Happy All Saints Day!

Happy All Saints Day! Yesterday was Halloween, and here at the library we costumed ourselves as saints (ones that had particularly Halloween-y stories). For example, we have St. Lucy. She rejected her soon-to-be bridegroom, and he denounced her as a Christian in the early 4th century Italy. Legend has it she had her eyes torn out before she was martyred. St. Stephen, the first martyr for the Church, was stoned to death in approximately 33 AD. Last, but not least, we have St. Olaf. A Viking pirate, he was King of Norway in the early 11th century. He was exiled from his kingdom, and martyred on his attempt to retake his throne.

Newly Renamed Cardinal Stafford Library

J. Francis Cardinal Stafford came to visit the Archdiocese of Denver on the occasion of his 75th birthday and the 50th anniversary of his ordination as a priest. As part of his visit, the Archbishop Vehr Theological Library was renamed in his honor. We are now the Cardinal Stafford Library. Pictured are your fearless library staff with His Eminence Cardinal Stafford. The library owns a number of the writings of the Cardinal, notably when he was the Archbishop of Denver. These include pastoral letters, videos, and also profiling his work when World Youth Day was held here in Denver in 1993. Much of his work can also be found on the Vatican website.

Banned Books Week

The week of September 29th through October 6th is Banned Books Week and we have a display in the Library on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum. To read more about the Index, try Wikipedia or stop by the library see which classical authors and philosphers were prohibited at one time.

The Index was abolished in 1966 but many books in our collections still bear the following stamp :

RESTRICTED
The Archbishop of Denver concedes permission to read books on the Roman Index whenever, in the judgement of the professor, such reading is necessary or useful for class procedure. A student must obtain his professor's approval for the reading of this book


and a fascinating look inside the Index was revealed in 2005.

TLAPD 2007

Avast ye landlubber library users - this be Talk Like A Pirate Day in the Library and yer bloodthirsty crew be ready to meet yer needs!
Remember, Dead Men Tell No Tales

24/7 Reference Assistance

The Vehr Library recently joined the AskColorado Reference Project. You can chat live with a librarian anytime, not only during the library's open hours (which are at the top of the blog page), about any research project you're working on.

The service is only closed on major holidays, and is open to anyone, but especially if you are a seminarian at St. John Vianney or Redemptoris Mater. Just click here to get started!

Tutoring

Students in need of help in writing and composition skills can stop by the library for tutoring assistance from Fiona Turnbull. Tutoring is available on a drop-in basis in the Columba Room as follows:
Monday and Wednesday 2pm - 4pm
Tuesday and Thursday 11 am - 12 noon

Other hours are available by appointment - just check with Fiona or send her an e-mail at fiona.turnbull@archden.org

New Hours....New Librarian

Please stop by and welcome our newest Librarian, Stephen Sweeney. Stephen recently completed his MLS at DU and has worked for several years at the Regis University library.

Beginning Monday August 20th, the Vehr Theological Library will offer extended hours of service. We will be open Monday through Thursday from 8am until 10pm, Fridays from 8am until 6pm and on Saturdays from 10am until 4pm.

Summertime, and the livin' is easy.........

Well Summer is finally here and there is definitely a change of pace around the library. Some of the SY guys have been in this week as they return from their month-long retreat and prepare for different summer opportunities. Cleaning out their rooms and finding all of those long lost library treasures has given them another opportunity to visit us.

This is a good opportunity to remind all patrons that with a Library Card and a PIN, they can access their account online and check to see which items are charged out to them. If items are not overdue, it may be possible to renew materials online also and thus avoid any penalties. If you don't know your PIN, please contact Fiona Turnbull at 303-714-3146 fiona.turnbull@archden.org and she will gladly help you.

For those who don't already know, Emery Butler, our Reference Librarian, will be leaving at the end of the month to pursue opportunities in California. Please feel free to stop and wish him well before he leaves.

Next week the Catholic Book Club meets to discuss "Godric" by Frederick Buechner - more details can be found by clicking on Book Club link

This week at the Vehr Theological Library - June 11th

Things are a little slow at the library since it is summertime and most of our seminarians are away. Madeleine Dodge still has her artwork on display in the St. Columba room and this exhibit will last through the summer.

In July, we will be hosting the Catholic Relief Services travelling exhibit "Children Left Behind", a hands-on, interactive exhibit about AIDS orphans.

If you haven't had a chance to catch the movie, "Into Great Silence", it is still showing at Chez Artiste which is just around the corner from us.

Looking for something different? How about joing the library staff at Naropa University's celebration of the 50th anniversay of the publication of "On the Road". We all hope to join in the marathon read on June 30th. The Kerouac Festival should be one a summer highlight for any literature lover!

Don't forget the Book Club meeting on June 27th when we meet to discuss "Godric" by Frederick Beuchner

Memorial Day Weekend Hours

The library will be closed Saturday May 26th through Monday May 28th for the Memorial Day Weekend. Regular summer hours will resume on Tuesday May 29th.