TSTC Library News

Having a clear, compelling point of view on today’s most debated political and social issues requires finding the most credible facts and insights. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints simplifies your search by bringing together thousands of resources to provide authoritative articles, research reports, videos, and statistics. Opposing Viewpoint steers you away from unreliable content that online browsers sometimes serve up and helps you draw your own conclusions about global warming, the minimum wage, and hundreds of other debated topics.

Access at tstc.libguides.com/ovp

Whether you believe Abner Doubleday or someone else (e.g. Alexander Cartwright) invented American baseball, today we pay homage to the Union general who stepped up to the plate and changed the game forever. 

Read this 1916 snippet from the Trenton Evening Times to learn more about his contribution: https://ow.ly/UUx050REotW.

Happy Women in Engineering Day! Today we tip our hats to the women who are the architects of innovation.   For those looking to support future Women In STEM leaders, take some lessons from Dr. Cristal Glangchai in her book VentureGirls.

Did you know that rainforest create their eponymous rain themselves, and this moisture is spread around the globe? This World Rainforest Day, take a look at Tony Juniper's decades long work in rainforest conservation. 

Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints helps you easily navigate curated content on over 300 popular issues. 

Access at tstc.libguides.com/ovp

Celebrate diverse voices through the magic of storytelling. Here are a few suggestions to get started!

Nonfiction

Fiction

Short Stories

General Fiction

Fantasy

Coming of Age

Historical Fiction

Let's not forget to celebrate fathers and father figures everywhere. Learn about how this dad-tastic holiday came to be!

Gather 'round, fellow adventurers! Trade in blue light and social media for a starry night and campfire stories. Unplug and recharge in your very own backyard. 

Millions of Americans enjoy camping trips and they've been doing so for more than a century.  You can find the history of American Camping and more at your library.

Ahoy, marine explorers! This World Oceans Day take a look at the natural beauty of the oceans through the documentary Planet Ocean. 

A healthy world ocean is critical to our survival. The ocean is important because it:

• Generates most of the oxygen we breathe
• Helps feed us
• Regulates our climate
• Cleans the water we drink
• Offers a pharmacopoeia of medicines
• Provides limitless inspiration!

More about Word Oceans Day

World Ocean Day is an annual global celebration of our ocean that takes place every 8 June. World Ocean Day raises the profile of the ocean, connects people worldwide, and inspires continuing action year-round to protect and restore our ocean.

The United Nations has officially recognized 8 June since 2008. 

World Ocean Day allows us to:

• Change perspective – encourage people to think about what the ocean means to them and what it has to offer all of us and how we can all help protect and restore our one world ocean for present and future generations.
• Learn – discover the wealth of diverse and beautiful ocean creatures and habitats, and how we are all interconnected.
• Change our ways – we are all linked to, and through, the ocean and our actions can help! By taking care of your community, you are acting as a caretaker of our ocean. Informing and involving your family, friends, and community will benefit our blue planet even more!
• Celebrate – whether you live inland or on the coast, we are all connected to the ocean. Take the time to think about how the ocean affects you, and how you affect the ocean, and then organize or participate in activities that celebrate and help with solutions to protect and restore our ocean
• Take collective action – together, we can be a force for positive change!

A wide variety of topics this time.  Find out how honey is extracted or if your fears about climate change are wide spread.  Also discover warnings from the mid 2000s about Google's rise, from a time when “Don't Be Evil” was still their motto.

Climate anxiety. (2023). In Films On Demand. Films Media Group.

This summer, millions of Americans are experiencing firsthand the effects of climate change, from triple-digit temperatures to wildfire smoke to bleached coral reefs in warming oceans. For some, growing concern about climate change can become an overwhelming sense of despair that psychologists call climate anxiety. Climate psychology therapist Leslie Davenport joins John Yang to discuss in this NewsHour report.

Hive to honey. (2023). In Films On Demand. Films Media Group.

