Indiana University East

What do Tu B’shvat, Magha Puja, and Naw-Ruz have in common?  They are all upcoming events in IU East’s Interfaith Initiative that is part of President Obama’s Campus Challenge to build understanding among diverse communities. These celebrations highlight some traditions in the Jewish, Buddhist, and Baha’I faiths.

The IU East Campus Library, like libraries throughout the world, is committed to proactively providing diverse resources and supporting programs that inform and enlighten participants about various faiths and cultures.  We have gathered some resources in this library guide: http://iue.libguides.com/interfaith to highlight specific interfaith celebrations. We also feature multicultural and diversity resources in these guides:

http://iue.libguides.com/diversityinfilm

http://iue.libguides.com/Religion

http://iue.libguides.com/R160-Maddox

http://iue.libguides.com/M300TeachPluralSoc

http://iue.libguides.com/S236-Diversity-Discourse

http://iue.libguides.com/L379-AmEthMin-Fell

If you are an IU East student or faculty member who perceives a need for a library guide devoted to a specific culture or issue, please let us know. We welcome the opportunity to gather reliable and accurate resources that represent varied perspectives and viewpoints.

When it comes to databases and journal article retrieval there’s really no such thing as TMI.  You never know what random bit of information you’ll find from some of our most unique databases in the A-Z list.  You may look at this list and think “I’ll never need that.” But challenge yourself to think beyond what you need, starting with a few of the databases mentioned below, FYI.

Soon you’ll be singing a different tune about your daily life like, “Yoho, Yoho a Viking’s life for me.” The Daily Life Thru History database gives you organized and accessible info about eras from as far back as 10,000 BCE Greece to modern day America. Know your ancestry? Find out more about what it meant to be “from there.” And you think your sniffles are bad? Read up on daily life during the Black Death!

 Have you seen the YouTube video “Stuff” Girls Say and the various iterations of it based on ethnicity? If you haven’t, you should go look it up right now. How about a parody using info from the database British and Irish Women’s Letters and Diaries? It covers the years 1500 to 1950 and is searchable for everything from courtship customs to what’s for dinner in their own words.  I see an awesome student project written all over this!  Besides, when else can you read someone’s diary and not get caught?

 Use it before you lose it.  Your brain, that is.  What better way to be prepared for the zombie apocalypse than delving into the Caribbean Literature database?  Zombie lore originates in Caribbean culture; maybe if you read like a zombie they won’t notice you’re still a human. Don’t forget to use the search term zombi* (as this is the original spelling of the word and adding the * will find multiple endings.) BRAAAIINNNSSSS!

 No matter what your gender or sexual identity may be those definitions affect every aspect of how we live our lives.  The GenderWatch database accesses articles from 300 different publications dealing with those identities and issues; women’s movements, men’s studies, and info on the transgendered community all intersect here.  For a truly investigative approach select “biographical” from the advanced search menu to read about real people dealing with real gender-related issues.

Someday researchers will look back at our social networking sites and wonder why on earth we felt the need to publicize our significant-other spats, medical maladies and universal eulogies.  Was it an obsession, narcissism, or just plain ole loneliness?  Well that someday is today; you can already read the research being conducted about social sites.  And NO, you can’t read about it on Facebook; try the Communication & Mass Media Complete database instead.

 Have you used one of the library databases to broaden your mind?  Did you find a bit of information you didn’t even know you were looking for?  Tell us about it on our library Facebook page!

If you tried to use the Internet on Wednesday, you may have noticed that a lot of your favorite sites, like Wikipedia, were down.  Even Google changed its logo with a big black ‘censored’ bar.  All of those outages were in protest of legislation before the U.S. Congress, which could change the laws on how the government deals with stolen content on websites, known as SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act, HR 3261) in the House of Representatives and PIPA (Protect IP Act, S 968) in the Senate.

