Grandma Gatewood\’s Historic Appalachian Trail Walk

Would you like to explore another region of our country, 
but not have to actually travel there?  


Then I recommend you read the ebook, 
Grandma Gatewood\’s Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail by Ben Montgomery, available through Tarleton\’s Overdrive database.

This ebook tells the story of the 1955 solo walk of 67-year-old Emma Gatewood over the entire 2,050 miles of the Appalachian Trail (AT). She was the first woman ever to make this AT walk solo, and she did it carrying only a homemade cloth bag with a few supplies, wearing canvas sneakers, and holding $200 in her pocket. In the process, she wore out 7 pairs of shoes, destroyed 2 pairs of glasses, and met a few rattlesnakes, but she also made life-long friends with people who lived along AT, as well as with park rangers and people of the media.  She gained unexpected fame and notoriety through her love of hiking. Grandma Gatewood\’s persistence, fortitude, and hopeful attitude as she traversed the wild and rugged, newly established Appalachian Trail with the bare minimum of supplies and with so little help is inspiring. 

This books is an historic, impressive story of one determined Grandma!

Juneteenth

Juneteenth, which takes place on June 19th every year, is the oldest celebration of the end of slavery in the United States, and it began in Texas.

Juneteenth Celebration held in Austin, TX in 1900. 

Stephenson, Mrs. Charles (Grace Murray). [Emancipation Day Celebration, June 19, 1900], photograph, June 19, 1900; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth124053/m1/1/: accessed June 18, 2020), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Austin History Center, Austin Public Library.

The Emancipation Proclamation, which came into effect on January 1st, 1863, declared that \”..all persons held as slaves within any state…the people whereof shall than be in rebellion against the United States; shall be…forever free… .\” This meant that slaves in states that were part of the Confederacy (which included Texas) were legally declared free. However, the US government did not have control of Texas at that time, as the Civil War was still ongoing, and therefore slavery continued there for the next two years.  

On June 19, 1865 Union forces landed in Galveston, TX, and Major General Gordon Granger read General Order No. 3 which stated: 

\”The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.\”

Ashton Villa, Galveston, TX. Location where Major General Granger read General Order No. 3.
Jim Evans [Ashton Villa], photograph, June 9, 2012. Licensed under the
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
The first known celebration of Juneteenth happened the following year in 1866 and continues to the present day. The celebration started among the African American community of Texas, but spread around the country as African American Texans moved to other locations and brought the tradition with them. 

In 1980, Texas became the first state to recognize the holiday. Since then, 45 states and the District of Columbia have recognized the holiday. It is still not a federal holiday, but there is a movement to get it recognized as such. 

The library has several resources for learning more about Juneteenth: 

Juneteenth by Lynn Peppas
Juneteenth Texas: Essays in African American Folklore by Francis Edward Abernethy (editor)

How to Write a Letter to a Representative or Government Official

building during day
Photo by Joshua Sukoff on Unsplash

Now more than ever it is important that you make your voice heard.


1.       Find your representative.
a.       If you are focusing on a local issue, contact your city council.
b.       For issues effecting the state, contact you may want to contact your state representative. Texas allows you to search for your specific representative, but there are also house committees that focus on specific issues.
c.    You can also look up your congress representative through the U.S. House of Representatives. 
2.       Make sure you format your letter correctly. Some representatives accept emails, but it is important to keep the same information.
a.       American Library Association offers this example:

Date

Your Name
Your Address
Your City, State, Zip code
Your E-mail
Your Phone Number
The Honorable_________________________
House of Representatives or United States Senate Office Address of Representative or Senator
Dear Representative/Senator ____________________,
3.       Keep the letter brief and to the point. Ideally, your letter should be no longer than one page.
4.       Introduce yourself first and the key reason about why you are contacting them. Try to focus on a single issue per letter.
5.       Do your research. You can reference resources to add credibility to your letter and offer evidence for your cause.  Depending on the topic you are addressing the subject guide for Criminal Justice, Sociology, Political Science or Legal Resources may have suggestions of where to start. Or, explore a detailed list of databases, all accessible on or off campus. 
6.       Narrow your letter down to three main points and argue for them.
7.       Personalize your stance. Offer an anecdote from your life or loved one that relates to the issue and supports your stance.
8.       State your desired outcome. What would you like to see this representative do to better represent you and your community?
These tips are based on sample letters and writing tips from the American Library Association and the American Civil Liberties Union.

