Notes & Quotes
News and Announcements
Book Donations to The Brendlinger Library
Thanks to Neil Goldstein, the coordinator of the College’s Communication Program, the Library has enhanced, greatly, our print holdings in the area of film, mass media, and communication. Neil donated over 600 books to the Library over the spring and summer semesters. The books are being processed and cataloged now, and will be wonderful additions to our collection. Rather than make the books available from his departmental office, Neil is now allowing the titles to be accessible through the Library. This, in turn, will bring Communication students into the Library, acquainting them with all of the resources we have to offer. It is a win-win situation, and we thank Neil for his generosity.
Any other faculty or departments out there who would like to make donations to the Library, either large or small, please get in touch with the Library Liaison for your particular area. We welcome your donations. The Library Liaison program is detailed in an earlier article in this issue of N&Q. However, listed again, below, are the Liaisons for the various academic areas on campus.
Business and Computer Science – Robert Erb (x6622) and Lisa McColl (x6587)
Health Sciences – Ruth McNaught (x6595)
Humanities – Mary Beth Parkinson (x7480) and Mary Lou Neighbour (x7355)
Math, Science, and Technology – Gretchen Keer (x6592)
Social Sciences – Lawrence Greene (x7352)
Book Discussions at The Brendlinger Library
Mark your calendars for the following book discussions at The Brendlinger Library this fall:
The Glass Castle: A Memoir, by Jeannette Walls
Tuesday, September 18th, 2:30 - 3:30.
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
Tuesday, October 23rd, 2:30-3:30, in conjunction with The Big Read event. Recently retired Professor of English, Dr. Charlie Reilly, will lead the discussion.
Teacher Man: A Memoir, by Frank McCourt
Wednesday, October 31st, 12:20 - 1:20.
Dr. Marc Schuster will lead this discussion, in celebration of the visit of author, Frank McCourt, to the College for the Writer’s Conference.
To reserve your copy of any or all of these books, please call the Library’s Circulation Desk at 215-641-6596. As always, discussions will take place in the Reader’s Lounge on the upper level of the Library, and refreshments will be served.
The library book discussions were launched last spring with the reading of Freakonomics, by Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt; The Keep, by Jennifer Egan; and Waiting for Snow in Havana, by Carlos Eire. This is not intended to be a book group comprised only of regular members, but rather, a series of discussions attended by those who are interested in the selection for a particular month. While there are a few individuals who regularly attend each discussion, the turnout varies and is driven by interest in the particular title.
When possible, the selection will be tied to a special event, such as the Writer’s Conference. Next January, the first discussion will be held in honor of the Bennett Lecture guest, Frances Moore Lappe, who will deliver a talk at the College on February 25th. The selection will be Lappe’s 2005 book titled, Democracy’s Edge: Choosing to Save Our Country by Bringing Democracy to Life. Lappe is well known for her book, Diet for a Small Planet, now in its 20th anniversary edition.
We welcome suggestions for future selections and would welcome faculty volunteers to lead discussions. Hope to see you this fall!
Story Time in the Library
Story time sessions held every week during the fall and spring semesters feature, in addition to library faculty and staff, special guest readers including the President, Provost, Associate Vice Presidents, faculty and students enrolled in Early Childhood Literature.
If you are interested in reading to the children of the Child Care Center, please call Mary Beth Parkinson (215-619-7480). You may choose titles or have books sent to you ahead of time. Readings take place on Friday mornings from 10:45 until 11:10 on the main floor of the Library in the juvenile section. Children range in age from the older threes to the younger fives. It’s a great way to connect again to young children and share your enthusiasm and love of reading and literature!
Banned Books Week – September 29 – October 6, 2007
"Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could most easily defeat us."—Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas," The One Un-American Act." Nieman Reports, vol. 7, no. 1 (Jan. 1953): p. 20.
Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read is observed during the last week of September each year. Observed since 1982, this annual American Library Association (ALA) event reminds Americans not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted. This year, 2007, marks the celebration’s 26th anniversary.
According to the ALA’s website, the week celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them. The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) received a total of 546 challenges last year. A challenge is defined as a formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school, requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness. Public libraries, schools and school libraries report the majority of challenges to OIF.
The ALA reports that Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell’s award-winning "And Tango Makes Three," about two male penguins parenting an egg from a mixed-sex penguin couple, tops the list of most challenged books in 2006 by parents and administrators, due to the issues of homosexuality. Also included in the list of the top ten most challenged books are the following titles:
- "Gossip Girls" series by Cecily Von Ziegesar for homosexuality, sexual content, drugs, unsuited to age group, and offensive language;
- "Alice" series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor for sexual content and offensive language;
- "The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things" by Carolyn Mackler for sexual content, anti-family, offensive language, and unsuited to age group;
- "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison for sexual content, offensive language, and unsuited to age group;
- "Scary Stories" series by Alvin Schwartz for occult/Satanism, unsuited to age group, violence, and insensitivity;
- "Athletic Shorts" by Chris Crutcher for homosexuality and offensive language.
- "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky for homosexuality, sexually explicit, offensive language, and unsuited to age group;
- "Beloved" by Toni Morrison for offensive language, sexual content, and unsuited to age group;
- "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier for sexual content, offensive language, and violence.
Off the list this year, but on for several years past, are the "Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger, "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain.
