Library Updates & News

Come to the library for this month's game night to play games from the CIA Library's game collection, socialize with friends, meet some new people, and (of course) have some snacks! 

Happy Fall Break! The library will be closed this weekend, but we will be open on Monday and Tuesday from 10am - 4pm. 

We'll be back to our regular hours on Wednesday. Enjoy your break!

Bring your lunch, create spooooky crafts, socialize with friends, and meet new people at CIA Library's Spooooky Craft Week October 20-24th! 

Censorship is so 1984! This classic book details a future where much of the world falls victim to the subversion of truth and the reign of propaganda. Today, libraries and schools continue to defend the power of truth in diverse storytelling from ongoing book bans and challenges throughout the United States.

According to the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF), 1,452 unique titles were challenged in 2024. Though a decrease from 2023's numbers, the number of documented attempts to censor books continues to far exceed the numbers prior to 2020. These numbers also hide other contributing factors, such as underreporting, “censorship by exclusion”, and legislative restrictions.

In solidarity with other institutions working against censorship, check out the following at our Banned Books display table from October 4-18:

• “Guess the banned book”: 3 jars contain fragments of book art and notable quotes from 3 different historically banned books. Stop by the library to guess the titles of these books and you could win a CIA Library prize!
• View the OIF's statistics behind 2024's book bans and challenges and ways you can fight these challenges at unitedagainstbookbans.org.
• Grab a flyer for two movies screening at the Cinematheque this month: The Librarians and Orwell: 2+2=5, both contemplating the theme of censorship.
• Free stickers and bookmarks!

You can also check out our 2025 Banned Books digital display, with more resources, including the Brooklyn Public Library's Borrowed and Returned podcast episode discussing the often-challenged graphic novel Maus and the power of images.

The library will be closed today (9/26/2025) from 11:30am to 2:00pm for the all-employee meeting. 

Join us for our first game night of the school year! September 16, 2025 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm.

Come to the library to play games from the CIA Library's game collection, socialize with friends, meet some new people, and (of course) have some snacks!

We've had a lot of you looking for earbuds and we got some back in the library! If you need some old school, wired earbuds for the computers without Bluetooth, come grab a pair from the library. (CIA students only.)

Help! I can't afford my books!

You are NOT alone!

There are a lot of CIA students who cannot afford to purchase required or recommended reading materials for their classes. The library wants to help you find the materials you need to be successful in your classes at CIA.

Here are a few things you should definitely do:

1. Check the library

• See if the library already has a copy of your textbook. The easiest way to see if we have a copy is to use Primo (the library's discovery service) to look for the book. 
• It's possible that your faculty member put the book on course reserves in the library. That means we have a copy of the book in our library that you can use for three hours at a time in the library. If your textbook is not on course reserves, let us know! We will put it on reserve so that it's available for you and your classmates. Log on to Canvas and check the library's page in Canvas for links to our course reserves. Tip: if the page is blank, then you need to log into Canvas.
• Need help? No problem. Stop by the library, start a chat, email us or call us on the phone. We want to help you find the materials you need. Contact us!

2. Ask your professor...

• if an older, less expensive edition is similar enough for you to use.
• to check with the CIA Library about putting a copy on course reserves OR to ask the library to purchase a copy for course reserves
• to check with the library director about free and/or affordable course material alternatives

3. Get creative!

• Stop by the library, start a chat, email us or call us on the phone. We want to help you find the materials you need without spending a lot of money! Contact us!
• Check Ohiolink to see if you can get a copy from another library. Remember to ask us for help if you don't know how to do this!
• Look for used copies or rentals online.
• Borrow or share with a friend.

4. Advocate for yourself and for other students!

Tell anyone and everyone about the issue. They need to know about the problem before they can help fix it. There are alternatives and we all need to work together to make learning materials more affordable!

Credit: This is a derivative of Help! I can't afford my books! (rb.gy/3imwp) by JMU Libraries, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY). Thank you to Liz Thompson at JMU Libraries.

The library will be closed for Convocation today (8/29/2025) from 11:45am to 2pm so that we can welcome the Class of 2029 to CIA!

The library was very busy this summer and there are some big changes we want to let you know about!

1. Our new library system is up and running! After several years of work, we are fully migrated to our new system. Our new discovery service, Primo, is really great and we think you will love it. If you want to learn more about the system OR you need help navigating it, please schedule a consultation with a librarian today. We can meet with you in-person or virtually and give you an introduction to Primo or answer your specific questions.

To schedule an appointment, please visit https://cia.libcal.com/appointments. There will also be a faculty-only online session on September 25. Please register for that session if you are an interested faculty member. 

2. The library now has access to Libby. Libby is an easy to use app that allows you to access ebooks and audiobooks anywhere, anytime. If you use Libby with your public library, you can add our library to your account. We provide access to a wide array of academic resources on Libby, including lots of classic literature. 

3. You asked and we were able to make it happen! The library has three beanbag chairs now! They are located in the back of the library by the group study room. We've already spotted students using them. Stop by and take a break!