Library Resources

Library Resources

Graphic Novels

Graphic Novels

One type of literature I’ve always been fascinated with is comic art.  In fact, I even considered becoming a comic book artist before I decided to become a librarian.  IU East has a modest collection of graphic novels – some famous, like Persepolis and Barefoot Gen.  Some aren’t, and I’d like to tell you a bit about a few of them. We3 by Grant Morrison (PN6727.M677 2005), describes a trio of animals – a dog, a cat, and a rabbit – that have been converted by the army into efficient living weapons for combat situations too dangerous for humans.  But a visit by a bureaucrat unnerved by their rudimentary language and sentience orders them destroyed.  A scientist, unwilling to see … Continued
Jazz It Up

Jazz It Up

Music scholars at IU East now have an exciting new tool!  Over 300 original Starr-Gennett music recordings from the 1920s in a number of genres have been digitized and made available for listening.  The recordings were digitized at IU Bloomington’s Archive of Traditional Music, and were funded by a LSTA grant. The resources can be used in the library by IU student and outside scholar alike.  We have headphones available at the front desk, in the event that you don’t have your own.  We’ve prepared step-by-step instructions to help you access them quickly and easily. Starr-Gennett has been a big part of Richmond’s local history, and is internationally significant for helping popularize jazz as a music genre.  Many artists like … Continued
What Are You Reading Now?

What Are You Reading Now?

I have to admit that I feel a little embarrassed to tell you what I’m reading.  I know that I should be focusing on “academic” tomes that would enrich my mind, soul and spirit.  But let’s be honest.  During the summer I want to read all the “guilty pleasure books” I can get my sweaty hands on.  My problem is that I rarely have time to just sit and read.  Since our kids are grown, I’m not sitting in the car waiting for their music lessons, ball games, dental appointments, etc. to end.  Those sure were the good old days!   Now, I’m listening to audio-books on my way to and from work.  That comes to about 1.5 hours every … Continued
What should I do with my life?!?

What should I do with my life?!?

When I was 15 years old (eons ago!) I got a job shelving books at the local public library.  Monday through Thursday I would walk 20 minutes to the library after school, eat the snack my mom packed, shelve books from 4-6 pm, walk home for dinner, then do homework from 7:30-9 pm. On Saturdays I would bike to work, shelve books from 9 am – 1 pm, go home for lunch, and then do the stuff teens did in the mid-1970s (I already admitted it was eons ago so now you know!). The fact is, although I revel in variety, I relished this routine. The library was a safe haven where my co-workers valued me, there was a revolving … Continued
What if your book read itself to you?

What if your book read itself to you?

Hi, this is Matt Dilworth. I do reference here in the library. I’d like to write about a tool the library just upgraded – Ebrary, a database for electronic books. Do you use a Kindle, or Google Books? This is kind of similar. You can get into Ebrary from the library’s main page – click on eBooks from the left-hand menu, then choose Ebrary. When you search for a book, you get a list in order of how relevant Ebrary thinks they are to what you typed. But in this new version, in the table of contents, chapters are now ranked according to relevance as well as whole books. You can even look at the results screen by chapter rather … Continued