Monday, September 30, 2013

New ScotsRead Titles

The following books arrived and can be found in the ScotsRead Collection:
  • The Mayan Secrets by Clive Cussler
  • Si-cology 1: Tales and Wisdom from Duck Dynasty's Favorite Uncle by Si Robertson with Mark Schlabach

Saturday, September 28, 2013

BBW: Books in the News

The ILA Reporter, news magazine of the Illinois Library Association recently published an article on books chanllenged in Illinois.  It also profiled the voices of several Glen Ellyn junior high school students after the book The Perks of Being a Wallflower was challenged in their school. 

Today, Banned Book Week concludes but be sure to stay informed with these resources:

Friday, September 27, 2013

BBW: Challenged or Banned Classics

From the American Library Association's website:

"According to the Office for Intellectual Freedom, at least 46 of the Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century have been the target of ban attempts.

The titles below represent banned or challenged books on that list (see the entire list here). For more information on why these books were challenged, visit challenged classics and the Banned Books Week Web site.

The titles not included may have been banned or challenged, but we have not received any reports on them. If you have information about the banning or challenging of these (or any) titles, please contact the Office for Intellectual Freedom."

1. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
3. The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck
4. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
5. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
6. Ulysses, by James Joyce
7. Beloved, by Toni Morrison
8. The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
9. 1984, by George Orwell
 
11. Lolita, by Vladmir Nabokov
12. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
15. Catch-22, by Joseph Heller
16. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
17. Animal Farm, by George Orwell
18. The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway
19. As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner
20. A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway
 
23. Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston
24. Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison
25. Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison
26. Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell
27. Native Son, by Richard Wright
28. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, by Ken Kesey
29. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
30. For Whom the Bell Tolls, by Ernest Hemingway
 
33. The Call of the Wild, by Jack London
36. Go Tell it on the Mountain, by James Baldwin
38. All the King's Men, by Robert Penn Warren
40. The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien
45. The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair
48. Lady Chatterley's Lover, by D.H. Lawrence
49. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess
50. The Awakening, by Kate Chopin
53. In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote
55. The Satanic Verses, by Salman Rushdie
57. Sophie's Choice, by William Styron
64. Sons and Lovers, by D.H. Lawrence
66. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
67. A Separate Peace, by John Knowles
 
73. Naked Lunch, by William S. Burroughs
74. Brideshead Revisited, by Evelyn Waugh
75. Women in Love, by D.H. Lawrence
80. The Naked and the Dead, by Norman Mailer
84. Tropic of Cancer, by Henry Miller
88. An American Tragedy, by Theodore Dreiser
97. Rabbit, Run, by John Updike

Thursday, September 26, 2013

BBW: Books on Display


On display in the main lobby and the east lobby is a collection of challenged and banned books.  The titles are available for checkout at the Circulation Desk.

 
 

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

BBW: Banned Book Week 2013 Video

Video from Plainfield Public Library featuring book titles that were challenged in 2012 and the reason for their challenge:
 

 
Learn more about Banned Book Week at:

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

BBW: Top Ten Challenged Books List

Each year, the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom records and monitors challenges that are brought on books.  Out of 464 challenges as reported by the Office for Intellectual Freedom, here are the most frequently challenged books from 2012:
  1. Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey.
    Reasons: Offensive language, unsuited for age group
  2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie.
    Reasons: Offensive language, racism, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group
  3. Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher.
    Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, sexually explicit, suicide, unsuited for age group
  4. Fifty Shades of Grey, by E. L. James.
    Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit
  5. And Tango Makes Three, by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson.
    Reasons: Homosexuality, unsuited for age group
  6. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini.
    Reasons: Homosexuality, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit
  7. Looking for Alaska, by John Green.
    Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group
  8. Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz
    Reasons: Unsuited for age group, violence
  9. The Glass Castle, by Jeanette Walls
    Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit
  10. Beloved, by Toni Morrison
    Reasons: Sexually explicit, religious viewpoint, violence

Monday, September 23, 2013

BBW: Challenge vs. Banning

Banned Book Week (BBW) 2013: What is the difference between a challenge and a banning?

