KT Lowe

KT Lowe

A little dose of presidential trivia

A little dose of presidential trivia

, , , Library Resources
Election season is the best season, even more than pumpkin spice latte season, football season or spider season   Imagine raking leaves, drinking hot apple cider, munching on donuts and getting ready to participate in democracy – it’s one of the great American fall traditions.  Here are a handful of fun facts to take to the polls. Who was the only president to serve two nonconsecutive terms? In 1888, the unpopular Democratic president Grover Cleveland lost to his Republican challenger Benjamin Harrison (incidentally, Harrison was also the last president to wear a beard.)  The election proved contentious, with Harrison losing the popular vote but winning the electoral college. While Harrison was a decent speechmaker and had a firm grip on policy … Continued
Banned Books Week: An FAQ

Banned Books Week: An FAQ

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From September 22 to September 28, the IU East Campus Library will be celebrating Banned Books Week, a recognition of the freedom to read.  Since 1982, the America Library Association has maintained a list of the most banned or challenged books in the US.  This blog compiles a list of commonly asked questions, providing responses and links to resources. What is a book ban? According to PEN America, a book ban can be defined as “any action taken against a book based on its content and as a result of parent or community challenges, administrative decisions, or in response to direct or threatened action by lawmakers or other governmental officials, that leads to a previously accessible book being either completely … Continued
A guide to political (mis)information

A guide to political (mis)information

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During any election season, voters are bombarded with messages regarding candidates, policies and the potential outcomes of a particular candidate’s victory.  Yet much of that messaging is distributed as lower-quality information, sometimes fact-free in its entirety.  Voting is an incredibly important duty for American citizens, and that means it’s doubly important to know how to find good quality information.  This is a guide to help locate facts and navigate the current political information environment. Memes are horrible sources of information Goofy cat pictures.  Images of celebrities saying or writing things they might not in a real-world situation.  Dogs in glasses.  These things seem harmless, but they’re not.  Why are memes so bad?  As defined by Richard Dawkins, memes are units … Continued
Celebrating African-American Music Month

Celebrating African-American Music Month

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June is African-American Music Month, intended to celebrate the important contributions of African-American entertainers in the music industry.  Most American popular music is rooted in Black music traditions dating to the founding of the country, a fact not always acknowledged in society, and these traditions range from instrumentation to musical style to vocalization.  This blog highlights a handful of influential African-American musicians whose work is part of American collective social memory. Gladys Bentley Openly lesbian and among the first well-known drag king performers in American history, Gladys Bentley (1907-1960) was born in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, and grew up in Philadelphia.  She left home at 16 to perform in jazz clubs in New York, under her own name but dressed in formal … Continued
McClure’s Magazine and the birth of investigative journalism

McClure’s Magazine and the birth of investigative journalism

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It’s 1893, and the United States is in the middle of an economic panic.  People are rushing to the banks, eager to take out all their money before it becomes worthless.  The national unemployment rate hovers near 18%, and hundreds of companies and banks go out of business.  Into this inauspicious moment, a new magazine eager to forge a new idea of American letters prints its first issue.  For thirteen years, the irrepressible Samuel S. McClure helmed an enormously talented staff whose work helped bring forth a new era of journalism. Samuel McClure (the middle name Sidney was added later) was born in Ireland on February 17, 1857.  His family became impoverished with the death of his father when he … Continued