LiveMocha: Online Language Learning Trial

 Another language learning trial? YES! And we need your feedback to know what you think.

You've seen Mango Languages, now learn about LiveMocha. 38 languages (including English), learning activities, and you can choose your learning level.
From the LiveMocha website:

Whole-Part-Whole

Developed in collaboration with the University of Oregon’s Center for Applied Second Language Studies, our methodology is structured around the Whole-Part-Whole learning model. Whole-Part-Whole is a proven structure that allows learners to observe, learn, and then practice new language concepts. Consistently used in skills training with excellent results, Whole-Part-Whole breaks down learning situations into three parts:

• Demonstration: The learner watches and/or listens to native speakers engage in a conversation. The situation includes new language skills and is presented to learners in a complete real-life setting that helps with the construction of a mental model. For example, the learner may watch a video of people ordering coffee at a café and then complete a short exercise to gauge their own comprehension.

• Deconstruction: The situation represented in the conversation is broken down into its vocabulary and grammar parts. This allows learners to fully understand the components of the new situation and to learn how those components can be applied to other situations as well.

• Practice: Finally, the components are reassembled and the learner is given the opportunity to practice via a series of interactive activities.  These activities focus on written and spoken production and all involve interaction with and feedback from real native speakers of the language.

Now, check it out for yourself, and tell us your opinion. 

Have a great weekend!
Marliese Thomas, User Engagement Librarian

How do you say Welcome in more than 45 languages? Mango!

Samford Library has a new trial that has us pretty excited!

Mango Languages offers web-based language classes in an interactive and interesting format. These lessons can be accessed just like our other online resources, anywhere you have a computer and internet connection. You will just be asked to log in with your Samford username and ID. Check it out here, on our Trials page.

Mango offers 45 foreign languages including French, German, Farsi, Spanish (Latin American AND Spain), Haitian Creole, among others. There's also Pirate for those of you with a yearning for the high seas and a Puffy Shirt.

Not just for English-speakers, Mango also offers English as a Second Language in 15 languages, including Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin), Korean, Brazilian, and Italian.

For additional fun, there's also a quick translate tool in a wide variety of languages. 

This trial is only around for 30-60 days, depending on your interest and feedback. So, please check it out, and let us know what you think.

Dia duit!
(I just learned that's "God with you" in Irish Gaelic)

Marliese Thomas
User Engagement Librarian

Ringing in the New School Year

Originally posted as an email from Rene Golden:

Ringing of the Rushton Memorial Carillon

on the campus of Samford University

Monday, August 20, 2012 at 8:30 am

Steve Knight, carillonneur

~~~~~~~~

The Star-Spangled Banner

O Samford Alma Mater True

Preludio VI in G Minor, Matthias van den Gheyn

Holy, Holy, Holy

Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise

Rejoice, the Lord Is King

Rejoice Ye Pure In Heart

~~~~~~~~

Stephen Brooks Knight is a pianist, organist, carillonneur and composer from Birmingham, Alabama and is Samford University’s Resident Carillonneur. Knight has received numerous awards and honors, including winner of the City of Mechelen Carillon Composition prize from the Royal Carillon School in Mechelen, Belgium, and two year recipient of the Young Blind Composers Award from the National Federation of Music Clubs.  He also received the Samuel P. Hayes Award from the Perkins School for the Blind and the Harry R. Wilson Award from Samford University.

Knight holds two undergraduate degrees from University of Alabama and graduate degrees from Samford University, Schola Cantorum in Paris, France, and University of Michigan. He received the Final Diploma “With Great Distinction” from the Royal Carillon School in Belgium.

Knight participated in the First World Congress of Guild of Carillonneurs in Ammersfoort, Holland in August, 1978. He has been a member of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America since 1970 and is also a member the American Guild of Organists, American Federation of Music Clubs, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.

The Rushton Memorial Carillon was first installed on campus in Reid Chapel in 1968. The carillon was donated by William J. Rushton in honor of his parents, two sisters, and brother. When the carillon was first erected, 49 bells were included. It was the first four-octave chromatic carillon in the United States. Each bell was cast with a meaningful inscription, making the bell system not only unique to the United States but to the world. No other bell system at that time included inscriptions on each bell.

