Month: September 2012

Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Banned Books Week

Lisa

Banned Books Week
September 30 – October 6, 2012

Banned Books Week 2012This year marks the 30th anniversary of Banned Books Week, a week used to recognize our freedom to read and to call attention to attempts to challenge that freedom.  Banned Books Week is especially celebrated in the library community. This is not surprising, given that libraries have a long history of, and commitment to, providing unfettered access to information and ideas.

Last year, libraries across the United States reported 326 book challenges to the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom.

The 2011 top 10 most frequently challenged books included:

  • The Hunger Games trilogy, by Suzanne Collins (Reasons: anti-ethnic; anti-family; insensitivity; offensive language; occult/satanic; violence)
  • The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie (Reasons: offensive language; racism; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group)
  • Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley (Reasons: insensitivity; nudity; racism; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit)
  • To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee (Reasons: offensive language; racism)

If you’d like to learn more about banned and challenged books, take a look at this special timeline – 30 Years of Liberating Literature – or visit the Frequently Challenged Books website. One of the ways in which you can show your support of Banned Books Week is to participate in the Banned Books Virtual Read-Out.  The Read-Out is a way for readers from around the world to participate in the 30th anniversary celebration of Banned Books Week by posting videos to a dedicated YouTube channel.  In this video, several well-known authors discuss their favorite banned books.

We hope you’ll take a moment this week to reflect upon your freedom to read.

Have You Heard About Our Research Guides?

Lisa

What do you do when don’t have time to ask a librarian for help? Where do you turn when the Reference Desk is closed? We recommend you use our online library research guides.

Library research guides are available for a number of popular research topics, course assignments (like GB 214 and GB320), and common questions. The guides are designed to help you locate the best resources for your research. Research guides can answer questions like:

The entire collection of library research guides is available at http://libguides.bentley.edu/, or just look for the link on our homepage.

Library Research Guides
Look for the Research Guides link on our homepage.

If you’d like to suggest a topic for a library research guide please comment on this post. Don’t forget, you can Ask a Librarian for help 7 days a week! Visit us in-person at the library, send us an email (redesk@bentley.edu), use our chat widget, or give us a call  at 781.891.2300.

Learn About Downloadable Books at Our Overdrive Clinics

Lisa

mobile devicesHave you checked out our Overdrive collection recently?  We’ve been busy adding downloadable ebooks and audiobooks – including current bestsellers Joseph Anton by Salman Rushdie and Telegraph Avenue by Michael Chabon, perennial favorites by authors like J.R.R. Tolkien, Michael Crichton and John Irving, and classics by Jane Austen and Bram Stoker.  Simply log-in to Overdrive to view our Newest Additions or to browse the ebook and audiobook collections by genre.

If you haven’t already set-up your laptop, Kindle, iPad, NOOK, smartphone or other device, we’d love to help you get started. We are holding two drop-in clinics next week to answer questions about Overdrive:

Overdrive Downloadable Books Clinics

Monday, October 1
2:15PM – 3:15PM

and

Friday, October 5
11:30AM – 12:30PM

No RSVP is required – just come to our classroom (lower level, room 11) and we’ll be there to lend you a helping hand! If you bring your device with you we can help you with the initial set-up or troubleshoot any problems you’ve been having. We hope to see you there.

Database of the Month: Morningstar

Kimberly

Many of you may have used this database to retrieve a company’s annual report, but Morningstar Investment Research Center offers so much more than that!

Morningstar covers all stocks traded on the NYSE, NASDAQ, and AMEX, and nearly 14,000 mutual funds – nearly 20,000 securities in all. Morningstar Investment Research Center contains powerful screener tools and detailed financial information on stocks, funds, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), analyst reports for 1,000 stocks and 2,000 funds including buy and sell directions, market sector and industry reports, portfolio management tools, and more.

To learn about this database, the new Tutorial Section provides 8 excellent 2 to 4 minutes clips which introduce you to navigating the database content and using the screening and graphing tools.

In addition, Morningstar offers online self-paced training on investment topics such as Stocks, Funds, Portfolio and Bonds with various content levels from 100 to 500 on these topics.

Learn More

Visit Morningstar’s Investing Classroom (available under the Help & Education area) to discover what additional topics are offered.

Connect to this Database

Please visit  Morningstar Investment Research Center to explore the database further.   You may also access library databases via our Databases A-Z and Databases by Subject pages.

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Database of the Month provides a very brief introduction to an important research database, highlighting key features of the database that you should know about. If you would like more information about this database (or any of the library’s databases) please Ask a Librarian.  If you would like a demonstration of this database for a class, please contact our Coordinator of User Education, Elizabeth Galoozis.

Study Room Reservation System Issue Affecting Some Students

Lisa 2 Comments

A technical problem with the group study room reservation system is affecting  a small group of students. If you are unable to log-in to the online reservation system please let us know! Contact Library Services at 781.891.2168 or libraryservices@bentley.edu with your name and student ID number and they will fix your account. We apologize for the inconvenience.

New Books & DVDs for August

Lisa

Check out our book, popular reading, DVD and audiobook acquisitions for the month of August. Go to our New Books & DVDs page to browse by subject or format.   If you find something you want, simply hit the “Request” button to place a hold on it.

Sharpen Your Skills at the ESOL Center & Writing Center

Lisa

Tutors at the ESOL Center (English for Speakers of Other Languages) and the Writing Center have the knowledge, experience and expertise to help you improve your writing skills.  Although the centers don’t officially open their doors until next week, they are already accepting appointments online via their websites.

ESOL Center – Opens September 10

Looking for help with writing, presentations, pronunciation and conversation enrichment? Come to the ESOL Center. Bentley University students whose home language is not English are invited to take advantage of the free tutorial services offered by Bentley’s ESOL Center.  Students can schedule an appointment online,  call 781.891.2021 to make an appointment, or drop in to see if a faculty tutor is available.  Hours of operation:

  • Monday: 10:00AM – 8:00PM 8:30PM [revised 9/11/2012]
  • Tuesday: 10:00AM – 6:30PM
  • Wednesday: 10:00AM – 8:30PM
  • Thursday: 10:00AM – 9:30PM
  • Friday: 10:00AM – 2:00PM

 Writing Center – Opens September 12

Writing Center staff are available to provide one-to-one assistance with writing skills. Students can drop in during open hours, schedule an appointment online, or call 781.891.3173 to make an appointment. Hours of operation:

  • Monday-Thursday: 10:00AM – 10:00PM
  • Friday: 10:00AM – 2:00PM
  • Sunday: 6:00PM – 10:00PM

Start the semester off right by utilizing these valuable these resources. Both centers are located on the lower level of the library.