Spooky Reads for Halloween

Posted on October 30, 2019 by Amy Spitz

Happy Halloween, Illini! Fall is in full swing and with midterms winding down, we could all use a little spooky fun. Check out some of our horror books to get you in the Halloween spirit!

Cat in jack-o-lantern

Creepy Comics and Ghoulish Graphic Novels

My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris

1960s in Chicago
Fictional graphic diary of 10-year-old Karen Reyes as she tries to solve the murder of her neighbor, a Holocaust survivor

The Walking Dead (comic/graphic novel cover)
The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman

Follow a few human survivors as they struggle through the aftermath of the zombie apocalypse!
Read the graphic novel series behind the famous TV show

Chilling Classics and Spooky Short Stories

The Stories of Ray Bradbury (book cover)
The Stories of Ray Bradbury

Short stories from a science fiction icon
Includes spooky classics such as “The Coffin,” “Skeleton,” “The Haunting of the New,” and “The October Game”

Pet Sematary (book cover)
Pet Sematary by Stephen King

Horror, animals, and spooky woods – what more could we ask for?
See the recent movie adaption!

The Best of the Best Horror of the Year: 10 Years of Essential Short Horror Fiction

Choose from 28 of the best and most horrific short stories from the last decade!
Edited and compiled by Ellen Datlow, an award-winning horror anthologist

Haunted and Spook-tacular Nonfiction

Reel Terror: the scary, bloody, gory, hundred-year history of classics horror films by David Konow

Featuring on-set stories and history of the horror movie genre, from blockbusters to cult classics
Great companion for your Halloween movie marathon!

Ghostland: an American History in Haunted Places by Colin Dickey

Explore all of the haunted locations across the country, with the facts behind haunted places and how the stories have changed as they’ve spread and become legends

For more great book recommendations, check out our genre fiction binders on the Lower Level at the UGL!

Dancing man with a pumpkin head

Halloween Gaming Event

Posted on October 10, 2019 by Lauren Camarillo

Have you caught the smell of pumpkin spice lattes in the air? That’s right, fall is back! This year the UGL is celebrating fall with a spooky, Halloween-themed Game Night Thursday, October 17th from 7pm -10pm. Come as you are or grab a costume to join in the Halloween fun. Here are some of the Horror-themed games we’ll be featuring:

Call of Cthulhu Roleplaying Game

Join us for this chilling roleplaying adventure! One of our experienced Game Masters will guide players through a quest in a world based on the writing of the master of horror himself, H.P. Lovecraft. Solve a mystery while struggling to maintain your sanity and survive despite the horror and danger that surrounds you.

Betrayal at House on the Hill

From aliens to ghosts, to voodoo dolls and beyond, you never know what you might find in this ever-changing haunted mansion. Come explore the House on the Hill, if you dare, and bring along 2-5 of your closest friends. Try to maintain your sanity as you encounter challenges and hauntings in each new room of the house. But beware…one of you is not who they claim to be and there will be a betrayal at the House on the Hill before the night ends!

One Night: Ultimate Werewolf

In this quick and easy game each player takes on the role of a villager…some innocent, some not so innocent. The villagers race to find the identity of the werewolves hiding among them, before they sink their teeth into the whole town. Each morning the villagers wake to find the werewolves may have claimed another victim. Will you survive the night?

Other games we’ll have available throughout the night include Ghost Stories, Castle Ravenloft, and Mysterium. Feel free to bring your own haunted horror games from home, or grab one of the games from the UGL’s collection. Will you be brave enough to join us for the fright? We hope to see you there!

Written by: Jayde

Edited by: Lauren

50th Anniversary Student Art Gallery

Posted on October 4, 2019 by Lauren Camarillo

New art exhibition alert! In honor of the Undergraduate Library’s 50th Anniversary, the UGL Art Gallery has two new displays to celebrate. Come check them out and celebrate with us!

For the first display, you’ll find the submissions to the Undergraduate Graphic Design Competition. Each of these unique designs captures the spirit and mission of the UGL. You won’t want to miss this impressive display of student artwork!

