Find Uggles – Final Update

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! All of our posts in order create a historical walking tour of campus, so celebrate the sesquicentennial and the spring weather with a stroll around all of Uggles’s hiding spots!

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

Week 10 (March 27, 2017) – Illini Union

Uggles at Illini Union

Uggles at Illini Union

Congratulations to this week’s winner, Hector, who found Uggles hiding outside the Illini Union, which opened on February 8th, 1941 and celebrated its 75th Anniversary last year! “The building was designed in the shape of an ‘I’ to honor the university,” and was dedicated by Eleanor Roosevelt in 1942.

Source

Week 11 (April 3, 2017) – Undergraduate Library

Uggles at the Undergraduate Library

Uggles at the Undergraduate Library

Congratulations to this week’s winner, Laura, who found Uggles hiding in the Undergrad Library’s courtyard! The UGL was dedicated in November 1969, and the inscription around the top of the courtyard was a gift from the class of 1916. The reason that the UGL was built underground was to avoid casting shade on the Morrow Plots. It was also to allow for open space behind Foellinger Auditorium, an important part of the Campus Master Plan at that time.

Source

Week 12 (April 10, 2017) – University Gateway

Uggles at the University Gateway

Uggles at the University Gateway

Congratulations to this week’s winner, Ana Michaela, who found Uggles hiding at the Gateway on Lincoln and Green! As the easternmost entrance, it welcomes Urbana residents to come visit this bustling area of campus town. Further down on Green Street there are many different restaurants and shops that make it the social hub of our campus.

Week 13 (April 17, 2017) – Grainger Engineering Library

Uggles hiding with Grainger Bob

Uggles hiding with Grainger Bob

Congratulations to this week’s winner who found Uggles hiding outside of Grainger Engineering Library. Dedicated in 1994, Grainger is the largest engineering library in the country.
The ribbon cutting ceremony was performed on a touch-screen computer and when the ribbon was “cut”, fireworks appeared on the screen. In 1994, this was cutting-edge technology!
Uggles was hiding with the statue outside of Grainger, known as “Grainger Bob.”

Sources: 1 and 2

Week 14 (April 24, 2017) – Morrow Plots

Uggles at the Morrow Plots

Uggles at the Morrow Plots

Congratulations to this week’s winner, Kennedy, who found Uggles hiding in the Morrow Plots! Founded in 1876, the Morrow Plots are the “oldest continually used experimental agricultural fields in the U.S. and the second oldest in the world.”

Source

Week 15 (May 1, 2017) – Eternal Flame

Uggles at the Eternal Flame

Uggles at the Eternal Flame

Congratulations to this week’s winner, Jose, who found Uggles hiding at the Eternal Flame, which was a gift from the class of 1912. There is a campus myth that states, “A lover’s kiss will bring eternal bliss,” signifying that if you kiss your lover under the flame, your relationship will last forever. No matter the legend, the Eternal Flame is a great place to sit and enjoy the nice weather on the Quad!

Source

Grand Prize

Ana Michaela, the winner of our Kindle Fire Grand Prize raffle

Ana Michaela, the winner of our Kindle Fire Grand Prize raffle

Congratulations to the winner of our Grand Prize raffle Ana Michaela, who won a Kindle Fire!

Want to learn more about Uggles or follow along for other contests? Check out our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages!

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UGL Destress Fest: Spring 2017

It’s the end of the year and finals are quickly approaching. Reading Day is Thursday, and the UGL has decided to throw an all-day Destress Fest, to give you a chance for a study break! Starting at 12pm and going until 12am, there will be crafts, writing and research help, counseling, dogs, and much more! Check out our schedule, below:

12pm-2pm — It’s Craft Time! 

There will be crafts in the “Craft Corner,” including making hats, origami, and more!

Origami Bird

“Origami Bird” by Neena.Rée Kroll used under Creative Commons https://flic.kr/p/hSsZ2S

1pm-2pm & 6pm-7pm — “Breathe, Relax, Focus: Simple focusing strategies for writing” 

This session about writing tips will be held within the Writer’s Workshop in room 251.

2pm-4pm — UGL Paw Party!

