Author Archives: mdilwort

Author Archives: mdilwort

Academic outreach connects expertise and opportunity

Academic outreach connects expertise and opportunity

The IU East Campus Library is an active place this summer! We hosted two Third Grade Academy (TGA) classes, coordinated the 2nd annual Crime Camp, produced two new educational television shows in collaboration with WCTV, and are the site for the Center for Service-Learning tutoring program.  Seventy-five IU East faculty, staff and students have impacted 70 youth with interactive educational programs that focus on a range of literacy skills in reading math, and science, as well as critical thinking and cultural arts. In this week’s blog we feature TGA and Crime Camp. “I love to read now!” ~ TGA participant During Third Grade Academy, 24 students joined us for 4 weeks, experiencing the many interesting activities IU East has available. … Continued
Latin American Resources

Latin American Resources

The United States is undergoing a massive demographic shift, as immigration again changes our national character and makeup. But in recent decades, the influx of people has not been from Europe but from our own hemisphere – Mexico, Central, and South America. And like generations of previous immigrants, these new Americans bring their own vibrant culture, interweaving it with the multifaceted tapestry that is already here. Richmond seems far away from the southern border, but almost all of us have still been touched in some way by Hispanic culture – neighbors, friends, coworkers, and colleagues. Perhaps you’re curious about these cultures, and want to know more. The library has plenty of tools to study Latin American and Hispanic culture – … Continued
Independence Day

Independence Day

This week we will celebrate the Fourth of July. John Adams advocated celebrating it with “pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other”. Whether any of these factor into your own festivities, or whether you have your own traditions, the day marks a major change in human events. In 1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed by fifty-six men, putting our country on a path to freedom and self-determination that has since been copied by dozens of other nations. Before 1776, the evidence was scant that any people could successfully govern themselves without kings or aristocracy. Today, it is common knowledge. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were … Continued
LGBT Sources

LGBT Sources

June is National LGBT Pride Month in remembrance of the Stonewall riots in June 1969, the beginning of the modern gay liberation movement. IU East has always taken an interest in nurturing and empowering our gay students (and their straight allies) – the LGBTQS Alliance is one of our most popular organizations, and many university employees have Safe Zone training, offering a supportive and affirming place for LGBT students to discuss any issue that weighs on them. And the library has reliable resources to learn about LGBT history or the issues facing the homosexual community today. We have resources for any interest or age group. For scholarly needs, databases like LGBT Studies are great starting points, including sources like films, … Continued
Building a Student-Friendly Course

Building a Student-Friendly Course

Summer may be a welcome respite for students, but it rarely is for faculty! Research, writing articles, attending professional conferences, preparing new programs and courses – a professor’s job is never done. The library has always been a great tool for professors in teaching their classes. It’s a place to send students to broaden their understanding, and find books and journals that support their arguments. But it can be an asset right from the beginning, in the planning phase of new courses. Most classes require a lot of material. This is sensible – students have to be exposed to a lot of ideas and perspectives, after all. It follows that they would need to read the work of a lot … Continued