Award-winning Colorado apiary Bee Squared sources and produces honey and honey products locally. Beth, the owner and operator, takes us on a tour of her facility in Berthoud, Colorado and shows us her bees, and walks us through the process of extracting and bottling the honey. She teaches us about bees and how the state of pollinators is declining, but not without showing how we can all help strengthen them and thus our environment. The future will depend on these super species!

Maa Ka doodh. (2023). In Films On Demand. Films Media Group.

This feature-length, investigative documentary unravels the dark side of the largest dairy industry in the world. Many people believe that India is a haven for cows, but this film reveals a completely different relationship to these animals. This film contains depictions of animals suffering. Viewer discretion is advised.

Should we be afraid of Google? (2007). In Films On Demand. Films Media Group.

Google’s company slogan is “Don’t be evil.” But as Google navigates the turbulent and uncharted techno-social currents the company has itself in part created, is Google drifting to the dark side? Is Google the new Big Brother? This program recounts the remarkable story of Google, but with a twist. In addition to detailed background on cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the birth and exponential growth of their company, and the heady experience of working at the Googleplex, Should We Be Afraid of Google? scrutinizes Google Web Search and various other initiatives—AdWords, Google Earth, Google Book Search, and more—within the context of how the aggregation and commoditization of data threatens both personal privacy and the free spread of uncensored information around the world. Commentary is provided by David Vise, author of The Google Story; New York Times tech writer John Markoff; Brad Templeton, president of the Electric Frontier Foundation; and many others.

Today marks the 80th anniversary of D-Day, honoring the bravery and sacrifices of Allied troops as they stormed the beaches of Normandy.  For many this will be the last major milestone before the day that secured postwar peace begins to pass out of living memory. 

The 1945 documentary From D-Day to Paris offers a deeper look into this historic day, including scenes shot under actual battle conditions by service and newsreel cameramen. 

You can also find WWII and other history sources at your TSTC Library.

Today is World Environment Day which aims to put a global spotlight on the pressing environmental challenges of our times. This UN international day has become the largest global platform for environmental outreach, with millions of people from across the world engaging to protect the planet.

People from more than 150 countries participate in this United Nations international day, which celebrates environmental action and the power of governments, businesses and individuals to create a more sustainable world.

Take a look at Earth in a new context.  In Seven Worlds: One Planet, Sir David Attenborough features feature remarkable, new animal behavior from all the continents including the baking plains of Africa and the frozen waters off Antarctica.  

TSTC library services is pleased to announce that direct access to The Chronicle of Higher Education is now available for students, faculty, and staff.  The Chronicle has the nation's largest newsroom dedicated to covering colleges and universities.

The Chronicle subscription includes content from the current issue back to 1989.  In addition, there is access to special issues and reports like the 2024 Trends Report, newsletters, opinion pieces, and access to the Chronicle's "job board."  To access The Chronicle of Higher Education, visit tstc.libguides.com/chronicle and create a new account using your TSTC email address.  Check out the library's FAQ page for step by step instructions on account creation: tstc.libanswers.com/faq/406426.

If you have any questions or difficulties accessing this resource, please contact asklibrary@tstc.edu.

Find resources to boost your professional skills in asset based learning, building student soft skills, teaching & classroom management, and more.  Find more at: https://tstc.libguides.com/new-in-the-library-employee/faculty

Asset-Based Learning 

As you prepare for the 2024 Elections, explore multiple perspectives on candidates and key issues in News Bank’s Hot Topics and “Civics Government Politics” Suggested Topic. Easily search relevant information from credible news sources in our area and across the country.

Log in with your TSTC OneID at: https://tstc.libguides.com/am-news

These are just a sample of a few new titles added to the library's collection in May!  Find more at: https://tstc.libguides.com/new-in-the-library

It can be off-putting to try something new and fail. But that's how we learn! Don't let perfect be the enemy of good.

Try picking up a new hobby this National Creativity Day.

If you're looking for something from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, try Kuang's short story "Against All Odds" set in the Star War's universe.

The library is closed for Memorial Day, but online resources are available remotely 24 hours, 7 days a week.

Find the information you need most from the comfort of home all through the holiday with your TSTC OneID at: https://tstc.libguides.com

Next time you fly…or if you’re flying right now, take a few minutes to salute the men and women helping you reach your destination safely.

