Comments Off on Banned Books Week, Sept. 23-30

By Scott Pfitzinger, September 21, 2006 8:46 am

Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read is observed
during the last week of September each year. This year it is from Sept.
23 – 30. Observed since 1982, the annual event reminds Americans
not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted.

Banned Books Week (BBW) celebrates the freedom to choose or the
freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be
considered unorthodox or unpopular. It stresses the importance of
ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints
to all who wish to read them. After all, intellectual freedom can exist
only where these two essential conditions are met.

Between 1990 and 2000, of the 6,364 challenges reported to or recorded by the Office for Intellectual Freedom:

• 1,607 were challenges to “sexually explicit” material (up 161 since 1999)
• 1,427 to material considered to use “offensive language” (up 165 since 1999)
• 1,256 to material considered “unsuited to age group” (up 89 since 1999)
• 842 to material with an “occult theme or promoting the occult or Satanism” (up 69 since 1999)
• 737 to material considered to be “violent” (up 107 since 1999)
• 515 to material with a homosexual theme or “promoting homosexuality” (up 18 since 1999)
• 419 to material “promoting a religious viewpoint” (up 22 since 1999)
• 317 to material involving “nudity” (up 20 since 1999)
• 267 to material involving “racism” (up 22 since 1999)
• 224 to material involving “sex education” (up 7 since 1999)
• 202 to material considered to be “anti-family” (up 9 since 1999)

Links

Proclamation from the Butler Libraries
Quotes relating to Banned Books Week

Challenged and Banned Books
The Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2005
The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000
What’s the Difference Between Challenged and Banned?
Google Book Search’s Banned Books Page

American Library Association (ALA)’s Banned Books Week page
American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression

Comments Off on Scanner Available in Reference Dept.

By Scott Pfitzinger, September 19, 2006 6:56 pm

The Reference Department in Irwin Library now has a flatbed scanner available for your use. It is connected to the lab computers on the end of the row opposite the printers. It is labeled Multimedia Station. This is the same computer that has the CHOICES III database and is on a wheelchair-accessible table.

Instructions for using the scanner are available at the workstation and you are also welcome to ask at the Reference Desk.

Comments Off on More Computers in Reference Dept.

By Scott Pfitzinger, September 18, 2006 9:21 am

The computer lab in the Reference Department of Irwin Library has finished its reconstruction!

Reference shelving has been moved, new computer tables have been added, new wiring systems have been installed, a new switch has been added to increase our wired network connectivity, and now we’ve added additional computers. That brings the number of lab computers available in the Reference Department up to 25! With an additional three computers on the first floor that are specially designated for groups. And six other computers located throughout the other floors of Irwin Library.

All these computers still print to IL_120_1, which is the pair of printers in the Reference Department.

Comments Off on Reference Books and Shelving Moved

By Scott Pfitzinger, September 5, 2006 11:54 am

The books on the shelves in the Reference Department are all back up and ready for your use. The shelves have been moved and the books have been rearranged, so please take a minute to familiarize yourself with where things are now.

The shelf labels on the ends of the bookshelves are accurate, so you can easily find the materials you need. If you have any questions or problems finding anything, please ask at the Reference Desk.

Comments Off on Group Computer Workstations

By Scott Pfitzinger, August 30, 2006 11:48 am

There are now three separate group workstations available in Irwin Library. The purpose of these is to give groups of 2, 3, 4, or more some space to work together on projects at a lab computer while still having desk space available. These workstations are set apart from the regular “lab” computers to help isolate discussion noise and to allow groups to focus more on their projects.

Two of these group workstations are in the Current Periodicals area of Irwin Library (the southwest corner of the main floor) and one is in the back of the Reference Department, behind the lab computers. These computers will still print to the printers in the Reference Department.

Preference will be given to groups over individuals in using these computers.