Sleep and Relaxation help coming to the UGL: Mindful Mondays!

In light of recent research into the need for good sleep hygiene, the Undergraduate Library is partnering with the McKinley Health Center to provide relaxation workshops and sleep packs for students.

Mindful Mondays

Dates: Monday, October 29th; Monday, November 26th; and Monday, December 10th

Time: 15 minute sessions between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Location: Outside of the Writers Workshop on the south side of the first floor at the Undergraduate Library

McKinley staff will be available from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. and hold 15-minute sessions which will include guided meditation and muscle relaxation exercises. The McKinley staff are also available to speak with students about techniques for dealing with stress. When the UGL closes at 2:30 a.m. on the Sunday nights before these days, we will be handing out sleep packs filled with an eye mask, earplugs, chamomile tea, and other useful tools for a restful night.

A sleeping cat cuddling a teddy bear

Sleep for your health

A recent article from the New York Times ties together a variety of studies involving college students, sleep, stress, and campus response to these issues. A 2010 study of 1,125 college students found that “feeling stressed was the main reason for poor student sleep, while consumption of alcohol and caffeine were not significant predictors of sleep quality.” Another study published in Nature notes that brain function begins to decline after 16 hours awake. After 20 hours, “you perform as if legally drunk.”

The McKinley Health Center logo and McKinley Wellness app appearing on a phone

The McKinley Wellness app available for you

Although lack of sleep is a strong concern among students–as well as one with serious consequences–few campus health centers have structured programs around tackling this issue. In addition to Mindful Mondays, the McKinley Health Center works to connect with students through the McKinley Wellness App. The app includes a calming memory game, a mood meter, as well as helpful tips for general wellness. To address concerns about good sleep hygiene, the Get Sleep page provides definitions and guidance regarding the issue, as well as a quick link to schedule an appointment with an expert from McKinley.

Stop by one of the Mindful Monday events throughout the rest of the semester to learn more!

Written by Jacqueline

Edited by Zander

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Banned Book Week 2018!

Hash Tag Banned Books Week banner

    Banned Book Week

It’s Banned Book Week! This week, we celebrate our freedom to read and our freedom of speech.The University of Illinois is a champion of free speech on all issues no matter how controversial. Want to join along? The libraries will be celebrating all week with various displays, events and pictures.

Why Free Speech Matters

Where: Undergraduate Library

When: September 27th

The Undergraduate Library is celebrating Banned Books by hosting a table where you can show off why free speech matters to you. Join us on the upper level of the UGL to make a quick sign saying how free speech matters to you!

Literature and Languages Library Display

Cover to Toni Morrison's book, Beloved

    Beloved, a commonly challenged or banned book

Where: The Reading Room in the Main Library building

When: September 24th and throughout the week

The Literature and Languages Library is setting up a display! Matthew Roberts, the Literature and Languages Librarian has this to say about Banned Books Week:

Championed by the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community to support the freedom to seek and to express ideas. Consequently, members of the the University of Illinois’ Literatures and Languages Library created a book display, which highlights important moments in America’s history of book banning and censorship, and underscores a variety of international authors who, in more recent history, have either been imprisoned or exiled due to their literary work. While the display is in no way representative of the entire history of book banning, we hope that it represents the University of Illinois’ commitment to diversity and inclusivity, and to its mission to pioneer innovative research that addresses global problems and expands the human experience.

Some of the authors featured in the display include: Harriet Beecher Stowe, Toni Morrison, Lui Xiabo, Shahrnush Parsipur, Aslı Erdoğan, and Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o. The display also contains an excerpt from the The United States v. One Book Called Ulysses decision, an original copy of which belongs to the Rare Books and Manuscripts Library.

Want to join the library in our battle against censorship? Grab your favorite banned book and use the hashtag #IlliniSpeakOut on social media!

Written and edited by Zander

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Welcome to Campus!

It’s that time of year again! Whether you are new to campus or returning, there are plenty of free back-to-school events to welcome you. Check out the line up for Welcome Week 2017!

Photo of Alma Mater Statue

Friday, August 25
ILLINI UNION LATENIGHTER
8 pm-1 am at the Illini Union
Enjoy food, games, live music and performances by comedians and a hypnotist!
Saturday, August 26
ILLINI FRENZY
11:00 am – 3:00 pm at the Activities and Recreation Center (ARC)
Get acquainted with Champaign-Urbana. Over 80 different local vendors will be present.
UGL GAMING DAY
1:30-4:00 pm at the Undergraduate Library
Ease into the new semester by playing games like Dominion, Settlers of Catan, and more! Face a group challenge in our Pathfinder mini-campaigns! All of our games can be checked out to continue the fun at home. Whether you’re a seasoned DM or a new Settler of Catan, come by and play!
MOVIE NIGHT
9-11:30 pm at Memorial Stadium
Movie is to be determined.
Sunday, August 27
QUAD DAY
12pm-4 pm on the Main Quad
Find what you’re interested in! More than 600 registered student organizations and other campus organizations will have information on how to get involved… and of course, freebies!
Monday, August 28
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL PICTURES
11-am-2pm
Feeling a little nostalgic on your first day of school? Get your picture taken as you would in grade school so you can share with family and friends.
Tuesday, August 29
KARAOKE NIGHT
9pm-midnight at the Union Courtyard Cafe
Enjoy performances, and if you’re feeling brave, take the stage!
We’ve covered just a handful of events happening during Welcome Week, so be sure to let us know what we missed on our FacebookTwitter, and Instagram pages, and stay tuned for more blogs throughout the semester!
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Find Uggles – Update

Have you been following along with our Find Uggles contest? Each week, Uggles, the Undergrad Library cat, is hiding in a different location on campus. Each Monday, you can find a clue to her location by checking out our Instagram (@askundergrad).

