Year of the Dragon

2012 has brought both the year of the dragon and the Confucius Institute to Xavier’s Library.

Based on the book by James Cain

The monthly Books into Film series – a look at classic films adapted from equally classic novels – resumes Thursday January 12, 2012 at 6:00 p.m.  Billy Wilder’s 1944 film version of James Cain’s “Double Indemnity” will be shown in the second floor lounge of the University Center.  Fred MacMurry and Barbara Stanwyck star.  Dr. Elliott Hammer, chair of the Psychology Department, will be presenting the film and as always admission is free.  Pizza and drinks will be provided!  Prizes will be awarded.

Seasons Greetings!

LeReginald Jones at the library

LeReginald R. Jones is a student here at Xavier University and a well known patron of the Xavier Library.  An avid reader and superb writer Jones is often seen in the Archives or Reference Departments.  In April of this year, Jones’ article Reconstruction: African Americans and the Promise of Failure was published in the XULAneXUS.  Jones graciously agreed to answer a few questions about his writing process and library research and we have posted the interview below:

You began this project as a research assignment for your African American History and Culture class.  When did you realize this could be more than just a class assignment and in fact had the potential to be a published article?

I didn’t realize that this class assignment had the potential to be a published article until about a year and a half after I had taken the course. I was looking through some of my old research papers and I remember I really enjoyed working on that paper and the topic. I decided to take a visit to Dr. Ronald Dorris to discuss the idea of possibly submitting the paper for publication. After a while he agreed to be my mentor throughout the publication process and the rest was history.

What library resources did you use to research this work?

I used a variety of the library resources. I utilized the library’s online journal sites such as Ebsco Host and Proquest. I also read a lot of books on the topic as well as the University Archives. Most of the information I used in the research came from Xavier’s Library. The Library has a wealth of information on a variety of topics, and more information than I expected on my topic of choice.

Will you continue to research this subject area in the future or are you planning to pursue other research topics?

I will continue to research this topic. The Reconstruction Era is a very interesting era and there are so many things that can be examined during this period and I do plan on pursuing other topics such as the Role of the Black Church in the Lives of its Parishioners and other topics relating to my major Psychology.

Where did you do the majority of your writing?

The majority of my writing was done at the library and the park. I love to write at these two places because they’re quiet and really help to get you in the mood to write. When I write I look for quiet places the quieter it is , the better the writing.

What part of this project did you most enjoy?  What part was most tedious or annoying?

I enjoyed working with my research mentor, Dr. Ronald Dorris. Dr. Dorris was very helpful and constantly reminded me of how the publication process was a challenging one, but the end result would be rewarding. Dr. Dorris is a walking encyclopedia and there was so much information he knew on the topic as well as grammar, content, and what constitutes research.

The most tedious part of the process was the constant rewriting. The paper was rewritten 10 to 15 times. When I thought that nothing else could possibly be changed about the paper, I had to make changes and every time changes were made more rewrites were done. Overall the process was rewarding and allowed me to work with one the best professors I have taken throughout my matriculation at Xavier University. The process also gave me a better understanding of the era as well as a glimpse into the rich history of African Americans in the united States during a time when we were still fighting for so much.

Its also time for the Quality Enhancement Planning Office (QEP) to ask all Xavierites what’s next?  Each year the community of Xavier University reads the same book which we then discuss and write about.  November is our month to determine what book the incoming class will read next fall.  What would you have the class of 2016 read?

Finally, the Pirate’s Alley Faulkner  Society is sponsoring the Word & Music Literary Feast November 9 thru the 13th at 624 Pirate’s Alley.  Armando Valladares, author of the best selling memoir: Against all Hope will be speaking on Friday, November 11th.  The author of Anna in the Tropics, Nilo Cruz, will speak on Saturday, November 12th.  Lots of literary socializing will occur between lectures and students will receive a discount to all the programs.

On Friday, November 4th at 10:30am author Freddi Williams Evans will sign copies of her book Congo Square: African Roots in New Orleans and speak about her research of Tom Dent.

At the same location there will be a Tom Dent Forum on Saturday, November 5th including Shelia M. Goss, author of Delilah; Jumata Emill Jones, author of Never Dead; Keith Weldon Medley, author of We As Freemen: Plessy V. Ferguson; Emelda Kia, poet and author of Soul of a Sister; and Clarence Nero, author of Temptation of Desire.

Thomas Covington Dent was a New Orleans author who founded the Free Southern Theatre, where he both directed and wrote numerous plays.  In addtion to this, Dent founded the “Callaloo” literary journal.  Copies of this journal from 1978 to the present are available on the second floor of the Xavier Library.

Tom Dent

On Thursday, October 20th at 11am the very informative film Handling Stress will be shown on the first floor of the University Center.  This close to mid-terms everyone can use a few tips on how not to become totally stressed out.

Dr. Francis and Archbishop Hannan