Tuesday, July 01, 2025

July is Park and Recreation Month - Part One

 

By Dwight Hunter

One of my favorite guides to work on and to update each year is this guide: Park & Recreation Month Guide. It is a fun guide to look at park and recreation resources, and to view embedded videos, and to explore links and much more. This year's theme is Build Together, Play Together. We celebrate parks and recreational venues for physical health, for mental well-being, for access to play, and for our community!

The featured park this year is Sculpture Fields at Montague Park. The 33-acre international sculpture park is located on a restored brownfield and former city landfill. Currently, the field features over 40 large-scale sculptures. Find more information at the Sculpture Fields website including a map of the sculptures, information on an app to hear the artists remarks, and much more: https://www.sculpturefields.org/


Did you know that a private 501c3 leased the land from the city for the Sculpture Fields? In 2012 Sculpture Fields received its 501c3 non-profit determination and a 40-year lease was signed with City of Chattanooga to develop Sculpture Fields on 33 acres of Montague Park. The idea of a sculpture park was envisioned in 2006 and a grassroots effort led by internationally renowned sculptor John Henry kicked off. John Henry was a professor of art for Chattanooga State.


We have new pictures submitted by the library staff. 


Part Two of this series will be about the library staff pictures!

Check out our Instagram for park and recreation posts!

In my senior year in high school, I decided to take what I thought was an easy course called Recreational Sports. It wasn't easy. I learned how to play racquetball & volleyball, how to bowl, do archery, practice rifle target shooting; and I learned slow pitch softball, trampoline tricks, rappelling, golf, and disc golf. Those recreational lessons are still with me today.

Check out past featured parks of Main Terrain Art Park, Red Clay, Standing Stone, and the Head of Sequatchie River. The Sequatchie River exits a cave at full force on its journey to the Tennessee River. Red Clay is a historic park about the last Cherokee councils. Standing Stone is located north of Cookeville. Main Terrain converted a brownfield into a downtown park off Main Street with two retention ponds to drain storm water. The park has large replicas of the bridge.

Find a park to enjoy outside! Take a picture or write a note of your visit!

Tuesday, June 10, 2025

Mental Health Awareness: Resilience and Resources

By April Shaw

Mental health is an ongoing struggle. Gaining awareness and acceptance about mental health? Even more so. 

May was Mental Health Awareness Month. As usual, the library highlighted some of the available mental health awareness resources  from the collection.

While there are many  holidays and months of observance for mental health year-round, the need to prioritize yourself should not stop then. 

Don’t know where to start? You can complete a short Wellness Check on Tigerweb and someone from the  Student Support Center  

Need more specific information now? I have listed several resources below to help you begin or continue your mental health journey.

Campus Resources

Library

Aside from books, the library also enjoys regular visits from therapy dogs to help students and faculty relax and de-stress during the busy school semester. Students also make use of the quiet zone—located on the left side of the library (from the entrance)--for focused study and reflection. 

Student Support Center

We all have basic needs that create a sense of comfort and satisfaction in our daily lives. When these needs are not met, we tend to struggle more with our mental health. 


Chatt State’s Student Support Center has various resources to help struggling students fulfill their basic needs and more. From on-site counseling services to a dark, quiet room for rest and meditation, there are many free resources you can utilize.

  • Food – If you are struggling with food, go to the Tiger Cupboard! Click on the Tiger Cupboard card in Tigerweb, and choose from available groceries. Student Services staff will put together a bag (marked with your A-number) for you to pick up during your selected time. There is no shame in utilizing this resource. Students (and even faculty) make use of the pantry all the time! It is here for you.
  • Transportation – Did you know that you can apply for a gas pass from the Helping Hands Fund to relieve your financial burden? As a Chatt State student, you are also eligible for free rides on CARTA with your student I.D.
  • Shelter – Did you know that we have a Homeless Student Liaison? Tammy McDonough is your go-to guide to the amazing services our campus has to offer. She is available via appointment by email at Tammy.McDonough@chattanoogastate.edu. 

Student Health Clinic

Your mental health is closely tied to your physical health. If you need help, the Student Health Clinic on campus is COMPLETELY FREE. Walk in for a quick checkup any time you need! 

Off-Campus Resources

If you are not on campus, there are still resources available to you.

Use websites like Psychology Today to find a counselor to suit your needs and circumstances. If you cannot afford counseling, there are 24-hr hotlines (like 855-274-7471) that provide constant support for people in crisis or simply needing an ear to listen. More resources are available at TN.gov. Organizations like NAMI Chattanooga also exist to connect you to local support services.

