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May is National Get Caught Reading Month, established in 1999 by the Association of American Publishers (AAP) as part of an initiative to promote reading and literacy across the United States. This month-long observance encourages people of all ages to make reading a visible activity. Its goal is to inspire others by example, showing that reading isn't just a necessity but an enjoyable pastime that enriches our lives.

After months of assigned readings and scholarly articles, Get Caught Reading Month is a great way for members of the Loras community to reconnect with books on your own terms. Reading can help you unwind after finals; research shows that reading for pleasure reduces stress and supports mental well-being. Maintaining reading habits between academic years also helps preserve critical thinking skills and vocabulary over the summer. 

In addition to the general benefits of reading for pleasure, Get Caught Reading Month highlights the community aspect of reading. While often considered a solitary activity, this observance transforms reading into a community experience. Schools organize read-a-thons, libraries host special events, and many people post pictures of themselves enjoying books in unexpected places with the tag #GetCaughtReading. 

Whether it’s a quiet moment alone or a shared experience with friends, reading can be both restorative and fun. If you are looking for a post-finals week read, visit our Popular Reading Collection in the Klauer Commons on the main floor or talk to one of the librarians for some recommendations.

Children’s poetry has long delighted readers with its playful language, vivid imagery, and surprising humor. These qualities not only entertain young readers but introduce them to the power and flexibility of language. Poetry for children, like poetry in general, has ancient roots, with nursery rhymes and lullabies passed down through generations. Today's children's poetry encompasses everything from playful nonsense verse to profound reflections on childhood experiences.

Poetry provides children with essential building blocks for language development. The rhythm, rhyme, and repetition found in poems help children recognize patterns in language, build vocabulary, and expand their ability to hear and manipulate the sounds of words. Moreover, these attributes foster children's ability to remember and memorize information. Poetry can also help reading fluency and literacy as repeated reading of poems helps children improve their pronunciation and understanding. 

Besides language skills, poetry can help nurture emotional intelligence. Poems capture complex feelings in accessible ways, helping children understand and express their own emotions. Reading about diverse experiences aids in the development of empathy and understanding different perspectives. Additionally, poetry encourages children to use their imaginations to visualize images and concepts described in the poem. 

One of the most exciting developments in children's literature has been the growing popularity of novels written entirely in verse. Award-winning titles like Kwame Alexander's basketball-themed The Crossover, Sharon Creech's Love That Dog about a boy's poetry journey, and Jacqueline Woodson's memoir Brown Girl Dreaming demonstrate how verse novels combine the emotional impact of poetry with engaging narratives. These books particularly appeal to reluctant readers; the white space on the page appears less intimidating than dense prose, while the emotional directness creates immediate connection, making them perfect gateway books for children who might otherwise avoid reading.

During this National Poetry month, we invite you to explore the children’s poetry in our Library. We have both collections of short poems as well as verse novels in our display on the first floor and even more in our PK-12 Collection. 

April is Autism Awareness Month, but for a group of Loras students, supporting and celebrating neurodiversity is a year-round mission—and it now has a name: Neuro-DU-verse.

Neuro-DU-verse, Loras College’s new student organization, was founded to create a space where neurodivergent students—including those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ADHD, dyslexia, anxiety, learning differences, and more—can feel seen, supported, and understood. But this group isn’t just about raising awareness. It’s about creating real community, connection, and change.

Loras has always been strong on community, but students with disabilities haven’t always felt included. As one member explained, “Especially at a school where athletics are so important, it’s easy for some groups to feel forgotten. [Neuro-DU-verse] is a judgment-free, welcoming space for anyone who feels like they don’t quite fit into other places.”

The new organization meets weekly in the Lynch Learning Center. It is an open, accepting space where students come together for games, ice breakers, and conversation. While the gatherings are consistent and routine, they are also flexible, with no pressure or long-term commitments. “It’s about having somewhere to go where you can just be yourself,” another student said. “You don’t have to stress about what’s due or what’s coming next. It’s a space where people get it.” And you don’t have to identify as neurodivergent to attend. The organization is open to everyone—students, staff, and faculty—who either identify as neurodiverse or are allies in support.