In the second display, you’ll explore the UGL Through the Decades. Learn about the history of the Undergraduate Library while browsing photographs of the UGL over the years. You’ll see the UGL transform from a space on the first floor of the Main Library into the thriving library we know today. The gallery takes viewers through the “Early Beginnings of the UGL,” to “1969: Undergraduate Library Established,” and concludes with the “UGL Today.” Come learn more about this unique building and how it came to be.

We hope to see you there! And be sure to follow us on social media to learn more about events celebrating the UGL’s 50^th.

Thank you to the students who submitted to our graphic design competition, and to the University Archives for providing historical images of the Undergraduate Library.

Written by: Izzy

Edited by: Ryan & Lauren

Shelf Control

Posted on September 23, 2019 by Nicole Sherman

It’s Banned Books Week! Our library system has one of the largest collections in the country, so come celebrate your freedom to read by checking out a book that has sparked controversy. Books are often banned from schools and libraries for sexual content and violence, but we wanted to explore some of the stranger reasons books have been taken off the shelves. Please enjoy five book bans that made us laugh, and click on the titles to find the books in our catalog!

1. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

In 1969, child psychologist Bruno Bettelheim wrote that it could be traumatizing for children to read about the character being sent to bed without dinner. This led to the book being banned in schools and libraries throughout the country.

2. The Dictionary

Yes, you read that correctly. Both the American Heritage dictionary and the Merriam-Webster dictionary have been taken out of schools across the country for defining “provocative” words. While controversies over this reference book began in the 1970s, it was banned as recently as 2010 in a California school district.

3. The Diary of Anne Frank

While this book has been banned several times for sexually-explicit passages, it has also been challenged as “pro-Jewish propaganda” with claims that Anne Frank never actually existed. The most head-scratching reason for banning the book came in 1983, when the Alabama State Textbook Committee called it “a real downer.”

4. Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

Parents in Kansas in 2006 got this book banned because of the talking animals. They complained that showing lesser creatures with human abilities of communication is highly disrespectful to God, and it must be the work of the devil.

5. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.

This innocent picture book was banned by the Texas Board of Education in 2010 thanks to a misunderstanding. The author happens to have the same name as a Marxist theorist, and no one “bothered” to check if it was the same person. What a great reminder of the importance of doing your research.

All of this content was found on The Week’s 17 most surprising banned books, so check it out if you want to see more!

Written and Edited by: Nicole

The UGL is Fifty!

Posted on September 9, 2019 by Lauren Camarillo

The UGL is the big “5-0!” This fall, the UGL is celebrating its 50th anniversary and will host a series of events throughout the semester for all students to enjoy. In addition, we will showcase student work on merchandise for the UGL@50 celebration — thank you to Taylor Chism, whose design was selected as the first place winner of the UGL’s 50th Anniversary Design Competition, as well as the other competition winners, for their design contributions! To see all three winners’ artwork from this competition, please see our past blog post.

The UGL in 1970

The first Undergraduate Library was established on the first floor of the Main Library in 1949, as part of a one million dollar post-war expansion. This campus drive to expand services to undergraduates eventually led to the current Undergraduate Library building opened to campus in 1969 to better support a growing undergraduate population. Today, the UGL helps support more than 33,000 undergraduate students, in addition to the graduate students, staff, and faculty who utilize our resources and services.

Please join us as we celebrate throughout the semester! Our full schedule of events is below:

Photo Booth

Monday, September 9 from 3-7pm

50 Donuts an Hour

Monday, September 23 from 12-10pm

50th Anniversary Button Making Event

Monday, October 7 from 3-7pm

Birthday Cake!

Monday, October 21 from 2-4pm

Photo Booth

Monday, November 4 from 3-7pm

DIY Whiteboard Artwork (week-long event)

Begins: Monday November 11

Ends: Friday November 15

Want to know more? Explore the UGL website to learn more about the history of the UGL — we hope to see you this semester!

