#LibraryNews

Thanksgiving Break was a nice reprieve from the pressures of keeping up with schoolwork. However, now that we're back, finals are approaching. Unfortunately, finals tend to carry a lot of stress for students. Stress is normal, but too much stress can wreak havoc on everyday functioning. In order to improve everyday life and not be overwhelmed as the semester draws to a close, it is important to learn ways to manage our stress.

Check out the flyer posted around the library that provides ways to improve your stress management. Get proper sleep, learn to assert boundaries and say no, take breaks, and talk about it. If you feel like your stress is getting to be a greater problem than you can handle on your own, or talking it out with loved ones, remember the Loras College Counseling Center is available for you. 

Also listed on the flyer are some apps that can be useful for managing stress: Omvana, WhiteNoise, Insight Timer, and MyLife Meditation. Another way to utilize technology to help manage stress is to search for yoga or guided meditation videos on YouTube.

If you're interested in learning more about stress, its causes, and how to manage it, the Loras Library has excellent books that elaborate upon the topic. Stress Busting by Michael Papworth introduces readers to why we have stress, and how to manage it. Stress Management: A Comprehensive Handbook of Techniques and Strategies by Jonathan C Smith is a clinical analysis of stress and ways to combat it including relaxation techniques, positive thinking, and time management. Stress: From Burnout to Balance by Vinay V Joshi takes a physiological look at the effects stress has on the body and ways to cope with it.

Finishing the semester off on a good note will mean managing stress levels so remember the three R’s. Recognize your own signs of stress. Develop healthy Routines. Learn and practice Relaxation.

Planning a Thanksgiving menu can be overwhelming. It is easy to go back to the holiday staples of rolls, turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing. However, incorporating new food can shake up the holiday season and give it an extra special feel. While many of you are most likely not the person planning the menu, one benefit of being a college student, you can always bring in a side dish to spice up your family's holiday meal.

The Loras Library has a variety of e-cookbooks available to pursue including but not limited to:

• Cooking Plain: Illinois Country Style
• Cooking With Chef Silvio: Stories and Authentic Recipes from Campania
• Coastal Carolina Cooking
• Greek Revival: Cooking for Life
• The Taste Divine: Indian Vegetarian Cooking The Natural Way

If you are not one to scroll through a cookbook looking for just the right recipe, or you have something in mind already and need a good recipe, there are many websites available to find new and interesting dishes to cook.

Allrecipes offers a search by ingredient option which is great if you have a random can or bag of something in the back of your cupboard that you haven’t found a use for, or veggies in the fridge that are about to go bad. For the holiday season they also offer tabs leading you to Thanksgiving Recipes, Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes, and Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes.

Another great site is the Food Network. This site also has a variety of categories to help you select a dish to cook. If you are looking for something simple and easy, their Cook Smarter-Not Harder instant pot dishes are easy dump and go meals or sides.

If you are looking for a big name, try the Betty Crocker website. In addition to recipes, you will find blog posts including How to Host Your First Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving Day Activities that can assist you or your family with Thanksgiving preparation outside of the kitchen. This site also has a wide variety vegan, gluten, and keto friendly recipes.

Wherever you decide to find you recipes for Thanksgiving, enjoy your time with family, friends, and good food.

Celebrations for Thanksgiving are approaching, and many people are excited for the parades, feasting, and time with family and friends. Many of us were taught in our school days that the holiday began when the pilgrims of Plymouth Massachusetts held a feast with their Native American friends. As the story stands, in 1620 the Native Americans assisted the pilgrims in learning how to survive the new world. When the pilgrims had learned to stand on their own two feet, they held the famous feast, known today as Thanksgiving, in 1621.

The tribe referred to in the tales is the Wampanoag. The Wampanoag is the overarching tribal name for several tribes, recognized federally today as the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head. Also residing in present day Massachusetts and recognized by the Commonwealth are the Chappaquiddick, Herring Pond, Assawompsett-Nemasket Band, and Pocasset Wampanoag tribes. One way to understand their tribal dynamic is that each of these tribes is like a state, and the greater whole of them can be paralleled to the United States.

Ninety native people and the remaining fifty or so surviving members of the Mayflower colonists attended this great feast. It lasted for three days and featured a variety of meat and vegetable dishes. Unfortunately, the peace did not last. As settlers continued pouring in, the Native Americans lost land, food stores, and much more to the diseases and weapons of Europeans. By 1675 the Wampanoags were at war with the colonists.

They were the first of many tribes to be affected by the European colonialism. The horrors endured by Native American Tribes during the founding of the United States are still coming out. Due to this many people have called into question whether or not the holiday should remain in practice.

For those who wish to learn more about the United States' dealings with the Indigenous populations, the Miller Academic Resource Center has an Indigenous people's display located outside the elevator on the second floor in honor of national Native American Heritage Month. You can also find more out here.

 In addition, if you would like to learn more about the history of the Indigenous Tribes located in the Midwest, or anywhere around the world, you can follow this link to a map of Native-Land and the history, customs, languages, and treaties of these people.

This year let us honor the tradition of Thanksgiving by learning more about Indigenous Tribes to work on developing real relationships with them.

The mission of the Loras College Library is to be a “welcoming center dedicated to fostering the intellectual development and personal growth of the Loras Community”. Library staff strive to provide the best service to our patrons. Building trust is a large component in assisting patrons with their needs. In order to build this trust we will be spotlighting our library staff in a series of posts so that patrons can get to know the staff members of the Loras Library.  

This week is the final post of our meet the staff series. We will be learning about our Budget Coordinator and Administrative Assistant, Liz Busch.

How can you assist students?
I don’t work directly with the students in many ways, but if they have overdue books, I’m the person they should contact to avoid getting fines.

How long have you worked at Loras?
I’m in my 6th year at Loras and at the Library.

Why did you choose the Library as a career/vocation?
I worked in the Retirement Planning industry for many years. Then when my children were in grade school, I was a stay-at-home mom and frequent school volunteer. When a job became available at Loras, I applied because it would be such a great opportunity for my children to take advantage of the Tuition Remission program.

What is a book you would recommend? 
I really like a variety of books. I especially like J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy (823.91 T577). I also like the romances from the early and mid 1800’s, especially Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters. Jane Eyre (823.81 B789J) and Pride and Prejudice (823.74E2 P93) are probably the most famous examples. For nonfiction, my current favorite, because I know the author and it’s a local story, is The Miracle Season by Kathy Bresnahan. It’s not held in our collection at the Loras College Library, but if you want to read it, I’ll lend you my personal copy.