EIU Booth Library

Booth wins Atkinson award for its digital literacy program

Posted on July 13th, 2022

Booth Library was the recipient of the Illinois Library Association’s 2022 Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award for Interlibrary Cooperation, which is awarded annually for sustained activity and contributions having a lasting impact on librarianship. The award is supported by the Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Fund and by the Valerie J. Wilford Memorial Fund established in recognition of contributions to multi-type cooperation and resource sharing.

In 2021, EIU’s Booth Library was awarded a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s Illinois Broadband READY program. The library received $44,000 to create a digital literacy program for the Southeast region of Illinois. With the grant funds, a digital literacy coordinator was hired to create curricular materials related to digital literacy for all ages – from elementary school students to retirees.

With proper feedback, the digital literacy coordinator successfully created a robust curriculum that covered various digital literacy topics. Additionally, a “train-the-trainer” model was implemented along with vigorous online literacy guides. Booth Library partnered with the Charleston Carnegie Public Library, Mattoon Public Library, Effingham Public Library, and the Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library in Sullivan. Additional program partners were the Lake Land College Adult and Alternative Education program, EIU Academy of Lifelong Learning, and Mattoon Community Unit School District 1.

Chris Houchens, Director of the Charleston Carnegie Public Library wrote in his nomination letter, “Booth Library has been an excellent partner not only to us, but all of the surrounding libraries in our littler corner of Illinois. I could not think of a better Library for the Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award for Interlibrary Cooperation.”

The Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award was presented at an awards ceremony during the 2022 Illinois Library Association Annual Conference on Oct. 18-20, 2022, in Rosemont, Illinois.

Library creates health literacy program

Posted on April 26th, 2022

Booth Library was awarded $18,000 from the National Library of Medicine to implement a health literacy program in the Southeastern region of Illinois.

With the award funding, Booth Library partnered with the EIU Department of Public Health and Health Communication program to create a virtual training module including videos and resources on various health literacy topics. Content was based on the needs of local public libraries and community organizations.

The grant program was led by Stacey Knight-Davis, Booth Library health and nursing librarian; Dr. Lauri DeRuiter-Willems, Department of Public Health and Nutrition; Dr. Beth Gill, School of Communication and Journalism; Kim Ross and Carrie Wennerdahl, digital health literacy coordinators.

A library guide about digital health literacy was created as a result of this program. It can be accessed at https://eiu.libguides.com/dighealthlit/.

This program was funded by Region 6 of the Network of the National Library of Medicine, whose mission is to provide U.S. researchers, health professionals, public health workforce, educators, and the public with equal access to biomedical and health information resources and data.

This work was supported by the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, under Cooperative Agreement number UG4LM013729 with the University of Iowa. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Booth, Public Health, Health Comm to offer health literacy program

Posted on September 24th, 2021

Booth Library was awarded $18,000 from the National Library of Medicine to implement a health literacy program in the Southeastern region of Illinois.

With the award funding, Booth Library will partner with the EIU Department of Public Health and Health Communication program to create training that includes the National Library of Medicine Digital Health Literacy Program. Trainers will work with local public libraries and community organizations to customize the training to meet local needs.

“The ability to find, understand, and evaluate health information is a critical need in our community,” said Stacey Knight-Davis, Booth Library health and nursing librarian. “With the resources provided by Region 6 NNLM we will build a network of people in our area with the skills and knowledge to find and appraise health information online.”  

This program is being funded by Region 6 of the Network of the National Library of Medicine, whose mission is to provide U.S. researchers, health professionals, public health workforce, educators, and the public with equal access to biomedical and health information resources and data.

Developed resources reported in this press release are supported by the National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH) under cooperative agreement number UG4LM013729. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Movie displays are back!

Posted on September 20th, 2021

It’s been a while, but real-life, physical movie displays have once again returned to the fourth floor of the library!

There may be no better time for a movie display comeback than spooky season, and this one is jam-packed with a finely-curated selection of only the best Halloween-type films from our collection.

Don’t see what you’re looking for? Feel free to stop by the desk and let us know — there’s a chance we might just have it.

Happy fall, and enjoy the movies!

Booth Library awarded grant for digital literacy program

Posted on August 3rd, 2021

Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity have announced that Booth Library on the campus of Eastern Illinois University was awarded a $50,000 grant to implement a digital literacy program in the Southeastern region of Illinois.

The grant is part of the Office of Broadband Regional Engagement for Adoption + Digital Equity (READY) program, through which $200,000 was awarded to four regional entities to accelerate progress toward eliminating the digital divide. In addition to EIU, READY grantees include awards of $50,000 for the following entities:

• Region 1 Planning Council on behalf of the Northern Stateline Region
• Southern Illinois University on behalf of the Southern Region
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign on behalf of the East Central Region

READY grantees may use funds to expand immediate broadband connectivity, conduct outreach and engagement to identify current digital inequities, and establish next steps toward creating a digital inclusion ecosystem through regional collaboration among institutions of higher education, planning councils, community and economic development organizations, schools, libraries, health care, and local leaders and other related stakeholders.