Diverse Summer Reading Challenge!

Available now on OverDrive!



Books have the unique ability to transport us to a different time, different place, or a completely different perspective. Many reading lists are circulating for books that deal with racism and disparities among minority groups. Here is our list of reading recommendations available now  through OverDrive.

Whether you love poetry, space travel, historical fiction, or something in between., there\’s a book for everyone. Looking for a title we don\’t have on OverDrive? Let us know by clicking \”Recommend\” at the bottom of the title image.

Check out these classics by Toni Morrison! Morrison was a critically acclaimed writer, winning the Pulitzer Prize for Beloved in 1987. She then went on win a Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993.  

God Help the Child - ebook
Beloved - ebook
Title details for Taking Flight by Michaela DePrince - Available Michaela DePrince was born in Sierra Leone and adopted by an American couple at the age of four. She has appeared on Dancing with the Stars, Good Morning America, Nightline, and Beyonce\’s Lemonade music video.
Title details for Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome - AvailableFinding Langston has won multiple awards for historical fiction, children\’s literature and library awards. Taking place in 1946, follow Langston as he moves from the countryside in Alabama to the busy city of Chicago.
Title details for We Could Not Fail by Richard Paul - AvailableDid you love Hidden Figures? Are you a nerd for space exploration? Learn about some of the first African Americans to  join the space program!
Into Graphic Novels? Learn about Congressman John Lewis and his part in the Civil Rights movement. Illustrated by award winning artist Nate Powell and co-written by New York Times bestseller, Andrew Aydin, this book shares the remarkable story of John Lewis. 
Title details for March (2013), Book One by John Lewis - Available
 
 From Elizabeth Acevedo comes a novel-in-verse from award winning slam poet. Xiomara  has plenty to say and she refuses to stay silent. This is a great summer read for kids going into 7th or 8th grade.
Cover image for The Poet X
Title details for You Can\'t Touch My Hair by Phoebe Robinson - Available

Comedian Phoebe Robinson discusses race, culture and other random occurrences as she navigates life all while making you laugh. 

New York Times Bestseller, There There describes twelve unforgettable characters as they make their way to the Big Oakland Powwow. Each on their own journey, they are all working to connect back to a shared tradition. 
Title details for There There by Tommy Orange - Available



The Role of Scientific Evidence in Battling COVID-19

COVID-19 is a rapidly evolving situation. Scientists around the world are working to find better ways to detect, treat, and hopefully create a vaccine against COVID-19. Everyday there are news articles out with seemingly contradictory information. Does sunlight kill the virus? Do it survive better in cold climates or warmer areas? Does the  virus last 17 days or just a few hours? Does malaria medicine treat COVID or not? It can be difficult to determine what information is true or how reliable that information may be.

Understanding the scientific method and different types of biomedical evidence can help you better understand what it means when an article says \”clinical trials\” or \”initial results\” or \”preliminary findings\”.

Scientific Method

The first step is understanding the scientific method. The scientific method is a broad method of observing the world and scientific phenomenon, asking questions, creating a hypothesis, testing that hypothesis, learning from the results, and most importantly trying again. This creates a feedback loop of information. The more scientists learn, the more questions they can ask, the more theories they can test, and the process starts over again.

Scientific Flowchart, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2020


Hierarchy of Evidence 

Scientific evidence can be broken down into tiers or levels designating how much the information has been filtered and reviewed. The levels may vary somewhat field to field, but the underlying principle remains the same. The highest level of evidence includes systematic reviews and meta- analysis, where hundreds, sometimes thousands of research articles are reviewed and compared. This gives a broad overview of what treatments have been used and what their impact is. 

The next level consists of large, well designed cohort studies or randomized control trials. This level looks at large numbers of the population and has well designed methodology to reduce potential biases. Prudent methodology and large study groups typically mean that a study is repeatable and better reflects the general population. For example, clinical trials will start with very few participants and increase in number as the treatment is shown to be safe and effective. Learn more about clinical studies.