 Opponents claim that this proposed legislation is too intrusive, that it will eliminate a lot of good content and chill new attempts at innovation and online speech.  They say that the burden of responsibility shifts with the legislation, which criminalizes content providers (both online communities like YouTube and DeviantArt, search engines like Google and Yahoo!, or even institutions like public libraries) for linking to or ‘facilitating’ access to protected content.  The burden of responsibility would be on them to show how they were not violating copyright, rather than on an accuser.  And the penalties are stiff – an entire domain (say, YouTube) could possibly be legally blocked or removed for even one objectionable video posted by one user.

 Proponents claim that the legislation will protect valid copyrights, and thus encourage creators to continue making things like movies, music, and artwork.  Its goal is to ensure that these creators are fairly compensated for their creations.  The legislation is also supported by pharmaceutical companies, who fear that generic drugs are being sold online by vendors fraudulently promoting them under copyrighted brand names. 

 For the most part, media companies support the bills and technology companies oppose them.  Both are using all of their political clout to pass or defeat them.  What the actual content of the bills will be is in flux.  The protests have cost the bills congressional supporters, and even the authors of those bills are offering rewritten provisions.  Both houses of Congress postponed votes on the legislation Friday. 

 So, what are you to believe?  Fortunately, we can help you cut through the hype, so you can examine the facts for yourself.  The legislation is online and available for perusal at the Library of Congress (SOPA and PIPA).  Major news vendors such as CNN have been covering the story, and the IU East Library lets you follow the developing story in newspapers from around the world through our Newspaper Source database.  Or look at the business effects in our communications and business databases.  Or, get caught up in the debate.  Read contentious opinions on the Opposing Viewpoints in Context database.  Read Wikipedia’s (a major leader in the grassroots anti-SOPA campaign) argument on the issue on their website.  They also describe their widely used blackout tactic. 

 So, whether you’re for it or against it, be informed!  Good information is a crucial tool for an informed citizenry.

To most of us students, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is just a perfectly timed holiday. Not too long after the end of winter break, it gives us time to rest from the hectic first weeks of the semester. But MLK Day means much more than a day off: it is the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service. The day gives all citizens the opportunity to build community, empower themselves, and help their peers, neighbors, youth, and underprivileged. While you can volunteer year-round, consider volunteering specifically on MLK Day with a large group and celebrate Dr. King’s belief in a “beloved community.”

 If you’re struggling to find the perfect service project, try out one from our LibGuide on MLK Day. Always wanted to help youth? Remind hospitalized children that life doesn’t have to be bleak just because of their surroundings. Show them that they’re loved and cared for with a simple crafts project or bedtime story – or even break out the acoustic guitar! Is saving the environment more your style? Well, plant a tree, and start a local garden that everyone can contribute to. Whatever your interests are, you can bet that an organization supports them.

 Another way that you can uphold King’s memory is by educating yourself in different cultures, ways of thinking, and beliefs. King taught us to overcome our differences for the better good. In accordance with that lesson, you may want to join IU East in the President’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge, an initiative that strives to foster respectfulness and a diverse, aware community. Check out these upcoming Interfaith Campus Challenge events and more on their calendar page:

 January 16: Martin Luther King Jr. Day Speaker Series

January 16: Martin Luther King Jr. Day Breakfast (Townsend Center, 7am)

January 17: Martin Luther King Jr. Day Boys & Girls Club Service Project

January 25: Quaker Presentation and Worship Service (Community Room, Whitewater Hall, IU East Campus, time TBA)

 If you want to learn more about the revolutionary leader, our shelves are stock full of history. You cannot pass up Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Life, an e-book that offers a strong biography of King. The title and cover of I May Not Get There With You (E185.97.K5 D97 2000) will grab your attention, but the author’s claim that King has become irrelevant in today’s society is enough to demand a read. The riveting Killing the Dream : James Earl Ray and the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. (E185.97.K5 P67 1999) recounts the impact of his assassination on the country, following ten days that “literally rewrote the course of American history.” And we have plenty of others, including books (A Martin Luther King Treasury, E185.61 .K535) and e-books (Ring Out Freedom! : The Voice of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Making of the Civil Rights Movement)

 So will you be spending Monday reading about the holiday’s namesake, or how will you give back to your community?

The ball has dropped, kisses exchanged, and confetti thrown: 2012 is finally here. I’m always curious to see how people want to improve their lives in the new year. At the top of my list is becoming better at soccer. While the library sadly can’t transform me into an athlete, here are several ways that we can help you achieve your resolutions.