The impact of Neuro-DU-verse has already extended beyond weekly meetings. Their recent Care Package Fundraising Project created and distributed care packages to 28 members of the community during one of the most stressful points of the semester. The goal? To spark joy and ease anxiety for the recipients. The project raised $700, launched with the help of a $300 donation, and involved collaboration with a career strategies course. Students took on leadership roles in marketing, logistics, and finance—learning hands-on skills and navigating the real-life challenges of team dynamics, responsibility, and self-advocacy. One organizer said, “It wasn’t just another group project.  It felt like volunteering and was fun.” Another added, “Seeing how happy people were to receive those packages—it was heartwarming.”

As the group looks to the future, Neuro-DU-verse is already planning new events and initiatives, with leftover funds being saved to support the next round of programming. Their mission remains rooted in creating inclusive, welcoming spaces. If you are interested in joining the group, just come Monday evenings at 5:00 to the Lynch Learning Center. 

To learn more about autism and other forms of neurodiversity, please visit the book display on the main floor of the Library.

Stephanie Foo’s memoir, What My Bones Know is a powerful exploration of healing from Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Foo built a successful career as a journalist and radio producer of This American Life but beneath that exterior was a lifelong struggle with the effects of childhood abuse and abandonment. After years of therapy, she was finally told her diagnosis of Complex PTSD. This revelation became a turning point, opening a new path where Foo would come to terms with her past and find healing.

Foo’s narrative is both personal and investigative, blending her own experiences with research, expert interviews, and stories from other trauma survivors. She details her frustrating search for mental health care, the limitations of cognitive behavioral therapy, and her exploration of other therapeutic approaches, including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), somatic experiencing, and mindfulness practices. Foo’s journey has no single breakthrough moment, but instead she takes the reader on her slow, nonlinear process of healing. 

In telling her own story, Foo also reflects on intergenerational trauma. She explores how cultural identity and inherited pain shape her understanding of trauma and resilience. She confronts the ways in which cultural silence can compound suffering while also recognizing the strength found in community and heritage. This realization inspired the title. As she writes, “"Every cell in my body is filled with the code of generations of trauma, of death, of birth, of migration, of history that I cannot understand…My family tried to erase this history. But my body remembers…I want to have words for what my bones know. I want to use those gifts when they serve me and understand and forgive them when they do not (202). 

To learn more about healing from trauma, including some books recommended by Foo, please visit the book display on the third floor. Also, please join us on Thursday, April 10 at 6:30 in the MARC Third Floor Commons to hear Foo talk about her memoir.

Worldwide Climate and Justice Education Week is a global initiative aimed at raising awareness, fostering discussions, and equipping people with the knowledge needed to take action against climate change. This event brings together educators, students, activists, and policymakers to emphasize the importance of climate literacy. This year it takes place April 7-13. 

The initiative began in 2019 and was first organized by Bard College's Graduate Programs in Sustainability as the Worldwide Teach-In. The last couple of years saw over 600 events in more than 70 countries. However, this program was not the first but built on the work of the early 2000s when environmental organizations and educators recognized the need for structured climate literacy programs.

Climate education goes beyond understanding the science of global warming. It empowers individuals and communities to make informed decisions, adopt sustainable practices, and advocate for policy changes. Additionally, climate change is a justice issue. It disproportionately impacts those least responsible, and addressing it requires reversing these injustices. 

This year at Loras we will begin the week a bit early with the Climate Action Festival on Thursday, April 3 from 4-6pm in the Alumni Campus Center. The Climate Action Festival will host short informational sessions on the relationship between human health and climate, communicating and understanding science information, and the intersection of climate change and spirituality, as well as celebrating nature through dance and arts and crafts. Each session will be led by faculty, staff, and student volunteers. Additionally, there will be exhibits from student artists from the area colleges whose works explore these topics in various forms.

To learn more about climate change and sustainability, please visit our book display on the fourth floor. 

March is Women's History Month, a time to honor the achievements, resilience, and contributions of women. This year’s theme, Moving Forward Together! Women Educating and Inspiring Generations, highlights the power of women as educators and leaders who shape the future. 

Education has long been a catalyst for change, equipping women with the knowledge and skills needed to challenge societal norms, break barriers, and advocate for equality. Pioneers like Mary McLeod Bethune, Patsy Mink, Sally Ride, and Malala Yousafzai remind us that access to education is a fundamental right and a steppingstone to empowerment.

Mary McLeod Bethune, an educator and civil rights leader, founded the Bethune-Cookman Institute to provide Black students with quality education at a time when opportunities were scarce. Patsy Mink, the first woman of color elected to the U.S. Congress, was instrumental in the creation of Title IX, ensuring gender equity in education and athletics. Sally Ride, as the first American woman in space, broke barriers in STEM and later dedicated her life to inspiring young girls to pursue science. Malala Yousafzai, a Nobel Peace Prize winner at age 17, defied oppression to advocate for girls' education worldwide. Their legacies continue to inspire and uplift new generations of women.