The UGL will be visited by a furry friend or two! Come over near the Student Art Gallery on the Upper Floor of the UGL to pet a dog and forget about all of the finals frenzy. There will even be a cute Snapchat Filter that the UGL has created especially for these two hours! Use #UGlPawParty and the UGL may re-tweet or re-gram your photo with a furry friend!

Atlas

Atlas, a UGL Favorite!

2pm-4pm & 7pm-9pm — Counseling Center 

The Counseling Center will have a table up at the front of the library. Stop by for some resources and a friendly face to talk to!

4pm-7pm — “Let It Go: Toss Your Study Stress!” by the Writer’s Workshop

Will Ferrell lipsyncing to Let It Go

Let It Go: Toss Your Study Stress!

The Writer’s Workshop will be sitting up at the front of the UGL with tips to destress when you are studying!

3pm-12am Midnight Madness: Research & Writing Drop-In Help!

The UGL and Writer’s Workshop are teaming up to bring you 8 hours of assistance! We will be at the Consultation Corner in the back of the Upper Level of the UGL all night ready to help you refine your research, conquer the writing process, and finish that final paper!

Notes

Research and Writing Consultations, 4pm-12am

For more information about Destress Fest: Spring 2017, check out the Facebook Event Page! Also, remember that the UGL will not be closing until the end of finals week, which means we will be open overnight all this weekend!

Have any questions about the events we have scheduled? Want to send us your Destress Fest pic? Tweet at us (@askundergrad) or contact us on Facebook (Undergraduate Library at Illinois)! Use the hashtag #UGLPawParty so we can find your posts!

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She Changed Comics

Comics has a long and fraught history with censorship, which brought the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund into existence. A non-profit determined to protect the First Amendment rights of comics as a whole, their work takes them beyond the courtroom. They created She Changed Comics as a series of tumblr posts to educate people on female comic authors and artists during Women’s History Month before it became a book helmed by Betsy Gomez. It made the Amelia Bloomer Book List this year, an awards list for feminist literature.

Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Logo

Comic Book Legal Defense Fund

The UGL is excited to host She Changed Comics panelists in the Media Commons on Monday April 24th at 4pm! Our panelists will talk about the influence women have had on comics and how they built the format into the diverse and empowering storytelling medium it is today.

Betsy Gomez will be joining cartoonist Nina Paley, comic historian Carol Tilley, and international librarian Mara Thacker on Monday to talk feminism, censorship, and intersectionality in the comic industry around the world.

Interested in reading more feminist comics before our event? The UGL’s got you covered. Not only do we have the book She Changed Comics, but we have intersectional comics to recommend!

She Changed Comics: The Untold Story of the Women Who Changed Free Expression in Comics

She Changed Comics: The Untold Story of the Women Who Changed Free Expression in Comics

She Changed Comics: The Untold Story of the Women Who Changed Free Expression in Comics. Presented by Comic Book Legal Defense Fund; edited by Betsy Gomez 

Undergrad: PN6710 .S34 2016

She Changed Comics celebrates the women who changed free expression in comics, with profiles of more than sixty groundbreaking female professionals and interviews with the women who are changing today’s medium, including Raina Telgemeier, Noelle Stevenson, G. Willow Wilson, and more! She Changed Comics also examines the plights of women imprisoned and threatened for making comics and explores the work of women whose work is being banned here in the United States.

Lumberjanes, Vol. 1

Lumberjanes, Vol. 1

Lumberjanes, Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson and Grace Ellis

Undergrad: PN6720.L863 L863 2015

Friendship to the max! Jo, April, Mal, Molly and Ripley are five best pals determined to have an awesome summer together…and they’re not gonna let any insane quest or an array of supernatural critters get in their way! It’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Gravity Falls and features five butt-kicking, rad teenage girls wailing on monsters and solving a mystery with the whole world at stake.

Bitch Planet, Vol 1: Extraordinary Machine

Bitch Planet, Vol 1: Extraordinary Machine

Bitch Planet, Vol 1: Extraordinary Machine by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine De Landro

Undergrad: PN6720.B5834 B5834 2015 v.1

In a future just a few years down the road in the wrong direction, a woman’s failure to comply with her patriarchal overlords will result in exile to the meanest penal planet in the galaxy. When the newest crop of fresh femmes arrive, can they work together to stay alive or will hidden agendas, crooked guards, and the deadliest sport on (or off!) Earth take them to their maker?

