2022 Library Undergraduate Research Award Winners

Brookens Library and the Friends of Brookens Library are excited to announce the winners of our Eigth Annual Undergraduate Research Award!

We here at Brookens believe that undergraduate research, scholarly, and creative activities are foundational components of a complete liberal arts education. The Brookens Library Undergraduate Research Award was created by Brookens Library to recognize and reward UIS undergraduate students whose academic work incorporates the use of Brookens Library’s collections and services and demonstrates exceptional information literacy skills. The Friends of Brookens Library funds the $1500 in awards received by students.

The excellent projects submitted this year made the judging a challenge, but the selection committee of Holly Kent, Diana Zaleski, and John Laubersheimer were able to decide upon the winners.

This year we are honored to recognize the following students for their exceptional research:

1^st Place: Taryn Christy – “Our Building is Run by Women”: Women’s Success in the Illinois Public Sector

2^nd Place: Abigail High – The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bombs

3^rd Place: Briana Rodriquez – Forced Labor in U.S Detention Centers: The Exploitation of Detained Immigrants Under the Guise of Voluntary Work Programs

4^th Place: Blake Bergner – The Significance and Racism of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates

5^th Place: Diana Ibarra – The Augmentation of Feminicides in Latin America Through Machismo

The competition was tough this year and all of our submissions were top quality research. A big congratulations for all our winners and all of our entrants!

Are You Taking Care of Your Mental Health?

Ask yourself.

Are you taking yourself?

You might say, “Yes I am!” or “kind of”.

You may be taking yourself PHYSICALLY, but are you taking care of yourself MENTALLY?

It’s okay if you haven’t because things happen and life can become really hectic. No matter who you are or what your roles are in life. You could be a teacher, student, parent, etc. Your mental health matters! When you take care of your mental health you feel more relaxed, energized, focused and so much more! Take the time out of your busy schedule to give your mind a break! Some tips to take care of your mental health are: 

• Spend time with your family and friends. 
• Exercise.
• Go to sleep at a good time.
• Utilize mental health services.

Mental Health Awareness Month is an annual month celebration that is celebrated in May to celebrate the awareness of mental health. Mental Health Awareness Month was created in the 1940s to increase the awareness of mental health. Need a way to take care of your mental health? Down below are some recommendations from our cloudLibrary shelves to help you destress and focus on your mental health!

cloudLibrary Recommendations:

• It’s Okay to Laugh
• Braving the Wilderness
• Furiously Happy
• Real Artists Have Day Jobs

We hope you enjoy our Mental Health Awareness Month recommendations! To find more eBooks and eAudiobooks for Mental Health Awareness Month, visit cloudLibrary. 

How to Book a Research Consultation

You may be asking yourself, “What is a Research Consultation?”

A research consultation is a self-made appointment with a librarian of your choice. Booking a research consultation is very beneficial, especially if you need assistance with a paper or an assignment that involves research. Don’t worry, our librarians are here to help!

Librarians are research experts who can help with all stages of the research process. We can help you with picking a topic, identifying search terms, navigating databases, evaluating sources and more!

Book a research consultation with one of our librarians to get one-on-one research help in person or on Zoom.

How To Book an Online Research Consultation with a Librarian:

1. Go to the Brookens Library website. From there, click on the pink icon titled “Research Guides.”

2. You will now be on a web page that lists different subjects that are taught at UIS. Select the one that is most related to your research topic or course.

3. When you choose your subject, you will be taken to a page that gives you the most recommended librarian that will be able to assist you. At the top left, there are 5 categories: Welcome (current page), Develop a Topic, Build a Search Plan, Find Sources and Get Help. It also has a video on the “Introduction of the Research Process” that explains the research process more in depth. To the left below the librarian’s picture you will see a gray button that says “Schedule an Appointment”. Click on it.

4. The page should change and allow you to schedule your appointment with a librarian. Follow the instructions on the page and you’re done! You will automatically be booked on the librarian’s calendar.

If you need immediate research assistance, you can also chat with us via the chat box on the library website.

