News from Mardigian Library: Summer reading

Fun Summer Reading
Looking for some light summer reading? Check out some of the new titles in our Browsing Collection.

Robert Langdon, the lead character in “The Da Vinci Code,” is back in Dan Brown’s new blockbuster, “Inferno.” Langdon fights a diabolical adversary while trying to solve an ingenious puzzle. Amnesia, codes, science running amok, it’s got it all! See if Langdon is able to save the world!

“The Twelve Tribes of Hattie” by Ayana Mathis is an Oprah’s Book Club choice. The story follows Hattie Shepherd as she leaves Georgia for the hope of a better life in Philadelphia. Married to a man who does not share her dreams, Hattie faces many disappointments and tragedies. She vows to prepare her children for the rough life ahead of them. Their stories tell of a mother’s courage.

Were you a fan of “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini?  If so, you might enjoy his new book, “And the Mountains Echoed.” Hosseini tells a tale about family relationships and how people support, betray, honor, and sacrifice for each other. NPR recently spoke with Hosseini about his latest book; you can listen to the interview online.

Want to listen to a good book? How about “The Bone Bed” by Patricia Cornwell? Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta investigates the mysterious disappearance of a paleontologist who vanished while digging in a bed of dinosaur bones.

If you are a Harry Potter fan, perhaps you want to try J.K. Rowling’s first adult novel, a black comedy, “The Casual Vacancy.” A small idyllic English town is not what it appears to be. The death of one of Pagford’s inhabitants causes everyone in the town to be at war with everyone else. The library has this title in hardcover and on CD.

Trial Database
The Mardigian Library currently has a trial of the following database:

LGBT Thought and Culture
Available through July 17, 2013

LGBT Thought and Culture is a one-of-a-kind online resource hosting the key works and archival documentation of LGBT political and social movements throughout the twentieth century and into the present day. The collection includes materials ranging from seminal texts, letters, speeches, interviews, and ephemera covering the political evolution of gay rights. Also included are memoirs, biographies, poetry, and works of fiction that illuminate the lives of lesbian, gay, transgendered, and bisexual individuals, and the community.

We encourage you to try this database and give us some feedback.  A positive review does not guarantee that we will have funds to acquire the item, but it could help us determine whether we should pursue these items when funds are available. You may send your feedback to: [email protected]

Database Updates

DemographicsNow
Demographics Now includes comprehensive business and demographic information valuable to assess business viability, create sales leads and marketing mailing lists, complete location analyses and business plans, analyze population trends, find potential sponsors and donors, and much more. You can even utilize a unique mapping tool that "visualizes" trends.

Legal Forms Library
Legal Forms Library includes copies of Michigan legal forms and documents (mostly in Word format) to help you with your legal needs – whether for business, personal, or litigation purposes. Legal Forms Library is continuously updated to reflect current state laws and also includes a law digest, legal questions and answers, and an attorney directory.

Ethnographic Video Online
Ethnographic Video Online has been updated with 16 new videos. Highlights from the newly added content include:

• “Etruscan Odyssey: Expanding Archaeology” – Documents the work of Dr. P. Gregory Warden and his team as they search the hilltops of Poggio Colia, Italy, for clues into the mysterious Etruscan civilization. By restoring and cataloguing the cultural artifacts left behind by ancient settlers, modern archaeologists attempt to reconstruct a picture of daily life in Etruria.
• “The Drum and the Mask: Time of the Tubuan” – Award-winning filmmaker and producer Caroline Yacaoe’s documentary explores the Tubuan, a secret male society of the Talai people of Duke of York Island in Papua, New Guinea.
• “The Ladies Room” – Filmed in a public restroom in a public park in Tehran, Iran, this documentary explodes Western stereotyping of women in Iran. This film provides a detailed examination of the lives of the women who use the restroom as a gathering place.