Monstress, Vol 1: Awakening

Monstress, Vol 1: Awakening

Monstress, Vol 1: Awakening by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda

Illinois Street Residence Hall: 741.5 L7405mo

Set in an alternate matriarchal 1900’s Asia, in a richly imagined world of art deco-inflected steam punk, Monstress tells the story of a teenage girl who is struggling to survive the trauma of war, and who shares a mysterious psychic link with a monster of tremendous power, a connection that will transform them both and make them the target of both human and otherworldly powers.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol 1: Squirrel Power

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol 1: Squirrel Power

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol 1: Squirrel Power by Ryan North and Erica Henderson

Undergrad: PN6720.S695 S695 2015 v.1

Doctor Doom, Deadpool, even Thanos: There’s one hero who’s beaten them all — and now she’s starring in her own series! That’s right, it’s SQUIRREL GIRL! The nuttiest and most upbeat super hero in the world is starting college! And as if meeting her new roommate and getting to class on time isn’t hard enough, now she has to deal with Kraven the Hunter, too? At least her squirrel friend Tippy-Toe is on hand to help out. But what can one girl, and one squirrel, do when a hungry Galactus heads toward Earth? You’d be surprised! With time running out and Iron Man lending a helping hand (sort of), who will win in the battle between the Power Cosmic and the Power Chestnut?

Have thoughts on She Changed Comics?  Let us know on our Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram pages, and don’t forget to attend the She Changed Comics panel in the Media Commons on Monday April 24th at 4pm!

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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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Women’s History Month 2017

Happy Women’s History Month! There is still half of March left to celebrate women’s history, so we’ve compiled a list of a few events on campus and a few books or DVDs related to the content of the event. Whether you are a woman or you want to support women, you can always learn something new about women’s contributions to our world.

Be sure to also check out the list of Women’s History Month events on campus listed on the Women’s Resource Center website.

7th Annual Campus Ecofeminism Summit Keynote Lecture with La Donna Brave Bull Allard
Tuesday, March 14, 7 to 8 pm at Unit One/Allen Hall (1005 W Gregory Dr, Urbana)

Ecofeminism Summit

Ecofeminism Summit

In honor of the 7th Annual Campus Ecofeminism Summit, join the Women’s Resources Center, together with cosponsoring units, for a keynote lecture from LaDonna Brave Bull Allard, Lakota historian, activist, and Director of the Sacred Stone Camp at Standing Rock. Find out more on the Facebook event.

The lecture will be followed by a Q & A. Local campus and community organizations will be offering resources and information. You can also join La Donna Brave Bull Allard at a Meet and Greet event at the Native American House from 2-4pm on Tuesday, March 14.

After the event, read The Dance Boots by Linda LeGarde Grover. 

The Dance Boots

The Dance Boots

Linda LeGarde Gover is a member of the Bois Forte band of Ojibwe. The Dance Boots is her short story collection about hardships Native American tribes have faced in the United States. This Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction winner features stories about the oppressive history of Indian boarding schools, balancing survival of the self and of tribal traditions, identity, alcoholism, and violence. This is a difficult, but important, short story collection to add to your to-read list.

Spring Break Reading Group: We Should All Be Feminists

Wednesday, March 22, 11am to 12pm on Twitter

The Spring Break Reading Group will happen virtually via Twitter over spring break, so you can join this event from wherever you’ll be next week! Read the TEDx Talk’s adaptation and follow the conversation with @iSchoolUI and others.

Before the event, read We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is known for her novels like Americanah and Purple Hibiscus, but she is also known for her discussion of feminism in her TEDx Talk “We Should All Be Feminists.” The great success of this talk led to the written adaptation of the same name. In this 49-page essay, she discusses how gender divides and discrimination harms everyone.

Bonus points: also watch the film adaptation of Adichie’s book Half of a Yellow Sun

Half of a Yellow Sun is one of Adichie’s best known novels, but it was also adapted to film. The story focuses on twin girls born into a wealthy Nigerian family. They have a falling out when their life choices lead them down different paths. As Nigeria comes closer to civil war, the story explores the twins’ relationships with others and themselves.

