The Faraway Flix International Film Series kicked off its year with the South African film “Tsotsi” at the Faculty House on Friday, September 18. Forty faculty, staff, and students attended the event, with a spread of specialized food highlighting the featured country of the month. Amy Hoffman, International Admissions Officer, and Dr. Saundra Ardrey, Politcial Science, talked about South Africa and led discussion after the film was over. The event was made possible with support from the International Student Office, Student Activities, Office of International Programs, WellU, and WKU Libraries.
Category Archives: New Stuff
Faraway Flix International Film Series opened with South African Film “Tsotsi”
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WKU Libraries announces winner of 9th Evelyn Thurman Young Readers Book Award
Western Kentucky University Libraries has selected Wildflower, written by Alecia Whitaker, as the winner of the ninth Evelyn Thurman Young Readers Book Award. The national award was created to honor the memory of former WKU librarian Evelyn Thurman, who made significant contributions to children’s librarianship and literacy during her 25 years of service to the university and community. Books eligible for the award must be written or illustrated by a Kentucky author or illustrator or have a significant Kentucky-related connection.
The book is about Sixteen-year-old Bird Barrett being discovered by a country music label while playing in her family’s bluegrass band. As her star rises, she must learn to stay true to her roots while navigating a brand new world of glamour and gold records in Nashville, Tennessee.
“Wildflower is a beautifully written book about following your dreams and staying true to yourself even when the road looks bumpy,” said Renee Hale, selection committee member. “The committee feels this is an important message to convey to our area students.”
Alecia Whitaker grew up on a small farm in Kentucky, worlds away from where she currently resides in fast-paced New York City. With a BFA in theatre and a BA in advertising from the University of Kentucky, Whitaker has always been a writer. She has published numerous essays, the popular one-act play Becoming Woman with a grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women, and her first novel The Queen of Kentucky prior to writing Wildflower.
The author will be honored at an awards luncheon in November where she will receive a monetary award from Ms. Thurman’s endowment and a commerative plaque. While in the area, Whitaker will visit local schools as part of the Southern Kentucky Book Fest’s “Fall into Books” program. For more information about the Evelyn Thurman award, visit http://www.wku.edu/library/awards/evelynthurman.php.
This program is made possible by the Evelyn Thurman Children’s Author Fund, the Southern Kentucky Book Fest partnership, and WKU Libraries.
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Tyler Fleming, “King Kong: The First South African Musical”
Tyler Fleming, an Assistant Professor of History at the University of Louisville, spoke about “King Kong: The First South African Musical” in our Far Away Places series and as part of the Year of South African celebration on Thursday, September 24 at the Barnes & Noble Bookstore, Bowling Green, KY.
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SOKY Book Fest continues partnership with Warren County 212° Academy
212° Academy students from Warren County will once again have the opportunity for a chance to win a spot on the author roster at the Southern Kentucky Book Fest in April 2016. For the fourth year in a row, students at the 212° Academy —a program for gifted and talented children in the Warren County schools—will be crafting ideas, writing stories, sourcing illustrations, and ultimately publishing books to be entered into a competition to become one of two authors who can participate in the professional book festival with public attendance in the thousands.
“We are so happy to offer this opportunity to eager readers and writers from the schools,” said Sara Volpi, Literary Outreach Coordinator for WKU Libraries and SOKY Book Fest organizer. “Learning to create and publish your own book is pretty special, but the winners of the contest will also get the chance to represent, sign, and sell their books at both Children’s Day and the main SOKY Book Fest day along with more than 130 bestselling authors from around the United States and other parts of the world, making this opportunity all the more exciting.”
According to Jennifer Sheffield, teacher for the 212° Academy, the goal of this project for students is to not only research and explore a variety of STEAM-related interests, but to experience the process of crafting a book for publication.
“Each book will be published through lulu.com, an online book self-publishing website, printed in full-color and assigned an official library ISBN number,” Sheffield said. The winning students will receive certificates of recognition and are invited to sign copies of their books at the Southern Kentucky Book Fest on April 22-23.
The contest is a combined effort between the Southern Kentucky Book Fest partners (Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Warren County Public Library, and WKU Libraries) and the teachers at the Academy.
For more information, visit www.sokybookfest.org or contact Sara Volpi at (270) 745-4502.
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Jane Olmsted, “Seeking the Other Side”
Jane Olmsted kicked off this season of WKU Libraries’ Kentucky Live! with a presentation of her book of poems Seeking the Other Side. The event took place in the Western Room of the Kentucky Building on WKU Campus on the evening of September 17, 2015. It concluded with Jane Olmsted signing her books.
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New faculty orientation fair
Library faculty Jack Montgomery and Scholarly Communication Specialist Todd Seguin talked with new faculty at their orientation fair held in the Augenstein Alumni Center on Monday, August 17, 2015. New faculty were given packets of information about WKU Libraries, Library Faculty Subject Specialists, and how they can participate in TopSCHOLAR and SelectedWorks.
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WKU Libraries’ International Year of South Africa Bibliography
In cooperation with WKU’s “International Year of South Africa, 2015-2016” series, WKU Libraries has compiled a multidisciplinary bibliography with almost 100 resources pertaining to South Africa in fields like: anthropology, art, economics, history, literature, music, political science, sociology, and travel & geography. The bibliography also includes DVDs of popular South African films and documentaries, CDs by South African musicians, and web resources for travelers.
