EIU Booth Library

It’s MEDIA MAYHEM at Booth Library’s spring media sale April 15

Posted on April 10th, 2026

No worries about inclement weather this time!

Booth Library Spring Annual Book Sale will be in the library’s Atrium from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 15, at the center of the library’s main level, regardless of weather conditions outdoors! To find the Media Sale in the library’s Atrium, enter the building at the north or south entry, and take the 3000 level concourse to the central elevator or Atrium stairs, then proceed downstairs to the 1000 level.

Take note, we’re spinning a different tune this time, and hosting a Book Sale without the BOOKS.

Instead, we’re rolling out the VINYL and other media collections that don’t tolerate heat, moisture and outdoor conditions at our traditional sale events! Look forward to browsing classical, jazz, and popular music:

• More than 800 LPs
• More than 700 DVDs
• More than 2000 CDs
• Audiobooks
• Sheet music, too!

No reading required. Just press play. Browse our Vinyl, DVDs, CDs, including audio books, all at bargain basement prices! Pre-sale browsing, holds and purchases will not be permitted. All items have been donated by the campus and local communities. The proceeds from the sale are used to enhance library programs and services. For the latest information, check the library website, www.eiu.edu/booth/booksale, or find Booth Library on Facebook or Instagram.

Dynamic Data Exploration: JMP Data Analysis Workshop April 14

Posted on April 3rd, 2026

Booth Library’s Center for Student Innovation invites the EIU community to attend the JMP Data Analysis Workshop on Tuesday, April 14 from 4 to 5:30 p.m.   

Kevin Potcner, a professional statistician from JMP Software, will demonstrate analyzing data using a no-code interactive statistics software during this introductory workshop. Participants will learn the best practices and thought processes in exploring data through visualizations to transform raw data into meaningful features. These methods will be presented using examples across many disciplines, including business, engineering, health sciences, and others. Participants are encouraged to bring their own laptop to work with. 

This workshop will be held at the 1000 level of Booth Library in the Center for Student Innovation. Register to attend the JMP Data Analysis Workshop through LibCal. For more information, please contact the CSI at csi@eiu.edu.  

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Booth Library to host “Authors@EIU” April 9 & April 15 

Posted on April 1st, 2026

CHARLESTON – Booth Library’s Authors@EIU series continues April 9 and April 15. On April 9, the second event in the Spring 2026 series will recognize two recently published EIU faculty: 

Alan Pocaro, Associate Professor, Art + Design
Tom Torluemke: Live! On Paper, 1987-2024, contributor Alan D. Pocaro 
Skira-Arte Publishing, May, 2025 

Pocaro’s long-form essay “In the Beginning” is featured in the 2025 book Tom Torluemke: Live! On Paper, 1987-2024, published by the prestigious SKIRA in 2025.  “In the Beginning” traces the evolution of drawing into “works on paper,” charting a larger shift in which images move from sacred, active agents in the world to autonomous artworks and, ultimately, commodified objects. The essay culminates in the work of Tom Torluemke, whose practice reclaims paper as a vital, expressive space—reinvesting contemporary art with a sense of immediacy, humanity, and lived experience. 

Alan Pocaro is an artist, writer, and educator. The author of over two hundred articles, essays, and reviews, his critical practice is deeply rooted in Chicago and the American Midwest. 

and Gary Canivez, Ph.D., Professor, Psychology  
Assessing Psychometric Fitness of Intelligence Tests Toward Evidence-Based Interpretation Practices, edited by Gary L. Canivez, Ph.D. 
Bloomsbury Publishing, April, 2025 

This book addresses issues and concerns regarding appropriate ethical and scientific underpinnings for the appropriate interpretation of intelligence tests. Ethical test interpretation requires test users to consider the empirical evidence for individual and all test score comparisons and to make appropriate clinical decisions accordingly. This requires test users to have competencies in advanced psychometric principles.  

