Library Collection

Off-Campus Access to Library Databases Affected – May 27

May 23, 2025 by Haley Galloway

Due to scheduled system updates, off-campus access to library databases may be temporarily affected on Monday, May 27 starting at 9:30 AM.

This brief disruption is part of a planned migration to improve system reliability. We expect access to return to normal within one hour.

On-campus access will not be affected.

If you plan to use library resources from off campus that morning, we recommend downloading any needed materials ahead of time. We will post an update once access is fully restored.

Please contact the library if you have questions or need assistance.

Introducing Web of Science!

January 28, 2025 by Haley Galloway

Discover Web of Science at SMCM Library

We’re excited to announce a new addition to the SMCM Library collection: Web of Science! This renowned citation index provides access to an extensive collection of scholarly resources across the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities. While not a full-text database, Web of Science gives users access to over 225 million records, Web of Science is the go-to tool for students, faculty, and researchers seeking authoritative, high-quality information.

Why Use Web of Science?

Comprehensive Coverage: Search across a vast range of academic disciplines, including the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities.
Integrated Citation Tracking: Easily navigate the research landscape using citation connections. Measure the impact of publications and trace the evolution of key research.
User-Friendly: With a common search interface and structured data, Web of Science makes it easier than ever to find relevant resources quickly.

Key Collections Available:

Web of Science Core Collection: Includes 92+ million records across 6 collections:
- Science Citation Index Expanded (1900-present)
- Social Sciences Citation Index (1900-present)
- Arts & Humanities Citation Index (1975-present)
- Emerging Sources Citation Index (2005-present)
- Conference Proceedings Citation Index (1990-present)
- Book Citation Index (2005-present)
- Current Chemical Reactions (1985-present)

Data Citation Index (1900-present): Find datasets from a variety of international repositories linked to published research articles.
MEDLINE (1950-present): A premier life sciences database offering access to research in biomedicine, public health, and more.
SciELO Citation Index (2002-present): Discover open access literature from Latin America, Portugal, Spain, and South Africa.

Start Exploring

Ready to dive in? Visit the Web of Science platform through the library’s website and start exploring today. For tips on how to get the most out of this resource, be sure to check out our Research Guide!

Intern Describes a Teacher’s Letter Collection

March 25, 2022 by Amanda VerMeulen

Hello readers! My name is Zoey, and I am an intern at the St. Mary’s College of Maryland archives this spring. I am currently in a graduate program for archives at the University of Maryland, and I graduate in May 2022! The school requires each student to complete an internship before they graduate.

During my time here, I was assigned to read and describe the Lura Frances Johnson Letters (MSS 097) [link to: https://smcm.as.atlas-sys.com/repositories/2/resources/153 ]. I created the scope and contents notes within the finding aid for the archive’s website. Before I go into detail about what the process was like, I would like to give some background information on Lura. Miss Johnson was originally from West Point, Georgia and taught math at St. Mary’s Female Seminary, the predecessor institution of St. Mary’s College of Maryland, from about 1928-1943. The majority of the letters were written to her mother. The letters in this collection describe the daily events happening to her at the time. This collection is a significant example of a teacher’s perspective on routine life at the school.

Lura Frances Johnson and Helen Leighley in Cleveland

Lura Frances Johnson (left) and Helen Leighley (right), a fellow St. Mary’s Female Seminary teacher, in Cleveland (MSS 097 Box 1 Folder 12)

Initially, I found the letters difficult to interpret. Lura wrote most of her letters in cursive. Since Miss Johnson was a teacher, I expected her to have neat cursive letters, but I was incorrect. After reading through a couple of her letters, I began picking up on her handwriting, and it was much easier reading through them. This assignment was the perfect task for me to dip my feet into the archival world. It was challenging yet, rewarding when I finally deciphered Lura’s writing.

The key debate in archival work is whether we should process our collections with a minimalist or a maximalist perspective. My mentor and I decided it would be best to take a maximalist approach when processing these letters. Because these letters provide a unique perspective on the school’s history, we believed it would be best to summarize all the letters written by Miss Johnson. By adopting the maximalist approach to these letters, we will be able to support our students in the future. This is because we have a precise understanding of the information contained in these letters. Robert S. Cox states in his article Maximal Processing, or, Archivist on a Pale Horse, “If a collection is less well described, less well organized, and less well understood, logic dictates that, all things being equal, it must take longer for archivists to navigate the collection when conducting reference work or when performing any of the other tasks that make use of the actual materials” (Cox, 2010). By taking the time to read through and summarize these letters, we will be able to better help our students look for materials to support their research. While the maximalist approach worked for this finding aid, we cannot use this approach to process all of the materials in an archive because it would take too much time to process.

Lura filled her letters with the daily activities of her life. During part of her time at the college, Miss Johnson was completing her master’s degree. She wrote her mother consistently about how her thesis was coming along. Within these letters, you can practically feel the stress, joy, and relief when she finally finished her thesis.

