The wind was unpredictable, a few drops of rain fell, and the sky was overcast at times. But none of that stopped 111 people from participating in the Galvin Library’s first Circulate! Disc Golf Hole-in-One competition. Everyone was a winner, going home with a free Frisbee, snacks, and a smile. However, two contestants really stepped up and showed IIT how disc golf is done.

We’d like to congratulate the winners:

• Jacob Ernst (Arch), 1st place
• Christopher Lee (CAEE), 2nd place

Jacob and Christopher both won Barnes and Noble gift certificates for their nimble ‘bee tossing skills. Thank you all for joining us at the Galvin Library tee, tee #2, this past Thursday and Friday to celebrate National Library Week. It’s never too early to start practicing for next year…

Galvin Library would like to recognize the importance of free speech and intellectual freedom by highlighting Banned Books Week, which takes place September 29th to October 6th.

From the American Library Association:
“Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them. After all, intellectual freedom can exist only where these two essential conditions are met.”

Your favorite book may have at one point been banned or threatened to be removed from libraries! You can find out the top 100 most challenged books of the previous decade here.

Some of the most popular and important books in history have been challenged or banned from libraries. You can view 2005’s list here. This list details which books that are owned by the most OCLC libraries have had the most challenges (over 57,000 libraries belong to the OCLC). You may be surprised to see that the Holy Bible, Huckleberry Finn, Don Quixote, the Koran, and Tom Sawyer are in the top five.

Are you surprised by any of the books on these lists? Let us know your opinions in the comments.

Galvin Library celebrates Latino Heritage Month with a variety of Latino-related books on display. Latino Heritage Month begins September 15th and lasts until October 15th. The display is located on the lower level of Galvin library across from the Circulation Desk. Stop by and celebrate our diverse communiity! If you’d like to learn more about Latino Heritage Month, click here to Ask a Librarian.

In honor of National Library Week (April 15-21), Galvin Library has created the “Light Up Galvin” contest. Participants will put their design skills and creativity to work by designing a lamp using books. All entries will be put on permanent display on the tables in Galvin starting April 16^th. Professor of Architecture and Kemper Gallery Director Robert J. Krawczyk will determine the best two lamp designs.

Cash prizes!!
First prize will win a $50 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble, and second place will receive a $25 Barnes & Noble gift certificate. Simply email reference@iit.edu to set up a time to pick up books and lamp parts to build your lamp. That’s right, we’ll supply all the necessary components, you just bring the creativity. Submissions need to be returned to Galvin by Friday, April 13^th at 5pm. Winners will be announced at the end of National Library Week.

Join Galvin Library in the recognition of Black History Month. In its Lower Level display cases, the library is featuring books by a host of Black authors, including Toni Morrison, Barack Obama, Edwidge Danticat, Alice Walker and Walter Mosley. You can find these books and more in the Leisure Reading section on the Upper Level or search for additional titles in the library’s online catalog.