LamontNews-list January 2005

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The Lamont News-List Intersession Special Issue January 24, 2005

by Susan M Gilroy

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* The Lamont News-List lamont(a)fas.harvard.edu January 24, 2005 http://hcl.harvard.edu/lamont *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Be well, stay safe, have fun and rest up! See you back in Lamont at the beginning of February! ********************************************************** THE INTERSESSION *R & R* SPECIAL ISSUE: -- Books That Harvard Students Recommend 23 titles for Intersession reading -- Mrs. Milner's Temptation Shelf The tradition behind our "Recommended Reading" lists -- Lamont Library Hours During Intersession Just in case you'll be around ********************************************************** BOOKS THAT SOUND TEMPTING 23 titles that Harvard students recommend *** ON KISSING, TICKLING, AND BEING BORED: PSYCHOANALYTIC ESSAYS ON THE UNEXAMINED LIFE, by Adam Phillips. Harvard U P, 1993. British child psychotherapist Adam Phillips has been compared to Susan Sontag, Lionel Trilling, Chekhov and William Empson; Robert Coles has even dubbed him the "Pascal of psychoanalysis." _On Kissing, Tickling, and Being Bored_ is a collection of previously published occasional pieces, book reviews, and meditations on such simple realities as risk, solitude, worry, and yes, as the title suggests, kissing and tickling. Illiana Quimbaya, the Adams House senior who recommends this book, marvels at the way Phillips "dissects the most random things from everyday life." His fascination with the subtleties of human behavior makes him an excellent storyteller. And because this book is both "accessible" and "short" (138 pp.), Illiana thinks it might be great to take along on an airplane. *** THE RULE OF FOUR, by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason. Dial Press, 2004. Laura Perretta '06 has been telling "everyone she knows" about this book. "_The Rule of Four_ is just an amazing read--I picked it up out of boredom this past summer, and quickly understood why it was a bestseller! It follows the adventures of four Princeton undergrads as they try to decipher the secret messages encoded in an unusual Renaissance text. Falling into the newly rising genre that blends factual history with fictional story lines (think: _DaVinci Code_), it really integrates an exciting murder mystery with academic knowledge." The combination makes it perfect "for both an intellectual and relaxing read. Plus, it's co-written by a recent Harvard grad!" If you're curious about _The Rule of Four_, by the way, Laura encourages you to check out the book's "really cool website." The address: http://www.randomhouse.com/bantamdell/theruleoffour/index2.html *** THE NAMESAKE: A NOVEL, by Jhumpa Lahiri. Houghton Mifflin, 2003. Jhumpa Lahiri won the Pulitzer Prize in 1999 for _Interpreter of Maladies_, her dazzling short story collection. _The Namesake_ is her first novel and its setting is Cambridge, MA. Here's how Pragati Tandon, a Leverett House junior, describes the plot: "It's about Bengali immigrants' difficulties trying to preserve their customs," while their American-born son, Gogol, tries to create an identity by "melding aspects from two cultures." In a 2003 _Boston Globe_ review, book critic Gail Caldwell commented that "Lahiri's subject here, and in her stories, is the loneliness of dislocation. . . . In this sense, [_The Namesake_] speaks to the universal struggle to extricate ourselves from the past--from family and obligation and the curse of history." *** THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER, by Stephen Chbosky (Pocket Books, 1999). Freshman Michelle Ceruilli "can't wait" to read Chbosky's novel. The protagonist is 15-year-old Charlie, a high school freshman in Pennsylvania, whose story unfolds as a series of letters to someone he identifies only as "Dear Friend." Charlie has . . . issues. His favorite aunt has died; his best friend has recently committed suicide. The girl he loves wants him as a friend. His 18-year-old sister is pregnant. There are drugs being offered, thuggish athletes to contend with, and classes to get through. No wonder Charlie's befuddled by the process of growing up. _The Perks of Being a Wallflower_ was an instant hit with teens when it appeared on the scene six years ago. Now that it's started appearing in school libraries and on summer reading lists, Chbosky's book has also been igniting firestorms; in some school districts, there have even been efforts to have the book banned. *** THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS, by C. S. Lewis. Collins, 