The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offers these resources on sustainability and greener living. You can learn to recycle, achieve better fuel economy, and choose greener products to consume. Learn more about how to live a sustainable lifestyle from the Centers for Disease Control.
Enjoying nature is a great way to celebrate the environment. One option is through visiting our national forests. National forests easy to visit from south Georgia include the Osceola National Forest and the Apalachicola National Forest, both in north Florida, and the Chattahoochee-Oconoee National Forests in north Georgia. Explore Georgia further by visiting our many state parks, including nearby Reed Bingham State Park near Adel.
From the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to the U.S. National Wildlife Refuge System, the government offers great resources for helping to appreciate our environment. See more resources about the environment at the government documents display case, 2nd floor Reference in Odum Library.
]]>Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler.
When unattended environmental and economic crises lead to social chaos, not even gated communities are safe. In a night of fire and death Lauren Olamina, a minister’s young daughter, loses her family and home and ventures out into the unprotected American landscape. But what begins as a flight for survival soon leads to something much more: a startling vision of human destiny… and the birth of a new faith.
OCTAVIA E. BUTLER was a renowned African-American writer who received a MacArthur “Genius” Grant and PEN West Lifetime Achievement Award for her body of work. She was the author of several award-winning novels including Parable of the Talents, which won the Nebula for Best Novel. Acclaimed for her lean prose, strong protagonists, and social observations in stories that range from the distant past to the far future, sales of her books have increased enormously since her death as the issues she addressed in her Afrofuturistic, feminist novels and short fiction have only become more relevant. She passed away on February 24, 2006. ~Amazon.com
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
This is the way the world ends…for the last time.
A season of endings has begun.
It starts with the great red rift across the heart of the world’s sole continent, spewing ash that blots out the sun.
It starts with death, with a murdered son and a missing daughter.
It starts with betrayal, and long dormant wounds rising up to fester.
This is the Stillness, a land long familiar with catastrophe, where the power of the earth is wielded as a weapon. And where there is no mercy.
N. K. Jemisin is the first author in the genre’s history to win three consecutive Best Novel Hugo Awards, all for her Broken Earth trilogy. Her work has also won the Nebula, Locus, and Goodreads Choice Awards. She is currently a reviewer for the New York Times Book Review, and she has been an instructor for the Clarion and Clarion West writing workshops. In her spare time she is a gamer and gardener, and she is also single-handedly responsible for saving the world from King Ozzymandias, her dangerously intelligent ginger cat, and his phenomenally destructive sidekick Magpie. ~Amazon.com
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
Her name is Binti, and she is the first of the Himba people ever to be offered a place at Oomza University, the finest institution of higher learning in the galaxy. But to accept the offer will mean giving up her place in her family to travel between the stars among strangers who do not share her ways or respect her customs.
Nnedi Okorafor, born to Igbo Nigerian parents in Cincinnati, Ohio, is an author of fantasy and science fiction for both adults and younger readers. Her science fiction novella Binti won both Hugo and Nebula awards, her children’s book Long Juju Man won the Macmillan Writer’s Prize for Africa, and her adult novel Who Fears Death was a Tiptree Honor Book. She is an associate professor of creative writing and literature at the University at Buffalo. ~Amazon.com
Also don’t forget that you can borrow books from any USG library through GIL-Express if we don’t have it.
]]>The Future of Humanity by Michio Kaku.
Kaku tells us how science fiction is becoming reality: mind-boggling developments in robotics, nanotechnology, and biotechnology could enable us to build habitable cities on Mars; nearby stars might be reached by microscopic spaceships sailing through space on laser beams; and technology might one day allow us to transcend our physical bodies entirely.
“I did not expect to feel this much excitement out of this book. Like his pal, Stephen Hawking, Michio Kaku has a wonderful ability of explaining complex topics in a down to earth manner. I’m glad that I’ve finally found another science book that I absolutely enjoyed reading from cover to cover.” – Erica, Amazon.com
The Big Picture: the fight for the future of movies by Ben Fritz
The future of Hollywood is being written by powerful corporate brands like Marvel, Amazon, Netflix, and Lego, as well as censors in China. This book shows the first glimmers of a new golden age through the eyes of the creative mavericks who are defining what our movies will look like in the new era.
“Insightful and thoroughly researched, it’s one of the few books I’ve encountered that both seems to understand where the industry has been and where it’s going. It’s a deep-dive that I was worried would be a little too “inside baseball,” but it’s written in a very accessible way. Great for people who want to understand the recent history of Hollywood and why things have been changing so much. Should be required reading for film students and anyone else trying to break into the business.” – F. Gilmore, Amazon.com
Empire in Retreat Edited by Victor Bulmer-Thomas
This book is a grand survey of the United States as an empire. Arguing that the move toward diminished geopolitical dominance reflects the aspirations of most U.S. citizens, he asserts that imperial retreat does not necessarily mean national decline and may ultimately strengthen the nation-state. At this pivotal juncture in American history, Bulmer-Thomas’s uniquely global perspective will be widely read and discussed across a range of fields.
