Celebrate Louisa May Alcott’s 184th Birthday!

by Sarah Berry

Today marks acclaimed novelist Louisa May Alcott’s 184th birthday. Born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, Alcott was best known for “Little Women,” which  was loosely based on Alcott’s own life. Since the books release, it has been adapted for film several times, in 1933, 1949, and most recently in 1994; the novel has also been adapted for television and stage.

Through the Rohrbach Library, students can access several resources relating to Alcott’s work. For example, via Britannica Original Sources, students can read three of Alcott’s works: “Little Women,” “Little Men,” and “Flower Fables, while Films OnDemand offers the 1949 film, “Little Women.” Alternatively, students can search EBSCOhost for Alcott’s works and as well as analyses of Alcott and her contribution to literature.

For information on accessing databases and library resources off campus, check out our blog post, Accessing Library Resources Off-Campus, for more information.

#ThrowbackThursday: Books to Movies we love!

The highly anticipated movie, the Hunger Games: Catching Fire, premieres in theatres at midnight tonight!
To prepare for this latest installment (if you haven’t already), you can check out the series from the Rohrbach Library! We even have the DVD of the first movie
The Hunger Games available to view, too!

The Hunger Games is not the first book series to be made into a major motion picture so in honor of the trend and #ThrowbackThursday, we’re going to countdown other celebrated books that were made into movies that we love!

10. To Kill a Mockingbird
By: Harper Lee

This 1962 classic film based on Harper Lee’s 1961 Pulitzer Prize winning novel. The film stars Gregory Peck as ‘Atticus Finch’. Many of us have read the novel about the small town in Alabama during 1935 that explains about the injustices and prejudices of the time through the eyes of 6 year old, Scout. GoodReads.com lists it as one of the best books of the 20th Century. Once you’ve read the book (which is available at the Rohrbach Library under Call #:PS3562.E353 T6 2002) , check out the movie. It’s a phenomenal visual interpretation of the classic novel.

9. A Walk to Remember
By: Nicholas Sparks

Before every man reading this begins to groan or roll their eyes, let’s admit that this was a fantastic adaptation to the popular novel! We laughed, and we cried as innocent, good-girl Jamie and Landon, the token bad boy, fell in love. Unfortunately the novel is not at the Rohrbach Library at this time but the book to screen adaptation was too good not to mention!

8. Holes
By: Louis Sachar

The story of  the wrongfully convicted boy, Stanley Yelnats IV, that is sent to dig holes in a desert dentention camp after being associated with a crime that he did not commit. Along the way, we uncover details about a mysterious curse on the Yelnats family and the story of a treasure buried in the desert. Sachar’s novel is a great read and the movie was cute too! The novel isn’t at Rohrbach Library yet but if you search in EBSCOHOST, there are some interesting interviews with the writer and information about the true history of the treasure mentioned in Holes!

7. The Notebook
By: Nicholas Sparks

Yes, it’s another Nicholas Sparks novel on this list but can you honestly deny how great this movie adaptation was? Exactly! Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling’s portrayl of Allie and Noah perfectly fit the descriptions of the characters in the original novel. We love The Notebook! Which is why it ranks at #8 of Books turned into Movies that we love! If you haven’t seen it yet, quickly read the book and watch the film before it hits Broadway!

6. Charlotte’s Web
By: E.B. White

Although the movie was released as a live-action flick with moden CGI animation in 2006, we’re absolutely in love with the 1973 version of E.B. White’s story that starred Debbie Reynolds as Charlotte and Henry Gibson as Wilbur. If you can’t remember this fantastic movie, the Rohrbach Library has both book (Call #: F White) and video (Call #: 432) available.

5. The Da Vinci Code
By: Dan Brown

This interesting novel took us on a journey about the discovery of a religious mystery that was protected by a secret society.  Ron Howard’s adapatation of the novel was a fantastic portrayl of Dan Brown’s work that kept us interested from beginning to end! Rohrbach Library has the novel (Call #:PS3552.R685434 D3 2003) available now.

4. The Great Gatsby
By: F. Scott Fitzgerald

The movie came out this year with much critical acclaim. The film, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby, tells Fitzgerald’s story of a midwestern veteran that becomes entranced by his millionaire neighbor’s lavish lifestyle. The Rohrbach Library has copies of the books (Call #:PS3511.I9 G7 2004) available to check out now! Read it soon and rent the DVD over the winter break.

3. The Twilight Saga
By: Stephanie Meyer

This notable series created a cult following for the love story of Edward, a vampire, and Bella, a human. The very successful book and movie franchise created room for the vampire fiction genre again. The Rohrbach Library has the series (Call #: F Meyer) available now.

