Fairfield University librarian Matt Schirano will be visiting the Austin Campus to provide in-person workshops & drop-in support June 11th-June 13th.
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05/19/2024
All of us at the DiMenna-Nyselius Library would like to congratulate the members of the class of 2024, especially our amazing student workers!
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10/20/2023
All around the country the first week in October, librarians, educators, publishers, booksellers, journalists, and READERS, gathered for Banned Books Week events to highlight the value of our freedom to read and to seek and to express ideas, drawing national attention to the harms of censorship. The American Library Association (ALA) defines censorship as "the suppression of ideas and information that some individuals, groups, or government officials find objectionable."
On October 4th, the Library was part of the Department of Politics Let’s Talk Politics series, the first event of the academic year. This panel discussion, entitled Let's Talk Politics: Book Banning & Censorship in America, jumped off from recent attempts to ban books to cover the partisan, cultural, and racial politics of censorship in America. Download the slides below that ran at the beginning of the event, highlighting a section of recent news headlines and statistics relating to censorship attempts in libraries and beyond.
Panelists encouraged students, faculty, staff, and community to raise questions or comments after each of the three categories:
- Censorship and Access
- Censorship and Representation
- Censorship and Historical Memory
Panelists:
Gwendoline Alphonso, Professor of Politics, PhD, JSD
Gayle Alberda, Associate Professor of Politics, PhD
Matt Schirano, Teaching & Learning Coordinator, DiMenna-Nyselius Library, MLIS, MS
David Schmidt, Associate Professor Business Ethics, PhD
Many thanks to the Office of Student Engagement for providing funds to offer a student raffle to give away copies of the top challenged books of 2022. Copies were also distributed through a raffle at the Bellarmine campus. Both the North Benson and Bellarmine campus had a display of ALA censorship data graphics and the top 13 challenged books of 2022 for students to browse or borrow for the month of October.
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08/28/2023
We've made some changes to our library borrowing policies to make our physical materials more accessible and convenient.
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07/06/2023
Doing research on the Gutenberg Bible? Get help from a research librarian.
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06/12/2023
On June 28, 1970, the one year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, the first Pride marches were held in New York, Los Angeles & Chicago. Since then LGBTQ+ community & allies have continued to gather in June to march for Pride.
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05/10/2023
The Summer Reading Challenge is open to Fairfield University students, faculty, and staff.
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04/26/2023
This blog post was written by our Library student worker, Eden Marchese '23. The books are on display on the main level of the Library and are available for check out.
The end of the school year can be a stressful time though something that I have heard more from my friends and co-workers are questions of What am I going to do with my time now? When all of your classes, finals, major projects are done and the weather finally begins to stay nice, how are you going to fill your time while being able to relax?
Well, fret no longer! Below is a collection of books that can help bring you to another world and lower your stress as the summer fully begins!
Teen Killers Club by Lily Sparks
Framed for the murder of her best friend, a young girl joins a super-secret society of teenage assassins to avoid a lifetime behind bars...
A lot of people have talked about how this book took them out of their “reading slumps” and made them fall in love with reading again. It has similar vibes to I AM NOT OKAY WITH THIS on Netflix and other shows with a dark, comedic kind of take.
“Don't start reading this book if you have to be somewhere in 5 minutes, because you will not be able to put it down. The characters, the world, the mystery and the unexpected crazy twists and turns it takes are all superb and I definitely screamed 'OMG!' out loud more than once while reading it.”
Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean
Raised by a single mother, it’s always been Izumi―or Izzy, because “It’s easier this way”―and her mom against the world. But then Izumi discovers a clue to her previously unknown father’s identity…and he’s none other than the Crown Prince of Japan...
This book has very strong Princess Diary vibes in the best way and is perfect for a light-hearted read, especially if you are a fan of romance. The beautiful cover speaks to the amazing writing and it is the first book in a small series!
“I cannot tell a lie, I loved the hell out of this book. I found the book fun and engaging and love all of the characters in it. Honestly, the world feels extremely lived in and just slightly different than our own so that we can have this fairy tale story.”
All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson
From the memories of getting his teeth kicked out by bullies at age five, to flea marketing with his loving grandmother, to his first sexual relationships, this young-adult memoir weaves together the trials and triumphs faced by Black queer boys...
