Research Tip of the Day 
By Kate Adler, Director of Library Services 

Take a look at the library’s new COVID-19 Research Guide.   

Now is a time when we see how very important it is to have good information. Amid the COVID-19 crisis, we see clearly that accurate information can save lives. But what information can you trust? There are no pat answers and that is why we need to think critically and ask questions. Questions like: Who wrote this? Why? What is their agenda? Where did they get their information from? How well do they understand this subject? What is their evidence? 

We’ve put together a research guide to help you to find good information about COVID-19. None of this comes from us, we are not experts. But librarians are pretty good at helping to figure out who the experts are. You’ll see that our guide is very simple, and it mainly points to governmental agencies, who, in this particular crisis, have a lot of the expertise and a lot of the data. Another source of expertise is the faculty in the Emergency Management Program here at MCNY. They reviewed our guide too and gave us their input. 

Eclectic Reading in the Time of COVID-19 
By Gregory Lewis, Library Assistant – Technology Specialist

My choice of books to read can be considered eclectic. I can go from sci-fi to noir or Stephen King at the drop of a hat. A couple of summers ago, I came across the novel My Sister, the Serial Killer–very entertaining! The author, Oyinkan Braithwaite, I found to be very witty, especially regarding sisterly love/rivalry and the way the innocent narrator enables her guilty sister’s bad habit. Check it out. I think the first few pages will make you a fan!

This is but one of a few books that I think may be good summer reading material.  

If you would like something more in line with our current state of affairs, then you can’t miss these must–reads: 

  1. The Stand by Stephen King 
  2. The Eyes of Darkness by Dean Koontz 
  3. World War Z by Max Brooks 
  4. 1922 by Stephen King (This is just a really good story) 
  5. Pandemic and Genome by A G. Riddle 

I guess you can tell from this list that I am a horror fan.  

I started reading as a child as a form of vacation/travel, a way of getting to view places and things through the eyes of the writer. I always wonder when speaking with people what they read. So, here’s a simple question for you: What is it that you like to read and what is the feeling/experience that comes from reading for you? 

MCNY Library Emerging Book Club Survey 

To follow up on that question, please take our very brief survey here so we can determine how best to facilitate some virtual reading groups for you in the summer semester.