Learn the latest developments in aerospace technology with ProQuest's Advanced Technologies & Aerospace Collection: https://tstc.libguides.com/st-atad

This is a reminder to show yourself some love and self-care. Explore easy ways to recharge with the library's Relaxation & Stress Relief Guide.

Let's shine a spotlight on the vibrant world of Asian cinema and television.

Find more recommendations at https://tstc.libguides.com/apahm 

Brew yourself a cup of wellness. Tea is not only delicious, but it also offers a multitude of health benefits. Here’s an article brimming with insights!

Sign into your Boundless account and check out our latest reading program.  How many can you finish before the day is done?

If you struggle with sleep, here are a few titles to help deal with the anxiety and turn sleepless nights into peaceful dreams: 

Find more at: https://tstc.libguides.com/mental-health/sleep

If you guessed a delicious scallops-based dish, you would be correct. Check out Anthony Bourdain's take on this classic dish:

Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook
by Anthony Bourdain

What do you get when you cross a Mark Twain story with a weird contest in California? Why, you get National Frog Jumping Day.

via GIPHY

Learn more about these hopping reptiles: ebookcentral-proquest-com.libproxy.tstc.edu/lib/tstc-lrc-ebooks/detail.action?docID=4398387

It's more than a holiday! Mother's Day is a tribute to hard-working, lovable moms and mother figures everywhere. Thank you! Learn more about how the day got started at link.gale.com/apps/doc/A698867742/CSIC?u=txshracd2801&sid=bookmark-CSIC&xid=11b3f969

Largely considered to be one of the most influential series in TV history, the Twilight Zone is well known for Rod Serling's allegories concerning fascism, racism, the social and cultural cost of conformity, and the looming danger of nuclear destruction amidst the Cold War.

Learn about Serling's legacy in this 50th anniversary tribute: https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A229723989/ITOF?u=txshracd2801&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=0808d940

How many recipes from our regional cookbook collection can you master? Browse the library's culinary collection or sign into Boundless and join the challenge!

Explore the empowering life story of Vietnamese American and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen and his family in the memoir, "A Man of Two Faces." Read an overview: https://ow.ly/ICv150RgNcU.

Also, check out the series adaptation of Nguyen's "The Sympathizer" on HBO Max. You can find Nguyen's "Go Home!" on Boundless. 

Children’s Book Week is a national week-long event that celebrates books for young readers. 2024 is the 105th anniversary of this beloved program, and this year’s event slogan is No Rules. Just Read. This playful theme is perfect for encouraging reading for pleasure in kids and kids at heart. Embark on a reading journey with your young bookworms-in-training with our children's collection.

Local Events

• Abilene Public Library
• Brownwood Community Library
• Breckenridge Library
• Fort Bend County Libraries
• Harlingen Public Library
• Hutto Public Library
• Marshall Public Library 
• New Braunfels Public Library
• Red Oak Public Library
• Sweetwater County-City Library
• Waco-McLennan County Library

To all the superheroes wearing cardigans instead of capes − Happy Teacher Day!

And to all of our future educators in the Education & Training program at TSTC, we look forward to seeing you in a classroom soon!

You can check out resources for your program here: https://tstc.libguides.com/education

Since its inception in 1949, Mental Health Awareness Month has been a cornerstone of addressing the challenges faced by millions of Americans living with mental health conditions. Throughout the month, library staff encourage you to actively participate in this national movement, dedicated to eradicating stigma, extending support, fostering public education and advocating for policies that prioritize the well-being of individuals and families affected by mental illness.

Take Action

• Practice gratitude: Think about what you’re thankful for – like supportive family and friends, a safe home, or even a beautiful day. Or find something to celebrate, like a recent accomplishment. Consciously practicing gratitude may reduce feelings of stress and anxiety.
• Volunteer: Participating in community organizations and finding opportunities to help others can provide a positive boost and sense of purpose.
• Engage in random acts of kindness: Buy a cup of coffee for the person in line behind you, hold the door open for a stranger, or make food for a neighbor or colleague. There are many small acts that can brighten someone else’s day.
• Practice mindfulness: Take a few minutes to meditate, take a yoga class or do some breathing exercises to promote relaxation and reduce stress.
• Seek Help: Whether it is for yourself of someone else, seek help.

