November Displays!

It might be easy to underestimate the workforce behind this library desk, but let's set the record straight. We have a cast of super talented people on our staff in the library here at Govs, with an array of degrees and ranging talents, but one of our most unsung heroines, is the diva of the display cases, Mrs. Amy Custance! She wears many hats in the library, and is responsible for the amazing display cases outside of the electronic classroom. She somehow manages to create a hall of joy and inspiration with her work.

We hope that you spend some time taking in the array of ever changing displays throughout our library. A lot of time, research and creativity gets poured into these gems. It is always nice when students and staff stop to appreciate them or have a casual conversation with us regarding a display. We strive to pique your curiousity and you consistently prove such an attentive and (somewhat) captive audience.

This month, one case showcases the engineering feat of the Hoover Dam, designed by a Govs alum, no less!

A couple of resources include:

COLOSSUS:   Hoover Dam and the making of the American century

This epic story of the dam—from conception to design to construction—by Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and Los Angeles Times columnist Michael Hiltzik exposes the tremendous hardships and accomplishments of the men on the ground—and in the air—who built the dam and the demonic drive of Frank Crowe, the boss who pushed them beyond endurance. (Amazon)
627.82 HIL

America's Master Dam Builder : The Engineering Genius of Frank T. Crowe 

A biography of Crowe tracing his career from early on and up through the building of  the mighty Hoover and Shasta Dams.

 627.8 ROC

Great Projects: The Epic Story of the Building of America, from the Taming of the Mississsippi to the Invention of the Internet
From the various engineering feats that knit America together and enable its cities to function, Tobin selects eight creations--and the driving engineers behind them--for hero-scale treatment. Few will disagree with the national significance of his selected projects, except for Boston's controversial "Big Dig" highway, which, although impressive from an engineering standpoint, has experienced huge cost overruns. Tobin's seven other creations have indeed transformed large sections of the country, in particular the still-awesome Hoover Dam. This generously illustrated work is a companion to a PBS series scheduled to air in early 2002 and will dispel our tendency to take for granted the conveniences of electricity, clean water, and flood control. Aside from Edison, none of the figures Tobin profiles are now household names, but they were lauded in their day as mechanical messiahs, and we still benefit from their vision. A winning testament to American ingenuity.  (Booklist)
609.73 TOB

The second display case marks the 25th anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down.

Highlighted resources include:

Stasiland: Stories from behind the Berlin wall
"During its 40-year history, the German Democratic Republic--East Germany--was, with Soviet assistance, the perfect police state. The organ of surveillance within the GDR (as well as foreign intelligence activities) was the Stasi, which, better than any other modern secret police, had organized a large army of citizen informers. Australian writer Funder thoroughly documents that culture of domestic spying and its effects on a cross-section of East German society. To call the stories that she relates as Orwellian is rather an understatement; the fact that they are true alone goes beyond Orwell: the mysterious death of a husband while in detention, the sudden "nonexistence" of a rock star, a mother's separation from her critically ill infant. What the reader learns from these stories is that evil swings like a pendulum, from the banal to the surreal, but no matter where it is in the spectrum, it always leaves pain behind." (Booklist)
363.283 FUN

"Something to do with the Wall" (DVD)
In 1986, Ross McElwee and Marilyn Levine first shot footage on the 25th anniversary of the Berlin Wall's erection, when the imposing structure was still very much intact as the world's outstanding symbol of the Communist hard line and Cold War lore. They thought they were making a documentary on the community of tourists, soldiers, and West Berliners who lived in the seemingly eternal presence of the graffiti emblazoned eyesore. But in 1989, as the original film neared completion, the Wall came down, and McElwee and Levine were in Berlin again, this time to capture the radically different atmosphere of the reunified city. (Amazon)
DVD 943.087 SOM


Mrs. Custance always creates displays that are both visually appealing and rich with text and images.  And for those who get hooked on a particular subject matter, there is always a host of materials available to check out. You will not find outdated, dusty reference books here, instead  an array of topical DVDs, art books, time lines and current articles. I guarantee that if you spend 5 minutes in front of these display cases each month, you will be a more inspired and intelligent student. Enjoy and Kudos to Mrs. Custance!