had training in their various duties, created and presented slides to each other on policies, and decorated library carts which they used in running a relay race.

And, of course, pizza.

Straight from the Ant's Mouth: Food in the Library

Ever wonder about what you can and can't eat in the library?  Student Jessilyn Dagum interviews a sugar ant to clear it all up.

Hey! Where did Academic Search go?

Starting Fall 2015,the library has replaced the EBSCO Academic Search Premier and Business Source databases with two similar ProQuest products, ProQuestCentral and ABI/INFORM Complete.  

The library made the decision to move forward with an Orbis Cascade Alliance offer for a suite of new ProQuest products.  Some of these will be replacing products that we have had for a number of years, like Academic Search Premier, while others will offer brand new content and research tools.  This decision continues the expansion of ProQuest offerings that started last year with new social science databases including:  Social Services Abstracts, Public Affairs Information Service (PAIS), and Sociological Abstracts among others. 

These new products add a suite of subject-specific research tools and content – particularly for the humanities and sciences – that were previously unavailable.  A sample of the new content and tools include:

• FIAF: International Index to Film Periodicals Plus
• International Index to Music Periodicals Full Text
• Environmental Engineering Abstracts
• More than 100,000 full-text dissertations
• See a full list of ProQuest databases

In addition to new content and tools, the ProQuest package offers some significant advantages.  All of the ProQuest content will be findable in the library’s Saints search discovery system (unlike EBSCO), the mix of ProQuest products provides more full text overall, and the new ProQuest interface has a clean look with more filtering options.

While Academic Search and Business Source are no longer available, we continue to subscribe to a number of EBSCO products core to many of the departments and schools on campus including:

• PsycINFO
• PsycARTICLES
• ATLA Religion
• Catholic Periodicals and Lit
• Old & New Testament Abstracts
• Education Research Complete
• Communication & Mass Media
• MLA
• Mental Measurements & TIP

Questions?  Please send an email to Serin Anderson, sanderson@stmartin.edu

Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

The O'Grady Library is sad to see the departure of technology coordinator, Erik Gregory.  An SMU alum, Gregory has worked in the library for much of the past 12 years.  He is leaving his position to become a stay-at-home dad for his two daughters (number two is due within the month).

Erik Gregory poses with his fairy-princess daughter on Halloween 2014

He worked in the library from September 2003 to 2009 while working on his English degree.  He worked at the reference desk, the circulation desk, in the cataloging department, and eventually as evening supervisor.  He returned to SMU in March 2013 to resume as evening supervisor and then became the technology coordinator that summer.

Gregory said working in the library has been a good experience.  He claimed working with the people in the library has been his favorite aspect of his years of service, especially interacting with his co-workers.  "It's easy to work with people you like and respect," he observed.  He found deep satisfaction in supervising student workers, watching them grow and develop.  He said he will also miss working with foreign exchange students, helping them find materials and answering their questions.

Jackie Nordquist, Stefanie Gorzelsky, Gregory, and Serin Anderson chat during his farewell party

Though Gregory will be missed by all of the staff at the O'Grady Library, Jackie Nordquist, who worked under him when she was an undergraduate and is now a library associate, will especially miss working with him.  "Erik's quick wit and humor has always made O'Grady a fun and comfortable place to work.  His presence will be greatly missed and the library will not be the same," she said.

All of us at the O'Grady Library wish Gregory all the best as he devotes more time and attention to his family!

Gregory grabs a piece of pizza during his farewell party.

New STEM Study Space Coming

Work on a new STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) study space is going well.  The new space is on the east end of the Center for Student Learning, Writing and Advising on the lower level of the library.  The space will open up this fall and will initially include several computers, movable tables to facilitate group study, and some white boards.  The space will be updated to include more computers, group computer terminals, more whiteboards, and more tables.


To make this space available, the print periodicals have been moved up to the southwest corner of the upper level of the library...

and the microfiche and microfilm file cabinets have been moved to the main level of the library near the printer alcove and closer to the respective readers for both media.

