New Book: Woman's fiction by Nina Baym

This reissue of the pioneering and standard book on antebellum women's domestic novels contains a new introduction situating the book in the context of important recent developments in the study of women's writing. Nina Baym considers 130 novels by 48 women, focusing on works by a dozen especially productive and successful writers.

You can find this book and more at the UNT Dallas Library. 

To request this book click here 

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University of North Texas at Dallas Honors Founding Librarian Leora Kemp

The University of North Texas at Dallas presented to Leora Kemp a plaque honoring her for her leadership, service, and support to the university and library this morning (Thursday April 14). Ms. Kemp was the founding librarian at the UNT Dallas campus.

Leora Kemp

Ceremony at UNT Dallas Library

UNT Dallas Librarian Brenda Robertson

UNT Dallas President Bob Mong, Brenda Robertson, Cindy Batman, and Leora Kemp

Leora

LEORA KEMP Biography

Leora Kemp served Texas students and libraries for nearly sixty years. She was known as a generous person who would hand out her cards to students, telling them that she was their “personal librarian.” People who worked with her referred to her as “a librarian’s librarian,” “the consummate librarian,” and “a wonderful supervisor.”

Her work in libraries started early as a student of Duncanville High School where she volunteered at the school library. She grew up in a world of books. Her mother and grandparents were voracious readers. She read anything from a Nancy Drew mystery, Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, or the World Book Encyclopedia. It was a Duncanville High School Teacher, Grace Brandenburg, who inspired Ms Kemp to continue her involvement with the library world.

Ms Kemp earned her bachelor’s degree at East Texas State (Texas A&M-Commerce), then earned her master’s degree in religious education at SMU’s Perkins Divinity School. For several years she worked at SMU’s Bridwell Library. After a short period at the University of Denver library and in New Mexico she moved to Alba, Texas where she taught middle school and worked at the school’s library. In 1978 she earned a master’s degree in library science from UNT and started working in the library at Texas State Technical Institute near Waco. In 1988 Ms Kemp began work at the Dallas Public library at Lakewood in East Dallas where she enjoyed serving the diverse user population. Five years later she transferred to the Hampton and Illinois Public Library branch of the Dallas public library.

While working at the Dallas Public Library she began researching adoption records. She would go on to assist 36 local residents to find their birth parents and relatives.

Ms Kemp began working at the UNT System Center at Dallas (University of North Texas at Dallas) on February 21, 2000. On her first day she was tasked with building a new library with only three empty book shelves, no tables, no chairs, and dozens of computers that were scheduled to be placed throughout the building. She admitted some apprehension after her first day, but she began networking with area libraries and serving on as many leadership committees as possible. With these relationships and insights, she laid the foundation of UNT Dallas’ virtual library.

When asked about her legacy Ms Kemp said she would like to be remembered as, “somebody who would listen and be empathetic...I’ve often told my staff that I want this library to be known as having the best service-attitude in the North Texas area. I’d say the world but that’s a little far-flung yet.” Ms Kemp said that her work as a librarian has been a “blessing from God, and I wish everybody had an opportunity in their lifetime to love a job as much as I’ve loved this one.”

Ms Kemp is the oldest child of Jimmy and Dorothy Barnham Kemp and has two brothers and a sister.

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How Sweet It Is: The Truth About Hidden Sugar in Your Food

Many people consider sugary foods like soda pop, candy, cakes, chocolate and other desserts "junk food". We all know those treats aren't necessarily good for us - eating sugary treats can cause cavities, but increasing evidence suggests that diets which are lower in added sugars are associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, certain cancers, and type 2 diabetes. Added sugar in our diets, isn't necessarily a bad thing (there's a lot of misinformation out there about sugar being toxic...), but Americans are eating and drinking way too much sugar (much more than 30 years ago).

How much sugar are we really eating?

 According to the 2015 Dietary Guideline for Americans, added sugars account for an average of 270 calories per day in an American's diet, most of which come from beverages, then from snacks and sweets such as cakes, pies, cookies, etc. There are many recommendations for how much sugar should be included in your diet, but the 2015 Dietary Guidelines recommended that Americans should aim for 10% or less of their calories from added sugar each day. The World Health Organization (and the American Heart Association) further reduces that recommendation to just 5% of calories (about 6 teaspoons for women, 9 teaspoons for men) for further health benefits. These recommendations for teaspoons or calories of sugar go lower as calorie needs decrease, so children and older adults usually need much less sugar.