I cannot speak about my love for this book enough, especially as a queer person. This book is one of the most challenged books of its year and continues to be banned across the country, but it is truly an amazing story and I cannot recommend it enough.
“This book is very well written. The author puts his life before us and tell all with compassion and openness. I think people who read it will wake up to a world that is about shared experiences and not about dividing.”
Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney
Quinn keeps lists of everything—from the days she’s ugly cried, to “Things That I Would Never Admit Out Loud” and all the boys she’d like to kiss. Her lists keep her sane. By writing her fears on paper, she never has to face them in real life. That is, until her journal goes missing...
This is another one of those books that will be a light-hearted and fun read. I highly recommend this book especially if you are looking for something that just brings you moments of laughter, joy, and even some moments where you may cry. As someone who loves romance, it is always a lot of fun to find new stories to fall in love with and I recommend choosing this book for your next read!
"At its heart, this is a story about finding the courage to be honest and take risks and the freedom that follows from embracing authenticity. A perfect mix of humor and romance—and a source of inspiration for being brave.”
Grenade by Alan Gratz
I have heard a lot of talk about this book being amazing for younger people, especially people in their early-teens, from parents who are trying to get their kids to read. This is one of those books where you get it for your kid and then need to sneak it away from them so you can finish reading. I have not had to opportunity to read this book but Alan Gratz is known for incredible stories and I am really excited to dive into this story!
“A gripping, visceral, and hold-your-breath intense story.”
Aetherbound by E.K. Johnston
Pendt Harland's family sees her as a waste of food on their long-haul space cruiser when her genes reveal an undesirable mutation. But if she plays her cards right, she might have a chance to do much more than survive...
Before you read this novel, make sure to read the Content Warning that is on one of the beginning pages. People have talked about how they didn’t think twice about the warning and were taken off guard by some of the darker elements of the novel. Outside of the dark elements, this is a novel that is incredible for fans of sci-fi, especially Star Wars fans and I cannot recommend it enough.
“I am a fan of E.K. Johnston’s work with with the Star Wars franchise; however, this is by-far my favorite book she has written! The character development is nothing short of beautiful and the challenges that Pendt (the protagonist) faces are scary enough to make her a truly inspiring character without descending into explicits.”
Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez
A rising soccer star must put everything on the line—even her blooming love story—to follow her dreams...
This is truly a breathtaking story and I cannot recommend it enough. It is another place where my love for romance comes through and I found myself just overwhelmed with the beauty of this novel.
“Furia is an empowering story of family, friendship, and first love. Camila is a character who doesn’t ask for sympathy, but she deserves it all the same. ”
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh
A love letter to Syria and its people, As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow is a speculative novel set amid the Syrian Revolution, burning with the fires of hope, love, and possibility...
more titles will be added to this post soon!
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03/31/2023
I Keep Trying to Catch His Eye: A Memoir of Loss, Grief, and Love by Ivan Maisel was chosen as the 2023 One Book One Town (OBOT) title. It is an honest, deeply emotional memoir in which the author reflects on the loss of his son Max to suicide, the impact of grief on family and community, and the painful journey that brought Ivan to a place where he could see grief as an expression of love.
This is the first year that a OBOT author was a resident of Fairfield. Maisel is also vice president/editorial and senior writer at on3.com and has covered college football for nearly four decades, from 2002-2021 at ESPN. There he wrote for ESPN.com and appeared on television, ESPN Radio, and various podcasts.
“One Book, One Town selections are meant to promote discussion within our community,” remarked Scott Jarzombek, Fairfield Town Librarian. “The themes of grief and loss that this book explore touch everyone, making this an ideal choice for a town-wide read that will, we hope, start an important conversation.” And since what Ivan and his family experienced was felt throughout the entire community, the memoir holds special meaning to the people of Fairfield.
OBOT programming took place throughout February and March at the Fairfield Public Library, DiMenna-Nyselius Library, and Pequot Library. The OBOT author talk with Ivan Maisel took place at Fairfield University's Quick Center for the Arts on March 28th. View the recording here.
