Axe News

Ribbon Cutting and Opening of the 1st Floor

Celebrate and explore the newly renovated first floor of Leonard H. Axe Library. Forty years after Leonard H. Axe Library opened, we will be celebrating the completion of the nearly $1 million renovation of the first floor. On Tuesday, October 8 at 2 p.m., there will be a brief ceremony at Axe Library and ribbon cutting.

The brief ceremony will have remarks from our president Dr. Steve Scott, Dean of Library Services Randy Roberts, Director of Special Collections Steve Cox, Assistant Professor of Biology Dr. Christine Brodsky, and student Grace Hendrickson. Following the ceremony and ribbon cutting, there will be refreshments from Axe Grind to celebrate their transformation and the space will be open to explore.

Visit Special Collections for an exhibit of photographs and artifacts illustrating the history of Library Services at Pittsburg State University. You can virtually view the renovation journey at: https://libguides.pittstate.edu/psulibreno.

Banned Books Week Celebration

As part of the American Library Association’s annual Banned Books Week, Leonard H. Axe Library will host activities that highlight themes of censorship and freedom to read. This year Banned Books Week is observed September 22^nd- 28^th.

On Tuesday September 24th, there will be activities engaging local high school. Please be aware of additional traffic at Axe Library in the morning.

On Thursday September 26th there are multiple activities to engage our students and community. These are open to all. If you are looking for extra credit for classes, there will be sign-up sheets.

Event 1. “Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oh My! The Banning of Children's Books in the 21st Century.” At 2pm in Axe Rm. 029

Dr. Susan Knell will share her wealth of experience as she discusses titles that have been challenges in the K-12 system. There will also be door prizes and snacks.

Event 2. Record Your Virtual Read-Out at 3pm in Axe Rm. 026

Join countless others in voicing your support for books that face challenges. Bring a favorite, or pick one of ours, and record yourself reading a short passage and explaining why it is an important book to you.

Contacts: Jorge León 620.235.4892 Ruth Monnier 620.235.4885

Check out the American Library Association for more information. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/banned .

Phase 4 Axe Library Renovations 2019

Coming Soon!! Axe Library will undergo a transformation this summer 2019.

Beginning in the Summer of 2019, Leonard H. Axe Library will start Phase 4 of its renovation. This phase will remodel the first floor.

Images below provide a sneak-peek of the plans underway. The furniture choices in the images do not reflect accurately the final decisions. These are just concept design placements.

The exciting additions include:

An Open Floor Design
Additional Study Rooms
A Newly Redesigned Axe Grind Coffee Shop
Centralized Information Service Points
Dedicated Tutoring Spaces

Keep an eye on our social media accounts for more information. Or contact Dean Randy Roberts at 620.235.4878 for more information.

The Little Blue Books at 100: Haldeman-Julius’s Revolutionary Publishing Venture

In March 1919, socialist publisher Emanuel Haldeman-Julius, of Girard, Kansas, began publishing what would become the Little Blue Books. Girard had been a major location of socialist and Free Thought publishing since the 1890s, and the home of the Appeal to Reason, the nation’s largest socialist newspaper. Haldeman-Julius took over the Appeal in 1919 and shortly thereafter began publishing the small, pocket sized booklets on a variety of subjects and titles. These little books went through a series of names before Haldeman-Julius settled on “Little Blue Books” in 1923. During the course of his career, which spanned over thirty years, Haldeman-Julius printed and sold an estimated 500,000,000+ Little Blue Books, with over 2000 different titles.

Haldeman-Julius, with help from his wife Marcet, revolutionized, if not created, mass-market publishing, making his products affordable to all. He also pushed the boundaries of publishing norms by being one of the earliest publishers to publish sexual education information. He created the self-help/improvement book, and was among the earliest to decry racial segregation and was the first to publish African-American literature anthologies. He also first printed the philosophical works of Will Durant.

The bulk of the Little Blue Books were printed prior to 1930, and Haldeman-Julius developed other publications and newspapers throughout his career. He developed a Big Blue Book series in 1925, issuing similar titles as his Little Blue Books throughout the 1930s and 1940s. Upon his death in 1951, back copies of his the publications continued to be sold by his son, but a fire in 1978 destroyed the Girard warehouse holding the remaining stock, effectively ending the Haldeman-Julius Printing Company era.

Keep checking this site for information about registration, lodging, and symposium schedule. For more information, contact Steve Cox at (620) 235-4883; spcox@pittstate.edu