Southwest Book Awards Announced
Date: January 20, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jeanette Smith, NMSU Library, (575) 646-7492, jcsmith@lib.nmsu.edu
The Border Regional Library Association is pleased to announce the forty-first annual Southwest Book Awards. Since 1971, the awards have been presented in recognition of outstanding books about the Southwest published each year in any genre (e.g. fiction, nonfiction or reference) and directed toward any audience (scholarly, popular or children’s). Original video and audio materials are also considered.
The winners of the forty-first annual Southwest Book 
Awards are:
- Alexandre Hogue: An American Visionary – Paintings and Works on Paper by Susie Kalil (TAMU Press, 2011).
- La Calle: Spatial Conflicts and Urban Renewal in a Southwest City by Lydia R. Otero (University of Arizona Press, 2011).
- The Jar of Severed Hands: The Spanish Deportation of Apache Prisoners of War, 1770 – 1810 by Mark Santiago (University of Oklahoma Press, 2011).
- Randy Lopez Goes Home by Rudolfo Anaya (University of Oklahoma Press, 2011).
- El Sicario: The Autobiography of a Mexican Assassin edited by Molly Molloy and Charles Bowden (Nation Books, 2011).
- Where the West Begins: Debating Texas Identity by Glen Sample Ely (Texas Tech University Press, 2011).
- Wild Horses of the West: History and Politics of America’s Mustangs by J. Edward de Steiguer (University of Arizona Press, 2011).
- Working the Line by David Taylor (Radius Books, 2010).
Eligibility for this year’s Southwest Book Awards was based on five criteria:
- About the Southwest, defined as West Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and northern Mexico.
- Appearing in book or non-print format for the first time.
- Published between August 1, 2010 and July 31, 2011.
- Of high quality, both in the context of the current year’s entries and in the existing body of Southwestern literature.
- Books which reflect and interpret the Southwest. A scholarly work must make a well documented contribution to scholarship in some aspect of Southwestern history or culture. Other nonfiction works should make reliable information accessible to the general reader. Poetry and fiction must reflect Southwestern culture and/or be set in the southwest.
The Southwest Book Awards, as well as awards for Librarian of the Year and Library Staff Person of the Year, will be presented at the Border Regional Library Association Awards Banquet being held at Ardovino’s Desert Crossing on Saturday, February 25, 2012, beginning at 6 p.m. The cost is $30 and reservations must be made and paid for by Monday, February 20. The public is welcome.
The Border Regional Library Association (BRLA) is an organization founded in 1966 for the promotion of library service and librarianship in the El Paso/Las Cruces/Juárez region. Current membership includes over one hundred librarians, paraprofessionals, media specialists and library friends and trustees from all types of libraries in the tri-state area of Trans-Pecos Texas, Southern New Mexico and Northern Chihuahua.
Librarians and information specialists find that the organization provides a forum for local issues, which impact the future of all types of libraries in the region. BRLA also serves as a support group to promote libraries as important educational and cultural institutions, which have a direct impact on communities and democratic action. Annual dues are low in cost but high in rewarding returns. BRLA welcomes and encourages membership and involvement.
For more information please contact John Sandstrom, the Acquisitions Librarian at the New Mexico State University Library, at (575) 646-8093 or jsand713@nmsu.edu.
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Photos Capture Beauty of Zuhl Library
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jeanette Smith, NMSU Library, (575) 646-7492, jcsmith@lib.nmsu.edu
The NMSU Library Administration recently placed three framed photographs of Zuhl Library on the first floor of the library. The photographs capture the moods and architectural beauty of the library in different lighting.
Morning
Library Development Officer Kristina Martinez said, “We were looking for photos that were timeless. The theme is Zuhl Library: Morning, Noon and Night.”
The photos were all taken by NMSU’s University Communications in 1995, five years after what was then called “New Library” opened.
For more information, contact Martinez at (575) 646-3642.
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Library Partners with Las Cruces Bulletin on Book
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jeanette Smith, NMSU Library, (575) 646-7492, jcsmith@lib.nmsu.edu
Take a trip back in time with the new book Las Cruces: A Photographic Journey. This impressive 288-page book full of photographs and history of the Mesilla Valley offers a tour of the first 100 years of New Mexico statehood through the eyes of Las Cruces and Doña Ana County.
