Jessup Journal

Jessup Library is ringing in the holidays with brand new books. Start the end of your semester and another festive week of the holidays right: by checking out a new book for your winter break reading. Looking for suggestions? We've got them below: Tara Westover chronicles her journey from the mountains of Idaho to the halls of Harvard in Educated , a memoir that explores what it means to leave, and eventually return, home. Self-taught and inspired by the example of an elder brother, Westover leaves the home of her survivalist parents for college, and in the process, undergoes a transformation that may make it impossible for her to ever go back. Another novel that explores home and belonging is Pachinko  by Min Jin Lee, the beautifully told saga of a Korean family that spans four generations and the length of the twentieth century. At its epic heart: a young woman's decision to maintain her independence in the face of poverty, war, and upheaval, a decision that will shape

With the endtimes finals upon us, it's time to pull a few life-shortening all nighters. But you don't have to go hungry in the process -- Santa certainly doesn't. Drop by the circulation desk from Wednesday, December 12 to Tuesday, December 18  to chow down on cookies, candy, and coffee. Whether you're a student, faculty, or staff, come visit the library for a free treat! There's no reason why should Santa have all the fun.

European honeybees are some of the best known celebrities of the natural world. When we think of bees, we think of hives, honey, and the Olympic feats of strength and speed we employ to avoid being stung. But did you know : There are 20,000 known species of bee , 4,000 of which are native to the United States , and over 300 of which call Virginia home Honey bees are not native to North America. And so, despite their pollinating prowess, they ain't got nothin' on native bees when it comes to pollinating native plants like tomatoes, eggplants, pumpkins, cherries, blueberries, and cranberries . Curiosity stoked? Join us on Tuesday, November 13, 2018 to learn more about bees! Dr. T’ai Roulston's discussion, "Conserving Virginia’s Native Bees," will take place in room M229 on the main campus from 12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m . His talk will provide a broad survey of the types of bees in Virginia, discuss the various threats and opportunities they encounter in our hu

Plastic is the new kid on the block, in the grand scheme of things -- considering that Bakelite, the predecessor of plastic, was developed in 1907 , plastic has been around for just over one hundred years. It's versatile, durable -- and it's going to be around for a lot longer than we are. According to the Ocean Portal Team, the authors behind the Smithsonian Institution's page on marine plastics , "Depending on the type of plastic and where it lands, items can take days to hundreds of years to break down into very small pieces, which likely never biodegrade." The plastic we use every day has a long shelf life. Even worse, it's piling up, cluttering the planet that we call home. Plastic poses a big problem, but you can be a part of the solution. Bring your plastic shopping bags to the main campus for a College-wide Recycle Day . Our recycling day will take place in the North Mall Meting Room on Monday, November 5, 2018 from 11:00am to 2:00pm . Every ba

There's a sixth mass extinction coming -- and in the words of Elizabeth Kolbert, author of the award-winning book, The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History , the cataclysm is us. Kolbert traces the history of mass extinctions from antiquity to the present day, from the mastodon to Panama's golden frog, and shows how humans have impacted the earth in ways not experienced since the extinction of the dinosaurs at the end of Cretaceous period. Humans have catastrophically altered the course of life on this planet -- but while there is no question we can destroy, is there hope that we can also heal? On Monday, October 15, 2018 , join student organizer Kibiriti Majuto as he turns the discussion from extinction to how we -- and specifically, young people -- can alter the planet's course from catastrophe towards a livable future. "Racing Extinction: Youth Movement for Climate Justice" seeks to refocus our attention from what has been done to what can be done, right

Every person from every walk of life has a story to tell. Stories that enlighten us, challenge us, delight and amuse and inspire us. But the right to tell those stories is not guaranteed. Even as we become more aware of the critical importance of allowing traditionally unheard voices to speak up, and space opens in the public discourse for stories that are rarely told, the danger of silencing grows. It's up to us to defend the right of everyone to tell their stories. Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to read and tell stories. From September 23-28 , join Jessup Library and PVCC in a celebration of books that have been challenged or outright banned, some in decades past and some as recently as 2018. This year's theme is "Banning Books Silences Stories." Join the fight to defend our right to our stories by reading a banned book. Looking for some suggestions? Jessup Library has got you covered. You can find several of the Top Ten Challenged Books of 2017  in t

People read for more reasons than can be contained in a single blog post: to expand their horizons, increase their knowledge, go on adventures, gain experience, or take a walk in another person's shoes. Reading makes us more empathetic, more able to see the world through eyes not our own. Books can be honest with readers in a way it's difficult to be in real life -- but this doesn't always have to be the case. The Human Library is a project that allows people to be honest with other people in the same ways books are honest with their readers -- by providing space for open conversations about life experiences readers may not have the chance to otherwise experience. How does it work? People with life experiences to share "lend" themselves out to people with time to listen and learn -- a library in which the books are humans. The Human Library began in 2000 in Copenhagen, Denmark and has since become a global movement. And now, it's coming to PVCC and a lib

