REMEMBER: CHECKOUT DEADLINES ARE BEFORE APRIL 25 FOR KIDS' ROOM AND BEFORE MAY 1 FOR EVERYTHING ELSE.
Easter Break:
Thursday, April 17: 8:00 a.m. - 4:50 p.m.
Friday, April 18 - Sunday, April 20: CLOSED
Monday, April 21: 8:00 a.m. - 5:50 p.m.
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Friday, April 11, 2014
Step-By-Step
Every day there are new things to see at Reeves Memorial Library. As we watch the renovations we can't wait for the big move.
Shelving is being installed.
Carpet and rails await our new compact shelving.
Carpeting and rails in the former Periodicals Room.
Shelving is being installed.
Carpet and rails await our new compact shelving.
Carpeting and rails in the former Periodicals Room.
Watch This: Safety Last!
A bi-weekly series featuring a recommendation of a movie available in the Reeves Memorial Library DVD collection
Safety Last! (1923)
Directed by Fred C. Newmeyer and Sam Taylor
It is one of the most iconic moments in all of silent film: a man in round glasses and a straw hat hangs precariously from the minute hand of a clock, high above a bustling city street. Numerous other buildings can be seen in the background, along with moving cars and trolleys, and the countless pedestrians on the crowded sidewalks appear as small as ants. It is clear that this scene is not the result of trick photography, or the use of miniatures, but that he is actually hanging several stories above the ground. The man in the scene is the great silent film comedian Harold Lloyd, and the scene occurs in one of the great silent film comedies, Safety Last!
Lloyd stars in the film as The Boy (his characters were rarely given actual names), who leaves his country home to find success in the big city, where he plans for his girlfriend Mildred to join him after he has established himself. He finds a roommate, Bill, and gets a job as a lowly sales clerk in a large department store. Eager to please Mildred and his mother, The Boy exaggerates his success in his letters home, stating that he is the store's manager. When Mildred shows up unexpectedly, The Boy makes a desperate attempt to improve his lot by securing his boss's offer of $1,000 to anyone who can bring more customers into the store. His idea: a publicity stunt in which Bill, a "human fly," will scale the front of the twelve-story store building. Complications arise when Bill is chased off by a police officer he had inadvertently angered earlier in the film, and The Boy must begin the climb himself, with the hope that Bill will take his place on the second floor. Of course, with each passing floor, problems keep arising that prevent Bill from replacing him, and he must overcome hazard after hazard to reach the top of the building.
Harold Lloyd is generally considered to be the third great comic genius of the silent film era, after Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. His reputation never matched that of either Chaplin or Keaton, in part because his films were not made widely available until recently, and in part because, unlike Chaplin and Keaton, he did not direct his own films, placing him outside of the ranks of the great auteur directors. However, while his talent did not match that of his two revered contemporaries, his undeniably brilliant comedic mind and daring stunt work have earned him a rightful place in the comedy pantheon.
Lloyd's skills are on full display in Safety Last!, a film which showcases his everyman appeal and the thrilling scope of his comedic vision. The film features a wonderful gag in its opening scene, which finds The Boy behind a barred gate alongside a priest and a uniformed official, while Mildred and his mother stand weeping on the outside. Hanging in the background is what appears to be a noose, and The Boy starts off in that direction, accompanied by the two men. Suddenly we realize that the barred gates are the entrance to a train station, and the "noose" is actually a trackside pickup hoop. The Boy is headed not to his death, but to the big city. Equally hilarious is the later sequence in which The Boy poses as the department store manager in order to fool Mildred, going so far as to sneak in and out of the manager's office with Mildred in tow. However, the climactic building climb sequence is certainly the film's highlight, revealing Lloyd's gift for sustained action comedy sequences.
While it has been noted that the filmed climb was achieved with the assistance of a stuntman, it is clearly Harold Lloyd himself on the side of the building in most of the shots. Lloyd, like many of his fellow silent film comedians (Buster Keaton being the most notable example), performed nearly all of his own stunts, and there is a breathtaking thrill for the viewer in realizing that he has placed himself in such grave danger to bring his comic vision to fruition.
The library's copy of the film is part of a seven-DVD box set containing nearly thirty of Lloyd's feature-length and short films, so if Safety Last! tickles your funny bone, there is a bounty of Lloyd's other work available for your enjoyment.
Safety Last! (1923)
Directed by Fred C. Newmeyer and Sam Taylor
It is one of the most iconic moments in all of silent film: a man in round glasses and a straw hat hangs precariously from the minute hand of a clock, high above a bustling city street. Numerous other buildings can be seen in the background, along with moving cars and trolleys, and the countless pedestrians on the crowded sidewalks appear as small as ants. It is clear that this scene is not the result of trick photography, or the use of miniatures, but that he is actually hanging several stories above the ground. The man in the scene is the great silent film comedian Harold Lloyd, and the scene occurs in one of the great silent film comedies, Safety Last!
