July 2020 – Mary and Jeff Bell Library Blog

The Truth is Out There: #FactCheckFriday Taking Down Misinformation One “Fact” at a Time

Post author:Trisha Hernandez
Post published:July 31, 2020
Post category:Library Hacks

“A cabal of doctors is hiding the cure for cancer, berries are more effective than vaccines, and eating instant noodles can kill you: These are some of the claims from the internet's most viral fake health news in 2019.” This is how an article by Brandy Zadrozny for NBC News began. The article, released in December 2019, discusses the prevalence of misinformation. Through the library blog, I’ve previously discussed society’s misinformation woes and shared the Media Bias chart with you in my…

Creating a Conference: From Idea to Reality

Post author:Lisa Louis
Post published:July 28, 2020
Post category:Behind the Scenes We Made This

Ideas can be unpredictable. You never know where they might lead. This is the story of how an idea became a conference, and how the simple question “Why not?” set off a chain of events that, nine months later, has brought the libraries of the Texas A&M University System closer together and set the stage for future collaborations. TAMU-CC belongs to a large university system which includes 11 universities and eight state agencies. Each of those universities has at least…

Food and Memories

Post author:Amanda Kowalski
Post published:July 24, 2020
Post category:Library Randomness Things to Do

One of the first memories I have is of food. I remember my birthday cake, my mom made it for me, it was yellow cake and had a really sweet peanut butter frosting. This memory is not much of a memory but every year that is the cake I wish I had. Food memories might seem basic, everyone eats. This is true, food is a part of our daily life so in some ways it is very mundane. Food is…

Overcoming: COVID Ain’t Slowing Us Down

Post author:Catherine Rudowsky
Post published:July 21, 2020
Post category:Behind the Scenes Dean's Corner News @ Your Library Service for You

The Library, along with everyone else, found itself in new waters this past March when a pandemic came to our door. Stay at Home orders and a regard for everyone’s safety necessitated moving the classroom—along with all accompanying learning and academic support—online to ensure social distancing. We all hoped that this then new reality would be short-lived, yet it continues to evolve and change at a feverish pace. While going back to a pre-pandemic reality seems a distant dream, we strive, along…

Escape Into an Adventure at Home

Post author:Bell Library
Post published:July 17, 2020
Post category:Library Randomness Things to Do Today's Special

Need an escape from the confines of your home without actually leaving? Why not try out an online Tabletop Role-Play Game (TTRPG)? While traditionally TTRPG's are played in person, there is a vast avenue of game systems to choose from online; you can be in a fantasy setting, Star Wars adventure, or even play as a Pokémon trainer hoping to catch all 890 of them. (Can you believe it, 890?) For the last eight years, I have been sucked into…

Rudolfo Anaya: “Godfather of Chicano Literature”

Post author:Joe Hernandez
Post published:July 14, 2020
Post category:Books & More Today's Special

On June 30th, while mindlessly scrolling through Twitter, I was shocked to see something that cut deeper than I ever expected it to. Rudolfo Anaya, author of Bless Me, Ultima, had passed away the day before. While I’m fully aware that I didn’t know him personally and had never met anyone that would possibly know him, there was something about this news that completely crushed me. Rudolfo Anaya was a nationally renowned and noted writer, novelist, and instructor and was often…

Who Made This and Who’s Missing?

Post author:Bell Library
Post published:July 10, 2020
Post category:Today's Special

So here’s the thing my friends: a whole lot is happening right now and we’re all exhausted. I hate to throw one more thing at you, but here it is: regardless of how tired we are, we still have to do the work of critical thinkers. Information literacy isn’t just a bunch of concepts and skills we pull out of our back pockets every time we have a research assignment, it’s an absolutely essential component of who we are as…

Things To Do in Quarantine

Post author:Bell Library
Post published:July 7, 2020
Post category:Things to Do

Is life in quarantine getting you down? Do you find yourself aimlessly walking around your house or lying in bed wishing for something to do? Well wish no more! Your guide to eliminating boredom is here. Now, before you get too excited, be sure to practice safe social distancing at all times and consider your health and the health of others as a top priority. That brings us to point number one: Get Moving With all this extra time, opportunity for your…

Indoor Hobbies

Post author:Bell Library
Post published:July 3, 2020
Post category:Things to Do

Right about now cabin fever is starting to kick in. It’s extremely important that we stay indoors and avoid contact with people as much as possible. While I completely agree your physical health is top priority, your mental health is just as important. So here are a few indoor activities that could make quarantine feel just a little bit better. Hobbies are a great way to keep your mind distracted and active. I’m such a DIY freak, especially when it…