From Print to Screen

You’ve made it through another school year, congrats! Take time this summer to unwind and enjoy some mindless entertainment. This display features books that made it to the big screens. Take a look at some of the shows and movies that were created from the book and are now available on popular streaming services! 

The Outsider

Author: Stephen King
Description: An eleven-year-old boy’s violated corpse is found in a town park. Eyewitnesses and fingerprints point unmistakably to one of Flint City’s most popular citizens. He is Terry Maitland, Little League coach, English teacher, husband, and father of two girls. Detective Ralph Anderson, whose son Maitland once coached, orders a quick and very public arrest. Maitland has an alibi, but Anderson and the district attorney soon add DNA evidence to go with the fingerprints and witnesses. Their case seems ironclad. But Maitland has an alibi, and it turns out that his story has incontrovertible evidence of its own. How can two opposing stories be true? What happens to a family when an accusation of this magnitude is delivered? When must reason or rationality be abandoned in order to explain the inexplicable? Terry Maitland seems like a nice guy, but is he wearing another face?
Where to Find: Physical copy is available at Strozier for Curbside Pickup.
About the TV Show: A straightforward case of murder concerning a young boy in Georgia becomes everything but ordinary, and the seemingly open and close case takes a dark turn as mysterious supernatural forces arise. The horror crime drama had fans’ skin-crawling and questioning every episode.
Where to Watch: Hulu, Youtube TV, Amazon Prime, HBO Max

Good Omens

Author: Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
Description: According to the Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter -the world’s only _totally reliable_ guide to the future – the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just after tea. Which means that Armageddon will happen on a Saturday night. There will be seas of fire, rains of fish, the moon turning to blood and the massed armies of Heaven and Hell will sort it out once and for all. Which is a major problem for Crowley, Hell’s most approachable demon and former serpent, and his opposite number and old friend Aziraphale, genuine angel and Soho bookshop owner. They like it down here (or, in Crowley’s case, up here). So they’ve got no alternative but to stop the Four Motorcyclists of the Apocalypse, defeat the marching ranks of the Witchfinder’s army and – somehow – stop it all happening. Above all (or, in Aziraphale’s case, below all) they need to find and kill the Antichrist, currently the most powerful creature on Earth. This is a shame. Because he’s eleven years old, loves his dog even though it’s really a Satanic hellhound under all that hair, really cares about the environment and is the sort of boy anyone would be proud to have as a son. He’s also totally invulnerable, and a nice kid. And if that isn’t enough, they’ve still got Sunday to deal with.
Where to Find: Physical copy is available at Strozier for Curbside Pickup.
About the TV Show: The show follows the representatives of Hell and Heaven on earth, who must stop the coming end of the world. Having grown comfortable in the human world, they band together to stop the antichrist and Armageddon. It’s a classic tale told many times on-screen but this time it’s more comical and witty.
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency

Author: Douglas Adams
Description: Dirk Gently has an unshakeable belief in the interconnectedness of all things, but his Holistic Detective Agency mainly succeeds in tracking down missing cats for old ladies. Then Dirk stumbles upon an old friend behaving bizarrely – and he’s drawn into a four-billion-year-old mystery that must be solved if the human race is to avoid immediate extinction.
Where to Find: Visit lib.fsu.edu and use the Catalog Search feature to look up keywords from the book title. Set your search filters to “ebooks” to narrow down your search results. Use the link provided in the catalog to access the digital content.
About the TV Show: Holistic detective Dirk Gently investigates cases involving the supernatural.
Where to Watch: Hulu

The Underground Railroad

Author: Colson Whitehead
Description: In Whitehead’s ingenious conception, the Underground Railroad is no mere metaphor—engineers and conductors operate a secret network of tracks and tunnels beneath the Southern soil. Cora is a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia. Life is hell for all the slaves, but especially bad for Cora; an outcast even among her fellow Africans, she is coming into womanhood—where even greater pain awaits. When Caesar, a recent arrival from Virginia, tells her about the Underground Railroad, they decide to take a terrifying risk and escape. Matters do not go as planned—Cora kills a young white boy who tries to capture her. Though they manage to find a station and head north, they are being hunted.
Where to Find: Visit lib.fsu.edu and use the Catalog Search feature to look up keywords from the book title. Set your search filters to “ebooks” to narrow down your search results. Use the link provided in the catalog to access the digital content.
About the TV Show: After escaping a Georgia plantation, Cora boards a train embarking on a harrowing trip as she seeks true freedom while being hunted by a notorious slave catcher.
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime

