Library pumps up the volume with jazz concert

The St. Petersburg-based band O Som Do Jazz performed a free concert at the West St. Petersburg Community Library on April 4.

St. Petersburg College hosted the Jazz in the Stacks event that drew a crowd to hear the Brazilian music. The concert was held in honor of Jazz Appreciation Month.

The band recaptures the spirit of 1960s-80s Brazilian Bossa Nova, samba-jazz and Música Popular Brasileira. It features Rio de Janeiro singer Andrea Moraes Manson and musicians experienced in Brazilian music.

The set list included:

• Batucada
• Ela e Carioca
• Samba de Orly
• Estamos Ai
• Tarde en Itapoa
• Sambou Sambou
• Nana
• Piano na Mangeira
• Alta Noite
• Madalena

“It’s a pleasure to share our favorite Brazilian music with American audiences,” said Dr. David Manson, a SPC professor and band member. “We hope to see some familiar faces at our next performance on the May 5 Latin American Celebration at Vinoy Park.”

See more photos from the band’s performance on the college’s Facebook page.

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Animals, students bond at Tarpon Springs adopt-a-thon

It rained cats and dogs last week but people at the St. Petersburg College Tarpon Springs Campus were more focused on the animals at the April 4 adopt-a-thon.

Three dogs and a kitten were adopted at the event that drew 135 people. Representatives from Pasco County Animal Services and Placing Misplaced Pets attended and brought animals that were up for adoption.

Faculty, staff and students were given the opportunity to learn about the benefits of having a pet, according to the event’s organizers.

The event was part of the One Book One College series at SPC. The college selects a book every year to feature in its common reading program. This year’s choice is Garth Stein’s The Art of Racing in the Rain. The story is about a dog named Enzo, who yearns to be human and learns what it takes to be a compassionate and successful person.

Ten SPC student volunteers participated in the adopt-a-thon including members of the campus’ Student Government Association and the Latinos United Club. Pasco County Commissioner Pat Mulieri also was at the event and worked as a volunteer for Pasco County Animal Services.

Despite the severe weather outside, people who came to see the animals said they enjoyed the adopt-a-thon and found it “therapeutic.” Some students said they had recently lost pets and wanted to see the animals including a student who missed his dog he had to leave behind with family back home.

See more photos from the event on the college’s Facebook page.

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One Book One College: Dogs rule the day at SPC Downtown

St. Petersburg College’s Downtown Campus hosted a “Downtown Bow Wow” last month that drew more than 100 students and staff and promoted the college’s One Book One College selection.

Following a survey, the college each year picks a book to feature in its common reading program One Book One College. This year’s selection is Garth Stein’s The Art of Racing in the Rain. The program’s goal is to get everyone at SPC reading and discussing the same selection.

The Downtown event, held March 14, played off the book’s plot. The story is told from the perspective of a dog named Enzo, who yearns to be human and learns what it takes to be a compassionate and successful person.

The Downtown Bow Wow featured several guest speakers and presenters from Therapy Dogs International, SPC’s Vet Tech program and the St. Petersburg Police K9 Unit.

The college has been hosting various events as part of One Book One College. Another is an upcoming dog adopt-a-thon. The event is set for Thursday, April 4, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Tarpon Springs Campus outdoor amphitheater area. Faculty, staff and students will have the opportunity to learn about the benefits of dog ownership.

See more photos from the event on the college’s Facebook page.

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Faculty shares racing experiences with students

This month amateur race car driver and St. Petersburg College Tarpon Springs faculty member Brian Brillinger discussed his experiences racing with the Sports Club of America, even bringing along his red, 1971 BMW to show students.

Brillinger spoke with students at the Tarpon Springs Campus on Monday, March 11, and again at the Clearwater Campus on Monday, March 25. The event included information about amateur racing, licenses needed for racing, safety features and an interactive activity.

See photos from taken at the Clearwater Campus on the college’s Facebook page.

The event is part of a number of programs this spring in support of SPC’s One Book One College title The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.

At the Tarpon Springs Campus, faculty members have incorporated the book into lessons and assignments. Students have been participating in monthly book discussions with Jennifer Haber and Jeanna Ojeda at the Tarpon Springs Campus library.

Another event related to SPC’s One Book One College selection is an upcoming dog adopt-a-thon. The event is set for April 4 from 1 – 3 p.m. at the Tarpon Springs Campus outdoor amphitheater area. Faculty, staff and students will have the opportunity to learn about the benefits of dog ownership.

