WVU Libraries News » 2006 » September

Celebrate Banned Books Week

momaxwell@wvu-ad.wvu.edu — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 16:17:56 +0000

The Daily Athenaeum, Editorial, September 27, 2006

The Daily Athenaeum reported Monday that this week marks the 25th anniversary of the American Library Association Banned Books Week, which runs through this Saturday.

To promote awareness of challenged and banned books, WVU Libraries is running a booth in the Mountainlair from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. throughout the remainder of the school week.

The event was created as a celebration of readers’ freedom to read and learn about whatever they choose – a freedom for the pursuit of knowledge – with its basis in our nation’s Constitution.

While we may not deal directly with conflict as a result of banned books, students at West Virginia University are familiar with the value of knowledge and the comfort in our freedom to choose our fields of study. And when our interests extend beyond academic programs of study, we enjoy the diverse environment of extracurricular activities and clubs.

Those most directly affected by banned book policies – public libraries and school systems – do not enjoy the same freedoms we have at college. These are the people who need our support during Banned Books Week, which allows us to celebrate our right to learn what we wish to learn.

It’s important for students to understand the threat of those who try to regulate what people can and cannot learn, and it’s important that we take a stand against them.

The staff of The Daily Athenaeum would like to encourage students to head to a library or bookstore and pick up a book that pushes boundaries; it may just teach you how to exceed your own.

For more information about banned books, visit the Mountainlair booth or the ALA Web site at www.ala.org/bbooks. Also, check out Google’s contribution to Banned Books Week at www.google.com/bannedbooks.

WVU Libraries celebrates 25th anniversary of Banned Books Week

momaxwell@wvu-ad.wvu.edu — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 16:02:49 +0000

The Daily Athenaeum, September 26, 2006

By Kathryn Gregory
Senior Staff Writer

The topic of controversial books in history usually brings to mind authors like J.K Rowling, J.D Salinger and William Shakespeare. Sometimes, books can even be banned from libraries because they are deemed too offensive.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week. Banned Books Week was created to celebrate readers’ freedom to read, said Sherry Steadman, library associate at West Virginia University.

“Harry Potter always gets challenged. Even the Bible, the dictionary and encyclopedia get challenged because people take offense to the language,” Steadman said.

To promote awareness of challenged and banned books, WVU Libraries have set up a booth in the Mountainlair this week from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. through Sept. 29. It’s designed to encourage people to read the banned books, Steadman said.

“We are here to let people be aware that people are trying to restrict your right to what you can read,” she said.

WVU does not have banned books. Books are typically not challenged in an University setting. According to Steadman, banning mostly takes place at public libraries and in school systems.

“A balanced, non-biased library collection is the building block of empirical research and academic teaching,” said Sophie Bogdanski, a librarian at WVU. “Books represent our history and culture through the ages. It reflects our story as human beings.”

In many cases, books are banned for offensive content relating to sex, profanity and racism, Steadman said.

Monongalia County’s last book banning was in 1977 for “Our Bodies, Ourselves” by Boston Women’s Health Book Collection.

“It was challenged because someone thought it was pornographic, encouraged homosexuality and was filthy,” Steadman said.

Google has joined Banned Books Week with an addition to its Web site. Web surfers can read about classic books which are continually challenged in the United States.

The Web site lists 42 of 100 classic books that are recognized by the Radcliffe Publishing Course as some of the best novels of the 20th century, but are still challenged.

“It all comes down to a good author. The authors of books challenge us through their experiences, opinions and views,” Bogdanski said.

A library is there to provide, collect and preserve all books, regardless of their viewpoints and opinions, Bogdanski said.

“An author does their job by challenging us through the written word,” she said.

For more information about banned books, visit the Mountainlair booth or the ALA Web site at www.ala.org/bbooks.

Banned Books Week; Unique prestige bestowed on many well-known authors

momaxwell@wvu-ad.wvu.edu — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 19:40:43 +0000

The Dominion Post, September 25, 2006

By Evelyn Ryan

The Dominion Post

Some of the best-known and popular books on library and bookstore shelves also hold the unique honor of being on the list of books some people want censored.

The list ranges from “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain to J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” stories to the popular juvenile series “Captain Underpants” by Dav Pilkey.

Area residents have a chance to learn more about censorship this week at WVU, where librarians are focusing on freedom to read as part of Banned Books Week.

“Banned Books Week holds a great deal of significance for academic and research libraries,” said Sophie Bogdanski, monographs cataloging unit librarian for the WVU Libraries.

Bogdanski and other library employees will join the discussion by staffing a banned books information booth in the Mountainlair from 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.

The week celebrates and promotes awareness of the research library’s obligation to collect, preserve and provide access to all material regardless of point of view, she said.