Dracula

Author: Bram Stoker
Description: Dracula is an 1897 Gothic horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. … The novel tells the story of Dracula’s attempt to move from Transylvania to England so that he may find new blood and spread the undead curse, and of the battle between Dracula and a small group of people led by Professor Abraham Van Helsing.
Where to Find: Physical copy is available at Strozier for Curbside Pickup.
About the TV Show: This series follows Dracula from his origins in Eastern Europe to his battles with Van Helsing’s descendants and beyond. The Count Dracula legend transforms with new tales that flesh out the vampire’s gory crimes—and bring his vulnerability into the light.
Where to Watch: Netflix

The Haunting of Hill House

Author: Shirley Jackson
Description: Dr. Montague, a scientific investigator of ghostly phenomena, has chosen to live for several weeks at Hill House, by repute a place of horror that will brook no human habitation. To check and contribute to his observations, he selects three companions previously unknown to him; two girls, Theo and Eleanor, and Luke, a young man, who is heir to Hill House.
What happens cannot, in fairness, be told. But Dr. Montague’s words were prophetic: ‘A ghost cannot hurt anyone; only the fear of ghosts can be dangerous.’ Whether the ghosts at Hill House caused the fear, or the fear created the ghosts, there were such manifestations as to produce, finally, an ultimate terror that was all too palpable and down-to-earth.
Where to Find: Visit lib.fsu.edu and use the Catalog Search feature to look up keywords from the book title. Set your search filters to “ebooks” to narrow down your search results. Use the link provided in the catalog to access the digital content.
About the TV Show: Flashing between past and present, a fractured family confronts haunting memories of their old home and the terrifying events that drove them from it.
Where to Watch: Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, Vudu

Queen Sugar

Author: Natalie Baszile
Description: A mother-daughter story of reinvention – about an African American woman who unexpectedly inherits a sugarcane farm in Louisiana.
Why exactly Charley Bordelon’s late father left her 800 sprawling acres of sugarcane land in rural Louisiana is as mysterious as it was generous. Recognizing this as a chance to start over, Charley and her 11-year-old daughter, Micah, say good-bye to Los Angeles.
They arrive just in time for growing season but no amount of planning can prepare Charley for a Louisiana that’s mired in the past: as her judgmental but big-hearted grandmother tells her, cane farming is always going to be a white man’s business. As the sweltering summer unfolds, Charley must balance the overwhelming challenges of her farm with the demands of a homesick daughter, a bitter and troubled brother, and the startling desires of her own heart.
Where to Find:  Physical copy is available at Strozier for Curbside Pickup.
About the TV Show: “Queen Sugar” tells the story of the estranged Bordelon siblings in Louisiana. At the center of the family are Nova, a journalist and activist; Charley, the wife and manager of an NBA player; and formerly incarcerated father Ralph Angel, who is searching for redemption. Following a tragedy in the family, the siblings must put their complicated lives aside so that they can come together to run the clan’s struggling sugar cane farm.
Where to Watch: Hulu, Philo, YouTube TV

My Brilliant Friend

Author: Elena Ferrante
Description: The story begins in the 1950s in a poor but vibrant neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples. Growing up on these tough streets, the two girls learn to rely on each other ahead of anyone or anything else. As they grow – and as their paths repeatedly diverge and converge – Elena and Lila remain best friends whose respective destinies are reflected and refracted in the other. They are likewise the embodiments of a nation undergoing momentous change. Through the lives of these two women, Ferrante tells the story of a neighborhood, a city, and a country as it is transformed in ways that, in turn, also transform the relationship between her protagonists. 
Where to Find: Physical copy is available at Strozier for Curbside Pickup and Digital copy is available through Catalog Search at lib.fsu.edu
About the TV Show: When the most important friend in her life seems to have disappeared without a trace, Elena Greco, a now-elderly woman immersed in a house full of books, turns on her computer and starts writing the story of their friendship.
Where to Watch: HBO Max

The Luminaries

Author: Eleanor Cattan
Description: It is 1866, and young Walter Moody has come to make his fortune upon the New Zealand goldfields. On the stormy night of his arrival, he stumbles across a tense gathering of twelve local men who have met in secret to discuss a series of unexplained events: A wealthy man has vanished, a prostitute has tried to end her life, and an enormous fortune has been discovered in the home of a luckless drunk. Moody is soon drawn into the mystery: a network of fates and fortunes that is as complex and exquisitely ornate as the night sky. 
Where to Find: Physical copy is available at Strozier for Curbside Pickup.
About the TV Show: An intricately woven, suspenseful tale of love, murder, magic and revenge set in New Zealand at the height of the 1860s gold rush.
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime, Hulu, YouTube TV, Starz

