Read This Book!

Read This Book!

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Read This Book! episodes

  • Annotated Editions: Sherlock Holmes and Sandman

    Tim Johnson recommends two annotated books — Sherlock Holmes and the Sandman — in this installment of Read This Book from the University of Minnesota Libraries.

    The post Annotated Editions: Sherlock Holmes and Sandman appeared first on UMN Libraries News & Events.

    7 min
  • #OperationReadAloud fills a needed gap for kids

    With schools closed and libraries shuttered due to COVID-19, children find themselves sequestered at home — many without enough books or activities to appease their curiosity. Enter Lisa Von Drasek, the energetic curator of the University of Minnesota’s Children’s Literature Research Collections, who has created a social media campaign called #OperationReadAloud as a way to reach children and families.

    The post #OperationReadAloud fills a needed gap for kids appeared first on UMN Libraries News & Events.

    8 min
  • Women on the Air: Dr. Joyce Jackson
    By Rebecca Toov

    Minnesota School of the Air: People Worth Hearing About - Joyce Jackson. Broadcast date: November 21, 1973. Audio reel and cue sheet, tray 118, University of Minnesota Radio and Television Broadcasting records, ua01039, University Archives.
    Season 3: Episode 3. Women on the Air: Joyce Jackson


    You are listening to U of M Radio on Your Historic Dial Podcast. Welcome to Season 3 Women on the Air: Episode 3 Joyce Jackson. 

    This is Rebecca from University Archives.  In a previous episode, we introduced you to the Minnesota School of the Air series People Worth Hearing About, which originated on KUOM radio in 1969 with programs that featured biographies of prominent African Americans.  The series later expanded to include persons who according to School of the Air director Betty Girling, “have – for the most part – been overlooked in the writings of our history, because they were non-white, or non-male…”  The series began with profiles of historical figures told in the form of dramatization, where a voice actor played the figure and depicted a scene from their life, punctuated with musical transitions and sound effects.  In subsequent seasons, School of the Air staff produced recorded interviews with living persons. This brings us to the featured historic broadcast for this episode, the November 21, 1973 program of People Worth Hearing About, an interview with Dr. Joyce Jackson, Principal of Central High School in Minneapolis.

    In a July 1973 letter addressed to Jackson, Assistant Producer Walter Brody described the inspiration for this program:


    “Dear Ms. Jackson,

    This is the sixth school year that the Minnesota School of the Air has scheduled vignette biographies of outstanding minority Americans, on a daily basis, for in-school listening…

    … Wherever possible, after the first year we stressed only historic personalities, we have tried to interlace historic figures with people living today, and with local people, in order that our listeners in Grades 4-5-6 learn that Minnesotans, too, have made, and are making, contributions of great value in their areas of specialization.

    With “living” personalities, we usually try to arrange for a “live” interview, since the voice of the American so cited adds a level of understanding and appreciation for these Intermediate Gradesters, in addition to the timeliness and authenticity of whatever she or he may choose to say. We try to pick people each year who will give us as broad a range as possible, in occupations, age, experience, etc.

    Your new position as principal of Minneapolis Central High School is one we feel to be of interest to the children at this level and will give them an opportunity to gain greater understanding of the role of a school principal. We hope you will accept our request to participate in an interview for this series...

    … At the moment we are collecting data and preparing the Teachers’ Manual... We would appreciate it if you could send us a resume... From this we will construct… copy which will give the teachers using the series some idea in advance of the broadcast of your present responsibilities and past accomplishments...”[1]



    Headline: Mrs. Joyce Jackson to Become Central High's Principal. Undated newspaper clipping about Dr. Jackson found in a program folder, Box 16, Betty T. Girling papers, ua00192, University Archives.

    The copy printed in the 1973-74 Teacher’s Handbook appeared in part, as follows:


    16 min
  • ‘Making Comics’ with Lisa Von Drasek

    Lisa Von Drasek discusses Making Comics by Scott McCloud, Making Comics by Lynda Barry, and Comics: Easy as ABC by Ivan Brunetti in this episode of Read This Book from the University of Minnesota Libraries.

    The post ‘Making Comics’ with Lisa Von Drasek appeared first on UMN Libraries News & Events.

    7 min
  • ‘The Lunar Chronicles’ reviewed on Read This Book!

    Jessica Abbazio, the University of Minnesota music librarian, reviews "The Lunar Chronicles" by Melissa Meyers on this installment of Read This Book from the University of Minnesota Libraries. The Lunar Chronicles is a series of young adult science fiction novels that are futuristic retellings of classic fairy tales.

    The post ‘The Lunar Chronicles’ reviewed on Read This Book! appeared first on UMN Libraries News & Events.

    5 min
  • A tribute to Wendy Pradt Lougee
    Throughout her career, Wendy Pradt Lougee has been at the forefront nationally — developing programs, initiatives, and policies that have revolutionized academic librarianship, particularly in the area of innovation and technology.

