Library Buzzz

September 26−October 3, 2009

Censorship: A change in the access status of material, based on the content of the work and made by a governing authority or its representatives. Such changes include exclusion, restriction, removal, or age/grade level changes.

“Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.” —Article 3, Library Bill of Rights

Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Intellectual freedom—the freedom to access information and express ideas, even if the information and ideas might be considered controversial, unorthodox or unpopular— is a core value of the library profession. BBW stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of controversial, unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints for all who wish to read and access them.

Banned Books Week is sponsored by the American Booksellers Association; American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression; the American Library Association; American Society of Journalists and Authors; Association of American Publishers; and the National Association of College Stores. It is endorsed by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress.

The University Writing Center will again offer evening tutoring in the Library. The hours for fall 2009 are 6:00pm-9:00pm Mondays and Tuesdays and 6:00pm-8:00pm Wednesdays and Thursdays.  Sessions are held in Library 3501A.  Make your appointments through the Writing Center:  writingcenter@csus.edu

Follow the progress of the Charter Review Committee as it readies revisions for voter approval in 2010.

The Charter Review Committee , established by the City Council in February 2009, is working on possible revisions to the City Charter.  Revisions will be voted on by residences of the City on June 8, 2010. Read a brief history of the Charter from its inception to the present, see below. 

The Library has books describing the history of Sacramento, the City, County and surrounding area as well as books on the governmental organization of cities and towns and mayoral duties, responsibilities and styles of governance.  Use the Library online catalog EUREKA to locate the call numbers for these books. [more...]

Starting next week (June 24) there is a new exhibit on Abraham Lincoln opening at the California Museum at 10th and O Street downtown.  Sacramento is the first stop after the exhibit leaves the Library of Congress and will be the only stop in California.  It will only be in Sacramento until August 22, so don’t put off your visit.  Fun fact:  the contents of Lincoln’s pockets on the night he was assassinated will be on display!

Become part of a special summer community FREE forum on global climate change held at the SMUD auditorum on Monday June 22, doors open at 6:00 p.m.  Discussed will be possible actions to manage the serious threats of global climate change to health, the environment and the economy of the United States and the world.  A documentary Climate Change will begin at 6:15 p.m. to run about a half hour.  The forum begins at 7:00 p.m.  A panel of experts will discuss the impacts and actions.  Click here to see the flyer with all the details.

For the second weekend in a row the University Library will be closed! Not to worry, starting the weekend of June 6th, the Library will be open 8 am - 5 pm on Saturday (but closed Sundays).

Here is a list of things to fill your time while we’re closed May 30 and 31st.

1. Go the Sacramento Public Library branch nearest you for free Internet access.
2. Go to one of the many coffee shops in Sacramento offering free wi-fi access. Hint: Try a Tupelo, Java City, or Panera location nearest you.
3. Take a trip to the beach! Paradise Beach on the American River, just down the levee from campus, is recommended by two out of three librarians for its beautiful sand dunes. Remember to wear protective gear if you choose to swim.
4. Visit one of the many fine California State Parks in the region before they’re closed due to state budgetary woes. Fort Sutter, for example, is both close and free!
5. Stop by a local used bookstore such as the Avid Reader to find a dusty tome to take home.
6. Pick up some fresh fruits and veggies at a local farmer’s market.
7. Take a weekend getaway to San Francisco. There are too many possibilities to list here!
8. Picnic at the Rancho Seco Recreational Area. Go to see the abandoned nuclear facilities stay for the fishing.
9. Watch a thunderstorm in the Sierras.
10. Enjoy some football (that’s soccer to some of us). Reza recommends the FA Cup final between Chelsea and Everton.

And it’s Bigger and Better than last year!

When? May 11-15 and 18-19 from 1:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Where? Library Lobby

This year, the zone features a poetry composition wall, paper airplane building station, and, on the Lower Level, short films and cartoons in room 0136. As with last year, Alicia Patrice, a certified yoga instructor, will offer free relaxation sessions in the Library Art Gallery on Monday and Wednesday, May 11 and 13, at 1:30.

Delineated by theater ropes and a tikki hut, this year’s Stress-Free Zone will be in the Browsing Section of the Library Lobby, between the Circulation Desk and the Art Gallery. This alcove contains comfy chairs, the Library’s newest books, and cards, games, and puzzles to take students’ minds off their finals for a short time. Once again, bubble-wrap will be on hand for stress-reducing popping. The Zone will available from 1:00 to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, May 11-15, and Monday through Tuesday, May 18-19.

We’ve added a little programming, too. A Dramatic Poetry Reading, featuring Sacramento State theatre students, will take place at 3:00 on Tuesday, May 12, and on Thursday afternoon (TBA) May 14, there will be a special “escape to childhood” storytime presented by the Cat in the Hat (a Sacramento State alumna and local librarian).

There will still be plenty of quiet study space upstairs and on the lower level - the University Library just wanted to offer an alternative for students needing a study break.

ALOHA!

News report on the swine flu got you curious about flu symptoms? Maybe you want to know how flu spreads?  An authoritative web site from the National Library of Medicine includes information and a video concerning the swine flu, precautions, symptoms, and advice.  Information is located on the Medline Plus database and is sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/swineflu.html

The state of California is running a special election on Tuesday, May 19, 2009.  Six iniatitives are on the ballot, 1-A through 1-F. The last day to register to vote for this election is MONDAY, MAY 4, 2009.

Click the titles below to see videos explaining each iniatitive. The Easy Voter Guide is also online at:  http://lwvc.convio.net/site/DocServer/EVG-May09-EngWeb.pdf?docID=582  The Library has paper copies of the Guide on the main floor near the Circulation Desk.

Proposition 1A State Budget

Proposition 1B Public Education  Spending 

Proposition 1C California State Lottery  

Proposition 1D Transfer of Child Development Funds 

Proposition 1E Transfer of Mental Health Funds 

Proposition 1F Pay Raises for State Officials

Please vote on May 19.

Eileen, Reference Librarian

Yes, it’s here already! This Sunday (March 8th) is the start of Daylight Saving Time. Once again it’ll be time to move all those pesky old-fashioned clocks ahead one hour (I love how cellphones and computers automatically change).

Next week you may want to wary of believing strange clocks. For example, the majority of clocks in the Sac State Library do automatically change themselves every time Daylight Saving Time rolls around. However, there are stragglers which require manual resetting (which won’t be done by Monday) and we don’t want anybody to be late for class or other appointments.

Each spring, when I’m forced to give up an hour of sleep for Daylight Saving, I wonder who came up with the idea for this system. Well, we have the perfect book - Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time by Michael Downing - to answer my question. The book is almost 200 pages long, so it’s not exactly a short, straightforward tale. The one big spoiler I’ll give you from the book is that DST was not created at the behest of farmers. So let’s layoff blaming them this time around.