A reminder to all our patrons that Hannon Library will have special hours this week due to the Thanksgiving holiday:

Wednesday, Nov 23: closing at 5 PM (except for scheduled classes)
Thursday, November 25-Saturday, November 26: closed all day
Sunday, November 27: begin special hours for Quiet Week

View the complete schedule of building hours on the Hannon Library website.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Today marks the start of Mental Health Awareness Week, which runs November 16-22. This month, focus on your own mental health and ways that you can relax after midterms and from other stressors in your life. And Hannon Library has some resources to help you!

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Located on the third floor, find an array of books that have information on meditation, tips for keeping your mind connected to your body, and ideas for staying relaxed. Check out the display along with Hannon Library’s extensive book collection to learn more!

32 million adults in the United States can’t read.

I spent a considerable amount of time trying to come up with a less grim way to phrase that, but sometimes the facts should just speak for themselves. I do have to say though, as a blog writer for a library, that statistic is incredibly upsetting.

We as a society have slowly gone away from investing in libraries. It feels as if every year we watch the hours of public libraries get trimmed more and more to save costs. In many towns, university libraries are the only libraries available to the public during weekends and after-work hours. But, of course, not every town has a university or college.

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Many people do not realize how important libraries are to literacy development. The free access to books and materials provided by libraries give children and adults crucial opportunities to learn and practice reading. Libraries traditionally have been centers for after school and summer learning for kids of all socioeconomic backgrounds, as well as places where adults can improve literacy skills in an understanding environment.

As it happens, today is the 50th anniversary of International Literacy Day, established by UNESCO as an effort to “actively mobilize the international community and to promote literacy as an instrument to empower individuals, communities and societies.”  This year begins UNESCO’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, one of the goals of which being to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”

What better place to help further this goal than a library? So I urge you to go and support your local library and the pursuit of literacy in any way you can. Read a book, or read to someone else and help sharpen their skills. Make a small donation or volunteer your time.

The fight to end illiteracy can seem like a daunting fight. But if we all pitch in, one day we will have a country where everyone can read.

By Alex Mesadieu

BookLoversDay

It’s a glorious day in the nation. Why? Because it’s National Book Lovers Day. And there’s no better way to celebrate than by spending some time in a building full of books, with people that know and love books, reading or maybe talking about (yep, you guessed it) books.

“Great books help you understand, and they help you feel understood.” ~ John Green

So come on by, pull up a chair, settle in, and bask in that wondrous creation — the book. And be sure to wish your friends and family (and maybe a librarian or two) a happy Book Lovers Day.

As Americans, we tend to mythologize our founding fathers. In history classes, novels, and historical documentaries, we often focus on the Revolutionary War and the ideas that made men like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and John Hancock so special.

What we often forget is that their ideas came from the simple act of reading. When Benjamin Franklin was young, he loved reading so much, he gave up eating meat in part to have more cash for buying books.

In honoring this 4th of July, Hannon Library invites you to learn about the the founding fathers in their own words. We have autobiographical books by Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and John Adams. We also have numerous writings by Thomas Jefferson, and a great biography on John Hancock.

So have a mental chat with the signers of the Declaration of Independence through the literature available at Hannon Library, and we hope you had a happy Independence Day!

By Alex Mesadieu