KT Lowe

KT Lowe

Music for social movements

Music for social movements

, Research
Music is essential to social movements throughout American history.  From the Revolutionary War to modern civil rights protests, music has invigorated the masses, served as a cultural touchstone for future generations, and galvanized communities to take action.  This is true not only in the United States but throughout the world.  A quick overview of protest music, with a look at the future of the form, is important to understanding the role of music in securing rights and freedoms.  The very first American protest song was written probably in 1755 by a British doctor.  Known today as “Yankee Doodle”, it was originally written as a taunt to American colonists who were viewed as childish, immature and lacking in strength.  When the … Continued
LGBTQ Campus Resources

LGBTQ Campus Resources

, Library Resources, outreach
October is LGBTQ History Month, and IU East provides varied types of resources to assist students, staff and faculty in supporting members of the LGBTQ community.  At the IU East Campus Library, we subscribe to several databases focused on LGBTQ research.  Sources like Genderwatch cover both historical and modern approaches to issues in sexuality, while the Archives of Sexuality and Gender include numerous primary sources demonstrating the breadth of LGBTQ history.  In addition, the library maintains an LGBTQ community digital archive, centering on local voices and history.  The library maintains a libguide with local resources, event dates and other useful information. As part of its ongoing efforts to increase awareness, challenge biases and foster understanding, empathy, and inclusivity of LGBTQ … Continued
To the moon and stars

To the moon and stars

, , , , Library Resources
On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross the sky over Richmond, Indiana for four minutes, starting at 3:07 PM.  The IU East campus is in the path of totality, which means that viewers of the eclipse will see the sun completely obscured.  This is a rare event, and the next eclipse of this kind is not expected to occur in this area until 2044.  The library has plenty of resources to assist in understanding the universe.  A good introductory source would be books on basic astronomy.  While the library has access to dictionaries and textbooks on astronomy, it also carries more popular materials as well.  Astrophysicists like Neil DeGrasse Tyson and well-respected scientists such as Stephen Hawking … Continued
Happy Birthday, World Wide Web!

Happy Birthday, World Wide Web!

, Website
On August 1, 1990, Tim Berners-Lee, a computer scientist at CERN created the term “world wide web” to describe an interconnected universe of information.  The first graphics-based web browser, Mosaic, was developed only a few years later by computer scientist Marc Andreesen, then working for the University of Illinois.  While other text-based browsers already existed, like Gopher and Lynx, it was Mosaic that pointed the way toward what most people think of as the Internet today.  Considering the ubiquity of online information, commerce and entertainment, it is worth examining tools and tricks that make the Internet safer, easier and more useful.  For instance, special operators are an easy way to make any search engine work better.  A tilde (the ~ … Continued
Join the Banned!

Join the Banned!

, books
In 2022, a historic number of book challenges were made across the country, targeting school, community and university libraries.  In Florida alone, where over 500 books have been banned or challenged since 2021, authors ranging from inaugural poet Amanda Gorman to contemporary novelist Kurt Vonnegut have been the subject of targeted removal from classrooms and libraries.  Yet according to the Washington Post, most book challenges are made by only a handful of individuals, often bonding together via social media.  That means a very small number of people have attempted to create an outsized impact on the reading material allowed to a significant portion of the country.  Libraries maintain collections for the benefit of heir communities, and communities are comprised of … Continued