September 18 – 24 is Banned Books Week, which “celebrates the freedom to read and spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools.” For over 40 years, Banned Books Week has brought people together in “shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.”
Banned Books Week is both a reminder of the unifying power of stories and the divisiveness of censorship, and a call to action for readers across the country to push back against censorship attempts in their communities.
Below is a sampling of books available in our library collection that have been challenged or banned in the United States. Click on the book title to be taken to the eBook.
To learn more about books that have been challenged or banned, visit “Frequently Challenged Books” page from the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom
This September marks the diamond anniversary of the New Jersey Constitution Committee (1947) and 235 years since the creation of the United States Constitution. The story behind each text carries a deep historical legacy combined with outlining the goals associated with the ideal functions of national and state governments alike. In research terms, each charter has provided extensive scholarship opportunities for the public that the Seton Hall University Libraries has supported over the past several years.
The United States Constitution is the recognized law of the nation which outlines how the government is required to function. It makes provisions for three distinctive divisions of authority – Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. Since 1787, the Constitution proper has been amended 27 times (with the first ten constituting the United States Bill of Rights created on September 25, 1789 and ratified in 1791) through its history and is devoted mainly to individual liberties.
Combined with the abovementioned overview, Articles III-VII principally cover State-focused governance issues. New Jersey was the third state to ratify the United States Constitution in 1789 and in large measure this helped to inspire the content found within the New Jersey Constitution and its two post-Revolution versions. This document is based on the previous State Constitution of 1776 and the first major revised manuscript in 1844 which highlighted such freedoms as religious practice, speech, and related liberties. After a century, the need for an updated State Statute was facilitated through the creation of Governor Alfred E. Driscoll’s Committee on Preparatory Research in early 1947. (“Convention Proceedings Record,” State of New Jersey Constitutional Convention of 1947, v.1, iii-1)
A Mid-Twentieth Century Volume that was commonly found in schools throughout New Jersey including this 1948 copy included within the Seton Hall University Libraries (Call Number: JK11 1948 O94)
Between June 12th and September 10th of 1947 (a deadline of September 13th for close of the Committee Hearings was set ahead of time and met), the Delegates produced a final draft of the newly updated State Constitution. This document was ultimately ratified via a majority vote on the referendum presented to the citizens of New Jersey during the Election of 1947 held on November 4th of that year. (“Convention Proceedings Record,” State of New Jersey Constitutional Convention of 1947, v.1, 923)
During the 1940s-60s, Students in New Jersey Were Presented With a Copy of the volume – “Our Great State Documents” as part of their study on Citizenship
During the 1940s-60s, Students in New Jersey Were Presented With a Copy of the volume – “Our Great State Documents” as part of their study on Citizenship
There are numerous study prospects for both the United States and New Jersey Constitutions and user friendly access points available through the Seton Hall University Libraries including the following leads and links highlighted below . . .
For more information on the history of constitutions please feel free to contact Alan Delozier, Humanities Librarian at Alan.Delozier@shu.edu or by phone at: (973) 275-2378
Beyond an educated choice of academic specializations, the selection of a nickname, mascot, school colors, special cheers, and other unique campus traditions have long been one of the most important legacies that any college or university can make to universally celebrate their respective athletic teams in particular while honoring their student, alumni, and fan base by extension. On a competitive level sports-wise, there have been an abundance of Tigers, Bulldogs, Lions, Bears, and other wildlife for example in order to show team pride and hopefully inspire fear in opponents. However, other appellations have a logical link to history including such local models as the “Queensmen” of Rutgers College (founded in 1766 as Queen’s College) and the “Vikings” of Upsala (established in 1893 by Swedish educators who noted the nickname was synonymous with Scandinavian lore). Beyond what their opponents were formulating when it came to their own respective mascot preferences, Seton Hall had its own road to image-based immortality.
Throughout its storied history, the hues of “White and Blue” have always been synonymous with Seton Hall. These colors were adopted during the nineteenth century and likely inspired by Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley whose family crest features a series of white stars affixed to a cobalt field. Additionally, Blue is associated with the Blessed Virgin Mary, one of the early patronesses of the school and associated with finding truth while White is the symbol of purity, light, and saints who were not martyred (although Elizabeth Ann Seton was not canonized until 1975, she did not achieve martyrdom). Link to full story here.
Fun Home Alison Bechdel
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl: a Novel by Jesse Andrews
Between the World and Me: Notes on the First 150 Years in America by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo
The immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
The Autobiography of Malcolm X with the assistance of Alex Haley
