RPL Author Series Returns Thursday, Oct. 24th

Posted on October 22, 2024 Written by

The Ross Pendergraft Library at Arkansas Tech University is honored to have local author, Agalia Baker, as the featured speaker for the RPL Author Series on Thursday, October 24th at 6:00 p.m. in RPL 300B.  This event is free and open to the public.

Photograph of Agalia Baker along with the text, RPL Author Series: Cancer can destroy many things you trusted to be true, but you are the reason cancer cannot destroy you." -- Agalia Baker. Thursday, October 24th, 6:00 PM RPL300B. It also features her book cover, entitled "If Cancer is a Gift can I return it? From Grief to Healing".In her recent book, If Cancer is a Gift, Can I Return It? From Grief to Healing, Agalia Baker describes her emotional journey through her breast cancer diagnosis, treatment, and failed reconstructive surgery.   Agalia Baker is an Arkansas Tech alumnus and retired advanced practice nurse with over forty years of experience, but even she was unprepared for her diagnosis.  In her book, she details how the losses she endured from breast cancer are intricately tied to the grieving process.  You can read more about Agalia Baker and her book at Arkansas Tech News.

For copies of her book, you can check one out from your local library.  The Library will also give away one FREE signed copy of her book as a door prize at the presentation.

For news of future events and speakers, follow the Ross Pendergraft Library on Instagram or Facebook.  You can also check out our Calendar of Events for the jam-packed month of October.  Mark your calendars for more events:

  • October 29th – Spooky Trivia Night. 7:00 PM in RPL 300A
  • October 30th – Twenty-fifth Anniversary Celebration of the Ross Pendergraft Library & Technology Center. 3:00 PM in RPL 300A

 

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Know the Issues—Ballot Issues.

Posted on October 10, 2024 Written by

Before you step into the voting booth on Nov. 5th, you may want to know more about some of the other questions on your ballot beyond the U.S. President.  Get informed on Tuesday, October 15th as we host Pamela Luker, Pope County Cooperative Extension Agent, who will talk about the proposed amendments to the Arkansas constitution.  The talk will be held at 6:00 PM in Ross Pendergraft Library & Technology Center in room 300B.  The event is free and all are welcome.

Flyer with the words: 2024 Election Education: Ballot issues. Pamela Luker, MAT, FCS, BT. Pope County Cooperative Extension Agent UADA. Learn about Arkansas Constitutional ballot issues for the 2024 election and get educated about voting in Arkansas. Sponsored by the Ross Pendergraft Library. October 15th, 6:00 PM - RPL 300B.

This election year, you will be asked to cast your vote on three issues related to the state of Arkansas:

  1. Allowing state lottery proceeds to fund scholarships at private and public vocational-technical schools and technical institutions
  2. Repealing the Pope County casino license and requiring local elections for future casino licenses;
  3. Expanding the Arkansas medical marijuana program.

Pamela Luker will discuss these important ballot issues from a nonpartisan perspective, giving you the background on each issue, explaining how ballot issues are created, and summarizing the arguments both for and against each ballot.

For more information about Arkansas ballot issues, see the research-based, unbiased and informative Arkansas Ballot Issue Voter Guide, prepared by the Arkansas Public Policy Center at the University of Arkansas System, Division of Agriculture.

For news of future events and speakers, follow the Ross Pendergraft Library on Instagram or Facebook.  You can also check out our Calendar of Events for the jam-packed month of October.  Mark your calendars for more events:

  • October 16th – English & World Languages Department visiting author: S.A. Cosby. 6:00 PM RPL 300A
  • October 24th – Ross Pendergraft Library & Technology Center’s local author series: Agalia Baker.  6:00 PM in RPL 300B
  • October 29th – Spooky Trivia Night. 7:00 PM in RPL 300A
  • October 30th – 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Ross Pendergraft Library & Technology Center. 3:00 PM in RPL 300A

 

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Somebody’s Knocking at RPL Tonight

Posted on September 17, 2024 Written by

Join us at the Ross Pendergraft Library and Technology Center for author and former KATV reporter, Jason Pederson, at 6:00 PM in RPL 300B.  This event is free and open to the public.

