Author | Library Blog - Indiana University East

Author

Firsthand Information

primary sources, writing July 24, 2023 Library Resources, Matt Dilworth mdilwort

In research, it is always a good idea to examine the primary sources, and not trust another author to act as an intermediary. Firsthand, contemporaneous accounts of anything that happens – a historic event, a scientific experiment, the minutia of day-to-day life – are irreplaceable for historians decades or even centuries later. Their existence allows later researchers to strip away the layers of exaggeration, dimming memory, hagiography, or demonization that can build up on stories told and retold over time. Primary sources are those created by the participants in the events that are described. These can be diaries and journals, letters and legal contracts, even blogs and emails. The library offers numerous databases focused on primary source material from a … Continued

The Reading Academy 2023: Highlights and Reflections

children, community engagement, outreach, reading academy, third grade academy July 3, 2023 Frances Yates, outreach mdilwort

Library time The Campus Library has been actively involved with The Reading Academy (TRA) since 2010. This year IU East hosted 120 students in grades 2 and 3. They received intensive reading enrichment from teachers and learning assistants from the Richmond Community Schools, and participated in numerous special activities offered by IU East staff, faculty and students. This engaging reading program is funded and administered by Every Child Can Read. Perhaps the best part of TRA for the library team is – no surprise – their library visits to select books. So many students rushed to the juvenile bookstacks, eager to browse and discover books that interested them. There was lots of reading independently and also many eager to share … Continued

Get Loud, Get Proud with these LGBTQ+ Resources!

holidays, lgbtqs June 26, 2023 Jesse Whitton, Library Resources, outreach mdilwort

Pride Month, a significant cultural and social event that is celebrated in June, serves as a powerful testament to the ongoing fight for LGBTQ+ rights and recognition. We at the IU East Campus Library support all members of the LGBTQ+ community and offer resources on LGBTQ+ issues and topics. The IU East Library LGBTQ resource guide provides informative resources for LGBTQ students, families, and allies through links to various education-based, youth-specific, and political organizations resources. This guide also includes links to local resources on the IU East campus, including counseling services, resources on sexual discrimination and violence, and health. Three years before the Stonewall Riots, an early moment in the gay liberation movement occurred on April 21, 1966, in New … Continued

Slavery Still in the Shadows

freedom, holidays, juneteenth, slavery June 16, 2023 Library Resources, Matt Dilworth, outreach mdilwort

Juneteenth is a momentous day, commemorating American slave emancipation in 1865. It was made a national holiday in 2021, although many states observed it before that. As a ‘second Independence day’, Juneteenth is often celebrated with food and festivals, rodeos and reenactments, and voter registration drives. In the century and a half since the first Juneteenth, slavery has become illegal in every country of the world. Many countries are part of international treaties dedicated to criminalizing and ferreting out slavery wherever it appears. But despite all that, it still happens in the shadows. Estimates vary widely, but there are tens of millions of people enslaved around the globe today. Modern slavery can take many forms, and is not always about … Continued

New Interface for a Major Research Tool

reference databases, search engines May 29, 2023 Library Resources, Matt Dilworth, Website mdilwort

The easiest way to begin searching for research materials at IU East is to start typing in the blank labelled “Search EBSCO (Articles)” on the library’s home page. This search blank is a meta-search, which means that it looks through many of the library’s databases simultaneously. Most research at IU East starts here. The software behind this is called the EBSCO Discovery Service, and it is getting a facelift. The search interface will change, and some of the features and buttons are moving around. Some new features are being added. The clean-looking search blank continues to put some of the most popular filters right there with it (for example, restricting just to things that have full text immediately available, or … Continued