Whether you are interested in books like Nobel Prize winner Nadine Gordimer’s last book No Time Like the Present (PR9369.3 .G6 N6 2012 in the Leisure Reading Collection on the 4th floor of Cravens library) or want to visit our Visual and Performing Arts Library on the 2nd floor of Cravens library for music ranging from Die Antwoord to Miriam Makeba, or recent movies District 9 and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, or are even interested in going to South Africa and want to check out Insight Guides South Africa (REF DT1717 .S68 in the Reference room 1st floor Helm library) or our links to the CIA World Factbook or the U.S. State Department page, this bibliography is a great comprehensive guide to learning about all things South Africa!
You can easily locate information about WKU International Year of South Africa and the bibliography with the links below:
IYO-South Africa for the International Year… page
Bibliography for the IYO South Africa WKU Libraries Bibliography
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Best Reference Sources of 2014
Brian Coutts presents Best Reference 2014
Brian Coutts gave his annual workshop on the “Best Reference Sources of the Year” an annual selection he makes for Library Journal, the nation’s oldest and leading trade journal. The article appears in the March 1, 2015 issue in both print and online. This year’s list included 33 titles from 20 different publishers’ including 12 university presses. This is the 29th consecutive year Brian has been involved with this project either as a consultant, coauthor or author. A reception followed with strawberry cake from Cocomo’s and Balinese coffee imported by Spencer’s.
Strawberry cake from Cocomo’s at reception
WKU Libraries faculty and staff were invited to attend.
Laura Delancey skims one of the Best Reference volumes as John Gottfriend listens to the presentation.
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Library Student scholarship spring 2015
Western Kentucky University senior Jessica “Abby” Zibart has been selected as the recipient of the WKU Library Student Assistant Scholarship. Zibart is working on a major in anthropology and a minor in folk studies, scheduled to graduate in December 2015.
“Abby is an extremely capable individual who goes above and beyond to make sure the needs of our patrons are met and that all tasks that are set before her are carried out in an exemplary manner,” said Amanda Hardin, reference services specialist and Zibart’s supervisor. “Abby’s attitude toward the position and the new challenges that arise daily have made her a wonderful example to her peers.”
Zibart is a Student Reference Assistant which involves working directly with the patrons. Hardin said she has aided in training other student assistants and has become a leader within the department. With one of the longest tenures as a student worker, Zibart was hired the fall of 2012 and has worked every semester including the past two summers.
“…I love learning,” said Zibart. “Being a student reference assistant has taught me useful skills for researching that I have used in my own studies…I am also able to help other classmates. These valuable research skills will stay with me for use during graduate school.”
The scholarship is sponsored through funding from the Friends of WKU Libraries. For more information on the Friends program, go to wku.edu/library and click on “Support Us.”
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Biographer Kiran Bhatraju awarded the 2015 Kentucky Literary Award
The Southern Kentucky Book Fest partnership announced Kiran Bhatraju as
the winner of this year’s Kentucky Literary Award for his book Mud Creek Medicine: the Life of Eula Hall and the Fight for Appalachia. First awarded in 2003 and reintroduced in 2012 after a brief hiatus, the Kentucky Literary Award is given to an author from Kentucky or one whose book has a strong Kentucky theme. Fiction and non-fiction books are recognized in alternating years.
From the publisher’s description: “Mud Creek Medicine chronicles life of an iconoclastic woman with a resolute spirit to help her people. Eula Hall, born into abject poverty in Greasy Creek, Kentucky, found herself, through sheer determination and will, at the center of a century-long struggle to lift up a part of America that is too often forgotten. Through countless interviews and meticulous research, Kiran Bhatraju deftly traces Eula’s life from impoverished hired girl to community activist… Eula’s story shows how one woman could make a difference through a clear-eyed understanding of the nexus between politics, wealth, labor, and disease.”
Bhatraju is a native of eastern Kentucky. His father, an immigrant from India, worked as a physician with Eula Hall at the Mud Creek Clinic and Pikeville Medical Center for two decades, where Kiran first met Eula Hall. Bhatraju began his career working on poverty issues for Congressman John Yarmuth (KY-3) on Capitol Hill where he first began researching Eula’s life. His writings have been featured in various magazines and newspapers including The Courier-Journal of Louisville and the Lexington Herald-Leader. He is currently Founder and CEO of Arcadia Power, a renewable energy company, and he is working on his second book, an oral history of twentieth century immigrant physicians throughout the US. Kiran lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife Sara.
“Heroes are not perfect, even in comic books. In Mud Creek Medicine, author Kiran Bjatraju portrays Eula Hall as a paradox–the compassionate woman committed to the medical welfare of those in her region of Appalachia but infused with passion, righteous anger and occasionally exhibiting crude behavior. She finds ways to get things done, regardless of opposition from the establishment, neighbors, and even her own family. Despite the sometimes trying circumstances of Eula’s life, this well written biography documents a woman who cares, perseveres and triumphs,” said Jonathan Jeffrey, Department Head for Library Special Collections and member of the selection committee for the award.
The award announcement was made at the Knicely Conference Center at the Southern Kentucky Book Fest Meet the Authors Reception on Friday, April 17–the night before the main Book Fest event. Bhatraju was recognized with a commemorative certificate and a monetary gift.
The Southern Kentucky Book Fest partners include Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Warren County Public Library, and the Western Kentucky University Libraries. The award was made possible with the generous support of Friends of WKU Libraries. For more information about the award go to sokybookfest.org.
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