Inconspicuous Consumption
We are inundated daily with reports about the devastating effects climate change is wreaking on the planet. I have written about climate change books in the past, but I wanted … Read More
Science Communication
Bookplates Preserving History
No longer in fashion, a bookplate, or Ex Libris, used to function as proof of ownership, whether private or institutional. The phrase “Ex Libris” comes from Latin, meaning “from the … Read More
Humor in the Archives
Too hot outside this summer? Go find a job in the archives! Schedule time with some old documents in a climate-controlled environment of 64ºF and 35% humidity, as I did … Read More
AI and Writing: Historical Fiction
Following up on previous posts about historical fiction and non-fiction, such as The three sisters and historical fiction, History through food, and Historical cookbooks, let’s take a look at the … Read More
Parallel Worlds: AI in College Writing
A popular title with the Rutgers READ Book Club, Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour bookstore by Robin Sloan, is a perfect book to kick off the new semester, whether reading for fun … Read More
The Mysterious World Within and Around Us
Did you know that many animals experience the world around them much differently than we do? For example, some can “feel” without actually touching something? And others can see colors … Read More
Staff Picks: “Breaking Through: My Life in Science” by 2023 Nobel laureate Katalin Karikó
Breaking through: My life in science, a modest and unpresuming title, sounds unlike the typical editorializing titles of memoirs published by “celebrities” in the popular culture sense of the word. … Read More
From the Archives: Judging a Book by its Cover
Is it scholarly? Librarians often receive this question from students trying to orient themselves while navigating the maze of scholarly and popular publications they need to cite when their paper … Read More
From the Archives: Alcohol, Cats, and People
Alcoholism is occasionally referred to as “Jellinek’s Disease” in honor of E. M. Jellinek, whose works, including the book The Disease Concept of Alcoholism, published in 1960, has left a … Read More
Brave New World, by ChatGPT
Joining the club of the ChatGPT discussion, what’s a better experiment for a blog post on a book than Brave New World? As college professors and grade school teachers express their … Read More