Written and Edited by Lauren

Summer Fun in Champaign-Urbana

Posted on July 12, 2019 by Amy Spitz

Hey Illini! How’s your summer going?

We miss seeing a full UGL, but we hope you’re enjoying your summer whether you’re relaxing, working, or studying during these extra warm months! Champaign-Urbana may have less students right now, but there’s still lots going on that we wanted to share with you.

Whether you’ve been here all summer, or if you’re coming back a little in advance of the fall semester, here are some fun events happening around Champaign-Urbana to keep you busy and entertained!

All Summer Long & Weekly Fun

Summer Quad Cinema Series
FREE – Thursdays at 9pm on the Quad
Get popcorn from the Quad Shop:
$3 large popcorn ($1.50 refill)
$1.50 small popcorn ($1 refill)

Market at the Square
Saturdays 7am-Noon (May-October) at the corner of Illinois & Vine St. in Urbana
Check out vendors, chef demonstrations, Art at the Market (Public Arts Program), Read at the Market (Urbana Free Library), Science on the Market (Physics at UIUC), and performances!

Urbana Park District & Champaign Park District
Check their full event calendars for days, times,and locations
Events include outdoor concerts, movies, exercise classes, hikes, & more.

Urbana Free Library & Champaign Public Library
Check their full event calendars for days, times, and locations
Of course we have to include fun public library events on this list! Drop by for arts & crafts, tech classes, movies, concerts, used book sales, & more.

Mark Your Calendars!

July 19-27: Champaign County Fair – $5 + extra cost for rides, events, & parking
Featuring shows, rides, performances, contests, & more

August 3: Crystal Lake Park Art Fair – 10am-6pm
Art vendors and art displays to enjoy and/or purchase!

August 8: Food Truck Rally & Summer Finale (at the Champaign Public Library)
Books, live music, and food! What else could you want?

August 9-10: Champaign-Urbana Days – 6pm-9pm on Friday, 11am-8pm on Saturday
Activities & Entertainment in Douglass Park

August 10: Fan Con (at the Urbana Free Library) – 11am-4pm
Celebrate comics, fandom, & pop culture with workshops, demos, trivia, & contests

August 16-17: Taste of Champaign-Urbana – 5pm-11pm on Friday, 11am-11pm on Saturday
Check out food & art vendors in Downtown Champaign!
FREE admission; Tickets for food, beverages, & activities tickets cost $5 for 5

August 17: Pie Run 2019 – 10:30am-1:30pm (participant check-in at 9:30am)
Run or Walk 3.14 miles, then celebrate with some pie!
$20-30 fee – register by 7/29 to get a t-shirt

August 23-24: Urbana Sweetcorn Festival – 5pm-Midnight on Friday, 11am-Midnight on Saturday
CORN! Celebrate the most Midwestern vegetable with entertainment & food vendors.

Cat eating corn

And of course…

August 26: FIRST DAY OF FALL SEMESTER!
Keep an eye on our social media (Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter) for start of term shenanigans and back-to-school events!

Spring DeStress Fest!!

Posted on April 26, 2019 by Zander Miller

It’s that time of the semester again! If preparing for finals or working on papers and group projects has you overwhelmed, the UGL can help…because it’s time for the Spring semester’s DeStress Fest, and we dare say that this will be the best one yet! Read on to learn more about all of the destressing activities you can participate in this Reading Day, Thursday May 2nd from 12-10pm. Once you spend the day with us you’ll feel like a new person with the power to take on any obstacle that the end of the semester throws your way.

DeStress Fest Flyer

ProCRAFTination will take place throughout the entire day in the New Books Area. Three popular crafts will be returning from previous DeStress Fests and monthly ProCRAFTination nights. Come decorate a pet rock, make a button using our very own button maker, or color in a picture of Uggles and add it to our collage. Board games will also be offered all day in front of the Student Art Gallery, with a range of fun games you can play with us or bring your friends to.