Game of Thrones

Author: George R.R. Martin
Description: In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the North of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.
Where to Find: Physical copy is available at Strozier for Curbside Pickup.
About the TV Show: This show offers mystery, murder, intrigue, drama, laughter and it’s a period piece. It tends to upset people a lot – all those deaths can take a toll on fans. But that hasn’t changed the fact that audiences can’t get enough of the characters and their stories.
Where to Watch: https://fsu.catalog.fcla.edu/permalink.jsp?23FS030810024 FSU has the first season
Hulu, HBOMax, YouTube TV, Amazon Prime

The Turn of the Screw

Author: Henry James
Description: A hauntingly atmospheric and star-studded adaptation of Henry James’ classic gothic horror story. A young, inexperienced governess is hired to look after two small children abandoned by their uncle, following the death of their parents, at his grand country house. Unsettled by glimpses of ghostly figures that only she can see, she quickly believes that something malevolent is stalking the children in her care. She learns that her predecessor and her sinister lover both died under curious circumstances and prior to their death, they spent most of their time with Flora and Miles. Could they be the figures appearing to the new governess? But are appearances everything they seem to be? Are these apparitions truly supernatural or simply products of her overactive imagination? James’ novel is brilliantly brought to life in this evocative drama – full of ambiguity, eeriness and menace.
Where to Watch: Available to stream free with FSU Account

Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison

Author: Piper Kerman
Description: With a career, a boyfriend, and a loving family, Piper Kerman barely resembles the reckless young woman who delivered a suitcase of drug money ten years before. But that past has caught up with her. Convicted and sentenced to fifteen months at the infamous federal correctional facility in Danbury, Connecticut, the well-heeled Smith College alumna is now inmate #11187–424 — one of the millions of people who disappear “down the rabbit hole” of the American penal system.
Where to Find: Physical copy is available at Strozier for Curbside Pickup.
About the TV Show: When a past crime catches up with her, a privileged New Yorker ends up in a women’s prison, where she quickly makes friends and foes.
Where to Watch: Netflix

The Story of Dr. Dolittle

Author: Hugh Lofting
Description: John Dolittle, MD, is a respected physician and quiet bachelor living with his spinster sister Sarah in the small English village of Puddleby-on-the-Marsh. His love of animals grows over the years and his household menagerie eventually scares off his human clientele, leading to loss of wealth. But after learning the secret of speaking to all animals from his parrot Polynesia, he takes up veterinary practice.
Where to Find: Visit lib.fsu.edu and use the Catalog Search feature to look up keywords from the book title. Set your search filters to “ebooks” to narrow down your search results. Use the link provided in the catalog to access the digital content.
About the Movie: Dr. John Dolittle (Rex Harrison) lives in a small English village where he specializes in caring for and verbally communicating with animals. When Dr. Dolittle is unjustly sent to an insane asylum for freeing a lovesick seal from captivity, his animals and two closest human friends, Matthew Mugg (Anthony Newley) and Tommy Stubbins (William Dix), liberate him. Afterward, they join Emma Fairfax (Samantha Eggar) and set out by boat to find a famed and elusive creature: the Great Pink Sea Snail.
Where to Watch: HBOMax, Amazon Prime, Hulu or DVD at FSU

The Umbrella Academy

Authors: story, Gerard Way ; art, Gabriel Ba ; colors, Dave Stewart ; letters, Nate Piekos.
Description: In an inexplicable worldwide event, forty-seven extraordinary children were spontaneously born by women who had previously shown no signs of pregnancy. Millionaire inventor Reginald Hargreeves adopted seven of the children; when asked why, his only explanation was, ‘To save the world.’ These seven children form The Umbrella Academy, a dysfunctional family of superheroes with bizarre powers. Their first adventure at the age of ten pits them against an erratic and deadly Eiffel Tower, piloted by the fearsome zombie-robot Gustave Eiffel. Nearly a decade later, the team disbands, but when Hargreeves unexpectedly dies, these disgruntled siblings reunite just in time to save the world once again
Where to Find: Physical copy is available at Strozier for Curbside Pickup.
About the TV Show: Seven children born in 1989 to unconnected women who showed no signs of pregnancy the day before were adopted by mysterious billionaire Reginald Hargreeves (Colm Feore) and developed superpowers. After growing apart, they come together again after their father’s death to deal with a potential global apocalypse.
Where to Watch: Netflix

