Pet a Pup December 2015

The end of the semester has been a whirlwind, but I didn't want to end the year without sharing a few fun images from this semester's Pet-a-Pup: Library Study Break event! The students had a blast, and we definitely tuckered out the volunteer service dogs from Paws & Effect. GV Psych Club and NAMI once again helped out with volunteering time and funding to help make the event possible. 

The folks from Paws & Effect provided service dogs in-training for this year's event. Here are photos from Tuesday -- Meet Ollie!
Posted by Grand View University Library on Thursday, December 3, 2015

The folks from Paws & Effect provided service dogs in-training and therapy dogs for this year's event. Here are photos from Wednesday -- Meet Ollie, Grandin, and little Diva!

Posted by Grand View University Library on Thursday, December 3, 2015

First Line Finds Leisure Book Display

A new display is up! One thing that has always interested me is the first line of a book--the one that draws you in as a reader. What if you only see that first line and didn't have context of the title or author? Would you still be drawn in? This display taps into that curiosity.

I've scheduled each of the photos of the individual books to go up on our Facebook page between now and mid-November, with this context as the caption:

There's a new leisure display up at the library -- Drawn in by the first line? Find it on display and check it out! 

[Quote]

Intrigued? Check it out from the GV Library Leisure section!  

Dear Mr. Richard Gere,

In Mom’s underwear drawer--as I was separating her ‘personal’ clothes from the ‘lightly used’ articles I could donate to the local thrift shop--I found a letter you wrote.

The child was just there on the stoop in the dark, hugging herself against the cold, all cried out and nearly sleeping. She couldn’t holler anymore and they didn’t hear her anyway, or they might and that would make things worse.

June the first, a bright summer’s evening, a Monday. I’ve been flying over the streets and houses of Dublin and now, finally, I’m here. I enter through the roof. Via a skylight I slide into a living room and right away I know it’s a woman who lives here.

Leon Hubbard died ten minutes into lunch break on the first Monday in May, on the construction site of the new one-story trauma wing at Holy Redeemer Hospital in South Philadelphia. One way or the other, he was going to lose the job.

Boyang had thought grief would make people less commonplace. The waiting room at the crematory, however, did not differentiate itself from elsewhere: the eagerness to be served first and the suspicion that others had snatched a better deal were reminiscent of the marketplace or stock exchange.

Early that June, Constantine Boyd left Detroit with his usual trunk but got on a train headed east instead of west. For the past three summers he’d worked at his uncle’s farm in western Michigan, but now, just as he was becoming truly useful, his family had made other plans.

Minnie Graves is a bridesmaid.

She hates it.

Her bangs are crispy with Aqua Net. Her ponytail is so tight her forehead aches. Her feet throb in shoes that are a size too small, Mary Janes dyed special to match the totally rancid dress Minnie’s big sister, Jennifer, picked out just for her.

When Pemberton returned to the North Carolina mountains after three months in Boston settling his father’s estate, among those waiting on the train platform was a young woman pregnant with Pemberton’s child. She was accompanied by her father, who carried beneath his shabby frock coat a bowie knife sharpened with great attentiveness earlier that morning so it would plunge as deep as possible into Pemberton’s heart.

Global Vision Week Display 2015

Every year Grand View University holds Global Vision Week.

"Grand View is committed to exposing us to ideas and beliefs that are different from our own, because when we confront ideas that challenge our own believes and views, we can develop a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world. This is what Global Vision Week is all about.  Act, learn, and help change the world!"

This year's theme highlights global health. As such, we put together a display for the first floor of the library with books on that topic.

More information and the schedule can be found here: http://www.grandview.edu/aspx/news/news.aspx?newsid=1064

Banned Books Student Group Photos

Last year the art club on campus came over and took a photo with some banned graphic novels (on their own! How awesome are they!?!), and I thought it was such a great idea to involve student groups that I borrowed their idea and approached some others around campus to see if they wanted to participate for this school year. I worked with five groups (one for each weekday of Banned Books Week) and here is the end product-- Each of these was posted on the GV Library Facebook page as well as sent out to the All Campus email list.

Monday:

Today the Biology Club is reading books that contain content related to science or biology that have been banned or challenged.  Each day of Banned Books Week we celebrate the freedom to read and feature a different student club or organization.

