From the Director's Desk
End of the Year Review

Snapshots of the Activity in McQuade Library this Year:

Set yourself in motion @ your library banner 9% increase of student participation in Information Literacy Instruction Students studying in new study spaces with comfortable chairs and better lighting READ posters of our own Merrimack celebrities becoming the “hot” item on campus Reorganization of the library staff and welcoming two new librarians Faculty from all three divisions discussing academic integrity at the library sponsored Academic Integrity Forums Groups of students with their laptops using wireless connection throughout the library Freshmen getting Library Magic 8 Balls at the Orientation Scavenger Hunt Reference librarians assisting students with research projects

“Give the Gift of Reading” program sending over 40 books to a Bronx elementary school English professors reviewing the literature collection with a librarian Student assistants showing fellow students how to use the microfilm readers Library Advisory Committee members discussing library issues over coffee and doughnuts Academic Integrity webpage added to library website Lunchtime book discussions in the Library Director’s office Displays of memorabilia and exhibits of photographs and paintings Senior library assistants enjoying an ice cream farewell reception with the library staff! These are just a few of my memories from this past year. It’s been a good year. May you all have a restful summer. Remember the library is open all year so if you are in need of a good book to read, journal articles for research projects, or a video/dvd to enjoy – please come in and visit. We will be here! ~ Barbara Lachance, Library Director

Have you seen our posters?

What's New on our Website

Academic Integrity Update

The Library Advisory Committee has been charged with developing a plan to address academic integrity at Merrimack College. This semester, the committee held a series of open forums to learn more about the opinions of faculty on our campus concerning academic integrity.

In further efforts to raise awareness of this important issue, the librarians have created an academic integrity website. These pages link to quality resources and helpful sites relating to academic integrity. Sections include:

*What is Academic Integrity?
*Resources for Students
*Resources for Faculty
*Copyright and Fair Use Information
*Tutorials
*In the Media

These pages reside on the library website and are available at: http://www.noblenet.org/merrimack/academic_integrity/home.htm

Please take some time to explore these pages. Suggestions and comments are welcome.

Au Revoir Senior Library Student Workers!

The McQuade Library staff is truly proud of its twelve graduating student workers, most of whom have worked at the library for four years.

Elizabeth Ketcham, Caitlin Macadino, Maureen Moroney and Jarrod White worked at the Circulation Desk; Doan Cao and Lauren Tornatore worked in the Periodicals Room; Annemarie Donegan, Kristen Murdica, Jillian Nannicelli and Bianca Rossetti worked in the Media Center; and Joseph St. Germain worked in Tech Processing and Circulation.

Seven of our workers are Presidential Scholars, and many of our graduates plan to attend graduate school, travel abroad, and work (several already have jobs lined up).

Lauren, Maureen, Jillian, Elizabeth and Caitlin have even taken up modeling -- they are the stars of our May READ Poster (see above). Look for it on campus!

We will miss all our senior library student workers, and we wish them much success and happiness!!

Submitted by Chris Condon

Thank you for the Gift of Reading!

Students at the St. Nicholas of Tolentine School, an Alternative Spring Break location in the Bronx, were THRILLED with their gifts of new books for the school library.

Books were purchased and donated by Merrimack faculty, staff and students.

Senior Elizabeth Ketcham, Sophomore Christina Feeny, Junior Erin Hynes and others visited the St. Nicholas of Tolentine school on an Alternative Spring Break trip this March.

Sarah Angell, a class of '04 alum, is volunteering in the Bronx for a year with the Augustinian volunteers.

Thank you for your support!

Book Review: The Kite Runner

Nadine Gordimer, the South African writer, remarked recently that if you want to learn about Napoleon Bonaparte’s disastrous Russian campaign, you can do research and read about it in history books. But, she beckons, if you really want to experience it, you must read Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Nothing truer could be said about a work of fiction than that of Khaled Hosseini’s compelling first novel, The Kite Runner.

Beginning in Afghanistan in the years prior to the Soviet assault in 1970, Hosseini's novel tells the mesmerizing yet disturbing tale of his narrator, Amir and his childhood companion, Hassan, the son of the household’s servant. The novel tells the story of the two young friends’ earliest experiences together and separate journeys to adulthood. Amir eventually flees the war torn country and travels to the United States with his father, Baba. Hassan leaves his friend under the most tragic of circumstances to live elsewhere in the now perilous homeland with his father, Ali.

While the story is clearly Amir’s, his voice expresses a most loving and insightful look into the heart of Afghan culture and society through his father, the difficult yet wonderful Baba. One of the most memorable moments comes in an early passage as the tortured Baba tries desperately to teach his son what it means to live honorably:

Now no matter what the mullah teaches, there is only one sin, only one.
And that is theft.

It is Baba’s “sin” that sets many of the novel’s events into motion and eventually forces Amir to choose what living an honorable life really means.This book is not for the faint of heart; it is a haunting and unforgettable read that may provoke anger and tears, regret and outrage. Hosseini paints an insightful and thoughtful portrait of both his countries, Afghanistan and the United States. As Rahim Khan, the family friend writes to Amir about his first story: Bravo.