1942. "I highly recommend C. S. Lewis's _Screwtape Letters_," writes Jenny Wolahan, of Eliot House. "Though a Christian classic, it can be thoroughly enjoyed by anyone willing to suspend disbelief and listen to the folly of the devil. The plot premise is delightfully fantastic--an older devil writing letters of advice to his young tempter nephew--and the psychology is subtle and shocking. It made me recognize myself in the main (human) character and reexamine much of my behavior. Best of all, like all of Lewis's work, it's clear, insightful, and immensely enjoyable!" *** THE LAST STAND OF THE TIN CAN SOLDIERS: THE EXTRAORDINARY WORLD WAR II STORY OF THE U.S. NAVY'S FINEST HOUR, by James D. Hornfischer. Bantam Books, 2004. Eric Sand '07 has "yet to read this book, but ever since I learned of it, I have been eager to get a copy." Hornfischer tells the story of the October, 1944 Battle of Samar in the Phillipines, one of the largest naval engagements in history. Faced with the overwhelming firepower of the Japanese navy, and with no prospect of reinforcement, thirteen American war ships, under the leadership of Douglas MacArthur, wagered everything. After three harrowing days that cost the U.S. 1000 lives, American forces emerged victorious. When it appeared last year, reviewers hailed _The Last Stand of the Tin Can Soldiers_ as one of the finest World War II volumes to appear in years. Evidently, it also reads like a really good action novel. *** HARVARD YARD, by William Martin. Warner Books, 2003. Martin, who introduced readers to antiquarian bookseller Peter Fallon in a 1979 bestseller, _Back Bay_, has embroiled his hero in another adventure in which history meets mystery. The book hinges on the legend that William Shakespeare gave one of his plays as a gift to John Harvard in honor of his birth. Called "Love's Labours Won," it was widely assumed to have been lost in the fire that destroyed the Harvard Library in the late 1600s. John Harvard, however, had bequeathed the prized manuscript to his best student, young Isaac Wedge, cautioning him to safeguard the play until Puritan values relaxed and the institution was enlightened enough to accept its artistic value. Twelve generations later, the play's whereabouts are no longer known, until an enterprising graduate student, herself a Wedge, unearths clues that suggest the play may be secreted somewhere in Harvard Yard. Laura Larsen-Strecker '08 picked up _Harvard Yard_ over the Winter break, and found it a "very amusing" read. *** MADAME BOVARY, by Gustave Flaubert. 1857. When Flaubert's novel was published in 1857, it outraged many readers as "indecent" because of its treatment of a woman's adultery. Flaubert was put on trial for offending public morality, but was eventually acquitted of the charges. The novel's protagonist, Emma Bovary, longs for the opulent world and grand passions she has read about in romance novels; trapped in a bourgeois marriage to the good but stupid Charles, Emma seeks fulfillment in increasingly desperate ways, only to propel herself toward tragedy. The novel is exquisite in its details and craftsmanship and is considered one of the masterpieces of the realist tradition in Western literature. But it is also, as Lowell House senior Limor Spector discovered, an engrossing story--"so good for curling up with by a fire." *** EX LIBRIS: CONFESSIONS OF A COMMON READER, by Anne Fadiman. Farrer, Straus and Giroux, 1998. "_Ex Libris_ is a collection of 18 essays about a life-long love of books and language," and Anna Harkey '05 says Anne Fadiman's book "will do any bibliophile's heart good. The essays are short and sweet, and as an added bonus, all are absolutely hilarious." The daughter of a writer, Fadiman grew from assembling castles out of her father's set of Trollope to learning about sex from his poorly concealed copy of _Fanny Hill_. Now an editor of _The American Scholar_ with a bookish family of her own (including a husband who is wont to read Homer aloud in bed), Fadiman wittily covers a whole host of topics--from flyleaf inscriptions to compulsive proofreading to sesquipedalianism (the love of big words). *** The HORATIO HORNBLOWER novels, by C. S. Forester. Between 1937 and 1967, author C. S. Forester completed 11 Horatio Hornblower novels. Linda Zou '06 "whole-heartedly recommends" them. She comments: "They're a series of very well written, exciting, and sentimental stories about one man's adventures in the British Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. _Mr. Midshipman Hornblower_ begins the series and introduces a seventeen-year-old boy--fiercely honest, incredibly honorable, and a notch smarter than his colleagues--who encounters