CSU Libraries’ Suggested Novels and Dramas to Read

In 2013, Republican and Idaho State Senate Education Committee Chairman, John Goedde, introduced legislation for all high school students in the state to read Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, in order to graduate. This requirement, and novel, greatly encourages and is referenced by many Tea Party members, before the legislation and now. This signifies how literature is still a significant, administrative influence and inspiration outside a library or college campus.

The Simon Schwob Memorial Library encourages the reading habits of its patrons and students; however, not all books closed are meant to stay that way. On any campus, a collegiate environment inspires many to become more serious about his or her studies. Regardless of students’ major, of study, or a patrons’ intent to conduct their research, there is simply a list of novels and dramas that many are presumed to, and should be, familiar with.

Each year the New York Best-Sellers list features familiar and new authors and writers. The British and Western canon is becoming larger with new, contemporary contributions; however, certain literary works are not as appreciated or read by millennials and bibliophiles, as they should. Here are CSU Libraries’ suggested novel and dramas lists.
**Lists are not in any order of significance.

Novels

 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Night, Day, and Dawn by Elie Weisel

Middlemarch by T.S. Eliot

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand            
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton

How the Other Half Lives by Jacob Riis

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

Hard Times by Charles Dickens

The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Wuthering Heights by Elizabeth Brontë

For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce

The Awakening by Kate Chopin

Animal Farm and 1984 by George Orwell

The Color of Water by James McBride

Walden by Henry David Thoreau

A Good Man is hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora N. Hurston

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

Beloved by Toni Morrison

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

Songs of Innocence and of Experience by William Blake

On the Road by Jack Kerouac

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce          
Candide by Voltaire
Curious Wine by Katherine Forrest

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angeluo

                                                                       

Dramas

The Histories, Tragedies, and Comedies of William Shakespeare

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

Six Characters in Search of an Author by Luigi Pirandello

Spring Awakening by Frank Wedekind

The Colored Museum by George C. Wolfe

She Stoops to Conquer by Goldsmith

The Way of the World by Congreve

Arsenic and Old Lace by Joseph Kesselring

Mother Courage and Her Children by Bertolt Brecht

The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World by Suzan-Lori Parks

A Streetcar Names Desire by Tennessee Williams

Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett

A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen

Long Day’s Journey into Night by Eugene O’Neill

After reading a few pieces of literature, one is not considered a literati; yet, it is advised that readers maintain their passion to read. As the semester comes to an end, CSU libraries encourages many, particularly bibliophiles, to review the list of canonical literature. For more information about reading selections, browse CSU libraries official page and CSU Gil-Find Catalog to locate items. 

5 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do at the Schwob Library

The CSU Libraries encourage scholastic integrity and studious work ethic both on campus and off-campus while students are away on spring break. For many students and patrons of the Simon Schwob Memorial library, it may become harder to him or her to find activities or things to do in the library. Here are a few suggestions that may interest all readers and visitors of the Schwob library.

5. Become a Film Buff
The main campus library, the Schwob Memorial Library, offers a wide variety of films, productions and television shows available to check out to use in the library. While many are away on spring break, the CSU libraries’ film collection might interest many, compared to reading a novel or article. CSU libraries also manage Films on Demand that consists of 7,000 video titles and includes the new collection of United Newsreels, an additional 260 titles to the film collection.

4. Get Ahead on Summer Reading

The summer season is often filled with sunscreen, planned vacations, and a “good read.” There are many databases, such as Galileo, Gil-Find, and others to help avid readers compile a summer reading list. Book clubs, English majors, and other avid readers are encouraged to use the services and databases to compose a summer reading list too cool for the summer heat ahead. For more information about finding aids and the library’s databases, be sure to see CSU libraries official website.

3.  Catch up on Current Events

It is often hard for students and educators to catch up on social and current events. While most of the campus will be away, reading the local, state and national major newspapers is always encouraged in the library. Not only are newspapers available but so are other publications, i.e., academic journals, government documents, and magazines.

2. Finish Assignments and Study

One of the most snubbed feature of the library is the consist quietness that many, if not most, students appreciate on the first floor of the Schwob library. With a large portion of CSU students away, the Schwob library is one of the best places on campus to study, meet up with classmates to commune, and study together.

