National Native American Heritage Month display

The organized fight to officially recognize the contributions of Native Americans to the United States began in the early years of the 20th century. Different states and time periods have used different names, including American Indian Day, Native American Day, American Indian Day, and Indigenous Peoples Day. The first Federal proclamation of National American Indian Heritage Month came in 1990 under President George H.W. Bush. Other names for this month of celebration are Native American Heritage Month and National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month.

Pesky has a strong collection of books and videos that explore the politics, history, literature, and social conflicts of indigenous peoples in the United States. Please stop by and check out our display. More information is available at the websites of the Federal agencies that sponsor the heritage month.

• National Archives
• National Endowment for the Humanities (EDSITEment)
• National Park Service
• Smithsonian Education

_________________

in a double rainbow

lives the summer rain

who bring the seed

to soak the ground

to make dry arroyos run

as singing summer floods

-- Harold Littlebird, “In a Double Rainbow” in Voices of the Rainbow: Contemporary Poetry by Native Americans, edited by Kenneth Rosen, 212-213. New York, 1993.

-MJD

48 Hours Without the Library

48 Hours Without the Library

Due to the inconsiderate act of Mother Nature, the somewhat mysterious workings of National Grid, and the obstinate rule enforcement of the Byfield Fire Department, Pesky Library remained closed for a number of days this week. Although Library 2.0 set up shop in the dining hall for the duration, it just wasn’t the same. Here is a brief timeline of events and commentary that ensued:

Hour One: Students gasp in shock as we stop them from entering the library on Monday morning...they need to print. We gently send them on to buildings with generators while quietly questioning their understanding of electricity.

Hour Two: Panic from students who borrow textbooks and laptops every day in lieu of bringing theirs to school. How will they get through the day?

PA: Where will everyone go? Stay in the dining hall? Go to the student center?  Terrible ideas. Students lament. We offer to “SHHH” in the dining hall to comfort them.

Hours 10-15: Emails abound from all directions. No library? No learning center? No study rooms?

Hour 25: Mobile Library wises up and grabs a table near an outlet. Electricity is life.

Hour 26: Depression has set in. Boxes of books for Junior research projects lay unopened in the mail room. Appointments that “have to happen today!” are hastily accomplished amidst dining hall chaos.

Hour 28: Students stop by the pop-up library to share their harrowing tales of life without electricity. Many realize how much time they actually spend in the library and tell us how much they miss it. We miss them, too...to hide our emotions we tell them to take off their hats.

Hour 48: With the power back on we spend the (hopefully) last few hours in the mobile library awaiting the all clear to return to Pesky. We echo the sentiments of many at Governor’s as we put this time into perspective, and think about the many people around our country and the world who live in much worse conditions daily. As frustrating as some of these 48 hours have been, we are thankful for the time spent around students, faculty and staff that we don’t typically get, and the new perspectives on life here at Governor’s and our world. Now back to work!

P.S. at Hour 72: Post electricity return we spent another afternoon in our pop-up space awaiting the all clear on the fire alarm system. Like so many things this week nothing went as predicted, but that is another life lesson. Thursday morning finally finds us back in Pesky helping students print, loaning out textbooks and laptops, digging out from days of mail and packages, and awaiting the first hat on a student head. We’re happy to be back.