This Women’s History Month, let us recognize the impact of the women who educate, inspire, and empower those around them. To learn more about the women who have shaped our collective history, check out the book display on the fourth floor. Who are the women who have inspired you? Add their names to the white board at the entrance of the Library. 

The Ides of March, or Idus Martias, was a significant day in the Roman calendar even before the murder of Julius Caesar. The month was the first in the Roman calendar and named in honor of the god Mars, the Roman god of war and a guardian of agriculture. As the father of Romulus and Remus, the builders of Rome, he held a significant place in the Roman pantheon.

Ides comes from the Romans' unique numbering system and its basis in a lunar calendar. Instead of numbering each day of the month, they counted the days from three fixed days of the month with Ides occurring on the full moon.

• Nones – 8 days before Ides
• Ides – 15th day of the month in March
• Kalends – 1st day of following month

As the only fixed day in a month, rents and debt payments were usually due on the Ides of each month so people were likely wary of them before March’s Ides were associated with Julius Caesar.

As the first full moon of the year, there were special ceremonies held on the day. While the month was dedicated to Mars, the Ides were dedicated to Jupiter, the king of the gods, and it was custom to hold a procession led by a sacrificial sheep along the Via Sacra to the citadel. Romans would also celebrate the new year with the Feast of Anna Perenna, a goddess of the year. Some sources also place the Mamuralia on the Ides of March. In this ceremony, an elderly man dressed in skins, representing the old year, would have been beaten and driven from the city. By the late Imperial period, the Ides of March were the opening day to a week of festivals celebrating Cybele, the Great Mother, and Attis, her consort.

These days the Ides of March are mostly associated with the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BCE during a senate meeting. The most famous portrayal of the historic event is Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. From the play we get a few common sayings including “Beware the Ides of March”, “Et tu, Brute?”, "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears!", and "Aye, they are come, but they are not gone."

Check out the display on the third floor to learn more about Julius Caesar and Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.
 

March 2 marks the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, one of the most popular children’s authors of all time. His imaginative rhymes, vocabulary, and characters have made his books like The Cat in the Hat, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, and Oh, the Places You’ll Go! beloved across generations. 

One of Dr. Seuss’s most significant contributions was his ability to make reading fun and engaging for early learners. In the mid-20th century, children’s books often relied on rote memorization and uninspiring vocabulary. Frustrated by these methods, Geisel set out to create books that were simple yet fun. The Cat in the Hat, for example, was written using only 236 distinct words, chosen to be easy for young readers while maintaining an engaging narrative. His use of repetition, rhyming schemes, and rhythmic patterns not only entertained but also reinforced fundamental reading skills.

Geisel’s not only taught children how to read but also inspired them to think critically about the world around them. However, Geisel was a complex figure. As a liberal Democrat, he strongly opposed fascism and was a supporter of President Roosevelt’s New Deal. His political cartoons during World War II urged action against totalitarian threats. Nevertheless, his work also contained racist imagery and stereotypes, particularly with respect to depictions of non-white characters. For instance, he drew troubling images of Japanese Americans in his political cartoons supporting the internment camps. Some of earlier children’s books also contain racist imagery. At the same time, Geisel was not beyond growth and change. After WII, he reexamined his views on the Japanese. In fact, his book Horton Hears a Who!, dedicated to a Japanese friend, was intended as an allegory for America's post-war presence in Japan.

Despite his complexity, Dr. Seuss’s influence on children’s literature remains undeniable. Recognizing Geisel’s great impact on literacy and the enduring influence of his work, the National Education Association partnered with Dr. Seuss Enterprises in 1998 to establish National Read Across America Day in his honor. This annual celebration on Dr. Seuss’s Birthday brings together students, teachers, parents, and communities nationwide to promote literacy and the joy of reading. While initially centered on Dr. Seuss’s work, the event has since expanded to highlight diverse literature that reflects a wide range of cultures and experiences. Celebrate the day by checking out the book display on the first floor of the library. 