As for our other events, we’re excited to announce a few activities that we’ve never offered at DeStress Fest before. From 12-5 p.m., come play chalk games or hula hoop with us outside the UGL entrance while we listen to some jams. From 3-5 p.m., you can participate in our Instagram-style Photo Booth in the Video Production Studio. Come take a solo or group pic with our DeStress Fest props and frames! For our final special event of the day, we’ll be hosting Jackbox Games in room 289 using our digital monitors and PS4. We’re excited to introduce and welcome back students to these different UGL spaces while having tons of fun!

Lastly, if you weren’t having enough fun already, everyone who participates in DeStress Fest will get a DeStress Fest Reward Card. Participate in at least three events and get your choice of some yummy candy (who doesn’t need a snack break while studying?).

The DeStress Fest Reward Card

We can’t wait to spend the day with you and help you destress before finals. Also, there may just be a surprise at 8 p.m. in the UGL before DeStress Fest ends.

Written by Stephen Margelony-Lajoie,

Edited by Zander

UGL’s 50th Anniversary Design Competition – Winners Announced!

Posted on April 24, 2019 by Lauren Camarillo

In February, we posted a blog announcing an exciting opportunity for undergraduate students: the kickoff of a graphic design competition in celebration of the UGL’s 50^th Anniversary! The competition guidelines asked undergraduate artists to create a unique design for the UGL@50 celebration which embodied an expression of the University of Illinois undergraduate student body. After much time and deliberation, the results are in, the competition has come to a close, and winners have been chosen!

Judges looked for clarity, creative flare, and relevant representations of the UGL in the designs. Among many amazing entries, only three designers were awarded top rankings and prizes. Without further ado, we are excited to announce the winners of the UGL’s 50^th Anniversary Design Competition:

In first place, Taylor Chism!

Taylor will win $100 and her design will be featured at the UGL@50 celebration this fall! Her design will also be printed on merchandise, so look for this design on t-shirts and mugs in the future. Great job, Taylor!

This is an image of the winning design, featuring corn, technology, and books.

1st place – “UGL”

Judges loved the incorporation of the past, present and future theme and multiple easter eggs, including the iconic corn from the Morrow plots, use of technology, and prevalence of books across all time periods.

In second place, Alexis Vasquez!

Alexis has won $50 and the honor of second place for her awesome design. Fantastic, Alexis!

2nd place – “50”

The clean lines and clear design of this entry made it a visually strong and appealing entry in the contest.

In third place, Sabas Padilla!

Sabas has won $25 for his third-place ranking. Congratulations, Sabas!

This image highlights the shape of the UGL

3rd place – “50 Years of UGL”

Corn made another appearance in this design, as well as excellent incorporation of the underground setting.

Thanks again to all of the applicants of the competition! Come and see all of the design submissions in the UGL Student Art Gallery this fall – all designs will be exhibited during the Fall 2019 semester.

For information about how to showcase your artwork at the UGL, contact undergrad@library.illinois.edu

Written by Annabel

Edited by Lauren

UGL Book Madness Bracket

Posted on April 2, 2019 by Lauren Camarillo

This is a book bracket that students are welcome to fill out in the spirit of 'March Madness' - it features all of the books listed below!

UGL Book Madness Bracket

The Undergraduate Library has taken inspiration from March Madness, and in the spirit of the tournament we’ve created a 2018-2019 Book Madness bracket of some of our favorites published this year.

Meet the Books

Fiction:

“An American Marriage” by Tayari Jones: “An American Marriage” is about family, love, and identity. It will captivate readers as it explores ideas about race and justice for an African American couple in the south.

“Girls Burn Brighter” by Shobha Rao: This novel spans from India to America, following the stories of two girls as they struggle against the expectations and circumstances of their lives. This book is a testament to the love found in true friendship as the girls-turned-women sacrifice and fight to find their way back to one another again.

