Author: Troy Swanson

The library staff had a great time meeting students and spreading the word about our services at the 2007 Student Fest. Here are some photos from the library table. We handed out pens, bookmarks, and other items at our table. We also held a drawing for free print cards in the library. Here is a… Continue reading Library Participates in Student Fest

Mexican Independence Day: 16 de Septiembre: El Grito de Independencia Brief background about the origins of the celebration of Mexican Independence Day on September 16. Also includes a description of how the holiday is celebrated today, such as the ceremony in Mexico City on the evening of September 15, in which a government official leads… Continue reading Mexican Independence Day: 16 de Septiembre: El Grito de Independencia

Malcolm X Assassinated, February 21, 1965 This links to a video on the CBS Web site of an interview with Malcolm X’s widow Betty Shabazz immediately following his murder. This could be a useful source for anyone interested in the library’s and bookstore’s One Book, One College program on The Autobiography of Malcolm X.

Labor Day Marks Appreciation of U.S. Workers Background about this U.S. holiday celebrated on the first Monday of each September to commemorate workers. Discusses the holiday’s origins, contrasts it with May Day (on which a number of European and other nations celebrate International Workers’ Day), and explains how Labor Day has traditionally marked the end… Continue reading Labor Day Marks Appreciation of U.S. Workers

2008 Election Timeline Timeline and related material about presidential debates, primaries, and caucuses for the 2008 presidential election. Also includes news stories and a list of presidential candidates with links to websites. From Congressional Quarterly (CQ). [citation from LII.org] If you are interested in the 2008 presidential elections, you may want to take a look… Continue reading 2008 Election Timeline

As the staff and faculty at Moraine Valley prepare for the fall semester, we attended an in-service day on Thursday, August, 16th. We had a guest speaker Dr. Stephen Steele who mentioned an article from the Harvard Business Review called, “How to Kill Creativity.” I wanted to post a link to that article so share… Continue reading How to Kill Creativity

The Moraine Valley Library will be receivng copies of the Civics and Citizenship Toolkit. This toolkit is designed to “to help immigrants to learn English, embrace the common core of American civic culture and become U.S. Citizens.” There is also informaton on the Civics and Citizenship Toolkit Web site The description from the Government Printing… Continue reading Civics and Citizenship Toolkit

Simpson Family Values In anticipation of the July 2007 release of “The Simpsons Movie,” this article provides a “behind-the-cels oral history from the TV show’s voices, writers, animators, and ultimate boss — Rupert Murdoch.” Also includes links to a Q&A with former Simpsons writer Conan O’Brien and picks for the ten funniest Simpsons episodes. An… Continue reading Simpson Family Values

There has recently been a flap about new documents released by the CIA that outline some activities in the 50s, 60s, and 70s that stepped outside of the CIA charter, so I thought I’d pass along a few sources that might be useful in adding context to this issue. First, this NPR story, “CIA Releases… Continue reading The CIA’s Family Jewels

“LibriVox provides free audiobooks from the public domain. There are several options for listening” including MP3 and podcast options.