Gary Canivez, Ph.D. is professor of Psychology at Eastern Illinois University and principally involved in the Specialist in School Psychology program. He is senior editor for School Psychology Review and serves on the editorial boards of School Psychology and the Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment. Dr. Canivez is the author or coauthor of over 100 peer-reviewed articles. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association (Divisions 5 and 16), a Charter Fellow of the Midwestern Psychological Association, and an elected member of the Society for the Study of School Psychology. His research focuses on psychometric studies of tests of intelligence and psychopathology to help provide evidence necessary to guide evidence-based assessment. 

On April 15, the final event in the Spring 2026 series will recognize three recently published EIU faculty:  

Danelle Larson, Ph.D., Professor, Music Education and Director of the Music Education Division
Music Teaching and Learning in America’s Public Normal Schools 
Edited by Danelle Larson, Ph.D. and Jill M. Sullivan, Ph.D. 
Bloomsbury Publishing, January 2026 

Dr. Larson and her colleague Dr. Jill Sullivan, Arizona State University, collaborated with fourteen authors who share research on histories of music in public normal schools (institutions for training teachers) in America. Combined with these histories are considerations of the impacts of race, gender, and geographic location on curriculum in America’s Public Normal Schools. Dr. Larson conducted research at EIU and authored the chapter “Music in the Eastern Illinois State Normal School.”  

Danelle D. Larson is Professor of Music Education and Director of the Music Education Division at EIU. She teaches a variety of courses in the music education curriculum, supervises student teachers, and oversees the Master of Arts, Music Education Degree program that serves practicing music educators across the country. Her research interests include mentorship of new teachers, female military bands, and history of music education in public schools.  

and Robin L. Murray, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, English, Film Studies and Women/Gender/Sexuality Studies 
along with
Joseph K. Heumann, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Communication Studies
Eco-Teen Films, by Robin L. Murray, Ph.D. and Joseph K. Heumann, Ph.D. 
Routledge, September, 2024 

Focused on the impacts of environmental disasters and climate crises globally, this book examines the experiences of teens grappling with eco-disasters and issues in films of the twenty-first century. With an emphasis on teen activism, international settings and filmmakers, and marginalized perspectives, this book showcases teens on film that are struggling with present and future everyday eco-disasters amplified by climate change. By highlighting and interrogating diverse genres of teen films in which young adults encounter, address, and battle environmental issues and calamities while also struggling with adolescent development, this book acknowledges the young adult point of view missing from most critical ecocinema research and underlines connections between the more complex ‘coming-of-age’ themes found in teen films with ecocinema themes and approaches.  

Robin L. Murray is Professor Emeritus of English, Film Studies, and Women/Gender/Sexuality Studies, EIU. Joseph K. Heumann is Professor Emeritus of Communication Studies, EIU. They have co-authored eight ecocinema books: Ecology and Popular Film: Cinema on the Edge (SUNY Press 2009) That’s All Folks?: Ecocritical Readings of American Animated Features (U Nebraska Press 2011) Gunfight at the Eco-Corral: Western Cinema and the Environment (U Oklahoma Press 2012), Film and Everyday Ecodisasters (U Nebraska Press 2014), Monstrous Nature: Environment and Horror on the Big Screen (U Nebraska Press 2016), Ecocinema and the City (Routledge 2018), Film, Environment, Comedy: Eco-Comedies on the Big Screen (Routledge 2022), and Eco-Teen Films (Routledge 2025). 

Five authors are being featured in three Spring 2026 Authors@EIU events to celebrate the research, scholarship and creative success of EIU faculty and alumni who have recently achieved publication of a book or comparable scholarly or creative work. Both the April 9 and April 15 event will be held in the Library’s West Reading Room beginning with a shared reception at 5 p.m. Presentations will begin at 5:30 with introductory remarks, author presentations, and question & answer sessions for each author.  

All members of the Charleston and EIU communities are welcome, including students. 

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MEDIA CONTACT:  
Diane Highland   
Events & Programming Coordinator, Booth Library   
dehighland@eiu.edu /217-581-6061 

Make Your First Beat: Intro to Digital Audio Workstations March 25

Posted on March 9th, 2026

Booth Library’s Center for Student Innovation invites the EIU community to attend the Introduction to Digital Audio Workstations workshop on March 25^th from 4-5:30 pm.  

