Dean's Welcome
Of all the inanimate objects of all men's creations, books
are the nearest to us for they contain our very thoughts, our
ambitions, our indignation's, our illusions, our fidelity to the
truth, and our persistent leanings to error. But most of all
they resemble us in their precious hold on life. - Joseph Conrad
. Notes on Life and Letters (p.
5)
It must seem odd, in this day of iPods, smartphones, Google, laptops and bits and
bytes to celebrate the book. But celebrate books we must for it is in them that we find both our knowledge and our wisdom; not just our information. Libraries contain much more than books
these days, and Dacus is no exception. Although you’ll find here the
most recent publication in any discipline, the most up-to-date
electronic journals, full-text databases, the ubiquitous e-books and
even wireless access, it’s important not to miss our books, all
500,000+ of them! Most contain materials you cannot find on the
Internet. That's right, not everything is on the Web after all. Forgive our books for not being electronically flashy;
forgive them the time they take to master. But do remember that they
represent what can be the best and most noble about us: our thought, our
ideas.
Equal to our collection is the service we provide you.
Using a library fully can be difficult and that’s why those of us
here have made it a lifetime of study. We want your experience in
the library to be pleasantly memorable, so please, ask us for
help.
But don't let our bookishness put you off, either. If you
can't find it in our collection, then take a look at our 100+
databases, or our full web access. If that doesn't alacrify
your brainy ambitions, then perhaps our twenty laptops, complete with
wireless access to the Internet, will. No longer are you bound
to the bank of computers known as DOC, Dacus Online Catalog.
You can now log on anywhere in the building (or anywhere you have access to the Web, for that matter) with these new laptop
computers. Use them to search a web site, write a paper or check the
Dow. It's all up to you.
If genius "is nothing more than the knowledge of the use of
tools," as the great 18th Century genius Samuel Johnson
had it, then Dacus librarians are the ticket to brilliance! If I or
anyone on the Dacus library staff can help you, please let us know.
We want your experience with our books, our electronic sources, our
serials - whatever it is you need - to be among the most satisfying
intellectual experiences you'll have during your academic career
here. Let us help you make our wish your reality.
Mark Y. Herring
Dean of Library
Services
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