At EIU, the READY grant funding supports a digital literacy program being designed by staff members at Booth Library. Nate Carlson, digital literacy coordinator, is creating a digital literacy curriculum that includes topics such as digital citizenship, basic computing skills and social media. This information is being presented in a series of train-the-trainer workshops this summer in the library’s new Center for Student Innovation.

“We are so grateful to the Illinois DCEO for funding our proposal to implement a digital literacy program in Southeast Illinois. Many residents in our region lack not only reliable Internet access but also the skills necessary to be responsible digital citizens,” said Zach Newell, Dean of Library Services at EIU.

Several regional partners are participating in the digital literacy program, including Lake Land College Adult and Alternative Education, Charleston Carnegie Public Library, Mattoon Public Library, Effingham Public Library, Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library in Sullivan and the Academy of Lifelong Learning. After attending training at Booth Library, representatives of these groups will present workshops on digital literacy topics in their respective communities this fall.

Mattoon student leaders from the elementary school, middle school and high school participated in digital literacy training during the week of Aug. 30.

In addition, the EIU College of Education intends to participate in digital literacy training.

“We are thankful to our public library, school district and community college partners who are helping us to present basic computer and information literacy workshops throughout the region,” Newell said.

The program is one of an increasingly robust Digital Equity Package offered by the Illinois Office of Broadband to increase access, adoption and utilization of high-speed internet access – all through the lens of digital equity and inclusion.

“High-speed internet is an essential resource for Illinois communities to succeed in the 21^st century economy, and this administration is laser-focused on expanding access across the state,” said Gov. Pritzker. “With more than 1 million households currently without reliable internet – the state is dedicating $420 million to enhance our broadband infrastructure. The READY grant program will help put the power of planning directly into the hands of our communities and complements our historic efforts to bring enhanced speed and access to every community in Illinois.”

Edible Book Festival winners announced

Posted on April 9th, 2021

Booth Library’s 11th annual Edible Book Festival was held virtually to celebrate National Library Week April 4-10.

Because of restrictions due to COVID-19, this year’s festival was held virtually for the second year. Participants created an edible art work based on a book and submitted photos of their entry. Then members of the public were invited to vote online for their favorites.

The winners were as follows:

First place: “The Rainbow Fish,” by Esperanza Murillo; based on the book, “The Rainbow Fish,” by Marcus Pfister.

Second place: “The Hobbit,” by Beatrix Brantley; based on the book “The Hobbit,” by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Third place: “The Monster Book of Monsters,” by Lily Porter; based on the book, “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” by J.K. Rowling.

All of the Edible Book Festival entries will be viewable in EIU’s institutional repository, The Keep, at https://thekeep.eiu.edu/edible_book_festivals/.

Eight students receive Awards for Excellence

Posted on April 2nd, 2021

The Library Advisory Board of Booth Library honored eight students as winners of the 2021 Awards for Excellence in Student Research and Creativity.

Graduate division:

• Nicole Bridges, a History student, won first place for Mothers, Wives, and Sisters…But Also Citizens: Defining the Duty of Female Civilians Through the Publications of the Pankhurst Sisters during The Great War.
• James Kowalski, a History student, won second place for ‘Everyone is Suffering’: The Redefinition of Shell Shock from Curious National Concern to Conventionalized National Baggage in Post-World War I Britain.
• Carol Bruce Tagoe, an Economics student, won third place for Developed Stock Market Integration: New Evidence from the Pre- and Post-Financial Crisis of 2007-2009.
• Tanner Skym, a History student, won honorable mention for Bolshevik Germany: America’s Perception on the German Revolution.
• Toluwalase Solomon, a Curriculum and Instruction student, won honorable mention for Trade Books’ Contextualization of Consequential Women’s Historical Significance.

Undergraduate division:

• Paul Abraham, a Public Health student, won first place for Voluntary Refusal of the Seasonal Influenza Vaccine.
• Penny Nigh, a Communication student, won second place for Cultivating a Cohesive Workplace by Integrating Soft Skills Training in Professional Development Programs and Resources.
• Alexandra Mann, a History student, won third place for The Women of Wrigley’s Dainty Baseball League.

The first- through third-place award winners were honored during the virtual Awards for Excellence Showcase at 11 a.m. on Friday, April 9.

The Booth Library Awards for Excellence in Student Research and Creativity program promotes and recognizes excellence in student research. The program encourages students to enhance their studies by utilizing the wealth of information available at Booth Library and other research venues.

All entries were original works completed by Eastern students within the last 12 months. The award recipients were selected on the basis of excellence, creativity and the use of research resources. A digital copy of award entries will become part of the Library’s institutional repository, The Keep, found at https://thekeep.eiu.edu.

Pitch Competition winners announced

Posted on March 30th, 2021

Six Eastern Illinois University students were named winners of the What’s Your Problem Pitch Competition sponsored by the Booth Library Center for Student Innovation.