Photograph of Jason Pederson, former KATV reporter, wearing channel 7 pin on a dark suit label. He has blond hair, blue eyes, and large, straight teeth.Pederson is the author of Somebody’s Knocking: Lessons Learned from a Quarter Century of TV Reporting. The book recounts his work as KATV’s “7 on Your Side” reporter from 1999-2019. It was a role that allowed Pederson to investigate alleged bad actors and advocate for Arkansans who felt they had been wronged.

After a 26-year career in television, Pederson left KATV in 2019 to work for the Arkansas Department of Human Services. He is the agency’s deputy chief of community engagement and works to ensure that Arkansans are aware of services that exist for their benefit.

A native of Wisconsin, Pederson won an Emmy award, two Edward R. Murrow awards, several Arkansas Associated Press awards and was named the 2002 Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association Citizen of the Year.

One lucky attendee will win a FREE autographed copy of his book, Somebody’s Knocking.Front cover of the book, Somebody's Knocking, featuring Jason Pederson knocking on someone's door.

If you have any questions about the event or would like to know more information about the RPL Author Series. contact Luke Heffley, Special Projects Coordinator for the Ross Pendergraft Library, at (479) 964-0546.

Follow the Ross Pendergraft Library on Instagram or Facebook for news of future events and speakers.

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Explore Abandoned Arkansas on Monday, February 10th

Posted on February 5, 2020 Written by

Poster for the Abandoned Arkansas announcing times and locaitonJoin the Ross Pendergraft Library on Monday, Feb. 10th at 7:00 P.M. in RPL 300A as we take a trip through the state’s forgotten places with authors Ginger Beck and Michael Schwarz who will discuss their book, Abandoned Arkansas: An Echo From the Past. As part of the Library’s Second Monday Author series, we are featuring two local authors who will share their adventures and photographs of once popular destinations which now lie in ruins throughout the state.

Book cover for featured book, Abandoned ArkansasExplore the forgotten history of the Natural State, from the Majestic Hotel in Hot Springs to Dogpatch near Jasper in Newton County. Abandoned Arkansas weaves historical background and photographs from the past alongside their heartbreaking pictures of ruin from the present.  Through historic documentation, these photographers hope to immortalize the stories of the places they visit beyond the building’s finite lifespan, and to preserve an echo from the past.

For more information on their work, as well as photographs of more than 150 locations they have visited, see their website, Abandoned Arkansas, at https://abandonedar.com/

For more information about this event or the Second Monday Author series, contact Luke Heffley at (479) 964-0546 or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to stay in the loop on all Library events.

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Haunted Sites at Arkansas Tech University

Posted on October 17, 2019 Written by

Flyer for haunted sites featuring grayed out images of the buildings of Tucker, Caraway, and WitherspoonHave you heard of the ghostly piano player at Witherspoon?  Have you felt a cold presence in Caraway Hall?  Are you worried that your classroom was built on an old Cherokee burial ground?  Does Tucker terrify you?  Prepare to be creeped out on Monday, October 28th at 7:00 in RPL 300A as we welcome a guest presentation from Amy Milliken on the spooky stories and folklore centered around several historic buildings at Arkansas Tech University and other campuses around the state.

Amy is the Education Outreach Coordinator for the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program at the Department of Arkansas Heritage.   This agency is responsible for identifying, evaluating, registering, and preserving the stat’s cultural resources.  She will share not only historical information about the buildings and grounds, but she will also separate the myths from the facts behind the campus’s most famous ghosts and ghost stories.

This event is free and open to the public.  For more information about the event, contact Luke Heffley at 479-964-0546 or lheffley@atu.edu.


 

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Warning: Graphic Material To Be Shown at the Library

Posted on October 9, 2019 Written by

"Warning: may contain graphic material". Dr. Donna R. White, Monday October 14, 7PM in RPL 300AJoin us on Monday, October 14th at 7:00 PM in RPL 300A for the next installment of the 2nd Monday Author Series.  This month will feature Dr. Donna White who will discuss how comics have grown-up and transformed from a ten-cent plague to Pulitzer Prize winners.

