Banned Books Week 2010

Banned Books Week is September 25 through October 2, 2010.

As Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan, Jr., in Texas v. Johnson, said most eloquently: "If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable."

from the American Library Association web page " About Banned and Challenged Books "

Imagine a world where access to information is restricted.

Imagine a world where books, such as Huckleberry Finn, are banned.

Your BSC Library has copies of Huckleberry Finn and other challenged and banned books. And you can get the books we don't have through Interlibrary Loan.

For information on banned and challenged books go to

http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/

http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek/index.cfm

http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/aboutbannedbooks/index.cfm

Free Museum Day - Saturday, Sept. 25th.

The annual Free Museum Day sponsored by the Smithsonian Museum network is Saturday, September 25th. You can get two admissions on each card. One card per family.

Some of the 20 museums in Alabama participating in the event are:

• Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
• Birmingham Museum of Art
• Vulcan Park and Museum
• Moundville Archaeological Park and Museum - Moundville
• Kentuck Museum Association - Northport
• Anniston Museum of Natural History - Anniston
• U.S. Space & Rocket Center - Huntsville

You may go to this link http://microsite.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/admission.html?2010 to find a list of all participants and to print your free tickets.

Steve Laughlin

Constitution Day -- September 17

Every year on Constitution Day educational institutions across the United States teach students about the important history of the U.S. Constitution. This year the Birmigham-Southern College Library encourages you to learn a little more about the document that makes our government so preferable to the alternatives that are out there. The Library has created a research guide highlighting interesting information about the Constitution.

The image is from the Massachusetts Centinel, August 2, 1788.

Farewell to Carolyn Cooper

Carolyn Cooper, long time library secretary, has chosen to retire after 33 years of service to BSC, working with four library directors. The Library staff is both happy for her upon entering a new phase of her life, and sad as we will not be seeing her smiling face every day. A great U. of Georgia fan, she kept us posted on their team, as well as any interesting tidbits from People magazine and the tabloids. She handled library book orders, gift books, periodical check-ins, relations with campus departments, and organizing special events hosted by the library, as well as many other tasks. We are fortunate to have her coming in once a week for a while until (someday) we can hire someone in her place, but we can never replace Carolyn. Library staff will be having a dinner soon to celebrate her retirement. We wish her a happy retirement!!

BSC Library Staff

Please pardon our slightly shortened hours...

The library will close at 10 pm on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 7 and 8 (instead of the usual midnight closing time), due to the delay in BSC workstudy assignments. We hope to begin our regular fall schedule soon.

We apologize for this unanticipated and unusual shift in library hours.

Library will re-open Tuesday 9/7 at 8 am

The Library will be closed over the long Labor Day weekend (Saturday, Sept. 4 through Monday, Sept. 6). Our doors will open at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, September 7. In the meantime, please remember that remote access to the library catalog and databases is always available, using your BSC email login and password.

Happy Labor Day!