Tech Suggestions from @ChristopherBell

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Library and Tech News, May 19, 2023

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Library and Tech News, May 12, 2023

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Library and Tech Updates, Jan. 14, 2021

Great Time to Grab a Book!

Hopefully you all had a wonderful Winter Holiday. We are getting back into the swing of things and came back to a deep cleaned air conditioners and Main Library. Things are ready to welcome everyone back to campus (fingers crossed). I also arrived to find that many of the books we had ordered before break arrived while we were away. It is a great time to stop into the library and pick up a new book if you didn’t get one before break or finished that one you grabbed.  

It was a great reading break for me. Choosing to stay in Thailand meant no travel times and loads of time to read and relax. I read 3 books over break and all of them have their merits.  Here is a short summary:

The Disappearing Act – by Catherine Steadman

A riviting, face-paced book about a young rising actress who’s life has just had a turn and she is trying to throw herself into her work to get away from things at home. She heads to L.A., Hollywood, to audition for some amazing parts. While nothing is easy, she inadvertantly falls into what could be a kidnapping, rape, murder, all three, or just a coincidence. In this this whirlwind novel, the characters drive a story that is full of clues. Enjoy this mystery.

 

Devolution by Max Brooks

This book is an emotional rollercoaster of a read. We start out with a dystopic event on the West Coast of the United States. Things are getting desparate. There are pockets of people who are stranded and have to begin their lives anew with much less.  They also have to learn to trust each other. Added to this, is the story of a Yeti from the region (you might know him as BigFoot). I can’t say much more as this was a quick read. However, each page I turned changed my emtions from fun, exciting, angering, and relieving, to now I don’t know what think. Try something new and give this book a shot.

 

Bewilderment by Richard Powers

I picked this up right before I left because Powers’ story The Overstory was beautifully written and I really do enjoy and well written book. This was no disappointment. A father, who is a scientist, must care for his son who is very high functioning yet not like all the other kids. He needs attention. As we read through the magical ways this father and son connect some strange links to the scientific work the father does come to life.  This is a story that will make you laugh and cry. It takes you on a thousand journey’s and shows you some insight into the relationship that can be built between a man and his son.

Welcome back and best of luck to you all in the new year.

Warmest Regards,

The Main Library Staff

 

 

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Library and Tech Updates, Oct. 8, 2021

Strengthening Our Voices

In ‘Library School’ we always learn and are encouraged to protect the freedom of speech.  I think we do a pretty good job at ISB.  In the Main Library, we always try to be balanced in the things we support and advertising.  That being said, there is always room to improve.  We continue to search for books with diverse characters, ideas, and messages.  While we don’t expect everyone to listen to everything everyone has to say, tolerance is the bigger message.  An example of this is, that we may not agree with all the books on our shelves in our library personally, however, we do make sure we are fair in filling requests. 

In the United States, libraries have always been considered a place of freedom.  Even public libraries are an extension of that by offering books to all and providing spaces, and training for varied groups. Oftentimes, you will find them promoting a cause, a site for voting, or even a launch point for a protest. They are public spaces and protect the first amendment rights of all Americans.  

To that end, Ms. Kehe this week shared with me a source I had not seen called Newsueumed.org.  This is a site sponsored by FreedomForum.  A group whose mission is to protect all of the First Amendment Rights. Again while we do not agree with everything that this organization or their site promotes, we really did like the news idea.  They have taken a bunch of newspaper articles from the United States where the freedom of speech has been challenged and offer the article up for you to make your own decision.  Here is a link to their site where they bring together information, articles, and videos that challenge the freedom of speech.  

 

Requests for Books, if you are Off-Campus, is Still Available

A reminder is that parents are welcome to check out books too. Our system for checking out books is still available through our Request a Book Form and the books are then processed and put out front for you to pick up.  

 

Bell’s Book Recommendation:

Breath by James Nestor 

Thought it had been a while since I recommended a Non-Fiction book so here goes.  I have been reading about how important our breath is for life.  While the easy answer is, without air we die, how we breathe is also very important.  This book by James Nestor digs into the ways we do and don’t breathe all the way back to our early cave-dwelling ancestors.  Interestingly the way we breathe can reshape our mouth and nasal passages.  I liked this book because as I was reading I found myself trying the breathing techniques and noticed some really interesting differences in myself. It also helped make me aware of my own breath and how important it is as well as how we can leverage it to help us deal with life.  A great read and something for the beach for sure. 

 

Have a great break everyone.

The Library Staff

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