Big Little Lies

Author: Liane Moriarty
Description: A murder…A tragic accident…Or just parents behaving badly? What’s indisputable is that someone is dead.
Madeline is a force to be reckoned with. She’s funny, biting, and passionate; she remembers everything and forgives no one. Celeste is the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare but she is paying a price for the illusion of perfection. New to town, single mom Jane is so young that another mother mistakes her for a nanny. She comes with a mysterious past and a sadness beyond her years. These three women are at different crossroads, but they will all wind up in the same shocking place.
Big Little Lies is a brilliant take on ex-husbands and second wives, mothers and daughters, schoolyard scandal, and the little lies that can turn lethal.
Where to Find: Physical copy is available at Strozier for Curbside Pickup.
About the TV Show: “Big Little Lies” weaves a darkly comedic tale of murder and mischief in the tranquil beachfront town of Monterey, Calif. Amidst doting moms, successful husbands, beautiful children, and stunning homes exists a community fueled by rumors and divided into haves and have-nots, exposing fractured relationships between husbands and wives, parents and children, and friends and neighbors.
Where to Watch: Hulu, Youtube TV, Amazon Prime, HBO Max

You

Author: Caroline Kepnes
Description: A terrifying exploration of how vulnerable we all are to stalking and manipulation, debut author Caroline Kepnes delivers a razor-sharp novel for our hyper-connected digital age.
Where to Find: Physical copy is available at Strozier for Curbside Pickup.
About the TV Show: What would you do for love? For a brilliant male bookstore manager who crosses paths with an aspiring female writer, this question is put to the test. A charming yet awkward crush becomes something even more sinister when the writer becomes the manager’s obsession. Using social media and the internet, he uses every tool at his disposal to become close to her, even going so far as to remove any obstacle –including people — that stands in his way of getting to her.
Where to Watch: Netflix

The Handmaid’s Tale

Author: Margaret Atwood
Description: The Handmaid’s Tale is not only a radical and brilliant departure for Margaret Atwood, it is a novel of such power that the reader will be unable to forget its images and its forecast. Set in the near future, it describes life in what was once the United States, now called the Republic of Gilead, a monotheocracy that has reacted to social unrest and a sharply declining birthrate by reverting to, and going beyond, the repressive intolerance of the original Puritans. The regime takes the Book of Genesis absolutely at its world, with bizarre consequences for the women and men of its population. The story is told through the eyes of Offred, one of the unfortunate Handmaids under the new social order. In condensed but eloquent prose, by turns cool-eyed, tender, despairing, passionate, and wry, she reveals to us the dark corners behind the establishment’s calm facade, as certain tendencies now in existence are carried to their logical conclusions. The Handmaid’s Tale is funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing. It is at once scathing satire, dire warning, and tour de force. It is Margaret Atwood at her best
Where to Find: Physical copy is available at Strozier for Curbside Pickup.
About the TV Show: Many people know that The Handmaid’s Tale is based on a book. Mostly because of author Margaret Atwood. She is a beloved Canadian treasure and we must protect her at all costs. The book, much like the show focuses on a dystopian world where only certain women can still bear children.
Where to Watch: Hulu

Watchmen

Author: Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons, John Higgins
Description: This stunning graphic novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of superheroes plagued by all too human failings. The concept of the super hero is dissected and inverted as strangely realistic characters are stalked by an unknown assassin. Originally published as a 12 issue series in 1986 and 1987, Watchmen remains one of DC Comics’ most popular graphic novels.
Where to Find: Visit lib.fsu.edu and use the Catalog Search feature to look up keywords from the book title. Set your search filters to “ebooks” to narrow down your search results. Use the link provided in the catalog to access the digital content.
About the TV Show: This isn’t the first time that the Watchmen graphic novel has been adapted for the screen. Fans know about the film by Zack Snyder and how underwhelming it did. This isn’t to say it was a bad film. It was almost shot for shot of the original graphic novel. However, the show has seemed to find it’s own little corner of the world. It doesn’t follow the storyline of the film or the graphic novel it makes its own path. Fans were initially wary of yet another adaptation of this graphic novel but it seems to have made a positive impact. 
Where to Watch: HBOMax, Youtube TV, Hulu, Amazon Prime

