International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, 11/25

Each year, November 25th marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.  Adopted as Resolution 54/134 by the United Nations in 1999, the date is used to highlight international commitments towards the prevention of and end to gender-based violence. For 2012, United Nations Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet calls on all heads of state and government to make new commitments and take strong national action to protect women and girls. To watch her statement, it can be found here.

The date honors the memory of three sisters, Patria, Minerva, and Maria Teresa Mirabal from the Dominican Republic, who were killed on November 25th, 1960 for their political activism against the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. These young women, known as "Las Mariposas" (The Butterflies) sacrificed their lives for freedom and democracy and became a symbol of the crisis of violence against women in Latin America. A fourth sister, Dede Mirabal who remains in the Dominican Republic, works to keep the memory of her sisters alive at the Museo Hermanas Mirabal near the city of Salcedo.

Visit the Library to find more information regarding the Mirabal sisters. One suggested resource is Code Name: Butterflies,  a 2008 documentary about the lives of  Patria, Minerva, Maria Teresa and Dede Mirabal now available in the library audiovisual collection.  Shot in the Dominican Republic, the film features interviews by family, friends and fellow activists who worked with them during the Trujillo era. See the trailer below:

The Mirabal sisters are also the subjects of In the Time of the Butterflies, a fictionalized account of their lives written by noted author, Julia Alvarez.  In the Time of the Butterflies is the featured book for the The Big Read at Columbia College Chicago in spring 2013.  More information will be available in early February 2013.

Library awarded first Faculty & Staff Excellence Award

Photo by Dominic Rossetti

The Columbia College Chicago Library has been awarded the first Faculty & Staff Excellence Award from the Office of Alumni Relations.  

The Library was nominated by Cynthia Vargas, Associate Director of Alumni Events & Programs.  Cynthia stated, "There was no question for me who deserved this the most and who I wanted to nominate.  All of you have been essential and wonderful to work with over the years.  Your continued partnership and the willingness to showcase alumni work is much appreciated".

The award was presented at the Alumni Weekend Alumni & Student Luncheon on Saturday, September 29th, 2012.  Accepted on behalf of the Library staff were Library Dean Jan Chindlund, Head of College Archives, Heidi Marshall and Head of Marketing, Outreach and Special Initiatives, Kim Hale.

Art in the Library Reception 11/15 5-7pm

Art in the Library Opening & Reception

Thursday, November 15, 2012, 5:00-7:00pm
Columbia College Chicago Library
624 S. Michigan Ave.
3rd Floor North

Join us - Thursday, November 15, 2012 from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. for the Art in the Library Opening and Reception for the Fall 2012 Exhibition in 3rd floor north.

Presenting the work of Columbia College Chicago students, faculty, staff and alumni, the Art in the Library program exhibits works in all forms of visual arts, including sculpture, painting, drawings, and paper and book arts. Exhibitions by different artists are shown quarterly on a rotating basis.

Light refreshments will be served.

Vision. Sound. Movement.
The Art in the Library program at Columbia College Chicago provides an open, supportive and inviting setting to showcase the talent and creativity of our own community of artists. Since its inception in 2002, Art in the Library has offered library visitors the opportunity to experience the rich cultural diversity and progressive attitudes which thrive in the Columbia environment.

The Art in the Library Committee welcomes all Columbia College Chicago artists to submit work for consideration.

Please visit the Art in the Library website for more information including submission guidelines, artwork forms, and examples of current and former exhibits.

Lynda.Com and Safari Tech Books

Lynda.com

     AND

 Safari Tech Books

Lynda.Com and Safari Tech Books - a winning combination!  Lynda.com has just announced several new classes that are available this Fall.  As a member of the Columbia College Chicago community, you have free access to over 60,000 training classes and videos offered at Lynda.com.  So take a class with Lynda and then follow up by browsing some of the 15,000 online Tech Books available in the eBook Database, Safari Tech Books.