all sorts of difficulties as a junior officer. What I love most about the series is that Hornblower is extremely human and makes mistakes despite his triumphs. I saw the A & E movie series of the same title over Thanksgiving break, fell in love with the characters, read some of the books over Christmas break, and fell in love with the characters even more. I give the series top ratings!" *** CONFESSIONS OF A TAX COLLECTOR: ONE MAN'S TOUR OF DUTY INSIDE THE IRS, by Richard Yancey. Harper Collins, 2004. Come April 15 each year, most people have paid their taxes; those who don't might be visited by a guy like Richard Yancey. In _Confessions of a Tax Collector_, Yancey recounts his 12-year career as a revenue officer for the IRS. Yancey's job was to hunt down DBs ("deadbeats" in IRS parlance), hounding and intimidating them until they paid their delinquent taxes. In gripping detail, Yancey describes both the various methods the "service" uses to make people pay up and the psychic toll that such work takes on him. Adams House senior Alex Lemann admits that the subject of Yancey's memoir might sound a bit "dry" to some. But don't be fooled: "this book is really engrossing, suspenseful, funny, and at times moving. Frankly, I couldn't put it down all break." *** IN HARM'S WAY: THE SINKING OF THE USS INDIANAPOLIS AND THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF ITS SURVIVORS, by Doug Stanton. Henry Holt, 2001. _In Harm's Way_ is a book "for anyone remotely interested in the Navy or WW II." On July 30, 1945, after completing a top secret mission to deliver parts of the atom bomb that would be dropped on Hiroshima, the battle cruiser USS Indianapolis was torpedoed in the South Pacific by a Japanese submarine. An estimated 300 men were killed upon impact; close to 900 sailors were cast into the Pacific Ocean, where they remained, undetected by the navy, for nearly five days. Battered by a savage sea, they struggled to survive, fighting off hypothermia, sharks, physical and mental exhaustion, and, finally, hallucinatory dementia. By the time rescue, which was purely accidental, arrived, all but 321 men had lost their lives; four more would die in military hospitals shortly thereafter. The Harvard College sophomore who recommended Stanton's book described it as a "quick, easy read that will help you realize the tremendous dedication of our service- men and women." *** THE BEAN TREES, by Barbara Kingsolver. Harper & Row, 1988. Before there was _The Poisonwood Bible_ and before there was _Pigs in Heaven_, there was Barbara Kingsolver's widely-praised debut novel, _The Bean Trees_. The heroine of the tale is Taylor Greer, who jump-starts her '55 Volkswagen bug one day and lurches out of the grinding poverty of Pittman County, Ky. Taylor is bound for a better life and hopes she'll find it somewhere out West. The VW gets her as far as Arizona, and Taylor figures that's as good a place as any to stop. While passing through Oklahoma, a frightened Cherokee woman has left Taylor with a toddler, and this little girl, named "Turtle," needs some looking after. The challenges are formidable--but so, in a way, is Taylor's resolve. Lauren Berk '06 recently finished _The Bean Trees_ and liked the way it deftly avoided all the cliches of going West. *** THE POWER OF ONE, by Bryce Courtenay. Random House, 1989. Courtenay was born and raised in South Africa, educated in England, and now lives in Australia, where he is a bestselling author. _The Power of One_ was his first novel and many early reviewers described it as "marvelous" and "totally engrossing." It tells the story of Peekay, an English boy in South Africa, in the period between the outbreak of World War II and the coming of "grand apartheid" in the late l940s. Tormented by the Afrikaan boys at the boarding school he attends, Peekay learns to survive by stealth: he will be clever, but he will not show it; he will be strong, but he will act afraid; and he will never cry. _The Power of One_ is ultimately an epic of survival. It's "my favorite book," says Lisa Martinez '06, not simply "because it's very uplifting, but also because it provides some perspective and guidance about the way life 'should' be lived." *** THE STONES OF FLORENCE, by Mary McCarthy. Harcourt, Brace, 1959. Sophomore Rosamond Xiang considers Mary McCarthy's _The Stones of Florence_ "a fantastic travelogue that mixes art, history, politics, local anecdotes and personal memoir. The whole book just flows with good humor and loving lyricism. It is light enough to qualify as my airplane reading, yet it's also serious enough to call to my mind what I've read by Machiavelli, a Florentine. The Florence depicted here is exotic enough