Photo of Dr. Donna WhiteDr. White is professor of English at ATU, and has served on the faculty since 2001. An alumna of Arkansas Tech, White also holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of Texas and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Minnesota.  Her interests range from children’s and young adult literature, science fiction, fantasy, and graphic novels to Celtic literature, Edwardian literature, and Jane Austen. She is on the editorial board of Mythlore and is a consulting editor for the Children’s Literature Association Quarterly, The Lion and the Unicorn, and Children’s Literature.

She is also a co-editor and contributor to Posthumanism in Young Adult Fiction: Finding Humanity in a Posthuman World, published in 2018.

This talk is free and open to the public.  All are welcome!  For more information, contact us at (479) 964-0546 or email lheffley@atu.edu.

If graphic novels and comics draw you into reading, the Ross Pendergraft Library has made some recent additions you might want to check out:

book jacket cover of They Called Us Enemy featuring little boy holding a suitcaseThey Called Us Enemy by George Takei; illustrated by Harmony Becker –  A stunning graphic memoir recounting actor/author/activist George Takei’s childhood imprisoned within American concentration camps, located in Rohwer, Arkansas, during World War II.

book cover of Animal Farm featuring farmyard animalsAnimal Farm : the Graphic Novel by George Orwell; illustrated by Odyr – Old Major, Napoleon, Squealer, Snowball, Boxer, and all the animals of Animal Farm come to life in this newly envisaged classic.

book jacket of "Speak" featuring a tree with a face in itSpeak : the Graphic Novel by Laurie Halse Anderson; illustrated by Emily Carroll – A traumatic event near the end of the summer has a devastating effect on Melinda’s freshman year in high school.

Cover of Watchmen, featuring comic book villians type folksWatchmen by Alan Moore; illustrated by Dave Gibbons – As former members of a disbanded group of superheroes called the Crimebusters start turning up dead, the remaining members of the group try to discover the identity of the murderer before they, too, are killed.

Cover for Monstress featuring scary woman in black leather and a giant humanoid shape made out of a dark liquid and eyeballsHaven (Monstress v.3) by Marjorie M. Liu; illustrated by Sana Takeda – n this third volume of MONSTRESS, collecting issues 13-18, Maika’s journey takes her to the neutral city of Pontus, where she hopes to find temporary refuge from her pursuers.

To find more graphic novels, comics, manga, and more at the library, search our database of books and other materials, Find It.  Use keywords like “graphic novel” or “Comics” or “Manga.”  You can also come visit us at the library to browse our Popular Reading, Young Adult, and general Book collections by call number 741.5.  Take a much deserved fall break with a graphic novel or a comic book during our open hours.  See you Monday!

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Shoot ’em With Biscuits, Monday Sept. 9th

Posted on September 4, 2019 Written by

Join us on September 9th in RPL 300B as we kick off this year’s Second Monday Author Series with Dr. Aaron McArthur, Assistant Professor of History and Public History Program Director at Arkansas Tech University, discussing his latest book, The Annals of the Southern Mission.

The evening begins with a reception at 6:00 PM before the main program at 7:00.  The event is free and open to the public.

Photo of Aaron McArthurDr. McArthur obtained his PhD in the History of the United States West from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he mainly focused on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) history during the last half of the nineteenth century.  His first book, St. Thomas, Nevada: A History Uncovered, told the story of the city of St. Thomas from its founding under the direction of Brigham Young to its inundation by Lake Mead.

Cover of the book featuring man reading another bookHis second book, The Annals of the Southern Mission: A Record of the History of the Settlement of Southern Utah, constitutes a transcribed and annotated version of the 2,266 loose, handwritten, and lined pages representing the early history of Southern Utah originally written by James G. Bleak.  Dr. McArthur, along with Reid Nielson, transcribed this important historical document, bringing to light details of early pioneer life during the period from 1849-1900 in Utah, Arizona, and Nevada.

This presentation is part of our Second Monday Author Series featuring the works of our local writers and researchers.  You can stay up to date on the series and all library events by following us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.   For more questions or information about the Second Monday Author Series, contact Luke Heffley at (479) 964-0546.

