On Display: “For Brevity’s Sake” – The Short Story: Writers and their Craft

Matthew

The Oxford English Dictionary defines brevity as “being short in speech or writing; contraction into few words, conciseness, terseness”.

That we encounter brevity on a daily basis should come as no surprise. Twitter, one of the most widely used social networking services, is designed to only allow users 140 characters to convey thoughts, news, or commentary in dispatches known as Tweets. Most academic journal articles feature an abstract that summarizes the salient points of the document in a very brief paragraph, comprised of no more than a few sentences. Even the act of texting imposes its own economy of language. We have become reliant on brevity to enable us to evaluate information quickly in a fast-paced society.

But we continue to read books, which is a good thing. Fiction, in particular, offers refuge from our busy lives and great stories serve to reflect and even affirm the human condition, reminding us that our struggles and victories, while uniquely our own, share a common thread in the great and shared human experience.

Short stories use this thread to weave such stories in impossibly succinct ways. To develop an entire character study or arc within the span of a few pages is remarkable. Consider what Andre Dubus, one of the great short fiction authors of our time, asserts about the craft and brevity of the short story:

“I love short stories because I believe they are the way we live. They are what our friends tell us, in their pain and joy, their passion and rage, their yearning and their cry against injustice.” 

Indeed, short stories are the way we live – particular moments of drama or inspiration whose meaning may (or may not) be immediately known. Whether it’s the emotional depth of Alice Munro (recent winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature), the Modernism of Jorge Luis Borges, or the everyman realism of Raymond Carver, everyone has a (short) story to tell.

Come by the library to check out the display or take a look at the Pinterest board. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, inquire at the Reference Desk.

Come find your favorite story today!

Database of the Month: Books & Authors

Macee

booksandauthorssmaller

Back in January of this year, I set a goal to read 50 books by December 31. I’m currently reading book #42, and the end of the year is looming (guess I shouldn’t have taken on an 800-page book last month!). Though I’m a librarian who works with books every day, it has sometimes been challenging to find the next interesting book to spend time with. If you find yourself wondering what your next book will be, I invite you to check out the discovery database Books & Authors, a great source for fiction and nonfiction titles and author information.

Search and Browse for Books

Search the database for books by title, keyword, author and/or series by using the search box near the top right side of the page. Use the Advanced Search to add in genre type.

menu

If you prefer a different approach, click the links for browsing titles or authors to get alphabetical lists of books, or browse genres to look at books by types including romance, Westerns, science fiction, and more. If you like to consult ready-made lists, Books and Authors offers links to lists of Expert Picks (themed lists chosen by subject experts and librarians), and Award Winners.

Once you find a title you like, click its link to find out more about the book, the author, a list of “readalike” books similar to the one you chose, and book reviews from major publications. Clicking on an author name brings up biographical information, a bibliography of the author’s writings, and other resources such as book reviews and Web sites.

Who, What, Where, When search result
Who, What, Where, When search result

Who? What? Where? When?

Use the Who? What? Where? When? graphical visualization function to select Character, Subject, Location, or Time Period (choose up to three) to show your search results as a Venn diagram. The more that your selections intersect, the better they match the inquiry. (One of the 54 titles that contains all three elements of the search to the right is Code Name Verity, #10 on my reading list.)

Read-a-Like Wizard

The Read-a-Like Wizard enables you to search for books similar to ones you’ve read. Enter the title of a book you’ve enjoyed, and the wizard will find similar books.

My Reading Room

My Reading Room allows you to save lists of titles and/or authors for later reference. Register for a free account and log in to create lists of books you’d like to read, books in an author’s series, or any combination you can think of. You can also rate and write reviews of books you’ve already read.

Learn More and Get Help

Visit the Help page for assistance with search tips, discovery tools, and My Reading Room. Books & Authors is also available on the library’s Databases A-Z and Arts, Media and Literature pages.

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Database of the Month provides a very brief introduction to an important research database, highlighting key features of the database that you should know about. If you would like more information about this database (or any of the library’s databases) please Ask a Librarian. If you would like a demonstration of this database for a class, please contact our Coordinator of User Education, Elizabeth Galoozis.

ICYMI: Slides and Audio from Lightning Talks About Big Data

Liz

Did you miss the library’s Information Literacy Series event on October 23? Don’t worry – we have audio for all the lightning talks that were given, as well as slides for some of them. Below you’ll see mp3 recordings of the talks, and slides or visuals as they become available to us. For more information about the event, click the link “Information Literacy Series event” above.

 

Jay Cooprider (CIS): Big Data Through a Technology Lens

Ian Cross (Marketing): John Wayne is Big Data

Fred Ledley (NAS): If It Looks Like a Duck…

Nathaniel Lin (Mathematics): Is Big Data the New Oil?

