The latest news from Gunter Library

Number 64 | October 2024

Gunter Library News

"Gunter Library News" is the monthly e-newsletter highlighting current events and happenings at the Gunter Library at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, University of Southern Mississippi.

Gunter Library - GCRL Website

Resource of the Month

Geoscience Librarianship 101

Please join us for a free continuing education opportunity and learn about geoscience librarianship. Register at the link below and see the schedule of talks. Three sessions are held over two afternoons on Tuesday and Wednesday, October 22-23, (2 pm-5 pm CDT) with a social hour/networking time at the end of the day. SOSE PhD candidate Shara Gremillion is a presenter on Wednesday with a talk entitled: Information Resources for Geoscience Researchers in the 21st Century Within and Beyond the Library. Also on Wednesday, October 23, Gunter Library manager Megan Le will give a short talk about geology in the movies to give us a conversation starter! This is a come and go program. Zoom in for what you want attend and leave. Some of the other talks include Exploring GIS Tools and Navigating Through the AI Hype. Non-Librarians are welcome!

Submit Your Book Recommendations

All faculty, students, and staff--now is the time to submit your recommendations for books to be purchased to support your teaching, research, and learning. Please include as much information as possible--author, title, date, publisher, etc. and indicate your preference for print or e-books. Please note there are some publisher restrictions with e-books including the number of pages you can download (usually 60 pages or less). If this will impede your use of the book, then be sure to indicate you are requesting print. We need your recommendations asap. Print books ordered for COA are housed at Gunter Library at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory. Please email to: guntergcrl@usm.edu

Welcome New Hire!

Please join us in welcoming a new GCRL employee:

Jasmine Nail – TCMAC – Aquaculture Technician I

Rachel Carson's

Silent Spring

In preparation for our Gunter Library Silent Spring Common Read brown bag lunch discussion, we asked Gunter Library staff member Brennan Collins to review the book and provide us with some links to commentary about the work. Save the date for our informal book discussion on Thursday, December 19 at Gunter Library.

More about Rachel Carson

Carson was a scientist, a writer, and a visionary. Silent Spring is her epic work that started an environmental movement. In 1962, when Silent Spring was written, public discourse on the environment and political will to protect it was low.

During the 1960s, a time known for radical ideas, Carson was able to translate scientific findings about the hazards of pesticides into a language that made sense to the general public. Using individual cases, she outlines the growing evidence that widespread use of these potent chemicals has an adverse effect on wildlife and even humans. The mention of specific research studies on areas treated with DDT, and the rather vivid effects, makes it feel personal.

Silent Spring gained a foothold with the public and eventually political powers. Political leaders were compelled to deal with the growing scientific evidence about these hazards. Her stance to regulate pesticides caused a great deal of conflict with these large chemical companies that profited greatly and won her many adversaries who wanted to discredit her, as a scientist and as a woman scientist.

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New York Times Book Review, 2020

Kirkus Review

Foundation for Economic Education

ASCEND Conference

On October 4, Megan Le and Joyce Shaw attended the ASCEND (Advancing Women's STEM Careers through Empowerment and Networking) conference held in Hattiesburg, Hosted by the USM WISE group, the day featured talks and panels about careers in academia and industry, negotiating a job offer, and science in the health professions. Attendees were offered opportunities to have a professional headshot photo taken, their resume reviewed and participate in a mock interview as part of the day’s activities. Le and Shaw were part of the poster session with a poster about movies featuring a woman scientist in a lead or supporting role.

Copies of the movie list and the poster are available at Gunter Library or email guntergcrl@usm.edu

Mississippi Library Association Conference

October 9-11, Megan Le and Joyce Shaw attended the Mississippi Library Association (MLA) Conference in Natchez, MS. At the conference they accepted the MLA Public Relations award for the logo that Megan created for the SAIL/Cyamus Annual Conference hosted by Gunter Library in May 2024. They presented a poster, designed by Brennan Collins, highlighting the research and outreach done by GCRL faculty, students, and staff regarding the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster, the Bonnet Carre Spillway opening, and climate change.

Collins, B., M. Le, and J. M. Shaw. 2024. Gunter Library: Documenting the contributions of the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in the early 21st century. Mississippi Library Association Annual Conference, Natchez, MS, October 9-11

Upcoming Events

The Annual Coastal Clean Up (October 19, 8 am to 11 am) is being held at Front Beach in Ocean Springs, but you can join us as we walk East Beach and pick up trash from 10 am until noon. We are inviting our GCRL community to be a part of an informal cleanup because East Beach was omitted from the options for the annual coast wide event. Help us make a difference at our special beach adjacent to the GCRL campus. Please bring your own water and gloves. Trash bags will be provided. Meet at Halstead and East Beach at 10 am Saturday, October 19.

More Upcoming Events

HOSSFLY fly fishing workshop – FSB porch (sponsored by GCRL-AFS subunit), October 18, 3 pm to 5 pm
Annual Coastal Clean Up Saturday, October 19, 8 am to 11 am (Front Beach only for Ocean Springs)

Homecoming Tailgate, Spirit Park, October 19, 1-4 pm
Registration Deadline for Three Minute Thesis Competition being held on October 31 & Nov 1
Three Minute Thesis, Joe Paul Theater, October 31 & November 1, Registration Deadline, October 24