Looking for Alaska

Author: John Greene
Description: Sixteen-year-old Miles’ first year at Culver Creek Preparatory School in Alabama includes good friends and great pranks, but is defined by the search for answers about life and death after a fatal car crash.
Where to Find: Physical copy is available at Strozier for Curbside Pickup.
About the TV Show: Looking for Alaska had a short run but it was a success among audiences for a reason. The show is based on the highly popular teen coming of age novel of the same name. Looking for Alaska was John Green’s first novel, having been published in 2005. The book was originally meant to be a film before being scrapped and turned into a Hulu series.
The book and show follow a young teenage boy who looks for a meaning to his life. He attends boarding school, makes a close group of friends, and even falls in love. A sudden tragedy has him and his friends trying to come to terms with what happened. The show encompasses the emotion, grief, friendship, and teenage love that the book is well known and loved for capturing.
Where to Watch: Hulu

Shadow of Night // A Discovery of Witches

Author: Deborah Harkness
Description: A follow-up to the best-selling A Discovery of Witches finds Oxford scholar and reluctant witch Diana and vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont in Elizabethan London, where Diana seeks a magical tutor and Matthew confronts elements from his past at the same time the mystery of Ashmole 782 deepens.
Where to Find: Physical copy is available at Strozier for Curbside Pickup.
About the TV Show: The tale of romance translated so well to a TV series that IMDb gave it an 8.1 rating. So far there is only one season to binge but the second season has been confirmed and will follow shortly. So, why do people love this show? It’s a love story and not just any love story – a forbidden love story. What more encouragement do you need?
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime, Youtube TV, Sling TV

https://fsu.catalog.fcla.edu/permalink.jsp?23FS030473138

Memorial Day: Forgotten History and Modern Monuments

Memorial Day has a long history in the United States, longer even than many people know. In 2001, Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory, a book written by Pulitzer Prize winner David Blight, brought to light the long ignored influence the Black community had on the origins of this holiday and a 2020 article by Time continued to highlight this section of history. This article and Blight’s book place the beginnings of Memorial Day in Charleston, South Carolina in May of 1865. During the Civil War, over 250 Union prisoners died in captivity during the last year of the war, and all of them were buried in unmarked graves. After the conflict, Black residents of Charleston decided to give these war heroes a proper burial.

According to the Time article’s description, “approximately 10 days leading up to the event, roughly two dozen African American Charlestonians reorganized the graves into rows and built a 10-foot-tall white fence around them. An archway overhead spelled out “Martyrs of the Race Course” in black letters.” This grave and the massive ceremony and celebration that followed its completion were the first organized remembrance of those who fought and died for America. In his book, Blight said, “The war was over, and Memorial Day had been founded by African Americans in a ritual of remembrance and consecration.”

This was originally known as Decoration Day and originated following the American Civil War as a way to memorialize the soldiers who fell in battle. According to history.com “in 1968 Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May in order to create a three-day weekend for federal employees; the change went into effect in 1971. The same law also declared Memorial Day a federal holiday” So, while the name of the holiday changed and so did its status as a nationally recognized holiday, the tradition of honoring fallen soldiers has remained the same. 1 

Today, even if you can’t participate in a Memorial Day celebration in your community, FSU Libraries have put together a digital tour of several national monuments.

If you encounter an error with the embedded tour above, or if it fails to load, you may view the VR series here.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

The creation of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier came as a way to memorialize soldiers whose remains weren’t able to be properly identified after World War I. 

“In December 1920, New York Congressman and World War I veteran Hamilton Fish Jr. proposed legislation that provided for the interment of one unknown American soldier at a special tomb to be built in Arlington National Cemetery.” 

This tradition of memorializing one unknown soldier that fell in war as a memorial for all the other unknown soldiers was upheld for World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. 

But the tomb dedicated to the Unknown Soldier for the Vietnam War is currently vacant. There were remains there for almost 14 years but eventually it was discovered that the remains belonged to “Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie, a pilot who had been shot down in 1972.” His remains were the only ones that were recovered and unidentified at the time which is the reason for the tomb’s vacancy. But, “On September 17, 1999 — National POW/MIA Recognition Day — it was rededicated to honor all missing U.S. service members from the Vietnam War.” 2

National World War II Memorial

“The National World War II Memorial honors the 16 million people who served as part of the American armed forces during World War II, including more than 400,000 who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country.” 3 

“President Clinton signed Public Law 103-32 on May 25, 1993, authorizing the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) to establish a World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., or its environs. It is the first national memorial dedicated to all who served during World War II and acknowledging the commitment and achievement of the entire nation.” 4 

The design of the memorial was created by Friedrich St.Florian and it was selected from a national contest that included over 400 entries and his design won him the spot as the Design Architect. 5

JFK Gravesite at Arlington

Former President John F. Kennedy’s first visit to the Arlington National Cemetery was on Veterans Day on November 11, 1961 where he placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and gave a speech to 5,000 people at the Memorial Amphitheatre. 