For more information about One Book One Town visit: https://fairfieldpubliclibrary.org/OBOT/history/
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03/20/2023
The 3rd annual Winter Reading Challenge ended on Feb. 28th. We had 61 Challengers (from 27 campus departments) read 285 titles within the 10 categories, plus 188 “other” books logged. You can view the categories below. Don't be bummed you missed this reading challenge! The Summer Reading Challenge starts on May 8th.
Here are the books read by three or more Winter Reading Challengers:
Kindred by Octavia Butler (Sci-fi category)
The Death of Jabez Chew by Sally Bossom (Creative Writing category)
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (Student Book Club's category)
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg (Nostalgia category)
Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci (Reader's Digest category) book on order
Sitting Pretty: The View From My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body by Rebekah Taussig (FUSA's Diversity & Inclusion Board's category) book on order
So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo (DEI Book Club category)
Book Lovers by Emily Henry (Stag Read: Book Recommendations guide category) book on order
The Rhino Suit by Colter Jackson (One Book One Town category)
I Keep Trying to Catch His Eye by Ivan Maisel (One Book One Town category)
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[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="162" caption="Mario Vargas LLosa"]
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Congratulations to Peruvian Mario Vargas Llosa for winning the 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature for "for his cartography of structures of power and his trenchant images of the individual's resistance, revolt, and defeat".
The Library has a large collection of works by and about Mario Vargas Llosa in English and in Spanish. Here are some suggestions:
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Congratulations to Peruvian Mario Vargas Llosa for winning the 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature for "for his cartography of structures of power and his trenchant images of the individual's resistance, revolt, and defeat".
The Library has a large collection of works by and about Mario Vargas Llosa in English and in Spanish. Here are some suggestions:
Conversation in the cathedral : [a novel] / by Mario Vargas Llosa ; translated from the Spanish by Gregory RabassaFormat: BOOK Author: Vargas Llosa, Mario, 1936-Stacks Upper Level
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 The peer review process has been regarded as sacrosant in scholarly circles. Read this Aug 23, 2010 New York Times front page article which details how the prestigious Shakespeare Quarterly is opening its review to the World Wide Web.
Excerpt from article:
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 The goal is to provide Free public access for a month to 2 Million eBooks, including books read on mobile devices. Check it out at http://worldebookfair.org/
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William Pannapacker, an associate professor of English at Hope College, in Holland, Mich writing under his pen name Thomas H. Benton, writes what might be called an "ode to librarians" in the May 20, 2010 edition of the Chronicle of Higher Education.
While waxing unabashedly about librarians, he also briefly discusses Robert Darnton's book The Case for Books: Past, Present, and Future, which is a collection of essays from the last decade in which Darnton offers an "unashamed apology for the printed word" while assessing the "place of books in the digital environment." This book is available in our own library - call #Z116 .A2 D37 2009.
"Through the many twists and turns of Darnton's book, one major point emerges: "Libraries were never warehouses of books. They have been and always will be centers of learning. Their central position in the world of learning makes them ideally suited to mediate between the printed and the digital modes of communication.""
Click here to read article.
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Library material can be used in unusual ways. Meet Phil Levin, a biologist at Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, who scoured libraries in the Pacific Northwest for local cookbooks to determine the changes in rockfish availability over the past century. This is a great example of research using preserved material available in libraries. Want to know more? Listen to the National Public Radio podcast:
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 In honor of our senior student workers,
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[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="432" caption="April 13, 2010 celebration"]
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This year, the DiMenna-Nyselius Library has reached a significant milestone: 500,000 books are now available for use by our students, faculty and staff, Many people, including past and present librarians and faculty, contributed to the development of our library collection over the 60 year history of our University. While the Library continues to purchase print books, the Library has recently adopted a new model and has added access to 150,000 electronic books. This new model reflects our students' desire for electronic access as well as a more cost effective approach to material selection by the Library in these challenging financial times.
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We have added a new ebook to the reference collection: The Encyclopedia of African American History, 1896 to the Present. It traces the transition from the Reconstruction Era to the age of Jim Crow, the Harlem Renaissance, the Civil Rights Movement, and the ascendant influence of African Americans on the American cultural landscape. With coverage up to and including the 2008 election of Barack Obama.
