Matt Dilworth

Matt Dilworth

Basic Research Tools

Basic Research Tools

Transitioning to college research requires better tools, and the library provides many resources that will help students submit better work than can be generated through free web search engines like Google or Bing.  The easiest place to start is with the EBSCO Discovery Service, a meta-search engine that searches most of IU East’s databases at once, which can be found on the library’s home page under the section that says “Search EBSCO (Articles)”.  This provides the single box searching experience that may be the most familiar to users of Google or other popular search engines.  This returns material from academic journals, trade journals, and newspapers.  It can be set to give only recently published material, or only vetted academic writings.  … Continued
It Takes More Than That to Kill the Bull Moose

It Takes More Than That to Kill the Bull Moose

In 1912, a former U.S. President, after being out of office for a term, became a Presidential candidate, and that candidate was shot by a would-be assassin at the outset of a campaign speech.  The former President was Theodore Roosevelt, nicknamed ‘the Bull Moose’, and he had been fighting a bitterly contested campaign.  He himself succeeded an assassinated President; when William McKinley was shot in 1901 Roosevelt had ascended to the Presidency, winning it again in his own right in 1904.  Retiring from public office, he was succeeded in 1908 by William Howard Taft, but over the years, Roosevelt had come to despise the man.  The feeling was mutual.  Roosevelt had come to Milwaukee on the evening of October 14th, … Continued
A Sense of Place and Time

A Sense of Place and Time

Today, in the summer, the halls of IU East are unnaturally quiet without students.  Physical Plant has just waxed the floors, and the whole place seems to glow.  The grounds outside are lush and green and verdant.  In six months’ time, though, the weather will be cold and the trees bereft of leaves.  The floors will be scuffed and stained with salt.  In 1972, the land was a construction zone; with Whitewater Hall just beginning to be erected.  It was again in 2015, as work began on the Student Events and Activities Center.  A few centuries’ ago, Miami Indian explorers ranged north from the Whitewater River, seeking game here, surrounded only by trees and grass.  Things change, and a place … Continued
Exploring the History of Comics

Exploring the History of Comics

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
Space, The Final Frontier

Space, The Final Frontier

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