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2020 is both a US Census and election year. Many of us are thinking about how we can make a meaningful impact in our community. Participating in both the Census and local and national elections can help us make those impacts. Click through to learn a little more about the Census, voting (especially in NC), and a few books to check off your civic engagement category on the Read Great Things 2020 Challenge. At its core, the Census is about more than the government being curious about how many

Recent protests have reignited larger discussions of race, African American history, and the unfinished work in America towards equality. To learn more about this important conversation, the Library has collected some predominantly audio resources to help you continue to educate yourself. NPR's Code Switch podcast features conversations about race and how it impacts all aspects of society and life, all led by journalists of color. Episodes focus on history, books, music, and current events

At the end of the spring semester, the Library and the Â鶹ӰÊÓ Fine Arts classes come together to host a student art display. We look forward to this event each year. With the physical library closed, the annual art display was [obviously] cancelled, but we still wanted to find a way to highlight some of the wonderful art that Â鶹ӰÊÓ students created this year, so we've created a virtual art show two ways. https://youtu.be/O6QznvW7iT4 Need to spend a little more timing browsing

Recent protests have reignited larger discussions of race, African American history, and the Civil Rights Movement. To learn more, Films on Demand has some great documentary resources that are free for Â鶹ӰÊÓ faculty, staff, and students. Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Movement 1954–1985 [note that end date] is a 14-part series produced by Blackside and available through Films on Demand. Narrated by Julian Bond, Eyes on the Prize has won numerous Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, an

Title: Moonglow Author: Michael Chabon Genre: biography, fiction (both, believe it or not!) Read Great Things 2020 Categories: book with a one-word title, bildungsroman (maybe) Why did you choose to read this book? I have read four of Chabon's other novels; I liked three of those very much and hated the other one ( Gentlemen of the Road). I think The Yiddish Policemen's Union is my favorite of his novels. My sister-in-law gave me her copy of Moonglow last year, so I read it. What did you like

There are several movies and TV shows coming out this spring based on books. Several book adaptations have been released as TV series or films earlier this year as well. It can be really enjoyable to read the book and watch the show or movie. So far, I've watched The Plot Against America, Killing Eve, and Normal People. I'm currently reading Just Mercy and then plan to watch the film. Little Fires Everywhere is in my book stack to read, and I want to watch the show as well.

It's been an unconventional [see: literary term-- understatement] few months. May is always Mental Health Month, but due to the stresses and uncertainties a lot of us are facing, it seems particularly important this year. There are lots of ways to attend to your own mental health needs and for many, meditation and yoga or other mindfulness practices may be beneficial. Check out some of the free (or temporarily free) apps that you can use to practice these skills. Note: Some of these apps offer

From the author who taught us that writing and life was best accomplished "bird by bird", or one slow mindful step at a time, comes her message of finding hope in the midst of chaos. Published in 2018, readers today in pandemic spring will recognize themselves in the first sentence: "I am stockpiling antibiotics for the apocalypse, even as I await the blossoming of paperwhites on the windowsill in the kitchen." Title: Almost Everything: Notes on Hope Author: Anne Lamott Genre: Self-help book

Title: Record of a Spaceborn Few Author: Becky Chambers Genre: Science Fiction Read Great Things Challenge 2020 Categories: A book that is part of a series, a book suggested by a Â鶹ӰÊÓ librarian. Description: Hundreds of years ago, the last humans on Earth boarded the Exodus Fleet in search of a new home among the stars. After centuries spent wandering empty space, their descendants were eventually accepted by the well-established species that govern the Milky Way. But that was long ago

Title: The Way to Rainy Mountain Author: N. Scott Momaday Genres: memoir, biography, folklore Read Great Things Challenge 2020 category: A book about the great outdoors (sort of). This book was read by Stephen Brooks, Main Campus Reference Librarian. Why did you read this book? It was assigned book club reading. N. Scott Momaday is the descendant of Kiowas, a Native American tribe indigenous to the Great Plains of what is now the United States. This book is many things, including a biography of