Hot Topics — Herstories and the Futures of Arab Feminisms
Monday, March 27, 7–9 pm at the Women’s Resources Center

Interested in Arab women’s activism? This is the event for you! Come chat about Arab Feminisms with your campus community. Hot Topics is a discussion series hosted by the Women’s Resources Center and the YWCA. Refreshments are provided.

Before you go, read Headscarves and Hymens : Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual Revolution by Mona Eltahawy

Mona Eltahawy, an Egyptian-American journalist, exposes the fights women in the Middle East have been taking on since the Arab Spring: fighting oppressive men in power pre-Arab Spring, and now, fighting against an entire political and economic system that oppresses women in Egypt and other Arab countries. Learn more about her perspective in this call to action.

The Consent Workshop | Sexual Health Series

Friday, April 14, 2-3pm at the Women’s Resource Center

If you’ve ever felt like you needed more practice with consent, attend this consent workshop, a part of the Women’s Resource Center’s Sexual Health Series. Learn how to identify consent, build healthier relationships, and make the world a safer and less violent place.

After you go, apply what you learned to Unsportsmanlike Conduct : College Football and the Politics of Rape by Jessica Luther

This expose of the politics of campus sports and sexual assault demands change from universities, the NCAA, athletic departments, athletes, and the media. Time and time again athletes in schools and professional sports organizations are not held accountable for acts of violence toward their peers or partners. Jessica Luther, an investigative journalist, explores how and why this happens and advocates for a safer and better world.

We hope you have a great Women’s History Month, and be sure to check out our Women in Television display on the Upper Level of the UGL! We hope we’ve covered the major Women’s History Month events happening around campus… but if we missed anything, let us know! Check out our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.

 

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International Science Fiction Film Festival Lineup

This year The Center for Global Studies and the University of Illinois Library will be hosting the International Science Fiction Film Festival! On Wednesday, February 22nd Thursday, February 23rd at 7pm in Lincoln Hall Theatre, two acclaimed science fiction movies will be screened back-to-back with food and discussion.

If you’re interested in the festival’s movies–or you just like science fiction films–we’ve pulled recommendations from the UGL collection to tide you over until the festival!

WEDNESDAY LINEUP

District 9

District 9

District 9 is a 2009 science fiction thriller from South Africa and racked up a number of award nominations that made it one of the best science fiction films of the decade. When a ship of ill aliens are discovered flying over Johannesburg, South Africa, humanity imprisons them in a camp called District 9. Years later, one of the aliens attempts to escape home with his son when the government tries to transfer them to another camp. The film took inspiration from the internment camp District 6 in Cape Town during the apartheid era and doesn’t hold back when it comes to themes of xenophobia and segregation.

Casshern

Casshern

Casshern is a Japanese dystopian film that describes a world where the Eastern Federation conquers Europe after fifty years of war. Divided into Zones (like a more horrific Hunger Games), the Federation maintains its control with a mix of vicious military and brutal science–until Casshern discovers just how far the Federation is willing to go in the name of science and how far people will go for family.

IF YOU LIKE DISTRICT 9, CHECK OUT:

Cloverfield

Cloverfield

Cloverfield is set up like another “found footage” film–only instead of aliens, this time it’s monsters. It follows six young New York City residents forced to flee a farewell party when a huge monster (and a number of smaller, more terrifying creatures) attack the city. If you like your science fiction thrillers with a side of horror, this movie is definitely for you.

IF YOU LIKE CASSHERN, BE SURE TO WATCH:

Snowpiercer

Snowpiercer

Snowpiercer is the most expensive Korean film ever produced, so be sure to appreciate how beautiful it is before it ruins your life. This emotional train wreck follows the world-spanning Snowpiercer, the non-stop express that separates the last remnants of humanity from freezing to death. The train is divided by a vicious caste system designed to keep the poor starving and the rich flush with champagne–until Chris Evans and his axe begin smashing their way up to the conductor for justice and some answers.

THURSDAY LINEUP:

The Mermaid

The Mermaid

The Mermaid is a retelling of The Little Mermaid and was China’s highest grossing film last year. It follows a Chinese billionaire playboy who buys up the Green Gulf wildlife reserve with big plans to develop it. Little does he know his property is home to merpeople, or that the beautiful woman he’s fallen in love with is in fact a mermaid that’s been sent to assassinate him. It’s the science fiction rom com you didn’t know you needed.