David Oury (Mathematics): Very Brief Introduction to Big Data Text Mining

Mark-David McLaughlin (Mathematics): Visualization Techniques for Large Social Networks

slides: http://libguides.bentley.edu/loader.php?type=d&id=936747

 

October Arrivals: New Books, eBooks, Audiobooks & DVDs

Lisa

Check out our newest books, eBooks, audiobooks and movies!  Go to the New Books & DVDs page to browse the October new acquisitions lists by subject or format.   When you see something you want, simply hit the “Request” button to place a hold on it.

To browse for new eBooks and audiobooks to read on a Kindle, NOOK, iPad, iPod, laptop or smartphone, please visit our OverDrive collection.

new-acquistions-stamp

Exhibit: Making Visible the Invisible, Library Data Transformed

Lisa

Now showing in the McGladrey Art Gallery is an exhibit created by Bentley University students and staff entitled Making Visible the Invisible: Library Data Transformed. This exhibit features visualizations of library-related data created by Bentley Library and ATC staff members, as well as students Robyn Dion, Eric Kennedy and Nikki Nguyen.

In conjunction with this exhibit, all are invited to Lightning Talks about Big Data: Making Sense Out of Massive Amounts of Information, a Bentley Library Information Literacy Series event, on Wednesday, October 23, from 3:00 p.m. – 4:35 p.m.  This event features short talks about big data and a reception. For more information about the Lightning Talks about Big Data event, click here.

Making Visible the Invisible: Library Data Transformed
October 21 – November 22, 2013

Library data exhibit image

Bentley Library Information Literacy Series presents –
Lightning Talks about Big Data:
Making Sense Out of Massive Amounts of Information
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
3:00 p.m. – 4:35 p.m.
Short talks and a reception [event details]

#InfoLitSeries Event: Lightning Talks About Big Data

Lisa

Please join us on Wednesday, October 23, for the fourth event in the Bentley Library Information Literacy Series, “Lightning Talks About Big Data: Making Sense Out of Massive Amounts of Information.” Bentley faculty and alumni will present focused talks of 5-7 minutes on how they make sense out of big data in their disciplines.

Join us in the library’s Art Gallery during the following times.

big data visualization
Image by Dominique Haughton and Mark-David McLaughlin

3:00-3:35: Lightning Talks Round 1:

  • Mark Frydenberg, CIS
  • Ryan Norris ‘03
  • M. Lynne Markus, IPM
  • Jay Cooprider, CIS
  • Ian Cross, Marketing

3:35-4:00: Reception outside Art Gallery with refreshments

4:00-4:35: Lightning Talks Round 2:

  • Fred Ledley, NAS
  • Nathaniel Lin, Mathematics
  • David Oury, Mathematics
  • Mark-David McLaughlin, Mathematics
  • Dominique Haughton, Mathematics

This event is presented in conjunction with the library-produced exhibit “Making Visible the Invisible: Library Data Transformed,” which begins October 21.

About the Bentley Library Information Literacy Series:

Founded in 2011, the Bentley Library Information Literacy Series is a series of lectures, panel discussions, and other events featuring experts in the field of information literacy. The series is designed to bring together librarians and experts from other fields inside and outside academia in order to bridge gaps in knowledge and understanding, and to expand awareness and critical thinking about information literacy. The events in the series are aimed at undergraduate and graduate students, faculty members, librarians, and anyone with an interest in teaching and learning in an era of rapid change in information delivery and discovery.

TONIGHT! Art & Cider / Art Gallery Reception, 5:00-7:00p.m.

Lisa

All are invited to attend a closing reception for artist Stephen St. Francis Decky TONIGHT, from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. in the art gallery.  Stop by to enjoy some warm cider and treats and view the exhibit before it closes.

artist-decky
Un Oubli de Livraison | Acrylic on canvas, 2012 | 16 x 20″

Stephen St. Francis Decky
The Majesty of Subtle Ascents
July 22 – September 13,  October 18, 2013 [exhibit extended!]
artist’s website

Closing Reception:
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

System Outage: Encore & Classic Catalog, Wednesday 10/16

Lisa

[Update: Thursday, October 17, 2013 – All systems are online and all issues with Encore and the classic catalog have been resolved]

We have two important announcements about “Encore” and “Classic Catalog” search disruptions:

alert

  1. We are currently experiencing a problem with the search box on the library’s home page (a.k.a. “Encore”).   As a temporary fix, all searches performed in the Encore search box are being redirected to the classic catalog.  Users will be able to locate books, DVDs, audiobooks and other library items using the classic catalog.  If you need to find articles, please contact the Reference Desk for assistance. Librarians can help you select databases and search for articles.
  2. In order to prepare for an important upgrade, the library’s classic catalog will be taken offline TONIGHT, Wednesday, October 16, from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Users will not be able to search for books, DVDs, audiobooks or Reserve materials using either the classic catalog or Encore during this time.

If you have any questions about this outage, or need help finding library materials while the catalog is offline, please come to the Reference Desk or contact a reference librarian at refdesk@bentley.edu or 781.891.2300.  We apologize for the inconvenience.