Today’s Special

Read more about the article Popular Reading: Pop Open a Book!

Popular Reading: Pop Open a Book!

Hey, y’all! Punk a** book jockey here, writing today to talk to you about our Popular Reading Collection! Back at the end of 2017, a friend of mine and I decided that we would challenge ourselves in 2018 by reading books mostly by women, specifically women of color. We did not originate this idea. I cannot remember where we found this idea, and now, there are various of blogs and lists of books supporting this idea. One reason to read books by people who don’t look like…

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Read more about the article WWII: A Most Dangerous Flight

WWII: A Most Dangerous Flight

Going back in time to the very beginning of combat service in 1943, Arturo P. Martinez and his flight crew arrived at their home base in Gioia, Italy. They received a warm welcome by the Squadron Commander on the first day. The Commander gave the new flight crew a pep talk. He reassured them that combat missions were not too bad, at least not as dangerous as soldiers in foxholes. The next day, Arturo’s crew was split up, and they…

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Read more about the article What I’ve Been Reading During Quarantine

What I’ve Been Reading During Quarantine

Like everyone else, I’ve found myself spending a lot more time at home and although I’ve partaken in zoom birthday parties, Netflix binging, etc., I’ve also tried to spend time away from screens, especially since all meetings now take place via a computer screen. I have by no means broke any records of books read, but I’ve read some good things from the Library’s Popular Reading Collection: Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi. This book is the second in a…

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Read more about the article Escape Into an Adventure at Home

Escape Into an Adventure at Home

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…

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Read more about the article Rudolfo Anaya: “Godfather of Chicano Literature”

Rudolfo Anaya: “Godfather of Chicano Literature”

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…

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Read more about the article Who Made This and Who’s Missing?

Who Made This and Who’s Missing?

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…

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Read more about the article LGBTQ+ Stories and Cinema in Kanopy

LGBTQ+ Stories and Cinema in Kanopy

Ever since I learned that faculty and staff also have access to the library’s streaming service, Kanopy, from one of our blog posts back in March (thanks, Ed!), I’ve been exploring titles and adding lots of films to my watchlist. Many of these have included videos from their mental health and mindfulness section as well as their titles on Social and Systemic Injustice. This month I have been looking at selections from their LGBTQ categories to celebrate Pride Month and to learn more about history,…

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Read more about the article Archival Silences

Archival Silences

One of the reasons I love history is because I love a good story. History tells us the stories of individuals, families, groups, nations—stories that help us understand our own lives and our place in the world. Archives are often called “the raw stuff of history,” the voices out of which the historical narrative is woven. But some voices ring more loudly in the archives than others. The term archival silence describes a gap in the existing historical record. It is particularly…

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Read more about the article Representation in Scholarly Communication

Representation in Scholarly Communication

Recently, there has been much discussion around the Black Lives Matter movement, systemic racism in the United States and around the world, and other issues related to race and representation. Just the other day, a scholarly communication blog I follow posted about researchers exploring issues around race. As a scholarly communication librarian, I have been reading not only on research around race, but about representation in research and publishing. Questions such as “who is doing the research?” and “who is being…

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Read more about the article What’s in Your Cell Phone?

What’s in Your Cell Phone?

Do you know where your phone is? Chances are, it’s within easy reach…you might even be reading this post from your phone. These things are amazing…you can check recipe ingredients while standing in the grocery store, grab a short video to help you accomplish a quick hack, or pay for that almond croissant at your favorite corner pastry shop. You can call people too (although I don’t actually use my phone for this much.) In addition to offering us a…

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