Odum Library Blog

After nearly two years, the process of updating the three floors on the North Half of Odum Library is complete. The third floor, which had been under construction since August 2, 2010, was handed over to the library and re-opened on February 18.

All three floors now feature new carpet, new lighting, new furniture, and revised floor plans that have added a total of 12 additional study rooms for students. Feel free to head up to the third floor and take a look at the new features.

Please note that since the area is now open, you will no longer need to place requests for books that are located in the newly completed section of the third floor. If you have any more questions about the renovation project and what it means to you, feel free to visit the library’s renovation page, ask a librarian through our live chat service, or by leaving a comment on this post.

Enjoy all the new facilities!

“But in an increasingly competitive world in which jobs and businesses are mobile, we also have a responsibility to invest in those things that are absolutely critical to preparing our people and our Nation for the economic competition of our time.” — President Barack Obama, February 14, 2011

What are these things that President Obama and his administration view as absolutely critical?  Find out by browsing through the President’s Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2012, available in PDF format.

Odum Library, as a Federal Depository Library, will be receiving the complete budget in paper format, but for now, you can view current and previous budgets back to 1996 here.

U.S. Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) has agreed to coauthor a graphic novel, March, scheduled for publication in 2012 — the first graphic novel written by a sitting member of Congress.

Lewis is Georgia’s Fifth Congressional Representative and a leader in the Civil Rights movement.

“A meditation in the modern age on the distance traveled, both as a nation and as a people, since the days of Jim Crow and segregation, March tells the first hand account of John Lewis’ lifelong struggle for civil and human rights.”–Top Shelf Productions, Marietta, GA

We’re excited this milestone graphic novel will be published in Georgia. Many thanks to Rep. Lewis and Top Shelf.

Click here to listen to a 1973 Oral History Interview with John Lewis.

Chris Staros of Top Shelf, Rep. John Lewis, and co-author Andrew Aydin

Click here to see a slide show featuring African American entrepreneurs throughout history at The Root.

Check out Odum Library resources to read more about:

Paul Cuffe

North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company (pictured above)

Maggie Lena Walker

Madam C.J. Walker

Asa Philip Randolph

John H. Johnson

Oprah Winfrey

Are you a music lover? There are many reasons you might not be able to make it to campus to enjoy a concert. Maybe you’re at home watching the kids, you don’t have a car, you’re a distance student living up in Jasper.. the list could go on and on.

Now VSU is bringing the music home to you! You’ll be able to watch concerts online at http://www.useducationtv.com/default.aspx?sid=286

Why not check out a saxophone recital by Associate Professor Joren Cain? Watch it live on Sunday, February 27th at 7:30 PM.

Do you love Latin-American music? You might enjoy the Pan American concert at 7:30 PM on April 17th. This concert will feature a couple of the talented librarians from your own Odum Library.

You can watch the concerts live or check back in a few days to watch the archived performance. Contact the VSU Department of Music for more details: http://www.valdosta.edu/music/

Three more days! The 2010 filing deadline for federal taxes is now Monday, April 18:  an extension thanks to Emancipation Day, celebrated on April 15 in the District of Columbia. Be careful, though, since the deadline for filing state taxes is still Friday, April 15.

A lot of other changes have come to 2010 taxes, and of course you’ll need to be sure to use the current (2010) forms.  Find links to commonly requested forms and publications, including interactive PDF versions of forms 1040 and 1040EZ, at 1040 Central.  There you’ll also find accessible tax publications available in large print, Braille, and talking formats, answers to frequently asked questions, and Publication 17, “the only tax guide most individuals need,” according to IRS.gov.  For the convenience of filing your tax returns electronically, visit the IRS information for e-file page.

Remember that if you aren’t able to print out forms, or prefer to use pre-printed publications, we have copies of federal forms here at Odum Library, in the Reference area on the second floor.  We can’t advise you on how to complete your tax return, but we can help you get to forms and instructions, and commiserate!

At Odum we also have plenty of Georgia 2010 Individual Income Tax booklets that include 500 and 500EZ forms and instructions. To find online Georgia state income tax forms and further guidance, go to the Georgia Department of Revenue site.  If you need tax publications from other states, check out this interactive map provided by the Federation of Tax Administrators.

Happy filing!

Are you a fan of the visual arts? Don’t you wish you could take a trip to the Met in New York City at 9pm on a Thursday, or visit buildings designed by Le Corbusier on a quick day trip?

"Composition IX" by Wassily Kandinsky, provided by UCLA Design and Media Arts

If you’re currently enrolled in classes at VSU, that is most likely out of the question. However, you can explore the works of your favorite visual artist using one of our newest databases, Art and Architecture Complete! Art and Architecture Complete indexes scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers, trade publications, and even book chapters about the art and architecture fields, often providing a full-text view of the resource.

Here’s a tip for using Art and Architecture Complete: Click on “Advanced Search” when you first arrive, and scroll down to the lower section of the page. In the green “Limit Your Results” box on the right side, there are “Image Quick View Types” checkboxes. If you want to only see articles with pictorial examples, check boxes like “Color Photograph” before you search.

Even though you won’t be able to catch a Broadway show or enjoy a fresh baguette on the Champ de Mars, you can be much more informed about your favorite artists and artworks in the comfort of your own home by using Art and Architecture Complete.

To get there, go to our Library Homepage, click on “Select Subject” under Articles by Subject, and select “Art.” Art and Architecture Complete will be on the list of recommended databases on this page. To send you there more quickly for the time being, here’s a direct link.

If you’d like to read the novel upon which the movie True Grit is based, we have a copy on the Temporary Shelves (Room 1617, 1st floor) at

PS 3566 .O68 T7

For help finding those temporary shelves on the 1st floor– or anything else in the library– please ask us via live chat, text your question to 229.234.1947, or ask at a Circulation or Reference desk.

Read “Charles Portis, the Man Who Wrote True Grit“ at The Telegraph (UK).

The 2011 State of the Union Address by President Barack Obama is archived online through the White House home page.  You can view the address as well as participate in several question-and-answer sessions with senior White House officials throughout the week.  Submit questions via Twitter, Facebook, or the panel’s web question submission form.  View the schedule for further opportunities to give your State of the Union feedback to the President and his staff and historical background on the address or the “Annual Message,” as it was originally known, at http://www.whitehouse.gov/state-of-the-union-2011

If you’re interested in the state of your state, the nonprofit state policy site Stateline.org lists the dates and full text of the 50 governors’ addresses and provides an archive of state of the state addresses since 2000.

UPDATE: 1/26/2011

The City of Valdosta has announced that all tests for harmful bacteria in city water came back negative. It is safe to use city water for drinking, brushing teeth, and cooking once again.

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From http://www.valdostacity.com
Posted Date: 1/22/2011
City Water Services Affected by Power Failure

Due to a power failure at the City of Valdosta Water Treatment Plant on Guest Road, all city water customers are currently without water services until further notice. Georgia Power is working with local contractors at the plant site to resolve this situation as quickly as possible. Updates will be posted to the City of Valdosta website at www.valdostacity.com Citizens are encouraged NOT to call 9-1-1 about this situation unless they have an emergency, but instead may call the city’s Utilities Department to receive additional information and updates at (229) 259-3592.