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Author Archives: mdilwort

This is Halloween

halloween, holidays, KT Lowe, lgbtqs, multicultural October 7, 2019 Library Resources, Programs mdilwort

With a documented history spanning roughly two millennia and traditions spanning across the world, Halloween is one of the most widely celebrated holidays in the United States. It’s also an incredibly lucrative holiday, with this year’s spending total expected to reach $8.8 billion in the US alone. Halloween, according to folklorist Jack Santino, is a holiday that is intended to stretch borders – those of exploration, identity, marginality and, in some cases, rules themselves. The celebrations, which involve costumes, jack o’ lanterns, candy, horror movies and remembrance of the dead, demonstrate a great deal of syncretism, blending Celtic, Hispanic and American traditions into one magnificent event. A mere sample of the Halloween-related items in the collection of IU East librarian … Continued

Get Educated on Education Databases!

education, good information, reference databases, Research September 30, 2019 Jesse Whitton, Library Resources mdilwort

As we finish the 5th week of school, it’s not too late to plan for future assignments such as mid-terms and final projects. Education students have a lot on their plate with placements for field experiences, creating lesson plans, and making sure they are on track to graduate. The IU East Campus Library has a wide range of information resources that can help Education majors and others, in navigating research about education topics. Check out ERIC-EBSCOHOST, the Education Resource Information Center, that contains more than 1,194,00 records and links to more than 100,000 full-text documents pertaining to Education. Just look at the number of results you get from searching “kindergarten or preschool or early childhood education.” The Education Database by … Continued

Organized Research

citation, good information, reference databases, Research September 23, 2019 Library Resources, Matt Dilworth, Research mdilwort

We are now a few weeks into the semester – long enough to get comfortable with the trajectory and expectations of a class, but not far enough, in most cases, to feel pressure from a final paper or project. More and more, though, students want to keep it that way. If you’re one of this new type of student, you may be doing some of your major research early, to reduce the demands on you at the end of the semester. A little pre-research, or ‘presearch’, if you will. And that’s great – that sort of dedication and forethought is commendable. But how do you make sure the value of what you do now is maximized later? If you forget … Continued

Streaming Videos at the Campus Library: Kanopy Trial and AVON

Elizabeth South, online information, trials, video September 16, 2019 Library Resources mdilwort

The IU East Campus Library currently has a trial for the online streaming video platform called Kanopy. Kanopy is a video streaming solution offering access to more than 30,000 documentaries, movies, and educational videos from thousands of producers such as Criterion Collection, PBS, Great Courses, Kino Lorber and more. The platform is currently employed at more than 2,500 academic libraries globally, including many libraries, and within Indiana University at Northwest, South Bend, and Bloomington campuses. Some of the benefits for IU East students and faculty to use Kanopy are: Provide access without payment: conveniently open all or any of their broad collections with no upfront or required payment Strategically acquire high-use films: Triggering a film requires 4 independent plays by … Continued

The 1619 Project and the legacy of slavery

african american history, history, KT Lowe September 9, 2019 Research mdilwort

In August 1619, the White Lion, an English privateer ship, landed in Point Comfort, a small settlement in the new colony of Virginia. According to John Rolfe, a Jamestown colonist, the cargo was unique in the history of North America. “20. and odd Negroes” from Angola were sold for food by the privateers “at the best and easyest rate they could.” This event is the official beginning of slavery in what would eventually be the United States (although it should be noted that slaves were present in North America before then.) The New York Times has created the 1619 Project, a set of free resources covering the legacy of slavery, including essays, statistics, maps and creative writing. A map of … Continued