 According to the American Library Association:
"A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials. Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others. Due to the commitment of librarians, teachers, parents, students and other concerned citizens, most challenges are unsuccessful and most materials are retained in the school curriculum or library collection." ~American Library Association's About Banned & Challenged Books
Looking to learn more on Banned Books Week? These resources will be helpful:

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Banned Book Week (BBW): Celebrating the Freedom to Read

Banned Books Week this year will run from September 30 - October 6. From the American Library Association:
"Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Typically held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States.

Intellectual freedom—the freedom to access information and express ideas, even if the information and ideas might be considered unorthodox or unpopular—provides the foundation for Banned Books Week. BBW stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints for all who wish to read and access them.

The books featured during Banned Books Week have been targets of attempted bannings. Fortunately, while some books were banned or restricted, in a majority of cases the books were not banned, all thanks to the efforts of librarians, teachers, booksellers, and members of the community to retain the books in the library collections. Imagine how many more books might be challenged—and possibly banned or restricted—if librarians, teachers, and booksellers across the country did not use Banned Books Week each year to teach the importance of our First Amendment rights and the power of literature, and to draw attention to the danger that exists when restraints are imposed on the availability of information in a free society."

Check out the displays and most frequently challenged book lists throughout the library and take home a challenged book today!

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Muslim Journeys Book Discussion: Prince Among Slaves

Please join us for our first book discussion of Prince Among Slaves, by Terry Alford. 
Prince Among Slaves by Terry Alford
Discussion Leader: Prof. Petra Kuppinger
Thursday, September 19, 2013, 7:00pm
Buchanan Center for the Arts, 64 Public Square
Monmouth, IL 61462

We have a limited number of books for those interested in participating in these book discussions led by local scholars.  Anyone interested in participating in this series of discussions of five selected titles from the Muslim Journeys Bookshelf theme of American Stories, please contact Rick Sayre, 309-457-2192, Library Director, Hewes Library, Monmouth College.

For more information on the Bridging Cultures: Muslim Journeys Grant, please visit: http://library.monmouthcollege.edu/MuslimJourneys

Monday, September 16, 2013

Friday, September 13, 2013

New Items at Hewes Library

New items are added to the Hewes Library collection on a continual basis. Recent titles have included:

  • Quiet Revolution by Leila Ahmed
  • Absolutist by John Boyne
  • Inscriptions: The Dedicatory Monuments by Daniel J. Geagan
  • Museum Administration: An Introduction by Hugh H. Genoways & Lynne M. Ireland
  • Chocolate Islands by Catherine Higgs
  • Measured Tones by Ian Johnston
  • Environmental Policy by Michael E. Kraft
  • God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza
  • Cambridge Ancient History edited by John Boardman
  • Encyclopedia of Energy editor Morris A. Pierce

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Monday, September 9, 2013

Research Tip: Research Process Guide

The Research Process guide, which is accessible from the Research Process tab on the library's homepage, will walk students through the steps required to complete a successful research project or paper.

You will find information on:
  • Developing a Topic
    • Selecting a Topic
    • Develop Research Questions
    • Identify Keywords
    • Find Background Information
    • Refine a Topic
  • Locating Information
    • Find Books
    • Find Videos
    • Find Articles
    • Find Websites
    • Search Strategies
  • Evaluating Information
    • Evaluate Sources
    • Primary v Secondary Sources
    • Types of Periodicals
  • Using Information Correctly
    • Notetaking
    • Paraphrasing
  • Legal/Ethical Information Issues
    • Plagiarism
    • Citation Styles
    • Works Cited Examples
    • Copyright

Friday, September 6, 2013

New Title: National Geographic Traveler

With the discontinuation of Budget Travel, the library subscribed to National Geographic Traveler.  It can be found on the Main Level with the rest of the Popular Magazine Collection.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

On Display: Muslim Journeys


On display in the East Lobby, you will find our display filled with items related to the NEH's Bridging Cultures: Muslim Journeys grant.  The kickoff event is tomorrow - Thursday, September 5 at 7pm at the Buchanan Center for the Arts in downtown Monmouth, IL. 

Monday, September 2, 2013

Literature Criticism Collection

The Literature Criticism Collection is a newly formed collection as a result of the Reference and Oversize Collection moves on the main floor this summer.  The Literature Criticism Collection contains all of the Gale Literary Criticism series that were housed in the Reference Collection. 


They remain on their regular shelving in the middle of the main floor.  The collection is now marked with a green spine label to identify titles in this collection.