Hannah Carlton

Finish National Poetry Month Strong!

E-Resources, General Information, In the Collection, Readers' Advisory / By Hannah Carlton / April 26, 2021

National Poetry Month is coming to a close, but there is still time to explore and enjoy some of the poetry resources available at the Library. Explore the virtual book displays below for poetry recommendations from the Library! For each display, click “Read More” to view the virtual book display.

Have questions about accessing any of these resources? Ask a Librarian!

What makes a poet a “Chicago Poet?” A poet born in Chicago? Someone who wrote poetry in or about Chicago? An artist embraced by the City? However you define a Chicago Poet, these artists and books are a great way to end National Poetry Month! Click “Read More” to view the full display.

Looking back on our celebrations of Black History Month and Women’s History Month, “Distilled and Powerful,” display of poetry by African American women, brings our poetry celebration full circle! Click “Read More” to view the full display.

Keep National Poetry Month going all summer! Poetry is meant to be heard, so listen to these fantastic poetry e-audiobooks, many of which are read by the authors! Click “Read More” to view the full display.

Take a Break in Tokyo

E-Resources, General Information, In the Collection, Virtual Book Displays / By Hannah Carlton / December 4, 2020

If the thought of immersing yourself in a far away place appeals, even while we must stay close to home, step outside the everyday with this virtual display of e-books and e-audiobooks from the library that explore these surreal, tender, and humorous examples of contemporary Japanese fiction.

If further exploration of contemporary Japan appeals to you, the hypnotic and beautiful videos of Japan on the YouTube channel run by the anonymous Rambalac are an unusual and captivating glimpse of everyday life.

In the middle of the lockdown last Spring, I stumbled across a recommendation for Rambalac’s channel, which posts ‘walking videos.’ Rambalac records themselves walking around Tokyo’s districts, neighborhoods, and suburbs–other Japanese cities and locations appear periodically. There are videos recorded during the day and at night, in rain and snow. Rambalac describes the videos as “Not a vlog, no intrusive faces or talking, pure Japan only.”

During the lockdown, I loved being able to get such an (extra)ordinary glimpse of an unfamiliar place even while I was stuck at home–in a more visual, but no less compelling way than in the Japanese fiction in the above display. Try Sakura in snow, recorded last April, or this night walk, to get a feel for the hypnotic calm and the vibrant glimpses of contemporary Japan.

Celebrate Indigenous Authors

E-Resources, General Information, In the Collection, Virtual Book Displays / By Hannah Carlton / October 12, 2020

In honor of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Monday, October 12th, 2020, explore this selection of works by Native American authors available at the library, in print and online.

If you are curious about the history of Indigenous People’s Day, which was first celebrated in Berkeley, California in 1992 and is observed in an increasing number of cities and states, check out the American Indian Center of Chicago’s page.

Click on the virtual display below to view selected works:

Explore Nobel Prize Winner Louise Glück’s Poetry

Award Winners, E-Resources, General Information, In the Collection, In the Headlines / By Hannah Carlton / October 9, 2020

Louise Glück – Photo gallery. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Media AB 2020. Thu. 8 Oct 2020.

The 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to the celebrated American poet Louise Glück on Thursday. The Nobel Committee cited “her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal” in the award announcement.

To learn more about Glück and her career as a poet, check out her Poetry Foundation biography or read the New York Times article about the Nobel Prize announcement in the Library databases.

Poetry

Find Glück’s collected poetry in POEMS 1962-2012, which includes poems from her Pulitzer Prize winning book The Wild Iris, and other works in our print collection.

Glück has also published extensively in literary magazines. Find her works online through the Library in The New Yorker and American Poetry Review.

Find an audio recording of “The Golden Lily,” one of Glück’s most studied poems and audio recordings and text of many other poems available from the Academy of American Poets.

New E-book Spotlight: September Roundup

E-Resources, General Information, In the Collection, Virtual Book Displays / By Hannah Carlton / September 30, 2020

The Library acquired access to two new collections of e-books over the summer, University Press Scholarship and Wiley Online Library. To introduce these new collections, we are featuring e-book selections on our social media platforms (Follow the Library on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!) and the Library blog and bringing all the recommendations together in a monthly roundup virtual display!

Check out the virtual book display below for the New E-book Spotlight picks for September.

Chicago Poets: Past and Present

E-Resources, General Information, In the Collection, One Book: 1919 / By Hannah Carlton / September 8, 2020

Hog Butcher for the World,
Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
Player with Railroads and the Nation’s Freight Handler;
Stormy, husky, brawling,
City of the Big Shoulders:
–From “Chicago” by Carl Sandburg

The Carl Sandburg’s poem “Chicago” presents an iconic and enduring image of the city of Chicago. Sandburg was a long-time Chicago resident, and the city was often featured in his poems. But what makes a poet a “Chicago Poet?” A poet born in Chicago? Lived in Chicago? Someone who wrote poetry in or about Chicago? An artist embraced by the City? (For an in-depth exploration of this question, check out the Chicago Magazine article “Is Chicago the Poetry Capitol of America?“).