 1. Find a job or internship.

 From Craigslist to LinkedIn, it seems like there are a billion job sites out there. Where do you even begin? Well, check out our LibGuide first! We’ve compiled resources on everything from scouring job listings to crafting the perfect resume. If you’re not sure what you can do with your major, don’t feel discouraged. Explore positions in different fields, or take the unconventional path by teaching English in a foreign country.  You never know what you might stumble upon in our LibGuide.

 We also have plenty of e-books from which you can learn how to write a basic cover letter or how to nail that final interview. Suggested e-books can be found at the bottom of each tab’s page. And if you’re on campus, swing by the Office of Career Planning and Placement to get face-to-face advising, skills assessments, job listings, and more.

 2. Eat healthier.

 While most of us would never knock our parents’ cooking, we could all probably eat a little bit better. Besides, it can be fun to explore different cuisines and experiment with alternative methods. Check out our e-books (or drop by the stacks), and pick up cookbooks for endless inspiration, like Rachel Ray’s 365: No Repeats (TX833.5 .R387 2005), Great Whole Grain Breads, Great Old-Fashioned American Recipes, or Low-Calorie Cookbook : More than 200 Delicious Recipes for Healthy Eating (RM222.2 .L653 2003).  For more of a historical look at food, travel to the world with Scandinavian Feasts: Celebrating Traditions Throughout the Year, The Multicultural Cookbook for Students (TX725.A1 A34 1993), Betty Crocker’s New International Cookbook (TX725.A1 C662 1989), or Cooking With Jane Austen (TX717 .O67 2005) (best title ever, right?)  One interesting e-book we have is Gunflint Lodge Cookbook: Elegant Northwoods Dining.  I’m not exactly sure how you eat elegantly at gunpoint, but hey, you only live once, right?

 3. Get better grades.

 Well, we can’t do your homework for you, but we can certainly help you succeed. We can help sharpen your writing skills, track down a peer-reviewed article for a paper, and impress your professor with a top-notch presentation. Research doesn’t have to be boring, tedious, and confusing. Email our staff experts, or drop by the circulation desk at the entrance, and get that A today.

 If what you need isn’t information, but a quiet place to focus on campus, ask Mandi Moning at the front service desk to schedule a private study room. Some rooms even come with specialized tools, like clinical simulations for nursing majors and listening stations for music majors. Also, check out the renovated Library Living Room in HY101!

In a space that colorful, you’ll never fall asleep while studying – unless you get a little too comfortable in one of our beanbag chairs.

 If you can’t make it to the library, or if we’re closed, don’t worry! We’re online to help. Post on our Facebook wall, or email iueref@iue.edu, it’s that easy!

 So tell us: what do you hope to accomplish this year?

Not quite ready to come back to school?  Crescendo into it by checking out some of our music resources; cue up a playlist while you’re unpacking, re-packing, or just relaxing. 

Every two weeks Alexander Street Press and Smithsonian Folkways Recordings are offering free downloads of world music  and classical music from their otherwise subscription based databases.  Recent selections include “You’re the One for Me,” performed by David “Honeyboy” Edwards and Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Brandenburg Concerto No. 2.” 

Need more music? Newsflash – Naxos isn’t just for Music Majors!  Naxos Music Library lists genres like Blues, Pop & Rock, Jazz, and the ever-classic, Classic.  Create playlists of crooners including Louis Armstrong, Johnny Cash, and Aretha Franklin, or a more contemporary list with Of Montreal and The Weepies. My recent favorite is “Beatles Go Baroque” it’s the best of both worlds.

For blurbs about the men and women behind the music check out Oxford Music Online for biographies and features.  Get the list of Music databases under  the “Subjects P-Z” (Performing Arts) tab at http://iue.libguides.com/db-subjects.  By the time you get back to campus you’ll be all jazzed up and ready to research!