to get the tourist in me stirring, but it is also, strangely, familiar enough that I cannot but think of my home city, Shanghai." *** THE ALCHEMIST, by Paulo Coelho. Trans. A. Clarke. HarperSanFrancisco, 1993. _The Alchemist_, a 1983 novel by Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho, is "the single most important book" that senior Priscilla Orta has read. When it appeared in an English version in 1993, _The Alchemist_ quickly became an international bestseller; it has since been translated into more than 40 languages. Coelho tells the story of Santiago, a young Spanish shepherd, who dreams of seeing the Egyptian pyramids and eventually decides to make the journey there. Along the way, he meets gypsies, old men, kings, warriors, desert-dwellers, and an alchemist, who describes Santiago's fate should he settle for less than his dream. "If you ever needed something to reaffirm your dreams or to make you believe in the greatness of life," Priscilla tells us, "this book is it." *** LONGING TO TELL: BLACK WOMEN'S STORIES OF SEXUALITY AND INTIMACY, ed. by Tricia Rose. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003. Rose, a professor of American studies at the University of California at Santa Cruz, interviewed women from various corners of the African diaspora, of different ages, sexual orientations, socioeconomic classes, educational levels, and life experiences. The result is 20 stories in which women recall (and assess) the messages they received about sex from parents, other family members, and friends. Junior Joy Cooper has been reading this book in between studying for exams and working at the Lamont Circulation and Reserves Desk. "I love this book because it challenges my thoughts and theories on my own sexuality and the intimacy I have with friends and lovers. It truly is a great book for inspiration and soul-searching." Critical response has also been enthusiastic. Reviewing _Longing to Tell_ in the _Journal of Sex Research_, psychologist M.C. Holmes called it "important, groundbreaking, and thought-provoking. Not only do these women, and other women, need to tell their own stories, but we all need to hear them as well." *** BEL CANTO, by Ann Patchett. Harper Collins, 2001. Leigh Clark's "favorite recently-read book is _Bel Canto_, by Ann Patchett." Here's why: "In her novel about a small group of opera lovers kidnapped by terrorists, Patchett portrays the characters involved--victims and terrorists alike--as complex human beings whose lives evolve according to the choices they make in their individual or common circumstances. _Bel Canto_ is singular in that it illuminates terrorism and human nature, violence and injustice while never employing emotional ploys or moral sermons. Patchett's book is a murmer of quietly fascinating words spoken by an infinitely kind, compassionate, and timeless soul." *** THREADS: MY LIFE BEHIND THE SEAMS IN THE HIGH-STAKES WORLD OF FASHION, by Joseph Abboud, with Ellen Stern. Harper Collins, 2004. "When you pick up an autobiography by fashion designer Joseph Abboud you expect to find plenty of advice on style. However, what gives the Boston native's life story great substance as well as style is his series of well-chosen anecdotes from his career. Abboud's big break with his menswear collection came soon after its launch in the mid-1980s, and it happened in the most remarkable of fields: sports." Soon, Abboud's clients would include Bob Costas, Bryant Gumbel, and Jim Nantz. But along with the breaks, Abboud committed some blunders, too, and he is candid about both. _Threads_ is enthusiastically recommended by Lamont News-List reader Mark Benson. *** THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES, by Sue Monk Kidd. Viking 2001. Following a racial brawl in 1960s Tiburon, South Carolina, Lily and Rosaleen Owens find shelter in a distant town with three black bee-keeping sisters. The sisters and their close-knit community of women live within the confines of racial and gender bondage and yet have an unmistakable strength and serenity associated with the worship of a black Madonna and the healing power of honey. Through a series of events, Lily discovers that "the hardest thing on earth is choosing what matters." Excerpts from this novel, Kidd's first, also appeared in _Best American Short Stories_. Freshman Jessica Knox thinks "everyone should read" _The Secret Life of Bees_. "It is magical, mysterious, suspenseful, and emotional. The story is touching and fascinating." *** THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN, by Mitch Albom. Hyperion, 2003. The hero of _The Five People You Meet in Heaven_ is an 83-year-old amusement-park repairman named