Dean's Welcome

Of all the inanimate objects of all men's creations, books are the nearest to us for they contain our very thoughts, our ambitions, our indignation's, our illusions, our fidelity to the truth, and our persistent leanings to error. But most of all they resemble us in their precious hold on life. - Joseph Conrad . Notes on Life and Letters (p. 5)

It must seem odd, in this day of PDA’s and laptops and bits and bytes to celebrate the book. Libraries contain much more than books these days, and Dacus is no exception. Although you’ll find here the most recent publication in any discipline, the most up-to-date electronic access, full-text databases, the ubiquitous e-books and even wireless access, it’s important not to miss our books, all 300,000+ of them! Most are materials you cannot find on the Internet. Forgive them for not being electronically flashy; forgive them the time they take to master. But do remember that they represent what can be the best and most noble about us: thought, ideas.

Equal to our collection is the service we provide you. Using a library fully can be difficult and that’s why those of us here have made it a lifetime of study. We want your experience in the library to be pleasantly memorable, so please, ask us for help.

But don't let our bookishness put you off, either.  If you can't find it in our collection, then take a look at our 80+ databases, or our full web access.  If that doesn't alacrify your brainy ambitions, perhaps our ten laptops, complete with wireless access to the Internet, will.  No longer are you bound to the bank of computers known as DOC, Dacus Online Catalog.  You can now log on anywhere in the building with these new laptop computers.  Search a web site, write a paper or check the Dow.  It's all up to you.

If genius "is nothing more than the knowledge of the use of tools," as the great 18^th Century genius Samuel Johnson had it, then Dacus librarians are the ticket to brilliance! If I or anyone on the Dacus library staff can help you, please let us know. We want your experience with our books, our electronic sources, our serials - whatever it is you need - to be among the most satisfying intellectual experiences you'll have during your academic career here. Let us help you make that wish a reality.

Mark Y. Herring
Dean of Library Services