At this beginner-friendly workshop, participants will discover the technological elements of music and audio production through instructor-led guidance. Participants will learn how to utilize digital workstations and web-based tools to create and modify audio.  

The Introduction to Digital Audio Workstations workshop will be led by Dr. Bradley D. Decker, Assistant Professor of Music Composition & Technology.  

This workshop will be held at the 1000 level of Booth Library in the Center for Student Innovation. Register to attend the Introduction to Digital Audio Workstations workshop through LibCal. For more information, please contact the CSI at csi@eiu.edu. 

Spring into Technology: CSI Workshops This March

Posted on March 6th, 2026

Throughout March, the Center for Student Innovation at Booth Library will be hosting three workshops dedicated to helping you learn more about the evolving technological landscape! These events are open to people of all expertise; from beginners to experts, you are welcome to participate! Look through the list of workshops happening this March: 

Add unique backgrounds to your photographs and videos during the Green Screen 101 workshop hosted on Tuesday, March 10^th from 6-7 pm. 

Learn how to independently use the equipment in the CSI’s Podcasting Studio during the Podcasting 101 workshop hosted on Wednesday, March 11^th from 4-5 pm. 

Turn a 3D model from a digital file into a printed 3D object during the 3D Printing 101 workshop hosted on Wednesday, March 11^th from 5:30-6:30 pm.  

All workshops take place at the 1000 level of Booth Library in the Center for Student Innovation. Register to attend CSI workshops and learning labs through LibCal. For more information, please contact the CSI at csi@eiu.edu. 

New library acquisitions for February

Posted on March 5th, 2026

Booth Library’s collections added a multitude of new items last month!   Booth Library acquired and cataloged 447 physical items (books, DVDs, government documents, archival resources, and more) and 2385 electronic resources (including ebooks, ejournals, digital audiobooks, EIU student theses, and streaming videos) in February 2026. Please find the lists of new items at the links below. Individual issues of current periodicals are excluded. All items are discoverable through the library’s online catalog.

New acquisitions include items selected for purchase by Booth’s subject librarians, donations, re-cataloged library items, freely available government publications, and consortium-wide purchases.

Please contact your subject librarian with any questions.

Public Presentations Announced for EIU Children’s Literature Symposium

Posted on February 11th, 2026

CHARLESTON – Booth Library invites the campus and community to join us Wednesday and Thursday, February 25 and 26, for two featured public talks as part of the EIU Children’s Literature Symposium.

The EIU Children’s Literature Symposium is a two-day celebration honoring the importance, craftsmanship, and rich history of literature created for children. Through partnerships between Booth Library’s Ballenger Teachers Center, the EIU College of Education and Department of English, Charleston CUSD #1 elementary schools, and St. John’s Lutheran School, the symposium exemplifies the strong and collaborative bonds between Eastern Illinois University and the surrounding community.

The talks will allow the campus and greater community to engage with two accomplished professionals in the field of children’s literature. Both presentations are free and open to the public.

Wednesday, February 25:
5:00 p.m. Reception
5:30 p.m. Jan Spivey Gilchrist, Ph.D.
Making Books for ALL Children: A Celebration of My Life’s Work
Dr. Gilchrist will join us for an Alumni edition of our speaker series, Authors@EIU. She has illustrated 109 children’s books, authored 5 children’s books and a host of academic and textbook illustrations. Dr. Gilchrist holds a B.S. degree in Art Education from EIU; an M.A. in Painting from the University of Northern Iowa; an M.F.A. from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and a Ph.D. in English from Madison University.

*The Black Student Union RSO is co-hosting a documentary screening of Colors of Love: The Jan Spivey Gilchrist Story, on Monday, February 23 at 5 p.m. in the Library’s Center for Student Innovation. The documentary illustrates Gilchrist’s triumph from the dark shadows of the civil rights era to ascend as a heralded children’s book illustrator and author.

Thursday, February 26:
5:00 p.m. Reception
5:30 p.m. Suzan Alteri, Ph.D.
Racism and Representation in Children’s Literature
Dr. Alteri is Assistant Director of the Center for Children’s Books at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. She previously served as Curator of the Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature at the University of Florida, one of the world’s most significant collections documenting the history of children’s books.