The first person to return her to the circulation desk at the UGL gets a cash prize and has their name entered in a drawing for a Kindle Fire which will take place at the end of the semester.

This year is very special for the University of Illinois because we are celebrating the sesquicentennial, or 150 year anniversary of our University. The day after Uggles is found, we have been revealing the location, along with some historical information about the place where she was hidden. Whether the building is new or old, each building on campus has a unique history! If you’ve missed some of the posts, you can read more below!

Week 1 (October 31, 2016) – Alma

Uggles at Alma Mater Statue

Uggles at Alma Mater Statue

Congratulations to our first winner, Sandy, who found Uggles hiding at the Alma Mater statue! Alma was unveiled in June 1929 and was originally placed directly behind Foellinger Auditorium. On August 22, 1962, the Alumni Association moved the sculpture to its present location in front of Altgeld Hall.

Source

Week 2 (November 7, 2016) – Foellinger Auditorium

Uggles at Foellinger

Uggles at Foellinger

Congratulations to this week’s winner, Christopher, who found Uggles hiding at Foellinger Auditorium. Built in 1907, Foellinger has had many famous faces speak and perform within. Among these include: John Phillip Sousa, Jane Addams, Robert Frost, Duke Ellington, Eleanor Roosevelt, Ravi Shankar, R. Buckminster Fuller, Maya Angelou, and Bill Gates.

Source

Week 3 (November 14, 2016) – Grange Grove

Uggles at Grange Grove

Uggles at Grange Grove

Congratulations to this week’s winner, Leonel, who found Uggles hiding at Grange Grove, which debuted in 2015.
Grange Grove has transformed what was previously Lot 36, into a free, high-energy tailgating area, which students and fans enjoy!

Source

Week 4 (November 28, 2016) – Lincoln Hall

Uggles at Lincoln Hall

Uggles at Lincoln Hall

Congratulations to this week’s winner, Anih, who found Uggles hiding by the Lincoln Bust in Lincoln Hall.
Lincoln Hall opened in 1911 and has “held theater productions, history museums, libraries, and offices for faculty and staff.”
The bust of Lincoln was added in 1928 and has been there ever since, with the exception of one day in 1979 “when thieves stole the bust and mounted it on a tree stump at a local golf course.”

Source

Week 5 (December 5, 2016) – Illini Union Bookstore

Uggles at the Illini Union Bookstore

Uggles at the Illini Union Bookstore

Congratulations to this week’s winner, Olivia, who found Uggles hiding inside the Illini Union Bookstore. Named as such in 1940, the bookstore is a “continuation of a book exchange organized in the early 1920s by students at the university.” The Illini Union Bookstore is “one of the largest independent college bookstores in the country.”

Source

Week 6 (February 20, 2017) – CRCE

Uggles at CRCE

Uggles at CRCE

Congratulations to this week’s winner, Jessica, who found Uggles hiding inside the Campus Recreation Center East (CRCE). Although it originally opened in 1988, CRCE as we know it today officially opened in March 2005. Along with the usual basketball courts and gyms, CRCE also has an indoor waterslide and a waterfall!

Source

Week 7 (February 27, 2016) – Main Library

Uggles at the Main Library Information Desk

Uggles at the Main Library Information Desk

Congratulations to this week’s winner who found Uggles hiding in the Main Library! The Main Library was founded in 1867 and actually pre-dates the University, as the founders wanted students and staff to have access to books and materials “from the day they arrived on campus.” The Library officially opened in 1868, and eventually moved to the building we know it as in 1926.

Source

Week 8 (March 6, 2017) – Funk ACES Library

Uggles at Funk ACES

Uggles at Funk ACES

Congratulations to this week’s winner, Kelsey, who found Uggles hiding outside the Funk ACES library! It was built and dedicated in 2001, and “one of the study rooms on the fourth floor is a gift from the College of Agriculture Class of 1941, honoring their 10 classmates who died in the Second World War.”

Source

Week 9 (March 14, 2017) – English Building

Uggles at the English Building

Uggles at the English Building

Congratulations to this week’s winner, Logan, who found Uggles hiding outside of the English Building. Built in 1905, the English Building has quite the history. Originally serving as a women’s dormitory with a gymnasium and pool, it eventually became the home economics department and was renamed Bevier Hall in 1947. Finally becoming the English Building in 1956, there are many rumors surrounding the supposed haunting of this building.

Source

Be sure to follow along on Instagram each week for your chance at finding Uggles and winning a prize. (See our original post with rules and other info at http://publish.illinois.edu/undergradlibrary/2016/10/27/find-uggles/)

 

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