STUDY TIPS: Exam Cram Winter 2012

By Marcia Lee
Serials Specialist

In light of exam week hovering overhead here at GRCC, the library will have extended Exam Cram hours today (8am – 8pm), Saturday (8am – 8pm) & Sunday (1pm – 8pm). In addition to extra time, below are some helpful tips for studying & preparing for the week of exams & final projects – check them out!

Tips on being an ACTIVE STUDIER:

• Use MNEMONICS
• Use FLASHCARDS
• Set STUDY GOALS – ie. Set definite study times, commit to focusing during those times
• ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS during designated study time
• Choose WHERE & WHEN you do your studying wisely
  • Higher chance of committing concepts to memory during late afternoon & early evening
  • Create a work atmosphere (perhaps here at the library?)

You remember approximately 10 percent of what you read.
You remember approximately 20 percent of what you hear.
You remember approximately 30 percent of what you see.
You remember approximately 50 percent of what you hear and see together.
You remember approximately 70 percent of what you say (if you think as you are saying it).
You remember approximately 90 percent of what you do.

For more information & tips on study habits check out this website from Dartmouth.

National Poetry Month: Pablo Neruda

Image of Pablo Neruda courtesy of WikiCommons

By Janelle Yahne
Library Circulation Associate

Poetry and I are merely acquaintances.

I read poetry when required for class, and recommended by friends. I listen intently as poets read aloud carefully chosen words and sometimes I understand what the person is trying to say. I am unable to distinguish average from amazing poems in the way I do not hear the difference between musical chords, but I enjoy the sound.

Thankfully, I have friends who understand poems intimately. Some of these friends can explain the nuances in meter and tone using the correct vocabulary. Some of these friends are poets themselves. Each friend has a favorite and I sent out a call to these friends to give me recommendations. The most common name on this list is Pablo Neruda
.
Pablo Neruda is considered one of the greatest Spanish language poets but also one of the more controversial due to his Communist politics and poetry. His poetry ranged from love to politics to the sea and everywhere between. Reading some of his poetry, especially about love and nature, reminded me a little Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s short stories based in Magical Realism with striking imagery built upon thoughtful words. Even in The Book of Questions, filled mostly with two line questions, it is the visions Neruda creates that grabs the reader more than the words: “How long does a Rhinoceros last / after he’s moved to compassion?” and “How do we thank the clouds / for their fleeting abundance?” are personal favorites.

As I have said, I am not an expert or an avid reader of poetry. Thankfully, the library has numerous books about Pablo Neruda and his poetry, along with books to assist with the understanding of poetry’s creation. Below is a brief list of materials we have for your use. Plenty more can be found in our collection.

• How to read a poem : and fall in love with poetry by Edward Hirsch
• Memoirs by Pablo Neruda. Translated by Hardie St. Martin
• Pablo Neruda : a passion for life by Adam Feinstein
• Pablo Neruda and the U.S. Culture Industry edited by Teresa Longo
• The Poetry of Pablo Neruda edited by Ilan Stavans (The anthology I mentioned in the post.)
• Twenty love poems and a song of despair by Pablo Neruda. Translated by W.S. Merwin

National Poetry Month: Different types of poetry

By Marcia Lee
Serials Specialist

Interested in learning how to write a poem? Want to know how to construct meter and verse? The library has a plethora of materials ranging from theory of poetry to how to write a poem.

Also, did you know there are over 55 different types of poetry styles? Listed below are some of the more commonly known types:

• ABC poems – A poem that has five lines that create a mood, picture, or feeling. Lines 1 through 4 are made up of words, phrases or clauses while the first word of each line is in alphabetical order. Line 5 is one sentence long and begins with any letter.
• Acrostic – Poetry that certain letters, usually the first in each line form a word or message when read in a sequence.
• Ballads– A poem that tells a story similar to a folk tail or legend which often has a repeated refrain.
• Bio – A poem written about one self’s life, personality traits, and ambitions.
• Blank verse – A poem written in unrhymed iambic pentameter and is often unobtrusive. The iambic pentameter form often resembles the rhythms of speech.
• Burlesque – Poetry that treats a serious subject as humor.
• Couplet – A couplet has rhyming stanzas made up of two lines.
• Elegy – A sad and thoughtful poem about the death of an individual.
• Free verse – Poetry written in either rhyme or unrhymed lines that have no set fixed metrical pattern.
• Haiku – A Japanese poem composed of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five morea, usually containing a season word.
• Lay – A long narrative poem, they were often sung by medieval entertainers.
• Limerick – A short sometimes vulgar, humorous poem consisting of five anapestic lines. Lines 1, 2, and 5 have seven to ten syllables, rhyme and have the same verbal rhythm. The 3rd and 4th lines have five to seven syllables, rhyme and have the same rhythm.
• Lyric – A poem that expresses the thoughts and feelings of the poet.
• Narrative – A poem that tells a story.
• Quatrain – A rhyming poem has the repetition of the same or similar sounds of two or more words, often at the end of the line.
• Sonnet – A lyric poem that consists of 14 lines which usually have one or more conventional rhyme schemes.
• Visual – The visual arrangement of text, images, and symbols to help convey the meaning of the work. Visual poetry is sometimes referred to as a type of concrete poetry.

CONNECT Faculty Newsletter: Winter 2012

The newest edition of the CONNECT faculty newsletter is now available for download or you can read it below.

Previous issues:
CONNECT, Fall 2011
CONNECT, Winter 2011
CONNECT, Fall 2010

Throw salt over your shoulder, it’s Friday the 13th!

Image courtesy of WikiCommons

By Janelle Yahne
Library Circulation Associate

According to dictionary.com, superstition means:

• A belief or notion, not based on reason or knowledge, in or of the ominous significance of a particular thing, circumstance, occurrence, proceeding, or the like.
• A system or collection of such beliefs.
• A custom or act based on such a belief.
• Irrational fear of what is unknown or mysterious, especially in connection with religion.
• Any blindly accepted belief or notion.

Superstitions have been around for as long as there have been unexplained events. While tempting fate by discussing your good fortune, you knock on wood. When you wish for good luck for yourself or someone else, you either cross your fingers or tell the person to break a leg. Expect to receive 7 years of bad luck when breaking a mirror. The list goes on. The basis of Friday the 13th being a day of bad luck is regularly debated, though many believe it has a religious beginning. For more in-depth readings on superstitions, here is a list of titles available in our library, but today I am going to discuss a couple sports related favorites.

Sports players are full of superstition. Now that the NHL is in beginning Stanley Cup playoffs, many hockey players grow a “playoff beard” to bring luck onto the team. As I write this post, Pierre LeBrun of ESPN posted this gem about Stanley Cup traditions and the beards are there along with Detroit Red Wing Octopus. To learn more about hockey, check out these titles.

Since baseball is now in full swing, I have to mention the long list of superstitious behavior. Stepping on a baseline when running on or off the field will bring bad luck, but stepping on a base will bring good luck. When a pitcher is in the process of pitching a no-hitter or perfect game will not bring it up so as not to jinx it. We have a few books on baseball available at the library if you want to get set for your summer league.

What are your favorite superstitions?