Films On Demand added 212 new videos in September. Take a look!
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Films on Demand update
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Banned Books Week 2023
“Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.” —Article 3, Library Bill of Rights
Did you know there are hundreds of attempts to remove books from libraries and classrooms every year? Just last year, the American Library Association recorded 2,571 books targeted for removal, the most since they began tracking more than 20 years ago. Most of the challenged books were written by or about members of the LGBTQIA+ community and people of color. Please join us in celebrating this year’s Banned Books Week (October 1-7) and our freedom to read. You can learn more with our Banned Books library guide. Here are some of the titles on the American Library Association’s lists of Frequently Challenged Books that you’ll find in our collection:
- The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank
- The Autobiography of Malcolm X
- Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi
- The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
- Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
- 1984, by George Orwell
- The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien
- A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess
- The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
- Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
- The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway
- The Call of the Wild, by Jack London
- The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair
- Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
- Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
- Catch-22, by Joseph Heller
- To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
- My Sister’s Keeper, by Jodi Picoult
- The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
- The Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling
- The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein
- And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
Check one out and exercise your First Amendment rights!
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AccessScience update
AccessScience added new science-related content in August. New and updated articles include:- Blood-brain barrier
- Enterobacteriaceae
- Forensic isotope analysis
- Plastic waste and pollution
- Polystyrene
- Waste-to-energy
Editorial briefings:
- Even in darkness, bacteria follow circadian rhythms reminiscent of complex organisms
- First neutrino image of the Milky Way
News stories:
- A child’s ornate necklace highlights ancient farmers’ social complexity
- A colossal ancient whale could be the heaviest animal ever known
- A fantastical world of potential giant viruses lurks beneath the soil
- Chemists turned plastic waste into tiny bars of soap
- India’s successful Moon landing follows recent failures by other countries
- Magnetic ‘rusty’ nanoparticles pull estrogen out of water
- Many frogs glow in blue light, and it may be a secret, eerie language
- The fastest-evolving moss in the world may not adapt to climate change
- The thymus withers away after puberty. But it may be important for adults
- This extreme star might have huge tidal waves
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Opposing Viewpoints update
Opposing Viewpoints is constantly adding and updating coverage of current events and social issues, perfect for students writing argument papers. Here are some new and recently updated topics:- Mental Health
- Natural Disasters
- Special Education and Learning Disabilities
- US-Mexico Relations
- Water Pollution
- White Supremacy
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National Hispanic Heritage Month
September 15th through October 15th is National Hispanic Heritage Month. As President Biden said in his Proclamation on National Hispanic Heritage Month, 2022:
Since the beginning, our country has drawn strength and insights from Hispanic writers, scientists, soldiers, doctors, entrepreneurs, academics, and leaders in labor and government. Our culture has been enriched by the rhythms, art, literature, and creativity of Hispanic peoples. And our deepest values have been informed by the love of family and faith that is at the core of so many Hispanic communities. All of these contributions help us realize the promise of America for all Americans.
Wondering about the dates? September 15th marks the anniversary of independence for five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexico celebrates its independence on September 16th and Chile on the 18th.
Learn more with books, ebooks, and videos from our collection and visit these sites for more information:
- Library of Congress – National Hispanic Heritage Month
- Minnesota Council on Latino Affairs
- Minnesota Historical Society – Minnesotanos: Latino Journeys in Minnesota
- National Park Service – Hispanic Heritage Month
- Smithsonian – Hispanic Heritage Month Resources
- U.S. Census Bureau – Hispanic Heritage Month 2023
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Films on Demand update
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New titles
Check out the new books we added to our collection over the summer. Here are just a few of the new titles:
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The Chronicle of Higher Education
Just a reminder that the Library provides online access to The Chronicle of Higher Education, including:
- articles and essays dating back to 1989
- coverage of topics such as student success, technology (lots about ChatGPT here), and equity & diversity
- data, statistics, and analysis
- newsletters, advice, virtual events, job listings, and more
Check out The Chronicle today!
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AccessScience update
AccessScience added lots of new science-related content in May, June, and July. New and updated articles include:- DNA replication
- Endothelium
- Antifungal agent
- Antimicrobial agents
- Antiviral agent
- Probiotic
- DNA sequencing
- Fingerprint identification
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Polyomaviridae
- Quorum sensing
- Vagina
- Weight (chemistry)
Editorial briefings:
- The largest system placed in stable quantum superposition to date
- First x-ray absorption spectrum of a single atom
- GSO1: The secret to salt tolerance in plants
News stories:
- A brain implant helped a man with paralysis walk more naturally
- A rare mutation helped one man stave off Alzheimer’s for decades
- A streak of light may not be a black hole fleeing its galaxy after all
- Ancient giant eruptions may have seeded nitrogen needed for life
- Microwaving an insecticide restores its mosquito-killing power
- Race car drivers tend to blink at the same places in each lap
- The oldest scaled-down drawings of actual structures go back 9,000 years
- The new human pangenome could help unveil the biology of everyone
- A gene therapy shot might keep cats from getting pregnant without being spayed
- A star cluster in the Milky Way appears to be as old as the universe
- Air pollution monitoring may accidentally help scientists track biodiversity
- An old perfume bottle reveals what some ancient Romans smelled like
- Brain cavities that swell in space may need at least 3 years to recover
- The Parker Solar Probe may have spotted the origin of high-speed solar winds
- A 407-million-year-old plant’s leaves skipped the usual Fibonacci spirals
- A rain of electrons causes Mercury’s x-ray auroras
- Canada’s Crawford Lake could mark the beginning of the Anthropocene
- Electrons are extremely round, a new measurement confirms
- How geometry solves architectural problems for bees and wasps
- Last week was the hottest ever recorded — here’s why we keep smashing records
- Playful behavior in rats is controlled by a specific area of their brains
- The James Webb telescope may have spotted stars powered by dark matter
- Time in nature or exercise is touted for happiness. But evidence is lacking
- What’s causing this summer’s extreme heat waves?
Videos and animations:
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The Reference Shelf update
If you’re looking for extensive, unbiased coverage of social issues and topics in the news, check out the Reference Shelf series. You’ll find print copies on our shelves and most are also online at Salem Online. The latest three titles are:
Get the facts and have an informed opinion!
