Jean Ping
It's spooky season, and the library is here for you with plenty of thrills, horror, and mystery. Whether you are in the mood for a modern writer, a classic chiller, or a graphic novel, you can find it at the library! Come on in and grab some peril to enjoy, or browse through our collection of scary reads to find something you'd like. We've also got some good spooky ebooks, including such great titles as the nightmarish Mexican Gothic or Max Brooks' Devolution.
Rachel Arteaga
The library is excited to announce our new staff member. I'll let Michael introduce himself:
Hey there! My name is Michael Zenkus. I'm a Library Technician here at Butte College. I get to oversee circulation, reserves and supervise our great student workers. I’ve been working in libraries for over 4 years now. I just recently graduated with my bachelor's in history. I’m a firm believer that libraries are necessary to ensure student success by providing students with accessible books, computers, and other resources. When I’m not at work I’m either writing short stories, hiking, camping, or reading a book beside my dog, Norman. Feel free to stop by and say hi (or just ramble about history with me) at LB 212.
When we began to put together our display for LGBTQIA+ History Month we discovered that many well known children's authors and illustrators were queer. And because so many of the images are iconic and nostalgic we thought it was time for another library zine. Designed to look like an artist's notebook, I Wonder If We Are Brave: Queer Authors of Magical Children’s Literature, includes short biographies and plenty of visuals from some of the most beloved children's authors and illustrators. These include Arnold Lobel, Louisa May Alcott, Maurice Sendak and more. Drop by the library to pick up a copy of the zine in print. We also have a corresponding display with many of the books referenced in the zine. An accessible version of the zine can be viewed online. The zine was written by Jean Ping and designed by Rachel Arteaga.
Jean Ping
We're living large in October at the library with two new events! Banned Books Week, October 1 - 7, is going on right now. Come in to the library and grab an offensive book for yourself while you take a look at some of the latest news -- and there is a lot of news! 2022 was a record year in book challenges and bans in the US, with a stunning 2,571 unique titles targeted for removal from schools or public libraries, and 2023 looks set to break that record. We're seeing activists trying to actually shut down their communities' public libraries rather than see any books with LGBT+ or racial themes allowed on the shelves. Banned Books Week, an event that draws attention to censorship and celebrates our freedom to think, read, and write what we want, is more important than ever, and we invite you to participate. Read a book, grab some swag from the library, and check out our online guide to learn about the dangers of censorship and why it always needs to be fought.
This graph does not include 2023 data, which so far is showing a 20% increase.
October is also LGBT History Month! Founded in 1994 and meant to focus on the achievements of LGBT+ people throughout history, this is an event celebrated through many countries, not just the US. The library will have a display of books about queer history, so come on in and check out a book. We'll also have a couple of special side displays; because YA novels with LGBT+ themes are also the main targets of the current tsunami of book challenges, we'll have a whole lot of those available for you to take home and enjoy. And, we've got a nice pile of classic children's literature written by LGBT authors; keep an eye out for our zine highlighting some of your favorite stories from childhood, and take a storybook with you. You can also peruse the library's curated collection of books or our online guide to LGBTQ+ Resources at the Library at any time!
From Oakland Museum of California's collection of political posters. Too Much Graphics 1978. Small inscription reads
"The pink triangle was used to identify the thousands of gay people who died in concentration camps in Nazi Germany."
It's midterm time and that means instructors are assigning research papers. The Library offers a lot of resources for your research! Please come on in and ask us questions. We love research questions! You can also use our 24/7 live chat to ask questions -- it's right on our home page.
We also have a lot of helpful research resources right on our website, which will walk you through the research process in a detailed way, with short videos illustrating the process. Try one or more of these:
Here's a sample video to show you the kind of videos the Library makes. This one is about narrowing down a research topic.