Libraries & Digital Learning

Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut

Category: Announcements

Free Speech and the Power of Expression

November 6, 2025 /

What does it mean to speak freely, and who gets to decide where the limits lie? This month’s library display explores the evolving story of free speech through history, activism, media, and higher education. From the outspoken activism of Emma Goldman to the digital disinformation era, these books highlight how expression has shaped (and been shaped by) democracy, identity, and power.

The display features over 60 titles, including A Dangerous Woman: The Graphic Biography of Emma Goldman, Cheap Speech, Freedom for the Thought That We Hate, and Perilous Times: Free Speech in Wartime. Together, they trace the freedom of opinion from the early 20th century to today’s online debates and campus dialogues.

For college students, free speech isn’t just a constitutional topic… it’s a lived experience! It grounds academic freedom, fuels activism, and challenges each of us to listen, debate, and learn in a diverse community. In a time of rapid information exchange and deep polarization, these books encourage reflection on how expression can both empower and endanger, connect and divide.

Visit the display in the library this month to explore the many sides of free speech; past, present, and future.

All are welcome to browse, reflect, and join the conversation.

 

More Than Just a Display, Celebrating the Freedom to Read

October 7, 2025 /

Banned Books Week is here, and this year we’re taking it to the next level. The library team has put together a big, bold display and a full week of events to celebrate the freedom to read and to explore stories that have been challenged, banned, or restricted in schools and libraries around the world.

You’ll find the display in the library all month long, packed with books that have sparked debate and conversation—from classics like The Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird, & Slaughterhouse-Five, to newer titles like The Hate U Give, Fun Home, Gender Queer, and Harry Potter. Some books include a short note explaining why it was banned or challenged, and we think you’ll be surprised by some of the reasons. The goal isn’t just to show what’s been censored, but to celebrate why these stories matter and why access to all voices is worth protecting.

Throughout the week, we’re also hosting a series of events for anyone who wants to get involved, learn something new, or just have some fun. On Monday, October 6, drop by the Cave Patio for an all-day read-out of 1984. You can listen, or grab the mic and read a few lines of one of the most famous banned books of all time. On Tuesday, stop by Level A for Blind Date with a Banned Book—pick a mystery book wrapped in paper, check it out, and take home a surprise story. On Wednesday, come to the A Level Gallery for the opening of Celebrate People’s History, a poster exhibit honoring social justice movements and the people who made them happen.

The week wraps up on Thursday, October 9, with a visit from Emily Drabinski, librarian, professor, and past president of the American Library Association. She’ll give a talk called “Beyond Book Bans: Building Power for the World We Want” (with lunch provided!), followed by a hands-on zine-making workshop in the afternoon and a reception to close out the day.

All events are free and open to everyone, and you’re welcome to drop in for any part that interests you. Whether you stop by the display, read a banned book, make a zine, or just join a conversation, you’ll be part of a campus-wide celebration of curiosity, creativity, and the freedom to read.

Semester in Motion: Explore Helpful Resources on Level A

September 10, 2025 /

The semester is well underway, and now’s a great time to pause, catch your breath, and see what Trinity College Library has to offer. Our “Back to School” book display on Level A is packed with resources to help support your college journey.

Whether you’re just finding your rhythm in college life or looking for ways to sharpen your study skills, this display has something for everyone. You’ll find:

  • College Prep & Academic Readiness: Crack the Code: A Guide to College Success for First Gens, College Rules!, The Freshman Survival Guide
  • Digital Literacy & Research Skills: Digital Paper, Where Research Begins, The College Student’s Research Companion
  • First-Year Student Wellness & Mental Health: Self-Care for College Students, College Student Mental Health and Wellness, Fast Focus, Communication Skills for Healthier Boundaries
  • Adjusting to College Life & Social Skills: The Naked Roommate, Goodnight Dorm Room, Connecting in College, Sex, College, & Social Media

Take a few minutes to stop by Level A, browse the books, and maybe even check one out. Whether you’re tackling classes, making friends, or just figuring out college life, these resources can help you feel a little more confident and prepared. And as always, our  staff is here to help you find exactly what you need!

Information Services Statement Supporting Anti-Racism

July 8, 2020 /

The unjust deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, and so many other people of color through police brutality and other symptoms of systemic racism, have devastated our communities. In response, Information Services at Trinity College affirms that Black Lives Matter. It is our responsibility as citizens to eliminate all forms of systemic racism that pervade our society and, as a result, our campus. This work will be neither quick nor easy. Indeed, precisely because of this difficulty we must take it up, recognizing that the work of education cannot be complete until all are free.

As a first step, we express our support for and agreement with President Joanne Berger-Sweeney’s call to action, as well as the Oberlin Group Statement Against Racism, the ALA’s Libraries Respond: Black Lives Matter Plan for Action, and Educause’s Statement on Racial Justice and Recent Events. Although libraries and IT organizations ought to be, and often have been, engines for social change, we have also too often reinforced and even exacerbated the injustice in society writ large. Moving forward, we must work constantly to facilitate social justice. We take that mission seriously.

We look forward to joining in this work with students, faculty, staff, and the broader Trinity community, and encourage members of that broader community to reach out with any ideas on how we can become a more inclusive, equitable institution. We’ve begun with our Antiracism Reading List, and we pledge to support further research into Trinity’s own history and archives. We look forward to working with the Umoja Coalition, whose demands we support. In particular, we commit to diversifying Information Services staff and partnering with Black student organizations to combat systemic racism in our organization.

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