 Like the Grand View Library Facebook page to see more fun pictures of other student groups celebrating their freedom to read! Stop in and check out one of our banned books today! There’s a whole display up on the main floor!

“A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group.  A banning is the removal of those materials.  Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others.” (American Library Association. (n.d.). About banned & challenged books. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/bbooks/about)

Some of the books they’re reading are:

• How To Fake A Moon Landing  Juv Q 172.5.P77 .C86 2013 Y
• Darwin Origin of Species  QH 365 .O2 1964
• My mom's having a baby! by Dori Hillestad Butler ; illustrated by Carol Thompson. Juv RG 525.5 .B88 2005
• Our bodies, ourselves : a book by and for women by the Boston Women's Health Book Collective. HQ 1426 .B69 1976
• Sexual behavior in the human male [by] Alfred C. Kinsey. Wardell B. Pomeroy [and] Clyde E. Martin. HQ18.U5 K5
• Sexual behavior in the human female by the staff of the Institute for Sex Research, Indiana University, Alfred C. Kinsey ... [et al.] ; with a new introduction by John Bancroft. HQ29 .S487 1998
• Flowers for Algernon by Keyes, Daniel. PS3561.E769 .F6 1959
• In the beginning by Isaac Asimov. BS651 .A75 1981
• Population, evolution, and birth control; a collage of controversial ideas, assembled by Garrett Hardin. HB851 .H28 1969
• The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks by Skloot. Leisure RC 265.6.L24 S55 2011

Tuesday:

Today the Seymour Art Club is reading books that have been banned or challenged.  Each day of Banned Books Week we celebrate the freedom to read and feature a different student club or organization.

Like the Grand View Library Facebook page to see more fun pictures of other student groups celebrating their freedom to read! Stop in and check out one of our banned books today! There’s a whole display up on the main floor!

“Books usually are challenged with the best intentions—to protect others, frequently children, from difficult ideas and information. Censorship can be subtle, almost imperceptible, as well as blatant and overt, but, nonetheless, harmful.”

“Often challenges are motivated by a desire to protect children from ‘inappropriate’ sexual content or ‘offensive’ language. The following were the top three reasons cited for challenging materials as reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom:

• the material was considered to be ‘sexually explicit’
• the material contained ‘offensive language’
• the materials was ‘unsuited to any age group’”

“If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable.” (American Library Association. (n.d.). About banned & challenged books. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/bbooks/about)

Some of the books they’re reading are:

• Body World PN 6727.S15725 .B63 2010
• Persepolis  PN 6747 .S245 .P4713 2003
• Persepolis 2  PN 6747 .S245 .P4713 2004
• Kingdom Come  PN 6728 .K564 .W35 2008
• Vietnamerica  E 184. V53 .T73 2010
• The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For PN 6728 .D94 .B475 2008
• A Wrinkle in Time Graphic Novel  Juv PZ 7.7 .L37 Wr 2012
• Fahrenheit 451 Graphic Novel  Juv PN 6727.H28 .R39 2009 Y
• Beowulf Graphic Novel Juv PN 6727.R93 .B46 2007 Y
• Saints  Juv PN 6727 .Y365 .S25 2013 Y
• The Eternal Smile  Juv PN 6727 .Y36 .E83 2009 Y
• Boxers  Juv PN 6727 .Y36 .B68  2013 Y
• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Juv PS 3503.A923 A6 2013
• Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See – Martin. Juv PZ 8.3 .M418 Br Eas
• Little House on the Prairie  Juv PZ 7 .W6461 Lit
• Butter battle book / by Dr. Seuss. Juv PZ 8.3 .S496 But EAS

Wednesday:

Today some of the Education Club members are reading classic children’s books that have been banned or challenged.  Each day of Banned Books Week we celebrate the freedom to read and feature a different student club or organization.

Like the Grand View Library Facebook page to see more fun pictures of other student groups celebrating their freedom to read! Stop in and check out one of our banned books today! There’s a whole display up on the main floor!