You can find this and other great ebooks in
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We have added several new reference e-book titles to our collection, including the Dartmouth Medal award winner!
 The Berkshire Encyclopedia of China
This extensive work contains over 800 articles on environmental, issues, global economics, online communications, and the latest political developments.
 Encyclopedia of Contemporary LGBTQ Literature in the United States
Contains more than 600 alphabetically arranged entries on literature and the arts, associations and organizations, individuals, law and public policy concerns, health and relationships, sexual issues, and numerous other topics.
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After polling some of our favorite outspoken undergrads, we've added several new popular magazines to our journals collection.
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The Library has received new books on Japan as part of the "100 Books for Understanding Contemporary Japan " Nippon Foundation donation program. New books include:
Dreamland Japan : writings on modern manga
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Peter Drucker, considered the father of business management, was born 100 years ago on November 19, 1909. Although he died a few days short of his 96 birthday, Mr. Drucker's impact is still felt strongly today. His teachings on ethical leadership and social responsibility in business practices have had a profound impact on business, and are more relevant than ever.
The Library owns many books by and about Peter Drucker, including Classic Drucker : essential wisdom of Peter Drucker from the pages of Harvard Business Review, and Peter Drucker on the profession of management . Browse the call number section HD31 on the upper floor to see these books and more.
Listen to a podcast on Southern California Public radio, about the legacy of Peter Drucker at http://www.scpr.org/programs/airtalk/2009/11/02/what-would-drucker-do/
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Congratulations to Dr. David Crawford for winning the 2009 Julian Steward Award for the best monograph in environmental/ecological anthropology published in the past three years (2006, 2007 and 2008) for his book
Moroccan Households in the World Economy: Labor and Inequality in a Berber Village.
Find this book at our library - call # HC810 .Z9 I516 2008.
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Another year goes by and we continue to see challenges to our freedom to read.
Learn more about book challenges
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The Library has electronic and print copies of both books featured in the Fall Faculty Colloquium Book Discussion: The Great Influenza by John Barry and Darwin's Origin of the Species.
To find the print or electronic copy, just go to the Library homepage at www.fairfield.edu/library and type in the title in the Search Resources "Book/Music/Movies" tab box.
This symbol
 means the book is electronic and can be read online. Note: The Library has a couple of different electronic books for Darwin's Origin of the Species, we suggest you select the 2001 version for easier viewing.
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More Information from Rick DeWitt and Susan Rakowitz--
Here is the lineup for this fall
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18 new Audiobooks were added to the Popular Reading Collection.
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We are excited to have added the Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology to our collection.
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More than a dozen countries, in partnership with the United Nations, have put some of their oldest texts online in the World Digital Library. This resource, as it continues to grow, will be an invaluable resource to historians, international studies scholars, lovers of rare documents, and anyone looking for interesting, hard to find primary sources. You can check out the library here, and a story about it
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Drum roll, please....................
The New York Times has issued their 100 Notable Books List for 2008.
The Library owns a large number of these books and especially recommends:
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Imagine winning one of the most prestigious awards in fiction for your first novel!
Aravind Adiga, from Mumbai, India, has done just that by winning the 2008 Man Booker Prize for his debut novel The White Tiger.
See and listen to Mr. Adiga discuss his novel, courtesy of the Booker Prize Foundation --
The Library has the book The White Tiger on order and we expect it in shortly.
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Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio (published as J.M.G. Le Clezio)
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At age 88, Doris Lessing continues to explore her life and the lives of her parents in her
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Sad news struck the literary world Friday with the announcement of the death of writer David Foster Wallace of an apparent suicide. Described by New York Times critic Michiko Kakutani as a "prose magician," Wallace authored 10 books of fiction and non-fiction, including his 1996 novel Infinite Jest, which is included in Time Magazines list of 100 Greatest English Novels.
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Congratulation to our own English Professor Michael White whose novel Soul Catcher has been selected as a finalist for the 2008 Connecticut Book Awards for Fiction. The award ceremony where the first prize will be announced will take place on Sunday, Sept. 21, at the Hartford Public Library. The book awards are sponsored by the Connecticut Center for the Book at Hartford Public Library. This is the second time that one of White's books has been a finalist. His previous novel The Garden of Martyrs was a finalist in 2005.