Overall, I have learned a lot from my time interning at the St. Mary’s College of Maryland Archive. I am so appreciative of this opportunity to learn the daily operations of a university archive. The task I had of creating a scope and contents for these letters was a great first task in my archival career. I cannot wait to see what is in store for my future and will be forever thankful for this opportunity!

Zoey Downs

Archives Intern

References

Robert S. Cox (2010) Maximal Processing, or, Archivist on a Pale Horse, Journal of Archival Organization, 8:2, 134-148, DOI: 10.1080/15332748.2010.526086

Would You Rather?: #bookstofilm

April 21, 2019 by Ashleigh Molina

The Revenant

Michael Punke’s 2002 novel, The Revenant tells the story of frontiersman Hugh Glass as he navigates the wilderness in order to hunt down the man who killed his son. The story follows Glass as he travels the wilderness of Montana and South Dakota, surviving multiple attacks on his life, by both humans and animals. The movie was adapted into a film of the same name directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu in 2015, which was actually the film that Leonardo DiCaprio won his first and only Oscar award for. Would you rather live in the wilderness or live in a major city?

Gone Girl

Gillian Flynn’s 2012 novel Gone Girl is a mystery novel that tracks the tumultuous marriage of Nick and Amy Dunne. On their wedding anniversary Amy goes missing and all the signs point to Nick as the culprit. However, as the story continues it becomes very clear that not all things are as obvious as they seem, as the story is full of unpredictable surprises that leaves the reader hooked on every page. In 2014 director David Fincher directed the movie adaptation for the novel, with the screenplay being written by Flynn. The film visualizes the story into a physiological thriller, and like the novel, it deceives the audience up until the last moment. Would you rather live an unhappy, but safe life in your hometown with your family or would you rather move away to an unknown location and start your life over?

Life of Pi

Yann Martel’s 2002 novel, Life of Pi, is a book that explores the time that character Pi Patel spent shipwrecked with only a tiger named Richard Parker as company. The alternating narrative structure and undertones of spiritually make the novel a unique read. The movie adaptation directed by Ang Lee in 2012, brings the shipwreck to the big screen, giving viewers the visualization of Patel and Richard Parker’s adventure. Would you rather be stranded in the middle of an ocean or would you rather be stranded on a deserted island?

Catch Me If You Can

In the semi-biographical novel Catch Me If You Can by Frank Abagnale, the main character Frank Abagnale is a conman who cashed over $2 million dollars using fraudulent checks and multiple identities. Frank chooses a life of crime in order to live the lavish lifestyle he desired. The movie adaptation, directed by Steven Spielberg in 2002, follows the life of Abagnale, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, as he assumes various identities in order to conceal his crimes. Would you rather live lavishly but dishonestly, like Frank Abagnale, or would you rather live plainly but with integrity?

Interview With the Vampire

Interview with the Vampire, written by Annie Rice in 1976, details the life of vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac. His life is filled with stories of death, betrayal, and love as Louis travels from America to Europe and meets various other vampires, dealing with the issues that come along with immortality. The movie adaptation from 1994 directed by Neil Jordan, stars Brad Pitt as Louis and was nominated for multiple awards. Would you rather live life eternally as a vampire or would you rather live a mortal life as a human?

Crazy Rich Asians

Crazy Rich Asians, written by Kevin Kwan in 2013, is the first book of a trilogy, with a main focus on introducing the Asian culture to the Western audiences. The book surrounds two main characters, Rachel Chu and Nicholas “Nick” Young’s romance relationships and the problems, both culturally and financially, that they have to face from their parents and grandparents. Those problems presented in both the book and movie corresponds to the family issues that happen in current Chinese families. Would you rather give up your wealth and reputation altogether for love or stay in the comfort zone and do what the family asked?

Women’s History Month: Women in Science

March 12, 2019 by Amanda VerMeulen

March is Women’s History Month, though we can celebrate women in STEM every month! As part of the library collection, we have a series of digital images, “Beyond Curie,” created by Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya. The images highlight women in the STEM fields and are licensed by Creative Commons, meaning anyone in the SMCM community can use these images for non-commercial purposes as long as they give credit. Be sure to give credit–it’s important in all fields but especially in STEM! (Looking at you, Watson and Crick!)

Access the entire collection and get more information on using, downloading, and attributing these images, at our guide here.

Check out a few highlights from the collection below to learn more about some of the accomplishments of women in STEM. The women featured in this post are pioneers who made discoveries both in and outside of Earth’s atmosphere, from the deep sea to outer space.

Mae Jemison (1956 – )

poster of Mae Jemison depicts a woman in an astronaut suit in black and white in front of a pink background

Image by Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya CC BY-NC-SA

In 1992, Dr. Jemison became the first African-American woman in space. While working as a general practitioner in California, Jemison took graduate classes in engineering and was accepted into NASA’s astronaut program. Let’s pause on that: she was a doctor who just happened to have the hobbies of engineering and being an astronaut (for reference, my hobby is making sticker collages that look like cats). Jemison was the science mission specialist on the space shuttle Endeavour, conducting experiments in the life and material sciences. After returning to Earth, she founded a private research company to implement technology in the developing world. She currently leads the 100 Year Starship project and has her own Lego minifigure.