Mystery:

“The Witch Elm” by Tana French: Tana French is one of the most well known current authors in the mystery/crime genre. With “The Witch Elm”, French delivers yet another chilling mystery for her readers to solve after a skull is found buried in a suitcase on an old family estate.

“The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle” by Stuart Turton: In this unique taste on a murder mystery, you are invited to a masquerade ball set at the country estate of the Hardcastle family. As guests arrive, one guest wakes up in a new body every day and must solve the murder of the daughter of the house, or be forced to live the same day over and over and over and…

Historical Fiction:

“The Great Alone” by Kristin Hannah: The newest novel by bestselling author Kristin Hannah, “The Great Alone” tells the story of one struggling family in 1970’s Alaska. This is a story of survival, as the family faces dwindling resources in the winter wilderness as well as mental crisis during the long eighteenth hour nights.

“The Tattooist of Auschwitz” by Heather Morris: What makes this novel especially compelling is that it’s based on the true story of the man who served as the tattooist of Auschwitz death camp for years during the Holocaust. While it is certainly a story about struggle and pain, the main message is one of love and human bravery.

Romance:

“The Kiss Quotient” by Helen Hoang: In this refreshing love story, successful business woman Stella Lane hires an escort to teach her all the ins and outs of dating. You see, Stella has Asperger’s and her business algorithms make more sense to her than french kissing. Can Stella let go of her no-nonsense logic long enough to learn about love?

“The Wedding Date” by Jasmine Guillory: Can you imagine agreeing to be a guy’s wedding date after getting stuck in an elevator together? That’s what happens in this fun and flirty debut novel where a fake date just may turn into something more.

Young Adult:

“Kingdom of Ash” by Sarah Maas: Sarah Maas’s “Throne of Glass” series has inspired and captivated readers with its epic fantasy setting and cast of beloved characters. “Kingdom of Ash” is the seventh installment full of faeries, witches, magic, and featuring a harrowing battle against an ancient evil.

“Children of Blood and Bone” by Tomi Adeyemi: In this new series by a debut author magic, danger, and revenge tangle together as one girl goes on an epic journey to avenge her people.

Fantasy:

“Circe” by Madeline Miller: You don’t need to be familiar with the original myth to enjoy this feminist retelling of the ancient Greek sorceress Circe. Miller breathes new life into a tragic character from Greek mythology by allowing Circe to take control of her own story and perhaps even change her destiny.

“Spinning SIlver” by Naomi Novik: In “Spinning Silver,” Naomi Novik has captured the essence of Eastern European folklore while taking inspiration from the tale of Rumpelstiltskin. In this retelling, three brave young women discover love and friendship as they battle forces out of their control with help from a little magic.

Horror:

“Dracul” by J.D. Barker: “Dracul” is the first in a new series, fashioned to be the prequel of “Dracula.” This new series was inspired by notes and texts written by Bram Stoker himself, and features the author as a protagonist in the story.

“Baby Teeth” by Zoje Stage: This is a novel about a family gone wrong. Hannah loves Daddy, but Mommy stands in her way and she wants to be rid of her for good. Suzette struggles with her daughter and fears that something may be seriously wrong with her little girl, though her husband seems blind to the problems and the tricks their little girl plays.

Nonfiction:

“I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” by Michelle McNamara: This incredible true crime account was published after the death of Michelle McNamara, a true crime journalist and detective who was determined to find and unmask the serial killer she called the Golden State Killer. Merely two months after its publication, police were able to finally make an arrest in the case after nearly thirty years.

“The Library Book” by Susan Orlean: “The Library Book” is one journalist’s investigation into the Los Angeles Public Library fire which occurred in 1986. The fire destroyed over 400,000 books and damaged 700,000 more. This is a story of libraries and librarians, and of what libraries and books can mean to the greater communities around them.

Written by Jayde

Edited by Lauren

Undergraduate Excellence: Interview with Top 50 Super Smash Bros. Player, Tyroy

Posted on March 26, 2019 by Zander Miller

The Undergraduate Library is dedicated to supporting student research and achievements. We also enjoy recognizing undergraduate student success throughout students’ academic and personal journeys. Today, we would like to do just that.

