Our guest blogger for this post is Robert Fitzgerald, Reference and Inter-Library Loan Librarian at the Smith Library.
One of the best things about attending High Point University is the availability of interesting, helpful and diverse resources and services that can be found in the school’s library. The HPU Libraries hold thousands of print books, including popular fiction and non-fiction titles at Smith Library, the Wanek Center Learning Commons and the School of Education (SOE). HPU Libraries also provides a number of online resources, which students can access through the library’s website. These include e-books, academic articles, links to academic databases, web links to helpful sites and much more. Not only that, if you need something the library does not hold, there is an interlibrary loan service that allows the student to borrow an item from another library. The HPU Libraries are also a place to check out equipment for multi-media projects, work on group projects or engage in quiet study. And most importantly, the library is also staffed with friendly, knowledgeable and helpful librarians that are happy and eager to assist students with whatever they may need.
In one of the passages in Wes Moore’s The Work: My Search for a Life that Matters, Moore speaks about reading Colin Powell’s book, My American Journey. Moore writes that the book has greatly influenced his life. Moore sought out new and different ideas by finding and reading books such as Powell’s. There’s nothing like browsing through the stacks of the library, exploring and finding interesting books, writings, videos, music and more. You never know what new ideas, stories, and information you may encounter in these resources. Powell’s book encouraged Moore to see himself, his work, and his entire life in a completely new way. In these resources, a student may find that one thing that influences and changes his or her life as well.
We have included some links to some helpful library webpages. The Library Catalog is where you look for books, DVDs, articles, etc. Also from the catalog, you can read thousands of articles or e-books online, stream educational movies, listen to classical music tracks or browse our collection of seven thousand movies or TV shows. If you are interested in multi-media equipment and printing information, the Media & Printing webpage is very helpful. And on the HPU Libraries’ Resources A-Z webpage, you can find a list of our databases, which help you find articles from newspapers, magazines, and journals. Resources A-Z also provides access to sources such as the Historical New York Times (from 1851-2011), Artstor, which provides images from great art collections from around the world and journals such as Science, Nature and the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Have questions? Please Contact Us here at HPU Libraries via email, phone, chat, or in-person.
On his way to Oxford, Moore thinks back to Powell’s advice: Don’t be afraid of failure. Take chances and risks. Have confidence in your judgement (7). Do the lessons in these words apply to you? What are the books that have been influential in your life?
Dr. Qubein’s 2014 interview with Colin Powell.