Mary Golda Ross (1908 – 2008)

In the early years of space exploration, Ross was a pioneer in a new field and as a Native American woman in mathematical and scientific pursuits. After teaching math and science in rural Oklahoma, Ross found work with the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington, D.C. She returned to school, earning her Master’s degree in mathematics, and soon after began working with Lockheed to develop fighter planes and missile systems. As the space race took off, Ross focused on hydrodynamics and the launch of the Agena rocket, a turning point for U.S. space endeavors. After retiring, Ross became an advocate for math and engineering education for Native Americans and women.

Sylvia Earle (1935 – )

poster of Sylvia Earle includes a black and white image of the scientist and picture of the ocean on a salmon pink background with blue blocks of color

Image by Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya CC BY-NC-SA

Dr. Earle is an oceanographer and environmentalist who led the first aquanaut team composed of women. Initially blocked from participation in the diving expedition Tektite I because she was a woman, Earle went on to lead the Tektite II Project: part ecological study, and part data gathering on the effects of the deep sea environment on its human participants. In 1979, Earle walked untethered on the seafloor at the depth of 1,250 feet, a record that remains unbroken. Earle has written and published prolifically to share her research and raise awareness of ocean conservation issues, and continues to advocate for the preservation and protection of the marine world.

Sources for more information:

Tournament of Books: Digital and/or Print

March 8, 2019 by Amanda VerMeulen

March 8 is here, and that means one thing only at SMCM: round 2 of the Tournament of Books! And spring break. Can the alignment of these important events be mere coincidence? We don’t think so–in fact, spring break offers the perfect opportunity to catch up on the books facing off in the competition.

Didn’t have time to check out your reads before break? No worries! The Library has your back with our Overdrive collection, where you can find eBooks and eAudiobooks, available whether you’re on campus or away. Prefer the experience of turning the pages of a print book? We’re open March 11-14 and have plenty of titles from the Tournament of Books available for check out!

Keep scrolling for suggested reads from the Tournament of Books in Overdrive and in print.

eBooks

Call Me Zebra by Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi

Zebra is the last in a line of anarchists, atheists, and autodidacts. Alone and in exile, she leaves New York for Barcelona, retracing the journey she and her father made from Iran to the United States years ago. Books are her only companions—until she meets Ludo. Their connection is magnetic, and fraught. They push and pull across the Mediterranean, wondering if their love—or lust—can free Zebra from her past.

The Dictionary of Animal Languages by Heidi Sopinka

Born into a wealthy family in northern England and sent to boarding school to be educated by nuns, Ivory Frame rebels. She escapes to inter-war Paris, where she finds herself through art, and falls in with the most brilliantly bohemian set: the surrealists. Torn between an intense love affair with a married Russian painter and her soaring ambition to create, Ivory’s life is violently interrupted by the Second World War. She flees from Europe, leaving behind her friends, her art, and her love.

eAudiobooks

Census by Jesse Ball

When a widower receives notice from a doctor that he doesn’t have long left to live, he is struck by the question of who will care for his adult son—a son whom he fiercely loves, a boy with Down syndrome. With no recourse in mind, and with a desire to see the country on one last trip, the man signs up as a census taker for a mysterious governmental bureau and leaves town with his son.

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Korede is bitter. How could she not be? Her sister, Ayoola, is many things: the favorite child, the beautiful one, possibly sociopathic. And now Ayoola’s third boyfriend in a row is dead. Sharp as nails and full of deadpan wit, Oyinkan Braithwaite’s deliciously deadly debut is as fun as it is frightening.

So Lucky by Nicola Griffith

So Lucky is the sharp, surprising new audiobook by Nicola Griffith—the profoundly personal and emphatically political story of a confident woman forced to confront an unnerving new reality when in the space of a single week her wife leaves her and she is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

The Golden State by Lydia Kiesling

In Lydia Kiesling’s razor-sharp debut novel, The Golden State, we accompany Daphne, a young mother on the edge of a breakdown, as she flees her sensible but strained life in San Francisco for the high desert of Altavista with her toddler, Honey. Bucking under the weight of being a single parent-her Turkish husband is unable to return to the United States because of a “processing error”-Daphne takes refuge in a mobile home left to her by her grandparents in hopes that the quiet will bring clarity.

The Parking Lot Attendant by Nafkote Tamirat

A haunting story of fatherhood, national identity, and what it means to be an immigrant in America today, Nafkote Tamirat’s The Parking Lot Attendant explores how who we love, the choices we make, and the places we’re from combine to make us who we are.

Print

Milkman by Anna Burns

In Northern Ireland during the Troubles of the 1970s, an unnamed narrator finds herself targeted by a high-ranking dissident known as Milkman.

America Is Not the Heart by Elaine Castillo

An increasingly relevant story told with startling lucidity, humor, and an uncanny ear for the intimacies and shorthand of family ritual, America Is Not the Heart is a sprawling, soulful debut about three generations of women in one family struggling to balance the promise of theAmerican dream and the unshakeable grip of history. With exuberance, grit, and sly tenderness, here is a family saga; an origin story; a romance; a narrative of two nations and the people who leave one home to grasp at another.