“A balanced nonbiased library collection is the building block of empirical research and academic teaching,” Bogdanski said. “Libraries are the conservationists of man’s opinions, beliefs, actions and experience, as well as discoveries, inventions and understanding.”

Observed since 1982, the annual event reminds Americans not to take the freedom to read for granted.

Local libraries have policies that allow people to challenge books, but staff members can’t recall when they received a complaint about a book.

“As far as I know, we’ve never had any requests to ban books,” Morgantown Public Library board member Loulie Canady said. “quite frankly, I can’t see how anybody can tell you what you can and can’t read.”

There is a form for people to challenge books, said Mary Schmezer, a longtime Morgantown Public Library staff member. She can’t recall any challenges to books.

The library has a policy called “Freedom to read, freedom to view.” It spells out how a challenge is handled. Any book challenged, she said, is reviewed by several staff members, who decide what action to take.

Librarians in the Monongalia County Schools system have a policy they follow if a parent questions books in the school libraries, Assistant Superintendent Donna Talerico said. It’s not a board policy, but one the librarians developed, she said.

“To my knowledge, we’ve never had any books removed from school libraries,” she said. School library books are purchased from approved and recommended book lists, she said.

If a parent or student has a problem with a particular story or chapter in a required textbook, Talerico said, the child is not required to read that. The teacher finds an alternative for that lesson. A look at the 10 most challenged books for 2005 shows only one adult book; the rest are for teens and children. The adult book is “Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger.

The Morgantown Public Library has available a number of the books on the list, including several volumes of the popular children’s series “Captain Underpants”.

This is the 25th anniversary of the American Library Associations’ Banned Books Week event. The Google search engine is highlighting the week with a special Web site, www.google.com/bannedbooks, showcasing award-winning classics that have been challenged.

According to the ALA Web site, the top reasons given for challenging books are that they are sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, contain offensive language, contain occult theme, or promote the occult or Satanism, are violent, promote homosexuality, or promote a religious viewpoint.

Most challenges fail and the materials stay on library shelves, the ALA reports. Info on the Web can be found at www.ala.org/bbooks.

This year, the ALA is inviting visitors to the Web site to vote for their favorite challenged book. Ballots are organized by age group, and list endangered books in the past 25 years.

Since 1990, the ALA has recorded more than 8,700 book challenges from individuals and groups, including 405 known attempts in 2005.

Watch a Feature Film this Fall – For Free!

btoren@wvu-ad.wvu.edu — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 16:47:04 +0000

Did you know that Media Services in the Downtown Campus Library has an outstanding collection of nearly 2000 feature films?

What are my borrowing limits?

WVU students, staff, and faculty may check out films for five days, up to five titles at one time.

How do I find out what films are available at the library?

You can look-up feature films in the MountainLynx Library Catalog or browse a list of them on the Media Services web site.

Other lists of films you can browse from the Media Services site include: New Media, DVD, VHS, Foreign films, Documentary films, Musicals, West Virginia, Horror films, Detective films, American drama, and Drama 20th century.

Directions for Access to the Film Collection

How do I browse the entire collection?

Go to MountainLynx.
Select Subject Heading under Search By.
Type in feature films in the Search For box and hit enter.
Select the link called Feature Films and browse through the titles.

Another way to browse the collection of feature films is to select the list of feature films from the Media Services web site.

On the library home page, look under Collections in the center section of the page.
Select Media Services and look at the column on the left hand side of the page.
Select the Feature Films option.

How do I search the collection for a specific film title?

Go to MountainLynx.
Under the Search For box to the left, use the drop down menu beneath Quick Limit to change None to Downtown Library, Media Services.
In the Search For box, type in the title of the film you are looking for and do your search.

How do I browse the films we recently purchased?

Go to the Media Services web page as described above.
Select New Media List (it’s the second link from the top in the center of the page).

Here’s a sample list of some of the titles you can find:

Lord of the Rings, the Return of the King, directed by Peter Jackson
Call number: MEDIA DV0516 AV LIB

Breakfast on Pluto, directed by Neil Jordan
Call number: MEDIA DV1344 AV LIB

Maltese Falcon, starring Humphrey Bogart
MEDIA DV0203 AV LIB

Breakfast at Tiffany’s, starring Audrey Hepburn
Call number: MEDIA DV0149 AV LIB

Master and Commander the Far Side of the World, starring Russell Crowe
Call number: MEDIA DV0481 AV LIB

Paradise Now, Written and directed by Hany Abu-Assad
Call number: MEDIA DV1223 AV LIB

Lolita, directed by Stanley Kubrick
Call number: MEDIA DV0001 AV LIB

The Pianist, starring Adrien Brody
Call Number: MEDIA DV0319 AV LIB

Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window, starring James Stewart
Call number: MEDIA DV0047 AV LIB

King Kong, starring Fay Wray
Call number: MEDIA DV1036 AV LIB

The Matrix, starring Keanu Reeves
Call number: MEDIA DV0653 AV LIB

Wilkinson Named Library Instruction Director

momaxwell@wvu-ad.wvu.edu — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 16:21:46 +0000

Carroll Wetzel Wilkinson has been appointed Director of Instruction and Information Literacy for the WVU Libraries.