The Pitch Competition invited underrepresented, undergraduate student teams to share ideas and technologies that will solve a specific problem. Each team pitched its idea of how to solve a problem that they identified and described using the resources that are currently available in or could be purchased for the library’s CSI.

The winners are:

• Rhonda Rogers and Raven Ramsey, who are majoring in Construction Management, won first place for their pitch, CSI Solutions, which presented ideas for improvements in the new CSI at Booth Library.

• Kayla Crowder and Jerimiah Boyd-Johnson, who are majoring in Political Science, won second place for their pitch, Diplomacy Lab, which presented plans to establish a Diplomacy Lab at EIU.

• Amayah Farley, who is majoring in Broadcast Journalism, won third place for her pitch, Fixing Food Insecurity, which proposed the creation of an app to benefit the planned food pantry on the EIU campus.

• Esperanza Murillo, who is majoring in Health Administration, won fourth place for her pitch, Victors App, which proposed the creation of an app to connect people who may be feeling isolated as a result of the pandemic.

All students will be awarded scholarships, and additional funds will be used to purchase technology and materials to support their innovative ideas. Funding for the pitch competition was provided by the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund.

The Pitch Competition was coordinated by Zach Newell, dean of Library Services; Newton Key, professor of History and director of the Faculty Development and Innovation Center; and Catherine Polydore, assistant dean of the Honors College, professor of Counseling and Higher Education, and former chair of the EIU Making Excellence Inclusive Committee.

“The judging team was amazed by the quality and creativity of the pitch competition entries,” Newell said. “Our students certainly know what hurdles and challenges our campus community is facing, and they have innovative ideas about how to solve them.”

The top three winning entries are now part of EIU’s institutional repository, The Keep, found at https://thekeep.eiu.edu/csi_pitch2021/.

The Center for Student Innovation is located on the first floor of Booth Library, on the east side of the atrium. For more information about the CSI, visit the website at https://www.eiu.edu/booth/csi/index.php.

Study rooms, meditation room open for individual use

Posted on March 23rd, 2021

Booth’s fourth-floor study rooms and meditation room are open for reservations. Typically Booth study rooms are for group work. However, they are now for individual use only.

Rooms are available by reservation only and can be reserved for up to two hours. These same regulations apply to the meditation room, as well.

Sanitizers are provided for individuals to clean surfaces. There will be a required break between reservations to allow for air filtration.

Only current EIU students with a valid Panther Card may reserve a room. Reservations can be made up to two weeks in advance.

To reserve a study room, visit https://booth.eiu.edu/studyroom. To reserve the meditation room, visit https://eiu.libcal.com/space/92746.

Booth CSI and Thomas Hall offer technology for checkout

Posted on February 23rd, 2021

Booth Library announces the opening of its Center for Student Innovation. The CSI includes a new Technology Checkout Station, an Active Learning Classroom and Design Lab. The CSI is located on the first floor of Booth Library, on the east side of the atrium.

In addition, a satellite CSI location has been opened on the lower level of Thomas Hall. A Technology Checkout Station and Design Lab are available.

Students with a valid Panther Card can check out the technology for a limited time period.

The following technology is available for checkout at the Booth CSI:

• Dell 3510 i3 256/16 laptops
• MiFi Hotspots (Mobile WiFi)
• Webcams
• Microphone/Speakers
• GoPro Fusion 360 cameras
• Canon (mirrorless) digital cameras – this equipment is not yet available

This technology is available for checkout at Thomas Hall:

• Surface Book 3 laptops
• Webcams
• Microphones
• Mini-tripods

Both Technology Checkout Stations are open from 3-8 p.m. Sunday-Thursday. For more information visit https://www.eiu.edu/booth/csi/tech.php. Funding for the technology checkout program was provided through the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief fund.

“It became apparent at the start of the pandemic that many students didn’t have access to the technology they needed when all classes transitioned to remote learning,” said Zach Newell, dean of Library Services. “Thanks to GEER funding, we now can help alleviate that by offering various pieces of equipment available for checkout.”

Renovation of the first phase of the CSI project — the Active Learning Classroom, Design Lab and breakout rooms — was completed in November 2020 and was made possible thanks to a grant from the Charleston Area Charitable Foundation. The renovation included new flooring, electrical and Internet upgrades, updated lighting and paint.

The Design Lab is home to a variety of new technology, including a podcasting studio, gaming computers, 3D printers, Google jamboard, large computer monitors and a green screen, purchased with a grant from the Illinois State Library.

“Our goal is to provide our students and scholars with services and spaces to make their academic pursuits engaging, productive, and enjoyable,” Newell said. “Although the pandemic has delayed the implementation of activities in the CSI, we look forward to opening the space to students, faculty and the community so they can learn, experiment and innovate.”

For more information about the Center for Student Innovation, visit the web site at https://www.eiu.edu/booth/csi/index.php.