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan

Washington Black is an eleven-year-old field slave who knows no other life than the Barbados sugar plantation where he was born. When his master’s eccentric brother chooses him to be his manservant, Wash is terrified of the cruelties he is certain await him. But Christopher Wilde, or “Titch,” is a naturalist, explorer, scientist, inventor, and abolitionist. He initiates Wash into a world where a flying machine can carry a man across the sky; where two people, separated by an impossible divide, might begin to see each other as human; and where a boy born in chains can embrace a life of dignity and meaning.

There There by Tommy Orange

Twelve Native Americans came to the Big Oakland Powwow for different reasons. Jacquie Red Feather is newly sober and trying to make it back to the family she left behind in shame. Bobby Big Medicine has come to drum the Grand Entry. Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield has come to watch her nephew Orvil Red Feather. Orvil has taught himself Indian dance through YouTube videos, and he has come to the powwow to dance in public for the very first time. Tony Loneman is a young Native American boy whose future seems destined to be as bleak as his past, and he has come to the Powwow with darker intentions — intentions that will destroy the lives of everyone in his path.

The Overstory by Richard Powers

A novel of activism and natural-world power presents interlocking fables about nine remarkable strangers who are summoned in different ways by trees for an ultimate, brutal stand to save the continent’s few remaining acres of virgin forest.

Need some help with Overdrive? See if our guide here can answer your questions or contact us for assistance. Happy reading!

Featured photo of person using an eReader by Perfecto Capucine on Unsplash

Resources for Black History Month

February 21, 2019 by Amanda VerMeulen

February is Black History Month, and we have many library resources to honor the achievements and experiences of African-Americans.

Learn about the figures that loom large in history like Malcolm X and James Baldwin, as well as the unsung heroes sending astronauts to the moon and fighting for the empowerment of gay black men. The library collection can help you learn about contemporary perspectives on #BlackLivesMatter and reflections on being a black woman in the U.S.

Maybe you prefer a story? Read tales of the spider trickster Anansi, Haitian immigrants encountering culture shock, or a novel by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar about Sherlock Holmes’s brother Mycroft.

Keep reading for Black History Month recommendations from the library collection.

Non-fiction

The Annotated African American Folktales edited by Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Maria Tatar
Stacks; Call number: GR111.A47 A55 2018
A treasury of dozens of African-American folktales discusses their role in a broader cultural heritage, sharing such classics as the Brer Rabbit stories, the African trickster Anansi, and tales from the late nineteenth-century’s “Southern Workman.”

Blood Brothers: The Fatal Friendship Between Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X by J. R. Roberts and Johnny Smith
Stacks; Call number: GV1132.A44 R64 2016
In 1962, no one believed that the obnoxious Cassius Clay would ever become the heavyweight champion of the world. But Malcolm X saw the potential in Clay, not just for boxing greatness, but as a means of spreading the Nation of Islam’s radical message. Malcolm secretly molded Clay into Muhammad Ali–a patriotic boxing star in public, and a radical reformer behind the scenes. Soon, however, their friendship would sour, with disastrous and far-reaching consequences.

Not Straight, Not White: Black Gay Men from the March on Washington to the AIDS Crisis by Kevin J. Mumford
Ebook; read it here
This compelling book recounts the history of black gay men from the 1950s to the 1990s, tracing how the major movements of the times–from civil rights to black power to gay liberation to AIDS activism–helped shape the cultural stigmas that surrounded race and homosexuality. Drawing on an extensive archive of newspapers, pornography, and film, as well as government documents, organizational records, and personal papers, Mumford sheds new light on four volatile decades in the protracted battle of black gay men for affirmation and empowerment in the face of pervasive racism and homophobia.

This Will Be My Undoing: Living at the Intersection of Black, Female, and Feminist in (White) America by Morgan Jerkins
New Books Collection; Call number: PS3610.E693 A6 2018
In her collection of linked essays, Jerkins takes on perhaps one of the most provocative contemporary topics: What does it mean to “be”– to live as, to exist as– a black woman today? Doubly disenfranchised by race and gender, often deprived of a place within the mostly white mainstream feminist movement, black women are objectified, silenced, and marginalized with devastating consequences, in ways both obvious and subtle, that are rarely acknowledged in our country’s larger discussion about inequality. Jerkins exposes the social, cultural, and historical story of black female oppression that influences the black community as well as the white, male-dominated world at large.

Fiction

All the Right Stuff by Walter Dean Myers
Stacks; Call number: PZ7.M992 Al 2012
The summer after his absentee father is killed in a random shooting, Paul works at a Harlem soup kitchen, where he listens to lessons about “the social contract” from an elderly African American man and mentors a seventeen-year-old unwed mother who wants to make it to college on a basketball scholarship.

