Milne Librarian Joins in Katrina Relief During Spring Break

Liz Argentieri, reference/instruction and special collections librarian, was one of nearly 50 SUNY Geneseo students and staff who traveled to Gulfport, MS, March 9-17, 2007 to help rebuild homes devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The work trip, billed as “alternative Spring Break,” was the latest of several trips organized by Livingston CARES, a college and community organization of volunteers dedicated to providing long-term recovery assistance to hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast communities, especially in Harrison County.

The group left by bus at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 9, and arrived in Gulfport at 3 p.m. the following day. The first order of business was to get settled with the host recovery center, the North Carolina Baptist Men’s Christian Association, which has been using a local armory to house, feed, and supply disaster response volunteers from all over the country. The Geneseo group was housed at a nearby Baptist church, but took meals (and showers!) at the armory.

The first full day in Harrison County, Sunday, was spent visiting sights along the coast in Gulfport and Biloxi and simply bearing witness to Katrina’s horrible aftermath. In the afternoon, the group tackled its first project: helping to restore a county-owned greenhouse that had been damaged by the hurricane and subsequently overrun with wild growth. It was cleared out in no time, ready for the next phase of its restoration, much to the delight of Harrison County Beautification Director, Cindy Simmons.

The volunteers were divided into smaller teams for the rest of week, each assigned to an individual home in Gulfport. Some of the tasks included removing and replacing drywall, installing floor tile, scraping and painting, hauling away debris from yards and homes, installing bathroom fixtures, and generally helping homeowners get their properties back to (or better than) their pre-Katrina condition. Although everyone was tired by the end of each long workday, most still found the energy in the evening to play soccer on the beach or walk to the Dairy Queen for a much-deserved break.

By 5:45 p.m. on Friday, March 16, the bus was pulling away from the NCBM recovery center for the last time and beginning the 22-hour return trip to Geneseo. The next Livingston CARES trip will take place May 13-19, 2007. For more information, including work trip reports, visit the Livingston CARES website.

Habitat for Humanity 2005 Gulf Coast photo exhibit

Geneseo Habitat for Humanity is sponsoring an exhibit that shows dramatic photos of the heartache and devastation caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the hope and renewal offered by volunteers in the Gulf Coast. “Operation Home Delivery: Habitat for Humanity Responds to the Gulf Coast Hurricanes” will be on display for viewing from March19 - April 6, 2007 in the Milne Gallery.

“As other issues capture our attention, it is easy to forget that people affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita are still struggling to recover,” said Geneseo student and chapter representative Catherine Urban. “This exhibit is a vivid and compelling reminder — not only of the terrible loss, but of the amazing resilience of those affected and the incredible work of Habitat for Humanity volunteers to rebuild.”

Immediately after Hurricane Katrina and then after Hurricane Rita, Habitat for Humanity’s Operation Home Delivery program began putting plans in place to help low-income families in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Alabama affected by the storms build homes as part of the region’s long-term reconstruction. Nearly 15,000 volunteers from around the United States and Canada have been traveling to the Gulf Coast to help Habitat for Humanity’s rebuilding efforts. To date, nearly 400 homes have been built or are under construction in the Gulf Coast thanks to the efforts of Habitat volunteers.

The organization has raised more than $121 million to date for Gulf Coast reconstruction, much of it from local individuals and community groups. By mid-summer of 2007, the organization expects to have built 1,000 hurricane-recovery houses along the Gulf.

Need help with your research? Schedule a meeting now for after Spring Break!

As the semester and your schedules get busier and busier, don't forget about all those pesky research projects that will be due anytime from the week after Spring Break to the end of the semester. Milne Library's Reference Librarians are ready to help you with your research!

By scheduling a Student Research Consultation, a librarian will set up a one-on-one meeting with you, at a time that's convenient for all involved, and will work closely with you on the specific needs for your research. Save time! Get better grades! By scheduling one meeting with a librarian, you could have most, if not all, of your research complete within 30 minutes.

Set up a meeting today and arrange a time to meet after Spring Break. You will be so happy you did!

Additionally, one-on-one meetings are available to work on technology projects. Sign up for a Student Technology Consultation and have a software specialist help you create a professional looking Powerpoint, Website, or InDesign poster presentation.

New Films at Milne

Did you know that Milne Library has a collection of popular and hard to find dvds and videos? Want to see Crash or read a positive or
negative review of it? How about Brokeback Mountain, Rent, or Frieda? Milne Library also subscribes to a number of journals about Film Studies including Film Comment, Film and History and Film Literature Index Online.

To Browse feature films in our collection by go to GLOCAT, do a Subject Keywords search and type in feature films. To browse foreign films, follow the above actions but search for foreign films as Subject Keywords. You can also browse the PN1997 section upstairs to find new and classic films.

The New Books List lists titles of new or soon-to-be-aquired films.

Father, Son and Holy War (vhs) is on the new books display and is by Anand Patwardhan. In his film, Patwardhan explores the relationship between notions of masculinity and violence. If you've seen it, or any of the films in our collection and have something to say about them, just click the comments link below and let us know what you think.

Library Hours for Spring Break

The library will close at 4pm on Friday, March 9th for Spring Break. Additional Spring Break hours are listed below:

Friday, March 9	7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Saturday - Sunday, March 10-11	CLOSED
Monday - Friday, March 12-16	8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 17	CLOSED
Sunday, March 18	6:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.

Regular Milne Library hours and department hours are posted here.

Four Teachers Honored at TLC Event

Four outstanding Geneseo teachers were honored on Thursday, February 22nd in the Milne Library Common Area.

Dori Farthing, Geology, Yuichi Tamura, Sociology, Eric Helms, Chemistry, and Alice Rutkowski, English were honored at the hour long ceremony. After a brief introduction by Teaching and Learning Center director Cristina Geiger, President Dahl took the podium to briefly discuss the contributions made by these outstanding educators.

Following the introduction, each honoree was formally introduced by a faculty colleague. These introductions shed light on the contributions made by the honorees to their departments and the campus as a whole.

The honorees each spent a few minutes discussing their approach to teaching and sharing some strategies that they used in the classroom.

Following the ceremony guests stayed for refreshments and to chat with the honorees.