New library phone numbers

O'Grady Library has migrated to the campus VOIP system (Voice Over IP). As part of the process, most phone numbers in the library are changing:

• Circulation, interlibrary loan, and general information are now 360-688-2260.
• Reference is now 360-688-2261 (but forwarded to Circulation during the summer).

See the library staff directory for individual numbers.

In the short-term, calls to the legacy numbers should be automatically forwarded to the new numbers.

Our thanks to ITS for upgrading the library phones!

Quick Video of the Multimedia Center's Open House

Here's a quick video shot during the Open House for the Multimedia Center, with faculty and student reactions.

New Multimedia Center is Up and Running

On April 27, the O'Grady Library held an open house celebrating the opening of the new Multimedia Center.  The project is part of the movement towards a learning commons model of the library and has been two years in the planning and making, according to Scot Harrison, Dean of the Library.

Key players in the development of the new Multimedia Center, from left to right: Serin Anderson, Scot Harrison, Dr. Irina Gendelman, and Philip Cheek.

Previously, the Multimedia Center consisted of 8 workstations, three study rooms with audio and video editing tools, and the library's video and audio collection.  Now, the center has 19 new workstations with 27-inch monitors--8 stations have dual monitors--all loaded with Adobe Creative Suite 6 and an 84-inch SMART Board.

As the planning team looked at other schools in the area with learning commons, they also saw that several have similar media creation labs.  Harrison noted that they were particularly drawn to similar spaces at Seattle University and Pierce College.

Fr. Peter Tynan, O.S.B. tries out the new 84-inch SMART Board

Dr. Irina Gendelman, director of the new Communication Studies program at Saint Martin's University, is especially pleased to help students follow the advice of musician and community organizer Jello Biafra, who is famous for telling people to stop complaining about the media and "become the media."  Dr. Gendelman looking forward to using the space for instruction.  "One of the things I was interested in," she said, "was having access to the technology for teaching production classes."

The previous iteration of the Multimedia Center was not sufficient for production on the scale Dr. Gendelman had hoped for.  The workstations were not powerful enough to run the editing software and booted slowly, causing many students to become frustrated. 

With Dr. Gendelman's interest in podcasting and the interest of incoming faculty member, Dr. Sonia De La Cruz, in documentary film and filmmaking, this space should see extensive use.  In fact, Dr. Gendelman's course on podcasting and a digital video course have already used it.

Dr. Irina Gendelman shares student-produced podcasts and videos during the open house.

Dr. Gendelman is excited about being able to offer a new set of classes that will tap into students' creativity and interests.  "Now we can offer more production classes," she said.  And, with the recently created KSMU, a student-run radio station, this boost in production capability will allow students to create more podcasts, vlogs (video blogs), and other multimedia pieces.

Harrison said the upgraded space was paid for by the library's building endowment.  "Part of that endowment is to upgrade, keep the building in like-new condition," he said.  Another part of the endowment is for technology improvements, the new Multimedia Center fits in with both aspects of the endowment.

Multimedia Center Open House Monday March 27th 3 - 4 pm

Come see the O’Grady Library’s updated Multimedia Center:

• 19 multimedia workstations with 27” displays (7 with dual monitors)
• Adobe Creative Suite Master Collection for video editing, photo editing, and more
• 84”SMART interactive LED display
• Stereo sound system

The open house will include selected Communication students’ video projects and a technology “petting zoo” (digital camcorders, iPods, and other equipment available for checkout).

Refreshments will be served.  All are welcome!
 
The open house will be followed by a Photoshop workshop from 4 pm - 5 pm.

Photoshop Workshop: Creating Posters Monday April 27th 4 pm

Dr. Irina Gendelman will lead a workshop on creating posters with Adobe Photoshop in the library's recently updated Multimedia Center:

• Where?  O’Grady Library Multimedia Center
• When?  Monday April 27, 2015:  4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
• For whom?  Open to students, faculty, monks, and staff -- geared to Photoshop beginners. 

Please RSVP to Dr. Gendelman (igendelman@stmartin.edu) if you would like to attend.