Eddie. Eddie is gruff and lonely and feels as if his life has been a waste. By the end of chapter one, Eddie is dead, having been killed trying to save a little girl from a runaway ride. We follow him into heaven, where he encounters, in sequence, five pivotal figures from his life. Each person has been waiting for him in heaven, and, as Albom reveals, each life (and death) was woven into Eddie's own in ways he never suspected. The freshman who sent in this suggestion hasn't read Albom's novel yet--but she is dying to do so right after exams. *** THE LOVELY BONES, by Alice Sebold. Little, Brown, 2002. About a year ago, Michelle Cerulli '08 read _The Lovely Bones_ by Alice Sebold "and it still remains a top favorite of mine." On a snowy December day in 1973, 14-year-old Susie Salmon is lured into a makeshift underground den in a cornfield and brutally raped and murdered by the man she knew as her neighbor, Mr. Harvey. Susie narrates her story from heaven, where she keeps watch over her grieving family and friends, her killer, and the sad detective working on her case. Writes Michelle: "I really appreciated the childlike innocence of the novel along with its unique perspective on life and the afterlife. It's one of those books you could read time and time again and enjoy every time." *** GOOD OMENS: THE NICE AND ACCURATE PROPHECIES OF AGNES NUTTER, WITCH, by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Workman, 1990. The birth of the Antichrist in a London hospital begins the countdown to Armageddon. Eleven years later, as the forces of both Heaven and Hell anticipate the coming battle to decide the world's fate, a desperate few--including an angel with a taste for rare books, a demon in mirrorshades, the descendant of the world's most accurate prophetess, a part-time witchfinder, four young children, and a dog--race against time to prevent it. Adams House junior Lisa Martinez calls it the "funniest book I've ever read." But "it's also intelligent, and it's well-written. Both writers are really popular in England, and understandably so." Word on the street, by the way, is that Terry Gilliam (of Monty Python fame) is directing a movie version. ********************************************************* MRS. MILNER'S TEMPTATION SHELF In case you're curious about the origin of our "Recommended Reading" lists In the November 23, 2004 issue of the Lamont News-List, we told you a bit about the origins and history of the Farnsworth Room's extracurricular reading collection. But there's more to the story--so read on. A great deal of our information about the Farnsworth Room (especially in its early years) survives because of the diligent record-keeping of its proprietress, Mrs. Florence Cushman Milner (1855-1950). For 21 years, from 1916 until her retirement in 1937 at the age of 82, she was a constant, kindly, and memorable presence in the Farnsworth Room. Although she always saw herself as an "ordinary woman," Mrs. Milner was extraordinary for her time. Already 61 when she arrived at Harvard from Detroit, she had been a math teacher--and from all accounts, quite a gifted one--for much of her working life. In fact, Mrs. Milner even published books on mathematics and on teaching methods at different points in her career. During her time at Harvard, she contributed articles to local and national magazines on a wide variety of topics (including the Farnsworth Room). She edited Lewis Carroll manuscripts; she kept a scrapbook on poet Amy Lowell; she drank tea with Rudyard Kipling during a visit to his home in England; and in her retirement, she penned her autobiography at the urging of a niece. Interestingly enough, one of Mrs. Milner's essays, a _Bookman_ piece on the poems in _Alice in Wonderland_ , is still in circulation on the World Wide Web today (http://www.durrant.demon.co.uk/alice/). In its early years, the Farnsworth Room's appeal for students owed as much to Mrs. Milner's distinctive personality as to its elegant furnishings and the leather-bound volumes of recreational reading that lined its shelves. Mrs Milner seems to have inspired great (and lasting) affection, as well as a certain awe, in the Harvard undergraduates who frequented the Room. Of course, the teacher in her sometimes made her seem overly-strict. She insisted, for example, that overcoats be hung up properly (not draped on chairs), and she absolutely forbade academic work of any kind in her Room. Woe to the young man who put his hat down (or feet up) on Farnsworth Room furniture; woe to the student who pretended to be recreating but was really completing homework behind an open volume of Sir Walter Scott. Whatever her eccentricities, however, Mrs. Milner loved talking