In the Collection

“Nothing in the Whole World Felt as Good as Being Able to Make Something From a Sudden Idea”

Authors, E-Resources, General Information, In the Collection / By Holly Havlicek / April 2, 2021 April 2, 2021

These words were uttered by beloved children’s book author Beverly Cleary, who passed away last week at 104 years old. Her love of reading started at an early age. Her own school librarian suggested she should write books when she grow up. She did just that, after first becoming a librarian herself, when a young patron asked her “Where are the books about kids like us?” From this came her first book, Henry Huggins, introducing us to the characters of Henry, his dog Ribsy, and sisters Beezus and Ramona. Hearing news of her passing makes me want to take a trip down memory lane and re-read some of the wonderful books that I grew up with. If you’d like to join me, check out what we have in our catalog!

1919 author, Eve L. Ewing, on Charter Schools

Authors, Education, Equity, General Information, In the Collection, One Book: 1919, Political Science, Social Justice / By Jen Kolan / March 5, 2021 March 5, 2021

If you’ve been following our One Book, One College programming this year, you already know Eve L. Ewing, author of 1919 and other books and articles. A couple of weeks ago, her opinion piece, Can We Stop Fighting about Charter Schools? was published in The New York Times. As a sociologist and educator, she is often asked about her thoughts on the topic. In this piece she argues that, we need “political leaders to abandon some of the principles that have guided education policy in our generation.” She says “we need to replace the fight over charter schools with the assertion that every child deserves a great school,” and to do that, we need to take “seriously the ‘educators don’t get paid enough’ realizations of 2020” and address “the teacher shortage that is going to worsen in the aftermath of the pandemic,” (Ewing, 2021).

If the topic of charter schools interest you, the library can help. You can find books on charter schools in our library catalog. If you are looking for articles, our education databases are a good place to start. You can also find articles on the topic in our news databases and many of our multiple subject databases. When in doubt, be sure to Ask a Librarian!

Ewing, E. L. (2021, Feb 22). Can we stop fighting about charter schools? New York Times (Online) Retrieved from https://go.openathens.net/redirector/morainevalley.edu?url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/can-we-stop-fighting-about-charter-schools/docview/2493195195/se-2?accountid=1977

BINGE BAGS: Binge-Watch Amazing Movies for Free!

About Our Library, In the Collection, Library Space, Music and Video / By Jessica Luetger / February 20, 2021 February 20, 2021

Winter may have been cold and snowy this year, but that just means its a good time to curl up with a good movie… or 4! MVCC Library has new Binge Bags to help you out! Each bag has 3 or 4 movies centered around a theme that you can take home for 3 weeks. All you need is your MVCC ID to check out a bag! You can find them right inside the library entrance, so if you’re on campus, stop by and pick one up!

Check out our current bags in the slideshow below:

A Quick Guide To Speech Resources

E-Resources, In the Collection / By Kelly Hand / February 17, 2021 February 18, 2021

Do you have a speech coming up? The MVCC Library has a variety of resources at your fingertips. Click on the image below to see sources for researching your Informative and Persuasive speech topics and for Finding Evidence to support your claims.

Screen time and the brain

E-Resources, General Information, In the Collection, In the Headlines / By Sharon Byerly / February 11, 2021 February 11, 2021

“Headaches, anxiety and exhaustion caused by screen time that never ends is not just for adults anymore.”

A CNN study showed 80 percent of teenagers check their phones on the hour, and 72 percent need to respond to their messages right away. Teens also preferred texting rather than speaking and often used a device to “save and protect” them from social interactions. Harvard research in 2019 revealed that too much screen time can “interfere with sleep and creativity.” It is not only teenagers–have you felt compelled to leave your phone at home or feel a sense of terror, or relief, when you did? Do you purposefully move your phone across the room or turn it off to get away? Are you exhausted, easily distracted and constantly multi-tasking online and in “real life”?

Take a break says Dr. Michael Rich who also suggests:

Put down your device. Be present with others. Observe the world around you. Let your mind wander. Avoid blue light-emitting screen use before bedtime.

Find sources and additional readings on this topic below:

Screen Time and the Brain

Shirolkar, Shivani. “Screened in: Cell Phones Dictate our Lives.” University Wire, 22 Mar 2017. SIRS Issues Researcher, https://go.openathens.net/redirector/morainevalley.edu?url=https://explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2265372339?accountid=1977.

US teens use screens more than seven hours a day on average – and that’s not including school work

Kelly, Heather. “With Remote Learning, it’s Now Screen Time all the Time.” Washington Post, 06 Sep 2020. SIRS Issues Researcher, https://go.openathens.net/redirector/morainevalley.edu?url=https://explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2453819623?accountid=1977.

