Lent, the Christian season of repentance and remembrance, begins on Ash Wednesday, March 1st
Find the answers to these and other frequently asked questions in this research guide.
This April marks 400 years since Shakespeare’s death. Numerous programs and performances are taking place in England and around the world. Chicago is staging 850 events and expecting 500,000 to participate, either as performers or visitors. http://www.shakespeare400chicago.com/
(The famed Martin Droeshout engraving was printed on the cover of Shakespeare’s first Folio, or first complete collection of his plays, printed in 1623.) (AP Photo)
William Shakespeare was born April 23, 1564, at Stratford-Upon-Avon in England. Fifty-two years later he died on that same day, in 1616. Shakespeare wrote over 38 plays and more than 150 long and short poems that have been translated into every language–including Esperanto and Klingon! His plays were staged with men and boys who played all the roles since that was the custom in Elizabethan England.
His plays include Romeo and Juliet, All’s Well That Ends Well, Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, King Lear, and Macbeth.
For films on Shakespeare look in the library Databases for “Films on Demand” and search for a play.
Learn about your heart and its diseases in the Encyclopedia of Public Health.
Heart concerns are one of the many topics covered by the library’s Encyclopedia of Public Health. This online resource features topics related to other diseases and conditions, health and wellness efforts, nutrition, ethics and law related topics and statistics, sanitation issues, and everyday environmental effects.
For more information about heart disease click on the photo below.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day will be celebrated on the Lisle campus as a day of service in honor of this important man who preached giving to others. Benedictine’s Day of Service is January 18th.
The library provides various resources on Martin Luther King, Jr. One resource is the Almanac listed below, featuring the following image.
The African American Almanac contains a range of historical and current information on African American history, society and culture. It includes coverage of such topics as: Africa and the Black diaspora; film and television; landmarks; national organizations; population; religion; science and technology; and sports.
Besides print and ebooks in the catalog, the library offers a number of videos featuring Martin Luther King, Jr. in the database, easily searchable by typing in King’s name. You can watch him speak at the march on Washington in March 1963.
Memorials and remembrances are held by the National Park Service and communities across the United States.
Did you follow the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference? Are you trying to make sense of environmental issues? Consider using this eReference to enhance your research.
This 2-volume set examines the philosophical and ethical issues underlying contemporary and historical environmental issues, policies, and debates. It covers concepts, institutions, topics, events and people, including global warming, animal rights, environmental movements, alternative energy, green chemistry, industrial ecology, and eco-sabotage.
Please visit our Advent 2015 Guide for information on books, films, music and web sites to enhance your preparations for the Advent and Christmas season.
The guide also contains a link to our guide to the Year of Mercy which begins on December 8th.
On this Veterans Day 2015 we honor the brave monks of St. Procopius Abbey who served as military chaplains during the great wars of the 20th century.
Father Alphonse Biskup, O.S.B.
Toward the end of World War I, the National Alliance of Czech Catholics (the Svaz) a very influential force in the movement for the independence of Czechoslovakia, sponsored a Catholic chaplain for the Czechoslovak Legion in France. From May 1918 to September 1919 Father Alphonse Biskup of St. Procopius Abbey served with the 21st Regiment of the Armeé Tchécoslovaques (as the French called the Czechoslovak Legion )first at the western front, then in Czechoslovakia until the unit was demobilized when Czechoslovakia was stabilized as an independent nation. Fr. Alphonse was awarded the Croix de Guerre on December 12, 1918.
We invite you to read about Fr. Alphonse in Fr. James Flint’s article that was published in the March-December, 2002 issue of the American Benedictine Review (volume 53, no. 2, pages 175-192):
“A Chaplain in the Czech Legion: Rev Alphonse Biskup, O.S.B., 1918-19”
Fr. Charles Kolek, O.S.B.
Fr. Charles Kolek (1908-1992) served in the Navy, first at Pearl Harbor, then on Palmayra Island, then at Great Lakes Naval Station, finally as a chaplain on a new heavy cruiser that was on its shakedown cruise at Guantanamo Naval Base when the war ended. He remained in the Naval Reserve until 1965.
Fr. George Kuska, O.S.B.
Fr. George Kuska (1912-1999), though of impaired eyesight and accepted by the Army only for “limited service,” nonetheless was sent to France three months after D-Day. An automobile accident after the war ended further damaged his eyes and left him legally blind for the rest of his life.
Fr. Victor Laketek, O.S.B.
Fr. Victor Laketek (1911-1996) served with the Army Air Force at bases in Maine, Florida, California, and Canton Island in the Pacific. He would be recalled to chaplain service (again in Maine) during the Korean War.
Fr. Luke Ouska, O.S.B.
Fr. Luke Ouska (1908-1984) was a chaplain with the Army’s Ninth Infantry Division. He arrived in France ten days after D-Day and was never very far from the front lines, sometimes using the hood of a jeep as an altar for Mass. While his division was heavily engaged in the Battle of the Bulge, he learned that his brother had been killed in that encounter. Fr. Luke received the Bronze Star for his service.
For additional photos, please visit our display on the 3d floor of the Library.
Photographs and narratives of St. Procopius Abbey veterans
were provided by Abbey Archivist, Fr. James Flint, O.S.B.
Artstor is a database which assembles image collections from across many cultures and eras in support of educational and scholarly activities. One of its most useful features is an ever-increasing digital library with more than 1.9 million high-quality images for education and research from a wide variety of contributors.
The Artstor Digital Library features a wide range of multidisciplinary content from some of the world’s top museums, artists, libraries, scholars, and photo archives, including rare collections not accessible anywhere else.
Day of the Dead figurine, skeleton dog / 2002 ca. / Mexico / Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology.
Read The Artstor Blog and learn about Dia de los Muertos. Day of the Dead, Halloween, and the scary side of Artstor, October 21, 2011 by artstor
https://artstor.wordpress.com/2011/10/21/day-of-the-dead-halloween-and-the-scary-side-of-artstor/
Katsukawa Shunsho | The actors Ichikawa Danjuro V as a skeleton, spirit of the renegade monk Seigen… | Edo period, 1783 | The Art Institute of Chicago | Photography © The Art Institute of Chicago
What is Open Access Week?
Open Access Week is an annual event now entering its eighth year. Open Access Week is about access to scholarly information and author rights. This year’s theme is “Open for Collaboration”. It’s about free and quick access to scholarly information both for the rights of the user and the rights to reuse the results or information from the piece written. This movement has a widespread effect on academia.
Open Access Week – Virginia Tech – Discusses new open access options they are showcasing.
International Open Access Week Website – Lists various events that occur during Open Access Week.
Take Action- Right to Research Coalition – Explains what open access is, when it occurs in 2015, and how to take action.
Kansas University – Discusses open access from several angles, from the university’s policy to its current and past Open Access Week events.
Indiana University Bloomington – Discusses open access and scholarly communication.
The Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture provides a comprehensive view of cultural issues and biographical profiles of men and women in politics, letters and the arts dating from prehistoric times to the present. This eReference title was published in 2008.
Another useful print source is the Hispanic Americans : a statistical sourcebook & a guide to government data, also published in 2008. It can be found in the Stacks; call number 305.868 H673 2008.
Library Blog 