Having Fun Isn't Hard When You've Got A Library Card

Hey, MTSU students, there's a special place where you don't have to pay for books, where Twain, Austen, Hemingway, Wharton, and, yes, even Rowling wait in anticipation on the shelves.

MTSU students can now check out more books from the Walker Library! Undergraduates can check out up to 20 books, and graduates 50.

Now, this may not be all too appealing since not every textbook required for class can be found in this literary utopia. But everyone's brain needs a break from Freudian theories and quadratic equations now and then, right?

Still not buying the "reading for fun" thing, and would rather be on social networking sites for recreation than exercising your eyeballs more than necessary? Well, there are - believe it or not - spots like LibraryThing and Goodreads where you can build your online library.

LibraryThing is somewhat limited, but Goodreads allows you to create bookshelves. You can keep track of what you've read, are currently reading, and want to read. What's more, you can track your reading progress by page numbers.

So, if you want to take a break from Aristotle and "Dancing with the Stars," why not spend your cerebral downtime with Melville and the gang?

Or, you can just pretend to be a literati and add a bunch of books just to spite any of the top readers.

Augustana Rocks Tucker Theater

Augustana took to the Tucker Theater stage at MTSU tonight after Steve Moakler and his band opened for them.

Augustana opened their set with "Dust" from their latest album "Can't Love, Can't Hurt." The rest of the set contained songs from both "Can't Love, Can't Hurt" and the band's debut record "All The Stars And Boulevards," peppered with covers of songs from Muddy Waters, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Big Joe Williams.

Frontman Dan Layus playfully teased the audience's silence between songs.

You get so quiet so fast, he said.

With some encouragement from Layus the audience got to its feet and joined in rhythm claps with the band members.

The California-based band grew up surfing and skateboarding, Layus said, but like playing southern blues songs.

"I don't know why we do it, but you all seem to make us feel OK about it," he said. "You humor us very well."

More photos here, and videos here.

Vince Gill Speaks to MTSU Students and Made Professor

Country singer-songwriter Vince Gill was recognized as an honorary professor in MTSU Department of Recording Industry (sorry, low quality) and performed "The Key to Life" during his visit to the university today.

Gill talked to MTSU students about writing songs, playing music, and the importance of listening.

Being a great musician isn't just knowing what to play, it's knowing what not to play, he said.

For songwriters and musicians, words should be the paint to a picture, he said, which makes some things more real than the way they are seen.