Second Annual Author Dinner April 17
The difference between the Pocahontas myth and reality -- in other words, The
Real Scoop -- will be the subject of Dr. Helen C. Rountree's talk at the
Second Annual Author Dinner on Wednesday, April 17 at 6:30 p.m. in the River
Rooms of Webb Center. A professor of anthropology, Dr. Rountree is a widely
respected authority on the Powhatan Indians of Virginia who declined Disney's
request to be a consultant on the cartoon, Pocahontas, released last
summer. She is the author of four books with three more in progress and received
the 1995 Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council of Higher Education.
Several of her books, including the children's Young Pocahontas in the Indian
World, will be available for sale and a book signing after the dinner.
Also at the dinner, the Friends will honor Daniel C. Sonenshine, Eminent Professor
of Biology, with this year's Outstanding Achievement Award. An internationally
renowned scholar, Dr. Sonenshine will be recognized for his literary contribution
in the field of acarology. His two-volume work, The Biology of Ticks,
is the authoritative text on the subject. Frequently sought out world wide for
his expertise, he is well respected for his teaching and service through the
years at Old Dominion University.
Board elections and a Library update will also be part of the evening.
Reservations for this evening of dining and literary sharing can be made by
calling the Library Office at 683-4141 and mailing a check for $15 per person,
made out to Friends of Old Dominion University Library, to: Friends of the Library,
Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529-0256.
Library Scores with Basketball Fundraiser
This year's Baskets for Books night at Scope was a tremendous success in raising
money for the Library. Sponsored by the Friends, the Athletic Department, and
University Special Events, the January 29th event raised several hundred dollars
through a percentage of ticket sales to the games and $375 through a special
free throw shooting contest. Tony Mercurio of radio station The Score 1310 WGH
AM challenged President Koch to a half-time contest for which the radio station
donated $25 for each free throw made in one minute. The score was President
Koch 9 and Tony Mercurio 6.
Military Historians Present Friends Program
Military historians Dr. Carl Boyd and Dr. Craig M. Cameron shared their knowledge
and enthusiasm for their research in World War II military history at a Friends
of the ODU Library program on November 16th. In conjunction with Phi Alpha Theta,
the history honorary, the Friends invited professors Boyd and Cameron to discuss
how they write about World War II, their research problems and solutions, and
as a bonus they provided an excellent special reading list. If you missed this
program and would like a copy of their reading list, call the Library at 683-4141.
Watch for news this fall on our next Learning with the Friends Program!
Please Join Us
Your membership renewal is very important to us. It is due annually from the
date you joined. If you did not receive a membership reminder or are not sure
of your status, please call Fern McDougal at 683-4141.
If you have not yet joined, please call the Library for a membership form.
Memberships start at $35, and all money, except essential Friends operation
costs (mailings, etc.) go to acquisitions.
We Need You!
T-Shirts and Mugs
We now have two styles of Friends T-Shirts, and in various sizes. There is
the subtle shirt with the Friends logo printed on the side in the front and
there is the new bold shirt with the logo emblazoned on the back. Each is $10
and may be purchased in room 405 of the Library.
Making their first appearance at the Author Dinner will be the Friends mugs.
These earthenware mugs with the logo on the front and back also sell for $10.
A May Day Thank You to our Library Staff
Join the Friends in thanking the Library Staff for all their good work by stopping
by room 402 of the Library on Wednesday, May 1, between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.
If you can help with providing refreshments (cookies, cheese, crackers, etc.),
please call the Library office or Lucille Garner. Food can be dropped off at
the Library office anytime during the morning of the first.
Library Construction Update
In spite of snow, rain, and mud, the addition to the University Library is
progressing. A "new" entrance has been constructed on the south side;
demolition of the library patio has been completed, and now the pile driving
is occurring. There are approximately 400 piles that have to be placed, so the
pile driving will continue until the end of April. Inside the library, the shifting
necessary for construction of new equipment and telecommunications rooms has
been done, and some necessary asbestos abatement has been finished.
In other news, a moving contractor has been hired. National Library Relocations
has been involved in hundreds of library moves over the past ten years. Their
expertise will be invaluable in planning the various moves that will be necessary
with the construction of the addition and the renovation of the standing building.
Although there have been weather delays, the contractor and the University
are still anticipating a completion date of January, 1998.
Life Memberships
Life memberships in the Friends of the Old Dominion University Library stand
now at fifteen. With a one-time contribution of $1,000, people are making a
lifetime investment in the library and its Friends. Life membership fees are
kept in a separate endowment account to build a long-term income resource for
library needs. Interested parties should contact Fern McDougal, 683-4141, for
membership information.
Summer Reading
Members of the Friends look forward eagerly to having more time in the summer
to catch up on books that they have gazed longingly at during the year. The
following is a short list of books that some members hope to read over the summer:
Lucille Garner -- The Unconsoled, by Kazuo Ishiguro; Donna Koch -- Snow Falling
on Cedars, by David Guterson; Paul Homsher -- Midnight in the Garden of Good
and Evil, by John Berendt; Patricia Cavender -- Moo, by Jane Smiley; Charles
Burgess -- A Fish in the Water, by Mario Vargas Llosa; Anita Fellman -- The
Age of Extremes: a History of the World, 1914-1991, by Eric Hobsbawm; Ray Hinton
-- Coming of Age, by Studs Terkel; Al Rollins -- re-read The Brothers Karamzov,
by Dostoyevsky.