Would you have guessed that some of your favorite kids’ books have been banned or challenged? Check out this list from Buzzfeed for more info.! 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/spenceralthouse/classic-childrens-books-that-have-been-banned-in-america#.orO6l79oN

Some of the books they’re reading are:

• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Juv PZ 7 .D1515 Ch
• Adventures of Tom Sawyer - Juv PZ7.C59 Ad75
• Little Red Riding Hood - Juv PZ 8 .H994 Li
• To Kill a Mockingbird - PZ4.L4778 To
• James and the giant peach, a children's story. Juv PZ 8 .D137 Jam
• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - Juv PS 3503.A923 A6 2013
• A Light in the Attic - Juv PS3569.I47224 L5 1981
• Little House on the Prairie - Juv PZ 7 .W6461 Lit
• Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See - Martin - Juv PZ 8.3 .M418 Br Eas
• Diary of Anne Frank (Diary of a young girl) - D810.J4 F715
• Bridge to Terabithia - Juv PZ7.P273 Br
• Call of the Wild - PS3523.O46 C34 1963
•  My Mom's Having A Baby! A Kid's Month-by-Month Guide to Pregnancy Juv RG 525.5 .B88 2005
• The Chocolate War - Juv PZ 7 .C8163 Ch Y
• His Dark Materials Series - Leisure PZ 7 .P968 Hi 2011
• Eleanor & Park - Leisure PZ 7 .R79613 Ele 2013
• Alice in Wonderland - PZ 8 .D666 .A4
• Coraline - Leisure PZ 7 .G1273 Co 2004x
• Fat Kid Rules the World - Juv PZ7 .G559118 Fat
• The Giver - Juv PZ 7 .L9673 Gi Y
• The Giving Tree - Juv PZ7.S588 Gi
• Green Eggs and Ham - Juv PZ 8.3 .G276 Gr
• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - Juv PZ 7 .L5847 Li Y
• Little Women - Juv PZ7 .A335 Li5
• The Outsiders - Juv PZ 7 .H5976 Ou Y
• Strega Nona - Juv PZ 7 .D439 Me
• Where the Wild Things Are - Juv PZ8 .S3294 Wh Eas
• A Wrinkle in Time - Juv PZ7.L5385 Wr
• Drama - Telgemeier Juv PZ 7 .T45 Dr 2012 Y

Thursday:

Today some of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) members are reading works by women or titles with feminist themes that have been banned or challenged.  Each day of Banned Books Week we celebrate the freedom to read and feature a different student club or organization.

Like the Grand View Library Facebook page to see more fun pictures of other student groups celebrating their freedom to read! Stop in and check out one of our banned books today! There’s a whole display up on the main floor!

Think this isn’t happening near you? You’re wrong. Books are constantly challenged right here in Iowa! Check out this list to learn more about which books have been challenged in Iowa and why:  http://www.aclu-ia.org/challenged-books-in-iowa-banned-books-week-2013/

Some of the books they’re reading are:

• Handmaid's tale by Margaret Atwood. PR9199.3.A8 H3 1986
• Beloved by Morrison PS3563.O8749 B4 1987
• Bluest Eye by Morrison PS3563.O8749 .B58 1972
• Tar Baby by Morrison PZ 4 .M883 Tar
• The Awakening by Chopin PS1294.C63 A6 1970
• Forever by Judy Blume PS3552.L843 F6 1975
• Anne Frank Diary of a Young Girl D810.J4 F715
• The Color Purple by Alice Walker PS3573.A425 C6 1982
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee PZ4.L4778 To
• Fun Home by Bechdel Leisure PN 6727.B3757 .Z46 2007
• Essential Dykes to Watch Out For by Bechdel PN 6728.D94 .B475 2008
• A room of one’s own by Woolf PN471 .W6
• Feminine Mystique by Friedan HQ1420 .F7 1963
• I am your sister by Lorde PS 3562.O75 .I3 2009
• Sexual Politics by Millett HQ1154 .M5
• Lovely Bones, Sebold Leisure PS 3619.E26 .L68 2002
• Well of loneliness by Radclyffe Hall PR 6015.A33 .W43 1992
• The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks by Skloot Leisure RC 265.6.L24 S55 2011

Friday:

Today some of the Social Work Club members are reading books that have been banned or challenged. Each day of Banned Books Week we celebrate the freedom to read and feature a different student club or organization.

Like the Grand View Library Facebook page to see more fun pictures of other student groups celebrating their freedom to read! Stop in and check out one of our banned books today! There’s a whole display up on the main floor!

