Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Banned Books Week!


Banned Books Week - 2014!

To commemorate Banned Books Week, the library is having a Virtual Read Out and Banned Book Mugshot event - Thursday, September 25th from noon to 3:00pm.


It just takes a few minutes for you to get your mugshot with your favorite banned book and then read a few lines. We'll take the images and readings and make a compilation video to commemorate BBW 2014!! Everyone who participates will get a sweet pin and be entered to win a library swag prize!

About Banned Books Week




Many people think that banning books is something that happens only in the past or in extremist dictatorships in far-off countries, but it is, unfortunately, alive and well in the United States. Starting in 1982, Banned Books Week is an effort by librarians to highlight the importance of not censoring books and limiting the public's knowledge on topics that others may find "objectionable".  As John Stewart Mill wrote in "On Liberty":
But the peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it is robbing the human race; posterity as well as the existing generation; those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold it. If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth: if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error.

The titles challenged are sometimes shocking, such as To Kill A Mockingbird, The Giver, The Catcher in the Rye, and ironically, Farenheit 451. Take a moment to look at what texts people find so offensive that they fight to have it removed from libraries:



One thing these lists have in common is that you are guaranteed to find at least one title which changed your life (The Sun Also Rises, Sophie's Choice, Looking for Alaska, Hunger Games, Harry Potter, The Hobbit, Brave New World, Perks of Being a Wallflower...)

Here are recent local challenges. All have happened within a one-hour drive from Ripon:

Oshkosh, WI


(2007) Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass was removed from the St. John Neumann Middle and Lourdes High School in Oshkosh, WI because of concerns about what critics call its “anti-Christian message.”

Fond du Lac, WI


(2010) Julie Halpern's "Get Well Soon" was challenged at the Theisen Middle School in Fond du Lac, Wis. by a parent who believes that the book contains inappropriate subject matter for children.

(2010) Ann Brashares' "Forever in Blue, the Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood" was challenged at Theisen Middle School in Fond du Lac, WI by a parent who believes that the book has inappropriate subject matter for children. "Some (of the characters in the book) are sexually active, and alcohol is part of their recreation."

(2010) WritersCorps "Paint Me Like I Am: Teen Poems" was retained in the combined middle and high school library in North Fond du Lac, WI School District provided it has a label designating it as appropriate for high school students. Younger students could also access the book with prior parental permission. A parent asked the school district to reconsider the book due to mature language.

(2010) Sonya Sones' "One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies" was challenged but retained at the Theisen Middle School despite a parent's belief that the book's "sexual content was too mature for eleven-to fourteen-year-olds." The book has won several awards, including being named a 2005 Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association. The same parent plans to request removal of six other books from the library, including the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, another set of books by Sones, and Get Well Soon, by Julie Halpern.

Menasha, WI


(2008) Louise Rennison's "Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson" was retained with limited access at the Maplewood Middle School in Menasha after objections from a parent who found the book offensive. The book was retained, but board members voted unanimously to adopt procedures intended to secure parental consent before limited access books could be released to students.

Appleton, WI


Carol Plum-Ucci's the "The Body of Christopher Creed" was challenged, but retained in the Appleton, Wis. Area School District (2012), despite the book’s references to suicide and sex. Other titles also considered inappropriate by the local parent group, Valley School Watch, include The Catcher in the Rye and The House on Mango Street. The reading list for the group’s ideal alternate class would contain books with no profanity, obscenity, or sexual material.

West Bend, WI


(2009) Stephen Chbosky's "The Perks of Being a Wallflower", Brent Hartinger's "Geography Club", and Francesca Lia Block's "Baby Be-Bop" were just a few of numerous books challenged in West Bend because of content seen by some community members as obscene or harmful to minors. Many of the books challenged had LGBTQ themes. On May 18, 2009, the West Bend Common Council voted not to reappoint four members of the Library Board because of their views and adherence to library policy. NCAC, ABFFE, the Association of American Publishers, and PEN American Center joined to urge the council to reconsider their decision and retain the books. The ALA issued a separate letter and statement on the issue. Additionally, the Christian Civil Liberties Union filed a legal claim arguing that its plaintiffs suffered mental and emotional damage from the presence of the books in the library's young adult section. On June 2, the West Bend Library Board voted unanimously to retain the books in its YA Zone, without removing, relocating, labeling, or otherwise restricting access. Though no subsequent challenges were submitted, the library has faced ongoing pressure to remove or restrict access to online content and library materials for young people.

