Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from the Libraries@Trocaire!!!

We thought we'd have a bit of fun and dress up today...mostly we are just getting some weird stares.  But, we have candy and books and databases - just three of the many reasons to visit us today!

National Novel Writing Month/Digital Writing Month

Did you know November is both National Novel Writing Month and, its offshoot, Digital Writing Month?   

National Novel Writing Month asks that one take up the challenge to write 50,000 words (essentially a novel) in the 30 days of November.  A link for more information and to register can be found here:

http://nanowrimo.org/

Digital Writing Month extends that process to the digital realm.  Writers are asked to create blogs, tweet, use social media like tumblr or Storify to create a story, text message poems and novellas, etc.  More information and registration for this can be found here:

http://www.digitalwritingmonth.com/

We at the Libraries@Trocaire are going to attempt to take on this challenge by updating our blog daily (or at least on days we are open).  So stay tuned for our updates throughout November!  

 

Celebrating Trocaire History during American Archives Month

Did you know that Trocaire was originally called Sancta Maria College?
Or that students once lived in Marian Hall?

Visit the Library this month to learn more about Trocaire history!  On display (at both the Choate & Transit locations) is a selection photographs and memorabilia from our Archives collection.

The Trocaire College Archives collects and preserves material that documents the history, organization, policies, and activities of the College. The Archives includes the following items that date from 1958 to the present:

• Administrative and academic records
• Awards
• College publications
• Course catalogs
• Faculty and Staff records
• Histories & timelines
• Memorabilia 
• Newspaper clippings
• Photographs
• Student clubs & activities
• Student newpapers
• Yearbooks

For more information on the Trocaire Archives, see the Archives web page or contact contact
the Archvist, Susan Cutrona, cutronas@trocaire.edu

Battle of the Banneds - The Winners!!

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Battle of the Banneds events and survey.  We had a lot of great conversations with you about banned books and the freedom of information.  Many of the books in our display were borrowed by eager readers wanting to re-read a beloved classic or just to see what the fuss is about.

Congratulations to Allyson B. who won our $25 iTunes gift card. 

And now to the Battle results!!

Your favorite classic banned is...

 

 The Bible came in second. The Catcher in the Rye, Slaughterhouse-Five and 1984 tied for third.

Your favorite current banneds are...

 

and

The Kite Runner came in second, Go Ask Alice and The Hunger Games trilogy tied for third.

Here are some of the things you had to say about those banned books:

Candide is philosophical discourse at its sassy-ist. Instead of merely critiquing the Philosophy of Optimism, Voltaire takes it to its absurd limits with hilarious and tragic form. Plus, what philosopher can say that their writing inspired a musical from Leonard Bernstein? – Christopher Culp – Faculty, Music

(1984) is a book that speaks to the human fear of being constantly watched and judged. It plays with the idea of pretend freedom, and that is a powerful idea. – Allyson, Student

Slaughterhouse-Five has been accused of being irreverent and obscene (which just makes it that much more interesting of a read) and of course anything with sex/homosexuality is likely to put books on banned lists. I like the mix of reality with fantasy and how it addresses the concept of free will. – Sara, Student

Margaret Atwood is a master storyteller, and one of my favorite authors. This book (A Handmaid's Tale) about a world in which women suddenly become second class citizens always struck me as all too frighteningly possible. An unforgettable story. – Susan Cutrona, Library

What other book has raised more controversy than the Bible? A book that causes such debate draws your attention whether you believe it or not. It has taken lives and has given life. No other book has that power. - Leigh-Ann, Student

Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week - 2012

Please join the Libraries@Trocaire in celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Banned Books Week. Banned Books Week serves to shine a spotlight on attempts to censor or remove books from the shelves of Libraries across the country.  

The Libraries@Trocaire uphold the American Library Association's Freedom to Read statement and will continue to ensure that our Trocaire community has an open access to information.

As part of our activities for the week, we will be holding a Battle of the Banneds.  We are asking all faculty, staff and students to let us know what their favorite classic and current "banneds" are and why.  One lucky winner will be drawn at random to receive a $25 iTunes gift card.

We will also have mini give-aways, but you have to stop by and see us for those.  We've decked out the Libraries and have banned books on display that can be checked out for 28 days with your Trocaire College ID.

More information on Banned Books Week can be found here and here. 

Free Your Mind - Read a Banned Book Today!!

Hello, Bonjour, Hola, Salve, Cześć, नमस्ते, 你好, こんにちは, مرحبا

Welcome to the Libraries@Trocaire blog!!  We know, we know...a bit late on this one but, better late than never.  Rather than blitzing you with emails you never read and taking down forests with sign making, we hope that you stop by and visit us here to see what interesting things we have in store for you.
  

Things that you will find here:

We will continue to send faculty and staff new book and media listings by email, but we will also make that information available here for those who are just done with the email thing.  Anyone interested can always look at our Goodreads account found here.  You navigate by month or by subject department to see what is there.  We delete the previous semester when we start the new one, so Spring 2011 books will go away in January.   Browsing Collection and Banned Book are always current and are not deleted from the collection.

We will list full details of any announcements for events, workshops or new databases and trials.  While we will also have that information on our website and in Moodle, we can get into things a bit more here and also get some feedback from you.  Speaking of which...

Comments are welcome, but we ask for people to be respectful.  Yes, the Internet is an anonymous place, but let's be adults here as much as possible.  We will remove inappropriate comments as we find them and don't want a few trolls to ruin it for everyone.  Stay under the bridge if you can't handle it.