EIU Booth Library

Students: Enter our research competition! DEADLINE EXTENDED!

Posted on February 4th, 2020

EIU students who have used Booth Library resources to enhance their research are encouraged to enter the library’s Awards for Excellence in Student Research and Creativity program.

The program is open to all EIU students who are/were enrolled during the current academic year. Cash prizes will be awarded.

The student entry may be a written work, art piece, exhibit, musical work, documentary, performance or another format.

The 2020 guidelines can be found on Booth Library’s website at https://library.eiu.edu/awardsforexcellence/. All entries must be submitted electronically through EIU’s scholarship portal, https://eiu.academicworks.com/.

THE DEADLINE TO ENTER IS APRIL 1. Works submitted for competition must have been completed within the last 12 months.

Selected entries will become a part of Booth Library’s Student Research and Creativity Collection.

For more information email library@eiu.edu or call 217-581-6061.

Library tours to be offered

Posted on January 8th, 2020

Eastern students, faculty and staff members are encouraged to take a tour of Booth Library and find out what the library has to offer.

Twenty-minute tours will be offered regularly during the first four weeks of the semester. There’s no need to sign up; just come to the Research Help desk on the north end of the library to join in any of the tours Monday through Thursday. Tours will be offered at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Jan. 13 through Feb. 6. The library will be closed on Jan. 20 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Tours are also offered by appointment. Contact a research help librarian at 581-6072 to schedule a tour.

Finals Week activities at Booth!

Posted on December 3rd, 2019

As the end of the semester nears, Booth Library staff members are planning many activities to help students focus, relax and succeed. Extended hours will be offered, and a variety of stress busters are planned.

The library will offer seven days of extended hours leading up to and during Finals Week this semester. Extended hours will be offered from Dec. 4-10. The library will be open from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. Dec. 4-5; from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Dec. 6; 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Dec. 7; noon to 1 a.m. Dec. 8; and 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. Dec. 9-10.

While you’re at Booth, let your friends and families know how you’re preparing for final exams by sending them a “Don’t worry, I’m at Booth Library!” postcard. Students are encouraged to fill out and address a postcard, then place it in the mailbox. Your friends at Booth Library will mail it for you!

Many other activities will be offered to help students destress. On Dec. 9-10, members of All Things Pawsitive will bring certified therapy dogs to greet students from 2-6 p.m. in the library’s South Lobby.

The EIU Mindfulness Club will offer special sessions to help students alleviate stress, reduce anxiety and strengthen focus. These sessions will be offered in the library’s Edgar Room at 6 p.m. Dec. 8 and two sessions, at 6 p.m. and at 6:30 p.m., on Dec. 9-10.

Beginning Dec. 5, mad-libs, coloring pages and Sudoku puzzles will be available to take and complete on your own. At 6 p.m. Dec. 9, free popcorn and lemonade will be served to students while supplies last.

All activities and refreshments are free.

Speaker from Quebec to visit EIU

Posted on November 4th, 2019

Martin Dionne, Quebec Public & Government Affairs Officer in Chicago, is coming to EIU to give a presentation, “Opportunities in Business & Technology in Quebec,” at Lumpkin Hall’s Roberson Auditorium (2030). This talk will be from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 6. This event is free and open to the public.

Mr. Dionne started his term as Public & Governmental Affairs Officer on Oct. 9, 2017. Prior to this appointment, he held the position of Advisor at the Minister of International Relations and La Francophonie from June 2014.

He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Economy and Politics and a master’s degree in International Relations. He has worked for the National Assembly of Quebec, the Ministry of Health and Social Services and the Ministry of Native Affairs.

While at EIU, Mr. Dionne will take a tour of the EIU campus and Booth Library. He will hold discussions with the Office of International Students and Scholars, World Languages faculty, and Career Services. Dionne will meet with MBA and other graduate students at Lumpkin 2121 from 3 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. He will also talk to Blair Watson’s French 2201 and French for Business classes.

His visit to EIU was organized by Booth Library’s Bradley Tolppanen; Austin Cheney, Dean of Lumpkin College of Business & Technology; and Blair Watson, World Languages and Cultures. Last year, Booth Library received a grant from the Quebec/U.S. University Grant Program to improve library materials related to the study of Quebec and its culture.

Author to speak about disability and inclusivity

Posted on October 31st, 2019

Shane Burcaw, author, blogger, and entrepreneur, and his fiancée, Hannah Aylward, will visit EIU to talk about disability and inclusivity from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Nov. 4 at   the Buzzard Auditorium.

Burcaw, author of “Laughing at My Nightmare,” “Not So Different: What You Really Want to Ask About Having a Disability,” and “Strangers Assume My Girlfriend is My Nurse,” lives with Spinal Muscular Atrophy and is coming to share his message and experiences.

Burcaw grew up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Moravian College with an English degree. In 2011, he started his blog, Laughing at My Nightmare, and uses humor to address his struggles.

He also started a nonprofit organization with his cousin to help those living with muscular atrophy. His fiancée and he have a YouTube channel called Squirmy and Grubs, showing their lives as an interabled couple.

Burcaw’s talk is free and open to the public. The event has been organized by Michele McDaniel, coordinator of the Ballenger Teachers Center at Booth Library, and Dr. Christina Edmonds-Behrend, professor of special education.