The winter season is a time of celebrating across many cultures.  As always, your campus library has plenty to read to learn about these celebrations.  Books like Chase’s Calendar of Events (REF D11.5.C48 2012) and e-books such as We Are What We Celebrate: Understanding Holidays and Rituals or Holidays On Display offer excellent information, as do reference sources like Britannica Online.  And databases with strong religion sections like JSTOR offer numerous excellent articles about these and other holidays. 

Some of these celebration around the world you may like to discover include:

Bodhi Day (Buddhist) celebrates the day that Buddha achieved enlightenment.  It is on December 8^th.

Boxing Day (secular) is a gift-giving holiday that is sometimes merged or replaced with the Catholic Feast of St. Stephen.  It occurs on December 26^th.

Epiphany (Christian) commemorates the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus.  It is celebrated on January 6^th.

Pancha Ganapati (Hindu) celebrates Ganesha, especially in his manifestation as a cultural guardian.  It is observed from December 21^st to December 25^th.

Tu Bishvat (Jewish) is one of four Hebrew New Year celebrations, commemorating the beginning of the agricultural cycle.  It is celebrated on the 15^th of Shevat (late January or early February).

Yalda (Persian) is a winter solstice festival, celebrating the birth of Mithra with fresh fruits.  It is celebrated the night before the solstice; December 21^st in 2011.

Yule (German) used to be a Norse winter solstice festival, but has been gradually merged with Christmas in most Scandinavian countries.  Several modern Neopagan sects have adopted and integrated it as a festival of rebirth, celebrated over 12 days in December and January.

 Whatever you celebrate, enjoy!

Would you like to take a fresh approach to American history research?  Have you considered looking at primary sources?  Many primary resources can be found on your own computer through the IU East Campus Library!  We have many interesting databases that could be used for a broad range of topics.  Here are just a few:

North American Immigrant Letters, Diaries, and Oral Histories

This database can provide you with a personalized account of the life of immigrants in North America.  Browse the collection by year, country of origin, personal event such as education or religious experience, nationality, or author.  This database has it all – images, writings, and oral histories!

Early Encounters in North America: Peoples, Cultures, and the Environment

This database exposes the researcher to early written accounts of interactions between Europeans and Native Americans between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries.  Browse the collection by year, location, personal and cultural event, nationality and kinship, flora and fauna, images, environmental features and phenomena, or author.

Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1600-2000

This database covers the history of women’s involvement in a wide range of social issues, including women’s suffrage, anti-slavery movements, and birth control.  Browse by year, movement, or people.

Black Thought and Culture

This database showcases the publications of leading African Americans and includes interviews, articles, speeches, essays, pamphlets, letters, and more!  Browse by year, historical and personal event, people, or author.

The American Civil War: Letters and Diaries

Interested in learning more about the American Civil War?  Here you will find letters, diaries, and memoirs from those who experienced it first-hand!  Browse by month, battle, personal event, location, or author.

IU East Archives

If you’re interested in learning more about the history of Indiana University East, you’ve come to the right place!  The IU East Archives contains resources about Indiana University East and about Richmond.  You may know about our photograph collection available online at www.flickr.com/iuelibrary, but we have much more to offer!  Contact the Archivist, Mandi Moning, to discover the IU East Oral History collection containing oral histories collected by IU East students.  You can also peruse student newspapers dating back to the 1970s, or examine the publications and papers relating to some well-known IU East faculty such as Paul Kriese, Tom Thomas, and George Blakey.  Interested in learning more about local history?  We have the papers of some prominent Richmond citizens, including former owner of the Palladium-Item, Rudolph G. Leeds.

Whatever your historical research interest, the IU East Campus Library is here to help!  Call 765-973-8311, email iueref@iue.edu, or stop by for help from the friendly library staff!

This time of year, with everything we have to do, a lot seems to get pushed to the last minute.  Last minute shopping, last minute decorating, last minute cooking, last minute cleaning… and last minute research.  We’ve all been there.  A big assignment, and it’s coming due… but we haven’t had time to do the research yet.

It isn’t an ideal situation.  And just like last minute shoppers have to deal with picked-over stores, your options will be a bit more limited.  But fear not – you can still do great research and turn in a great project.

