Matt Dilworth

Matt Dilworth

Much Ado about Shakespeare

Much Ado about Shakespeare

, , Library Resources, Matt Dilworth, Programs
More than 450 years after William Shakespeare’s birth, the Bard of Avon remains one of the most indelible and influential authors of all time.  His works continue to find relevance and meaning today; as their subtlety and wit and understanding of human drives and foibles offer a mirror which still cogently reflects society (as seen in numerous adaptions that easily translate the action to modern settings).  His writings – principally plays, sonnets, and poems – remain among the most widely reproduced writings in history, and modern literature is full of allusions to his texts.  His unparalleled literary influence supports contemporary poet Ben Jonson’s analysis that Shakespeare was “not of an age, but for all time”. Shakespeare’s rich, colorful language is … Continued
Independent but Intertwined

Independent but Intertwined

, Library Resources, Matt Dilworth
On July 4th, Americans celebrate our Independence Day, and the anniversary of our declaration of ‘no more rule by redcoats’.  At the time – a mere 245 years ago – the United States and Great Britain were bitter enemies.  But today, there is a ‘Special Relationship’ between the two, and both affirm the other as their most important foreign ally.  What would become the United States was hardly the only territory that chafed under the rule of the British Empire.  The peoples of Ireland, India, China, Apartheid South Africa, Aborigines in Australia, and more had grievences with the Crown.  Immediately after the Revolutionary War, average Americans viewed Great Britain as synonymous with everything bad in the world, and vice versa.  … Continued
Primary Science

Primary Science

, Library Resources, Matt Dilworth, Research
The use of primary sources is a staple of academic research – these are sources created by someone involved in the matter being described.  In the humanities, these typically take the form of letters, diaries, or the like – for the historian, a diary is usually valued more than a book written by someone who wasn’t involved.  This isn’t to say that secondary sources have no worth, as those can often take a longer or more nuanced view than that of a person in the thick of things – but the value of a direct witness cannot be understated.  Numerous databases are built around these types of materials, like American Civil War: Letters and Diaries, Gale Primary Sources, or The … Continued
Money and Smart Choices

Money and Smart Choices

Library Resources, Matt Dilworth
Money Smart Week, a public awareness campaign for personal financial literacy, has become completely virtual this year.  The official program features webinars targeted towards the economic needs of those hit hardest by the last year.  Some of these are particularly useful for colleges, such as the Understanding the Basics of Federal Student Loans session – which also includes a toolkit of helpful links and information.  The library offers lots of vetted resources to help anyone make prudent financial decisions, too, in a variety of formats.  These range from the broad and global issues – covered by ebooks like Understanding the World Economy by Tony Cleaver, Fixing Global Finance by Martin Wolf, or Understanding the Process of Economic Change by Douglass … Continued
History of HIV/AIDS

History of HIV/AIDS

, , , Library Resources, Matt Dilworth, outreach
The history of AIDS, and the human immunodeficiency virus that causes it, has left a long and bloody mark on world history, moving from an academic concern, to an always-fatal but poorly understood disease, to an inflection point in civil rights, to what is now, in much of the world, a survivable chronic condition.  It has been an instrument of death and division which has cost perhaps 35 million lives. HIV was a zoonotic disease transmitted to humans from apes, mutated from the related simian immunodeficiency virus.  While the nature of its first transfer to humans remains a point of debate, it spread rapidly via unsterilized injections (commonplace in most of the regions of Africa where infected apes were known) … Continued