“Books and ideas are the most effective weapons against intolerance and ignorance." -Lyndon Baines Johnson

"If large numbers of people believe in freedom of speech, there will be freedom of speech, even if the law forbids it. But if public opinion is sluggish, inconvenient minorities will be persecuted, even if laws exist to protect them." -George Orwell

“[I]t’s not just the books under fire now that worry me. It is the books that will never be written. The books that will never be read. And all due to the fear of censorship. As always, young readers will be the real losers.” -Judy Blume

“I have a real issue with anyone trying to protect children from their own imaginations. If we cannot acknowledge that a lot of us have a bit of darkness within ourselves, some more than others perhaps, and bring it into the light and examine it and talk about this part of the human condition, then I think we will be living in quite a dangerous climate. I think that’s much more damaging for children.” -J.K. Rowling

Some of the books they’re reading are:

• Miss Vera’s Cross-Dress for Success by Vera Juv HQ 77 .V458 2002 Y
• Miseducation of Cameron Post by Danforth Juv PZ 7 .D2136 Mi 2012 Y
• Fun Home: a family tragicomic by  Alison Bechdel Leisure PN 6727.B3757 .Z46 2007
• The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel PN 6728.D94 .B475 2008
• Am I Blue by Bauer Juv PZ 5 .A495
• Sexual Politics by Millett HQ1154 .M5
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie Juv PZ 7 .A382 Ab 2007 Y
• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini PS 3608.O832 .K58 2004
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky Juv PS 3553.H3468 .P47 1999 Y
• The Bluest Eye by Morrison PS3563.O8749 .B58 1972
• Revolutionary Voices: A Multicultural Queer Youth Anthology Juv HQ 76.25 .R48 2000 Y
• And Still I rise by Angelou Juv PS 591.N4 I35 1998
• Black Like Me by Griffin E185.61 .G8 1976
• The Color Purple by Walker PS3573.A425 C6 1982
• Fahrenheit 451 by Bradbury Juv PN 6727.H28 .R39 2009 Y
• Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers Juv PZ 7 .M992 Fal Y
• The Giver by Lowry Juv PZ 7 .L9673 Gi Y
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Angelou E185.97.A56 A3
• Invisible Man by Ellison PZ 4 .E47 In OR PS3555.L625 I58 1952
• James and the Giant Peach by Dahl Juv PZ 8 .D137 Jam
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Lee  PZ4.L4778 To
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Skloot Leisure RC 265.6.L24 S55 2011

Banned Books 2015 - Lift Here Display

In early October we have Global Vision Week (GVW) on campus, and I wanted to dedicate a display to that issue/programming, but I also didn't want to ignore Banned Books (BB) week. To give the BB signs a little extra display time, I decided to kick off the year with them -- and they've been pretty popular. Several of the books have rotated out of the display for checkout! To make way for GVW, the BB display will come down right after BB week is over.

The display itself is fairly simple. Signs are up featuring the books, then I've taped a small flap to hide the reason why the book has been challenged or banned, along with the call number for the book, should someone wish to check it out.  Below are a few images:

Stay tuned! I'm also working with several student groups/clubs to have their members come in and take photos with some of their favorite Banned Books to be sent out via our Facebook page and a campus email listserv.

Summer has Begun!

Summer has arrived... Actually, for us it's in full swing (despite the temperature currently only being 48 degrees), with summer classes having started this week! It's bittersweet, as this graduating class was my first bunch to work with for their entire college career (they were first-years during my first year here). While I'll certainly miss them, I know they're off doing amazing things already (like literally saving lives -- hello, nursing majors)!

We started the summer reading program on Thursday, May 7 with our kickoff event! We talked about tons of great books and welcomed 15 people to the event (with 41 signed up to participate in the program throughout the summer)! And, thanks to the generous donations of my friends and colleagues, we have prizes again this summer (we post prize pictures on Wednesdays, for #WinItWednesday: https://www.facebook.com/GVLibrary)!

Our summer theme is "escape the ordinary" and I wanted to keep it as simple and clean as possible. Something about crisp white space just makes me think "possibility," which I thought fit well with the theme, so I kept the design elements simple:

Here's to all of the possibility summer holds!

Puppy Smiles

The pups from Paws & Effect returned and the students got some much-needed stress relief as they wrapped up their semester. Here are just a few of their smiles:

You can find more pictures here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.787553158008484.1073741842.588772717886530&type=3 and here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.786989481398185.1073741841.588772717886530&type=3