EIU Booth Library

Dust Bowl exhibit and program series

Posted on December 16th, 2015

“Dust, Drought, and Dreams Gone Dry,” a national traveling exhibition about the causes and aftermath of the historic Dust Bowl period, will be on display at Booth Library from Jan. 11-Feb. 26.

The exhibition recalls a tragic period in our history — the drought and dust storms that wreaked havoc on the Great Plains in the 1930s — and explores its environmental and cultural consequences. It raises several thought-provoking questions: What caused fertile farms to turn to dust? How did people survive? What lessons can we learn?

“The Dust Bowl was one of the worst man-made ecological disasters in American history. We are proud that Booth Library was selected to help make the public more aware of this important era,” said Allen Lanham, dean of library services. “This exhibition delves into the history and geography behind the Dust Bowl, but also provides a human element; through the words of the survivors themselves, we learn what it was like to live through such a difficult time.”

“Dust, Drought, and Dreams Gone Dry” will be accompanied by a series of free library programs, including lectures and film screenings. The exhibition and programs feature several overlapping humanities themes: the nature of the connection between humans and nature; the many ways human beings respond to adversity; and how people came to understand and to describe their experiences living through the Dust Bowl.

Lanham invites community members and groups to view the exhibit any time the library is open. More details are available here.

Following is the schedule of upcoming events. The exhibit and all programs are free and open to the public.

• Jan. 25 and Jan. 26, 7 p.m., Doudna Fine Arts Center Recital Hall; two-part film screening of “The Dust Bowl,” Ken Burns documentary, presented by Cameron Craig, professor laureate of geography;

• Feb. 3, 4 p.m., Witters Conference Room 4440, Booth Library; “Illinois Plows and Breaking the Plains: Technology, Ecology and Agricultural Production during the 1930s,” by Deb Reid, professor of history;

• Feb. 8, 4 p.m., Witters Conference Room 4440, Booth Library; “Dust Pneumonia Blues,” by Sheila Simons, professor of health studies;

• Feb. 10, 4 p.m., Doudna Fine Arts Center Lecture Hall; “Dust Bowl Ballads: Woody Guthrie and the Politics of the Working Class,” by J.B. Faires, adjunct professor of music;

• Feb. 16, 4:30 p.m., Witters Conference Room 4440, Booth Library; “Recapturing the Experiences of Women in the Dust Bowl: The Life and Writings of Caroline Henderson,” by Bonnie Laughlin-Schultz, assistant professor of history;

• Feb. 17, 4 p.m., Witters Conference Room 4440, Booth Library; “The Politics of Drought in ‘The Grapes of Wrath,’” by Robin Murray, professor of English;

• Feb. 18, 4 p.m., Tarble Arts Center Atrium; film screening of “Grapes of Wrath,” featuring the work of cinematographer Gregg Toland of Charleston, presented by Kit Morice, curator of education, Tarble Arts Center;

• Feb. 22, 4:30 p.m., Witters Conference Room 4440, Booth Library; “Dust Bowl Lessons: Soil Conservation Then and Now,” by R.J. Alier, Coles County Soil and Water Conservation District.

For more information about “Dust, Drought, and Dreams Gone Dry,” including complete program and exhibit descriptions, visit the program web page here. More information also may be obtained by contacting project directors Janice Derr, jmderr@eiu.edu or 581-5090; Kirstin Duffin, kduffin@eiu.edu or 581-7550; or Pamela Ferrell, pferrell@eiu.edu or 581-7548.

“Dust, Drought and Dreams Gone Dry” was developed by the American Library Association Public Programs Office in collaboration with the libraries of Oklahoma State University and Mount Holyoke College. The exhibition and tour were made possible in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Exploring the Human Endeavor.

Local sponsors of the series are the Tarble Arts Center, Academy of Lifelong Learning and WEIU-TV.

During the spring semester, Booth Library’s regular hours will be from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 1 a.m. Sunday. For more information on the library, visit the website, www.library.eiu.edu; call 217-581-6072; or find the library on Facebook or Twitter.

Destress with Finals Week activities

Posted on December 9th, 2015

Booth Library will offer a variety of activities to help students combat stress and take a break during finals week.

Beginning Dec. 11, students are invited to relax with some fun mad-libs, coloring pages and Sudoku puzzles, which will be available in the Marvin Foyer and south lobby to take and complete on your own. Coloring supplies may be borrowed from the reference or LTS desks.

Students also are invited to help complete a larger jigsaw puzzle or try their hand at creating an origami masterpiece. These supplies will be set up in the Marvin Foyer.

All activities are free.

During finals week, the library will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Dec. 12 (extended hours); noon to 1 a.m. Dec. 13; 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. Dec. 14-17, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 18.

Finals are almost here, study hard but don’t stress out!

Posted on December 8th, 2015

Finals Week is almost here, be prepared!  The Health Education Resource Center (HERC) and the Counseling Center is offering a program called “Don’t Stress! Ace That Test!” to help you manage the stress that comes with finals.  This program is free and will be offered on December 7th from 11:00am-1:00pm and December 8th from 11:00am-1:00pm and 5:00pm-7:00pm.

Booth Library will offer some activities to help you ward off stress.  Starting Friday, December 11th, take a break from studying and stop by the library to pick up some madlibs, sudokus, or origami paper.  On Monday, December 14th at 7:00pm, the library will be handing out popcorn and lemonade on the atrium bridge. We also have several books on stress management to help ease you into finals week:

 

 

 

Holiday DVD and CD titles available on the 4th floor

Posted on December 4th, 2015

 

Time to get into the holiday spirit!  Check out this selection of holiday DVDs and CDs on the 4th floor near the Library Technology Services desk.  Can’t get enough?  There are several holiday events happening around campus:

–29th Annual Holiday Art Sale December 3rd-5th

–A Christmas Carol Radio Play December 3rd-6th

–EIU Holiday Hustle 5K  December 5th

–Holiday Concert December 6th