You can check out the book Soul Catcher at our library (call number PS3573 .H47447 S68 2007- New Books) as well as listen to it on CDs. The book Garden of Martyrs is available on the upper level with call number PS3573 .H47447 G37 2004.
To learn more about the CT Book Awards, click here.
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The British Library has put some of their books online with what they are calling Turn the Pages. The online application allows you to actually turn the pages of selected digitized books, allowing you to see them in their natural state. It also comes with audio commentary that either reads the text for you, as is the case with The Original Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carol, or offers commentary on the artwork exhibited in the book, as it does with Master Piece of the Renaissance. Check it out!
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National Park Service - Photo at sunset at Gettysburg
Today, July 1, is the anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg, considered by many to be the turning point of the Civil War.
The library owns a large collection of books on the Civil War.
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Browsing the New Books collection (located behind the Grand Staircase on the main floor) is always a pleasure for the intellectually curious. If only we can spend our entire summer reading!
It was intriguing to see the following three new books
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OK- summer is almost here!
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During National Library Week, April 13-19 2008, Fairfield U students contributed to grafitti boards shouting out their favorite books, music and films.
Some of the more popular book entries were the classics Pride and Prejudice, Catcher in the Rye, as well as Lord of the Rings.
We still have a place in our heart for children's books though. Students noted their love of Dr. Seuss's Go, Dog, Go, and also Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are and, not surprisingly, Harry Potter (a book for young and old).
Students' musical taste run the gamut: King Crimson, Johnny Cash, Third Eye Blind and Mariah Carey were some of the artists scribbled on the boards.
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Author Raymond Schroch details the inner history of the American Jesuits with honesty and with concrete examples of dedicated Jesuits throughout history in his new book American Jesuits: a history.
Choice
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The National Book Critics Circle Awards were announced March 7, 2008.
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Our newest e-book is the Encyclopedia of Human and Animal Relationships. This resource is an excellent starting place for anyone interested in the growing field of anthrozoology:
Renowned animal behaviorist Marc Bekoff and 300 experts from around the globe provide more than 350 essays that discuss such topics as animals and ecology; animals and global warming; animals as food; animals as pets; animals and diseases; animals in research and in education; animals providing assistance; and the influence of animals in art, religion and philosophy, literature, music, dance, and entertainment.To learn how to find more e-books, watch this video on how to search for e-books in the catalog: http://www.fairfield.edu/Documents/Library/ebooks.swf
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Our new e-book, The Encyclopedia of War and American Society, provides a comprehensive overview of many different aspects of how war has shaped, and been shaped by, American society. Chapters range from discussions of conflicts, such as the chapter on the current Iraq war, to cultural analysis of war, such as the chapter on Dr. Strangelove. A handy resource for anyone researching the the role war has played in the development of the United States.
We have also added The Encyclopedia of the New American Nation.
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From Oyinkan Abayomi, founder of the Nigerian Women's Party, to Khaleda Zia, the first woman Prime Minister of Bangladesh, our new e-book, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History, is a great place to go to learn about some of history's greatest contributors. This e-book also features entries by two Fairfield faculty. Jocelyn Boryczka has written an entry on Democracy and Ellen Umansky has written the entry for Spiritual Leaders: Judaism.
To learn how to find more e-books, watch this video on how to search for e-books in the catalog:
http://www.fairfield.edu/Documents/Library/ebooks.swf
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We are very pleased to announce the Library has acquired the online version of The Encyclopaedia of Islam. Produced through the patronage of the International Union of Academies, The Encyclopedia of Islam represents the most comprehensive source of information about Islam available in English.
Along with our online subscription comes access to The Third Edition of Brills Encyclopedia of Islam - an entirely new work, with new articles reflecting the great diversity of current scholarship. It will appear in four substantial thematic segments each year, both online and in print. The new scope includes comprehensive coverage of Islam in the twentieth century and of Muslim minorities all over the world.As with all e-books, access
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With artist bios, discographies, and album reviews our new e-book, The Encyclopedia of Popular Music, is a great new resource if you are doing a research project on popular music, or just want to find out some info on your favorite band.
To access it, please go to the library
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