A Werewolf Boy

A Werewolf Boy

A Werewolf Boy can easily be pitched as Titanic meets Beauty and the Beast. In this South Korean fantasy romance, an elderly Sun-yi recalls being sent to the countryside for her health as a teenager back in 1965–only to meet a feral teenager on her property. They assume he’s an orphan of the Korean War until they discover his high body temperature and unidentifiable blood type. The two teenagers fall in love, but their relationship is fraught with danger as our favorite werewolf gets closer to being discovered.

IF YOU LIKE THE MERMAID, CHECK OUT:

Stardust

Stardust

Stardust is a Neil Gaiman book-turned-movie that juxtaposes 19th century English village with the magical kingdom of Stormhold over the wall. The story follows Tristan, who chases a falling star in order to win over his true love–only to discover upon arriving at the crater that the fallen star is, in fact, a woman. Their journey back home is packed with man-eating witches, murderous princes, and cloud pirates named Shakespeare.

IF YOU LIKE A WEREWOLF BOY, YOU SHOULD WATCH:

Beautiful Creatures

Beautiful Creatures

Beautiful Creatures takes place in the Southern town of Gaitlin, South Carolina, where high schooler Ethan Wate dreams of a girl he’s never met before–until one day the girl from his dreams shows up in his first period class. Ethan doesn’t think Lena is a witch, but something is definitely going on–or why would everyone be working so hard to keep him away from her? If you like fated love stories, family conspiracies, and Southern gothic atmosphere, then you’ll enjoy this paranormal romance.

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Blind Date With a Book 2017

It’s February, and whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s or Galentine’s Day, your special someone can be found. . . at the UGL! Whether you’re looking for a night of passion or a long-term fling, the UGL can hook you up! With a book, that is. It’s time for Blind Date with a Book!

Likes: Travel (really distant travel), gardening, exploring Dislikes: My loser friends who ditched me Perfect Date: Stargazing

Here’s how it works:

  • Our lovingly-selected books and movies will be wrapped so the title, description, and author are hidden.
  • Like a certain dating app, our books will have a picture and their likes, dislikes, and “perfect date.”
  • Swipe right on your next great read by taking your wrapped book to circulation and checking it out!

There’s no limit on how many Blind Dates you can have. After it’s checked out, unwrap your book, take it home, and fall in love! Then let us know what you think of your Blind Date in the comments, or on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

Likes: Science, death, a good sense of humor Dislikes: Living people, being put in a box Perfect Date: Watching a corpse decompose

Don’t wait! Blind Date with a Book lasts as long as the books do, so stop by the Upper Level starting February 6th for your next great read.

Likes: Castles, time-travel, redheads Dislikes: The English Monarchy, witches, failed rebellions Perfect Date: A second (or third) honeymoon in the countryside

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Black History Month 2017

In 1976, President Gerald R. Ford urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history” and he designated the month of February officially as “Black History Month.” 50 years earlier, it had been conceived by Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History and was originally called “Negro History Week.” It was only celebrated for one week in the month of February, but it was the week that spanned the birthdays of President Abraham Lincoln and eminent abolitionist, Frederick Douglass.

The University of Illinois’s Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center, in collaboration with other organizations on campus, has put together over 20 events during the month of February to celebrate Black History Month and to bring cultural awareness and amazingly diverse programming to the community. Below are some events you should check out, and a link to their Facebook Page, where you can find more information about the events happening on campus. Plus, we’ve got the UGL’s pick for Black History Month reading: the graphic novel series entitled “March” by Congressman John Lewis.

 

Food for the Soul: Black History Month Kick-Off Celebration:

At 12pm on February 1st, the BNAACC is having a kick-off celebration! There will be a tasty Caribbean Grill meal, a performance by Soul Premiere, and a preview of their Black History Month events! Come join in the celebration, get some great food, and get ready for a great month of new experiences!

