Banned Books Week

It's Banned Books Week. Celebrate your freedom to read by checking out one of the 10 most challenged books of 2008:

1. And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell. Reasons: Anti-ethnic, anti-family, homosexuality, religious viewpoint and unsuited to age group.

2. His Dark Materials Trilogy, by Philip Pullman. Reasons: political viewpoint, religious viewpoint and violence.

3. TTYL; TTFN; L8R, G8R (series), by Lauren Myracle. Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit and unsuited to age group.

4. Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz. Reasons: occult/satanism, religious viewpoint and violence.

5. Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya. Reasons: occult/satanism, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit and violence.

6. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, but Stephen Chbosky. Reasons: drugs, homosexuality, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit, suicide and unsuited to age group.

7. Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily von Ziegesar. Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit and unsuited to age group.

8. Uncle Bobby's Wedding, by Sarah S. Brannen. Reasons: homosexuality and unsuited to age group.

9. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini. Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit and unsuited to age group.

10. Flashcards of My Life, by Charise Mericle Harper. Reasons: sexually explicit and unsuited to age group.

New Database Announcement

From Brian Hubbard, Head of Reference:

Ely Library is pleased to announce the addition of Biography Resource Center: African Americans to our array of electronic resources. The database is available on and off-campus from our Quick Links list accessible from the Library Home Page.

Biography Resource Center: African Americans provides nearly 30,000 narrative and thumbnail biographies about notable African Americans from the respected Gale sources available in the Biography Resource Center. Biographies include notable African American figures such as Maya Angelou, Frederick Douglass, Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Harriet Tubman, Usher, Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods, W.E.B. Du Bois, and many others. Also included are more than 42,000 full-text periodical articles, websites, and recent update news briefs. Users can search on name, personal facts such as birth/death dates and place, occupation, and gender, or combine criteria to create a targeted custom search.

The database provides access to the biographies in almost 60 volumes of six Gale reference sources:

Contemporary Black Biography
Notable Black American Men
Notable Black American Scientists
Notable Black American Women
St. James Guide to Black Artists
Who's Who Among African Americans

In addition to essays that provide key biographical facts and summaries of individuals' lives and careers, search results also yield:

Links to nearly 250 vetted web sites
Approximately 2,000 portraits
More than 42,000 full-text periodical articles from nearly 300 magazines

A Teacher's Guide To Web 2.0 at School

A fabulous SlideShare Presentation:

A Teacher's Guide To Web 2.0 at School

View more documents from Sacha Chua.

New Databases added since May 2009

From Brian Hubbard, Head of Reference:

Several new databases have been added to our array since last semester. You can view a description of them here.

Interruption in online services on Mon. 9/7

The library's online catalog, databases, and website will not be available on Monday, Sept. 7 from 6 a.m. - 10 a.m. due to a construction-related power outage. Please plan your work accordingly and enjoy the long weekend.

Welcome [back] to Ely Library!

A message from Corinne Ebbs, Interim Associate Dean of Library Services:

Following a summer and two years filled with construction noise and activity, we are beginning to see the light on a project designed to improve accessibility to all areas of the Ely Building. Come visit the library through our new entrance. There is now easy access to Subway and Jazzman's Cafe and to restrooms located in the Campus Center.

Final construction changes that will have a positive effect on student study space and a new passenger elevator to access the mezzanine and information instruction classroom will be completed this fall. In the meantime, if you need help getting to the Educational Resources Center or classroom, give us a call at 572-5231.

Questions? Just ask any staff member in the library, check out our web page at www.lib.wsc.ma.edu, or call us at 413-572-5251. We look forward to your visits.

September is Banned Books Month

Ely Library's September display highlights Banned Books Month

In the United States, books are not "banned" anymore, but they are constantly "challenged" and often removed from school and public library shelves because of some people's opinions.

Celebrate your First Amendment freedom and read a "banned" book this month. Maybe you've been meaning to get around to the Twilight books? Feeling up to re-reading Harry Potter? How about Alice in Wonderland? Maybe the Bible interests you. All of those books (yes, all of them!) have been challenged over the years for various reasons.

READ @ Your Library Campaign

The READ @ Your Library is a national campaign started by the American Library Association. Lots of famous people such as Yao Ming, Keira Knightley and Ne-Yo have posed for READ posters with their favorite books. Now Westfield State College and President Dobelle have gotten into the act.

We're looking for poster nominations! Nominate a favorite professor, student, staff member, or administrator today by calling x5327.