While some foods contain natural sugars, such as fruit (fructose) and dairy products (lactose), other foods will have sugars added in order to sweeten them (or if you like food science, sugar can also help preserve foods and aid in giving foods a certain texture, color, etc.) but don't really add any nutrition besides added calories.

We aren't talking about those sometimes foods you already know are sweet, like ice cream, cake, cookies, candy and other desserts - those foods can still be part of your diet, but you probably already know they shouldn't be part of your diet every day. We start to run into problems with weight maintenance and energy levels when our every day diet is full of added sugar (it adds up easily!), in addition to those sweet treats every once in a while.

Be Savvy About Label-Reading

Many people are surprised to find sugar on the label of their favorite foods, including foods that don't even taste sweet or in foods that are seemingly healthy. This is how we are eating up to an average of 270 calories of added sugar per day. It's not just a soda or cookie once in a while - it's those foods plus all the food processed with sugar we are including in our every day diets.

On the ingredient label, sugar can be called many names: brown sugar, cane sugar, evaporated cane juice, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, brown rice syrup, raw sugar and crystal solids, agave nectar, honey, maple syrup, barley malt, dextrose, etc. 

You can probably find one or more types of sugar on your food labels - it can be a challenge to avoid sneaky sugar in products. Some of the foods labeled as being "healthy" or "natural" may contain more than half of the recommended 6 teaspoons of added sugars, especially in foods like flavored yogurt and other dairy products, granola, cereal, oatmeal packets, peanut butter, dried fruit, flavored milk (including flavored non-dairy milks), fruit juice, and sauces.

FYI - If you're looking at a label, 1 teaspoon of sugar is 4 grams. For reference, Honey Nut Cheerios contains 9 grams of sugar per serving, from added sugar, so over 2 teaspoons in a 3/4 cup serving. But how much is your portion? If you eat a cup and a half of that cereal, you're up to almost 5 teaspoons of sugar...

Many other snacks contain more sugar than you thought: A popular organic "snack bar" has 44 grams of carbohydrates, of which 21 grams are "sugars" - sugars coming from dairy, fruit, or added sugar. In this case, the first ingredient on the ingredient list (meaning the bar contains the MOST of that ingredient by weight) is "organic brown rice syrup." Down the ingredients list (highlighted below), there are 4 other types of sugar: organic cane syrup, organic dried cane syrup, dried cane syrup and barley malt extract. For a snack bar, 21 grams of sugar seems like quite a bit of sugar, and the fact that it's organic doesn't make very much difference to your body, honestly. 

Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Organic Rolled Oats, Soy Protein Isolate, Organic Roasted Soybeans, Rice Flour, Organic Chia Seeds, Organic Cane Syrup, Organic Cranberries, Organic Dried Cane Syrup, Organic Soy Flour, Dried Strawberries, Organic Oat Fiber, Dried Cane Syrup, Organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Soybean Oil, Natural Flavors, Citric Acid, Pomegranate Powder, Salt, Barley Malt Extract, Mixed Tocopherols (Antioxidant). 

To choose healthier snacks/consume less sugar, make sure to check that label - if sugar is the first or second ingredient, try to find a comparable product with less grams of sugar. Compare two items and choose the one with less sugar on the label per serving!