Chocolate has a rich history dating back thousands of years. Cacao was first cultivated by the Olmecs in Mesoamerica over 5000 years ago. Later, it was so valued by the Mayan and Aztec peoples that they used cacao beans as currency and in sacred rituals. It was also prepared as a bitter beverage reserved for royalty and warriors. In the sixteenth century, European explorers brought cacao back to Europe, where sugar and milk were added to make it more palatable, but it remained a delicacy only available to the elite. Over time, with industrial advances, chocolate became widely obtainable around the world. Today almost two-thirds of global consumers purchase chocolate at least once a year and over half of them eat it at least once a week. 

Contemporary chocolate comes in several varieties, each with its own distinct taste and texture. Dark chocolate has the highest percentage of cocoa solids and little to no milk giving it a rich, slightly bitter flavor. Milk chocolate, the most popular type, contains cocoa solids, milk, and sugar, giving it a smooth and creamy texture. White chocolate, despite its name, contains no cocoa solids but only cocoa butter, sugar, and milk that together result in a sweet, buttery flavor. In 2017 a Belgian–Swiss cocoa company introduced ruby chocolate, a pink chocolate with a slightly sweet and sour taste also made from cocoa solids, milk, and sugar, but also citric acid. The color comes from the kind of cocoa used and there is still debate about whether or not this truly is a fourth kind of chocolate.

Whatever the kind, chocolate is incredibly popular. Surveys reveal that the number one reason people eat chocolate is because it tastes good, but they also eat it to make themselves happy, enjoy a special treat, reward themselves, or relax. Researchers have found, however, that it is not just the taste of chocolate but also the texture that is enjoyable, particularly the sensation of chocolate melting in the mouth. Other research suggests that the enjoyment in eating chocolate comes from some of the compounds in chocolate that can influence the reward and pleasure centers of the brain. However, chocolate may not contain enough of these to have much of an effect on mood. Still other research indicates the sugar to fat ratio is key, particularly with milk chocolate. Because it is the same as breast milk, humans might be in a sense hardwired to like chocolate. 

Despite all the joy chocolate can bring, the chocolate industry faces several ethical and environmental controversies. One major issue is child labor, particularly in West African countries like Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, where children work under harsh conditions on cocoa farms, often missing out on education. Additionally, many cocoa farmers receive extremely low wages, while large corporations profit significantly. Environmental concerns also arise, as cocoa farming contributes to deforestation. 

So as we celebrate National Chocolate Lover’s Month, let us also remember the importance of sustainable and ethical sourcing. Supporting brands that prioritize fair trade and environmentally friendly practices ensures that cocoa farmers receive fair wages, and that chocolate production remains sustainable for future generations. To learn more, check out the book display on the fourth floor of the library. 

Is collecting an innate human activity? Perhaps not innate, but one estimate suggests that 40% of US households participate in some form of collecting.  People not only collect physical objects, but also experiences, ideas, and even beings (e.g. animals in zoos, plants in botanical gardens, etc.). Of all the collectables, sports memorabilia stand out as particularly popular. This began in the 19th century when baseball cards were first introduced as a way for companies to advertise their products, like cigarettes and chewing gum. Since then, trading cards and other memorabilia have grown into a multibillion-dollar business. Why do people spend so much time and money on these collections? 

One reason people collect memorabilia is the emotional connection these items provide. Owning a piece of sports history, such as a rookie card or a game-worn jersey, allows collectors to relive memorable moments and feel a closer bond to their favorite athletes and teams. Collectors may also feel a sense of duty to cultural preservation. Their collections help preserve the artifacts so that others can experience a similar connection. Related to this are educational motivations. Collecting allows one to dive into the subject of their collecting for their own learning but also to teach others about it. 

Financial considerations also influence the appeal of collecting sports memorabilia. Many collectors view their items as investments, with the potential for significant appreciation over time. There might also be an aspect of the thrill of discovery in this. The process of searching for rare or valuable items can be exhilarating, providing a sense of achievement upon acquisition. For some, though, this rush can become addictive resulting in obsessive behavior. 

There is also a social aspect to collecting. Some collectors value the friendships and sense of belonging that come with engaging in a community of like-minded individuals. Such an opportunity is happening this week. The John Fox Sports Memorabilia and Card Show is Saturday, February 22, from 10am–2pm in the Alumni Campus Center ballrooms. In addition to card dealers, this gathering will feature items from the Center for Dubuque History (CDH), John Fox Collection. These items include a Hank Aaron signed baseball, a Roberto Clemente signed baseball, a Michael Jordan signed basketball, and a Dan Marino signed football. To learn more about this collection you can contact the CDH.  To learn more about collecting, please visit the book display on the Library’s third floor.