The next level down includes, expert opinions, qualitative studies, background information gathering, and expert committees. This level provides essential background information and preliminary information for later studies, but hasn\’t gone through the same rigor as the other levels of evidence. 

(Hierarchy of Evidence, OHSU Library, 2020) 

This is not to say that one level of evidence is \”more important\” than another level, but the hierarchy of  the evidence should be considered when evaluating it. Science is continuously learning and improving, and the hierarchy of evidence helps expose potential hypothesis and medical treatments to continuously increasing rigor. 

Reproducibility or Replication 

Another important facet of research is replication studies. The methods sections of scientific papers outline the way experiments are conducted and serve as a guideline for how other scientists can attempt to repeat those studies. Replication is important because flukes happen. Sometimes, life throws curve balls, data becomes skewed, or things just aren\’t the way they seem. “Replication can increase certainty when findings are reproduced and promote innovation when they are not” (Open Science Collaboration, pg. 943, 2015). Replication is an important step in verifying studies and continuing to learn about scientific phenomena.

Peer Review 

One of the final step of the research process is submitting research articles for publication and undergoing peer review.  An author submits an article and a board of subject experts review and evaluate the research and offer comments for improvement (San Diego State University Library, 2020). There are several types of peer review, but the process is intended to verify the methodology of research, weed out inferior articles, and ensure higher quality science is being published. 

Unpublished research, articles in trade magazines, and white papers, such as conference proceedings, committee reports, or  preprints of research articles, may not have gone through peer review and the editorial process. They may lack that vital step in gaining feedback from peers and making necessary edits. 

Now, the next time you see a news headline citing a new research, you will hopefully have a better understanding of how that research fits into the scientific community as a whole. 


The latest information about COVID-19 can be found through the CDC and the National Institute of Health.

References

Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2020, January 16). Scientific method. Retrieved April 20, 2020, from https://www.britannica.com/science/scientific-method
OHSU Library. (2020, March 23). LibGuides: OHSU Evidence-Based Practice Course for Interprofessional Clinical Teams: Hierarchy of Evidence and Study Design. Retrieved April 20, 2020, from https://libguides.ohsu.edu/c.php?g=693307&p=4912291
Open Science Foundation. (2015). Estimating the reproducibility of psychological science. Science, 349(6251), 943–953. doi: 10.1126/science.aac4716

SDSU Library. (2020). What is Peer Review? Retrieved April 20, 2020, from https://library.sdsu.edu/reference/news/what-does-peer-review-mean

Tarleton Libraries YouTube Channel

Did you know that the library has a YouTube channel? Not only that, it\’s seven years old and it has over eighty videos!

A screenshot of the Tarleton Libraries YouTube channel.

Our librarians have been busy creating tutorial videos for you during the past few months.
Stop by our channel and find out:

and more.  Our videos are closed captioned and most of them are under five minutes.

We don\’t only have tutorial videos, though.

You can find videos from our 2017 Banned Books Read Out, which featured a wide variety of Tarleton students, faculty, and staff.  You can also get staff reading recommendations.

So stop by and click on the Subscribe button. You\’ll be glad you did.

#PassFailNation

#PassFailNation

Photo by Victoria Heath on Unsplash

The outbreak of COVID-19 has drastically changed the way material is being delivered this semester. Tarleton faculty and staff are working diligently to move courses online and adapt to the sudden changes, but moving courses online may only be half of the battle. Students are also battling increased stress, uncertainty, financial hardships, and familial concerns all while trying to balance a sudden shift in course delivery.

Numerous institutions are looking at the merits of changing to pass/fail option for this semester. David Perry wrote an opinion piece for CNN about the possible benefits of pass/fail.

Texas A&M University 

 According to an announcement  earlier this week from the TAMU President and Provost stated  \”students will have the opportunity to choose Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) grading for any course in which they are enrolled in the spring semester 2020\”. The full announcement can be found here. 

Prairie View A&M University

PVAM also announced that it would be issuing temporary changes to their grading policy. Students will have the option to chose pass/fail but \”does not reflect a change in expectations but an acknowledgement of the severe complications of this unusual moment\”. The full announcement can be found here. 
A more extensive list of schools offering pass/fail can be found here.