Las Cruces: A Photographic Journey
The book was edited by the Las Cruces Bulletin, published by FIG Publications, LLC, and produced with the New Mexico State University Library Archives and Special Collections. Of the nearly 1,200 photos in the volume, more than 500 are from the archival photo collection of the Library’s Archives and Special Collections Department.
This unique pictorial history was published just in time for the holiday gift-giving season and for the celebration of New Mexico’s 100th birthday in 2012. It is certain to become a collector’s item and an heirloom for families throughout this area.
A special offer is being given to New Mexico State University faculty and staff. You may purchase Las Cruces: A Photographic Journey for $50 (a $10 discount off its list price of $60) until January 31, 2012. This offer includes as many copies of the book as you wish to purchase.
Call the Las Cruces Bulletin at (575) 524-8061 to pre-order over the phone. When you pick up the book(s) at the Bulletin office (840 N. Telshor Blvd.), you will be asked to present your NMSU ID.
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Library Implements Sustainable Lighting Solution
Date: November 15, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jeanette Smith, NMSU Library, (575) 646-7492, jcsmith@lib.nmsu.edu
The NMSU Library is shedding some light on the problem of illuminating bookstacks efficiently and effectively. It has begun installing wireless light sensors above the shelving on the second and third floors of Zuhl Library that turn on automatically when someone is in the aisle and turn off when the aisle is unoccupied.
“We have wanted to do this green project for a long time,” said Library Dean Elizabeth A. Titus. “The energy cost savings for the University will be substantial.”
As the sustainable lighting project progresses, lights will be turned off in the Library one circuit at a time. Lights may also flicker from time to time. The Library staff will be happy to assist you in locating materials as the lights are being installed.
For more information, contact the Library Administration at (575) 646-1508.
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NMSU Library Announces Mechanic Arts Photo Exhibit
Date: October 11, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jeanette Smith, NMSU Library, (575) 646-7492, jcsmith@lib.nmsu.edu
The New Mexico State University Library announces a new photographic exhibit, “The Mechanic Arts.” The free public exhibit will run from October 24 to February 15 in the Milton Gallery on the fourth floor of NMSU’s Branson Library.
Man at Forge
The exhibit, organized by University Archivist Martha Shipman Andrews, commemorates the 2012 sesquicentennial of the passage of the first Morrill Act, creating the land-grant institutions of higher education.
Andrews said that the bill, introduced by Representative Justin Smith Morrill of Vermont, called for the creation of agricultural colleges that taught military tactics and the “Mechanic Arts,” an archaic term for engineering that was incorporated into the names of many of the institutions it made possible, including the New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (later New Mexico State University). In honor of the Morrill Act, sixteen fine examples of these “Mechanic Arts” will be on display.
During the Industrial Revolution, photographers first discovered the almost accidental beauty of mechanical forms frozen in time—what could be called the art of mechanics. The engineering photograph collection held by the Hobson-Huntsinger University Archives contains many early twentieth century photographs unexpectedly capturing this beauty of form and structure.
For more information, contact Andrews at (575) 646-5028 or email mandrews@lib.nmsu.edu.
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NMSU Library Announces Holiday Hours
Date: December 6, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jeanette Smith, NMSU Library, (575) 646-7492, jcsmith@lib.nmsu.edu
The New Mexico State University Library announces hours for the end of Fall Semester and the beginning of Spring Semester for both Zuhl and Branson libraries.
• Saturday, December 10, through Sunday, December 11, closed.
• Monday, December 12, through Friday, December 16, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Saturday, December 17, through Sunday, December 18, closed.
• Monday, December 19, through Thursday, December 22, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Friday, December 23, through Monday, January 2, closed (Winter Holiday).
• Tuesday, January 3, through Friday, January 6, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Saturday, January 7, through Sunday, January 8, closed.
• Monday, January 9, through Friday, January 13, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Saturday, January 14, through Monday, January 16, closed Martin Luther King, Jr., Day).
• Tuesday, January 17, through Wednesday, January 18, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Thursday, January 19, through Thursday, March 15, regular hours.
The Library’s Archives & Special Collections Department will be open by appointment only December 14 through December 22. It will be closed December 23 through January 2. It will be open by appointment again January 3 through January 18. Call the Archives staff for an appointment at (575) 646-3839. The Caroline E. Stras Research Room will resume regular hours, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, on January 19. Visit http://lib.nmsu.edu/depts/archives/archsvs.shtml for Archives & Special Collections hours.
