Library Blog - Indiana University East

Latest Posts

Connecting with children to create a culture of college

children, promise indiana, randolph county May 30, 2022 Frances Yates, outreach, Programs mdilwort

Promise Indiana is a program that “helps families and communities to support youth through saving for future education, participating in college and career activities in the classroom, and experiencing a college campus.” As an active participant in the program, Randolph County Schools provides students with experiences that help them visualize a future that includes education after high school graduation. This year IU East welcomed more than 200 third grade students to explore the campus. More than 30 faculty, staff and college students, along with more than a dozen campus volunteers, facilitated 52 interactive learning sessions with content ranging from anatomy and accounting to teamwork and solving mysteries. The Library team collaborates with campus partners to help create dynamic learning experiences. … Continued

Keep Your Mind Sharp with Puzzles

puzzles, summer May 23, 2022 Library Resources, Matt Dilworth mdilwort

During summer breaks, students can forget part of what they learned in the preceding year. This phenomenon is referred to as the ‘summer learning loss’ or ‘learning slide’. There is a significant body of literature on it, particularly as it affects K-12 students. Estimates of the severity of the loss differ greatly depending on the test design, but it is a risk worth preparing against. One proposed solution calls for eliminating or reducing summer breaks. Locally, Richmond Community Schools now schedules a two-month summer vacation. Other proposals include having more frequent, but shorter, breaks spaced throughout the year; or using summer school to bolster at-risk kids. Absent a comprehensive community solution, however, a good strategy is to keep your mind … Continued

World Bee Day

Elizabeth South, holidays, online information, sustainability May 16, 2022 Library Resources, Research mdilwort

One of the most important aspects of getting food from the farm to the table is the necessity of bees to pollinate many of our crops. “Almost 90% of wild plants and 75% of leading crops depend on animal pollinations,” and bees are one of our most important pollinators (WWF-UK). In the US, bees pollinate approximately 130 different agricultural crops, including fruits, vegetables, and nuts, and add nearly 15 billion dollars in improved crop quality and yield. However, many bees are facing significant threats and extinction due to climate change, habitat loss, invasive plants, chemical pesticides, and disease and parasites. The U.S. honeybee population has declined by 60% since 1947 and the rusty patched bumblebee was the first bee to … Continued

Digital Gardening: Instruction Librarian KT Lowe shares her first-person perspective

digital gardening, fake news, information literacy, KT Lowe May 9, 2022 Research mdilwort

In December 2021, I was fortunate to be a member of the inaugural class of Digital Gardening Faculty Fellows at Indiana University. Thirty-five faculty members from throughout the IU system were selected to participate in the Digital Gardening Initiative, which aims to pull together faculty from diverse IU institutions and backgrounds to help them develop digital literacy pedagogy. The Fellowship consisted of a series of required workshops and meetings every two weeks, plus additional workshops and speakers that were voluntary. The required workshops covered topics such as Adobe Express and the Information Literacy Online Toolkit, while voluntary sessions brought in both student and professional presenters on topics such as Minecraft for Education. All IU East faculty, staff and students have … Continued

Celebrating Spring with a Nature Inspired Scavenger Hunt

discussion, environment, read, scavenger hunt, sustainability May 2, 2022 outreach, Programs mdilwort

In partnership with the Office of Sustainability, the Campus Library created a virtual scavenger hunt in support of Indiana Humanities’ One State/One Story: World of Wonders Community Read program. The Campus Library, along with 31 other non-profits around Indiana, was awarded funding and free copies of the book World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, Other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatathil. World of Wonders is a beautiful collection of essays, some somber, some humorous, that reflects on our relationship with the natural world and how we can find inspiration and appreciation in our environment. In each chapter, Nezhukumatathil focuses on a particular animal or plant, whose properties and habits remind her of various aspects of her life. She reflects … Continued