2. The Lord of the Rings
By: J. R. R. Tolkien

Tolkien’s journey of Frodo to destroy the ring has been famous for many years. The film franchise did the series justice in the portrayl of Frodo’s adventure. With a captivating use of imagery and CGI animation, audiences were able to enjoy the unique visuals of Tolkien’s world. You can watch it for yourself and decide when you check out series from the Rohrbach Library (Call #: PR6039.O32 L67 2004)

1. The Harry Potter series
By: J.K. Rowling

What list of great novels turned into amazing movies would be complete without mention of the Harry Potter series? This series of 7 installments told us the journey of Harry Potter to eliminate evil from the Wizarding World.  We loved Rowling’s fictional world and the movies were fantastic, even if they left out certain sections of the books (*cough* Sirius Black coming into the dorms in the Prisoner of Azkaban *cough* Where was that Alfonso Cuaron? *cough*) Regardless for many of us, Harry Potter sparked our interest in reading, which is why this series tops the list as the number 1 choice for Books turned into Movies that we love!

By: Megan Neely

Spectacular Sendakian G-doodle!

Maurice Sendak, beloved creator of some of your favorite books (including Where the Wild Things Are) would’ve turned 85 today. Google marks the date in high style with a truly sublime Doodle.

Lots more about Maurice Sendak, such as interviews and unforgettable appearances on Colbert) in Rohrbach Library’s guide.

You should also know that Sendak’s chosen repository, the Rosenbach Museum & Library in Philly (pron. ROSE-en-back) this year joined forces with the Free Library of Philadelphia.

Why not celebrate by coming in to check out a Sendak book? We’ve got dozens of them!

Fifteen years of Harry Potter!

Has it been 15 years already? Fifteen years ago, the first Harry Potter book cast a spell upon children, young adults, and adults all across the United States. To say happy anniversary to the Harry Potter series, Scholastic is creating special new covers for the books in the series.

Travel throughout Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger all over again, or for the first time.

In the Rohrbach Library, we have the books in our Library Science Collection under F Rowlin. Titles include:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

and more

For more information:  Kutztown Library, The Leaky Cauldron, Yahoo movies

As Always, if you need assistance locating materials, ask a librarian at the Research Help Desk.

Clifford the Big Red Dog!

by Lisa Breininger

Amelia Bedelia just turned 50 in January, and now, Clifford the Big Red Dog turns 50 in February! It’s hard to forget the dog that was bigger than you when you were younger! Did you know that you even can send Clifford a birthday card on the Scholastic website? 

On February 14, fifty years ago, Scholastic published the very first Clifford the Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell. Since 1963 there have been over 126 million books printed. Clifford books are even in 10 different languages. No matter what type of book Clifford is in, a picture, pop-up, or lift-the-flap, the big red dog attracts young readers everywhere. Compared to Amelia Bedelia taking everything literally, Clifford’s clumsy self gets Emily into minor predicaments.

Norman Bridwell was born in February 15, 1928. Norman is both the author and illustrator to Clifford. The little girl Norman created with Clifford, Emily Elizabeth, was named after Norman’s own daughter. He started to illustrate his books with encouragement from his editor.

“I enjoy making up stories that I hope are funny enough to amuse children. It isn’t easy all the time. I try to spend five hours a day at my desk. If the weather is good that isn’t easy. I try to get all my ideas by myself. I do accept editorial suggestions because my editors are pretty nice people and have been extremely helpful.”

Clifford caught the attention of an editor at Scholastic. Scholastic later teamed up with the Public Broadcasting System to develop the television series.

Norman wrote other books besides Clifford, including an affectionate witch and monsters. Norman never anticipated that Clifford would have become so successful. “I’m extremely grateful to my readers and to the teachers who find Clifford useful for getting young readers started.” (Gale Biography in Context)

How did Clifford the Big Red Dog become RED?

“There was a jar of red paint on the end of my drawing table. . . . I dunked my brush in it and decided that it would be red.” (Gale Biography in Context)

You can find some of Clifford’s books here at the Rohrbach Library in the Library Science collection with a call number E Bridwe .

Clifford, the small red puppy

Clifford the champion

Where is Clifford? : a lift-a-flap book

Clifford takes a trip

Clifford treasury

Also visit Gale Biography in Context and PRNewswire

If you need assistance locating materials, ask a librarian at the Research Help Desk.

We’ll all miss Aaron Swartz

Honor his memory by sharing open access to your scholarly work under the hashtag #pdftribute

Aaron Swartz, 1986-2013

The world has much to mourn with the loss of this brilliant, sparkling soul, barely 26 years old, who took his own life Friday. People who care about access to information are grateful he turned so much formidable brainpower and passion toward making it more available and easier to manage. (If you learned of this blog post through your email or a feedreader like Pulse, you’re using a technology whose co-creator was a 14-year-old Aaron Swartz.)