1. Explore

Many people come in and out the library with set objectives. Instead of planning out a trip to the library, browse the three, different floors of the Schwob library. Near the Information Commons Area, various art pieces adorn the perimeter of the computer area; yet, there are numerous historical resources to read within the CSU Archives, located on the third floor. The CSU Archives serves as a repository documenting the history of Columbus State University, the city of Columbus, as well as, and the broader Chattahoochee Valley area. Whether you wish to inquire about the Columbus and Chattahoochee Valley area history or wish to observe eclectic art work— The Schwob Memorial has it.

For more information about other events, services, and activities to do within the Schwob library, visit the official website or social media pages of the library. 

CSU Libraries’ Provisional Spring Break Hours

After mid-terms, preparing for a week-long hiatus away from school work and studious time management is often the topmost priority for students awaiting spring break. March 23^rd to March 27^th is Columbus State University’s 2015 scheduled spring break.

Because many may not take a break from their studies, the CSU libraries will remain open for this one week with special hours. The Simon Schwob Memorial Library will close March 21^st and 22^nd and will re-open for the week of spring break with provisional hours.

Schwob Memorial Library Spring Break Hours

                  March 21 & 22^nd                      Closed

Monday, March 23^rd               8:00am – 5: 00pm

Tuesday, March 24^th              8:00am – 5: 00pm

Wednesday, March 25^th         8:00am – 5: 00pm

Thursday, March 26^th            8:00am – 5: 00pm

Friday, March 27^th                 8:00am – 5: 00pm

The CSU Music Library, located on the River Park Campus, also, will open with interim hours the week of March 23^rd – March 26^th.

CSU Music Library Spring Break Hours

                   March 22^nd                              Closed

Monday, March 23^rd               9:00am – 5: 00pm

Tuesday, March 24^th              9:00am – 5: 00pm

Wednesday, March 25^th         9:00am – 5: 00pm

Thursday, March 26^th            9:00am – 5: 00pm

   Friday, March 27^th                 9:00am – 5: 00pm   

CSU Libraries will re-open with its regular, spring semester hours the following week of March 30, 2015. For more information, please see official CSU libraries’ Hours of Operation.  

CSU Libraries to Sponsor Annual Faculty Research Forum Lectures

The Simon Schwob Memorial Library is to sponsor its Annual Faculty Research Forum, Tuesday, March 17, 2015 starting at 12:00 noon. The CSU Libraries will host the second, of three, faculty research forum lectures. There will be two distinguished speakers proceeded by a light lunch. The presentations will take place in the forum area of Schwob Library.

Assistant Professor, and Chair, of the Department of Political Science and MPA program, Frederick Gordon and The Threading Stone author and Auburn University alumni, Carey Wilkerson, will both present.

Gordon is known for other accomplishments outside of CSU’s campus; his first book, Freshwater Resources and Interstate Cooperation examines the nature of how nation states cooperate over scarce water resources. The Assistant Professor’s most recent work includes his 2014 article titled "Is the Executioner Wrong?" which explores how certain teaching controversies can enhance college student writing.

Wilkerson, an English professor at CSU since 2007, is greatly involved in the creative writing and poetry sector in the Columbus area, nationally, and as a published, performing and prolific literary artist. Many of Wilkerson’s professional works include numerous poetry selections in Polymatheme, Creative Loafing, and Frame. The Auburn graduate is also a recipient of the Lillian E. Smith Center for Creative Arts Writing Fellowship, twice.

Both CSU faculty members are to conduct a light dialogue, open for inquiries, after their presentations. Students, as well as, faculty and staff members are encouraged to attend the CSU libraries second faculty forum lecture. For more information, please see official CSU libraries webpages for additional details.


Dr. Frederick Gordon, Political Science
Topic:  "Game Over or have the Games Just Begun: How Executive Orders have Reshaped Environmental Policy Making"

Carey Scott Wilkerson, English
Topic:  "Late Stages: Writing Drama with a Post-modern Hand and a Neo-classical Heart"

ePress to Increase Research and Scholarship at CSU

There are many amenities and services within the Columbus State Libraries that help not only CSU students and faculty members but scholars everywhere. The CSU ePress, an Open Access digital archive, is an online service that preserves and collects various materials such as dissertations and theses, conference presentations, journal articles, student publications and poems.

Many scholars and students are presumed to use the CSU ePress because all works uploaded in the digital archive are accessible through Google Scholar and Google. Yet, one of the most significant and snubbed feature of the ePress is that all information provided is largely free.

This feature, and benefit, allows students to better conduct their research without the worry and burden of coming out of pocket. With the Open Access feature, scholars and students do not have to worry about certain copyright and licensing restrictions, as many scholars may have dealt with in the past.