American Street by Ibi Zoboi
New Books Collection; Call number: PZ7.1.Z64 Am 2017
On the corner of American Street and Joy Road, Fabiola Toussaint thought she would finally find une belle vie — a good life. But after they leave Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Fabiola’s mother is detained by U.S. immigration, leaving Fabiola to navigate her loud American cousins, Chantal, Donna, and Princess; the grittiness of Detroit’s West Side; a new school; and a surprising romance, all on her own. Just as she finds her footing in this strange new world, a dangerous proposition presents itself, and Fabiola soon realizes that freedom comes at a cost. Trapped at the crossroads of an impossible choice, will she pay the price for the American dream?

Mycroft Holmes by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anna Waterhouse
Popular Reading; Call number: F Abdul-Jabbar
Fresh out of university, the young Mycroft Holmes is already making a name for himself in government. Yet this most British of civil servants has strong ties to Trinidad, the birthplace of his best friend, Cyrus Douglas, and where his fiancee Georgiana Sutton was raised. Mycroft’s comfortable existence is overturned when Douglas receives troubling reports from home, rumors of spirits enticing children to their deaths. Upon hearing the news, Georgiana abruptly departs for the island. Mycroft convinces Douglas that they should follow her, drawing the two men into a web of dark secrets that grows more treacherous with each step they take.

Oreo by Fran Ross
Popular Reading; Call number: F Ross
Oreo, a biracial black girl from Philadelphia, searches for her Jewish father in New York City, navigating the labyrinth of sound studios, brothels, and subway tunnels of Manhattan in a journey of self-discovery.

Film

I Am Not Your Negro
DVD Collection; Call number: E185.61 .I266 2017
I Am Not Your Negro is an examination of racism in America through the lens of James Baldwin’s unfinished book, Remember This House. Intended as an account of the lives of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King, Jr., each of whom James Baldwin personally knew, only a 30-page manuscript of the book was ever completed. Combining Baldwin’s manuscript with footage of depictions of African-Americans throughout American history, I Am Not Your Negro uses Baldwin’s words to illuminate the pervasiveness of American racism and the efforts to curtail it, from the civil rights movement to #BlackLivesMatter.

Whose Streets?
DVD Collection; Call number: HV6483.F47 W467 2017
Told by the activists and leaders who live and breathe this movement for justice, Whose Streets? is an unflinching look at the Ferguson uprising. When unarmed teenager Michael Brown is killed by police and left lying in the street for hours, it marks a breaking point for the residents of St. Louis, Missouri. Grief, long-standing racial tensions and renewed anger bring residents together to hold vigil and protest this latest tragedy. As the national guard descends on Ferguson with military grade weaponry, young community members become the torchbearers of a new resistance. For this generation, the battle is not for civil rights, but for the right to live.

Dear White People
DVD Collection; Call number: PN1997 .D437 2015
A sharp and funny comedy about a group of African-American students as they navigate campus life and racial boundaries at a predominantly white college. A sly, provocative satire about being a black face in a white place. (Also adapted into a great series on Netflix.)

Hidden Figures
DVD Collection; Call number: PN1997 .H522 2017
As the United States raced against Russia to put a man in space, NASA found untapped talent in a group of African-American female mathematicians that served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in U.S. history. Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and Katherine Johnson crossed all gender, race, and professional lines while their brilliance and desire to dream big, beyond anything ever accomplished before by the human race, firmly cemented them in U.S. history as true American heroes.

Need help finding these or other titles about African-American experiences? We’re here for you at the 1st floor reference desk Monday-Thursday, 10:00am-12:00pm & 1:00-5:00pm.

Featured image (raised fist) in the public domain from Wikimedia

Share Your Best Pun for Our Valentine’s Display

January 30, 2019 by Amanda VerMeulen

You’re #1 in our book! (For our trendier readers, that’s “number one” rather than “hashtag one.”) At the LAMC, we’re crafting puns to celebrate Valentine’s Day…and National Discount Candy Day on February 15th.

We’d love to see your clever, creative, or cringeworthy puns! Come into the 1st floor of the library and write your pun on a paper cut-out waiting especially for you. We’ll post your work of art in our lobby display, where the world can admire your wit.

If you need inspiration, we have several romantic and Romantic novels available for checkout. Here are 8 of our top picks, along with staggeringly brilliant puns for each:

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Stacks; Call number: PR4167 .J3 1996
“I lava you”
After surviving childhood as an unwanted orphan, Jane readily accepts a position as governess for a mysterious and frequently absent employer, Edward Rochester. As she falls for Rochester, Jane must find a way to stay true to herself–especially when a sinister secret causes things to heat up. As in things actually catch fire. (Fun fact: my cat is named after a character in this novel. Literature: changing lives.)

Maurice by E.M. Forster
Stacks; Call number: PR6011.O58 M3 1993
“You’re my cup of tea”
Written in the 1910s, Forster’s tale of a gay man’s unrequited love remained unpublished until the 1970s. The only thing more English than the rigidity of the class system and repression of romantic feelings is tea–all of which feature heavily in this story about opposing the unwritten rules of society.

