Posted on October 8, 2018
This year is the bicentennial of the publication of what is arguably the first science fiction novel, Frankenstein. Given the questions it raises about the nature of humanity and the role of science and technology in our lives, we are celebrating its birthday!
Read the book (linked below, or available in print at the Library) before the end of the month. Then, join us on Friday, October 26 at 6 pm in Morton Library’s Multimedia Room on the 3rd floor to watch one of the most iconic and comedic of the Frankenstein films. This will be followed by a discussion of the themes in the book and how they are reflected in the film. Pizza and drinks will be served, as well, so please be sure to register below for the event.
| This copy of the free ebook is available on Project Gutenberg. You can read it on any smart device or on other computer equipment.
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The audiobook version of the novel. Download and play on any smart device! You just need to log into our audiobook catalog to borrow it.
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Posted on August 17, 2017
During the spring semester of 2017, thirteen students in the Blended Learning MACE degree program participated in a Curriculum and Resources class taught by Cindy Kissel-Ito and Ann Knox. In addition to reading about educational theory, evaluating programs in their own churches and exploring and evaluating learning resources online and in print, each student also created a curriculum plan for a learning experience in their own setting.
As more and more church leaders come to the Instructional Resource Center looking for guidance in discovering sound online curriculum, we encouraged these current and future educators to consider sharing the curriculum that they write with the broader church. They agreed to let us share their classe assignments and although we can’t post all of them, we chose a sampling that including something for elementary grades, youth and adults. You are free to use these resources as long as you attribute authorship to the student that wrote it. Just click on the link in each title and download the PDF file.
We hope you can use the work of these students in your congregations!
The View From the Mountain_Scripture Art and Advent
Recent graduate Claudia Calhoun from Kilmarnock, VA created a four week Advent study for adults to “engage learners in a new way of seeing and interpreting scripture through paintings, sculpture and photography.” With her clear directions and rich resource list, Claudia feels like you don’t have to be an art expert to bring this class to life.
Developing Intentional Outreach: Retreat Design for High School Youth
Current MACE student Pam Fusting (to graduate in 2018) conceived This conceived of this event after stepping into the leadership of a group that verbalized a desire to participate in “mission and service,” but whose ongoing service and outreach activities involved no interaction with actual recipients and very little education and/or theological reflection. It is designed primarily for youth groups in urban settings but with some adaptation can be adapted to suburban church youth groups as well.
God Alive: Global Village Program for 5th Graders
This program, while very specifically designed for a particular church and particular age group, is a good example of how to plan and write curriculum within a broader understanding of how elements of a congregation’s Christian education program work together. Leigh Sackett, church educator at Raleigh Court Presbyterian Church in Roanoke, VA and an upcoming MACE graaduate in the Blended Learning program shares an overview of the God Aive program, an outline for the 14 week Global Village program and evaluation questions designed for parents and participants.
An example of how this program is fleshed out can be seen in this plan for Session 1.
Posted on January 8, 2017
UPDATE: The William Smith Morton Library in Richmond will open at 8 am on Tuesday, January 10, 2017.
William Smith Morton Library will be closed due to inclement weather on Monday, January 9, 2017. The Seminary is also closed. We will keep you alert to any changes that may happen to our regular schedule for Tuesday, January 10, 2017. Please check our Facebook page for the most up to date announcements about the Library schedule which is not always the same as the campus schedule. We will also have an announcement on the home page of the Library website if there are schedule changes.
(And thanks to UPSem student Rebecca Cummings for the lovely picture of the Library in the snow!)
Posted on October 13, 2016
The last week has been full of changes for the Library! Last Thursday, we went live with our new website and the Library staff in Richmond and Charlotte has been updating and tweaking pages virtually nonstop since then. Today, Oct. 13, we unveiled our new library catalog that allows our patrons to see database items and physical items in one search. Our new catalog offers lots of new functionality as well – we can now email your loan receipt, you can text yourself the information for a book you find in the catalog, you can see book jackets. But there’s lots more and we’ll be offering training on both Richmond and Charlotte campuses in the coming days to allow you to use all these tools more effectively.
We’ve been immersed in these changes for quite awhile, but they are new to you and we want to hear from you about what you like and what isn’t working so well for you. We fully expect to make some changes to these new offerings in the next few months, and we want to make them with your end experience in mind. So please take some time to fill out the form below and share your thoughts with us. We are listening!
Posted on September 30, 2016
The time has come for us to make the move to our new Library system. During a two-week transition period, there will be substantial changes that will affect our users. PLEASE refer to this announcement for help in knowing what to expect.
MONDAY OCT 3 – Library Catalog Goes “Read-Only”
- On this date, the Library’s current catalog will become “read-only.” This means that you will not be able to access your own personal account in our online catalog, to check for due dates, renew items, etc. If you need to renew an item or consult your transaction history, please contact the Circulation Desk and ask for their assistance.
