This month the Library celebrates Banned Books Week by featuring a month-long display of titles that have been challenged or banned. We’ll also be highlighting stories about banned books and authors whose works have been banned on our Facebook page, so be sure to check that out. If you want to be part of our 2016 Banned Books poster, visit the library to get your photo taken with the banned book of your choice.

Banned Books Week closes out the month and after that we’ll be rolling into Horrorween, but until then we’ll see you in the stacks!

We’ve hit the doldrums of summer and things are pretty quiet both in the Library and on campus in general, but that just means it’s a great time to catch up on your reading. Our budget year may have closed in June but we still have a lot of great new items trickling in, so be sure to check out our display of new books and see what the librarians are recommending this month.

July is also a great time for us to gear up for the Fall, and we can tell you now that we’re planning a lot of exciting things for Banned Books week that we can’t wait to share with you. Until then, however, we’ll see you in the stacks!

This month we celebrate the return of Indiana June by featuring daily postings about archaeology on our Facebook page as a lead up to our fabulous Murder and Monkey Brains event on June 15th. Join us at 1 p.m. in the small auditorium (A1058) for a brief talk by Professor Scott Matthews on the Indian stereotypes used in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom followed by a free screening of the film.

Starting June 26th, we’ll also be celebrating Shark Week, so be sure to stop by the Library to check out our collection of shark’s teeth and books and DVDs on sharks.

You may have noticed a little moving and shaking going on in the Library this month. We’re in the process of incorporating our biography collection into the general collection, which means we have to move all the books. Why is this good news for you? At the same time we shift books we weed them to remove outdated items, which means we’ll be filling up the freebie cart.

We look forward to seeing you at this month’s events! Until next time, we’ll see you in the stacks!

After the whirlwind that was National Poetry Month (virtual and actual poetry slams! daily poetry features! a bilingual poetry reading!), we’re spending May catching our breath as we close out our budget. Naturally, the end of the budget year means lots of extra goodies on our new release shelves, so we hope you’ll take advantage of the opportunity and stop by. As things come in, things must go out, so we’re also doing a lot of weeding in our collection, which means that the freebie cart is overflowing.

Beginning with the Summer term, there will be some changes in the Library – most notably the back door to the Library (the one nearest the 2200s) will be closed. We’ve had a lot of requests from students to make the Library into a quieter space, and after some deliberation we decided that closing that door and removing the cut-through traffic was the best way to ensure students have the quiet they need in order to study. You’ll still be able to access the Library through the main double doors by the Circulation desk. Upstairs in the Learning Commons, the double doors on the west end will be opened up to give easier access to the restrooms on that side of the building. (Another student request!)

Please let us know what you think of these changes, and if you have any additional suggestions. Next month we look forward to the return of Indiana Junes, but until then we’ll see you in the stacks!

It’s April in the Library, which means we’re once again celebrating National Poetry Month. Stop by the Library and share your favorite poem with us (it can be one you’ve written or something by someone else) for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card.

We’re also working with Student Life to co-sponsor a poetry slam featuring FSCJ alumna Alisha Lockley at the end of the month. Alisha is a former TEDxFSCJ speaker and active in the local spoken word community. Come out to see her Thursday, April 28 from 2:30-4:00 or to take the mic yourself.

In the meantime, be sure to follow our Facebook page or keep an eye on the whiteboard outside the front doors of the Library to see what poems we’re featuring each day. (Remember, if you suggest one, you have a chance to win that gift card!) We’ve also got a display of poetry books and DVDs you can browse through if our enthusiasm has managed to peak your interest at all.

We hope you have as much fun with Poetry Month as we do. Until next month, we’ll see you in the stacks!

This March we’re all about the College-wide read of the Bosnia List, which we’re celebrating with a display of books featuring information and stories about immigrants and refugees. We’re also celebrating the many places from which students, staff, and faculty have come to become part of FSCJ’s One College. Stop by the Library before the end of the month to put a dot on the map to indicate where you’re from. You can also help us built a basket for a local refugee family by donating one of the items off our checklist.

