Thanks to the library, EC has discovered celebrities here on campus that can be found on two “Read” postures in the library lobby last Thursday, April 29.
“The celebrities posture came from the American Library Association and our librarian, Alice Grisby, the director of the library, took that idea and said we should make our own “Read” postures, which are the postures you will see around the library and it basically has a picture of our local celebrity/ faculty member of staff member and a book that they like and it just says the word “Read” right above it,” Ed Martinez, public access librarian, said.
There are three entities that create the postures; first, the librarians sit down in meetings and select two faculty or staff from a list who have used the library or promoted it or supported it; then Dwight Ueda, the official campus photographer, takes the photos of the recipients; finally, Ellen Lorenz, the graphic artist, is contacted to put the posture together, Martinez said.
“We have actually been doing the “Read” program since 2005, it’s the library’s way of celebrating “American Library Week”, we’ve actually made it “American Library Month” here,” Martinez said.
We started with 10 celebrities in 2005 since that time we have added two people each year, Martinez said.
“It really is just an honor [to be the recipient of the award] because there are so
many people that use the library,” Dr. Elizabeth Shadish, philosophy instructor, said. The Brothers Karamozov by Fyodor Dostoeusky, Elisabeth’s book is in the library; it’s her favorite book but most of us had to read it as well,” Dr. Elaine Cannon, sociology instructor, said.
“In a way I have mixed feelings [about receiving the recognition] because in part, it’s just kind of embarrassing that you’re a celebrity because I don’t think of myself in that way but the positive side was that I was absolutely thrilled when I was picked, I even had a little bit of tearing because I love books and I have worked with the library quite some time,” Shadish said.
The reason for me being acknowledged is that I have been on the library advisory committee for a long time and I have also supported the library when they were going through a very difficult funding period, Shadish said.
“My understanding of why I was selected is because I take all my students to the library,” Cannon said.
When Ed had referred to the recipients as “celebrities”, I saw it as more of an honor, Cannon said.
“I can’t tell you how surprised I was to be on the list for the “Read” postures,” Cannon said.
“‘Black Families in White America’ by Andrew Billingsley, the book I selected, when we were asked to select a book, [which] was the book that guided my research dissertation,” Cannon said. The “Read” postures agree me with me because it shows that teachers use the library as well as students, Starlett Nickels, 20, business finance, said.
“It’s cool, {the postures] make them look like more than professors; like they’ve achieved something,” Daniel Stewart, 19, sociology.
People stop and look at the postures to see if their professors are in them, Cynthia Luna, 20, computer information systems, said.
“The reason we do this is basically; we want to remind people of the important skill that reading is, reading is what binds us all together in the academic world,” Martinez said.