    Lougee is retiring February 27, 2020, after more than 17 years as University Librarian and Dean of Libraries at the University of Minnesota. In this video, several of Lougee's colleagues pay tribute to her contributions to the library profession and to the University of Minnesota.
    3 min
  • ‘A Shark Going Inland Is My Chief’

    Zach Miller reviews A Shark Going Inland Is My Chief on this installment of Read This Book from the University of Minnesota Libraries.

    The post ‘A Shark Going Inland Is My Chief’ appeared first on UMN Libraries News & Events.

    7 min
  • Video preview: ‘A Woman’s Place’ exhibit
    See a video preview of the Libraries' current exhibit, "A Woman's Place: Women and Work," at the Elmer L. Andersen Library at the University of Minnesota.

    The exhibit attempts to unpack the stories of what “women’s work” truly embodies by pulling materials from units across the University Libraries' Archives and Special Collections.

    The exhibit runs through March 6.
    Exhibit details
    What: A Woman’s Place: Women and Work
    When: Through March 6, 2020
    Where: Elmer L. Andersen Library, 1st Floor Main Gallery
    Hours: Open during regular building hours at Elmer L. Andersen Library

    Curators: Linnea Anderson, Kate Dietrick, and Caitlin Marineau
    Exhibit designer: Darren Terpstra
    5 min
  • ‘Artificial Unintelligence’ reviewed on Read This Book!

    Cody Hennesy gave a thumbs up to Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World by Meredith Broussard in the latest installment of Read This Book from the University of Minnesota Libraries. In the book, Broussard argues that our collective enthusiasm for applying computer technology to every aspect of life has resulted in a tremendous amount of poorly designed systems.

    The post ‘Artificial Unintelligence’ reviewed on Read This Book! appeared first on UMN Libraries News & Events.

    5 min
  • Mapping a better way forward
    The Mapping Prejudice Project at the University of Minnesota’s John R. Borchert Map Library taps into a growing community interest to confront painful legacies of racism and to work towards a more equitable future.

    The project aims to change Minneapolis for the better and its first legislative victory came this spring at the Minnesota State Capitol Building. Gov. Tim Walz signed a new law that allows Minnesota homeowners to amend their property deeds in order to denounce racist language that was added to many deeds in the early 20th century.

    The new law came about because of persistent work by activists who were inspired and supported by the findings of the University Libraries’ Mapping Prejudice Project. Project leaders uncovered, documented, and mapped the systematic use of property deeds to enforce racial segregation in the Minneapolis area.

    More than a million Hennepin County deeds were processed to reveal over 38,000 restricted deeds. These documents were then transcribed and verified by a team of six researchers and a volunteer force of 2,924.

    According to Project Director Kirsten Delegard, “Libraries are the best incubator for new forms of research and scholarship that can serve the needs of our communities.” 


    Origins of Mapping Prejudice
    “Minneapolis has some of the highest racial disparities in the country and I was interested in looking at the past to understand how we got to that place,” Delegard said.

    This research question grew out of Delegard’s work with the Historyapolis Project, which she founded in 2013. Historyapolis brought history alive for the general public by using social media and other digital tools to share images, documents, and stories from Minneapolis’ complicated past.

    When Delegard began searching the archives for evidence of racial disparities in Minneapolis history, she found a set of documents that had created a system of racial segregation starting in the early 20th century. These documents were housing deeds that included something called a racial covenant — a racist clause that restricted the sale of certain houses and lots based on a person’s race. White people could purchase, but Black and brown people were excluded.

    Although racial covenants have been illegal since the Fair Housing Act of 1968, the racist language remains present in many housing deeds today. 

    It was clear to Delegard that these covenants were worth further research. As she saw it, racist housing practices enshrined inequality in the law, creating unequal opportunities that could have repercussions lasting well beyond the time period when covenants were enforced. Delegard imagined it would be possible to create an interactive map that would show the spread of racial covenants through different Minneapolis neighborhoods over time. Such an illustration would be dynamic and compelling — and critical for educating the public about a painful part of Minneapolis history that had remained hidden in a set of housing records.
    Problem solving and team building
    Delegard contacted Penny Petersen, a local historian and author with decades of experience researching historic property records in Hennepin County. Petersen had relied on property records to plot the boundaries of Minneapolis’ long-forgotten brothel district for her book Minneapolis Madams: The Lost History of Prostitution on the Riverfront. She knew that Delegard’s proposed project would not be easy.

    “I thought it was an intriguing idea, but an overwhelming one. I don’t think she was aware there are millions and millions of deeds and, really, where do you start?” Petersen said.

    In addition to the overwhelming number of documents, Delegard’s project would also need some very specific expertise...
    0 min

About Read This Book!

From the publisher's feed

Host Lisa Von Drasek and guests review books from various genres: including children’s literature, cookbooks, science, mysteries, and popular literature. This audio podcast also includes episodes from…