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This fall the Library received a grant from the Fr. Ray Herman Peace & Justice Center to purchase juvenile literature for our PreKindergarten-12^th grade collection in order to update it and better reflect the diversity of today’s students with respect to ability, ethnicity, culture, body type, religion, aging, socioeconomic status, and gender and sexuality.

Our PK12 collection is available to all members of the community but is especially used by students in EDU 280: Literature for Children & Young Adults. This course includes participation in the Reading Buddies Program, where students in the course read to pre-K through fifth grade students. The success of this program requires that the college students find books that are grade-level appropriate and interesting to their buddies.

Additionally, these books need to reflect the diversity of our communities. Representation is foundational to student development. Students from marginalized communities can find their experiences represented in books and thus know they are not alone and that they are worthy. For other students, books featuring diverse people and situations can foster empathy for those who may not have the same experiences.

This same need for representation is also crucial for Loras students. While our collection is designated as spanning kindergarten through twelfth grade, young adult literature continues to be appealing to undergraduates. Like younger young adults, our students are in a time of development and evolution, in search of identity, as they grow into full adulthood. They too must be able to see themselves in the books they read.

Unfortunately, we are in a time where there is an unprecedented number of challenges being made against young adult books, calling for their removal from school and public libraries. These challenges have focused especially on books by or about people of color or members of the LGBTQ+ community. More and more, our students may come to Loras not having exposure and access to a diverse collection of young adult literature.

With the Peace and Justice grant we were able to purchase 125 books – 75 picture, 19 middle reader, and 31 young adult – to add to our existing PK12 collection. You can find many of them on the displays on the first and third floors of the Library. Check one out today!

You may have read in this blog about several of Loras's talented haiku writers and scholars.

• Loras College's Famous Haikuist
• Loras’ Haiku Legacy
• Bill Pauly - A Loras Haiku Legacy

This National Poetry Month, the Loras College Library is pleased to announce that we have acquired two collections from local haiku poets and are joining them with the Roseliep Collection to form a new Haiku Collection. This collection will focus on the works of local and Loras affiliated haikuists to highlight these areas influence on this artform.

Loras College has a strong claim to consider itself an early hub of haiku in English. Father Raymond Roseliep, English professor at Loras College from 1946 to 1966 and a poet of some renown, began to write and publish in the haiku form in the 1960s. When Roseliep passed away in 1983, he left his physical collections to the Loras College Library, and the library director also acts as his literary executor. Read more about Father Raymond Roseliep.

Roseliep's influence among his friends and students at Loras College means that Dubuque is a hub of several subsequent talented haikuists. We have recently added significant haiku material from Bill Pauly's collection. Bill was a student of Roseliep's at Loras, and went on to write and publish award-winning haiku, and teach haiku at Loras to the next generation of writers. We are also making accessible a donation of material from haikuist Sister Mary Thomas Eulberg, who was a friend and accolyte of Father Raymond. We considered that together these items could be the seed of a strong foundational collection of haiku material.

The Haiku Collection is separate from but related to the Roseliep Collection and the Loras College faculty publications collection. The goal of the new collection is to highlight the important contributions that members of the Dubuque community have made to the advancement of Haiku in the US.

Take Back the Night is a global movement with the mission of ending sexual violence in all forms. Its roots may date back to 1877 when a group of women in London protested the fear and violence they encountered walking the streets at night. Others assert the first rally was in 1976 when women attending the International Tribunal on Crimes Against Women in Belgium held a candlelight march to protest violence against women. One of the earliest marches in the United States was in Philadelphia in 1975, after the murder Susan Alexander Speeth; she was stabbed to death while walking home alone at night. Whatever the origin, this movement has grown into a symbol of solidarity and resistance against all forms of sexual assault.

The events typically consist of three main parts – a rally, a walk, and a speak-out – though some events may include music and poetry and others may replace the walk with a run, biking, or even yoga. The rally is a time to hear from survivors, experts, and activists about sexual violence and their views on Take Back the Night. The march provides an opportunity to come together against sexual violence, exchanging messages of hope and empowerment. During the speak-out survivors share their stories as a way to help them to transition from victim to survivor. This often is the heart of the event and time for vulnerability, care, and healing.

In the beginning Take Back the Night events were often deliberately women-only. This was intended to create a safe place for women. It also demonstrated that together women can unite to resist fear and violence. Today it is typical for marches to include men both as allies and as victims of sexual assault. Over half of women and almost a third men in the United States will experience sexual violence during their lifetimes.