It may not be easy to remember in the moment, but there is no shortage of resources available when you need support. 

Small Steps

As the summer semester picks up, I encourage you to focus on yourself and your needs as much as possible. Planning a course of action can be intimidating but take it one small step at a time.

A simple action to consider can be to choose a day or month of observance from the previously shared list and implementing the suggested exercises in your daily life.

For example, National Hermit Week is coming up June 13-20th. National Hermit Week celebrates finding the joy in taking time for yourself by yourself. Suggested activities include:

  • Going out by yourself - Do all the things you’ve always wanted to do but didn’t because you could never find someone to do them with. Take a vacation, have a solo dinner date, go hiking, plan a day trip or just spend the whole day wandering around the city and taking in the sights.
  • Staying in - Spend the week staying in and having some quality me-time. Read a book, listen to music, cook your favorite meal, have a movie marathon, play your favorite video game, sleep for 12 hours, or indulge in an eight-step skincare routine completely guilt-free!
  • Trying new things - Sign up for that pottery class or watch a dozen crocheting videos so you can have that homemade blanket you’ve always wanted. Use this as an opportunity to return to the hobbies you don’t have time for anymore or for acquiring a new hobby!

Whichever approach you choose, make sure that you are prioritizing yourself and your mental health every day.  You do not have to take everything on alone. Always remember that you can reach out for help. You are worth it! 

-AS

Monday, June 09, 2025

June 2025 – Audiobook Appreciation Month

By April Shaw

June is Audiobook Appreciation Month! 

Audiobooks can be enjoyed on the go, while cooking, working out, taking a bath, etc. As an audiobook listener myself, I encourage readers who struggle with print to try a different medium. If you love podcasts, give audiobooks a try! 

KLIC has a curated collection of over 231 audiobook titles available online to check out via a database called Libby (also known as Overdrive Books). When searching the catalog for your title, select books with “Full Text Available” or “Online Access” from Overdrive Books (Libby). You can check out up to 10 at a time, so browse and enjoy!

Accessing Libby

There are multiple ways to access Libby! There is the app available for download from Google Play and the Apple Store (i-Pad and i-Phone only)! To find Libby online from our homepage, go to Database List, then search for Libby from the search bar.



Adding Our Library

Adding our library on Libby is simple! On the Libby homepage, click “Sign In With My Card.” On the next screen, select “Chattanooga State Login.” 
Complete the Microsoft Login process (same as logging into your email or eLearn). Once your sign-in is complete, Chatt State will show up as your library with a linked card.


Available Titles 

Need recommendations? Come check out our June display where we have curated a shortlist of titles from our audiobook collection!


For your self-improvement journey!

·         Navigate Your Stars by Jesmyn Ward

·         Falling Upward by Richard Rohr

·         Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud and John Townsend
 

For lovers of hidden history!

·         Black Indians: A Hidden Heritage by William Loren Katz

·         By the Fire We Carry: The Generations-Long Fight for Justice on Native Land by Rebecca Nagle
 

Your next multicultural fiction read!

·         Aura by Carlos Fuentes

·         Eagle Drums by Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson
 

For the romantic reader!

·         It’s Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han
 

If you love the classics

·         Beowulf Read by Seamus Heaney

·         Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

 A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle


These titles and more are waiting for you on Libby! 









Happy Reading!
- AS 

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Not So Frequently Asked Questions with Ardent Brownfield!

 

Ardent Brownfield
 

Ardent Brownfield is one of our library assistants on the Public Services team. Our library assistants help out with the library's service desk schedule and much more! Ardent helps write blog posts for the library's blog team! Let's learn a little bit about Ardent in this Not So Frequently Asked Questions interview.

1. What are you currently reading?
I’m rarely, if ever, a one-book-at-a-time kind of person. I’m currently balancing: My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams, A Sunny Place for Shady People by Mariana Enríquez, and 12 Bytes by Jeanette Winterson. Each is quirky and delightful in its own way.
 
2. What is the strangest item you’ve “bookmarked” a book with?
A spoon. Correction: The spoon I was using, still slick with Nutella. When you’re reading, desperately, and someone desperately requires your attention, one must resort to desperate measures. This is the measure of a good book.

3. What did you want to be when you grew up?
My first career aspiration was to build a hotel where I could keep every animal that didn’t have a home. Cats. Dogs. Birds. Raccoons. You name it. When I realized this wasn’t the most lucrative endeavor, I decided I wanted to be an author. The irony is not lost on me.