Of Love and Other Demons by Gabriel García Márquez
Stacks; Call number: PQ8180.17.A73 D4513 1995
“I’m hair for you”
On her twelfth birthday, Sierva Maria, whose beautifully flowing hair has never been cut, is bitten by a rabid dog. Following the incident, Sierva is taken to a convent, crossing paths with Father Cayetano Delaura, who has already dreamed about a girl with hair trailing after her like a bridal train.

Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel
Popular Reading; Call number: HABEL
“I love you for your braaaaaaains”
Love conquers all, so they say. But can Cupid’s arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead – or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie?

How Stella Got Her Groove Back by Terry McMillan
Popular Reading; Call number: MCMILLAN
“Shell we dance?”
Stella Payne is forty-two, divorced, a high-powered investment analyst, mother of eleven-year-old Quincy- and she does it all. But when Stella takes a spur-of-the-moment vacation to Jamaica, her world gets rocked to the core–not just by the relaxing effects of the sun and sea and an island full of attractive men, but by one man in particular.

Wild Ginger by Anchee Min
Stacks; Call number: PS3563.I4614 W35 2002
“If you were a triangle, you’d be acute one”
As Wild Ginger rises through the ranks of Maoist China, she finds herself increasingly at odds with her best friend, Maple. When both friends are interested in the same young man, will Wild Ginger’s commitment to friendship, romantic love, or Maoist principles win out?

City of Night by John Rechy
Stacks; Call number: PS3568.E28 C5 2013
“I donut know what I’d do without you”
This 1963 novel was groundbreaking in its portrayal of a young gay sex worker along a cross-country journey from New York City to San Francisco. The story includes the events of the Cooper Do-nut Riots, a 1959 uprising in which members of the LGBTQ community protested the attempted arrests of drag queens, sex workers, and a gay man at the donut establishment.

Landline by Rainbow Rowell
Popular Reading; Call number: ROWELL
“Don’t go bacon my heart”
Georgie McCool loves her husband Neal, but her marriage has been deteriorating for a long time. One night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. Through the titular landline, Georgie attempts to avoid heartbreak by fixing her marriage before it starts.

Think you can out-pun us? Visit the library to create your own pun for display!

Honoring the Legacy of Dr. King: Suggested Books and Films

January 17, 2019 by Amanda VerMeulen

black and white image of Martin Luther King Jr waves to a crowd assembled on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Public domain image from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USMC-09611.jpg

On Monday, January 21, classes will be cancelled to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The holiday recognizes King’s birthday on January 15, 1929; had King lived, he would be 90 years old.

Several events on campus commemorate King’s legacy as a Civil Rights activist, minister, and crusader against racial injustice, socioeconomic inequality, and violence of the Vietnam War. Consider attending the MLK Prayer Breakfast or lending a hand for a Day of Service on Monday. Or attend the screening and discussion of an episode from the documentary series “Eyes on the Prize” on Tuesday.

You can also honor the importance of King’s work by learning more about him and the lives of other Civil Rights activists. Did you know Martin Luther King Jr. posthumously won a Grammy in 1971? Or that Rosa Parks served on the Board of Advocates of Planned Parenthood? Check out a film, biography, or novel from the Library to dive deeper into the Civil Rights movement and its legacy.

Film

4 Little Girls

DVD Collection; Call number: F334.B69 N45 2010

When a bomb tears through the basement of a black Baptist church on a peaceful fall morning, it takes the lives of four young girls; Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley and Addie Mae Collins. This racially motivated crime, taking place at a time when the civil rights movement is burning with a new flame, could have doused that flame forever. Instead it fuels a nation’s outrage and brings Birmingham, Alabama to the forefront of America’s concern.

Citizen King

DVD Collection; Call number: E185.97.K5 C585 2004

In exploring the last few years of his life, this American Experience production traces King’s efforts to recast himself by embracing causes beyond the civil rights movement, by becoming a champion of the poor and an outspoken opponent of the war in Vietnam. Tapping into a rich archive of photographs and film footage and using diaries, letters, and eyewitness accounts of fellow activists, friends, journalists, political leaders and law enforcement officials, this film brings fresh insights to King’s impossible journey, his charismatic leadership and his truly remarkable impact.

Ely Landau’s King

DVD Collection; Call number: E185.97.K5 K564 2013

The life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., from the beginnings of the Civil Rights movement in Montgomery, Alabama, and culminating with his assassination in Memphis in 1968. Including archival footage, this film is an indispensable primary resource of a pivotal moment in American and world history. Originally screened in theaters for only a single night in 1970.

Non-fiction

Becoming King: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Making of a National Leader by Troy Jackson

Call number: E185.97.K5 J343 2008

Author Troy Jackson chronicles King’s emergence and effectiveness as a civil rights leader by examining his relationship with the people of Montgomery, Alabama. Using the sharp lens of Montgomery’s struggle for racial equality to investigate King’s burgeoning leadership, Jackson explores King’s ability to connect with the educated and the unlettered, professionals and the working class.