Surprisingly enough, JFK is actually one of only two presidents buried at Arlington and it was a common belief that he would be buried in Massachusetts as that was his native state and it was extremely rare for the president to be buried outside their native state. But, “First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy wanted her husband’s gravesite to be accessible to the American public” and consulted with both JFK’s brother and Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara about the best location. It was settled that Arlington would be the best fit. 6

Vietnam Women’s Memorial

“For the first time in America’s history, a memorial that honors women’s patriotic service was dedicated in the nation’s capital, placed beside their brother soldiers on the hallowed grounds of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. It was the first tangible symbol of honor for American women. The multi-figure bronze monument is designed by New Mexico sculptor, Glenna Goodacre. It is a sculpture in the round portraying three Vietnam-era women, one of whom is caring for a wounded male soldier, stands 6’8″ tall and weighs one ton.”

According to vietnamwomensmemorial.org, A three-day Celebration of Patriotism and Courage, November 10-12, 1993, in Washington, D.C. highlighted the dedication of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial on November 11, 1993 near the Wall of names and the statue of the three serviceman at the site of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Thousands of Vietnam veterans, their families and friends joined the nation in honoring these brave and compassionate women.” 7

Want to visit a memorial in person? Here are some you can find in Florida:

Learning From History: Timelines of COVID and the 1918 Pandemic

Although the experiences of the past year has been new for most of the population, this is not the first time that America or the world has faced the trauma and terror of a quickly spreading virus. What can we learn from examining the progress of previous examples like the 1918 Pandemic commonly known as the “Spanish Flu”? Explore the timelines below to look at the side by side comparisons of major moments in events spread almost exactly a century apart.

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Summer Tutoring Opens Today

Join us this summer for help with numerous core chemistry, math, and physics classes.

Our free service does not require appointments! Simply drop in anytime you need assistance and our tutors will be happy to help. All tutoring during summer 2021 will happen online through Zoom, and you can find more information about the service via our Online Tutoring page.

Our summer hours are Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 8pm to 11pm.

For questions or to request additional information, please email lib-tutoring@fsu.edu.

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
Image credit

We are celebrating Asian and Pacific American Heritage this month. Congress proclaimed a week of May in 1979 as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week, and in 1992, it designated May as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. The month of May was chosen to commemorate the first Japanese immigrants coming to the United States on May 7, 1843, and the Golden Spike Day of May 10, 1869 when Chinese workers contributed tremendously to complete the first transcontinental railroad in the United States.

Over one hundred years have passed since Angel Island, a counterpoint to Ellis Island, was built on the West Coast. It was used as an immigration detention center during the Asian exclusion era. Today, the estimated number of AAPI population in the U.S. is 24.2 million, and according to the U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimate, Asian Americans are one of the fastest-growing racial or ethnic groups in the U.S. Over the years, AAPIs have contributed to shaping the identity of the nation. They have confronted persistent exclusion and inequity in domestic policies and social practices, and yet contributed to the nation’s economy, science and technology, and culture and arts. They fought not only against discrimination and violence in the nation, but also in many wars to protect the nation. Yet, their challenges and struggles, and contributions to and legacies in U.S. history and culture have not been well-recognized or educated. It was only last month when the very first bill mandating a curriculum of Asian American History in public schools passed. 

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FSU Libraries Services Updates

As FSU kicks off summer sessions, FSU Libraries continue to update resources and services available to the campus community.

Here are a few notable updates: 

  • The stacks are open! Access to our physical collections in Strozier, Dirac, and the FAMU-FSU Engineering Library has resumed. 
  • Curbside and in-library pick-up services will also continue. 
  • HathiTrust Digital Library Emergency Temporary Access Service (ETAS) has ended. Click here to learn more. However, our extensive online resources are always available both on- and off-campus.
  • UBorrow has been suspended until mid-July due to the state-wide discovery system migration. To learn more about this upgrade and what it means for you, visit https://www.lib.fsu.edu/catalog-and-discovery-upgrades.
  • Interlibrary Loan (ILL) services for both electronic and print resources have resumed. However, there may be fulfillment delays due to library closures nationwide. Please contact lib-borrowing@fsu.edu with any questions.
  • Physical Course Reserves remain suspended until further notice. We anticipate offering physical reserves in the fall if quarantining returned print materials is no longer a necessity.
  • For updates on Special Collections & Archives, click here.