Moon exhibit on display at Lake Land

Posted on October 29th, 2019

“On the Shoulders of Giants: The Moon and Beyond,” an exhibit commemorating the 50^th anniversary of the moon landing, as well as examining current and future space exploration, will be on display at the Lake Land College Library from Nov. 7 through Dec. 2. The exhibit was curated at Booth Library on the campus of Eastern Illinois University.

“On the Shoulders of Giants” will include a look at Apollo 11 and other Apollo missions; Astronauts who Walked on the Moon; Women in Space; Space and Literature, Movies, and TV; and more. These exhibits will contain details of the Apollo 11 mission and how other Apollo missions were different in their objectives; how women contributed to space exploration, including the first woman launched into space in 1963; and the stories and details of the 12 astronauts who had the opportunity to walk on the moon.

For more information on “On the Shoulders of Giants,” visit https://library.eiu.edu/exhibits/space/.

Game Nights planned Oct. 21 and 23

Posted on October 18th, 2019

Booth Library and the EIU Gamers’ Guild will host a Game Night event at 7 p.m. on both Oct. 21 and Oct. 23 in the library’s Atrium.

A large selection of board games and card games, such as Monopoly, Catan, Betrayal at House on the Hill, Connect Four and Life, will be available to play. The Gamers Guild is also offering the classic game of Dungeons and Dragons for beginning players or those who are curious to try it out. This event is a great opportunity to talk to EIU’s best gamers and connect with them over gaming.

This event is free and open to the public. Game Night is planned in conjunction with EIU’s Homecoming Week, Oct. 21-26, with the theme of “Game On.”

Fall exhibit focuses on health care reform

Posted on September 16th, 2019

“For All the People: A Century of Citizen Action in Health Care Reform,” an exhibit that celebrates the citizen groups that have tried to make quality health care accessible to all, is on display at Booth Library through Nov. 2, 2019.

Health care reform has been a political issue for over a hundred years, according to the National Library of Medicine. In the early 20^th century, the influx of industrialization, immigration and poor health conditions created a national concern. Health care reform has inspired citizen groups like farmers or activists in changing the shape of health care discourse.

Citizen activist groups have fought against all different types of discrimination in health care. For example, women have fought for the right to decide what is right for their own bodies, creating feminist health clinics. Civil rights organizations have also fought to combat infant mortality rates in African American communities and racial discrimination in the American health care system.

This exhibit shows the historical impact that U.S. citizens have had in the fight for national health care. This exhibit also brings awareness to the role of citizens in the debate for health care. A variety of topics will be covered such as abortion reform and the HIV crisis.

This exhibition was developed and produced by the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.

The exhibit is free and open to the public. For more information, visit https://library.eiu.edu/exhibits/forallthepeople/.

Fall Book Sale set Sept. 25

Posted on September 13th, 2019

Booth Library will host its Fall Book Sale from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 25 outside the south entrance of the library.

A large selection of books in all subject areas and hundreds of paperback fiction titles will be available for purchase. No patrons will be allowed to browse or purchase items prior to the 9 a.m. start time.

All items have been donated by the campus and local communities. The proceeds from the sale are used to enhance library programs and services.

In case of inclement weather, the sale will be postponed. For the latest information on scheduling, check the library website, www.library.eiu.edu, or find Booth Library on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Share your six words as part of Race Card Project

Posted on August 28th, 2019

How would you describe your thoughts or experiences about race in only six words?

The EIU community will be invited to share their “six words” as part of The Race Card Project^TM at Booth Library. The program is sponsored by Making Excellence Inclusive, the Office of Inclusion and Academic Engagement, and the Pine Honors College.

The nationally acclaimed Race Card Project, which began in 2010, encourages people to condense their observations and experiences about race into one sentence with just six words.

“Though most social scientists would argue that race is a social construct and therefore not real, many individuals who are a member of particular ‘races’ experience life differently because of their race,” said Catherine Polydore, associate professor in the Department of Counseling and Higher Education and the chair of the MEI team at EIU.

“Often this difference is experienced as oppressive. Therefore, for those individuals, race is very real,” she said. “Yet, race is an issue that many tiptoe around because of the emotions that discussions of race may evoke.”

Patrons are encouraged to share their “six words” on provided comment cards and post them on the wall in the library’s Marvin Foyer from Sept. 3 through Oct. 11. The official kickoff will be at 4 p.m. Sept. 3, in conjunction with EIU’s commemoration of the 400th, a series of events evaluating the impact of slavery in America.

“Booth Library is proud to serve as the site for such an important conversation here at EIU,” said Zach Newell, dean of Library Services. “It’s vital as a diverse and inclusive campus to encourage all voices to be heard.”

Polydore agreed. “As an institution of higher learning, it is important that we create spaces for conversations or expressions that may not be addressed in other spaces because of those fears. This project is a way to create that space in a passive yet visually powerful way, because of its visibility and anonymity.

“By addressing the elephant in the room, we can begin to make small steps toward a world where race ceases to be,” Polydore said.

For more information about The Race Card Project at EIU, contact Polydore at 217-581-7237 or cpolydore@eiu.edu; Richard England, dean of the Pine Honors College, at 217-581-2017 or rengland@eiu.edu; or Zach Newell, dean of Library Services, at 217-581-6061 or znewell@eiu.edu.

For more information about the national Race Card Project, visit https://theracecardproject.com/.