Each presentation will be followed by question-and-answer sessions. Parking is free and open to the public after 5:00 p.m.

Also publicly available Thursday, February 26, at 4:00 p.m. will be Children’s Literature Research Lightning Rounds in which Faculty scholars who conduct research in the field of children’s literature will share their findings.

Community members, students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend our public events to celebrate the importance of literature for children and early learning, and to engage with leading voices in children’s literature scholarship, including a distinguished EIU alumna.

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Diane Highland
Events & Exhibits Coordinator, Booth Library
dehighland@eiu.edu / 217-581-6061

Call for Student Submissions: Booth Library Awards for Excellence in Student Research & Creative Works 2026

Posted on February 9th, 2026

Booth Library at Eastern Illinois University invites students to submit their work for the 17th Annual Awards for Excellence in Student Research and Creative Works. This program celebrates outstanding student scholarship and creativity that makes meaningful use of Booth Library’s resources, services, spaces, or expertise.

Eligibility

The competition is open to all Eastern Illinois University students (undergraduate and graduate) who are or were enrolled during the current academic year. Submissions must represent original work completed within the past 12 months.

Individual and group projects are welcome. Only one submission per person is allowed. For group projects, please clearly describe each participant’s role and contribution.

Scope of Submissions

Student research and creative works may take many forms, including but not limited to:

• Written research papers
• Artistic works or exhibits
• Musical compositions or performances
• Videos, podcasts, documentaries, or oral histories
• Data analysis or visualizations
• Performances or other creative projects

Written submissions are limited to 25 pages. Students may submit portions of a thesis, provided a summary or outline of the remaining work is included. All submissions should be presented in a way that can be understood by an interdisciplinary review panel.

Use of Booth Library Resources

A central component of this award is demonstrating how Booth Library contributed to your project’s success. Each submission must include a detailed explanation of how you used library materials, spaces, technologies, services, or staff support during your research or creative process.

Citations and Academic Integrity

All submissions that rely on the work of others must include a complete list of references following a standard citation style. Use of AI tools is permitted but must be fully disclosed and described. Plagiarism or other breaches of academic integrity will result in disqualification.

Awards

Prizes will be awarded in separate undergraduate and graduate categories:

Graduate Students

• First Place: $500
• Second Place: $400
• Third Place: $300

Undergraduate Students

• First Place: $300
• Second Place: $200
• Third Place: $100

Award recipients will also receive certificates of recognition. Winning entries will be honored during National Library Week 2026 (April 19–25), and a digital copy of each winning work will be added to EIU’s institutional repository, The Keep.

The 2025–2026 student awards are funded by gifts from the friends of Carl Lorber, Jr., Professor Emeritus, former longtime head of Reference Services at Booth Library, and through the philanthropic support of the Coles County Zythological Society.

Important Dates

• Submission Deadline: March 6, 2026, by 11:59 p.m. CST
• Notification of Winners: By April 1, 2026
• Awards Celebration: National Library Week, April 19–25, 2026

Incomplete submissions will not receive full consideration.

Questions?

For more information, please contact:
Brian W. Keith
Dean of Booth Library
(217) 581-6061
bwkeith@eiu.edu

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Diane Highland, Booth Library
dehighland@eiu.edu
217-581-6061

Thousands of new resources were added to Booth’s collections in January

Posted on February 6th, 2026

Booth Library’s collections added a multitude of new items last month!  During January 2026, Booth Library acquired and cataloged 376 physical items (books, DVDs, government documents, archival resources, and more) and over 14,400 electronic resources (including ebooks, ejournals, digital audiobooks, EIU student theses, and streaming videos). Please find the lists of new items at the links below. Individual issues of current periodicals are excluded. All items are discoverable through the library’s online catalog.

New acquisitions include items selected for purchase by Booth’s subject librarians, donations, re-cataloged library items, freely available government publications, and consortium-wide purchases.

Please contact your subject librarian with any questions.