For the most update to date information, visit https://www.lib.fsu.edu/news/covid-19. 

My Experience as a STEM Research Data Services Assistant

By: Paxton Welton

Welcome to the third post in the Get Data Lit! blog series. This post will focus on my experience working as a STEM Research Data Services Associate with FSU Libraries during the 2020-2021 school year. In this role, I assisted with outreach and education to FSU students, groups, and organizations at Florida State University around STEM research data services. 

My name is Paxton Welton and I will be graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Finance this semester. One question that you might have right from the start-why is a finance major working in a STEM-focused role? 

When applying for jobs prior to this academic year, I knew I wanted a role that would challenge me and allow me to develop new skills. I believed that being the Research Data Services Assistant would provide me the appropriate level of challenge and opportunity that I was looking for. By and large, I believe that my experience provided me with just that. There was a major learning curve that I faced when I first started this role. While I had a grasp of the basics of data literacy and research data services, I quickly realized I did not know nearly enough to be able to properly speak to student groups about these topics. During the first few weeks of the fall semester, I spent a significant portion of my time getting a stronger understanding of data and everything FSU STEM Libraries had to offer to its students in regards to research data. By reading countless articles about data literacy and engaging in weekly discussions with my supervisor Dr. Nick Ruhs, the STEM Data & Research Librarian, I became confident in my working knowledge on these topics. 

As the STEM Research Data Services Assistant, one of my main responsibilities was conducting targeted outreach to different student organizations across campus. When I first started this process I reached out specifically to STEM-focused groups. This process involved me initiating conversations via email with registered student organizations (RSOs) to introduce them  to the research data services FSU Libraries offers them.  In several cases, we were invited to meet and/or present synchronously to these groups. This gave us a chance to share more in-depth information about our services and just how valuable they are to students. It also gave students a chance to ask us any questions they may have. Getting the chance to directly interact with students and help them find the right resources to feel more prepared for their future was by far my favorite part of this role.

I also had the opportunity to contribute to data-related events hosted by FSU STEM Libraries. Two examples include Love Data Week in February and the Virtual FSU Libraries Data Services Quest in March. My involvement in these events allowed me to see the entire process of creating programming for students. I was able to sit in on brainstorming meetings, give my input on the marketing materials, and create content for the events.

One of my main focuses throughout this year has been to develop and create this blog series you are reading right now–Get Data Lit! The focus of this blog series was data literacy and its applicability to student’s educational experiences. As such, I had the chance to put into practice the new data literacy skills I learned in this role. I also had the opportunity to connect data literacy to real-world practice and explain the importance of critically evaluating data. Doing so made me realize just how important learning data skills are for my future career and education.

One thing that proved to be a common theme throughout all the work I was doing is that data is powerful and knowing how to work with it is even more powerful. From a career in law to a career in fashion, you are going to be working with data in some form. Learning how to critically evaluate data is going to give you the skills you need to stand out in the future. 

By taking on a job in a discipline that I knew very little about, I was able to challenge myself and make the most out of this past year. From getting to work on student programming events to developing a blog series, I was constantly challenged and learning something new. 

Celebrate Earth Day with Pop Lit!

We are so lucky to be on a part of this amazing planet. Here in Florida we have plenty of sunshine, beautiful biodiversity, and lots of water to play in. Celebrate Mother Nature and Earth Day with us by checking out some of our great Pop Lit Picks through our curbside pick up. Take yourself outside and read in the sun, relax in the grass, and maybe volunteer for a garbage pick up, just make sure to stay hydrated with your reusable water bottle.

Here are some titles in our Popular Literature collection that cover just a few topics related to Mother Nature and our existence on this amazing planet. You can search for more Pop Lit books by selecting the Popular Literature collection location in an advanced search on our catalog!

Don’t forget your sunscreen and enjoy your well earned break from classes!

You can pick up any of these titles and more here through Curbside Pickup!

Congratulations Graduates!

Every spring semester the Libraries hosts a reception celebrating our part-time student employees and honoring those who are graduating. This year we decided to post a blog about our students and celebrate our graduating seniors.

On behalf of Gale Etschmaier, Dean of University Libraries, “I want to thank you personally for your service to the Libraries. Without our part-time employees, we would be unable to provide the level of support that students and faculty at FSU want and need. You’ve been an integral part of this important effort and I hope you’ll remember your time at FSU’s Libraries as a happy and productive part of your FSU experience.”

