Author Archives: mdilwort

Author Archives: mdilwort

Exploring the History of Comics

Exploring the History of Comics

, Library Resources, Matt Dilworth
Comics, whether in strip or book form, have long been a mainstay of childhood and young adult reading.  The unique style of storytelling through sequential art, usually mixed with text, can facilitate any genre or idea, with an unlimited ‘special effects budget’ that would be unwieldy in any other medium.  Over the decades, they have grown from being a purely child-oriented type of entertainment to one that also caters to adults, with more literary stories including ‘graphic novels’.  Two days relevant to comics are coming up – Free Comic Book Day is on Saturday May 4th, where people can get a variety of free comic books.  Locally, Comic Relief Comics, located at 411 N. 8th Street, Unit#104 in the Depot … Continued
Public Health and Climate Change

Public Health and Climate Change

, Library Resources, outreach
Earlier this semester, students from the Animals and Earth Club at IU East and faculty from the Sustainability Council, including Assistant Librarian of Access Services Beth South, had the opportunity to attend the Indiana Sustainability and Resilience Conference (ISRC) on February 9th at IU Indianapolis. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn more about sustainability efforts happening in Indiana and regionally from presenters that included architects, city planners, engineers, non-profit organizers, state park employees, social workers, business leaders, public policy advocates, and educators. It’s impossible to attend every session, but a common theme that emerged from many of the presentations, including from keynote speaker Michelle Moore, CEO of Groundswell, and former White House official during the Obama administration, is that … Continued
The Archives of Traditional Music

The Archives of Traditional Music

, , Library Resources
On wax cylinders, aluminum and lacquer discs, open reel tape, wire and cassette tape, Chinese folk songs commingle with Native American narrative songs and Sea Islands protest songs.  Here the works of Hoagy Carmichael rub shoulders with traditional songs of the Ainu, a people native to the island of Hokkaido in northern Japan.  With over 120,000 audio recordings spread out over 4000 collections, the Archives of Traditional Music is one of the country’s most important repositories of recorded music history.  This blog will dive into a handful of the collections available there. The Lawrence Gellert Collection Collector Lawrence Gellert (born 1898, disappeared 1979) possessed a sincere, if homegrown, interest in Black folk music.  His family immigrated to the US from … Continued
Space for all

Space for all

, , Frances Yates, Programs
The April 8, 2024 Total Solar Eclipse has generated a lot of interest in all aspects of Space. The IU East Campus Library has created a resource guide featuring the IU East interactive Solar Walk, numerous facts about the Solar System, and books and activities for youth and adults to learn together. Additionally, we received funding from the Indiana University Foundation that enabled us to create a customized activity book. It is available for 100 individuals who participate in the Solar Walk at IU East, in Whitewater Hall on April 4th or 5th. Reservations are needed to ensure each tour group is not too large. Science of planets, stargazing apps, history of space exploration With so much information available, this … Continued
Space, The Final Frontier

Space, The Final Frontier

, , Library Resources, Matt Dilworth
Looking up at the vastness and seeming timelessness of space, people have always sought to understand what lies beyond the Earth.  Ancient people struggled to explain phenomena like moon phases, shooting stars, comets, blood moons, meteors, and even eclipses.  It was a source of interest, though – ancient megalithic structures and cave paintings are thought to show astronomical awareness. Lacking the development of scientific methods, myth was built by every culture to help explain the unexplainable structure of the universe.  The sun was rationalized as the Greek god Helios who rode a blazing chariot across the sky.  Lunar eclipses were seen as Dewi Ratih, a Hindu lunar goddess, who was devoured by the floating head Kala Rau but always safely … Continued