- You will still be able to look up call numbers and other information in our catalog, but it will not include updated, real-time data. So you won’t be able to tell whether an item is currently on the shelf by looking at its catalog record.
- We will be able to check out items as needed, EXCEPT for Course Reserves. During this two-week period, there will be no overnight lending of course reserve materials. Please be prepared to photocopy materials you may need after open hours.
- If you need to return items, we can accept them, but there will be no item check-ins during this period. No fines will be assessed against you for unprocessed returns.
- In Richmond, we will continue to request Interlibrary Loans from other institutions as needed. You may continue to use the ILL Request Form found in our current catalog. To borrow or return an ILL item, please go to Jay McNeal’s office in the Instructional Resource Center.
WEDNESDAY OCT 5 – New Library Website Begins
- On this date, the redesigned and updated Library website will become active. The site you have relied upon as the portal for Library information, library.upsem.edu, will have a new appearance and organization.
- We think you will find the new structure easy to navigate. For access to the catalog and the online databases, use the links found under RESEARCH & RESOURCES.
- On this date, the Charlotte Library Facebook page will be shut down and all social media posts will be consolidated in our combined Instagram (@upsemlibrary) and Facebook page (http://facebook.com/UPSemLibrary).
WEDNESDAY OCT 12 – Catalog Stop
- This date will be the last on which we will be using our old catalog. The Charlotte campus library transactions will end at 4:00 pm, and at 6:00 pm the William Smith Morton Library will stop all transactions. The Richmond building will remain open for study but there will be no Circulation available.
THURSDAY OCT 13 – New Catalog Comes Online
- Beginning on this date, we will be testing and finalizing all operations in the new Library system. All functions will become active as they are checked and cleared. We expect some wrinkles and surprises on this day and possibly the next. Please have patience as any problems are addressed and corrected.
AFTER OCT 13
- Even after our “go live” date, there will be many improvements and refinements to come. The main issue that will affect users is off-campus access to our electronic resources. At first, we will carry on very much like we do now, with your network user ID and password for access to the online databases and other electronic tools, and your barcode/PIN login for your Library account. But our ultimate goal is a “single sign-on” system, which will enable you to login just once to our system and move seamlessly to all of our applicable resources.
TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES – Oct 17-Nov 28
- In Richmond, Ann Knox is organizing a series of training events in the Digital Learning Lab, beginning on Oct 17. These will be informal 45-minute briefings on the use of the new systems, answering your questions, etc. Because there are only 10 places in the DLL, it will be necessary for you to sign up in advance to reserve your spot! (We can add more sessions if requested.)
- In Charlotte, David Mayo will be training an OT class and introducing them to the new system on Oct 15. There will also be a short open class on Oct 22, and on other Saturdays during November.
We wish to express our thanks to the “Hal Todd Library Without Walls” initiative that is making this new system possible. Once everything is in place, we think users will be delighted. You’ll wonder how we ever managed without it!
We do apologize for any awkwardness, confusion and inconvenience that may accompany this transition. Thank you for your patience!
Posted on September 29, 2016
Our new library system is launching on October 13, and we think you’re going to be excited about all you can do in this system! Integrated searching will bring up all books as well as all database articles, you can text yourself information about a title from within the catalog, searching will be possible directly from the home page and you’ll eventually be able to search the catalog from Facebook! But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Our reference librarian, Paula Skreslet, will be working on updating tutorials, but if you want to get started learning about our new system immediately after it launches, be sure and sign up for classes offered in the Digital Learning Lab (Room 203,Morton Library) beginning October 17!
For the Lunch in the Lab series, feel free to bring your lunch and beverage (in a covered container please). Sessions will focus on different facets of our catalog. We only have room for 10 people in each class, so register early. We will alert you here when a class is filled. All classes meet between 1:15 – 2:00 pm.If you can’t attend the classes we’ve scheduled, contact the leader for each class and make arrangements for another session or tutorial.
- Monday, October 17 – Catalog Basics (Ryan Douthat, Electronic Services Librarian) – Explore searching from the library home page, results pages displaying books or databases, faceted searching (a different approach in this system than you may be used to), determining item availability and format.
- Monday, October 31 – Catalog Basics (See above)
- Friday, November 4 – Searching Databases (Paula Skeslet, Reference Librarian) – How to search our databases using advanced and faceted searching, retrieving full text articles and requesting articles we do not hold via ILL.
- Monday, November 7 – Your Account and My Lists (Paula Skreslet, Reference Librarian) – Using your personal account functions to monitor your Library activity and to create and save personalized lists.
- Friday, November 11 – Searching for Media, Curriculum and Sermons (Ann Knox, Instructional Resource Center Director) – Searching for curricular material using Scripture passage or theme, age level, publisher, etc. You’ll also learn how to find individual sermons from within a book of sermons and how to locate only media items.
- Monday, November 14 – Interlibrary Loan (ILL) from within our new system and website (Jay McNeal, ILL specialist) – You can now make interlibrary loan requests for items or articles we do not own directly from our catalog,as well as through a web-based form.
