In the Collection

Blog posts about items in the catalog, ideally with permanent links to catalog records.

Check Out Our Newest Kids Books!

If you are an education student, parent, or just like to read kids books, we are continuing to build our children’s and young adult literature collections. Currently, these, and others, are on display in the New Arrivals section, in the lounge near the library entrance. In a couple weeks, they will be moved downstairs to the juvenile (JUV) and young adult (PZ7) sections of the library where we have a nice selection to choose from. If you need help finding them, please Ask a Librarian for help.

Photo of children's books
Photo of children's and young adult books

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Presidential Veto and Lawmaking

There was news coverage last week that President Biden might soon issue the first veto of his presidency.

How does a law get to the stage of being approved by the president—or not approved, which is a veto? According to usa.gov, here is the process (very simplified): A bill is introduced by a senator or representative and goes to committee where it is researched and discussed. Then the bill is voted on by the Senate or House of Representatives. If it passes the Senate or House, the bill goes to the other chamber of Congress and goes through a similar process. If both chambers pass the bill, the lawmakers work together to make a version that passes both the Senate and the House. If it passes both house of Congress, the bill goes to the president.

If the president vetoes the bill, it may be possible for Congress to override the veto.

For other information about the U.S. Congress and legislation, check out these books or ebooks from the Moraine Valley Library.

Losing to Win: Why Congressional Majorities Play Politics Instead of Make Laws by Jeremy Gelman
Heavy Lifting: The Job of the American Legislature by Alan Rosenthal
Rulemaking: How Government Agencies Write Law and Make Policy by Cornelius M. Kerwin and Scott R. Furlong
The Limits of Party: Congress and Lawmaking in a Polarized Era by James M. Curry and Frances E. Lee

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Crowded Skies

Recently the US government has been shooting down some high-flying, unknown objects. The first object was recovered and can be studied for identification. The searches for the other three objects have been abandoned due to weather and terrain, eliminating the possibility of identifying the purposes and origins of the objects. As it turns out, chances are pretty good that the most recent objects were legitimate research balloons. There are thousands of balloons in the sky right now. The US National Weather Service alone launches around 60,000 balloons per year. NASA uses balloons to study the atmosphere. Many other research organizations launch high-flying balloons all over the world as well.

Below you’ll find a glimpse of a graphic the New York Times recently published that gives an idea of the sizes and altitudes of various objects in the skies. You can view the full size graphic on the New York Times website. Spy Balloons. U.F.O.s. What Else Is Up There? And the New York Times article, A Rising Awareness That Balloons Are Everywhere In Our Skies gives more information about the numbers and various types of balloons being used.

If you haven’t yet signed up for your free subscription to the New York Times, you can do that right here, using your MVCC email address. To find out more about meteorology and how all these balloons might be being used, check out these books from the library collection.

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Baking and Cooking in December

Do you have some traditional treats that you make year after year for celebrations? Are you interested in looking for something new? Here are a few cookbook suggestions that are available at the library.

Two shelves with an array of five book covers. The top shelf shows Breads of the World, Holiday Cookies, and The World on a Plate. The bottom shelf shows The Perfect Cookie and Classic German Baking.

Breads of the World TX769 .I54 2013b

Holiday Cookies TX772 .H65 2014

The World on a Plate TX725.A1 H5674 2015

The Perfect Cookie TX772 .P47 2017

Classic German Baking TX721 .W45 2016

In addition to the books listed above, here are two ebooks that you might like to skim for ideas: Vegan Holiday Cookbook and Christmas Baking.

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Is This The Last Time We Fall Back?

At 2am this coming Sunday morning we fall back one hour as Daylight Saving Time comes to an end once again. Is this the last time? It’s possible, but probably not.

If there’s one thing that most Americans seem to be in agreement about, it’s that they don’t want to change clocks twice per year. Both physical and mental health suffer as our bodies adjust. There is a difference of opinion though on whether we should stick with DST all the time, or use Standard Time all of the time. There are compelling arguments on both sides. Many businesses see increased profits with more daylight in the evening. There is also evidence of a decrease in accidents and crime. Sleep experts, on the other hand, tell us that our bodies are at their best when the sun is highest in the sky at midday. This is more in line with Standard Time. So, while a majority would like to stop changing clocks, we can’t agree on which system to make permanent.

In March of this year, the US Senate picked a side and unanimously passed the Sunshine Protection Act, which is set to take effect in November of 2023 and make Daylight Saving Time permanent. This means that we would spring forward in March of 2023 and then just stay on that time, never having to switch back and forth again. In order for this to happen, the US House must also pass the act before it gets sent to the White House for signing. The act is stuck for now, with the House of Representatives not taking any action on the measure. So this could be the last time we fall back, but only time will tell.

Find out more about the history of timekeeping with these books from the library collection.

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What’s My Topic?

Is it time to start thinking about a topic for your paper or your speech? You might want to look at SIRS Researcher to get some ideas. SIRS Researcher is one database available through the Library website. In SIRS Researcher, you can browse topics and categories.

Opening page of SIRS Researcher database with SIRS Issues Researcher and Trending Topics titles highlighted in gold boxes.
Opening page of SIRS Researcher database.

You may find a topic that you have always been interested in or you may find a topic you don’t know much about. It’s easy to browse.

Page from SIRS Researcher database with Need help choosing a topic? title highlighted in gold box above a grid selection of 10 selections.
“Need help choosing a topic?” section of SIRS Researcher database.

SIRS Researcher has thousands of full-text articles exploring social, scientific, health, historic, business, economic, political, and global issues. The articles come from newspapers, magazines, scholarly journals, books, and government documents.

Access SIRS Researcher.

We also have a Help Guide for SIRS Researcher.

If you need help with this database or any database, Ask a Librarian!

What’s My Topic? Read More »

What To Read — After Class

Do you ever find yourself looking for something good to read that is not related to your studies, but just for fun? Check out the After Class collection in the library. The After Class collection is located on the main level, in the lounge area at the front of the library. Here you’ll find a mixture of current fiction and non-fiction books, many of them bestsellers. It’s a great place to browse when you’re just looking for something entertaining to read. Relax with your book in the library, or check it out with your MVCC ID card. A few titles from the current collection are shown above. To find out more about these titles, or to see all the books in the collection click here.

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Kid’s Books in the Library

Do you have kids? Are you taking a children’s literature course? Or do you just like reading children’s or young adult books?  In any case, did you know that the library has a children’s book collection?  It is a small, but growing section in the lower level of the library near the men’s bathroom.  The best way to browse titles virtually is to do a search for “juvenile” in the library catalog. Once you get results, use the menu on the left to refine by the location “juvenile”.

Screenshot of menu to refine search

Do you prefer electronic books?  We have access to children’s e-books as well.  The best way to find the children’s e-books is to start at the library catalog. Search for “juvenile”. Once you get results, then use the menu on the left to refine by “juvenile fiction” and/or “juvenile nonfiction” and then under “format” choose “Ebooks” (see screenshot below).

Screenshot of library catalog

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