• Choose plain yogurt and add your own honey/jam and fresh fruit. If you like the convenience of pre-packaged yogurts, compare brands. Some brands and flavors contain way more sugar than others, especially the fat-free flavored yogurts. Take a peek at your "light" yogurt ingredients - does it contain more than just milk, sugar, and added cultures? Does it contain thickeners, like pectin, gums, corn starch, carrageenan, or chicory root fiber? Many of the 100-calorie or light yogurts contain extra ingredients and artificial sweeteners. Choosing a 2% or full fat yogurt and adding your own sweetness will be a more satisfying snack. 
• Make your own granola bars/energy bites. This especially goes for any chocolate-coated bars and snacks - if you want a dessert, eat a dessert! Snack bars that contain chocolate or candy pieces are just glorified candy bars, even if they use artificial sweeteners. 
• Don't drink your fruit (juice) - Eat a piece of whole fruit, instead. A whole piece of fruit has all the same sweetness as juice, but has added fiber that prevents your blood sugar from spiking so quickly. If you have a habit of drinking juice, try adding half the amount to some water or sparkling water.
• Make your own salad dressings - the low fat dressings often contain WAY more ingredients and sugar than a vinaigrette or full-fat dressing. A homemade vinaigrette made with olive oil, vinegar and spices contains healthy fats that help you digest some of the vitamins in your salad,  without all the extra sugar and other additives/
• Cook at home more often. Restaurant and frozen meals will often contain more sugar than if you had cooked the same meal at home.
• Swap out your morning cereal with foods that contain less sugar. Try whole grain oatmeal with a banana and milk, or whole grain toast with scrambled eggs. A higher-protein breakfast is often more satisfying and will have you feeling less "snacky" later in the day, so try to include eggs, dairy, beans, meat, nuts and seeds at breakfast. 

Want help getting started? Meet with a Registered Dietitian at the Sanford Sports Science Institute by calling 605-312-7878. 

NPR ||  New Dietary Guidelines Crack Down On Sugar. But Red Meat Gets A Pass

Real Mom Nutrition || What a Day's Worth of Sugar Really Looks Like  -- Surprising!

Harvard's "The Nutrition Source" || Added Sugar in the Diet

The Washington Post || Where People in the World Eat the Most Sugar and Fat

Today's Dietitian || High Protein Snacking

Siggi's || Simple Swaps and Substitutions  -- Great for cooking and baking!

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New Book: Wuthering Heights: complete authoritative text with biographical and historical contexts, critical history, and essays from five contemporary critical perspectives by Emily Bronte edited by Linda H. Peterson

In 19th century Yorkshire, the passionate attachment between a headstrong young girl and a foundling boy brought up by her father causes disaster for them and many others, even in the next generation.

You can find this book and more at the UNT Dallas Library.

To request this book click  here

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New Book: The goddesses' henchmen by Lindsey Harlan

The Rajputs ruled the vast majority of the kingdoms that were joined together after Indian Independence to form the state Rajasthan, "Land of Kings." An important part of Rajput religion is the worship of "heroes" who have died in battle. In this book, Harlan explores the idea of the Rajput hero.

 You can find this book and more at the UNT Dallas library.  

To request this book click here
 

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William Wordsworth's Birthday

Today in 1770 William Wordsworth was born. Wordsworth was one of the leading thinkers and poets of the Romantic Movement in English Literature. You can read his poetry here.

The book  William Wordsworth in Context  presents over thirty short chapters that provides cultural and historic context to the writings of Wordsworth. Chapters cover family life, friendships, political, scientific, and historical background vital for truly understanding the writings based upon the time the poems were written.

William Wordsworth, the poetic life is a critical biography of the poet that challenges the traditional opinion that Wordsworth achieved most of his literary fame during a golden decade from 1797-1807 and a gradual decline for the next 40 years of his life. Instead the author provides close readings of many poems that demonstrate the continued vitality of the poet from his early writings published in the Lyrical Ballads to the epic poem The Prelude published shortly after his death.

Life is divided into three terms – that which was, which is, and which will be. Let us learn from the past to profit by the present, and from the present, to live better in the future.

                                                                                                                  William Wordsworth

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New Book: Gender and race in antebellum popular culture by Sarah N. Roth

"In the decades leading to the Civil War, popular conceptions of African American men shifted dramatically. The savage slave featured in 1830s' novels and stories gave way by the 1850s to the less-threatening humble Black martyr. This radical reshaping of Black masculinity in American culture occurred at the same time that the reading and writing of popular narratives were emerging as largely feminine enterprises. In a society where women wielded little official power, white female authors exalted white femininity, using narrative forms such as autobiographies, novels, short stories, visual images, and plays, by stressing differences that made white women appear superior to male slaves. This book argues that white women, as creators and consumers of popular culture media, played a pivotal role in the demasculinization of Black men during the antebellum period, and consequently had a vital impact on the political landscape of antebellum and Civil War-era America through their powerful influence on popular culture"

You can find this book and more at the UNT Dallas Library. 

To request this book click here 

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