April Must Reads

Book Recommendations

Brookens Library has two new featured book displays: “Spring Into a Good Book” and “Celebrating Earth Day.” You can find these book displays by the main entrance of the Library near the printers.

If you are looking to find a way to unwind, check out the books from the book display: “Spring Into a Good Book.”

• Shakespeare’s Flowers by Jessica Kerr
• Tiger, Tiger by Margaux Fragoso
• All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung
• Salt Houses by Hala Alyan
• First Comes Love by Emily Giffin

If you are interested in becoming more environmentally conscious and educated, check out some of the books from our “Celebrating Earth Day” display.

• The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming by Laurie David
• Saving Our Planet by Mostafa Kamal Tolba
• Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
• The World Without Us by Alan Weisman
• Recycle This Book! by David Allan

Film Recommendations

As the end of the semester approaches, take the weekend to relax with a movie binge kit! Every binge kit comes with three movies, candy, and popcorn. Some of our binge kits include:

• Nurture Nature: Wall-E, Planet Earth, March of the Penguins
• April Showers and May Flowers: The Fault in our Stars, Ghost, Her
• Angsty Nostalgia: Heathers, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club
• Dark Crime Comedies: Pulp Fiction, Knives Out, Ready or Not

You can find these binge kits right next to the featured book displays by the main library entrance.

eBooks and eAudiobooks

If you are a fan of digital eBooks and eAudiobooks, check out cloudLibrary with some of our featured spring shelves such as “Floral Books” and “Arboreal Reads.” You can still keep up with your yearly reading goal through the help of some of our eAudiobooks!

Floral Books

• Coming Up Roses by Staci Harl
• If You Leave Me by Crystal Hana Kim
• 100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Emmons
• This Time Will Be Different by Misa Sugiura

Arboreal Reads

• The Order of the Trees by Katy Farber
• The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
• Dead Trees Give No Shelter by Wil Wheaton
• Far From the Tree by Robin Benway

Navigating Research Guides

Are you struggling with your research? If so, Brookens offers quite a few resources that you can use to improve your research experience! One of these amazing resources is our Research Guides.

Research Guides can be accessed from the library homepage by clicking on the pink book icon. Once you open the Research Guides, you’ll see that they’re organized by subject, which makes it easy to find exactly what you need.

What is a Research Guide?

After you select a subject, you’ll see a menu on the left side of the screen that has everything you need to know. These tabs will walk you through the research process. Each tab includes information that will help you with specific elements of your research. The “Find Sources” tab will guide you to specific resources for your subject. This includes databases, news sources, and books. If you need more assistance, the “Get Help” tab will provide you with some additional resources and places you can go for extra information. To contact the librarian who specializes in your subject, just head back to the “Welcome” tab and either email them or schedule an appointment.

Next time you find yourself stuck in the research process, just check out the Brookens Research Guides. With plenty of information to walk you through your research, you’ll be succeeding in no time!

Celebrating National Library Week

Happy National Library Week! This year, the annual celebration is taking place from April 3rd-9th, and the theme is “Connect With Your Library.” With the first National Library Week taking place in 1958, the yearly event has been celebrated in libraries across the country for decades. At Brookens this week, we’re going to be celebrating in a few different ways, so feel free to get involved!

Connect With Your Library

A theme involving connection can be interpreted in so many ways, and, in our opinion, it’s definitely important to focus on all of the possible aspects of connection! There’s definitely an element of Brookens that applies to however you interpret connection. We have technology, amazing employees and events, and various other resources and services available to students, faculty, community members, and alumni.

Celebrating at Brookens

This year, we’ll be doing quite a bit to celebrate National Library Week! Tuesday (April 5th) is National Library Workers Day, so be sure to express your gratitude to any library employees you may see then (and any other day as well!). Wednesday (April 6th) is National Library Outreach Day and you’ll definitely want to check out our Instagram for something special! We’ll also have some other special posts on our social media throughout the week and a few interactive things at the library, so keep an eye out for those as well!

Be sure to keep your favorite library in mind as you celebrate National Library Week! If you’re looking for more information on the yearly celebration, you can check out this American Library Association page!

We’re Hiring for Summer!