EIU to Celebrate Faculty Authors at Spring 2026 Authors@EIU Events at Booth Library 

Posted on February 5th, 2026

(Charleston, IL) – Eastern Illinois University’s Mary J. Booth Library invites the campus and community to participate in the Spring 2026 installment of Booth Library’s annual speaker series, Authors@EIU. Through this series, the library will recognize and celebrate EIU’s intellectually vibrant community and its contributions to discovery, knowledge, creation, and public learning. 

During the Spring 2026 semester, six authors will be featured across three Authors@EIU events, celebrating the research, scholarship, and creative achievements of Eastern Illinois University faculty and alumni. Booth Library staff looks forward to hosting these free events and facilitating engaging dialogue as EIU and its local communities celebrate the important scholarly and creative accomplishments of these authors. 

Each event will include a shared reception beginning at 5 p.m., followed by author presentations and Q&A sessions starting at 5:30 p.m. Campus parking and admission to these events are free. 

Additional details for the Spring 2026 Authors@EIU events include: 

• Wednesday, February 25: 
  • Jan Spivey Gilchrist, Ph.D. 
    Spivey Gilchrist (’73) is an award-winning author and illustrator of children’s books, an EIU Art Education alumna, a 1992 EIU Distinguished Alumna Award recipient, and former member of the EIU Board of Trustees (2013-2019). Her presentation will serve as a capstone event for the 2026 Children’s Literature Symposium, which will be held on EIU’s campus February 25 and 26 of this year. 
• Thursday, April 9: 
  • Alan Pocaro, Associate Professor, Art + Design, Printmaking and Foundations 
    Pocaro is associated with the New Aesthetics movement, an informal group of artists and writers who emphasize the physical and material nature of art. His writing focuses on art criticism, creative scholarship, exhibition reviews, and critical essays. His pieces have been featured in Chicago’s New City magazine, as well as The New Criterion, New American Paintings, artcritical, AbstractCritical, ART PAPERS, and CityBeat. Prior to joining EIU’s faculty, Porcaro taught at the Art Academy of Cincinnati and Miami University (Ohio). 
  • Gary Canivez, Ph.D., Professor, Psychology 
    Canivez served as editor of a recently published 2025 textbook he will discuss, titled Assessing Psychometric Fitness of Intelligence Tests: Toward Evidence-based Interpretation Practices by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. The textbook, intended for graduate students and professionals in psychology and related fields, covers the intersection of ethics, test standards, and psychometric properties while focusing on the ethical and scientific interpretation of intelligence tests and emphasizing the need for advanced psychometric knowledge for appropriate clinical and research use. 
• Wednesday, April 15:
  • Danelle Larson, Ph.D., Professor, Music Education and Director of the Music Education Division 
    Larson will engage in a discussion revolving around topics in her co-edited 2026 academic anthology Music Teaching and Learning in America’s Public Normal Schools by Bloomsbury Publishing. The book shares the histories of public normal schools and how American music-teacher education evolved from teacher education in those early institutions during a time when many eventually became state universities. 
  • Robin Murray, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of English and Joseph K. Heumann, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Communication Studies 
    Murray and Heumann will discuss their 2024 co-authored book Eco-Teen Films (Routledge), emphasizing the juxtaposition of teen activism, international settings and filmmakers, and marginalized perspectives to focus on teens on film who are struggling with present and future, everyday eco-disasters amplified by climate change. 

The featured publications are available for loan to the public through Booth Library. For more information, visit go.eiu.edu/FacultyPubs. 

All members of the EIU and local communities are welcome, including students. 

Since opening as a dedicated library in 1950, Eastern Illinois University’s Booth Library has become a cornerstone of academic research and community engagement, serving not only EIU but also students, educators, and residents throughout Central Illinois. For more information about Booth Library or EIU’s Spring 2026 Authors@EIU series, contact Booth Library Exhibits & Events Coordinator Diane Highland at dehighland@eiu.edu or call (217) 581-6061.

EIU prepares students to accomplish their life goals through a combination of quality academics, personal relationships, and both on-campus and online learning opportunities. For more information about Eastern Illinois University, including its broad array of academic and career readiness programs, or any of EIU’s other community-based services and opportunities, visit eiu.edu or call EIU’s public information office at (217) 581-7400.