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Climate Change Discussion

Posted on April 12, 2019 Written by

Decoding the Weather Machine Panel Discussion: Ross Pendergraft Library, April 16th at 7 PM in RPL 300AOn Tuesday, April 16th, at 7:00 P.M., the Ross Pendergraft Library will hold a panel discussion on climate change—what is it, how does it affect our environment, and what we can do to help save our planet.  The discussion will feature four experts in business, chemistry, sustainability alternative energy and natural disasters:

  • Bob Allen, Professor of Chemistry (Emeritus)
  • Andy Barrett, Alternative Energy Professional
  • Pat Ford, Agri-Business Owner
  • Caroline Hackerott, Assistant Professor of Emergency Management

The discussion will center on the PBS NOVA series episode, Decoding the Weather Machine. This event is free and open to the public—all are welcome!

For more information about the event, you can visit our event guide or contact the library at (479) 964-0569.  You can stay up to date on the series and all library events by following us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

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Dance Party at the Library

Posted on March 27, 2019 Written by

Pictures of fiddle players, dancers, and another musical instrument made of wood. I think it is a lute or a harp, but smaller.

Come shake it up to live music next Saturday, April 6th at the Ross Pendergraft Library as we host our second Contra Dance in RPL 300B from 7:00-9:00 P.M.  No partner and no experience necessary.  Each dance will be taught before it begins, and no one will be left behind.  The event includes live music from the Valley Jam Session Players and caller Cynthia Callahan.

An old-time contra dance, also referred to as a barn dance, is an informal country dance stemming from such dances in 17th century Western Europe. It has evolved just as the old-time music has. Traditionally this type of dance always uses live musicians playing fiddle tunes.

As part of the Echoes of the River Valley series, the library is bringing to life the folk arts of the past for a new generation.   In addition to dancing, the series has featured events like yarn spinning, hand-quilting, and open jam sessions.  The Jam Sessions occur every Thursday night from 5:30-7:30 PM in Doc Bryan 133.  To learn more about this event, or others in the series, check out our resource guide or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

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Monday Night – The Rabbi and the Civil Rights Movement

Posted on March 6, 2019 Written by

Poster featuring Rabbi Ira Sanders advertising a talk by Dr. James Moses, "The Rabbi and the Civil Rights Movement"Join us Monday night, March 11th, at 7:00 P.M. in RPL 300B for a look back at the struggle for Civil Rights in Arkansas from professor of history and author, Dr. James Moses.  Dr. Moses’s latest book, Just and Righteous Causes: Rabbi Ira Sanders and the Fight for Racial and Social Justice in Arkansas, 1926-1963, focuses on the efforts of Rabbi Ira Sanders of Little Rock who fought for justice and equality for African Americans in the segregated south.  Dr. Moses will discuss Rabbi Ira Sanders as well as the role of Southern rabbis as change agents.  All are welcome to attend.

Photo of Dr. James Moses

Dr. Moses earned his Bachelor of Arts from Louisiana State University, a Master of Arts from the University of New Hampshire, and a Doctor of Philosophy from Tulane University.  He has been a professor at Arkansas Tech since 1999 and specializes in modern United States and cultural history.   His current research projects include the completion of his book on the career of Justice William O. Douglas, and a project tentatively entitled Before Brown: The Long Civil Rights Movement, 1945-1954, which focuses on the often-overlooked decade between the end of World War II and the Court’s landmark Brown decision. In his off time, he enjoys jazz, playing drums, and collecting comics.

Photo of book cover, "Just and Righteous Causes"His book, Just and Righteous Causes, was published by the University of Arkansas Press. In one review, Mark K. Bauman, editor of Southern Jewish History called it,  “. . a must read for anyone interested in Little Rock, Arkansas and southern history, the civil rights movement, and southern and American Jewish history.”  Read more about the book and Ira Sanders in Tablet Magazine’s article, “Tikkun Olam, Y’all: Rabbi Ira Sanders of Arkansas, little-known Civil Rights hero”.

Stay up to date on more library events, including our next second Monday Author, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.  For questions or more information about the library, email your friendly neighborhood librarians at: askus@atu.libanswers.com.  We hope to see you this Monday!

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