March by John Lewis

Call number: E840.8.L43 A3 2013 book 1

This graphic novel is a first-hand account of Congressman John Lewis’ lifelong struggle for civil and human rights, meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation. Rooted in Lewis’ personal story, it also reflects on the highs and lows of the broader civil rights movement. Book one spans Lewis’ youth in rural Alabama, his life-changing meeting with Martin Luther King, Jr., the birth of the Nashville Student Movement, and their battle to tear down segregation through nonviolent lunch counter sit-ins, building to a stunning climax on the steps of City Hall.

Power to the Poor: Black-Brown Coalition and the Fight for Economic Justice by Gordon K. Mantler

Ebook; read it here

In a major reinterpretation of civil rights and Chicano movement history, Gordon K. Mantler demonstrates how King’s unfinished crusade became the era’s most high-profile attempt at multiracial collaboration and sheds light on the interdependent relationship between racial identity and political coalition among African Americans and Mexican Americans. Mantler argues that while the fight against poverty held great potential for black-brown cooperation, such efforts also exposed the complex dynamics between the nation’s two largest minority groups.

Origins of the Dream: Hughes’ Poetry and King’s Rhetoric by W. Jason Miller

Call number: PS3515.U274 Z6844 2015

For years, some scholars have privately suspected Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech was connected to Langston Hughes’s poetry, and the link between the two was purposefully veiled through careful allusions in King’s orations. In Origins of the Dream, W. Jason Miller lifts that veil to demonstrate how Hughes’s revolutionary poetry became a measurable inflection in King’s voice, and that the influence can be found in more than just the one famous speech.

The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks by Jeanne Theoharis

Call number: F334.M753 P3883 2013

The definitive political biography of Rosa Parks examines her six decades of activism, challenging perceptions of her as an accidental actor in the civil rights movement and presenting a corrective to the popular notion of Rosa Parks.

Fiction and Poetry

Your Blues Ain’t Like Mine by Bebe Moore Campbell

Popular Reading; Call number: Fiction Campbell

Moving quickly and believably from the eve of integration in rural Mississippi to the present-day street gangs in Chicago’s housing projects, Campbell captures the gulf between pre-and post-civil rights America; her story, starting with the murder of a young black man whose trial–argued before an all-white jury–captures national attention, shows us how far we have come and yet suggests we have not come so far after all.

Words of Protest, Words of Freedom: Poetry of the American Civil Rights Movement and Era edited by Jeffrey Lamar Coleman

Call number: PS595.R32 W549 2012

Words of Protest, Words of Freedom is the first comprehensive collection of poems written during and in response to the American civil rights struggle of 1955–75. Featuring some of the most celebrated writers of the twentieth century—including Maya Angelou, Amiri Baraka, Gwendolyn Brooks, Allen Ginsberg, Robert Lowell, and Derek Walcott—alongside lesser-known poets, activists, and ordinary citizens, this anthology presents a varied and vibrant set of voices, highlighting the tremendous symbolic reach of the civil rights movement within and beyond the United States.

Dreamer: A Novel by Charles Johnson

Call number: PS3560.O3735 D7 1998

Set against the tensions of Civil Rights era America, Dreamer is a remarkable fictional excursion into the last two years of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life, when the political and personal pressures on this country’s most preeminent moral leader were the greatest. While in Chicago for his first northern campaign against poverty and inequality, King encounters Chaym Smith, whose startling physical resemblance to King wins him the job of official stand-in. Matthew Bishop, a civil rights worker and loyal follower of King, is given the task of training the smart and deeply cynical Smith for the job.

While we have many books in the Library about Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights movement, we don’t have them all. Are we missing a great book or film about King? Let us know!

These Are a Few of Our Favorite Reads: Recommended Reads for Break, LAMC Staff Edition

December 10, 2018 by Amanda VerMeulen

You’re almost there–well on your way to the last day of fall semester! Why not treat yourself with a celebratory read or two to enjoy over break? Books in the stacks and our Popular Reading collection can be checked out for 28 days, so no need to stress about due dates. Here are some staff favorites if you need advice on what to read next. Where possible, we’ve even nicely arranged these together on the 1st floor of the library because we know you’ve worked hard this semester and don’t need to deal with another set of stairs or waiting on the elevator.

Cheryl Colson, Collections Technician and resident baker
Tailspin by Sandra Brown (USMAI)
Engaging who done it. If you like mysteries, this is the perfect read to keep you on the edge of your seat over break!

Kent Randell, Librarian
Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer (Stacks), Call number: CT9971.M35 K73 1996
After graduating college, Christopher McCandless tramped around North America, sometimes in his car, and after his car was destroyed in a desert flash flood, then on foot. His ultimate death in an abandoned school bus in Alaska adds weight to the story.
An interesting character study into the life of a tramp and the people he met along his journey. McClandless’ final months and death in isolation become a reflection on a human being’s place in society. Krakauer’s narration is neither too breezy or too wordy, and treats all of the characters in the story with a high degree of sympathy without becoming too sentimental.

Amanda VerMeulen, Librarian
NOS4A2 by Joe Hill (Popular Reading), Call number: F HILL
Need some horror to balance all the Hallmark movies? Take a ride with Charlie Manx to “Christmasland,” the most terrifying amusement park ever imagined. If you’re lucky you just might survive this holiday outing.