about books with students and eagerly helped them choose materials to suit their tastes. Students got in the habit of repaying her in kind by recommending titles to acquire for the Farnsworth collection, or stories she might sample on her own time. One of her early innovations was the creation of a "Temptation Shelf" in the Farnsworth Room, where she highlighted books that were eye-catching or engaging or perhaps just held the promise of a few hours of fun. We like to think of the book suggestions that periodically appear in the Lamont News-List as a virtual version of Mrs. Milner's Temptation Shelf. Over the last four years (when we started the News-List), subscribers have told us time and again that our recommended reading lists are among the features they like best of all. So, happy reading, one and all! And hats off (not on the table, of course) to Mrs. Milner, for giving us a great idea to revive! ********************************************************** LAMONT LIBRARY HOURS DURING INTERSESSION Just in case you'll be in town Tuesday, January 25 8:00am - 4:45pm Wednesday, January 26 - Sunday, January 30 CLOSED Monday, January 31 - Tuesday, February 1 8:00am - 4:45pm ********************************************************* HAVE A TOPIC you'd like to see us cover in a future issue of the Lamont News-List? A research question you need answered? A tip you want to pass along to other Lamont News-List readers? All suggestions welcome! Send your thoughts and comments to sgilroy(a)fas.harvard.edu. ********************************************************* You received this email because you subscribed to the Lamont News-List. If at any time you wish to stop receiving this newsletter, point your browser to http://lists.fas.harvard.edu/mailman/listinfo/lamontnews-list. Directions for unsubscribing are at the bottom of the page. ********************************************************** Copyright 2005 President and Fellows of Harvard University

19 years, 3 months

The Lamont News-List January 11, 2005

by Susan M Gilroy

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- The Lamont News-List lamontnews-list(a)fas.harvard.edu January 11, 2005 http://hcl.harvard.edu/lamont *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Don't forget: as is our custom during Reading Period and Exams, Lamont remains open every day--including Fridays and Saturdays--from 8 a.m. to 12:45 a.m. So arrive early . . . or stay late between now and January 24th! ********************************************************** IN THIS ISSUE: -- Recommend Some Good Reading: You've Still Got Time! Add your favorite title(s) to our list and you'll qualify for a great **prize** -- Looking for copies of old final exams? Link into them right from Lamont's home page -- Get Late Night Research Help in Lamont If you're finishing a research paper or project this week, a Lamont Reference Desk Prefect can answer your questions! -- Cool Tools in Lamont LET'S GO 2005 travel guides are here ********************************************************** RECOMMEND SOME GOOD READING: THERE'S STILL TIME . . . and win a **prize** just for doing so! You can't beat this deal. Send us the title of a good book, describe what you like about it, and you'll automatically qualify to win a great prize: a $10 Starbucks coffee card AND a Lamont stainless steel travel mug. Since we sent out our first call, in the December 17, 2004 issue of the Lamont News-List, we've been receiving some really interesting and eclectic titles from our subscribers. Now it's your turn to add to our mix! Let us know what you read during the Winter Break. Or what you're dying to read once exams are over. Or just tell us about a book you think other people might want to know about. Books on any and every subject are welcome! DEADLINE TO ENTER THE DRAWING: **JANUARY 19, 2005** Winners will be chosen at random and notified by email. We'll publish the suggestions in our next issue of the Lamont News-List--just in time for Intersession! Send your suggestions to sgilroy(a)fas.harvard.edu. ********************************************************** LOOKING FOR OLD FAS EXAMS? Link to them right from Lamont's home page http://hcl.harvard.edu/lamont/resources/exams.html Old FAS final exams (some dating back as far as 1997) are available online at the address above. Although you'll find a generous selection of materials, not every instructor or every course is represented here. Harvard faculty are not obligated to post exams, and many do not participate in the program. Remember, too, that much of the material on this page will be dated: exams typically make their way online two full terms (or more) after they've been administered. Courses