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
Disappearing Statistics: Why it should matter to you and what you can do about it

Disappearing Statistics: Why it should matter to you and what you can do about it

Some of you who have come to the library needing statistics for your research may have seen me reach for a book called Statistical Abstract of the United States.  The Census Bureau, which has published it annually since 1878, has announced that it will discontinue producing it.  It is, in the Census Bureau’s words, a guidebook that “provides a comprehensive summary of industrial, social, economic, and political data. It serves as a statistical compendium and as a guide to other statistical publications and sources. It includes tables and charts drawn from data of almost 300 government, private, and international agencies.”  It is produced both to provide the public with clear and current statistical data, and also to facilitate the best … Continued
E-Books are “real books” – really!

E-Books are “real books” – really!

Don’t be fooled by the format – e-books are ‘real’ books in every sense that matters, and can make your course assignments easier and better! Practically everyone who has used the Internet has had some experience with e-books.  You might not own a Kindle or an iPad but likely have read something interesting through GoogleBooks or Project Gutenberg, or in specialized archives like the Baen Free Library.  Some of us seek e-books, buying them for specific mobile devices.  You sometimes hear people say that ‘real’ books are going the way of the dinosaur – but no one makes the claim that reading is dying out. At IU East, we subscribe to several e-book sources.  The biggest are Ebrary, Books24x7, and … Continued
Billie Girl

Billie Girl

A few days ago we were privileged to hear Vickie Weaver speak and read from her book Billie Girl, which won the 2009 Leapfrog Fiction Contest.  Weaver spoke on her journey towards becoming an author, and the challenges of that work. One thing Ms. Weaver has found is that her writing has naturally gravitated to giving voice to the voiceless and underrepresented in society.   This awakening began for her in college, as she discovered women’s studies classes, and now flows naturally from her novels. Ms. Weaver is an alumna of IU East, and received her M.F.A. in creative writing from Spalding University.  While she is first and foremost a writer, Weaver also teaches composition and creative writing part-time at IU … Continued
Bog Child and Breast Cancer Awareness

Bog Child and Breast Cancer Awareness

Sometimes you come across a book that grabs you and holds you from the first page until the last. Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd, winner of the Carnegie Medal in Literature in 2009, is one of these books.  One of the many wonderful books available in the IU East Campus Library’s Young Adult collection, this beautifully written novel captures two times in one place. It is set in Northern Ireland in 1981, during the violence and upheaval known as “The Troubles.” Fergus McCann is struggling to finish his exams and plan for his future, but finds himself continually distracted by the chaos around him. His older brother joins a prison Hunger Strike and Fergus struggles to understand his own place … Continued