Special Collections Display: my new favorites

Special Collections is a not-so-secret dark room where “special” materials are stored, like fine and rare books, and limited edition artist books. They aren’t in the general circulating collection because one or more of the following things are true: they’re unique, have some value, or are just really fragile.

Although these items can’t be checked out, you are certainly welcome to see them for yourself. That’s why we have them! Just ask at the Circulation Desk for the book you’d like to look at.

(And don’t forget to wear your gloves.)

Faculty Favorite — Terra Williams: The Elements of Style

The Elements of Style

William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White

PE1408 .S772 2005

This is a style manual, and it should be read, taught and / or applied in conjunction with real writing. No single book has taught me more about word, phrase, sentence, and paragraph-level style than this one, but the first time I read it – cover-to-cover – it was because I was trying to refine a very specific writing project. Now that I know what’s in it – from having read it cover-to-cover, I use it as a reference tool when I need style reminders for my own writing, or when I am searching for new ways to explain specific style elements to students.

–Terra Williams

This book is available to be checked out!

Lynda.com

Lydna.com is now available to all Ringling students, staff, and faculty members. Whether you need help with editing photos,creating a website, making animations, or even with iTunes and Twitter, Lynda.com has just about everything. It is an online video tutorial website with over thousands of video that are here to help all of us succeed. Lynda.com will help you solve most problems you may run into while working on any  software.

Here are steps for using Lynda.com:

- Access Lynda.com from the Library’s website by going to find reference info, then clicking on Lynda.com

- Enter your Ringling username and password

- Access the “Learn By:” drop down boxes on Lynda.com to search by subject, software, vendor, or author and find the program you need help with

- Click search

- Your search results come up and then click the video tutorial you want to watch

- Click each segment of the video you’d prefer to watch

Lynda.com is easy to learn and holds thousands of helpful tutorials. Students, faculty, and staff should definitely take advantage of our access to Lynda.com.

Book Review — Japanese Cinema

New Book Reivew: Japanese Cinema

PN 1993.5 .J3 G34 2009

When most Westerners see the words ‘Japanese’ and ‘cinema’ put together, they think of anime, samurai dramas, or (for the particularly educated) Akira Kurosawa.  Japanese Cinema, a beautifully written text detailing the diverse history of Japanese film, offers a look into the lesser-seen aspects of a subject we actually know so little about.

The book is arranged chronologically, starting with Japan’s era of silent films.  Instead of an accompanist providing the movie’s soundtrack a la Western cinema, a benshi would explain the details to the audience.  These storytellers became almost as popular as the actors starring in the films.  Cinema in Japan evolved at the same pace as America, but had a stunt in its growth during World War II.  The industry pushed on, however, and many Japanese artists coped with the war’s aftermath with filmmaking.

Japanese Cinema discusses the various ‘eras’ of the industry, ranging from the highly visual New Wave to the inventive series of monster films to the more recent popularity of horror (which are often remade with little success by Hollywood).  Even anime is a topic of interest, offering a wide breadth of information as to how it became popular overseas and what inspires animation directors (such as Miyazaki).

The book itself is rich with both information and pictures, both in black-and-white and color.  The text is entertaining and never bores with long bouts of lecture.  The author seeks to inform us of the lesser-known Japanese directors, who are just as talented as Kurosawa (arguably Japan’s most popular director in the West).  Japanese Cinema is an educational read that will keep you hooked for hours!

Lindsey Batdorf, 02/2010

Vintage Fashion- Book Review

Vintage Fashion

Emma Baxter-Wright

NK 4710.3 .V56 V56 2007

“Vintage- what wonders this word now conjures up when linked with fashion! A magical harvest of wearable art!”

–Zandra Rhodes

Fashion addict? If so, Vintage Fashion is the bible of fashion for every fashionista out there. This is a book that targets the ones that live and breathe fashion every day of their lives. Starting from the 1900′s to the end of the 1980′s, Vintage Fashion dictates an in-depth analysis simply about fashion and its movements and designers. Not only does Vintage Fashion have informative text, it displays over 250 photographs, and a shopping guide at the end of the book.

The 1960′s and 1970′s started a revolution of new and outrageous fashion, which happens to be a personal favorite. Clothing in these decades were very fun, futuristic, and free flowing. In America fabrics in this era tended to be very loud with bright colors and psychedelic patterns. In France, fashion designers were doing the complete opposite. They were making everything more futuristic with solid colors and modernistic designs. In the late 60′s floral prints slowly appeared on outfits while dresses and clothing become more bohemian and free flowing. The 1970′s Hippie style was born. Pop music turned into rock music which caused festival-goers to have virtues of free love and later invented a street style of ethnic clothes. They painted daisies on their faces and had flowers in their hair, while wearing free flowing floral printed dresses. However, overseas, Japan had become even more bizarre to the public eye, while in Britain the punk revolution became rebellious against society.

Of the 250 photographs in Vintage Fashion, each is notated with a short description of what is in the picture. The shopping guide at the end can be very useful to all fashionistas out there. From flappers to hippies, and designers to street fashion, Vintage Fashion has it all.

Courtney Cox, 2/2010

Fashion Display: Get Fashionable!

Do you like to look good?  Do you enjoy the concept of art that can be worn?  Whether you’re in it for the aesthetics or want to make your latest project fashionable, please enjoy this selection of the library’s repetoire of fashion-related books!

You are welcome to check these items out at the circulation desk and take them with you.