“This is a comprehensive study of the United States as a long-standing empire and world power by a leading economic historian of Latin America and the Caribbean. It explains why its global leadership is increasingly challenged. It is a must read for those interested in the origins and causes of this change, notably in the Trump era.”—José Antonio Ocampo, Columbia University
Under Swiss Protection by Editors Agnes Hirschi and Charlotte Schallie.
Through the lens of Jewish eyewitness testimonies, this book retraces Carl Lutz’s diplomatic wartime extensive rescue operations in Budapest, Hungary between March 1944 and February 1945.
“It reads like a smooth page-turner, but it’s a piece of history. Very vivid pictures of the times and the mindset. As unbiased as possible without taking a stand of those confusing and unbelievable times!” – Eva Grausz, Amazon.com
The Rise of Victimhood Culture by Bradley Campbell & Jason Manning
This book offers a framework for understanding recent moral conflicts at U.S. universities, which have bled into society at large. They are clashes between a new moral culture—victimhood culture—and a more traditional culture of dignity. As students increasingly demand trigger warnings and “safe spaces,” many young people are quick to police the words and deeds of others.
“Fantastic overview of the changes to moral culture on college campuses. Campbell and Manning advance the fascinating and provocative thesis that the tantrum behavior we’re seeing on today’s college campuses reflects transition from a dignity culture to a self-obsessed victimhood culture.” – Consumer #142, Amazon.com
Cuba on the Verge Edited by Leila Guerriero
This book is an account of – and a unique glimpse at – Cuba’s moment of upheaval and reinvention whose effects promise to reverberate across years and nation. We know Cuba is changing, but from what and into what? What does this change mean for the Cuban people as well as for the rest of the world?
“One of the more comprehensive and impressive books to attempt to capture the mystery and paradox that is Cuba. The collection of voices in this book offer insightful perspectives into a country in transition and stasis.” Lagun NE, Amazon.com
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Titles include:
One of the most important changes is the move of our main Circulation desk. All circulation services are now located at the new location of our main circulation desk on the first floor, near the southside entrance and the internet cafe and auditorium. You can check out and return books as normal or find your reserves there as well. The study rooms next to the Internet Cafe have been repurposed for Circulation staff and are unavailable for student use.
eLearning and ILL offices are still in their original locations and can be accessed from the south side of the library. The computer lab 2633 is also operational and open, unless there is a class. You can use the inner elevator normally but the 2nd floor option is closed for the construction. Signs are posted in the area for additional reminders.
The TRU Helpdesk has been moved to the 1st floor where the microfilm/microfiche machines and printer were located previously. So if you need assistance with connecting to the Wi-fi, VSU accounts, etc. they are still available to lend you aid. The microfilm/microfiche machines have a new home in the north corner of the 1st floor passed the stairs and bathrooms.
Please note that while the north side entrance will remain closed until these renovations are complete, we are open for business as usual. To enter the library you will need to come through the south side entrance (the doors that face the Fine Arts building). We will have updates throughout the project so keep an eye on the Odum Blog, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
So that about sums up what’s new here at Odum. As always if you have any questions about these changes or need assistance please don’t hesitate to ask any of our librarians or staff. Or check out our LibGuide on the renovation changes for even more information. We wish everyone a wonderful Fall semester and hope to see you in the library!
]]>Need community information on utilities, schools, and other necessities? Visit the City of Valdosta “I Want To…” page for information about recycling, trash pickup, local ordinances, and more. Other local government websites are also listed; these include Dasher, Remerton, Hahira, and Lake Park.
Visit the Lowndes County, Georgia, Community page for further information about parks and recreation, county facts, schools and universities, and more.
Check out local and area news via the Valdosta Daily Times web site. Odum Library also gets the Times in print every day; you’ll find recent issues on display at the first floor library, south side, with popular magazines and newspapers. We also have more than 100 years of back issues on microfilm–just ask us through our chat, email, phone, or text services!
Are you living in a dorm or cooking on your own for the first time? Consult the USDA’s Food Safety Tips for College Students.
Valdosta has just opened a new location for the Valdosta-Lowndes branch of South Georgia Regional Library. Visit the new Willis L. Miller Library at 2906 Julia Drive in Valdosta as well as the newly launched website for SGRL!
Odum Library has a lot of books on local history (many located within the VSU Archives and Special Collections), maps of the area, and friendly people. Odum Library is also a Federal Depository Library, with collections of United States and Georgia government publications available to the community. Come see what’s up at Odum Library!
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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is the federal government’s home for information about climate, weather, oceans, and fisheries. June 1 also marks the opening of the 2018 hurricane season, covered in great detail by NOAA’s National Hurricane Center. The Climate Prediction Center forecasts the 2018 Atlantic Hurricane season as “near- or above-normal” in activity. You can also see a list of forthcoming hurricane names.
In addition, the National Ocean Service provides data about tides and currents. Interesting details about ocean life, ocean economy, ocean ecosystems, maritime transportation, and more are available at NOAA’s Ocean Facts site.
However you decide to enjoy the ocean and its effects this summer, you’ll find plenty of sources for research about oceans, hurricanes, marine life, and more through these and other government information sources.
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