Celebrating Our Freedom to Read

Many libraries, including the Al Harris Library, will be celebrating Banned Books Week and the freedom to read during the week of September 22-28. Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States.  For more information on banned and challenged books, go to the American Library Association's web page on Banned and Challenged Books. 

Come to the Al Harris Library and see our display of just some of the hundreds of books that are banned or challenged in the United States each year.  Let's  celebrate our freedom to read! 

Celebrating William Faulkner

Nobel Prize winning American author William Faulkner was born on September 24, 1897. This year we honor the 116th anniversary of his birth by paying tribute to his artistry as an award-winning author, teacher, and Southern gentleman.

During the years of 1957 and 1958, Faulkner served two terms as Balch Writer-in-Residence at the University of Virginia. Tapes of his lectures were recorded by two member of UVA's English department. With Faulkner's consent, the professors kept an audio record of the lectures. The result is our gain since we have access to this audio archive through a site called Faulkner at Virginia. In addition to the audio archive, the site includes essays, news articles, photographs, and other interesting materials related to the work of this great American author. All of these resources are available for exploration.

Take a look at the book on the display, Ledgers of History: William Faulkner, an Almost Forgotten Friendship, and an Antebellum Plantation Diary, written by Sally Wolffe.  Wolffe's book details a special friendship of Faulkner's with a fellow Mississippian named Dr. Edgar Wiggin Francisco, Jr. Dr. Francisco shared with his friend the content of the diaries of his great, great, grandfather, a pre-Civil War era plantation owner.  It is believed that significant ideas and characterizations from these diaries were used as source material for Faulkner's novels and short stories.

Take a look at the works of William Faulkner and appreciate his monumental genius and creative artistry.

National Hispanic Heritage Month

Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988.

The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18. Also, Columbus Day or Día de la Raza, which is October 12, falls within this 30-day period.

Take a look at the collection of books written by Hispanic authors that are part of the display.  Find something to read and enjoy as part of this celebration.

Information Creation!

SWOSU Libraries is dedicated to providing our patrons with the best information available, but a library is not just about providing information, a library should also strive to help patrons produce their own creative and scholarly content.

To this end we have a number of digital cameras, video cameras, audio recorders, webcams and other equipment available to facilitate this goal. The devices in this display are available for check out. 

Just ask for assistance at the circulation desk!

In our media creation room we have many other devices that can be used within the library. These range from state of the art to the hard to find! This equipment includes: A flatbed scanner, a digitization scanner, 2 VHS to DVD recorders, a CD duplication unit, LP Record to CD recorders, Audio Cassette duplicators, and a typewriter.

If you are interested in creating a more involved media project requiring HD video creation or green screen photography, make an appointment for a session in our new Media Studio, located in the basement level of the Al Harris Library! 

Make an appointment to use the SWOSU Libraries Media Studio!