July is Parks & Recreation Month--Get inspired here!

Surely (and don't call me Shirley!),  in July you will make time for some recreation in a local (or not so local) park and do your part in recognition of National Parks and Recreation Month.  Chatt State adjoins one of the prettiest parks anywhere in the south--The Tennessee Riverpark--a free, multi-use path that is open year 'round. There are terrific places for picnics, birdwatching, playgrounding, reading, cycling, walking, fishing, boating, AND studying!

Inside the library, you will see our current book display that celebrates July as National Parks and Recreation Month.  A selection of beautiful books will inspire you to head out into the great beyond for a few days in the mountains, at the beach, in the forests, and amid cities, towns, deserts, and plains.

And on the library's website you will find our guide--ROCK YOUR PARK!--to help you find just the right park for you.

We hope your summer includes time with friends and family celebrating the natural beauty that our country has preserved in its state and national parks, seashores, and recreation areas.

Take a minute to watch Outdoor Chattanooga's VIDEO that includes scenes from our area, then take your lunch and head out our back door for some welcome downtime.  

DDH

Read as if Your Freedom Depended on it Because it Does!

Pop Quiz:

What do the books in the list below have in common?
a. all titles are italicized
b. all have authors
c. all are owned by the CSTCC library
d. all have been banned by someone at sometime

And Tango Makes Three by Richardson and Parnell
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Black Boy by Richard Wright
The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
Freakonomics by Levitt and Dubner
Freedom Writers Diary by the Freedom Writers & E. Gruwell
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Thurston

Answer: You are right! Well, surely you didn't think we'd give you a quiz you couldn't pass. (Sorry, I didn't mean to call you shirley.)

Yep, that's right. Those innocent little titles listed above are just a drop in the bucket of censorship when compared to the big list that's posted at the American Library Association's site:

Frequently Challenged Books

This week, Sept. 27-Oct. 4, we celebrate the freedom to read as we recognize books whose mere existence has caused them to be removed, hidden, stolen, spurned, and/or burned because someone thought his or her opinion was worth more than your freedom.

Take a few minutes to stop by the library's book display to see a few of the banned/challenged books that we proudly exhibit. Hey, you might even be bold enough to check one out and read it!

Go ahead, you live in a free country, don't you?

Image credit to ALA

February is African American History Month

This month we encourage everyone to take some time to learn about the contributions of African Americans throughout history. We invite you to choose from a variety of educational media, including:

Books to check-out and read at your leisure--search our Catalog for African Americans;

Online books to read on the computer--search NetLibrary* or Humanities E-Book* databases;

Streaming videos to watch in the library or at home--search Discovery Education Streaming*;

Reviewed websites found on the Librarians Internet Index; and

Digital records of images, sound, video, maps, prints, etc. of African American History at American Memory from the Library of Congress.

And the College's Multicultural Services office will offer several programs during the month, so watch for upcoming announcements on KIM or call the office at 697-3371.

*These databases require passwords for off-campus access. To receive password information, call 697-4448 to verify your current status.