The Library’s Overnight Artist

Drawing of custodians as superheroes

Like a spider who works to build or repair a web at night, Mark Fortuna, the evening custodian for the library, has created small art masterpieces for staff and students to enjoy. Do you remember the book Charlotte’s Web? In the book Charlotte, a spider uses her silk and talent to save Wilber the pig. Overnight she would weave works of art designed to grab attention and promote Wilbur as some terrific, radiant, and humble pig. These webs of positivity would grab people’s attention, and they would marvel at her creativity, skill, dedication, and love for her friend. Her creations not only saved Wilbur’s life but also brought joy and happiness to the people who saw them.

If you have not stopped by the library lately, you have been missing out on our very own nocturnal artist. Like Charlotte, Mark Fortuna, the library’s evening custodian, has been using his imagination, talent, and skills to bring smiles and joy to those who come into the library. Some morning when we arrive, we find that our resident artist has created another drawing on one of the whiteboards for us to enjoy. Last week he drew an image called “Super Custodians.” In this drawing, he featured himself and others as superheroes which rings true as we certainly all believe that Mark is a super person!

Drawing of three men

Drawing of a group of men

International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV)

March 31st is the International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV). This week, here at the GRCC Library, we visibly display some of our resources highlighting and providing information about our transgender community. According to Olivia Hunt of the National Center for Transgender Equality:

 “Trans Day of Visibility is a day specifically to celebrate trans people’s lives and joys, not as struggles, but as triumphs as something to be happy about, to be proud of, to stand up and say that we are here, we are happy, we’re part of our community and our lives are important. That our lives are worthy and we should be celebrated.” 

GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, provides the following links to resources designed to provide information and help us create and maintain a more trans-inclusive environment. 

• Gender Terminology Discussion Guide
• Pronoun Resource
• Know Your Rights Guide 
• Guide to Making Student Clubs Inclusive
• Trans Model Policy

You can find more information about these resources and others on their website at www.glsen.org. 

So to celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility, educate yourself by checking out these links and/or stop in the library to check out some of the resources we have in support of the Transgender community. 

Transgender Book Display

March is National Criminal Justice Month

Established by the United States Congress in 2009, National Criminal Justice Month’s purpose is to promote societal awareness around the causes and consequences of crime, as well as strategies for preventing and responding to crime.

The criminal justice system touches the lives of nearly every American in some form or another: the United States has more jails than colleges and it incarcerates over two million people—more than any other country in the world. It employs another three million criminal justice professionals and supervises over five million adults on probation or parole.

GRCC prepares students for careers in a variety of criminal justice areas including addiction studies, corrections, juvenile services, and law enforcement. Visit the GRCC Criminal Justice Department at for more information.

National Criminal Justice Month Display

The GRCC Library and Learning Commons supports the Criminal Justice Department by purchasing books and other materials which support their programs.  The library is recognizing National Criminal Justice Month with a book display highlighting a number of areas of criminal justice including, law enforcement, the courts, corrections and rehabilitation, careers in criminal justice, and equity, diversity, and inclusion in criminal justice.

International Women’s Day

Today, March 8, 2022, is International Women’s Day. IWD is a global recognition and celebration of women. The first IWD celebration occurred in 1911 in Denmark, and now it is recognized and celebrated worldwide. 

The day is commemorated yearly by:

• Highlighting the achievements of women
• Raising awareness surrounding women’s equity ( Ex. Equal Pay Gap) 
• Promoting and fundraising for organizations and efforts focused on women’s concerns and gender equity. 

This year the theme of IWD is “Break the Bias,” which is meant to shed awareness of unconscious and implicit bias against women. In recognition of IWD and the 2022 theme, #BreakTheBias, here is a short list of GRCC eBooks supporting the cause.  

Click on the book cover to gain access. If accessing from home, you will have to enter your last name and Raider ID number. 

Book: Invisible Women : Data Bias in a World Designed for Men

Book: Suffrage: Women’s Long Battle for the Vote

Book: A Black Women’s History of the United States

Book: Women and the UN: a New History of Women’s International Human Rights

Book: Women and Trade : The Role of Trade in Promoting Gender Equality

Feminism : The March Toward Equal Rights for Women

Shelf Spotlight: Masters at Work

Masters at Work Book Jackets

Masters at Work is a series of books focused on the professional lives and journeys of people in various career fields. Each book is written by a professional journalist and it exposes the reader to an authentic and realistic account of the highs and lows for people in several top professions. Some of the occupations covered in this series include:

• Becoming a Teacher
• Becoming an Architect
• Becoming a Baker
• Becoming an Interior Designer
• Becoming a Social Worker

We have 17 titles in this series so stop by and check them out.