Photo: “Screen Time” by A.Davey is licensed with CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/

The Virtual Rainbow Reception

Community Enagement, Diversity, E-Resources, Events, In the Collection, Inclusion, Virtual Book Displays / By Jessica Luetger / January 23, 2021 January 23, 2021

The Celebrating Diversity Task Group’s LGBTQ+ Subcommittee is hosting the annual Rainbow Reception virtually this year! On Monday, February 1st you can learn about the different resources on campus available to LGBTQIA+ students. Join via WebEx. You can also show your pride by ordering a t-shirt!

After the reception, check out some of the resources available at the library with this selection of books, audiobooks, and graphic novels. Click on the image to view the collection:

Best Books of 2020

E-Resources, General Information, In the Collection, In the Headlines / By Sharon Byerly / December 17, 2020 December 17, 2020

Looking for something to read over Winter break? Check out the titles considered some of the best of 2020 by the New York Public Library and the Chicago Public Library. Click on the title or link below for a book summary. If you are new to Hoopla–create an account using your MVCC email, select Moraine Valley Community College as your library and use your MVCC username in place of a library card number. For help with Hoopla click here or Ask a Librarian. For Library Winter break hours click here.

The Aosawa Murders by Riku Onda (e-book)

The Bear by Andrew Krivak (e-book)

Children of the Land by Marcelo Hernandez Castillo (book)

Everywhere You Don’t Belong: A Novel by Gabriel Bump (e-book)

Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall (e-book)

Hurricane Season: A Novel by Fernanda Melchor, translated by Sophie Hughes

https://encore.morainevalley.edu/iii /encore/record/C__Rb419542 (e-audiobook)

https://encore.morainevalley.edu/iii/encore/record/C__Rb430510 (e-book)

Interior Chinatown: A Novel by Charles Yu (book)

Little Gods: A Novel by Meng Jin (book)

Long Bright River: A Novel by Liz Moore (book)

Overground Railroad: The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America

by Candacy A. Taylor

https://encore.morainevalley.edu/iii/encore/record/C__Rb672595 (e-pub full-text)

https://encore.morainevalley.edu/iii/encore/record/C__Rb708526 (e-book Hoopla)

Shuggie Bain: A Novel by Douglas Stuart

https://encore.morainevalley.edu/iii/encore/record/C__Rb708152 (e-audiobook)

https://encore.morainevalley.edu/iii/encore/record/C__Rb708540 (e-book)

Such a Fun Age: A Novel by Kiley Reid (book)

Supreme Inequality: The Supreme Court’s Fifty-year Battle for a More Unjust America by Adam Cohen (book)

Temporary: A Novel by Hilary Leichter (e-book)

Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey (e-audiobook)

Writers & Lovers: A Novel by Lily King (e-book)

Chicago Public Library Best of the Best 2020

New York Public Library Best Books of 2020

Relax and Check out our Streaming Video and DVD Collection

General Information, In the Collection, Music and Video, Virtual Book Displays / By Jen Kolan / December 8, 2020 December 8, 2020

Once finals are over, I’m sure you are all looking to do some relaxing. We have all kinds of streaming videos and DVDs in our collection for your enjoyment. Looking to stream one of our feature films? Or would you prefer to check out the feature films in our DVD collection? Do you like documentaries? Here are our streaming documentaries. We have many documentaries in our DVD collection as well. Are you a stand up comedy fan? We’ve got you covered. We have stand up comedy in our streaming collection. Here are our stand up comedy DVDs. We even have streaming audio stand up comedy. If you need help with these, or any of our resources, remember to Ask a Librarian. Here are some of my streaming films:

The Collars of RBG

History, In the Collection / By Kelly Hand / December 7, 2020 December 7, 2020

With the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg this past fall, we lost an icon and a trailblazer. She stood out on the Supreme Court for her dedication and her ideals. She also stood out for the beautiful collars that she added to her justice robes. Since the robes were designed to show the shirt collar and tie worn by men, she added a feminine touch. The collars were also often worn as a statement, such as her famous dissent collar. Over the years, she amassed a stunning collection.

Recently, TIME magazine was given access to the collection to showcase and tell the stories of the various pieces. View the article here. To learn more about the life and legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, try these books and videos from the MVCC library.

Take a Break in Tokyo

E-Resources, General Information, In the Collection, Virtual Book Displays / By Hannah Carlton / December 4, 2020 December 1, 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.