However you define a Chicago poet, the city has produced some of the greats, including Carl Sandburg, Gwendolyn Brooks, One Book selection 1919 author Eve L. Ewing, and many others. Check out the Library’s collection of works by Chicago poets, both past and present, in the virtual book display below:

And dive deep into the Library’s collection of One Book selection 1919 author Eve L. Ewing:

New Library Databases

E-Resources, General Information, Student Resources / By Hannah Carlton / September 1, 2020

To meet the need for increased online resources, the Library has introduced a number of new databases this Fall! If you have questions or need help with any Library resources, Ask a Librarian!

Nexis Uni

Legal, news, and business sources—including U.S. Supreme Court decisions dating back to 1790.

This could be useful for students:

Conducting legal or paralegal research
Looking for international new sources
Researching common speech or essay topics

University Press Scholarship E-books

30,000+ eBooks on humanities, social sciences, sciences, medicine, and law from Universities around the world.

This could be useful for students:

Looking for in-depth scholarly books or chapters
Researching complex speech or essay topics

Wiley Online Library

eBooks, articles, reference works, and other sources on a range of topics.

This could be useful for students:

Looking for reference or scholarly works in a specific discipline
Researching common speech or essay topics

Oxford Very Short Introductions

E-book series on a diverse range of subjects from Climate to Consciousness, Game Theory to Ancient Warfare, Privacy to Islamic History, Economics to Literary Theory.

This could be useful for students:

Looking for a brief and thorough introduction to a common topic
Researching common speech or essay topics

Get to Know Eve L. Ewing, Author of the One Book selection 1919

E-Resources, General Information, In the Collection, One Book: 1919, Virtual Book Displays / By Hannah Carlton / August 24, 2020

Eve L. Ewing, the author of the 20-21 One Book selection 1919, is a scholar, writer, artist, cultural organizer, and according to the bio on her website “made in Chicago.”

One of the things that makes Ewing unique is the wide range of her work, from poetry to scholarly texts, from podcasts to graphic novels.

Explore her works available through the library below:

Ewing is amazingly prolific; her work is everywhere online. Here are a few interesting items:

Find an extensive listing of her essays and poetry on her website.
Check out her podcast Bughouse Square.
Check out our list of Ewing’s interviews from around the web relating to 1919.
Ewing has been a guest on 1A, Nerdette, Code Switch, and numerous other awesome podcasts.
Ewing has a gallery of some of her visual art on her website.

Virtual Book Display Retrospective: Covid-19 and other Current Events

E-Resources, General Information, In the Collection, Virtual Book Displays / By Hannah Carlton / July 10, 2020

A lot has happened over the last few months, and to help keep you informed and up to date, MVCC library folks have created virtual displays of online Library resources that deal with various topics relating to current events.

If you need assistance accessing any of these online resources, Ask a Librarian.

Librarian Jessica brought together this collection of informative resources on Pandemics and Public Health.

ILL Specialist Sue recommends collections on Hoopla that can help start the conversation.

Librarian Jessica has suggestions for e-books to read during Pride Month.

Librarians recommend episodes of the Library Podcast that speak to the present moment, including the two part collaboration with MVCC Counselors–Self Care During Social Isolation Parts I and II.

Virtual Book Display Retrospective: Summer Reads

E-Resources, In the Collection, Readers' Advisory, Virtual Book Displays / By Hannah Carlton / July 3, 2020

Over the last few months, library folks have created wonderful virtual collections of online Library resources, and for the holiday weekend, we are bringing together the displays with great suggestions for things to read and listen to this summer, from cookbooks to music to graphic novels.

If you need help accessing any of the resources listed in these displays, you can Ask a Librarian.

ILL and Serials Assistant Sue has great suggestions for cookbooks to up your grilling game this summer.

Access Services Coordinator Oscar recommends some of the best comics available virtually through the online Library.

Librarian Hannah suggests novels featuring dragons to combat the summer heat.

Librarian Jen brings together e-books to help out in the garden.

Librarian Jessica recommends e-books for video game enthusiasts.

Librarian Hannah has suggestions for listening to award-winning poetry.

ILL and Serials Assistant Sue found soothing music options available to stream on Hoopla.

Access Services Coordinator Oscar brought some of the Library Scooby-related online resources together.

Librarian Jessica collected the Library’s digital copies of Octavia Butler’s work in honor of Butler’s birthday (June 22nd).