Author Archives: mdilwort

Author Archives: mdilwort

Expand Your Research: The Creative Commons Certificate

Expand Your Research: The Creative Commons Certificate

, , Website
This past spring, Assistant Librarian of Access and Technical Services Beth South enrolled in the Creative Commons for Librarians certificate course with fellow librarian Peter Whiting from University of Southern Indiana and Instructional Designer Shannon Barnes from Earlham College. All three applied for a scholarship offered by Academic Libraries of Indiana’s (ALI) Affordable Learning Committee and the Midwestern Higher Education Compact (MHEC) to participate in the rewarding experience. The Creative Commons (CC) started as a non-profit in 2001, and by 2002, created a set of open licenses that allowed content creators and researchers world-wide to openly share their work with the public, proactively giving people the ability to use the works to further their own creative and educational pursuits within … Continued
Celebrating African-American Music Month

Celebrating African-American Music Month

, , Uncategorized
June is African-American Music Month, intended to celebrate the important contributions of African-American entertainers in the music industry.  Most American popular music is rooted in Black music traditions dating to the founding of the country, a fact not always acknowledged in society, and these traditions range from instrumentation to musical style to vocalization.  This blog highlights a handful of influential African-American musicians whose work is part of American collective social memory. Gladys Bentley Openly lesbian and among the first well-known drag king performers in American history, Gladys Bentley (1907-1960) was born in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, and grew up in Philadelphia.  She left home at 16 to perform in jazz clubs in New York, under her own name but dressed in formal … Continued
Mental Health Awareness Month

Mental Health Awareness Month

, Jesse Whitton, Library Resources, outreach
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and although society is becoming more open to discussing mental health, it can still be challenging to know where to begin when it comes to taking care of your own mental well-being. Several national groups and government organizations provide resources for all your mental health needs. Mental Health America offers a downloadable toolkit with information, posters, and DIY tools. The National Institutes of Health explores topics such as anxiety disorder, borderline personality disorder, and suicide prevention, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration provides direct support for those suffering from mental illness. Online counseling sessions are available for all students via Timely Care. IU East students also have access to Chat with a … Continued
Student Protester Resources

Student Protester Resources

, , Library Resources
As protests for many causes crop up on college campuses across the country, students are grappling with strong feelings on important issues, and where and how to express them.  Recent protests, including at Indiana University itself, have controversially led to arrests.  Students may question what rights they do and do not have, and how they can assert them, whether they plan to join a protest, organize one, or document one (such as with video). The right to protest is enumerated in the Constitution, specifically the First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably … Continued
Cicada Broods and Beyond: Navigating Scientific Journals for Rare Natural Wonders

Cicada Broods and Beyond: Navigating Scientific Journals for Rare Natural Wonders

, , Library Resources
On April 8, 2024, a large swath of Indiana was treated to a total solar eclipse, a rare event that last happened in 1869. And in May, parts of Indiana are experiencing another rare occurrence in nature – the emergence of two different cicada broods. In the north and southwest counties of Indiana there is the emergence of Brood XIII (17-year brood) and Brood XIX (13-year brood), a happening last took place in 1803. It will be another 221 years before these two broods sync again (Burga). Over a trillion red-eyed cicadas across the Midwest will emerge from underground burrows, where four U.S. cicada species live for 13 years and three U.S. species live for 17 years. They will spend … Continued