Here are some of the new classes being offered at Linda.com:

InDesign Secrets  with David Blatner and Anne-Marie Concepcion

In this series, David Blatner and Anne-Marie Concepción, co-hosts of the web’s top resource for InDesign tips and tricks, InDesignSecrets.com, share some hidden and sometimes surprising workflow tips that will make working in InDesign more efficient and more fun. The course covers built-in timesaving features such as Quick Apply and auto-expanding text, but also little-known tricks, such as using the eyedropper to copy and paste character and paragraph text attributes and making accurate selections by selecting through or even into objects.  This course was updated on Oct 25, 2012.  duration: 6h 11m

InDesign for Web Design  with Michael Murphy

InDesign offers unique advantages for kick-starting a website design, such as its unmatched typographic control, pixel-perfect positioning, and fluid, intuitive layout environment. InDesign offers designers who want to quickly create webpage prototypes a powerful toolset with robust text and object styles, page grid features, and interactivity—and none of the limitations of Photoshop, complexities of Dreamweaver, or burdens of hand-coding HTML and CSS. This course shows aspiring web designers how to set up documents for the web, utilize web fonts for maximum compatibility, design a navigation bar, and even mimic CSS with InDesign styles. The final chapter shows how to export your mockups as HTML, CSS, PDF, SWF, and web-optimized images that can be shown to clients or quickly published to the web. duration: 5h 7m

InDesign FX  with Mike Rankin

InDesign FX is a collection of self-contained effects projects designed to be completed in ten minutes or less. Taught by expert Mike Rankin, the series explores every aspect of InDesign’s graphic effects capabilities through real-world examples, all without relying on Photoshop or Illustrator. The intent is to reveal the quick, practical, and sometimes surprising application of InDesign effects to creative projects. This course was updated on Oct 18, 2012.  duration: 5h 18m

Now follow up with some easy to access reference materials at Safari Tech Books:

Adobe InDesign CS6 On Demand

Digital Publishing with Adobe InDesign CS6

InDesign CS6 Visual Quickstart Guide

Real World Adobe InDesign CS6

Click here for more information about Safari Tech Books at Columbia

Jan Chindlund named Dean of the Library

 

Jan Chindlund has been promoted to Dean of the Library at Columbia College Chicago. Since coming to Columbia as Library Director in 2007, Chindlund has managed the Library and promoted a strong culture of service to students, faculty, and staff. She has also served on numerous college-wide committees, including the academic team of the Blueprint | Prioritization process. Prior to coming to Columbia, Chindlund served as head librarian and group project manager for McDonald’s Global Business Research Information Center, which she established. 

Dean Chindlund holds a master's degree in Library Science from Dominican University’s Graduate School of Library and Information Science, and an MBA with a concentration in Innovation and Technology from Benedictine University.

Chindlund has published and spoken widely on a range of subjects. Among her many individual awards and honors, she has received eight team awards, and is known as an outstanding collaborator and Library leader.

"Columbia is fortunate to have Jan at the helm of the Library and as a college-wide citizen," said Louise Love, vice president for Academic Affairs and interim provost. "Her leadership will be especially crucial as the Library plans its move to a state-of-the-art facility in the Johnson Building."

New Electronic Resources in the Library

The Library has recently added some exciting new resources to its electronic collection.  Here are some of the new tools you can use in your online information gathering:

SimplyMap is an award-winning, web-based mapping application that changes the way you use and interact with complex data. SimplyMap enables non-technical and advanced users to quickly create professional thematic maps and reports using powerful demographic, business, and marketing data.  SimplyMap has all the data you need to answer key research questions, make sound business decisions, and understand the socio-demographic and economic conditions of any geographic area in the United States. The database currently offers more than 75,000 data variables related to demographics, employment, housing, market segments, businesses, consumer spending, brand preferences, and public health.

For more information about how to use SimplyMap, click here:  SimplyMap Research Guide

State Stats is a new database from CQ Press that delivers a dynamic and engaging user experience that is unmatched in other resources. Featuring data from more than 80 different government and non-government sources and backed by a rich collection of more than 2,000 current and historical data series on popular topics of research interest, State Stats uniquely allows users to discover, view, and export key information measures for the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

State Stats makes research easy by providing in one place annual measures dating back more than 15 years. Data series are displayed in a clear and consistent format with detailed source information. Numerous topics are covered in categories including: Agriculture; Crime and Law Enforcement; Defense; Demographic; Economics; Education; Employment and Labor; Geography, Energy, and the Environment; Health and Medicine; Social Welfare; Taxes and Government Finance; Teaching and Education; Transportation.