The CSU ePress also offers search filter options and citations to better position patrons and scholars routing and conducting their research online. Many patrons of the Schwob Memorial Library are more than likely to conduct their research physically in a library; however, with the CSU ePress, finding a professor’s graduate dissertation or last winter’s issues of The Arden can be conducted from a home kitchen or in a dorm room.

The arrangement of resources available and benefit of the CSU ePress is far too accommodating for scholars and CSU students to not use. With the expansion of the CSU ePress, more and more works from faculty and staff members and students are becoming accessible; the CSU ePress helps students and scholars to conduct their research with ease, consistently.

The growing archive includes many student creative works and professional works from CSU faculty and staff that have and are presumed to improve visibility of scholarship and the rate of citations. Be sure to visit the CSU ePress and the CSU Libraries.

National Library Week at CSU Libraries

"Unlimited possibilities @ your library". It's the theme for this year's National Library Week, a week where communities around America celebrate the contributions of their library. From April 12th - 18th CSU Libraries invites all CSU students to visit the library and explore their services and resources. $25 Amazon gift cards and other prizes will be awarded for a Drawing, a Scavenger Hunt, a Bookmark Contest, and Online Trivia. 

Monday 

•Kickoff 12:30pm - 1:30pm - Listen to guest speaker Barbara Moushon of The Literacy Alliance. Cake and sandwiches will be served. 

Drawing 1:30pm - 9:00pm - In under a hundred words write down creative ways you've used your library. The winner will be drawn from a pile and announced on Wednesday.

Online Trivia Quiz

Tuesday 

•Scavenger Hunt 10:00am - 4:00pm - Walk through the different service areas of the library and answer questions about them. Those who answer every question correctly will be put in a drawing. The winner will be announced on Wednesday.

First Trivia Quiz Question
Second Trivia Quiz Question
Third Trivia Quiz Question 

Wednesday 

•Languages out Loud: Classics in Their Own Words 12:30pm - 1:30pm - After the presentation winners of the Drawing and Scavenger Hunt will be announced. Winners will receive a $25 Amazon gift card.

Thursday  

•Bookmark Contest 10:00am - 4:00pm - Submit a 2" x 6" bookmark design to jones_michelle@columbusstate.edu by 3:30pm on April 14th and have your bookmark displayed at the library where CSU faculty, staff, and students will vote for their favorite design. The winner will have 100 copies of his/her bookmark made as well as receive a $25 Amazon Gift Card.

Bookmark Submission Guidelines 

Friday  

•Online Trivia and Bookmark Contest Winners Announced Online on our Facebook page, Twitter account, and website. 

All Week 

•Online Trivia - Prizes awarded every day of the week. The first to answer all five correctly on Friday will receive a Gift Certificate for the book sale, a tote bag, notepad, and pens.

*All CSU employees will be ineligible for prizes. However, they are encouraged to visit the Kickoff and Languages out Loud presentations. 

Government Documents Collection Exhibits Colorful Women’s History Month Selection

This March, the Simon Schwob Memorial library celebrates multiple iconic women who have inspired much of American history and this institution. The Government Documents Collection, on the first floor of the Schwob Library, is exhibiting a special assortment highlighting prolific, intriguing professions and the lives of several, significant women. This small collection, reiterating the importance of women’s history, will remain up in the Government Documents Collection, for the rest of March, Women’s History month.

Works such as 33 Years of Army Nursing by Brigadier General Lillian Dunlap and Women in Congress, 1917–2006, one of the most commemorative and endorsed work on the 229 women who have served in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, profiles 74 women member of the 109^th Congress and history before the first woman elected to Congress, Jeannette Rankin. Selections pertaining to subjects about military activities, political studies, medical and physical education and other subjects expand the literature, already available, about women’s history.

67th United States Secretary of State and former First Lady and U.S. Senator, Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Tributes Delivered in Congress 2001-2009 is also available in the Government Documents Collection. Clinton, along with, First lady Michelle Obama, Laura Bush and Pat Nixon are the only First Ladies, yet, to have earned and hold a graduate degree. Clinton remains the only first lady elected to a public office—the U.S. Senate, and to seek presidency.

Outside of exhibiting selections about women’s history, there are multiple works in the McNaughton Collection that may interest readers attracted to women’s history and gender studies. Answering the Call: The U.S. Army Nurse Corps, 1917-1919: A commemorative Tribute to Military Nursing in World War I is another colorful selection students and military-afflicted patrons will enjoy. There are various books available in the Government Documents and McNaughton Collections and entire Schwob library. Be sure to visit the Schwob library.