It’s the beginning of a new academic year, with all the excitement, new students, and parking woes that come along with it (why does the parking thing surprise me every year?).

This fall, BCLC will host some of our regularly scheduled annual events, as well as welcome back some past favorites, and offer some new opportunities to engage. We hope you’ll join us.

Fall Open Hours:

You can find the Butler Center open to Dominican students, faculty, staff, and the public during weekly open hours. Stop in for visits/studying/research on Monday 2pm-5pm and Tues-Thurs 1-4pm, Or reach out to make a special appointment. Watch for expanded hours later this fall.

BCLC Welcomes New Butler Scholar:

This summer, Vanessa Crisostomo was awarded the Butler Youth Services Scholarship for Underrepresented Groups in the Field of Library and Information Science.

Vanessa Crisostomo is a high school teacher at Prosser Career Academy. She is a graduate of Chicago Public Schools and received her bachelor’s in education from Northeastern Illinois University in 2018.  Her professional experiences include facilitating team building for schools and groups, and 6 years in classroom instruction with four years of IB experience. Vanessa is pursuing her master’s in library science with the School Library Media endorsement. She is passionate about helping to increase access to programs, resources, and librarians in school. Vanessa is inspired by her students and hopes to bring back resources, strategies, and knowledge.  

Please join us in welcoming Vanessa to the Butler community. We wish her the best in her role as a Butler Scholar. Visit our website for information about the scholarship program and application procedures.

Look for Us at AISLE:

BCLC will join the DU School of Information Studies at the AISLE Annual Fall Conference November 7^th -9^th in Tinley Park. You’ll find us all over the place, but watch out for these opportunities:

• The Dominican SLMP booth
• The SOIS Alumni Reception (stay tuned for more info)
• In a learning session dedicated to BCLC collections and resources:
  • Butler Children’s Literature Center—Research and Review Resources Friday, November 8^th Session 2 at 9:15 am—in North Pavilion 1
  • From the conference schedule: “Did you know there was a local center for the study of children’s literature right in your own backyard? The Butler Children’s Literature Center commits itself to imagination and wonder, encouraging and supporting adults in libraries, classrooms, childcare centers, and homes to engage young people with good books. Meet the Curator and discover the programming, tools, and collection resources on offer at the Center, including book reviews, lectures, community events, new book collections (spanning board books to young adult titles), special book collections (including the Ellin Greene Storytelling Collection and the Effie Lee Morris African American Children’s Book Collection), and an annual book sale. Located in the Rebecca Crown Library at Dominican University, the Center supports students in library science and education, as well as local librarians, teachers, caregivers, and book lovers. Get to know the BCLC now, then schedule a visit to explore the collections for yourself.”

It’s (Almost) Book Sale Time:

Save the date for the annual Butler Book Sale. Join us December 4^th-7^th for book recommendations, holiday shopping, and refreshing your library, classroom, or personal collection. All sale proceeds support Butler Center programming and events.

Stay Tuned for More Fall Fun:

We’re excited to bring back the Ellin Green Memorial Storytelling Tea. Gather with fellow storytellers and story lovers to celebrate this lovely tradition and the woman who donated (and still inspires) the Folk and Fairy Tale research collection here at the Butler Center. Details and registration information coming later this fall.

In a new addition to BCLC fall programming, the Center will host drop in Creative Days for writers and illustrators from the DU community and beyond to spend time on their work in company with other artists and in a space dedicated to the best in youth literature. Dates to be announced soon.

More About the Butler Center:

The Butler Children’s Literature Center is Dominican University’s examination center dedicated to the research and review of literature for young people. A non-circulating library collection, the staff is here to assist you in locating books that address specific themes, age groups, or reading levels in the rotating review collection and exploring or research in the permanent collections.

The Butler Center is located in the Rebecca Crown Library, room 214, on Dominican’s main campus at 7900 W. Division Street in River Forest, Illinois. Directions and a campus map are available here. The Butler Center is administered by Dominican’s School of Information Studies and is generously supported by the donations from the community. If you’d like to make a gift toward the Center’s continuing success, please contact Jen Clemons, Butler Children’s Literature Center Curator, for more information.

We hope you’ll visit or join us for an event, and stay tuned for our news and upcoming events.