William Crowell, Visiting Librarian
Hogfather: A Novel of Discworld by Terry Pratchett (USMAI)
On Discworld, children look forward to Hogswatch Night, when the Hogfather comes to bring them presents. This year, a group of beings known as the Auditors want to stop that from happening by any means necessary. They hire Mr. Teatime (it’s pronounced “Teh-ah-tim-eh”), a psychotic assassin, to ensure that it does not.
The only beings standing between the assassin and his target are Death’s granddaughter, Susan Sto Helit, the Death of Rodents, a talking Raven named Quoth, and Bilious, the Oh God of Hangovers. The stakes are much higher than toys, however. If they can’t stop Teatime’s plot, then the next morning, the sun won’t rise over the Disc.
What better way to celebrate the season than to read a story about winter holidays on Terry Pratchett’s Discworld? And if that story contains magic, assassins, and a meditation on the nature of humanity, belief, and childhood, then more’s the better!
Additionally, if you’ve never read a Discworld novel, this is a fun, self-contained story that can serve as your introduction to the beloved fantasy series. (Speaking of introductions to the series, if you can’t get your hands on Hogfather, the SMCM Library also has Mort and Guards! Guards!, which are also both great, though less seasonally appropriate.)

PEMM
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (Popular Reading), Call number: F GYASI or Kindle (check one out from the front desk)
Homegoing is a set of loosely connected short stories chronicling the African Diaspora from the Gold Coast to the west coast and back again. Although the collection is arranged chronologically it skips over enough history that readers may want to spend some time Googling to fill in historical gaps.
Interesting and worth the read. Readers may find themselves reflecting on our current cultural moment and the history of race and the African American diaspora in the U.S.

The Ghost Network by Catie Disabato (Popular Reading), Call number: F DISABATO
Molly Metropolis, is a global outrun electro-infused pop star famous for her “Apocalypse Dance” music video and her fascination with the Situationists. She makes maps and spectacle and disappears before a big show showcasing her new album in Chicago. Her assistant tries to track her down and gets lost in the “L.” There are missing girls, maps and unless you are seriously into philosophy, and avant-garde art, Wikipedia.
Read this to pick a side: Lady Gaga vs. Janelle Monáe. The consensus is that bi-racial Molly Metropolis is based on Lady Gaga rather than the creator of the album Metropolis (2007) and song/video Dance Apocalypse (2013.)

Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart (Popular Reading), Call number: F STEWART
The Kopp sisters’ buggy is hit by Henry Kaufman’s motor car in Paterson, NJ. The women and the buggy is damaged. Constance, the eldest sister, requests that Kaufman pay to repair the buggy. The buggy is the sister’s only means of transportation and they are of limited means. The three women live in a farmhouse in Bergen County, New Jersey and cherish their independence. Because Kaufman was drinking when he hit them Constance assumes he will take responsibility for the accident and pay te repair bill. He doesn’t. In fact, rather than pay for the repairs he begins to harass the sisters, going as far as to stalk them and threaten their lives with his Black Hand compatriots.
The novel is a fictionalized account but all of the key elements of the story are true right down to an article in the “Philadelphia Sun” headlined, “Girl Waits with Gun.” (11/23/1914) There is lot’s of action, a juicy backstory, snappy writing and a side mystery that will keep you reading. Although Constance is the lead character all three of the Kopp sisters hold their own and you will root for them and despite the odds they win. You might even say they persisted.

Kate Pitcher, Director of the LAMC
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (Popular Reading), Call number: F MURAKAMI
A dystopian novel set in the year 1984, it follows the parallel stories of Aomame, a young Japanese woman with a mysterious past, and Tengo, a young man who seems to live an ordinary life on the surface, until he is pulled into an editorial conspiracy involving the rewrite of a fantastical story by a young adult named Fuka-Eri. The novel is set in an alternative timeline in the year of 1984, and blends mystery, love story, surrealism, and fantasy all in one.
Thought-provoking and captivating, 1Q84 is a meditative reflection on the fantastical and the ordinary. Disturbing at times, it always makes you think.

Jillian Sandy, Visiting Librarian
Watership Down by Richard Adams (Stacks), Call number: PR6051.D345 W3
Though far from perfect, the rabbits of Sandleford warren enjoy rather tranquil lives. That is, until runt of the litter Fiver insists terrible things are coming for the warren. His brother Hazel is one of the few to act on these warnings, leading a small group of rabbits in a quest to find a new home amidst the many dangers that lie in wait for a rabbit with nowhere to hide.
Added bonus: get spoilers ahead of the Netflix series (planned for release later this month)! Or compare to the 1978 animated film adaptation that traumatized many a Millennial (including this one). Not only is the story suspenseful and the writing great, but the characters seem real, and the folk tales of the rabbit trickster figure El-ahrairah absolutely come to life. There’s a reason this is still a beloved fantasy novel over 40 years later.

Whether you pick up one of our recommended reads or not, we will miss you over break! Stay safe and warm on your travels and know we’ll still have plenty of reads once you get back!