--all taken from http://bannedbooksweek.org/mappingcensorship

Monday, September 8, 2014

Learn a little, play a little

Our Digital Makerspace schedule is now available for this fall.  Another semester of Digital Makerspace Workshops at the library and we have a lineup of new topics, as well as a couple of "back by popular demand" workshops.  Some are geared to help you out with your classes, such as the ones on Zotero and Advanced Google search techniques, while others are there to have a little fun, such as the "create a button" workshop.   Be sure to look them over and mark the dates in your calendar!

Some things don't change, and as always the workshops are free and with no advance registration required, and we try and do two sessions of each workshop. The content covered in each of the two sessions is the same, so you only need to attend the one that fits into your schedule.  The workshops last about 30 minutes, and are generally held in the Waitkus Computer Lab in Lane Library, unless otherwise noted.


Below is a list of our Digital Makerspace Workshops this semester:

Zotero      
Monday, September 8 @4 pm 
Start your semester our right with your research.  Learn how to create a bibliography in seconds using your collected research in Zotero.  

Prezi vs. Powerpoint 
Monday, Sept. 15 @4 pm / Tuesday, Sept. 16 @noon
Using the latest technology to share your ideas?  There are many choices out there for incorporating ideas and visual technology into your presentation.   Best practices for presentations, both in Prezi and Powerpoint, will be reviewed to help in getting your point across smoothly.  

iMovie with iPads and Digital Cameras
Monday, Sept. 22 @4 pm / Tuesday, Sept. 23 @noon 
Stop by to check out the cameras and iPads available to you through the library.  The iMovie app is also available on our iPads, which means you can make the videos the length you need for assignments or promotional materials for your class, club or sport.  

Advanced Google:  new search strategies  
Monday, Sept. 29 @4 pm / Tuesday, Sept. 30 @noon
Want to find out how to do a better, faster search with Google?  All searching is not equal; learn how to take advantage of the Advanced Google search to find what you are looking for the first time.

Pixlr  
Monday, Oct. 6 @4 pm / Tuesday, Oct. 7 @noon   
Wondering how to take your photos from good to amazing?  Want to add a little text to your photos?  Come explore Pixlr, and let your photos have their time to shine.

How to Design Video Assignments
Monday, Oct. 13 @4 pm / Tuesday, Oct.14 @noon           
Video essays and digital storytelling play a part in the Digital Humanities movement, and this visual aspect can be turned into a great assignment if designed well.  Come to learn and share ideas as to how a video assignment can be adapted to fit your class.

Create a Button 
Monday, Oct. 27 @4 pm / Tuesday, Oct. 28 @noon      
Do you have something to say in a visual 1 inch format?  Come with your ideas and learn to use the library's button maker to create a small button of your very own.  

Infographics in your pocket
Monday, Nov. 3 @4 pm / Tuesday, Nov. 4 @noon      
Do good statistics and data sets make you smile?  Find out how to create engaging infographics, as well as great places to get data at your library.  

How to Give a Ted Talk    
Tuesday, Nov. 11 @ noon / Wednesday, Nov. 12 @ 4pm 
Love the style of a Ted Talk, but not certain how to incorporate those techniques into your own presentation?  Stop by to learn what makes a Ted Talk so engaging, and get the tools needed to make your end of the semester presentations stand out. 

3D Printer      
Monday, Nov. 17 @4 pm / Tuesday, Nov. 18 @ noon in the North Reading Room
The Makerbot 3D Printer is available for you to be innovative and release your creativity for your coursework.  Want to find out what the printer can do?  Professor John Dalziel will be leading the workshops, demonstrating how the printer works and the guidelines for use.

Zotero      
Monday, Nov. 24 @4 pm / Tuesday, Nov. 25 @ noon 
Never to late to learn new organizational techniques.  A second chance to familiarize yourself with Zotero's bibliographical tools, and amaze your professors with your correctly formatted bibliographies that you created with the click of a button.

If you have any questions, comments, or any suggestions for future Digital Makerspace workshops, please let us know!