Show Compassion

In addition to focusing on your own self-care this Mental Health Awareness Month, consider checking in on loved ones.

• Parents/Kids: If you are a parent or caregiver, talk to your kids about their mental health. Getting help during the early stages of mental illness, or at the first signs of mild behavioral health symptoms, can help those symptoms from developing into more serious conditions.
• Older Adults: If you know an older adult who may be experiencing bereavement, illness, or isolation, watch for clues and ask how they are doing during visits. CDC data shows that suicide rates are on the rise, especially among adults ages 65 and older – so it’s critical to recognize the warning signs so we can offer help.
• New Mothers: If you know someone who is pregnant or recently gave birth, check to see how they’re feeling. About 1 in 8 women report symptoms of postpartum depression in the year after giving birth – so it’s quite common and nobody should feel embarrassed or hesitant to reach out for help. But if left untreated, maternal mental health issues can lead to devastating consequences, including pregnancy-related deaths, such as suicides, drug overdoses and other unintentional injuries.

Find more resources at https://tstc.libguides.com/mental-health/mham

4,567 Total Journals
1,389 Total eBooks
1.3 million freely accessible images, videos, documents, and audiofiles

Access JSTOR

Did you know that TSTC provides access to scholarly articles, eBooks, images, audio content, and primary sources on JSTOR? This resource offers thousands of titles for more than 60 disciplines in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences and mathematics. Features include:

• Easy user experience: JSTOR’s unlimited-access model has no restrictions on downloads or printing, and there no need to use special software.  Simply log in with your TSTC OneID.
• Optimized for remote teaching and learning: With 24/7 remote access and no limits on simultaneous use, the resources are always available to your students. If you use JSTOR materials in a course, you can add the stable URL for access to a syllabus. 
• Cross-searchable platform: You can search across the full text of ebooks, journals, images, and primary sources on JSTOR’s integrated platform, and a consistent user experience makes it easy to find relevant content regardless of format.

Find the poems below and more from Gale Literature: LitFinder.

• O Captain! My Captain - Walt Whitman
  O CAPTAIN! my Captain! our fearful trip is done…
• Hope Is the Thing with Feathers - Emily Dickinson
  "Hope" is the thing with feathers / That perches in the soul…
• Sonnet 16 - William Shakespeare
  Love is not love, / Which alters when it alteration finds…
• The New Colossus - Emma Lazarus
  Give me your tired, your poor, / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…
• The Rime of the Ancient Mariner - Samuel Taylor Coleridge
  Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink…
• The Road Not Taken - Robert Frost
  Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - / I took the one less traveled by, / And that has made all the difference.
• Sonnets from the Portuguese - Elizabeth Barrett Browning
  How do I love thee? Let me count the ways…
• Sonnets 18 - William Shakespeare
  Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
• The Charge of the Light Brigade - Alfred Lord Tennyson
  Theirs not to reason why, / Theirs but to do and die…
• Leisure – W. H. Davies
  What is this life if, full of care, / We have no time to stand and stare…
• She Walks in Beauty - Lord Byron
  She walks in beauty, like the night…
• The Passionate Shepard to His Love - Christopher Marlowe
  Come live with me and be my love…
• The Raven - Edgar Allan Poe
  Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."
• To The Virgins, To Make Much of Time - Robert Herrick
  Gather ye rosebuds while ye may…
• A Red, Red Rose - Robert Burns
  O, my Luve's like a red, red rose...

To read or not to read? That is the question. 

Celebrate the Bard of Avon's 460th birthday in style.