Congratulations Graduates! All your friends and colleagues in the Libraries are proud of your accomplishment, and excited for you as you take the next big step in your life. At the same time, we will miss you!

We celebrate you! Read on for words of celebration on behalf of their supervisors.

Amy Bissonnette

Supervisor: Nikki Morse 

“Amy has worked in the Outreach and Engagement unit for 3 years, leading the book display project for the majority of that time. She’s done amazing displays including Blind Date with Book and has also helped run dynamic events for undergraduate students. She kept our team laughing and was always available to lend a hand when someone needed it! Amy is graduating and moving on to the University of Connecticut Law School where she will be pursuing her Juris Doctorate.”

Bianca Devaney

Supervisor: Shaundra Lee 

“Bianca has worked at Dirac since Fall 2018. She’s been one of our most reliable, stalwart employees. Besides working the circulation desk, she collaborated with other library staff to compose a literature review on Public and Academic Library partnerships related to STEM education. In addition to crushing work, the double-major in Criminology and Psychology has interned at the Leon County Public Defender’s Office, volunteered with various community organizations and will graduate Summa Cum Laude. Her future includes law school and the occasional turkey leg.”

Claire Haraminac

Supervisor: Shaundra Lee

“Claire has worked at Dirac since 2019. She’s a great worker at the library while managing her psychology course work and several research projects in campus labs. Her future plans include becoming a licensed clinical psychologist with a focus on children while mixing in travel with family and friends.”

Hannah Menendez

Supervisor: Liz Dunne

Hannah has been an amazing Reference Associate from the second she joined the team! She is an outstanding information professional whose compassion and commitment to teaching and learning have benefited all those around her. Aside from her incredible research skills and wealth of library-related knowledge, she is an absolute joy to work with and simply put, just a really very kind and cool human. With her talent, I have no doubt she will become a Rockstar librarian in no time! Congratulations on your graduation!

Isabella (Bella) Jaramillo

Supervisor: Nikki Morse

“Bella has been a part of the Outreach and Engagement team for almost two years and started her journey with us helping out with Orientation in 2019. Since then she’s been a driving force on our team, running events and helping usher in partnerships around campus. Her passion for the environment and social justice has also helped build our team into all-around activists! Bella is moving on to Georgetown to pursue their MS in Environmental Metrology and Policy- she will be missed!”

Makenna Sebastian

Supervisor: Shaundra Lee

“Kenna has only worked at Dirac Science since August of 2020, but it seems like she’s been here much longer. She has been not only excellent on the desk but has been the lead on several on-desk projects. And this is all while earning Dean’s list-worthy marks in Biomedical Engineering and being involved in Habitat for Humanity. Kenna plans to work in the medical field and travel.”

Eilish Power

Supervisor: Mimi Bilodeau

“Eilish is an incredible employee and has flawlessly stepped into the role of peer leader this year. We congratulate this rock star on her degree and amazing work at her internship.”

Ayoola Gayle

Supervisor: Rachel Smart

“Ayoola has worked with me for three years on an Open Access outreach initiative directed towards faculty and researchers on campus. She’s done amazing work and is very excited about her plans beyond undergrad and the traveling it may entail. I wish her all the best!

Paxton Welton

Supervisor: Nick Ruhs

“Paxton has been an awesome member of the FSU STEM Libraries team this year as the Research Data Services Assistant. She has played a key role in our engagement efforts with undergraduate students in the STEM disciplines around research data services. After graduation, Paxton plans to continue her education by enrolling in graduate school to get her Masters in Accounting! Congratulations Paxton!”

Shania Maharaj

Supervisor: Eddie Powell

“Shania is an incredibly intelligent individual who has a bright future ahead of her. With her strong work ethic and professionalism she has been a wonderful member of the FSU libraries team

Saving Amazonia: Digital Book Display

As Earth Day approaches, we wanted to highlight a climate crisis that is impacting everyone, but not many are aware of. Deforestation in the Amazon rainforest is expanding at a crippling rate, causing irreversible damage every day. Land is being taken over for agriculture and development that is destroying the natural ecosystems of Amazonia. Delve into our selection of books, TED Talks, and not-so-fun facts about the Amazon rainforest.
The following articles summarize the current crisis, if you’re looking for a brief but well informed read!
Why The Amazon Rainforest is Nearly Gone
Forests Burn, Soils Dwindle, and People Suffer

These are some of the main causes of deforestation. Graphic provided by WWF
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