What does Pass/Fail entail?

Tarleton announced a plan to implement a pass/fail option, and faculty and leadership continue to discuss the best ways to support students through this situation. Students should consider the best option for their unique situations and goals. Before opting for pass/fail here are some factors to consider:

  • Are you on track to make the grades you want?
  • Are you currently making satisfactory academic progress? 
  • Can or should you retake the course at a later date? Keep in mind there are limits on how many courses you can drop within your academic career.
  • Are you on any academic based scholarships? Would they accept pass/fail grades?
  • Are you looking to transfer programs, attend graduate school or taking any required pre-requisites? If so, will your classes and credit still transfer? 
  • Have you talked to your professor about staying on track with the course?
  • Have you talked with your academic adviser about the best options?

Having the option to chose pass/fail may take some of the stress off of students so they can focus on health, safety, childcare, and ensuring financial security. Students can continue to learn without the increased academic pressure.

Alternatively, some students may prefer and even excel with online courses. They may be too close to graduation to retake a course or need a certain grade letter to advance in their program. For those students receiving a letter grade may be preferable.

More information about Tarleton\’s pass/fail option can be found https://www.tarleton.edu/registrar/pass-fail-opt.html .

If you are struggling in classes, know you are not alone. This is an unprecedented situation. Please discuss your concerns with your professors.  Online tutoring is available. Call 254-968-9293 to set up an appointment. The library is also available for research and reference help. Email [email protected] or call 254-968-9249.

Follow #PassFailNation to follow nationwide discussions. 

Four -Legged Coworkers

Many of us are now learning to work/ study from home. While this comes with many challenges, it does have some perks, like lovable, if not so helpful furry co-workers.  Share your pictures of your furry friends with #TarletonLibrariesPets

Her are some of the library\’s newest co-workers:

Paper & Material Reorganization Specialist 

Aldous Huxley –
He enjoys reading philosophy and napping on important work files.

Anti-Squirrel Access Services 

Moxie(left), Cooper(top), and Jasper(bottom). Moxie and Cooper may have experience, but Jasper just keeps sleeping on the job.

Administration Services:
Althea(top) Harvey (lower) -Given proper treats and belly rubs they may deem your work…..adequate. They make sure we stay focused here at the library.

Then there\’s these guys. To be honest, we have no idea who let these goofballs in.

Pippin(left)- Gymnast and Aspiring Contortionist and Amara (right)- Reigning Tug of War Champion  
Show us your new co-workers!

What the library can do for you while on extended break

woman holding book
Photo by Danny on Unsplash https://unsplash.com/photos/zjV8ptYgcEo

Libraries from a distance 

We hope everyone is staying safe and healthy during this time. Even though you can\’t visit the library in person, we are still available to help. For those unfamiliar with the libraries distance learning services, here is a brief overview. 

COVID 19 Updates 

There are several ways you can stay up to date on how Tarleton is handling COVID 19. 

Renew Materials Online 

The last thing we want you to have to worry about is late fees.  Tarleton Libraries is working on ways to address this and help people avoid fines, but in the meantime, you can renew your items online here.

Online Library Resources 

You can still search library resources from home. You will need to log in with your NETID and password, but we have numerous eBooks and online resources that you can still access. More information about remote access and password help can be found here.

Streaming Media and E books

Tarleton has several platform for streaming educational or recreational music and videos. Learn more here. Tarleton has numerous online books to chose from. Everything from new popular books on Overdrive to literature and classics, all which can be accessed online.

Research Help

While in-person classes may be temporarily on hold, you probably still have research projects to work on. The library is here to help. Learn more about research strategies here. 

Other Questions?

Tarleton Library staff will be gone Monday, March 16th, but we will be back on the 17th. Feel free to email or call if you have additional questions.

  • Email Stephenville: [email protected]
  • Email Fort Worth:  [email protected]
  • Phone Stephenville:  254-968-9249
  • Phone Fort Worth:  817-717-3315
  • Chat available Monday- Friday 8am- 5pm.

Stay Safe! Stay Healthy!

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