Are you looking for an on-campus job? The library is hiring and you can join our team starting this summer! Brookens is looking for student assistants who will provide customer service at the library’s main desk and assist in processing books and other library materials.

Necessary Qualifications to be Considered for Summer Employment

• Registered for at least 6 credit hours in either the Spring 2022 or Fall 2022 semester
• Able to work during the Fall 2022 semester
• More information regarding employment eligibility is available on the Student Employment Procedures website

Application Process

• Apply to the job in Career Connect by April 12th (you must have an approved resume to apply)
• Complete this questionnaire
• Applicants will be notified via email by April 19th

Undergraduate Research Award

Brookens Library and the Friends of Brookens Library are excited to announce our eighth annual Undergraduate Research Award!

We here at Brookens believe that undergraduate research, scholarly, and creative activities are foundational components of a complete liberal arts education. The Brookens Library Undergraduate Research Award was created by Brookens Library to recognize and reward UIS undergraduate students whose academic work incorporates the use of Brookens Library’s collections and services and demonstrates exceptional information literacy skills.

In addition to recognition at UIS, the award includes a monetary prize sponsored by the Friends of Brookens Library. This year, $1500 is up for grabs for work you have already done!

• $500 for first place
• $400 for second place
• $300 for third place
• $200 for fourth place
• $100 for fifth place

Over the years, UIS students have submitted some truly amazing work to the Research Award. The breadth and depth of topics has been astounding and the quality of the research has been awe inspiring. As we open up submission forms for this year’s award, we look forward to seeing even more of our UIS students’ excellent work.

How to Apply

Application for the Brookens Library Undergraduate Research Award is a two-step process:

Step 1) Fill out the online application form on the Undergraduate Research Award website.

Step 2) One of the Brookens librarians will contact you to arrange for you to electronically submit your materials using Box.

Respectfully, we request that you do not send in your project materials until instructed to do so.

The deadline to apply is April 29, 2022.

Judging will be conducted by a panel of diverse faculty from varying disciplines using a scoring rubric you can find on the research award website.

Peer Research Drop-In Hours

Brookens Library is now offering in-person peer research help on Sundays from 2-8pm and Tuesdays-Thursdays from 6-9pm! This drop-in help is the perfect opportunity to get immediate assistance with your research.

Some perks of the drop-in hours include:

• Research help outside the librarians’ typical hours
• Instant support without making an appointment
• Opportunity to get assistance from peers who have a broad research-knowledge base
• Easy access at the library’s main desk

Some examples of help offered at the drop in hours include:

• Selecting and navigating databases and research guides
• Selecting and improving search terms
• Finding both online and in-person resources
• Referrals to a librarian/walking you through making an appointment with a librarian
• And much more!

Next time you’re needing some extra support with your research, stop by the main desk at Brookens on Sundays from 2-8pm and Tuesdays-Thursdays from 6-9pm to get help from your peers!

For help with more complex research questions, schedule a research appointment with a librarian.

Celebrating Women’s Month

Women’s Month, also known as Women’s History Month is an annual month that highlights special moments in history that women have contributed. Women are a very important asset to our society because without women there wouldn’t be mankind. The celebration of Women’s History month didn’t start until the late 1900s. It originally started off as a week-long celebration but as the years went on, it became a full month celebration.

One way to celebrate this month is to make a beautiful art piece. Another way to celebrate is to watch popular women empowerment movies and read women literature. Down below are some book recommendations from our cloudLibrary shelves and some movie recommendations you can check out from the library.

cloudLibrary Recommendations:

• Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
• The Radium Girls by Kate Moore
• The Glass Universe by Dava Sobel
• Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
• Lady’s Guide to Selling Out by Sally Franson
• Anne of Green Gables by L.M Montgomery

Movie Recommendations:

• Girls Trip
• Hidden Figures 
• 20th Century Women 
• Mean Girls 
• Legally Blonde
• Wonder Woman

We hope you enjoy our Women’s History Month recommendations! To find more eBooks and eAudiobooks for Women’s History Month, visit cloudLibrary. Wonder if the library has your choice of movie? Look it up on the library catalog.