In 1979, the bells were moved to the Harwell Goodwin Davis Library. Eleven more bells were added at that time. The largest bell, C3, weighs 5,192 pounds and has a diameter of 61-9/16". The lightest bell, C8, weighs 26 pounds and has a diameter of

7-1/8". The total weight for the bells is 29,244 pounds.

Library Closed Friday, Aug 17

As students and employees are preparing for the Fall semester, so are we at Harwell G. Davis Library. In order to have a staff training and organization day, we will be closed all day Friday, August 17th.

During this time, please make use of our online resources, research guides, and don't hesitate to Ask Us! You may find the answer to your question already in our knowledgebase. If not, we will return your email as soon as possible when the library re-opens on Monday, August 20th.

Thank you for giving us this opportunity to grow as a community and expand our ability to serve you.

Marliese Thomas
User Engagement Librarian

Temporary Disuption to Some Journal Links 11 PM August 24

 We try our best to make your search and access experience a seamless one. When you look up an article, then click through to the full-text version, we hope the mechanics are kept behind the scenes. Occasionally, our software providers need to provide maintenance on those systems, which can cause momentary disruptions on those services. 

Please note the affected times and resources below. We hope, with this advanced notice, you can schedule your research times around this brief inconvenience. If you have any questions, our reference librarians can offer assistance in finding alternate resources. Please Ask Us for library and online chat hours or to ask your question by email.

Scheduled System Maintenance on 24-25 August 2012

EBSCO will be performing scheduled maintenance from 24 August 2012 at 11:00 PM to 25 August at 3:00 AM Eastern Time (25 August, 03:00 – 07:00 GMT) on our e-journal full-text access servers.
Direct access to articles from EBSCO’s linking services will be unavailable for the following list of publishers:

• National League for Nursing
• American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP)
• Intellect Ltd
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press (MIT Press)
• College of Business and Public Affairs
• e-Med
• IUPAC
• NRC Research Press

Only articles from these eight publishers accessed via A-to-Z TOC Browse, EJS, or SmartLinks+ will be affected. These publishers account for only 80 of our more than 15,000 journals handled by our linking services, so the overall impact to your users should be minimal. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.

"O sing unto the Lord a new song sing unto the Lord, all the earth." Psalm 96:1

We have enjoyed Mr. Steve Knight's astounding talent on the Rushton Memorial Carillion for these many years. For more information about the Carillion, visit this Treasure Chest website describing each bell's Biblical inscription.  Just this morning, he celebrated our graduates with a beautiful concert of the following tunes:

Star Spangled Banner

Samford Alma Mater True

Amazing Grace

Alabama, Alabama

Preludio X                                                                  
         Matthias van den Gheyn, (1721–1785)

Air in F Major                                                             
         George Frederick Handel, (1685–1759)

          arr. Leen’t Hart, (1915–1992)

Selections from Johannes de Gruytters’ Beiaardboek (Antwerp, 1746)

Minuet in G Major                                     
             Johannes de Gruytters, (1709–1772)

Andante in C Major                       
              Francois Couperin, (1668–1733)

Bells of Dunkirk                                       
              traditional

Gavotte et double                                
              Willem de Fesch, (1687–1761)

Andante from Sonatine No. 1                                                  
           Seth van Balkum

La Campanella for Carillon in F Major                                      
          Georges Clement

Three Sacred melodies                                         arr. Stephen Brooks Knight, (b. 1944)

All people that on earth do dwell                                     
              OLD 100TH

Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee       
              Ludwig van Beethoven, (1770–1827)     

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty     
              LOBE DEN HERREN, Stralsund Gesangbuch, 1665
              harm. W. Sterndale Bennett, (1816–1875)

Mr. Knight has generously shared many of his records related to his carillion service to Samford, and we look forward to sharing more of his history with you in the future.

Thanks to Karen Rayburn for information about today's concert. Thanks to Jennifer Taylor in Special Collections for information about the Rushton Memorial Carillion.