University Libraries Newsletter
September 2021
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Fall Semester Building Hours |
Marx Library Hours
Mon. - Thurs. 8:00 am - 10:00 pm
Fri. 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sat. 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Sun. 1:00 pm - 10:00 pm
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Students 'Pop by the Library' during Week of Welcome |
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On August 19, 2021, the Marx Library Student Engagement Program hosted an event “Pop By the Library” as part of the Week of Welcome for new and returning students. Students received a bag of candy with Ring Pops/Lollipops/Pop Rocks and a bag of microwave popcorn or snack popcorn. Bookmarks with library information and liaison contacts were also given out to about 100 students. |
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Lattes in the Library during Week of Welcome |
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On August 25th, the Marx Library Student Engagement Program hosted Lattes in the Library for students as part of the Week of Welcome. Students were offered a free iced latte from Starbucks and received information about the Marx Library and the liaison librarians. There were about 90 students who came to the event and received a drink and details about the library.
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University Libraries/ SGA Textbook Initiative
Are you or your students in need of a textbook for a high enrollment, general education class? The University Libraries, with support from the Student Government Association, may be able to help.
Research into affordable learning and textbook costs shows that some students drop out of college or get behind in their work because they cannot afford the cost of their textbooks. The average cost of textbooks for some required courses at USA is $137.52. The minimum cost for some of these books is $35, while the maximum cost is $301. The Marx Library owns some of the textbooks in various editions, but often those editions are outdated and cannot be used by students in current classes.
In order to help alleviate some of the burden, the University of South Alabama Libraries, in 2019, partnered with the Student Government Association to purchase a copy of textbooks for core, general education classes with high enrollment. This initiative was supposed to have been launched in the spring semester of 2020, but like many other projects was postponed because of COVID-19.
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The funding provided by the SGA has been used to purchase some textbooks for high enrollment courses for the fall of 2021. The titles on the SGA Textbook Initiative LibGuide are available now. More will be added as they arrive and are cataloged. All books from this collection can be found in SOUTHcat by searching for "Sponsored by the Student Government Association (SGA)." All titles, except the one ebook, are housed at the Marx Library circulation desk and are available for checkout for one (1) day.
Textbooks are available for the following courses:
AN 100
AN 101
ARH 100
CH 101
ECO 215
ECO 216
EH 226
EH 235
GEO 101
HY 101
MA 125
SY 109
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USA Libraries Host Student Veterans Association Presentation |
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On September 08, 2021, the USA Libraries hosted a presentation given by the Student Veterans Association (SVA). Speaker Simeon Barbour is in the graduate program for history here at South and works as a VA School Certifying Official in the Office of Veteran Affairs at the University of South Alabama. The presentation featured excerpts from the film “The War After,” a 2015 documentary discussing the transition to civilian life and its challenges, followed by questions after each excerpt. USA Libraries would like to thank the SVA for allowing us to host this event as a part of the events for the 20th memorial anniversary of 9/11.
-Heather Hoven
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HIV Peer Educators and Vodcast Series:
Ending the HIV Epidemic
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Rachel Fenske, USA Biomedical Library Outreach Librarian, has teamed up with students from the University of South Alabama (USA) and the University of the Virgin Islands, and experts from the AIDS Education Training Center (AETC) of the Northeast/Caribbean Region, to provide weekly vodcasts on HIV topics all in an effort to bring awareness to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) Initiative. Beginning in October, the HIV Peer Educators and Vodcast Series will support the EHE, which strives to end the domestic HIV epidemic in the United States by 2030. The first phase of the EHE Initiative will focus on areas where HIV transmission occurs most frequently. Alabama is one of seven states with substantial HIV burden among its rural communities, along with 48 other counties in the United States, Washington, D.C, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Furthermore, 20% of the new cases of HIV are among youth. Youth are not getting diagnosed, nor are they receiving adequate treatment and care, and only one-third of youth are virally suppressed. So, in an effort to create awareness and HIV testing among this population, students from both universities will engage in conversations with AETC experts on multiple HIV topics via live streaming vodcasts. The vodcasts will be broadcast from the USA Biomedical YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/user/usabiomed, beginning Tuesday, October 5 at 1 pm CST.
The first session of the series will address the topic, Fact or Fiction? Finding the Truth About HIV. Future sessions will include conversations on HIV testing and confidentiality, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), sexually transmitted infections, and HIV services from the USA Student Health Center. Announcements and promotions will be made on the libraries’ Facebook pages and other social media outlets.
The aim of the project is to have university students communicate among their peers on this important issue as they pose a unique opportunity to engage in powerful conversations on sexual health and are more receptive to learning from their peers. Students from the USA Jag Health Peer Educator Program and the USA Nursing Program will be participating as the USA student representatives. This experience will provide them with skills and knowledge as they engage in community health service and in their professional career.
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Rachel worked collaboratively with her colleague, Debbie Cestaro-Seifer, who is affiliated with AETC Northeast/Caribbean Region, and whom she has worked with in the Virgin Islands for many years, to recruit participation from the students and staff from the University of the Virgin Islands. They saw an opportunity to create a collaborative and multicultural approach to the dissemination of valuable HIV information among youth, not only for those living in the continental United States, but also the U.S. Territory. The U.S. Virgin Islands, comprised of three islands neighboring Puerto Rico, also have high infection rates among its youth. It is hoped that this joint project will assist the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services achieve their goal in the first phase of the EHE Initiative. Students from both universities will learn cultural norms, expand their global community health knowledge, and become enriched by the experience.
The vodcast series will begin Tuesday, October 5 with additional sessions held Tuesday, Oct 12; Friday, October 22; Friday, October 29; and Friday, November 5. All vodcasts begin at 1pm CST.
Any questions about the project can be directed to Rachel F. Fenske, rfenske@southalabam.edu.
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Marx Library Student Engagement Committee Wins Award |
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The Marx Library Student Engagement Committee, chaired by Stephanie Ard, was awarded a $200 Campus Takeover National Voter Registration Day Grant by the National Voter Registration Day organization.
The funds were used to purchase promotional materials and supplies for the Marx Library’s voter registration drive, which was held on Tuesday, September 28, from 10AM to 2PM on the first floor of the library, across from Starbucks.
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University Libraries Recent Publication & Staff Updates |
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Brianna Lewis - (Started September 17th) Library Technical Assistant I, Circulation, Marx Library.
Sarah Rocha - (Started September 7th) Library Technical Assistant I, Circulation, Marx Library
Sharon Tayler - (Effective July 19th) Administrative Assistant, University Libraries Administration.
Paula Webb - Paula Webb, Outreach and Communications Librarian, USA Libraries, has an article, "From Thailand to the Loop," published in the September edition of Mobile Bay Magazine.
Melodie Williams - (Started September 28th) Secretary V, University Libraries Administration.
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USA Libraries Art Galleries hosts September 11th Exhibit in Rodning Gallery |
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USA Libraries Social Media Links |
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Have you checked out our Social Media sites?
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