Lloyd's skills are on full display in Safety Last!, a film which showcases his everyman appeal and the thrilling scope of his comedic vision. The film features a wonderful gag in its opening scene, which finds The Boy behind a barred gate alongside a priest and a uniformed official, while Mildred and his mother stand weeping on the outside. Hanging in the background is what appears to be a noose, and The Boy starts off in that direction, accompanied by the two men. Suddenly we realize that the barred gates are the entrance to a train station, and the "noose" is actually a trackside pickup hoop. The Boy is headed not to his death, but to the big city. Equally hilarious is the later sequence in which The Boy poses as the department store manager in order to fool Mildred, going so far as to sneak in and out of the manager's office with Mildred in tow. However, the climactic building climb sequence is certainly the film's highlight, revealing Lloyd's gift for sustained action comedy sequences.
While it has been noted that the filmed climb was achieved with the assistance of a stuntman, it is clearly Harold Lloyd himself on the side of the building in most of the shots. Lloyd, like many of his fellow silent film comedians (Buster Keaton being the most notable example), performed nearly all of his own stunts, and there is a breathtaking thrill for the viewer in realizing that he has placed himself in such grave danger to bring his comic vision to fruition.
The library's copy of the film is part of a seven-DVD box set containing nearly thirty of Lloyd's feature-length and short films, so if Safety Last! tickles your funny bone, there is a bounty of Lloyd's other work available for your enjoyment.
Monday, April 7, 2014
Thursday, April 3, 2014
A look back
As we prepare to move forward into the next chapter of the Seton Hill Library, let's take a minute to look back! The academy/college/university's library has grown, moved, and changed a lot in the last 125 years.
Many thanks to the SHU Archives for all of the research and images.
Many thanks to the SHU Archives for all of the research and images.
The original Academy Library in Admin 311, 1889-1896
The College Library in 1922; it was located in present-day Maura 128, 129, & 130
(check out the catwalk!)
The Reference Library in 1930 in what is now Admin 206
(we still have a few of those chairs!)
Here's the General College Library in 1934. Recognize the location? It's Maura 230,
better known today as the President's office.
1950's iPod (the listening table in the General Library)
Construction began on the present building in 1956.
The college conferred its first honorary degrees in Reeves on October 28, 1956.
This year isn't the first time that the student library workers have had to strip shelves and move books! These girls are pulling the books from Maura to move to the
new location in Reeves, September 1958.
The books heading to their new home; we'll be moving them in other direction in a few weeks!
The General Reading Room in 1958. See that desk on the right?
I'm sitting at it right now as I type this blog post!
The Browsing Room in 1977. This is roughly where the main entrance is located at present.
How Reeves appeared from 1958-1987. Notice where the entrance (and ground!) used to be.
The building was renovated before, in 1987. Here are books on the floor, waiting to be reshelved.
The General Reading Room, 1988 (look familiar?)
And here's how we looked in 2013.
And that brings us to the present day. 2014 is going to add yet another new set of images to the history of the Seton Hill Library!
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
IMPORTANT: Collection "boxing" dates
To ensure that renovations of the main floor of Reeves can happen on-schedule, the print and other physical collections are going to be unavailable for borrowing a little before the end of the semester.
The children's collection will be closed for boxing on APRIL 25. Make sure to borrow any kids' materials that you will need by April 24 at the very latest.
The rest of the physical collections will be closed for moving on MAY 1. Make sure to borrow any books, CDs, DVDs, et cetera no later than April 30.
To make this possible, we'll be happy to renew materials for you over the phone whenever necessary. Please check out anything you anticipate needing for the end of the semester and for finals week before the boxing dates. Faculty, please also borrow anything you expect to need for the beginning of the summer. We hope to have the collection available with a minimum of downtime, but we are unsure exactly how long it will take for the new shelving area to be available.
We realize that this is going to be a significant inconvenience and we are trying hard to minimize the disruption as much as possible. With all changes come some growing pains, so please grin and bear them with us as we take these necessary steps to a shiny new learning commons for the coming year.
Monday, March 31, 2014
Reeves, it is a-changin'
If you are just joining us, here's a quick rundown of what you need to know:
While things upstairs are being readied for changes, a few areas downstairs are starting to come together! Harlan Gallery is being revamped into a reading room, and it's looking good.
- Reeves is being renovated and adapted into a learning commons. What does that mean? Well, in addition to librarians and books, it's going to house other departments focused on student success, as well as flexible space, study rooms, and more.
- To make this possible, the book collection is going to be moved downstairs onto really cool collapsible shelving.
- Getting from here to there is going to be a bit of a process, and we appreciate your flexibility and patience as we go through some growing pains. Anyone who's ever been part of a construction project knows that unforeseen things pop up and timelines are approximate, but here's a general idea of what will be happening when. We'll keep you updated as we learn more.
- The children's room will be closed to new borrowing on April 25, and the rest of the physical collections on May 1. More info here.
- To stay up to date, follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook. We'll be posting all of our news there.
While things upstairs are being readied for changes, a few areas downstairs are starting to come together! Harlan Gallery is being revamped into a reading room, and it's looking good.
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