We're back! It's a new semester and it's time for a new One Book. This semester, the PVCC One Book Program is reading The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert. Mass extinction neither began nor ended with the dinosaurs, and Kolbert demonstrates humanity's leading role in the sixth mass extinction happening all around us, right here and right now. Is your interest piqued? Read more about the book here in the Jessup Library catalog or on the One Book Program page . As ever, mark your calendars. PVCC will be hosting events to celebrate this year's One Book. Here are three upcoming events: Monday, September 17th is Meatless Monday, a global movement event whose current incarnation began in 2003 with health advocate Sid Lerner and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “One day a week, cut out meat” -- Meatless Monday applies this simple rule in an effort to improve global health. Want to join in? Head over to the Bolick Stud

For some people, August means vacations and beaches.   But perhaps some of you want to start planning for Your best year ever: a 5-step plan for achieving your most important goals .   Publisher alert: If only there were a shortcut involving a one-step plan for your five best years.   Sign me up! If one of your most important goals for the coming year involves finally showing philosophy who is the boss, we certainly have the right book for you:   Taking back philosophy: a multicultural manifesto .   If taking back philosophy is as exhausting as taking back the items you bought during your Black Friday shopping binge, you might want to start budgeting like a dot.com billionaire.   How to turn down a billion dollars: the Snapchat story will undoubtedly help you get a good deal on that personal jet with all that extra money you’re saving.   Or maybe you’ll want to take a more fiscally conservative view before smashing the piggy bank and read Finance for normal people: how investors

New books are in at the library - just in time for the summer! Need a small getaway from summer classes? Want something new to read over your summer vacation? We have several new fiction books, manga series, and graphic novels as well as many new nonfiction reads. Check out these titles and more on our New Books List. If you are looking for a manga series to binge on this summer, you won't have to look further than the Nook section. Here you'll find  Afterschool Charisma , Deadman Wonderland , Tokyo Ghoul , and After School Nightmare .  Want to learn more about a particular DC superhero?  The Nook section has new arrivals featuring some of your favorites. Daniel Way's Deadpool: The Complete Collection. Vol. 2 and Bob Batchelor's Stan Lee: The Man Behind Marvel are also new additions to the catalog for any Marvel fans. Take along Michael Connelly's murder mystery, Two Kinds of Truth , or explore Greek Mythology with Madeline Miller's novel, Circe  while

New books are in, and the Jessup Library has added on another bookcase to The Nook. The extra shelving allows for easier access to some of your favorite manga and graphic novel titles. Stop by and check them out today! As the semester winds down, take some time to check out the library's New Books List. If you are looking for something fun to read to break up the monotony of last minute paper writing, presentations, and other end-of-semester activities, then the Jessup Library has several new additions to its Popular and Nook collections that may strike your fancy. There is the  The Selection series  by Kiera Cass for those looking for an exciting dystopian book. Another new addition is  Still Me , which is the third installment featuring Jojo Moyes' character, Louisa Clark. For those looking for something more suspenseful to read, there are two new Dean Koontz novels in the Popular section: The Silent Corner and The Whispering Room . The Jessup Library also has several new

Taking our cue from Jules Verne's famous novel Around the World in Eighty Days , the Jessup library has pulled over 80 books with authors and themes from around the globe.  Among our displays are Brazilian author  Jorge Amado , Nigerian author Chinua Achebe (who wrote Things Fall Apart ), and Israeli author Amos Oz .  Want to learn more about a particular country or culture? Our "Around the World in 80 Books Display" has several nonfiction options as well.  Other Routes: 1500 Years of African and Asian Travel Writing  is a collection of pieces from various travel authors; The book looks at how travel writing has become its own genre. Eric Weiner's The Geography of Genius is about this author's journey through history to discover how to create genius. Jessup Library even has a cookbook, aptly named Around the World in 80 Dishes , if you're more in the mood to try various cuisines.

ASALH 2018 Black History Month poster The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) chose "African Americans in Times of War" as their 2018 theme for Black History Month. The Jessup Library has several titles highlighting the role that African Americans played on the war front.  Be Free or Die: The Amazing Story of Robert Smalls' Escape from Slavery to Union Hero  speaks of the daring risk that Smalls took to escape to freedom with his family during the Civil War. Linda Hervieux's Forgotten: The Untold Story of D-Day's Black Heroes, at Home and at War  details the lives of an all-black battalion that fought on the frontlines in World War II; their contributions to the D-day battle had gone unacknowledged until recent years. Karin Stanford compiled multiple stories from well-known individuals throughout history in her book, If We Must Die: African American Voices on War and Peace .  Jessup Library also has a display set up to ce

Already have a date for Valentine’s Day? Still looking to find that someone special? Or, are you someone who is totally fine with being single? Whatever status you find yourself in this month, let the library set you up with some new books; who knows, you might just fall in love. Step outside of the normal Romance novel scene with books from the library’s “Star-Crossed Love” display. You will find classics such as: Tristan and Isolde ; Wuthering Heights ; The Great Gatsby ; and of course, Romeo and Juliet . Check out A Farewell to Arms , a Hemingway romance set on the frontlines of Europe during World War I. Read about forbidden love in Ivanhoe and Madame Bovary . Dirt for Art's Sake: Books on Trial from Madame Bovary to Lolita is great non-fiction read that looks at how social norms have changed within the genre by exploring the scandals that each book caused after publication. In an era where love can be found at the click of a mouse or the swipe of a screen, it can