Library After Hours - Dr. Carol Gilbertson

Dr. Carol Gilbertson

Last Friday, Iowa author (and Luther Professor Emerita of English) Dr. Carol Gilbertson was our fist speaker for the "Library After Hours" series.  She shared her poems and experiences, reading from her latest publication From a Distance, Dancing, which was a finalist in the Finishing Line Press annual chapbook contest.  From Luther's website: "One reviewer calls the poems 'smart, witty, honest, and passionately intelligent.' Another reviewer writes that one of the poems is 'the most perfect description of rural life I have ever read.'" Dr. Gilbertson also spent time visiting classes and meeting Grand View students and faculty throughout the day. We had a very nice turn out, especially considering the approaching snow and the fact that it was on a Friday evening--25 attendees (plus 4 librarians). It was a particular treat for me because of the Luther connection--though I didn't have any classes with Dr. Gilbertson when I was a student at Luther, it was still nice to meet her and some of the Luther alumni that came to hear her read.  (I did have to tell my boss, during the reception after the reading, that Luther people tend to linger--no matter the department--English, Music, Theater--we always seem to be "those people" who are probably a little to loud and who are the last to say goodbye.) Below are some photos from the evening.

Area Luther alumni who attended Library After Hours.

Top Ten List: Number Ten

From the Iowa Library Association/ACRL Conference, in reverse chronological order:

10. Seeking Wisdom in Community: Shaping a First-Year Research Experience given by Andi Beckendorf, Germano G. Streese, of Luther College

• This session was particularly interesting to me, partially because I'm a Luther grad, and also because this program targets first-year students and their learning experiences. As a transfer student into Luther, I did not take Paideia. While I had heard stories about the course from my friends, this session allowed me to see the instructor side of the course. Germano and Andi provided a brief history, how they identified the need to modify the program (both the course and library approach). With new needs identified, the library was able to utilize LibGuides to support student learning. This integration led to changes in what was observed at the reference desk; questions shifted from the seemingly simple "how do I," skill-based questions (that can be answered with a set of directions), to more complex, strategy-based questions.
  

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