At the heart of Take Back the Night is the recognition that everyone has the right to feel safe in their communities. It is an opportunity to reclaim public spaces without fear, advocate for survivors, and challenge societal norms that perpetuate violence. It also can serve as a catalyst for policy change and institutional reform by mobilizing grassroots activism. Through community engagement and education, Take Back the Night empowers individuals to challenge victim-blaming attitudes and dismantle the culture of silence surrounding sexual violence.

Loras Counseling Center Services cohosts an annual Take Back the Night event. This year participants wrote notes of support to survivors on colorful Post-its which are pictured here and can be seen in person with the book display on the main floor of the library. The Counseling Center is an excellent resource available to assist survivors as well as advocates. Locally, the Riverview Center also offers free and confidential services as well as numerous other resources.

National Library Week 2024 Proclamation

WHEREAS, libraries offer the opportunity for everyone to connect with others, learn new skills, and pursue their passions, no matter where they are on life’s journey;

WHEREAS, libraries have long served as trusted institutions, striving to ensure equitable access to information and services for all members of the community regardless of race, ethnicity, creed, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or socio-economic status;

WHEREAS, libraries adapt to the ever-changing needs of their communities, developing and expanding collections, programs, and services that are as diverse as the populations they serve;

WHEREAS, libraries are accessible and inclusive places that promote a sense of local connection, advancing understanding, civic engagement, and shared community goals;

WHEREAS, libraries play a pivotal role in economic development by providing resources and support for job seekers, entrepreneurs, and small businesses, thus contributing to local prosperity and growth;

WHEREAS, libraries make choices that are good for the environment and make sense economically, creating thriving communities for a better tomorrow;

WHEREAS, libraries are treasured institutions that preserve our collective heritage and knowledge, safeguarding both physical and digital resources for present and future generations;

WHEREAS, libraries are an essential public good and fundamental institutions in democratic societies, working to improve society, protect the right to education and literacy, and promote the free exchange of information and ideas for all;

WHEREAS, libraries, librarians, and library workers are joining library supporters and advocates across the nation to celebrate National Library Week;

NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolved that we proclaim National Library Week, April 7-13, 2024. During this week, visit your library and celebrate the adventures and opportunities they unlock for us every day. Ready, Set, Library!

On April 8, a total solar eclipse will cross North America. For millennia, solar eclipses have fueled the imagination of cultures around the world, inspiring myths, legends, and even fear. Ancient civilizations interpreted these events as omens, often associating them with the wrath of the gods or impending doom. Even today there is a viral TikTok video post claiming the April eclipse is sign of the end of the world. Nevertheless, as science advanced, so did our understanding of these phenomena. Today, solar eclipses serve as invaluable research opportunities, allowing scientists a chance to study the Sun's corona, the outer layer of its atmosphere, which is typically obscured by its brilliance. For non-scientists they are a rare occasion to experience the wonder and beauty of the universe.

A total eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun. What is visible during a total eclipse depends on the location. Only in the area known as the “path of totality” will the Moon’s shadow completely cover the sun. When this happens, the sky darkens as if it were twilight, and often birds cease their chirping and the temperature cools significantly. Lengths of the period of totality vary from eclipse to eclipse. This year it will be about four minutes with a maximum length of totality of 4:28. The overall length of the eclipse will be about two and half hours. You can use NASA's Eclipse Explorer to follow the progress.

There are several stages that occur during an eclipse. The first state is the partial eclipse during which the Sun appears to have a crescent shape as the Moon passes between it and the Earth. Just before totality, shadow bands - wavy, dark lines - may appear on the ground or buildings. These are caused by particles in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. Next is a short phase when the Sun’s rays stream through the valley’s along the Moon’s horizon causing bright spots known as Baily’s Beads. As these disappear, eventually only a single bright spot remains along the edge of the Moon’s shadow. This is known as the diamond ring effect. Finally, the eclipse reaches totality when there is no longer any direct sunlight.  During totality, observers might glimpse the Sun’s chromosphere, characterized by a thin pink circle surrounding the Moon, and the corona, which presents as radiant white streams extending from the Sun's outer atmosphere. After totality the phases repeat in the opposite order.

Safety is key when viewing an eclipse. Solar viewing glasses can protect the eyes when looking directly at the sun. Indirect methods such as pinhole projectors create an image of the Sun on a surface where you can safely see the progress of the eclipse. Solar filters are needed for telescopes and binoculars. All these options will be available at the Library’s Eclipse Viewing Party on April 8 between 12:48 and 3:18pm on the MARC lawn. Dubuque is not on the path of totality but is relatively close so we should see some significant changes if the weather is good. Don’t miss this chance. The next total solar eclipse that can be seen from the contiguous United States won't be until August 23, 2044!