KT Lowe

KT Lowe

Chocolate: Food of the Gods

Chocolate: Food of the Gods

, Library Resources, Programs
In honor of Halloween, we’re going to profile the world’s favorite sweet. Yes, we’re going to talk about chocolate. The cacao tree, which grows cacao, the raw material for chocolate, is native to Brazil and spread to what is now Ecuador, Guatemala and parts of Mexico at an unspecified time before 2000 BCE. It grows in the tropics, favors partial shade and needs both good soil and a consistent water source. For roughly 4000 years, people have enjoyed this complex substance – it possesses over 500 volatile and nonvolatile compounds, and its genome was mapped in 2000. Chocolate is more than a fun treat, however. Its history is inextricably linked to empire, conquest, trade and luxury. Its origins in Mesoamerica … Continued
My Quest on Heritage Quest

My Quest on Heritage Quest

, , Library Resources, Research
This year’s One Book selection, The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf, traces both the life of Khadra Shamy and that of her family, going back two generations. A key moment in the book covers Khadra’s visit to Syria, where she meets with her aunt Teta and learns more about her family history. Here on campus, we can help you with the same research. All IU East students, faculty and staff have access to Heritage Quest, a rich resource full of census records, city directories, family trees and other related genealogical materials. Heritage Quest, powered by ProQuest and Ancestry.com, can help you discover your background – even the stories that your family has held true for generations. I decided to check … Continued
The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf: An introduction

The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf: An introduction

, outreach, Programs
This year’s One Book selection, The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf, first came to IU East as one of the books that the library acquired as a result of the Next Indiana Bookshelf. The Next Indiana Bookshelf was a Bicentennial Legacy project from 2015 that gave Indiana-themed books to selected libraries throughout the state as a means to promote state history and pride. This selection was chosen because of its strong ties to Indiana, its theme and its connection with other on-campus theme activities. The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf layers multiple issues into one fulfilling, ultimately uplifting narrative. This book follows the life of Khadra Shamy, whose parents and brother immigrated to the United States from Syria when she … Continued
Dear Google Scholar: We love you, but…

Dear Google Scholar: We love you, but…

, , Library Resources
At this point, most college students know that fake news is insidious and a real threat to their credibility as students and researchers. However, because many people do not realize they have access to academic databases (both in Indiana and Ohio) through their state library system, most people turn to Google to look up and verify information. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always work as well as one would hope. Google includes lots of services and search results, like Images, Books and Maps. They’re fast, east to access and completely free, which is what makes them so ubiquitous. In fact, 64% of the world’s Internet searches are done on Google. Most users are also aware of Google Scholar, which on the surface … Continued
Crime Camp at ALA

Crime Camp at ALA

, , , outreach, Programs
The American Library Association Annual Conference, held this year in Chicago from June 22 through June 27, featured 144 poster presentations on a variety of topics. Among them was a poster I created, entitled ”Interdisciplinary Community Service and the Library: Crime Camp.” The conference usually attracts roughly 14,000 librarians from across the country, and this was my first presentation in front of a national audience. Nervous? Never! Crime Camp was originally developed in 2014 as an interdisciplinary partnership between the library and the criminal justice department. As it continued into 2015, however, the library sought out sponsorships and participation from community partners as well as the assistance of other departments. I also wrote a scenario for the 2015 and 2016 … Continued