The Main Building, including the PSC Library, will be closed from Friday, December 13 through Monday, January 13. You may contact us at library@prairiestate.edu.
Monday - Wednesday 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Thursday - Friday 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Reference chat will be available:
Monday - Thursday 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Friday 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
The library will be co-hosting a lunch and learn program with the Military Student Affairs Center and Rise Above called, Lunch and Learn: Rise Above/Stories of the Tuskegee Airmen and the WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots). This event will coincide with a traveling exhibition from Rise Above, visiting PSC on September 14 and 15th.
Join us for a panel with Justin Pariseau, and moderator, Valerie Moore in the Barnes and Noble Auditorium at 1:00 PM on Wednesday, September 14th. This event is free and open to all.
The library will also have a book display on the topic throughout the month of September.
We’ve had a productive summer in the library and created multiple new research guides. A research guide will contain information on a topic, as well as multiple authoritative places to conduct research. We have research guides for classes like COMM 101, concepts like #BlackLivesMatter, and subjects like nursing. They’ll provide you with relevant books on a topic, databases, websites, and more! Take a look at our newest guides below:
If you are interested in data visualization, we have a guide for you.
Are you concerned about plagiarism? Refer your students to a guide on the topic.
If you would like to look into ways to present your research, we have a guide for that.
Do you need more information on adult learners? We have a guide on andragogy.
Are you confused about nuerodiviersity? We have a guide on the topic just for you.
Are you concerned about visual literacy? Look no further than this guide.
Finally, is there a guide we don’t have? Email us at librarians@prairiestate.edu and we can easily create one.
We know textbooks are expensive. Sometimes our students struggle to pay for them, resorting to sharing textbooks, or not buying them at all. (Senack, 2014) There is another discussion to be had about academic publishing, but the point remains that students who share textbooks, or avoid buying them altogether struggle with their coursework. “82 percent of students said they would have done better in class if they had had free access to the required materials.” (Perez-Hernandez, 2014) Instructors can help mitigate this challenge with an open access textbook, or other open access supplementary materials.
Take a look at some of our favorite open access websites below. Some are geared towards instructors, some students, and some both.
OpenStax is a nonprofit initiative based out of Rice University that produces open access textbooks. These ebooks are available through the website or most app stores.
GALILEO Open Learning Materials
Provides both open access textbooks and supplementary materials through the University of Georgia system.
MERLOT is a repository of learning materials geared towards educators, but it is far more than that; it provides support and community for educators. For this you can thank the California system.
Impress your friends by taking a class at MIT. This is a MOOC (massive open online course) and a repository of learning materials.
These may be some of our favorite places for open access resources, but they are far from the only ones. If you have questions, or want to learn more, remember that the library can help you find low, or no cost options for you and your students.
Perez-Hernandez, D. (2014, January 27). Open textbooks could help students financially and academically. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved August 25, 2022, from https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/open-textbooks-could-help-students-financially-and-academically-researchers-say
Rice University: Forced Purchasing Won’t Promote Textbook Affordability, Says OpenStax Expert. (2020, March 11). Targeted News Service (TNS).
Senack, E. (2014, January 27). Fixing the broken textbook market | U.S. pirg. Retrieved August 25, 2022, from https://uspirg.org/feature/usp/fixing-broken-textbook-market
“This is a dangerous time for readers and the public servants who provide access to reading materials. Readers, particularly students, are losing access to critical information, and librarians and teachers are under attack for doing their jobs.”
- Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom
In our May newsletter, we discussed book bannings and challenges.This month we offer you a collection of banned Ebooks to celebrate Banned Books Week on September 18-24th. “Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to read and spotlighting current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools.” You can join the library by reading books that have historically been challenged and banned, viewing our book display in the library, and by defending the right to read if books are challenged in your community.
Enjoy this “dangerous” selection of banned Ebooks. If you would like more, please stop by our banned books display in the library
 Me and Earl and the Dying GirlJesse Andrews |
 The Handmaid’s TaleMargaret Atwood |
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 The Perks of Being a WallflowerStephen Chbosky |
 SpeakLaurie Halse Anderson |
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 Beyond MagentaSusan Kuklin |
 To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee |
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 The Bluest EyeToni Morrison |
 The Hate U GiveAngie Thomas |
Lastly, the library is here for you; reach out with any questions at Ask a Librarian!
