Archives for September 2019

Banned Books Week

September 22-28 is Banned Books Week.  Why do we celebrate Banned Books Week every year?  It’s a protest against censorship and a reminder that sometimes we need to actively protect intellectual freedom.  According the the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week website, “It brings together the entire book community — librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types — in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular. ”

What do we mean by a “banned book”? These are books that have been targeted for removal or restriction in libraries and schools.  They aren’t all successfully “banned,” but they have been actively singled out for censorship somewhere in the U.S.

Here are some of the reasons people give for trying to limit access to certain books. (Click on image for larger version).

Here are the most challenged books of 2018.  (Click on image for full-page version.)

Click for full list of books challenged in 2018 (.doc)

Click for a list of the most targeted books year by year

Here’s a short video about censorship and the goals of  Banned Books Week:


You can celebrate Banned Books Week by reading a “banned” book!  See a list in the CU library catalog of the most challenged books of 2017-2018.

Be Part of the Solution: Spartan Climate Action

“Far and away, the greatest threat to the ocean, and thus to ourselves, is ignorance. But we can do something about that.

— Sylvia A. Earle

Library staff are joining others on campus to form Spartan Climate Action, to help inform our community about ways to take action against climate change.  The kick-off event is a rally on September 20, joining the global youth climate strike, minus the striking part.  Dozens of books are currently on display in the library, focusing on solutions to climate change, and what we as individuals can do.  We can all learn and change our behavior, and thus change the culture–and create hope for a less dire future than the one we are headed toward.

For more information, including the demands of the strike action, see Vermont Climate Strike, which we can credit for the image above: https://vermontclimatestrike.org/

Climate Action activities at Castleton:
All are free and open to the public.

Friday Sept 20th from noon – 2 pm
Climate Action Rally. Outside, between Jeffords and Stafford Buildings. Educational and interactive activities centered around climate solutions, making personal climate pledges and calculating your own carbon footprint. Free Food! Live Music!

Thursday Sept 26th from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
Panel Discussion: Green Campus Culture in the Castleton University Library. What can Castleton University learn from Green Mountain College’s Green Campus Culture?

Friday Sept 27th from noon – 2 pm
Global Climate Rally, at the Castleton University Library. Watch Greta Thunberg’s speech to the UN. Educational and interactive activities centered around climate solutions and making personal climate pledges.

Click for a video that captures the energy of the global youth climate strike.

Sign up to get involved.

 

Supporting the new Cannabis Studies program

The library is doing its part to support Castleton’s new Cannabis Studies Certificate program.  We have been purchasing relevant books in consultation with program coordinator Phil Lamy, and we’ve created a new resource guide.  See a handful of recently purchased books.  You might notice that several of these are checked out.  It is a popular topic.

We’re currently highlighting relevant books in a display in the library as a welcome to guests coming to campus for a conference on Friday, Sept. 13, from 1:00-5:30 pm, with time for socializing afterward, called “Cannabis: The Vermont Way.”  The conference celebrates the launch of the new certificate program at CU.


For more information on the conference
:
https://www.castleton.edu/academics/certificate-programs/cannabis-studies-certificate/cannabis-studies-conference-2019/

For more information on the new Cannabis Studies Certificate program:
https://www.castleton.edu/academics/certificate-programs/cannabis-studies-certificate/