can change drastically from year to year, even when they're taught by the same instructor. That said, there are also many good reasons to take a look at the page. Understanding something about the parts of an exam or the general shape that questions may take can help minimize pre-test anxiety by giving you a sense of what might be expected of you and in how much time. Lamont retains no paper copies of old FAS exams, but several other Harvard libraries do. We've also listed these libraries, and what we know about the FAS exams they have in print, at the web address above. ******************************************************* LATE NIGHT REFERENCE AND RESEARCH HELP IN LAMONT Or, what to do after the librarian goes home You had good intentions. You meant to finish up that final paper during Winter Recess. But somehow, between the visits with friends and family, the holiday cheer, and the luxury of having whole days to yourself again, your research never quite managed to get done. And now, at 10 p.m. one early January night, it hits you: the Reading Period deadline for that paper is creeping ever closer. With just a little bit of direction, you know you could get the research process started and keep your rising sense of panic at bay. But Widener is closing. . . and while Lamont will be open a few hour longer, its friendly Reference Librarians have gone home. Your research-whiz roommate has fallen asleep and it's too late to phone your TF. Where should you turn? Here's a solution: bring your questions to a Lamont Library Reference Desk Prefect. Prefects are undergraduates hired to staff the Reference Desk "after hours," 4 nights each week, Sundays through Wednesdays, from 8:30-11:30 p.m. They can point you toward the language dictionaries, or help you search the HOLLIS catalog, of course, but you'll find them tremendously helpful in solving more complicated research conundrums, too. Tell them what you're looking for and they'll know where to get it. They'll give you good advice on the databases to start with or work with you to figure out what to do next. And if they can't answer your question, they'll pass it along to a Lamont Reference Librarian, for follow-up the very next day. The Lamont Reference Desk is only footsteps away, and on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, it's always open late! Reference Prefects can also be reached by phone, at 5-2451. ********************************************************* COOL TOOLS IN LAMONT: LET'S GO 2005 travel guides have arrived on our shelves! If you're planning a great escape from Cambridge during Intersession, we have good news for you: LET'S GO 2005 guides have arrived in Lamont! Written by Harvard students, LET'S GO bills itself as the "bible of the budget traveler," and each guide is packed with information that will help you stretch your dollars further, find hidden deals, and decide what you should splurge on. This year, three new travel guides--for Ecuador, Peru, and Vietnam--have been added to the series, bringing the total number of guides to 45. LET'S GO 2005 guides are kept on Lamont's Reference shelves [REF ROOM G 153 .6]. These can't leave the library, because they're in such high demand, especially in the Spring term, when undergraduates comp for summer positions at LET'S GO. However, earlier editions--from 2003 and 2004--can be checked out. You'll find them in the travel collection in our Farnsworth Room on Level 5. The LET'S GO website (http://www.letsgo.com) is also worth a look for additional travel information, airfare specials, currency conversion tables, and the like. You'll even find online versions of the LET'S GO guides posted here. And by the way: LET'S GO guides aren't the only travel books you'll find in Lamont. FODOR guides and even a few books from the _City Secrets_ series are also shelved in the travel collection in the Farnsworth Room. ********************************************************* HAVE A TOPIC you'd like to see us cover in a future issue of the Lamont News-List? A research question you need answered? A tip you want to pass along to other Lamont News-List readers? All suggestions welcome! Send your thoughts and comments to sgilroy(a)fas.harvard.edu. ********************************************************* You received this email because you subscribed to the Lamont News-List. If at any time you wish to stop receiving this newsletter, point your browser to http://lists.fas.harvard.edu/mailman/listinfo/lamontnews-list. Directions for unsubscribing are are the bottom of the page. Copyright 2005 President and Fellows of Harvard University

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LamontNews-list January 2005