Library News for September 2020

  • Posted: September 28, 2020
    United as One

    Over the last few weeks, many of us have witnessed the tragedies surrounding Black lives, resulting in the premature and egregious deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, and countless others. The civil unrest that has stemmed from these unfortunate events further illuminates and iterates the presence of systemic racism and police brutality towards BIPOC in this country. We agree these unjust acts  must be addressed and rectified to better the lives of people of color and to better us as a nation. The outcry and protest for systemic change resound on all levels, locally, nationally, and globally. We all are being called upon to address and dismantle the constructs of systemic racism and the heavy policing against people of color, specifically Black people. Throughout the country, individual citizens and communities are struggling with acknowledging their roles in the legacy of systemic racism and their responsibility in changing the culture to make a better world for ourselves and the next generation.


    We at Randall Library are no different in our struggles to see our place in the problem and the solution. While we have made efforts to address bias and inequities, we fall far short of where we need to be. We need to confront our own biases and engage in the difficult but critical discussions necessary to move forward toward justice. We are committed to actively addressing the biases we hold as an organization  that creates barriers for all people of marginalized identities.


    We are compelled and committed to taking steps within our library and within the profession. Several leaders in our library community have written powerful statements that we appreciate and hope to amplify, including The [UNC] University Libraries’ Role in Reckoning with Systemic Racism and Oppression and Trevor Dawes’ Statements and Accountability.


    We stand in solidarity with members of the Black community for positive change. We stand united with those peaceful protests in Wilmington and throughout North Carolina and those in cities across the country. Above all, Randall Library is strongly committed to being agents of change for all our students, faculty, and staff as a safe and welcoming space for all.  

     

    Resources:

     

  • Posted: September 22, 2020
    Banned Books Week 2020 & Bookless Display

    Banned Books Week (Sept. 27th - Oct. 3rd)

    Join Randall Library in celebrating this year's Banned Books Week 2020 theme, "Find Your Freedom to Read" by checking out our Banned Books Bookless Display.  This display highlights the importance of open access to information and summarizes each "book’s" value.  Accompanying some "books" are descriptions and reasoning behind the work’s censorship and included personal statements written by UNCW students. These statements as part of Michelle Manning’s ENG 382: “Ways of Teaching Literature”. In this course, students performed research on banned books and wrote short descriptions that explain how the books positively impacted their lives. The Banned Books Bookless display is sponsored by The UNCW English Department and Randall Library.  To learn more about Banned Books Week, Frequently Challenged Books, or the Top 10 Most Challenged Books, view here.


    Where are the Books?! Check out our Banned Books Bookless Display

    Due to COVID-19 and social distancing, all titles remain shelved in the General Collection or virtually in e-book format. To check the availability and location of a title, please visit our catalog.  Need assistance? Reach out via chat or text us at 910-218-0782. To see display content and resources up close and personal, click here. Interested in attending the Banned Books Read-in 2020 event? For more information, click here.

  • Posted: September 21, 2020
    Banned Books Read In 2020

    Celebrate the freedom to read what you want!

    In celebration of Banned Books Week (Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2020), Randall Library and the UNCW English Department are co-hosting a virtual Banned Books Read-In event on Thursday, Oct. 1 from 11:00 am-12:30 pm in Zoom. 

    https://lib.uncw.edu/Banned_Books_Read_In_2020

    Join us as we bring together student voices to read excerpts from their favorite Banned Books and share how their selections have impacted their lives. Participant is not required and all are welcomed to attend.  For more information and history of the American Library Association's Banned Books Week, click here. Check our Banned Books Bookless display.

    Students wrote these statements as part of Michelle Manning’s ENG 382: “Ways of Teaching Literature”. In this course, students performed research on banned books and wrote short descriptions that explain how the books positively impacted their lives. See below:

     

     

    Made with Padlet
  • Posted: September 14, 2020
    Tabula Rasa - Randall Library Virtual Escape Room

    We’re pleased to introduce Randall Library's new virtual escape room Tabula Rasa! This virtual version of our in person escape room is a game through which students can learn more about the library while solving puzzles to “escape” a virtual room. Instructors can assign this to their students as a fun way to encounter library skills and tools—but anyone with a UNCW login can give it a go just for fun!

    Play Tabula Rasa.

    For more information about how this game works, what students will students learn, and best practices for assigning it, please see the Randall Library Virtual Escape Room Educator's Guide.

  • Posted: September 08, 2020
    She Rocks the Vote: Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment

    Celebrating women's history in the United States, and the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment which afforded women the right to vote.

    Come hear North Carolina House of Representatives for the 18th District Rep. Deborah Butler speak about women in politics on Thursday, September 17, 2020, from 5:00 - 6:30 p.m.  This event will be live-streamed at this link: https://lib.uncw.edu/butler-lecture-stream

    Along with this powerful keynote speaker, there will be a variety of exhibits – physical and virtual – throughout the Library, during the event, and on the Library's website.  On the second-floor gallery wall, you will find images and biographical essays on “Women Who Changed the World”.  During the event, Dr. Jennifer Le Zotte, Assistant Professor of History and Material Culture, and graduate History students, Kyra McCormick and Rebecca Mullins, offer a curated exhibit about birth control in twentieth-century North Carolina, and an exhibit featuring recently digitized newsletters of the League of Women Voters of the Lower Cape Fear from the Randall Library Special Collections will be presented during and after the online event.

    Join us for an array of exhibits and events to celebrate women's history!  And don't forget to register to vote and then vote! 

    For a sneak peek of some of the unique exhibit items, see Encore’s article that came out in March when we originally planned to have the event!

    All of this was made possible by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) LSTA Mini-Grant, along with generous support from the Gender Studies and Research Center, and the departments of English, History, and Public & International Affairs co-sponsoring with Randall Library.

    “This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) [LS-00-19-0034-19].  The IMLS is the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums.  We advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grant making, research, and policy development.  Our vision is a nation where museums and libraries work together to transform the lives of individuals and communities.  To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.”

  • Posted: September 08, 2020
    Barriers to the Ballot: The Voting Rights in North Carolina

    Voting is the cornerstone of democracy. In the United States, this constitutional right has been reinforced and expanded through constitutional amendments and landmark legislation, including the Fifteenth Amendment and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The ballot box is the one place where citizens, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, income, or social status are equal under the law. Yet, throughout history, there have been forces at work to deny or suppress this fundamental right. In North Carolina, voter suppression has occurred through violence and intimidation, poll taxes, literacy and identification requirements, and more. The ongoing lawsuit over North Carolina’s 2013 voter ID law shows that the question of who can vote and when remains contested in North Carolina even today. This year, 2020, marks another historic juncture in voting history as the country attempts to complete the decennial census and carry out a presidential election, both marred by the effects of an international pandemic.

    Featuring:

    • Nadine Gibson, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Wilmington 
    • James Leloudis, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
    • Robert Korstad, Ph.D., Duke University 

    Please join us for a virtual panel discussion on these topics and more, September 22, 2020, at 5:30 pm.

    Zoom: https://lib.uncw.edu/barrierstotheballot

    This event is made possible through Randall Library Special Collections, in part from grant funding received through the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) as administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Randall Library Special Collections would also like to thank the UNCW History Department for co-sponsoring the event.