Banned Books Week

What if someone told you that reading The Hunger Games was forbidden? What if you were not allowed to read the Harry Potter series or The Great Gatsby? Come support the freedom to read what you choose during our Banned Books Week celebration, which runs Sept. 28 to Oct. 2 at the Kimbel Library and Bryan Information Commons.

On Monday, Sept. 28, Kimbel Library will present a virtual read-out of banned books read by CCU faculty, staff and students.

On Wednesday, Sept. 30, stop by the library and take a mugshot photo with your favorite banned book. Photos will be posted on the Kimbel Library Twitter page at twitter.com/kimbellibrary.

All events are free and open to the public.

Library Pirate Week

Ahoy mateys! Kimbel Library will be celebrating Talk Like a Pirate Day with several events during the week of Sept. 14 to 18.

On Tuesday, Sept. 15, use your geocaching skills to find our hidden treasure!

On Wednesday, Sept. 16, in partnership with the Horry County Archives Center, Kimbel Library will present author Kevin Duffus, who will speak about his novel The Last Days of Black Beard the Pirate. This talk takes place at 7:00 PM in the Coastal Theater located in the Lib Jackson Student Union.

Then celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day on Friday, Sept. 18 with Pirate's Booty popcorn, selfies with a pirate and temporary library tattoos.

More events to be announced. Visit coastal.edu/library for updates. Come and enjoy the festivities, ya landlubbers! All events are free and open to the public.

Hispanic Heritage Month

Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month at Kimbel Library. First observed in 1968, National Hispanic Heritage Month recognizes the rich heritage, culture and contributions of Hispanics and Latinos in the United States. The celebration coincides with the independence days of several Latin American countries, including El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica (all September 15), Mexico (September 16), and Chile (September 18).

According to the 2014 Census, more than 50 million people identify as Hispanic or Latino in the U.S., making up 17 percent of the national population. In South Carolina, Hispanics make up 5.3 percent of the population. At Coastal Carolina University, more than 300 Undergraduate and Graduate students identify as Hispanic, making up nearly 3.6 percent of the University’s total enrollment.

Interestingly, South Carolina’s own Spanish history goes all the way back to the 1500s, when colonists led by Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón briefly settled the area near present-day Georgetown and Pawleys Island. The Spanish also established Santa Elena on Parris Island, near present-day Beaufort. Initially settled by the French, Santa Elena served as the first capital of Spanish Florida from 1566 to 1587.

Kimbel Library has a wide selection of books and films by Hispanics and Latinos, including Gabriel García Márquez (Colombia), Jorge Luis Borges (Argentina), Julio Cortázar (Argentina), Pablo Neruda (Chile), Carlos Fuentes (Mexico), Octavio Paz (Mexico), Mario Vargas Llosa (Peru), Isabel Allende (Chile), Julia Alvarez (Dominican Republic), Sandra Cisneros (Mexico), Alejandro González Iñárritu (Mexico), Guillermo del Toro (Mexico), and others, all available for checkout. Check out the books and films on display at the library this month to celebrate and learn about Hispanic heritage!

[Image courtesy CultureALL]

Pirate Week - Blackbeard

This Wednesday as part of Kimbel Library Pirate Week, Kevin Duffus, author of The Last Days of Black Beard the Pirate, and 2014-2015 North Carolina Historian of the Year (N.C. Society of Historians), will speak about his book and the historical research that went into writing it. His research challenges the traditional image of the notorious Blackbeard. Come hear why the truth is more interesting than the tale.

The Last Days of Blackbeard the Pirate is brought to you as part of Pirate Week at Kimbel Library. This talk is part of the History Talk series, which is sponsored by the Horry County Archives Center, and takes place at the Lib Jackson Student Union Theatre on Wednesday, Sep. 16 at 7:00 PM. Admission is free and open to the public.