Hidden Gems in the I-Create Lab

Chances are, you are already aware that the I-Create Lab has many tools for students and community users to use. Star pieces of equipment include our 3D printers, laser cutter, and embroidery machine. While these items are constantly in use, the lab also possesses several lesser-known items that might suit you just as well. Upon entering the lab, patrons can see a variety of equipment. However, they cannot see the many items the lab has ready to rent out. Such…

Continue ReadingHidden Gems in the I-Create Lab

Censorship and Inaccessibility

Happy Almost-Banned Books Week, everybody! We at Bell Library love a themed celebration, and Banned Books Week is particularly near and dear to our hearts as it celebrates everyone’s right to read. Specifically, everyone’s right to read whatever books they like. Books are regularly “challenged” in school libraries and public libraries. A challenge is when someone complains that a book is available and demands it be removed. If they succeed, the book has been “banned.” Usually, folks try to ban…

Continue ReadingCensorship and Inaccessibility

Encyclopedias

When I was growing up, I loved to read the World Book Encyclopedia.  I suppose you could say I was a word nerd.  It was not unusual for me climb up onto the desk to pull down two or three of the hefty, green and white volumes off the shelf, then go back and forth looking up different topics just for fun.  I might look for a picture of a particular city, or read about the climate of South America,…

Continue ReadingEncyclopedias

Descubrir, Aprender, y Mejorar! Discover, Learn, and Improve During Hispanic Heritage Month 2021

It’s September!! This wonderful 9th month of the year brings all sorts of wonders with it. We’re shaking off the start of a new semester and getting settled in. Starbucks, and almost every other brand in the nation, has a pumpkin spiced something available for all. We officially transition into autumn. Temperatures start dropping…or rather we desperately hope that temperatures start dropping because the warm weather we wished for all winter has become hot and sticky and gross and we’re…

Continue ReadingDescubrir, Aprender, y Mejorar! Discover, Learn, and Improve During Hispanic Heritage Month 2021

Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is defined as “an eating pattern that cycles between periods of fasting and eating. It does not specify which foods you should eat but rather when you should eat them. In this respect, it is not a diet in the conventional sense but more accurately described as an eating pattern.” Intermittent fasting is a good cycle to pick up on as it has many beneficial effects. Benefits include weight and body fat loss, increased fat burning, lowered blood…

Continue ReadingIntermittent Fasting

I-Create Pricing Update

Welcome back Islanders! Can you believe it’s already Fall semester? The year is going by faster than the speed of light, but don’t forget to take a break during your studies by visiting the I-Create Lab. With the new semester comes some new prices, so here is a look at what equipment will cost you and what is free for you to use. Prices will go up starting September 1, 2021.   The Items that will cost you some money…

Continue ReadingI-Create Pricing Update

We’re back!

The Library Blog is back! We took the opportunity to shake things up and we’re excited to get posting! Everything will look a bit different, but in the best way. You can leave a comment on your favorite posts and let us know what you think. When something resonates, you can chime in. We’ve added some new folks to our blog team, so you’ll be hearing from more voices very soon. We’re really excited about the search feature! Want to…

Continue ReadingWe’re back!

Pulitzer Prize Winning Books for 2021 @ Your Library!

The Pulitzer Prize winning books for 2021 were recently announced, and there are some great titles in the list. Here are the books that are already in the collection at Bell Library: Winner in Fiction: The Night Watchman, by Louise Erdrich (Harper) It’s hard to believe that two years ago Louise Erdrich thought she might never write again. A cache of her grandfather’s letters provided her the inspiration she needed to write her latest novel. The reviewer Joshua Grace, writing in The…

Continue ReadingPulitzer Prize Winning Books for 2021 @ Your Library!

Blucher Collection Highlights

The title of the Blucher Collection may be somewhat deceiving. “Charles F.H. von Blucher Family Papers” may not indicate to a researcher that other items exist in the collection. However, various artifacts can be found throughout the collection relating to surveying as well as everyday life in early Corpus Christi, TX. Paintings dating back to the mid 1800’s are among some of my favorite artifacts. Painting given as a gift to Felix von Blucher in 1845. A watercolor of Blucher…

Continue ReadingBlucher Collection Highlights