Even JSTOR gingerly expressed their sadness this weekend. Though they elected not to pursue charges against Aaron for vacuuming up millions of JSTOR articles in 2011 with the aim of making them freely accessible, the US attorney’s office in Massachusetts was set to take him to court next month hoping to lock him up until the mid-2040s.

There’s no way to read Aaron’s account of seeing Brewster Kahle’s digital bookmobile in 2002 without being struck by the purity of this prodigy’s Infowarrior heart; Aaron was going on sixteen when he and other digirati converged on DC to hear his friend Lawrence Lessig argue the Eldred v. Ashcroft copyright extension case before the Supreme Court. The kid was all in; throughout his brief life he was hugely effective at advancing the smarter, better society whose promise he so passionately believed in–in word, in deed, in XML and in Lisp and in Python.

Seriously, though, the Web is what we make of it. We have a powerful, widely-deployed, largely uncontrolled communication network. It’s up to us to decide where to go next.
—Aaron Swartz, 2007

• Gateway to some of Aaron’s work and writings
• Links to the thousands of papers shared by researchers in the spontaneous #pdftribute that continues in the wake of Aaron’s death 
• Novelist Cory Doctorow’s remembrance of Aaron

World Philosophy Day at KU

Pogge’s work on global poverty is changing the world. See him tonight at 7pm in Boehm 145

The United Nations celebrates philosophy the third Thursday of each November

Tonight Kutztown will hear from a roll-up-your-sleeves-and-get-things-done kind of philosopher: Thomas Pogge, Professor of Philosophy and International Affairs at Yale University.

A prime mover of the Health Impact Fund (whose advisory board includes last year’s KU Philosophy Day speaker Noam Chomsky), Pogge has sought constructive ways to put his robust sense of justice—he studied under John Rawls, after all—to work on the effects of global poverty.

Pogge speaks tonight, Nov. 13 at 7 pm in Boehm 145 on the topic, “World Poverty: Explanations and Responsibilities.”

Want to learn more about his work? Rohrbach Library has a display up on our Second Floor featuring Pogge books from our collection as well as items from our databases. Stuff like this.

Gore Vidal, 1925-2012

“Hah! These are my only friends: grown-up nerds like Gore Vidal, and even he’s kissed more boys than I ever will.”

—Lisa Simpson

Gore Vidal (who guested twice on The Simpsons, and once on Family Guy) probably would’ve appreciated the irony–he had an awe-inspiring way with irony–that the news of his passing coincided with the All-American bigotfest celebrated by hungry homophobes nationwide, Chik-fil-A Appreciation Day.

An inventive and fiercely funny historical novelist, playwright, essayist and screenwriter, Gore Vidal was for many years among our most trenchant public intellectuals. We don’t have those anymore, really, and now that we’ve lost this one our culture is that much poorer. He’ll be buried beside Howard Austen, his partner of more than 50 years (the chicken chain president’s disapproval notwithstanding).

Rohrbach Library has dozens of volumes of Gore Vidal’s work.

And the Associated Press has this story about the University of Louisville’s administration supporting the Chik-fil-A boycott.

Books of KU Electrician Robert Saniscalchi in new editions, and with a book trailer

Robert Saniscalchi, novelist and electrician

Our friend Robert Saniscalchi stopped by the library this week with some great news: his novel Bullets and Bandages, based on the experiences of his beloved older brother, a field medic in Vietnam, is out in a new & improved second edition!

That’s not all. Robert’s other novel, My Life For Her also has a new edition and it’s now available for the first time as an e-book.

Wait, there’s more: this week he debuted his first book trailer, which you can see below. For more about Robert and his books, visit his site.

Bears. Just bears.

The sightings a few days ago of a lovelorn bear in Kutztown who was not named Avalanche (if you want coverage featuring more ursine puns than you can probably b—that is to say, stomach, look no further than 69 News) got us to thinking about a much-loved bunch of bears from southeastern Pennsylvania.

It was 50 years ago that Stanley and Janice Berenstain of West Philadelphia published The Big Honey Hunt, the first of what would be hundreds of books about the amiable tree-dwelling family we now know as the Berenstain Bears.

Their first editor, a guy with a bit of an ear for rhymes, shortened their names to Stan and Jan. The Bears became a monumental franchise as the Berenstains churned out their many successful projects from their home in Solebury, Bucks County.

Both lived into their 80s, and both died in Solebury: Stan in 2005, and Jan just three months ago. Their Bears will be around for a long, long time.

The latest issue of the indispensable magazine mental_floss includes “14 Essential Talking Points About The Berenstain Bears,” which lives up to its promise of enabling readers to “steer a predictable discussion about teamwork and manners to one on sex and panda discrimination.”

If you do meet an actual bear around here, the stock advice is to make lots of noise. And, oh yeah, to avoid texting till you’re out of reach..