In the post, Wilkinson, the former Head of Access Services for the Downtown Campus Library, will oversee courses being taught by the Libraries and develop curriculum for future classes. She also hopes to work with interested faculty to integrate the intellectual principles of information literacy into their teaching.

“Carroll brings a strong interest in teaching and information literacy to this program,” WVU Libraries Dean Frances O’Brien said. “She also has a track record of collaborative efforts that bring different people together. She will be able to lead us in providing library instruction to WVU students in meaningful new ways.”

Wilkinson

O’Brien praised the existing library instruction program but pointed to national studies showing that students are relying less on the familiar guides to information like reference books and library catalogs.

“Students still need to learn how to find what they want, but we are going to have to change how we present those lessons,” O’Brien said.

Currently, librarians teach three classes: Introduction to Library Research; Film and Media Literacy; and Gender and the Research Process, a course which Wilkinson developed and teaches.

Teaching a class on information literacy gave Wilkinson insight into students’ previous experience with research. She watched students begin the semester unaware of the depth of resources available to them on campus and through the invisible web and then suddenly have their eyes opened to the wealth of research possibilities.

“That understanding lays the foundation for qualitative and quantitative research methods later. It gives students experience with discovery, with empowerment,” Wilkinson said. “They are able to do research their own way on a subject they’re interested in.”

Improving research habits meshes with WVU’s 2010 Strategic Plan to enhance students’ learning experience.

Stepping up to the challenge, Wilkinson expects to spend the next few months working with other librarians, faculty, and students to determine what courses should compose the Libraries’ line up and designing the curriculum.

“I think there is wonderful potential here,” Wilkinson said. “We just need some clear focused system-wide goals and good hard work together to achieve them.”

More Computers !

ppugh@wvu-ad.wvu.edu — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 16:46:01 +0000

Students will find 40 additional computers available for research and writing in the Downtown Campus Library this semester. From Sunday through Thursday, the Computer Classroom on the lower level will be open as a lab from 5 PM until 10 PM. Computers in the classroom offer all the functionality of library public computers – including Internet, word processing, and spreadsheet applications.

The 30 computers in the classroom bring the total of public desktop computers in the Downtown Library to 210. The Media Services desk also recently increased the number of wireless laptop computers from 20 to 30. Students may borrow these machines for use anywhere in the Downtown Library Complex.

Another Tale of Two Cities

btoren@wvu-ad.wvu.edu — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 17:16:32 +0000

Another Tale of Two Cities
Un autre conte de deux villes

a documentary by Michelle Gales
The transformation of two neighborhoods, the Faubourg Saint-Antoine in Paris
and Spitalfields-Whitechapel in London

Now & Then Productions
Screening Thursday September 7 at 5:30 PM
Downtown Campus Library
Room 104
Followed by Discussion with the Director

Another Tale of Two Cities invites you to be the detective, looking for clues in the images, the signs of change. And to be something of an archaeologist, too. These streets have a story to tell. And they are full of History: the French Revolutions of 1789, 1830, 1848 and the Paris Commune, John Wikes, French Huguenots and Jewish refugees. London Docklands, the Labour Movement and the famous East End solidarity. In fact, Another Tale of Two Cities, does not follow a traditional storyline, but an itinerary: three passages between these two cities.

The Faubourg Saint Antoine, our point of departure, is situated just east of the historic Marais district in Paris, and Spitalfields-Whitechapel, is just north of the dramatically transformed London Docklands and east of the financial district, the City of London, -the famous “square mile”. Indeed, the “frontier” between these two “boroughs”, the City of London and Tower Hamlets, is striking as the modern office blocks of the City loom over the rooftops of Spitalfields. In London, as in Paris, you will recognize the same buildings and streets, from different angles, at different points in time, and observe some of the transformations.

The three chapters taken from Dickens’ novel, Recalled to Life, The Golden Thread and The Track of the Storm, correspond to the three aspects of our inquiry: urban regeneration, historic preservation and community participation.

Can planners avoid exacerbating the speculation they seek to curb?

Can preservation find methods which do not push out modest income groups and erase the elements which enable us to understand our past?

Can local community groups make themselves heard in the decision making process on the future of their neighborhood?

A patchwork, a pageant, a puzzle, a plea.