Obviously, if your assignment is due tomorrow, using Interlibrary Loan won’t help.  So you’re limited to resources available right now.  But there’s still a wealth of information in our databases.  Here are some tips to take some of the stress out of last-minute research:

Limit to full text.  Databases like JSTOR are solely full text; ProQuest and EBSCO databases like Academic Search Premier have easy ways to limit to just full text things.   Skip databases that have little to no full text like Web of Knowledge and America: History and Life.  They’re great databases, but not at the last minute.  If you have for some reason not limited to full text only, click the IU Link button to see if it’s available in any other database.  If it isn’t, pick a different article.

Read the abstract.  You won’t have as much time to read through articles to find out if they’re what you want – you need to be pretty sure they are before you invest the time to read them.  If the abstract sounds on-point, the article will be, too.

Use e-books.  Try e-book vendors like eBrary and EBSCO eBooks rather than IUCAT or WorldCat.  Print books are nice, but if the library’s closed, electronic is the way to go.  And always use the index – there’s no sense reading the whole book if only five pages are relevant to your research.  If the book doesn’t have an index, consider choosing another.

Do you need a primary source?  Some assignments might require you to use primary sources.  Skim through to see if the articles have sections labeled Methods, Methodology, Results, or Analysis.  If they do, the writers performed their own original research – which means it’s a primary source.  If not, pick another article.

Get help with citations.  Use RefWorks or the automatic citation features in ProQuest, EBSCO, and WorldCat to quickly make your reference page.  You’ll want to proofread the citations, but that’s a lot faster than starting from scratch.  The Online Writing Lab from Purdue is a good source for proofreading.

But what if you haven’t started thinking about the assignment at all?

Pick a broad topic.  If it’s too broad, you can narrow it.  But start too small and you won’t find enough… and then you’ll need to start the whole process over. (For example: the Civil Rights Movement is a very broad topic.  Uses of nanotechnology in treating diseases is a moderately broad topic.  How Norse symbols influenced the development of the German language is a narrow topic.  Battlefield surgery methods used during the Korean War is an extremely narrow topic.)

Pick a topic a lot of people care about.  If you pick something really creative and original, there’s going to be less material about it.  If you pick something that was a major innovation or historical event, a lot of things will have been written about it.  Creative topics can make for better papers… but not at the last minute.

So don’t worry, even at the last minute, you can still get great sources for your class work.  And if you don’t find what you need, remember – ASK US!

“Some books should be tasted, some devoured, but only a few should be chewed and digested thoroughly.”
-Cornelia Funke

You’ve likely heard such eating puns as “devour a good book” or “take a bite out of learning.” Well, the Library Club at IU East is making this a reality! Come join us for the 2011 Edible Book Festival on Thursday, December 1, 2011 in Hayes Hall.

Now you may be wondering exactly what this edible book festival is. Ours is a version of a national event that was created in 2000 by Judith A. Hoffberg and Béatrice Coron who were known for “eating their words.” The Library Club Edible Book Fest gives you the freedom to choose whatever unique literature suits you best. Whether classic literature, a comical read, historical novel, an out-of-this-world science fiction work, or any other book of your favorite genre, you can create an interesting edible representation for the contest. Your edible book can be made of ANYTHING edible. You can choose cake, cheese, pretzels, bread, vegetables, fruits, or whatever savories you fancy to create your edible book. Here are some creative examples of previous projects from several contests throughout the U.S.:

We’re sure you’re ready to enter now! It’s easy; on December 1, at the IU East Library:

8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Deliver your edible book to the library service desk
10:00 a.m – 1:00 p.m. Edible projects will be judged by visitors to the library
1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Scores will be tallied by library staff; winners announced & PRIZES awarded
1:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Entries are eaten!

All edible creations with a literary theme are welcome and can be entered by students, faculty, staff, and community members. Questions? Stop by the library or contact Library Club officers Kira (khaubach@indiana.edu) or Ann (annmbarr@iue.edu) or Library Director Frances Yates (fyates@iue.edu). We hope you join us for eating a good book!

Library Club mission: Serving as library ambassadors to the campus community, Library Club members promote library programs and engage students to participate in library events and use library resources.