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Clearwater, SPC library merger inches forward

College memos say SPC will soon hire an architect for new construction involving a library at the Clearwater Campus, the Tampa Bay Times reported earlier this month. SPC and the city of Clearwater are in serious talks about a library merger although neither side has yet fully committed to the idea, the article also stated.

SPC has decided to build a new library on the campus with or without the city’s partnership, according to the report. The college has set aside $14 million for the project, mostly from its reserve funds. So far, Clearwater is spending $30,000 to study whether a merger makes sense for the city. The City Council is waiting on specifics.

“If we’re ever going to do it, now is the time to do it,” Clearwater library director Barbara Pickell recently told the City Council, according to the article.

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Time to pick finalists for ‘Last Book Standing’

Each year  students, faculty and staff select a title for the common reading program, One Book, One College. Voting is open until Friday, Oct. 19 at noon.  This is your chance to vote for your favorite among the proposed titles to ensure it becomes a finalist in the competition…Last Book Standing wins!

Review the proposed titles and cast your vote now to narrow the list to the top finalists.

Don’t need to review the titles? Click here.

On Oct. 23 you will be able to vote from among the top finalists to identify the Last Book standing…the One Book, One College title for 2013!

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Clearwater, SPC considering joint library

The city of Clearwater and SPC are again looking at the issue of combining the city’s East Branch Library and the college’s nearby library, TBNweekly.com reported. This time, according to the article, the talks seem serious.

The Clearwater City Council has authorized the director of the city’s library system to spend up to $30,000 of Penny for Pinellas sales tax revenue to study the feasibility of the project.

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SPC’s libraries expand resources

St. Petersburg College Libraries have a new website! It is now possible, thanks to the Florida Virtual Campus , to directly link SPC’s Library website to our main research portal (called Primo). Primo is a one-stop discovery system that provides access to a large repository of books, e-books, full-text articles, videos, and more. To learn how Primo works, watch this animated video.

Note: If your course syllabi and assignments guide students to Databases A-Z, Databases by Subject, and Journals A-Z then these links still exist (see highlights above). The Google-like search box, also highlighted above, searches all of our library resources (e.g., books, e-books, full-text articles, videos, and more) and provides one interface to display all the results.

If a user requires more sophisticated research methodologies, then they can do an Advanced Search (see highlight above) and/or they can search within a specific database or journal title. Please know that librarians are available online or within any SPC Campus Library or Learning Commons to help users navigate and to make best use of all of the library’s resources and services. Librarians also can visit classrooms, online or face-to-face, to provide practical academic research tips and skills to help better engage students in the learning process.  The Library Instruction Request form is available at http://www.spcollege.edu/survey/4680.

SPC faculty, students, and staff are automatically logged in to the library’s resources and services (including MyAccount) after they have logged in to ANGEL. Simply select the Library Resources & Services link under the ‘Institutional Resources’ section and obtain access to everything the library has to offer!  If a user is not logged in to ANGEL, then the user will be prompted to login using a Borrower ID (Student/Employee number) and a PIN (last 4-digits of Social Security Number).

There is now an option to “Keep me logged in” so users will not be required to login every time they want to do library research.

To start using the new library website please visit http://www.spcollege.edu/libraries/ and select the “Search Library” button.

If you have questions, comments, need help replacing persistent links to library resources or services, or have access issues please contact Chad Mairn at mairn.chad@spcollege.edu or (727) 394-6917.

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St. Petersburg College, Seminole commemorate library’s 50th birthday

     It’s been 50 years since the city of Seminole founded its community library, a facility now located on the Seminole campus of St. Petersburg College. On Saturday, July 10, the library and the community came together to

Juggler Daniel Brown

commemorate that anniversary with  festivities that included door prizes, music, juggling, classic cars, face painting, speeches, and other fun activities.
     In recent years, the library has been jointly operated by the city and by St. Petersburg College for the benefit of Seminole residents and SPC students, faculty and staff.
     Legislators as well as city and college officials were on hand for the daylong party.
   

Seminole Mayor Jimmy Johnson

  Seminole Mayor Jimmy Johnson opened the festivities, and SPC President Bill Law delivered brief remarks.
     Pat Bartell, Administrative Services Director, who has served the library as a volunteer and an employee for more than 30 years, entertained an audience with her memories of the library’s early years. Author Tim Dorsey offered a book talk and signing inside, while young juggler Daniel Brown, “Da Bucket Band,”  and a DJ performed outside. Children and adults participated in trivia and hula hoop contests.
     The festivities began around 11 a.m. and stretched past 2 p.m.
    

Librarian Pat Bartell

Pat Bartell’s remarks can be seen here:

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