We sat down to interview Tyler “Tyroy” Awdisho. Tyler is an undergraduate student studying Computer Science. He has been a student since the fall of 2015. He is also a professional Super Smash Bros. player, being globally ranked 39th in Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U, and all-time ranked 55th over the video game’s four-year competitive lifespan between 2014 and 2018.

Tyler has been competing in Smash Bros. since 2008 with the release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl and it has been his main competitive gaming series. While he was never ranked globally in Brawl, he has been ranked in two of the five Panda Global Rankings and on the all-time rankings for the Wii U iteration of the series. Within Illinois, Tyler has consistently been ranked top three in the state and #1 in Champaign. While there are no rankings so far for the newest game in the series, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Tyler has already been winning large events, including House of Paign 20: a regional Smash Bros. event that took place in the Illini Union.

The first display case of The Undergraduate Library Student Art Gallery with the current set of artwork.

Tyroy’s Panda Global Ranking player card for the 5th and final seasonal ranking.

Undergrad: How have you been able to compete nationally and then also be a student, and then what issues have come up while being a competitor and a student?

Tyler: Competing while a student—usually I only compete a couple days a week—so I try to go to regionals that are only one day or weekly events. Recently, I’ve been more focused on school so if I’m not feeling super confident where I’m standing with school work, I’ll skip weeklies; I used to not really do that.

I think playing competitively and school at the same time is doable, but it really depends on where you are in both because certain schedules can be harder than others in school. In the last year of Smash Four, I didn’t really have to practice at all ’cause I was already really good at the game and it didn’t change since there were no updates.

In Smash Ultimate, it’s a little different. I think it’s a little harder for me in the new game. I’m not doing poorly, I just do worse than I did before. It’s definitely a change of pace. It doesn’t hurt that much to do worse, and I guess I’m more mature about it—at least not needing to do well and sacrificing school for it.

I do think going to major events (any event that’s more than one day), is very hard to do in school if you don’t happen to have Fridays off. Even if you don’t have to skip any class, it’s really hard not to fall behind taking three days off of school. There were times when I was in school before where I went to a few multi-day events and it was definitely extremely stressful the whole time thinking about school and worrying about coming back. I don’t think it’s worth it anymore.

Undergrad: In what ways has being a competitor helped you be a student and what ways has being a student helped you be a competitor?

Tyler: I’d say a lot of school and Smash are similar in terms of getting better. When you’re at weeklies and in between big tournaments it’s almost like when you’re learning at school. It’s very easy to not do anything between classes because you’re not being tested. But when the test comes or the big assignment happens, you should have been doing something. When you’re at a major or taking a test and you’re like ‘am I ready for this?,’ it’s a similar sensation. You need to prepare for either.

Undergrad: Do you see a lot of people who may also be students or have a lot of similar traits or personalities to people you meet on campus at premier tournaments, especially considering you major in Computer Science?

Tyler: There’s definitely similarities to Comp Sci people and Smash people, but I don’t think—smash people aren’t necessarily—I don’t think the average Smasher that sticks around for awhile—like ranked people or long time players and PGR members—it’s actually weird how many aren’t gamers. Like nerdy, I guess. I’m not saying that there’s a lot that aren’t nerdy, but there’s a lot more [who are not gamers] than you’d expect. I’ve definitely talked to a pretty decent amount of Smash players that have never played a Nintendo game other than Smash Bros. That’s weird to me because I’d assume that smashers would be Nintendo fans. People are almost more nerdy in school—at least the people I know.

Undergrad: Is there anything else you’d like to say to other college students interested in competing or Smashers in general?

Tyler: I would just say it’s not as hard as you think it is. That’s an important thing. I think a lot of people assume that they’re farther away from being good than they are. There’s a lot of tiny things that matter a very very very high amount.

We would like to thank Tyler for agreeing to sit down and interview with us.

Written by Zander

(This interview has been edited for clarity).