The full schedule of general Library hours is available at http://lib.nmsu.edu/aboutlib/libhours.shtml#schedule and on a voice recording at (575) 646-4749.
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Get Your Holiday Gifts at the Library
Date: December 5, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jeanette Smith, NMSU Library, (575) 646-7492, jcsmith@lib.nmsu.edu
It’s beginning to feel a lot like the holiday season, and you may be looking for the perfect gift for a fellow Aggie. The NMSU Library offers two perfect solutions.
We live in a computerized world, and who doesn’t need a flash drive? Buy a Pistol Pete 4GB flash drive for only $25 at the Library. Your gift will show your proud Aggie support!
Or celebrate New Mexico’s 100th anniversary by giving a 2012 Centennial calendar. The Library’s calendar, entitled “The Peopling of New Mexico–1912,” features historic photographs depicting the people of the state around 1912, when New Mexico attained statehood. Centennial calendars can be purchased for only $8 each.
Visit the Library’s Administration Office, Room 224, Zuhl Library, or call (575) 646-1508.
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Relax with Biofeedback at the Library
Date: December 5, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jeanette Smith, NMSU Library, (575) 646-7492, jcsmith@lib.nmsu.edu
Zuhl Library and the NMSU Counseling Center will offer free 20-minute biofeedback sessions to students from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, December 6, in Zuhl Library. No scheduling is necessary. Biofeedback can help you slow down your breathing, lower your blood pressure and put you in the relaxed state you need to be in to complete your finals.
You can relax in Branson Library, too. The Relaxation Room, Branson Library Room 127, will be open from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, December 5, through Thursday, December 8. For more information, contact newsome@nmsu.edu.
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Try Campus Pick-Up Service for a Late Night Ride
Date: December 5, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jeanette Smith, NMSU Library, (575) 646-7492, jcsmith@lib.nmsu.edu
Are you studying late at night and need a ride on the NMSU campus? Try “Pete’s Pick-Up Service” (formerly known as the ASNMSU Escort service) sponsored by ASNMSU. They will pick you up in their golf cart to get you safely to your on-campus destination.
The service offers hours that accommodate late night studying at the Library: Sunday, December 4th, through Thursday, December 8th, from 7:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.
Call Pete’s Pick-Up Service at 646-1111.
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Library Offers Media Streaming Database Trials
Date: November 28, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jeanette Smith, NMSU Library, (575) 646-7492, jcsmith@lib.nmsu.edu
The NMSU Library is evaluating four different media streaming databases in response to users’ requests for access to film and music clips. All trial databases are available for review and comments until December 20, 2011.
Video Streaming Databases:
Academic Video Online is a comprehensive streaming video resource that allows access to tens of thousands of full-length documentary and educational video titles. Almost every video is fully transcribed and is also being indexed for subjects, people, location, release date, publisher and video type.
Films on Demand offers a broad range of educational and technical video clips from companies such as Films for the Humanities and Sciences, PBS, ABC, NBC, BBC, History Channel, A&E, Biography Channel, Cambridge Educational and others. Films are broken into topic segment with keyword-rich descriptions, making it easy to search and quickly retrieve relevant clips. Films On Demand simplifies the use of educational video in teaching and learning, making it easy to share playlists and embed segments in course management systems.
Music Streaming Databases:
Music Online is a comprehensive online music resource that cross-searches many different music databases (American Song, Classical, Contemporary World, African American and Classical Scores). It also includes classical and world music downloads.
Naxos Music Library is a comprehensive online collection of classical music available that offers over 550,000 tracks of classical, jazz, world, folk and Chinese music for streaming. Important music labels include: BIS, Chandos, Hssler, Hungaroton, Marco Polo, Naxos and Ondine as well as many leading independent labels. Over 1,000 albums are added monthly.
Visit these databases at the Library’s Articles, Books, and More Web page at http://lib.nmsu.edu/article.shtml and then click on the Trials link. The trial databases are also available directly via the link http://lib.nmsu.edu/resources/dbtrials.shtml. Users are encouraged to share their comments about these products via a survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7TRY5TL.
For more information on this new temporary resource and to provide feedback on its use, please contact Alisa Gonzalez, Reference Coordinator/Social Sciences Librarian, at (575) 646-6926 or acgonzal@nmsu.edu.
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