Saints Search downtime April 12th

Saints Search will experience intermittent downtime on April 12th between 1:00 AM and 5:00 AM.  The system is being upgraded to better withstand hardware failures in the future.

If you're stuck and need to find books or articles for a project during that period, check out some of the library's Research Guides to find other sources!

Additional quick links for help:
Ebrary:  a collection of over 100,000 ebooks
Academic Search: great interdisciplinary source for articles
Gale Virtual Reference: search thousands of subject encyclopedias

Ebooks Library (EBL) now working on and off campus

Ebook Library titles should now be fully available both on and off campus.  If you experience any problems, please email sanderson@stmartin.edu

Problem with Ebook Library (EBL) platform

We are currently experiencing problems accessing e-book titles on the Ebook Library platform.  We're working with the vendor to restore access as soon as possible.

If you're using Saints Search, the "View It" tab will look like this:

If you have any questions, please email: sanderson@stmartin.edu

Saints Search Back Up!

Saints Search is back up and fully functional this morning.  If you have any questions or concerns, please email sanderson@stmartin.edu

Saints Search: problems searching for books, DVDs and other physical materials.

Saints Search is experiencing problems related to an update over the weekend.  Currently, you cannot find books, DVDs and other physical materials at the O'Grady Library OR at other Summit libraries.  This is a Summit-wide issue and we anticipate that it will be up and working correctly sometime Wednesday morning (03/18/25).

Please contact the circulation or reference desk if you need help finding a particular item:
     Reference: 360-486-8803
     Circulation:  360-486-8802

O'Grady Library Architect Passes Away at 80

Today, we at Saint Martin's University, and the O'grady Library in particular, express thanks to the building's architect, Michael Graves who passed away last night in his Princeton, New Jersey home.

Portrait of Michael Graves used by permission of Michael Graves Architecture & Design

Mr. Graves was a world renowned architect and designer, whose clients included Disney, Target, the NCAA, the US Postal Service, Humana Health, Princeton University, Columbia University, the Universities of Virginia and Cincinnati, the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, numerous art foundations, and many others.

Photograph of the O'Grady Library, taken this morning.

1994 sketch of the O'Grady Library from Special Collections, thanks to Father Peter Tynan.

Mr. Graves seemed to have had an affinity for libraries.  Besides the O'Grady Library, he played a roll designing the San Juan Capistrano Library in California, the Clark County Library and Theater in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Denver Public Library, the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library in Topeka, KS, the American Academy in Rome Rare Books Library, the Charles E. Beatley, Jr. Central Library in Alexandria, VA, and the French Institute Library in New York.

Graves was a pioneer of post-modern architecture in the United States, a movement that seeks to combine elements of "high-brow" modern design with functionality and aesthetic pleasure.  He had a profound sense and belief that buildings need to be consciously designed for human use.  In a 2010 interview with ArchDaily.com, he said that architecture must proceed from an "understanding of humanism as it relates to our bodies and our psyche when we occupy our buildings" and is part of a "story that we [architects] tell from the myths and rituals of human activity for the past three or four thousand years."1

In a related vein, he lamented that contemporary architecture may have lost something through becoming more and more driven by computer design.  In a 2012 New York Times column, entitled "Architecture and the Lost Art of Drawing," Graves pointed out that the original meaning of "digits" was fingers, but that we now associate the adjective "digital" almost exclusively with computers and then wondered, "Are our hands becoming obsolete as creative tools?  Are they being replaced by machines?  And where does that leave the architectural creative process?"2  He went on to say that the very act of drawing versus computer rendering embodies a "certain joy in...creation" and is "formative," comparing it to the "way a musician might intone a note or how a riff in jazz would be understood subliminally and put a smile on your face."

Graves will be sorely missed by his associates.  Donald Strum, a long-time employee and Principal of Product Design at Michael Graves Architecture and Design, said,  "I really like my 'kind of family.'  Have for some time.  Will miss my design dad."3

On a personal note, I (Kael Moffat) would like to express my gratitude for Mr. Graves and his gifts. I have benefited from two of his projects.  I currently work in the O'Grady Library, but also spent many happy hours in the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library when I lived in Topeka, Kansas.  Whenever I think of reading books with my children or walking up and down the circular staircase in its rotunda, I will be thankful to the designer of that space.