4. What’s a book you wish you could read again for the first time?
This is a tough one…either Sexing the Cherry by Jeanette Winterson—my first ever Winterson novel—or my favorite Winterson novel, The Passion. I couldn’t tell you what either plot lines are, so I won’t try. Her work is labyrinthian and stratified. Shovels, trowels, spades, brushes, and sieves later, and I haven’t even begun to breach the “crust” of her work. As such, I find that each time I reread a novel of hers, it’s as though I’m reading it for the first time. Stumbling across such arrestingly strange, experimental, enigmatic greatness is a rare gem. I hope you get the chance to witness her work.

5. Do you have any pets?
Are you a real librarian if you don’t have cats? I have three. Perhaps I’m overcompensating. Perhaps I enjoy coming home to shredded furniture and broken family heirlooms. Perhaps I prefer my coat to have its own coat. You decide. Here’s a picture of my cat—everyone loves pictures of cats.



6. What are your favorite podcasts?
Singularly, “Where Should We Begin? With Esther Perel.” Her podcast—as well as her two published works—is striking, smashing, all of the violent ways of describing unparalleled work. She incisively explores modern relationality and its necessities: intentionality, emotional intelligence, non-verbal attunement, and playful connection. And she does it with the most gorgeous accent.

7. If you could time travel to any literary era for one day, where would you go?
I’m torn between the Victorian era and the Edwardian. Sometimes, I fancy the idea of being a corseted feminist raconteur in the 19th century. Other times, I fancy the idea of being a non-corseted feminist raconteur in the early 20th century. I’d love nearly nothing more than to have a tête-à-tête with Virginia Woolf over a cuppa.

8. If you could shelve yourself in any section of the library, where would you belong?
Where fiction ends and non-fiction begins. I’m a big believer in telling oneself like a story. Reading yourself as a fiction as well as a fact can be incredibly liberating. You’ll know what I mean if you decide to pick up a copy of Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. Come to think of it, I think I’d like to be delightfully misshelved between two Jeanette Winterson novels.

9. If you were a candle, what would your scent be?
An intoxicating blend of mahogany, rosewood, spiced musk, bergamot, warm amber, and patchouli. Picture an idyllic wood-paneled library, jammed and gorged with books new and old. An aroma so thick and heavy that you can’t stand to linger longer than five minutes. It’s the introvert’s first line of defense. The second line of defense is when I tell you all about my favorite books until you can’t tell if you’ve passed out from the aromatics or my info dumping.

10. What advice would you give college students at Chatt State?
I’m not sure I’m qualified to answer this question. But I give a great deal of unsolicited advice to my younger brother. For this exercise, you are “Younger Brother”. It typically goes something like this:

Younger Brother: I'm lost. I don’t know where I’m going or what exactly it is that I want once I get there. Sometimes I think I have an idea of what I want but then, everything sounds so good. How do you decide?

Me: My best piece of advice is to try as many things as you humanly possibly can in your undergrad. Take a class in Jazz or Tap. And Tap. Mortuary Science. Family Enterprise—Family Enterprise and *then* Mortuary Science so that if you can’t figure out how to make your own family dynamics work, at least you can get rid of the body. Puppet Arts. Arctic Studies. Avoid English (it may change your life in the best of ways, but they lied—it doesn’t translate to a career). Beekeeping. Artificial Intelligence. Quantum Physics. Forgotten Languages. Once you’ve extended yourself in as many directions as humanly possible, follow your intuition. That tug that you feel? You have to follow it. Anything else would be an absolute betrayal of your entire existence. Remember, you can be anything that you have the passion to back. If you want to get your masters in Existential Angst with a Concentration in Literary Overanalysis and Tea-Brewing Techniques, I’m sure it would make for an interesting dissertation. Some folks might think call you a dreamer or a misanthrope for it, but trust me when I say, it’s much better to disappoint others now than to disappoint yourself later. Also, make sure to take every opportunity to travel. Real wealth is of the mind. Oh, and one final thing. Your twenties are going to be a real challenge; I won't sugar coat it. You're going to constantly hear the tick tick ticking of a clock somewhere in the back of your skull. You're not crazy. It's just reverberations along the mortal coil, life reminding you that it is finite. Even so, and this may seem antithetical, but I promise it's not: try not to take life or yourself too seriously. I’m an English major after all.

Younger Brother: I was just trying to figure out my Taco Bell order...