Author Archives: mdilwort

Author Archives: mdilwort

Separating Sense from Nonsense: McGill University’s Office for Science in Society

Separating Sense from Nonsense: McGill University’s Office for Science in Society

“Science looks like magic, until you know how it works.”  That was one of the first things Dr. Joe Schwarcz said when IU East Coordinator of Library Instruction, KT Lowe, met him last month.  Dr. Schwarcz is the director of the McGill University Office for Science and Society, one of the best fake news fighting organizations in North America.  The OSS focuses primarily on the science of the everyday, busting myths about food, sunscreen, homeopathy and other quotidian things. The room where it happens. The OSS was formally established in 1999 and receives no corporate funding.  It is a formalization of Dr. Schwarcz’s work since the 1980’s, when he would speak with the media on all things science.  He and his … Continued
Opening Minds through Art … and intergenerational interactions

Opening Minds through Art … and intergenerational interactions

Happy Times #4, Margaret A. May is a good time to celebrate Spring (no matter how delayed or sporadic!) and also to celebrate Older Americans.  The 2019 theme for Older Americans Month is “Connect, Create, Contribute” and it encourages older adults and their communities to: Connect with friends, family, and services that support participation. Create by engaging in activities that promote learning, health, and personal enrichment. Contribute time, talent, and life experience to benefit others. Happy Birthday to Me, Esther W. For five years, IU East has been involved in the spirit of Connect, Create, Contribute, through our partnership with Friends Fellowship Community (FFC) for the Opening Minds through Art (OMA) program. We are pleased to announce that throughout June … Continued
The Persistence of Memory

The Persistence of Memory

“Do you want to take a picture?” “Oh, I’m sure we’ll remember it.” Have you ever heard an exchange like that?  We have a tendency to take memory for granted; to assume that what we want of our past will be accessible later on.  That is true whether the memories are personal – the first words of a new baby, perhaps – or societal, such as memory of a major cultural shift or shared triumph or tragedy.  Memories (whether personal or recounted for us in books, museums, and memorials) preserve learning and heritage and culture.  Lives are defined by it.  Even blockbuster popular entertainment like the television show Game of Thrones have recently paused the action long enough to contemplate … Continued
Archives Update: New Projects, New Faces

Archives Update: New Projects, New Faces

To celebrate the IU Bicentennial we wanted to share some exciting updates about both on-going and new IU East Archives projects! Media Collections Online First, all the audio-visual material that was housed in the archives and sent to Bloomington for the Media Digitization and Preservation Initiative (MDPI Project) are now back and they have been digitized. We are working on moving them into IU’s Media Collection Online (MCO), which is the campus wide platform for all of IU’s digitized AV material. We are building collections and pushing them from Dark Avalon, which is a read-only, restricted access site to MCO. If you know we have something in the archives, such as a Starr Gennett recording or an oral history interview … Continued
Poetry from Community Christian Schools

Poetry from Community Christian Schools

For National Poetry Month, IU East Campus Library collaborated with Community Christian School for the entire month of April, to help students write their own original poetry.  On May 2nd those students, in 5th through 8th grades, delivered their poetry on campus, with rousing success. KT Lowe, who leads the program, has worked with CCS students for the past three years.  “It’s always fascinating to see what directions the students take.  Some of the work is based on video games and sports, which is pretty interesting.  There’s always poetry with a lot of humor as well.  But some of the work is also really serious, quite mature for their age,” she remarks.  “It’s always a delight to see what they … Continued