Library Updates & News

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.

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 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! 

Now that the library is live with our new system, our New Books LibGuide is back! Check back every month to see the new books we added in the previous month. 

Sage Skills: Business and Sage Skills: Student Success

The library is proud to offer access to two new resources from Sage. 

Now more than ever, it is essential for students to connect with resources designed to help them attain the skills they need for current and future success. Sage Skills: Student Success and Sage Business Skills offer students a self-guided journey to practice and master the in-demand skill sets of the modern workforce.  Together, the Sage Skills suite provides a flexible and engaging learning journey through themed modules that incorporate self-assessments, interactive scenarios, downloadable exercises, original videos, embedded datasets, and more. These tools combined with authoritative written material create a scholarly environment where students and faculty can independently navigate thousands of skills that will aid them in their academic and future careers. Faculty can link and embed skills and topics into Canvas, too! 

Sage Skills: Business

Sage Skills: Business enables students to develop and practice real-world skills needed to successfully transition from campus to the modern workplace. This interactive digital resource features both academic and practitioner experts in a library of flexible learning tracks and offers students a self-guided journey to gain skill sets essential for professional success. Our access includes the following modules:

• Data Analytics
• Entrepreneurship
• Leadership
• Organizational Communication
• Professionalism

Sage Skills: Student Success

Sage Skills: Student Success enables students to develop and practice the skills needed to thrive at college or university. This interactive digital resource features the work of a diverse set of academic experts to help undergraduates achieve academic and personal success. It builds foundational skills for undergraduate students, including critical thinking, research, writing, evaluating information, finding and using data, study and communication skills, and how to apply academic skills in the workplace. Our access includes the following modules:

• Academic Integrity and Referencing
• Academic Writing
• Communication and Interpersonal Skills
• Critical Thinking
• Data Literacy
• Diversity, Bias, and Impacting Change
• Information Literacy
• Personal Development and Well-Being
• Research Skills
• Study Strategies and Assignments

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 Quick Search (aka EBSCO Discovery) 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.

Don't forget that the library's digital resources are available even when the library is closed. Check out Kanopy for thousands of films to watch from home. 

Want to get better at talking color while having a great time? Hues and Cues is a game for 3-10 players that challenges your ability to make connections to colors with words. Using only one and two-word cues, try to get your friends to guess a specific color from the 480 on the game board. Hues and Cues won the 2020 Dice Tower's Party Game of the Year. Check it out at the library!

New month, new books

Did you know you can get a list of all the new books we've added to the library each month? Our New Books LibGuide is updated monthly with a full list of all the books we've added during the previous month. Find your next inspiration.

Check out our updated Voting Information Guide!

The library has a tradition of participating in National Voter Registration Day activities, including registering students to vote. But did you know that in the November 2023 election, less than half of registered voters in Ohio actually voted? This year, we want to do more than just register voters. We want to help you make your voting plan! We have a printable worksheet to help make your voting plan and we will help you make your plan. 

Why should you vote?

Voting is crucial for artists, designers, and students as it ensures your voice is heard and helps to shape the future policies that directly impact your education, your career, your overall quality of life, as well as the lives of your family, friends, colleagues, and community. The Jessica R. Gund Memorial Library is committed to ensuring that everyone at CIA who is eligible to vote is not only registered to vote, but also makes voting a habit for life!

Come to the library before November 5, 2024 for assistance with registering to vote, checking voter registrations, requesting absentee ballots, answering questions about voting, envelopes and postage for election related mail addressed to students' boards of elections.

Our Voting Information Guide has been updated for the November General Election and has a ton of new information. Voting is easy, but if you haven't voted before, you may be nervous or unsure of how it works. The guide aims to answer as many questions as possible, while also linking you to all the information you need to be a voter this November. 

Please come by the library to register to vote, get help requesting absentee ballots, completing a voting plan that works for YOU and SO MUCH MORE. We have pre-printed absentee ballot applications, envelopes, stamps (for election related mail), and people who know how to answer your voting questions.