1 ArchDaily.com.  (2010)  "AD interviews Michael Graves: What is architecture?"  http://www.archdaily.com/86804/ad-interviews-michael-graves/
2 Graves, M.  (2012, Sep. 02).  Architecture and the lost art of drawing.  New York Times.  Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1037549337?accountid=39173.
3  From a phone interview with Sal Forgione of Michael Graves Architecture and Design, 13 March 2015.

The Materials Are Coming, The Materials Are Coming!

Some of the materials for the Media Lab have arived.  In fact, the room has been set up to more or less simulate the space when the desk arrives in a couple weeks.

The computers and screens in the picture are the same kind as will be found in there when the lab is completed and are loaded with Adobe Creative Suite.  Meanwhile, more materials have arrived:

Computer monitors for the Media Lab

The big smart board monitor (reflective wrapping) and a slave monitor to the smart board.

Cables Have Invaded the Media Lab!

The cables are taking over the Media Lab!

Well, maybe that's a bit overly dramatic.  More accurately, though, the Ethernet cables are being pulled in the Media Lab today.  The furniture, computers, and smart board have been ordered and should be invading, I mean, arriving soon!

Interested in video, audio, or image editing?

Great news!  The final details on the new Multimedia Center are getting ironed out!

Library Dean, Scot Harrison, wrote that the "goal  of the Multimedia Center redesign is to provide students with up-to-date technology needed for digital video and audio projects."

Draft diagram of the new multimedia lab (the final design does not include the teacher lectern)

The new Center will have 16 student workstations, an instructor station with a SMART Board or a projector (final decision still hasn't been reached), and several large whiteboards.  The workstations will have 27-inch monitors and four stations will have dual monitors.  The hardware in the three study rooms in the center will also be upgraded and include dual monitors.  All computers will have Adobe Creative Suite 6 Master Collection and high-end processors and graphics cards.

The Center will support semester-long courses, such as COM 300which will focus on podcasting this semester and will include filmmaking later on as well as workshops and will be available to students with multimedia assignments.  It is anticipated that the Center will be especially useful for education students, whose portfolios require video components.

Changes coming to Summit borrowing

In December 2014, the O'Grady Library went live with our new discovery system, Saints Search, as part of the Orbis Cascade Alliance project to merge 37 institutional libraries into a single cloud-based system.  

As of January 8th, content from all thirty-seven Alliance libraries is now integrated and findable in the Saints Search platform.  As a result, the Summit requesting process is undergoing enhancements that will take effect on January 20th, 2015.   Some of the benefits of these changes include fewer authentication requests, the ability to track Summit requests directly in the "MyAccount" feature and a more integrated borrowing experience.

Over the next couple of weeks, there will be a number of configuration changes and testing on the new Summit borrowing process.  If you run into any problems requesting material or have questions about the the system, please contact:

Stefanie Gorzelsky      
Circulation Supervisor
360-688-2254
SGorzelsky@stmartin.edu

OR

Serin Anderson
Electronic Services Librarian
360-486-8813
sanderson@stmartin.edu

Transforming the library's Multimedia Center

The transformation continues.

The shelves have come down in the Multimedia Center which will allow for a long work table and more computers loaded with Adobe Creative Suite.

Looking for Videos and CDs?

If you walk into the Multimedia Center, it might strike you as a bit...well, as a bit sparse.  What happened to the movies and CDs?

O'Grady Library Multimedia Center

No, they haven't deserted you.  They've just moved over to the print reference area on the main floor, where they now occupy the first two shelves.

New Location of the movies and CDs

The movies and CDs are still available to you for check out for a week at a time, so please feel free to come get them for academic or personal use!

Meanwhile, plans are still underway to convert the Multimedia Center into a multimedia production lab where students can create videos, podcasts, and other multimedia presentations.  Plans are pending final approval, but we'll keep you posted!