For more information about how to use State Stats, click here: StateStats Research Guide

The Vast: Academic Video Online database from Alexander Street Press currently provides faculty with over 13,000 video titles from a wide range of disciplines, with new titles being added on a regular basis.  By 2013 VAST expects to have over 20,000 films available for faculty and students.

Faculty can easily provide links to high-quality video in their syllabus and embed links or video clips in their Moodle class.  Disciplines covered in VAAST include:  American History; Area Studies; Art and Architecture; Business and Economics; Counseling and Therapy; dance; Education; Ethnic Studies; Ethnograph; Health; Law & Criminal Justice; Opera; Politics and Current Affairs; Psychology; Religion & Philosophy; Science; Theatre; Women  Gender Studies; World History; World Language & Literature.

For more information about how to use the VAST: Academic Video Online Database click here:  VAST Research Guide

Tips for Chicago voters

Whether you're a first time voter this November, or you've been voting in Chicago for years, we have some tips to help you navigate the Chicago polls this election season.

Where and when

The Chicago Board of Elections offers a quick online tool where you can find your voter registration status, polling place, sample ballot and more:

ChicagoElections.com

Enter your street address and last-name to get a map to your polling place, and a sample ballot for your district.

The Board of Elections site also provides a full list of early voting locations and hours.

Sample ballots

Chicago is divided into 50 distinct legislative districts, referred to as city wards. The ward you live in determines which ballot you will see on election day.

To preview a sample ballot from your ward, click on the Sample Ballot tab after finding your voter registration status and polling place on the Board of Elections site:

Download the PDF sample ballot to see exactly which candidates and ballot measures you'll be voting for this election season.

Vetting the candidates

Now that you know who the candidates in your district are, where can you find trust-worthy, non-partisan information about them?

Here are two librarian-approved websites that are a good place to start researching candidates and issues:

• Project Vote Smart
  This volunteer-driven citizens organization offers access bio's, voting records, interest group ratings, and campaign finance info for every candidate and elected official from President to local government.
  
  Project Vote Smart also provides an issues overview that lists and details bills and measures currently on the ballot in Illinois.
  
  
• FactCheck.org
  This project from the Annenberg Public Policy Center checks and reports the factual accuracy of whatever candidates say in their tv ads, debates, speeches, and in the news.
  
  

So many judges, so little time

If you've voted in Chicago before, you're probably already dreading that long list of judges on the ballot.

In the upcoming election, nearly 60 judges are running for retention or re-election. So, how do you know which judges deserve your vote?

Several organizations in Illinois rate and evaluate judges. You can find these evaluations and other information about judicial elections at:

VoteForJudges.org

The Committee to Elect Qualified Judges also offers a judicial voting guide formatted for your phone:
mobilejudges.com

Go Vote!

Now you have all the information you need to head to the polls with confidence.

Don't be afraid to print out sample ballots and judicial voting guides and bring them with you into the voting booth.

And, whatever you do, DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!

Parent Weekend Brunch @ the Library, 10/13/12

Each year, Columbia College Chicago hosts Parent Weekend, an opportunity for our students and their families to come together and experience our campus.  The Library has hosted a Parent Weekend Brunch for the past several years, and it is always exciting to see everyone when they visit!

Below are photographs taken during the brunch which included stretching exercises with graduate students from the Dance Movement Therapy and Counseling Department as well as readings by students and alumni from the Fiction Writing Department. For more photos, check out the Parent Weekend 2012 Flickr Page here. 
 
Photos by Alexis Ellers, BA, Photography, 2008.

National Friends of Libraries Week 2012 is here!

Did you know that this is National Friends of Libraries Week?  This year, October 21-27 has been designated as Friends of Library Week, one that celebrates Friends groups and members for their support of libraries. If you know a librarian and/or library staff member that has made your library experience a special one, let her or him know!  

National Friends of Libraries Week is sponsored by the American Library Association and the Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations (ALTAFF). 

Signature Showcase: Howard Sandroff, 10/22 from 7-9pm

The Friends of the Library Signature Showcase is proud to present Howard Sandroff as presenter/performer for the fall 2012 season.  

Howard Sandroff is a composer, performer and sound artist.  His compositions have been performed, broadcast and recorded by leading soloists, ensembles, festivals and arts producers all over the world.  