This month we’re also calling for submissions for an art show we hope to host in April (National Poetry Month!) featuring pieces inspired by poetry or which incorporate text. Details and submission forms are located in the Library (A2102).

Next month we’ll be kicking off National Poetry Month, which is one of our favorite times of year. We’ll be co-hosting a poetry slam, producing a video of bilingual poetry readings, and as always featuring a poem a day. If you would like to participate, be sure to contact us at downtowncampuslibrary@fscj.edu.

And finally, don’t forget Spring Break is coming up this month – be sure to stop by and check out plenty of reading or viewing material to get you through.

Until next month, we’ll see you in the stacks!

This month we’re asking you to break our hearts by giving us a little honest feedback about what we in the Library and Learning Commons can do better. Stop by the LLC before February 14th to complete our survey and we’ll give you a (chocolate) kiss.

This month also marks the start of Chinese New Year, which is celebrated from February 7th through February 14th. Stop by the Library to check out our display of books about China and its history and discover what your Chinese zodiac sign is. You can also follow us on Facebook to learn things about how the Chinese New Year is celebrated.

Next month we’ll be all about Pi Day (and Spring Break!), but until then we’ll see you in the stacks!

We’re back for Spring 2016 with a whole new look for our newsletter to match our whole new outlook for the year. We plan to spend a lot of 2016 digging into what Downtown Campus needs from us and how we can best meet those needs, so be prepared for us to pepper you with questions. In fact, beginning February 1st we’ll be willing to trade chocolates for a little feedback, so be sure to stay tuned for updates there.

It’s with both sadness and excitement that we report that one of our fabulous Library Assistants, Angela, will be moving on to another position with the College at a different campus. We’ll miss Angela’s creative spirit, though she has promised to leave us Library Groot to remember her by.

Our focus for the rest of this month is helping students get acclimated to Accudemia, the Library and Learning Commons’ check-in system. Students now swipe their student IDs when entering the LLC, which helps give us a better idea of what our traffic patterns are like and what our staffing needs may be. The data we gather is part of our big plans to improve our services, so please help us by encouraging students to swipe in!

February will see us celebrating Chinese New Year as well as asking you to break our hearts, so be sure to check back then. But until then, we’ll see you in the stacks!

We’re in the final stretch of the Fall 2016 term, and things are winding down for the year here in the Library. Generally this is the time of year we use to do a little housekeeping, and part of that effort this year involves making plans for how awesome we’re going to be in 2016. We already have a few ideas, but if you’re interested in seeing us tackle anything in particular, please let us know, either by commenting here or by emailing us at downtowncampuslibrary@fscj.edu.

For those of you who may be feeling the stress of finals, feel free to join us Monday, December 7th-Thursday, December 10th from 10:00AM to 2:00PM for a stress-free zone featuring coloring and soothing music.

The college closes for the holidays on December 23rd, and will remain closed until January 4th – which means you should definitely swing by and check out a few good things to read to keep you occupied. We look forward to serving you in the next year. Until then, we’ll see you in the stacks!

Dinovember returns!

In honor of International Education Week, which falls during this month, the Library dinosaurs will be reading their way around the world to highlight items in our collection written by international authors. They’ll be visiting Chile, France, Iran, and many, many other countries, so be sure to follow their progress on our Facebook page. You can also stop by the Library to check out our reading map highlighting many of the different titles we own and where they originated. We encourage you to find a book from you country. If we don’t have one, please suggest one you think we should carry!

Meanwhile, if you’re feeling stressed by the end of the term, you can stop by A2102Q on November 9th, 10th, and 12th between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. and take a coloring break. Colored pencils and coloring sheets will be provided, as well as classical music intended to soothe the savage study-related headache.

Until next month, we’ll see you in the stacks!