Black Composer Speaks: A Conversation with Jeffrey Mumford

Jeffrey Mumford- Composer

Image Courtesy of NewMusicBox.com

Thursday, February 9th from 12-1pm, visit the BNAACC to listen to Award-Winning Black Composer Jeffrey Mumford give an invigorating music talk. Recently, he has been a part of the “The Black Composer Speaks” series, which is a series of programs showcasing a range of new music by African American composers, where the World Premiere of his new piece “ …becoming” took place. Later that evening, the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at Illinois will be hosting a performance titled, “Sonic Illinois: The Black Composer Speaks,” which will include a piece by Mr. Mumford.

Information for that event can be found here: https://krannertcenter.com/events/sonic-illinois-black-composer-speaks

School Daze: Movies that Matter

School Daze by Spike Lee

School Daze by Spike Lee

Attend the first of 3 Spike Lee Films Showing at the Virginia Theater on February 13th at 7pm. School Daze is a film that is loosely based on Lee’s experiences as a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta. Actor Laurence Fishburne plays “Dap” in the musical comedy drama, a student who hopes to unify the study body to actively fight social inequity and addresses divisions within the African American community itself. It costs $5 to see School Daze, but for just $10 you can also attend 2 more Spike Lee films “Clockers” and “Malcom X” which will be shown on the 15th/16th and 17th/18th all at 7pm. For more information check out the Virginia Theater’s website: http://thevirginia.org/event/school-daze-1988/2017-02-13/

BlackTransMagick

BlackTransMagick

Image courtesy of awqwardtalent.com

BlackTransMagick is the duo of J Mase III, a Black/Trans/Queer Poet and Vita E a percussionist and poet. On Monday, February 20th at 7pm, they will be at the Illini Union Courtyard Cafe to will take you on a journey through poetry, movement and drums in a show inspired by their lives and the world around them. A video preview of their work can be found here: https://youtu.be/iwHswadl4Sc
For more Black History Month events check out the Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center’s Facebook, which has event pages for all of the events in February, or check out this poster which includes all of the events.

Black History Month Reading Pick:

March Trilogy

March Trilogy

Images courtesy of Amazon.com

The “March Trilogy” is a black and white graphic novel series written by Congressman John Lewis that tells the story of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement through his perspective.  These three beautiful graphic novels were published between August 2013 and August 2016 with beautiful writing assistance from Andrew Aydin and illustration and lettering by Nate Powell. The graphic accounts show the atrocities committed against African Americans in the United States, and the heroic actions of Lewis and his fellow Civil Rights Leaders. The books have won the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award, the Eisner Award, the Michael L. Printz for excellence in literature for young adults, and the Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award, among many others. The moving accounts from the 1960’s are beautifully juxtaposed against modern events, like the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

To find them in the catalog, follow each title’s link: March: Book OneMarch: Book Two,  March: Book Three

 

Did we miss something extremely important? Let us know on our Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram!

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Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (And the Space Race and Time Travel)

When you’re on an airplane, the Amtrak, or even in a giant peach this winter break, the best way to recover from the end of the semester might be a good book. Check out these books from the UGL today! No matter what their mode of travel, all of these books are going somewhere.

Changing Planes by Ursula K. Le Guin

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Were you ever waiting for a delayed flight in an airport and wished you could hop on a different plane to somewhere you have never been? Changing Planes is sort of like that except the different planes are actually fifteen societies not found on Earth. This is a short story collection that features the same main character who passes her long delay in an airport by visiting societies where the sole purpose is holiday shopping and another where adults are silent. Ursula K. Le Guin is known for her futuristic and imaginary worlds, and Changing Planes is no different.

Get it from the library

Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith

strangers

Two men meet in a twist of fate on a train: one a successful architect, Guy, who wants to divorce his wife and marry someone else, and the other a psychopath, Bruno, who wants his father dead. When the psychopath convinces the architect to “swap murders” with him so that neither has a motive for killing their victim and therefore avoid suspicion from police, Guy doesn’t take Bruno seriously. But when his wife ends up dead, Guy doesn’t know what to do. Bruno wants Guy to hold up his end of the bargain, and he’ll stop at nothing. This classic inspired the Hitchcock movie of the same name, so if you can’t read on trains, try the film, also at the UGL!

Get the book!

Get the film!