In the early 2000’s, Sandroff began sculpting in welded steel and has expanded that medium to include his interest in computer-controlled interactive sound installations and robotics. These works bear an uncanny aesthetic consistency with his compositions in that they are characterized by extreme economy of material and complexity, which is not borne of evolutionary development and his interest in arresting time and space. Sandroff likens his musical compositions to mobiles, a collection of fixed elements that are continually changing their association with other fixed elements.

In this program, Mr. Sandroff will discuss his musical work, including a performance featuring a steel sculpture he created. He will be accompanied by Ben Sutherland.  An opening reception for the exhibit, Music and Audio: Howard Sandroff and Audio Arts & Acoustics which coincides with Signature Showcase will precede the program at 7:00pm.

Monday, October 22, 2012

Reception: 7:00-7:30pm

Program: 7:30-9:00pm

Columbia College Chicago Library

624 S. Michigan Ave., 3rd Floor East

Chicago, IL 60605

This program is free and open to the public.  Classes are invited to attend.

Sandroff is currently Professor of Sound Art with the Department of Audio Arts & Acoustics of Columbia College Chicago and Director of the Computer Music Studio and Senior Lecturer in Music at The University of Chicago Department of Music.  A Chicago native, he received the Master of Music degree with Honors in Composition from the Chicago Musical College. He has received composition fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Athena Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council, and research grants from Columbia College, Chicago Artists Abroad, The University of Chicago, the Yamaha Music Foundation and others.

Ben Sutherland is a composer/sound artist, multi- instrumentalist, and computer music specialist. His projects reflect diverse musical interests, centered around electro-acoustic and experimental systems, and including classical, film, popular, and "underground" genres. He holds a B.A. in Music from Oberlin College, and a Ph.D. and M.A. in Music Composition from the University of Chicago, with specialization in Computer Music Research. Ben is Assistant Professor in the Department of Audio Arts & Acoustics at Columbia College Chicago.

This event is co-sponsored by the Columbia College Chicago Friends of the Library, College Archives and Audio Arts & Acoustics department.

Alumni on 5 Exhibition Opening 10/5 from 5-7pm

Alumni on 5: Alumni in the Library Exhibitions Opening Reception
Friday, October 5
5-7pm
624 S. Michigan Ave. 5th Floor

Exhibition Hours:
Regular Library Hours
October 2012 - February 2013
Shows Organized and Curated by:
Jessica Rodrigue (MFA '11)
Chelsea Middendorf (BA '12)

Featured alumni artists:
Linda Benjamin (BFA ‘12)
Kristy Bowen (MFA ‘07)
Valerie Burke (BA ‘76)
Erin Cramer (BFA ‘05)
Brandon Graham (MFA ‘01)
Natalie Kling (BA ‘01)
Jessica Leep (‘12)
Kelsey Lindsey (BFA ‘11)
Vince Rincon (BA ‘85)
Bugs Utsey (‘12)

Banned Books Week: Top 10 Challenged Books in 2011

Of the 326 titles challenged in 2011, the following books were in the Top 10 as reported by the American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom:

1. ttyl; ttfn; l8r, g8r (series), by Lauren Myracle
   Reasons: offensive language; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group
2. The Color of Earth (series), by Kim Dong Hwa
   Reasons: nudity; sex education; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group
3. The Hunger Games trilogy, by Suzanne Collins
   Reasons: anti-ethnic; anti-family; insensitivity; offensive language; occult/satanic; violence
4. My Mom's Having A Baby! A Kid's Month-by-Month Guide to Pregnancy, by Dori Hillestad Butler
   Reasons: nudity; sex education; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group
5. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
   Reasons: offensive language; racism; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group
6. Alice (series), by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
   Reasons: nudity; offensive language; religious viewpoint
7. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
   Reasons: insensitivity; nudity; racism; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit
8.  What My Mother Doesn't Know, by Sonya Sones
   Reasons: nudity; offensive language; sexually explicit
9. Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily Von Ziegesar
   Reasons: drugs; offensive language; sexually explicit 
10. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
    Reasons: offensive language; racism

Want to know about more other books which have been subjected to challenges such as the Harry Potter series, Catcher in the Rye, or The Color Purple?   Find the most challenged books in the 21st Century here. 

For more specific information about book challenges since 2004-2005 (i.e. the who, what, when, where and whys), see the Yearly Lists of Challenged and/or Banned Books here (bottom of page).