books

books

…NaNoWriMo? Start your “Thirty days and nights of literary abandon!”

…NaNoWriMo? Start your “Thirty days and nights of literary abandon!”

As you may know, November is right around the corner. Yep, you know what that means, National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo. For those of you who didn’t know November was National Novel Writing Month, NaNoWriMo is a month dedicated to encouraging novel writing, and creative writing in general, that was started by the non-profit organization, Office of Letters and Light. Starting November 1st, it is encouraged that you start writing your own novel, and finish it by the end of November and then enter your new novel into NaNoWriMo. After that, through NaNoWriMo, you are eligible for awards and scholarships for the best writings of the month! So what would be better to get you in the novel writing … Continued
Ban it, burn it, bury it….but whatever you do, don’t read these books!

Ban it, burn it, bury it….but whatever you do, don’t read these books!

Each year hundreds of books are challenged. What does the word “challenged” mean? Challenged is defined as a formal, written complaint filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness. Whether the challenge is based on sexual explicitness, sexuality, racism, religious viewpoints, violence, offensive language, or many other issues, some of the these books are removed from circulation. Last year alone, 326 books were challenged. Perhaps some of your favorite books made this list. (http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedclassics/reasonsbanned)  This year marks the 30th anniversary of Banned Books Week (http://www.bannedbooksweek.org). Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries.  Banned Books … Continued
A truly good book teaches me better than to read it

A truly good book teaches me better than to read it

“A truly good book teaches me better than to read it. I must soon lay it down, and commence living on its hint. What I began by reading, I must finish by acting.” ~ Henry David Thoreau   The Library of Congress is currently housing an exhibit titled “Books that Shaped America.” These books ( http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2012/12-123.html) “shaped Americans’ views of the world and the world’s views of America.” While the list is not meant to signify the greatest works of American literature, they do provide a glimpse of our history, culture, and ideals. Working in a library, I naturally have a profound admiration for books and the effects they can have on an individual’s life. I encourage you to take … Continued
Why E-Books are Right for You!

Why E-Books are Right for You!

E-books are growing more and more popular in academic and public libraries, and for good reasons!  Here at IU East, there are many benefits for patrons using electronic books.    1. E-books are easily accessible from the comfort of your own home, day or night.  Many IU East students do not live near campus.  Some students are taking online courses and do not often come to campus.  But even online courses require research papers!  With e-books, you do not have to stop by the library to gain access to a plethora of books.  Just search our catalog at http://iucat.iu.edu or directly search one of our e-book vendors (find a list of vendors here: http://www.iue.edu/library/books/ebooks.php).      2. E-books do not … Continued
Brill

Brill

Through the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC) all of the IU campuses now have access to additional eBooks from Brill. The subject listings available cover a wide variety of disciplines including: Asian Studies; Biblical Studies, Ancient Near East and Early Christianity; Classical Studies; European History and Culture; Middle East and Islamic Studies; Religious Studies, Theology and Philosophy; Social Sciences; and now featuring… There are now 13 titles available in the Language & Linguistics subject, featuring histories and uses of some esoteric and some not-so-esoteric language families like Arabic, Kharia, Hebrew, Vedic, and Salish, to name a few.  Upon exploring the Language and Linguistics title list I came across “Language at Large: Essays on Syntax and Semantics” in which I read … Continued