Hello everybody!

We hope you had a fun and spooky Halloween weekend! To celebrate, the Annandale Library staff has a few fun Hallow’s Eve picks to keep you on the edge of your seats.  Here they are–all treats, no tricks! 😉

1.) Anansi Boys, Neil Gaiman

“In this darkly funny tale, an unspectacular and unsuspecting Londoner discovers he is the direct descendant of the West African Spider god Anansi! Delightful, spooky, and humorous, this book will make a great Halloween read!”
–Heather Darnell, Library Media Specialist

2.) Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life, Bryan Lee O’Malley

“What would you do for love? Scott Pilgrim has to go up against the 7 Evil Exes of the girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers! This is the first of six volumes that start off his epic battles, hard-taught life lessons, and nostalgia galore!”
–JP Garces, Library Technology Specialist

3.) Heart-Shaped Box, Joe Hill

“An aging rock god buys a haunted suit off of ebay (on purpose) only to find the included ghost is out to get him. A creepy read, but not too scary. Some good musical references and loving parody–the main guy’s name is Judas Coyne, for example. Also, Joe Hill is Stephen King’s son!”
–Sarah Lawless, Library Specialist

As you might have already read, the Annandale Campus Library is celebrating Banned Books Week through a podcast a day! We’ve already heard podcasts from two wonderful English as a Second Language students, Anh and Faiza. Now, let’s hear their professor, Shirley Nuhn!

Transcript:

“We can get our knowledge from the internet and loads of apps to download. But deep learning can improve the quality of life. In fact, reading books for 3.5 hours a week can reduce the risk of dying withing one year. Sure, I would like to live longer, being healthy and happy. And a major way to make me happy? Having time to read more books! Banned Books Week, celebrated every fall, reminds us about the freedom and right to read. To read books is to open windows and doors. To learn more and to catch some books, visit your library. Maybe you’ll see me there! I’m Shirley Nuhn, professor of ESL at NOVA Annandale.”

To learn more about Banned Books Week, read our first post. Also, stay tuned for tomorrow’s podcast from library media specialist Heather Darnell!

Happy reading!

As you might recall from yesterday’s post, we are celebrating Banned Books Week with a podcast each day! Today’s podcast comes from Anh Truong from English as a Second Language 33:

Transcript:

“I am very glad because I am invited to share my feelings about Banned Books Week from September 25 to October1. I think Banned Books Week is a wonderful and happy time for authors whose books were not issued, or admitted to introducing them to readers. Actually, I may not be a good reader. In other words, I do not spend too much time reading. In contrast, I know that books have an important role, and they bring many great values for people.

I want to tell you a story about my friend. Now she uses books as a treatment method, and she is getting better day-by-day. Three years ago, she had a problem about feelings. Her mood was irregular. She easily got mad at people. Sometimes she could not control her emotions. Her doctor diagnosed that she had post traumatic stress disorder because something serious had happened to her before. My friend is being treatwd by medicines and reading. The doctor recommends that she read short-story books that tell about valuable things in life for two hours every day. She told me that now she feels better. Those stories help her calm down and think about beautiful things. She also said that they taught her great lessons. She becomes careful and friendly in communication. Her mood is happier.

In addition, the article “Read Books, Live Longer?” was written by Nicholas Bakalar, and published in the New York Times in the Life Section on Wednesday, August 3, 2016. It gave a report to answer the question in the article’s name. Research results indicated that people who spend more time in reading lived somewhat longer than others who did not read as much. In short, reading is a wonderful gift from God. The reading book brings to us interesting experiences. It also teaches us how to live, talk and think. Books are the brainchildren created by authors. Each book has its own value and a deep significance. Authors and their products deserve to be respected and readers have a right to choose books that they like to read freely.”

Stay tuned tomorrow for our next podcast!

Hey everybody, it’s Banned Books Week! And just like last year, Shirley Nuhn’s English as a Second Language students will be helping us celebrate through heartfelt podcasts. Each day of this week, we will be featuring a new podcast, so stay tuned!

According to the American Library Association, Banned Books Week is an annual celebration of the freedom to read by the entire book community, including librarians, publishers, teachers, and students.  This year’s theme is “Celebrating Diversity,” which is especially relevant as we listen to podcasts from students from around the world!

Our first podcast comes from Faiza Mebarki of ESL 32:

Transcript:

“Every year, so many attempts are made to remove books from USA schools and libraries. It’s because of the controversy that these books contain, like sexually explicit, violent, and satanic content, and more. Therefore, the annual celebration of Banned Books Week comes to give everybody the freedom to read his or her favorite book, such as Fifty Shades of Gray, Harry Potter series, and others. I think all people have the right to write and read any book they want. As we all know, we are creatively different, so we shouldn’t expect only the same ideas and points of views. And I think that reading books from different perspectives gives us the way to think differently, change the world into a better place, and explore more. Knowledge is power, and to get this power, I truly believe we should read more books and be free to choose the ones we are interested in. So go and fight for the gift of reading! I am Faiza Mebarki from ESL 32.”

It’s common knowledge that the Annandale library has books, but did you know that we also have technology?

What kind of technology, you ask?

We’ve got GoPros, DSLR cameras, camcorders, and audio recorders to cover all your digital project needs! Here are two new items we got this semester:

Use the Nikon D7200 DSLR Camera to take professional photos and record HD movies! A fantastic camera for capturing student club events or practicing your digital photography.

The Sony 4K Handycam is an ultra portable, intuitive camcorder that records in full HD! Perfect for recording a class video or capturing your next music concert!

Check out our technology page to get more information on equipment loans, or stop by the circulation desk, CG 3rd Floor!