Shelf Life

Valentine's Day is past and we are pretty sure you are over it, but…we just found something interesting and want to share.

Did you know that the oldest known love poem is over 4,000 years old?  In the late 1800's at a Sumerian archaeological site, a number of terracotta tablets were found. The table with the poem was labeled “Instanbul 2461” and put in a storage bin at the Instanbul Museum in Turkey where it sat until 1951.  It was uncovered and translated by scholar Samuel Noah Kramer.  It is now known as “The Love Song for Shu-sin”.  

Read more about it and read the text of the poem here.

Before the the Love Song for Shu-sin, the oldest love poem was considered to be the Song of Solomon in the Bible.

While we're talking love poems, you might be interested in the 10 Greatest Love Poems Ever Written as selected by The Society of Classical Poets.  (In case you were wondering, the number 1 is by Williams Shakespeare (of course) and is Sonnet 116.)

The Makerspace is pleased to announce new hours for the Spring 2025 semester.
 

We will be open on the weekend!  

Yes!  Sunday's from 3pm to 6pm.  Now projects can be completed on weekends when you have time to plan.

Spring 2025 hours:

Monday - 8am - 7pm
Tuesday - 8am - 5pm
Wednesday - 8am - 7pm
Thursday - 8am - 5pm
Friday - 8am - 5pm
Saturday - closed
Sunday - 3pm - 6pm 

See all Library hours

Got a hobby?  According to Statista (our statistics database) - the most popular hobby in the U.S. is cooking and baking.  About 41% of survey respondents in 2024 fill their spare time in the kitchen.  The second most popular hobby is reading at 36% (we in the library approve of that one).  After that comes Pets, Video Gaming, and Outdoor Activities.

Hobby is defined as a “favourite occupation or topic, pursued merely for the amusement or interest it affords” (Oxford English Dictionary).  

The word hobby first appears in English about 1400, meaning a small or middle-sized horse; a pony.  By 1778, the phrase hobby-horse came to be, which was a straight stick with a small horse's head made of wood or stuffed fabric.  From that came the expression “to ride one's hobby horse” meaning to do something for fun.  By 1816, a hobby was associated with recreation and leisure, first appearing in print with the sentence “I quarrel with no man's hobby."

If you have a hobby or are looking for one, try out our Hobbies and Crafts Source database.  In it are full-text hobby and craft magazines, hobby profiles, recipes and videos to inspire creativity and nurture your interests.   You will also turn up some hobby e-books.

January is National Hobby Month.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
 

Written in 1957 and published as a book by Random House and also an issue of Redbook magazine.  Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss's real name) said that the Grinch was based on himself, “I was brushing my teeth on the morning of the 26th last December when I noticed a very Grinch-ish countenance in the mirror.  It was Seuss!  So I wrote about my sour friend, the Grinch, to see if I could rediscover something about Christmas that I obviously lost.”  The Grinch is the first adult and the first villain to be a main character in a Dr. Seuss book.  Theodore Geisel's car license plate was “GRINCH”.

Some facts about the book:

• As of 2005, it has been translated into nine languages, including Latin.
• The first adaptation was an animated television special in 1966, with a narration by Boris Karloff, who also was the Grinch's voice.
• “You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” from the 1966 special was sung by Thurl Ravenscroft in a deep bass voice.
• In 2000, the book was adapted into a live-action film, directed by Ron Howard and starring Jim Carrey as the Grinch.
• In 2018, a 3D animated feature film starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the Grinch was released.
• In 2022, the book was adapted into a horror film, directed by Steven laMorte and starring David Howard Thornton as the Grinch.
• In 2009, an interactive e-book version was released for the iPhone.
• In 2023, Wondery released a podcast inspired by the book, hosted by James Austin Johnson.
• A musical stage version was produced in San Diego in 2007.  It was also produced on Broadway and went on tour in 2008.
• The National Education Association listed is a one of its “Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children”
• In 2012, it was ranked 61st among the 'Top 100 Picture Books" in a survey published by School Library Journal.  It was one of five by Dr. Seuss on the list.
• The word "grinch" is in the Merriam Webster dictionary.  It means killjoy or spoilsport

Source - Wikipedia

As the holiday break approaches, we'd like to remind you that the library, including Interlibrary Loan (ILL) services, will be closed from December 23-January 1.  

If you are doing research and plan to submit ILL requests, we recommend submitting them by the following dates to ensure you receive them before the break:

• Book requests - by December 6
• Article (copy/scan) requests - by December 13

For UHV-Katy faculty and staff - Please note that books sent to UHV-Katy require an additional 3-5 business days for transit.

Reach out to ILL for any questions or help - libill@uhv.edu

Celebrate the holidays with some good  reads, videos and ebooks. Happy Holidays from us to all of you. 

via GIPHY

Today is International Animation Day - commemorating the first public performance of Charles-Emile Reynaud's Theatre Optique at the Musee Grevin in Paris, 1892.

 Theatre Optique or Optical Theater was a machine that used a projector and mirrors to create images on a screen. The images were painted on a ribbon wound into a spool. Another spool unwound the ribbon as the images were projected on the screen.

Since 1892, animated movies, cartoon, and television shows have amazed us and brightened entertainment.  Where would we be without Mickey Mouse (born 1928), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (born 1984), and Bluey (born 2018) ? 

Humorous Phases of Funny Faces, made in 1906, is generally regarded by film historians as the first animated film recorded on standard picture film.  It is on deposit and preserved by the Library of Congress.  

Our November collection ranges from history to holidays to novels set during Thanksgiving. Enjoy!

Dear Students and Faculty,

We want to inform you about upcoming changes to the authentication process for accessing our library databases. These updates aim to enhance security and improve your user experience. The process started on October 5 and will take a few days to complete as our library staff implement the changes database by database.

What changes will you see?

• You might not notice much difference except for slight changes to the login page. You will still select UHV or VC and log in as usual. While the login protocol is changing, your username and password will remain the same.
• Login will be required for all users, both on campus and off.
• Hyperlinks to our databases will be different. If you have saved a bookmark from our A-Z Databases page, that bookmark will no longer work.
• It is a good idea to clear your browser cache if you are having difficulties logging in.

***Note…we are also seeing problems with users logging into MYEbsco personal accounts after they enter a database.  We do not believe that the two issues are related, but we have entered a support ticket with EBSCO for resolution.

If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to reach out to the library staff.

Thank you for your understanding!