Ghostland: an American History in Haunted Places by Colin Dickey

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Okay, so this isn’t quite a roadtrip, but it does take you to some creepy spots around America! This book explores all those places you’ve heard of as “the most haunted mansion in America” or “the most haunted prison” and other, perhaps lesser known places. This book takes the reader through a different kind of history of America. This isn’t a book of ghost stories, but of tales of omitted history lessons and how we can learn from a ghost story.

Get it at the library

Kindred by Octavia Butler

octaviaebutler_kindred

Fans of science fiction and historical fiction can unite with this time-travel slave narrative by the award-winning science fiction author Octavia Butler. Dana, an African-American writer in 1976, is launched into pre-Civil War Maryland plantation. She travels back and forth from the plantation and meets her ancestors, a spoiled and selfish slave-owner and a free woman forced into slavery. This novel explores power, gender, interracial relationships, race, violence and egalitarianism. If you like your fantasy or science fiction with a social justice bent, check out this title and others by Octavia Butler.

Get it at the library

Hidden Figures: the American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly

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We’ve all heard about Neil Armstrong. Where are the women? Margot Lee Shetterly’s book answers that question! This book, soon to be a movie, tells the story of four exceptional black women called from their jobs teaching high school math to join the WWII effort and the space race. Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson and Christine Darden worked through segregation and discrimination for three decades to help Americans reach space. Read a different space story this time!

Get it at the library

The Wangs vs. The World by Jade Chang

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After a financial crisis in which he loses everything, a Chinese immigrant businessman and his family embark on a cross-country road trip from Bel-Air to upstate New York where they will stay with their “art world it-girl” eldest daughter. Along the way, his wife is about to leave the family for 1000-threadcount sheets they can no longer afford, his son is losing it for a temptress in New Orleans, and many other laughs are to be had in this comical look at the American family. The UGL has the audiobook and the print version, perfect for your own cross-country trip this break, however you’ll be getting there.

Get the book

Get the audiobook

Have some favorite travel reads of your own? Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram!

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December Events

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! December is a very busy month, which means lots of fun activities around campus and Champaign-Urbana. Take a break from studying and enjoy the holiday season around town as fall semester comes to a close.

Urbana First Fridays

ff

https://www.facebook.com/UrbanaFirstFridays/?fref=ts

Kick off the month with the Urbana December First Friday. From 4:30 to 11pm on December 2nd, stop by participating businesses in downtown Urbana for a night of delicious food and various cultures with over 30 events.  Mistletoe Market will also be taking place during this time. With 25 local artisans selling handmade items, this is a good chance to shop for holiday gifts (or #treatyoself) and support the local community.

The Nutcracker

nutcracker

https://krannertcenter.com/events/nutcracker

Starting Thursday, December 1st and running through Sunday, December 4th, watch the Champaign-Urbana Ballet perform the holiday classic, The Nutcracker, accompanied by the Champaign-Urbana Orchestra. The ballet will be performed at the Tyron Festival Theatre. Tickets range in price from $21 to $45, and they are going quickly!

Annual Krannert Carol Concert

krannert

https://krannertcenter.com/events/annual-carol-concert-2016

Come to the Foellinger Great Hall this Sunday, December 4th, at 3pm to join in with the choruses, instrumentalists, and fellow audience members to “celebrate the winter season!” With tickets starting at $4, this would be a fun and inexpensive way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

Season of Light

planetarium

http://www.chambanamoms.com/events/season-of-light-3-2016-12-02/

On December 17th, head to the William M. Staerkel Planetarium at Parkland College to learn about the history of many of the world’s holiday customs which all involve lighting up the winter season. Find out more information about historical religious and cultural rituals that take place during the winter solstice.  Tickets are $6 and can be purchased at the door.

Public Ice Skating

ice

https://campusrec.illinois.edu/programs/ice-skating/public-skating/

Really embrace the winter season by going ice skating! University of Illinois students receive free admission and $2 skate rentals. Check out the website for a complete list of times when the arena is open to the public.

Free Yoga

yoga

http://kam.illinois.edu/events/experiences.html

Did this semester stress you out? Find some relaxation at a free yoga class, offered every Tuesday from noon-1pm, at the Krannert Art Museum.

We hope we’ve covered the major events happening in Champaign-Urbana for the next month…but if we missed anything, let us know! Check out our Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram pages.

 

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