Spotlight on Maurisha Jenkins

The spotlight is on Maurisha Jenkins. Maurisha is the Library Technician for the Periodicals Unit. She is the newest member of the Blazer Library Team having been hired in April 2010. She graduated from Kentucky State University in May 2008 with a degree in Biology. During her time as a student at KSU she was very involved with several Land Grant programs centered on youth. She has also worked previously at the Kentucky United Methodist Children’s Home in Versailles, and continues to serve as a mentor for the Children of Greatest Need program.

Maurisha is currently seeking ways to further her education. She is planning to pursue a Master’s in Public Health with a concentration in Maternal and Child Health. When she is not here at Kentucky State University she enjoys spending time with family in Cincinnati and her dog, Putter. She also enjoys traveling and shopping, and wants to revisit Miami in the future. She enjoys cooking, particularly chili and chicken alfredo, and listening to R&B music. We are glad to have Maurisha as part of the Library, and would like to invite you to welcome her as well.

What's Your Take on Neologism?

ne·ol·o·gism   /niˈɒləˌdʒɪzəm/ Show Spelled[nee-ol-uh-jiz-uhm] –noun
1. a new word, meaning, usage, or phrase.
2. the introduction or use of new words or new senses of existing words.
3. a new doctrine, esp. a new interpretation of sacred writings.
4. Psychiatry . a new word, often consisting of a combination of other words, that is understood only by the speaker: occurring most often in the speech of schizophrenics.

from Dictionary.com

Do you believe that the current lexincon of words in the English language, as collected and defined in our dictionaries, is large enough to meet all of our written and spoken needs?

Or do you believe that our language is always evolving, keeping pace with our culture, and so as new cultural ideas present themselves, so must new words to describe them? Consider the following example, taken from the website WORD SPY:

Word: farmscraper
n. A high-rise building used for growing crops. [Blend of farm and skyscraper.]

Example Citation:

Other growth areas include vertical farming, in which lack of space means crops are cultivated in urban high-rises or 'farmscrapers'.
—Fiona MacCrae, 'Aim for the stars and train to be a space architect," Daily mail, January 14, 2010

Some might argue that the English language must continue to grow in breadth to accomodate changes that couldn't have been envisioned when dictionaries first took on the monumental task of collecting our every word. If you look to the above example, that seems like a reasonable argument. 300 years ago, no one needed the word farmscraper because there were no skyscrapers to farm on top of! That word could not have been created until a need for it was presented.

The flip side of this argument is that many of the new words that are being created are just jargon, created to accomodate passing trends - especially those which are technology-based. As techonologies come and go, they often take their words with them. Consider the Betamax: the now obsolete forerunner to the VHS (which is itself nearly obsolete) disappeared as new technology was ushered in to replace it. I haven't met a person under the age of 20 who knows what that word is, let alone the technology it represented. In cases like that, it becomes easier to understand why some folks believe that neologism is best left to, and should only be taken as seriously as, the schizophrenics whose speech are so often peppered with newly coined terms.

No matter which side of the fence you fall on in the debate, though, you should check out WORD SPY, a site that diligently collects and defines the new (and often puzzling) words sneaking into our vocabulary. Whatever your stance, you are bound to find the site entertaining and informative.

Hearts and Stars...

...are just some of the shapes that you can cut using the Ellison Die-cutting Machine, currently housed near the study tables in the Curriculum Lab in the basement of Paul G. Blazer Library.


What is a die-cutting machine? The manufacturer of the machine explains it like this:

"Die cutting is like using a cookie cutter. A hand-operated, die cutting machine uses steel rule die shapes to cut through a wide range of materials quickly and easily."(http://www.ellisoneducation.com/diecutting)


Why should you care about Blazer's Ellison machine? Because it is free for you to use, for one! You only need to supply the construction paper that you will use. Secondly, the die-cuts have real and practical applications in your life. Education students use the variety of shapes and letters to make cut-outs for the sample bulletin boards they must prepare for class. Sorority and Fraternity members use the letters to help in the construction of signs during Rush Week. The machine is indispensable during Homecoming season when it is time for the campus-wide decorating contest.


The usefulness of the Ellison is not just limited to making attractive signs, either. The Ellison website maintains a score of free lesson plans that utilize die-cut shapes from the Ellison machine. Check them out at http://www.ellisoneducation.com/lessons/1


The Ellison machine is available for you to use whenever the library is open.