Chat with a Librarian for Help

Did you know that you could contact our librarians through chat Monday through Friday for help?

During these pandemic times, the Tarleton Libraries has continued to deliver services to its campus community. One of those nonstop services has been reference. The chat service is available from 8:00 am to 6:30 pm. 

For immediate assistance during weekday hours, start by visiting the library homepage. Along the side to the right, you will see the purple Ask a Librarian box. Enter your information, and click Start Chat. 

Another way to access the chat service would be by going to the Get Help section located in the library homepage as well.

If you scroll down the page, it will be one of the last sections there. Click the Ask a Librarian option.

Once you are in the Ask a Librarian web-page you will see the Ask Us icon to the right hand side. Select it to begin chatting.

IMPORTANT - Please check the Tarleton Libraries calendar for any changes in hours.
Go to www.tarleton.edu/library.

Grandma Gatewood's Historic Appalachian Trail Walk

Would you like to explore another region of our country, 

but not have to actually travel there?  

Then I recommend you read the ebook, 
Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail by Ben Montgomery, available through Tarleton's Overdrive database.

This ebook tells the story of the 1955 solo walk of 67-year-old Emma Gatewood over the entire 2,050 miles of the Appalachian Trail (AT). She was the first woman ever to make this AT walk solo, and she did it carrying only a homemade cloth bag with a few supplies, wearing canvas sneakers, and holding $200 in her pocket. In the process, she wore out 7 pairs of shoes, destroyed 2 pairs of glasses, and met a few rattlesnakes, but she also made life-long friends with people who lived along AT, as well as with park rangers and people of the media.  She gained unexpected fame and notoriety through her love of hiking. Grandma Gatewood's persistence, fortitude, and hopeful attitude as she traversed the wild and rugged, newly established Appalachian Trail with the bare minimum of supplies and with so little help is inspiring. 

This books is an historic, impressive story of one determined Grandma!

Juneteenth

Juneteenth, which takes place on June 19th every year, is the oldest celebration of the end of slavery in the United States, and it began in Texas.

Juneteenth Celebration held in Austin, TX in 1900. 

Stephenson, Mrs. Charles (Grace Murray). [Emancipation Day Celebration, June 19, 1900], photograph, June 19, 1900; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth124053/m1/1/: accessed June 18, 2020), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Austin History Center, Austin Public Library.

The Emancipation Proclamation, which came into effect on January 1st, 1863, declared that "..all persons held as slaves within any state...the people whereof shall than be in rebellion against the United States; shall be...forever free... ." This meant that slaves in states that were part of the Confederacy (which included Texas) were legally declared free. However, the US government did not have control of Texas at that time, as the Civil War was still ongoing, and therefore slavery continued there for the next two years.  

On June 19, 1865 Union forces landed in Galveston, TX, and Major General Gordon Granger read General Order No. 3 which stated: 

"The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere."

Ashton Villa, Galveston, TX. Location where Major General Granger read General Order No. 3.
Jim Evans [Ashton Villa], photograph, June 9, 2012. Licensed under the
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

The first known celebration of Juneteenth happened the following year in 1866 and continues to the present day. The celebration started among the African American community of Texas, but spread around the country as African American Texans moved to other locations and brought the tradition with them. 

In 1980, Texas became the first state to recognize the holiday. Since then, 45 states and the District of Columbia have recognized the holiday. It is still not a federal holiday, but there is a movement to get it recognized as such. 

The library has several resources for learning more about Juneteenth: 

Juneteenth by Lynn Peppas

Juneteenth: A Celebration of Freedom by Charles A. Taylor

Juneteenth! Celebrating Freedom in Texas by Anna Pearl Barrett 

Juneteenth: Jubilee for Freedom by June Preszler

Juneteenth Texas: Essays in African American Folklore by Francis Edward Abernethy (editor)

How to Write a Letter to a Representative or Government Official

Photo by Joshua Sukoff on Unsplash

Now more than ever it is important that you make your voice heard.

1.       Find your representative.

a.       If you are focusing on a local issue, contact your city council.

b.       For issues effecting the state, contact you may want to contact your state representative. Texas allows you to search for your specific representative, but there are also house committees that focus on specific issues.

c.    You can also look up your congress representative through the U.S. House of Representatives. 

2.       Make sure you format your letter correctly. Some representatives accept emails, but it is important to keep the same information.

a.       American Library Association offers this example:

Date

Your Name

Your Address

Your City, State, Zip code

Your E-mail

Your Phone Number

The Honorable_________________________

House of Representatives or United States Senate Office Address of Representative or Senator

Dear Representative/Senator ____________________,

3.       Keep the letter brief and to the point. Ideally, your letter should be no longer than one page.

4.       Introduce yourself first and the key reason about why you are contacting them. Try to focus on a single issue per letter.

5.       Do your research. You can reference resources to add credibility to your letter and offer evidence for your cause.  Depending on the topic you are addressing the subject guide for Criminal Justice, Sociology, Political Science or Legal Resources may have suggestions of where to start. Or, explore a detailed list of databases, all accessible on or off campus. 

6.       Narrow your letter down to three main points and argue for them.

7.       Personalize your stance. Offer an anecdote from your life or loved one that relates to the issue and supports your stance.

8.       State your desired outcome. What would you like to see this representative do to better represent you and your community?

These tips are based on sample letters and writing tips from the American Library Association and the American Civil Liberties Union.

Diverse Summer Reading Challenge!

Available now on OverDrive!

Books have the unique ability to transport us to a different time, different place, or a completely different perspective. Many reading lists are circulating for books that deal with racism and disparities among minority groups. Here is our list of reading recommendations available now  through OverDrive.

Whether you love poetry, space travel, historical fiction, or something in between., there's a book for everyone. Looking for a title we don't have on OverDrive? Let us know by clicking "Recommend" at the bottom of the title image.

Check out these classics by Toni Morrison! Morrison was a critically acclaimed writer, winning the Pulitzer Prize for Beloved in 1987. She then went on win a Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993.  

 Michaela DePrince was born in Sierra Leone and adopted by an American couple at the age of four. She has appeared on Dancing with the Stars, Good Morning America, Nightline, and Beyonce's Lemonade music video.

Finding Langston has won multiple awards for historical fiction, children's literature and library awards. Taking place in 1946, follow Langston as he moves from the countryside in Alabama to the busy city of Chicago.

Did you love Hidden Figures? Are you a nerd for space exploration? Learn about some of the first African Americans to  join the space program!

Into Graphic Novels? Learn about Congressman John Lewis and his part in the Civil Rights movement. Illustrated by award winning artist Nate Powell and co-written by New York Times bestseller, Andrew Aydin, this book shares the remarkable story of John Lewis. 

 

 From Elizabeth Acevedo comes a novel-in-verse from award winning slam poet. Xiomara  has plenty to say and she refuses to stay silent. This is a great summer read for kids going into 7th or 8th grade.

Comedian Phoebe Robinson discusses race, culture and other random occurrences as she navigates life all while making you laugh. 

New York Times Bestseller, There There describes twelve unforgettable characters as they make their way to the Big Oakland Powwow. Each on their own journey, they are all working to connect back to a shared tradition.