Articles

• William Shakespeare: ten of the Bard's best poems
• A man of MANY WORDS
• William Shakespeare - The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia
• William Shakespeare - Gale Contextual Encyclopedia of World Literature

eAudio

• Act I; A Midsummer Night's Dream
• Act II; A Midsummer Night's Dream
• Act III; A Midsummer Night's Dream
• Act IV; A Midsummer Night's Dream
• Act V; A Midsummer Night's Dream

eBooks

• Oxford Shakespeare : William Shakespeare : The Complete Works
• Oxford Shakespeare : William Shakespeare : A Textual Companion

Video

• Great Minds with Dan Harmon
• 10 Things I Hate About You
• West Side Story
• Warm Bodies
• Twelfth Night
• She's the Man
• Romeo and Juliet
• Richard III
• Othello
• Much Ado About Nothing
• Macbeth (2015)
• Macbeth (1971)
• King Lear
• Kiss Me Kate
• Hamlet (2000)
• Hamlet (1996)
• Hamlet (1990)
• Forbidden Planet
• Coriolanus
• A Midsummer Night's Dream

Even scientists don’t know its exact birthday, but today is the day we celebrate National Earth Day. And remember why we need to protect the only home we have with this video.

One Day on Earth is the first film made in every country of the world on the same day. We see both the challenges and hopes of humanity from a diverse group of volunteer filmmakers assembled by a participatory media experiment. The world is greatly interconnected, enormous, perilous, and wonderful.

Your retirement may be decades away but planning now may save you headaches down the road. This articles covers social security, employee-sponsored retirement plans, IRAs, taxable accounts, and working in retirement.

Access here: Retirement

Looking for more?  Visit our finances section of our Life Skills Guide for eBooks, eAudio, articles, and webpages to get on the right financial track.

Job & Career Accelerator contains hundreds of resources to help learners explore potential careers, find a career match, search for jobs and internships, build resumes and cover letters, and prepare for job interviews. Questions? Please contact asklibrary@tstc.edu.

Access at tstc.libguides.com/careerhelp

Today we remember the historic sinking of the Titanic, its passengers, and survivors, including the indomitable philanthropist and activist, Molly Brown.

Read about her inspiring life and heroics during the rescue:

• Titanic anniversary: Story of women's rights hero 'the unsinkable Molly Brown'​​​​​​​

Don't forget our other (less historic) Titanic sources, available near....far... wherever you are!

Whether or not your thumb is green, celebrate the beauty of nature…and a lot of hard work. Our online magazine collection has several gardening titles to get you inspired and on your way to being the horticulturalist of your dreams.

Go beyond the memes and learn about the advantages and disadvantages of stocks and bonds, when to invest, and the difference between stockbrokers and trading online.

Access here: Stocks, Bonds, and Other Securities

Looking for more?  Visit our finances section of our Life Skills Guide for eBooks, eAudio, articles, and webpages to get on the right financial track.

Think of it as an animal hotel, except you get to watch (almost) everything they do. Fortunately, the zoo’s residents don’t mind (as far as we know).

Looking for some wellness wisdom?

Don't fall for the myths! Here are a few health misconceptions debunked:

• These popular health tips are FALSE! - These health tips that you follow are false or misleading. Read to know more..

Born on this day in 1770, William Wordsworth was an English poet who helped establish the Romanticism literary movement.

Learn more about him and what influenced his most famous poem, "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" here:

Articles

• Wordsworth's daffodils were not lonely – or even alone
• Departing Summer Hath Assumed by William Wordsworth
• I heard a thousand blended notes by William Wordsworth
• William Wordsworth

eBooks

• The Poems of William Wordsworth : Collected Reading Texts From the Cornell Wordsworth Series by William Wordsworth and Jared R. Curtis
• The Prelude and Other Poems by William Wordsworth
• William Wordsworth : 21st-Century Oxford Authors by Stephen Gill
• The Life of William Wordsworth : A Critical Biography by John Worthen

• The Cambridge Introduction to William Wordsworth by Emma Mason

Video

• Wordsworth
•  I wandered lonely as a cloud (in lockdown), with Simon Russell Beale

Your library staff are available if you need assistance: https://tstc.libguides.com/askus

Social and emotional learning are the building blocks for a successful life. Explore the ABCs of physical & mental health, social skills, emotional intelligence, and growing your personal financial skills in our Life Skills Guide.