Bison Library Bytes

Here’s a phrase I’m not sure I’ve heard before: “cognitive liberty.” We speak about other types of liberty often enough: freedom of speech and freedom of religion to name two. But what about “the right to self-determination over our brains and mental experiences” (Introduction, p. 8)? Before you think I’m going to tell you about a new science fiction novel we received (which I’m not), you should recognize that current advances in neurotechnology is making this a valid, indeed an urgent, concept for us to consider today. Nita A. Farahany’s 2023 book, The Battle for Your Brain: Defending the Right to Think Freely in the Age of Neurotechnology, discusses important questions such as the following pulled from the “Introduction”:

• Should we—or will we want to—directly track information gleaned from our own brains, or have that information filtered for us by a trusted intermediary instead, much as we count on medical doctors to make sense of an MRI or CT?
• … 
• Does freedom of thought protect us from government tracking our brains and mental processes? (Introduction, pp. 7-8)

The introduction alone is enough to make me wonder if we’re living in the stages leading up to some of our most popular dystopian stories. In fact, the author provides an example of an event reminiscent of The Minority Report. Neurotechnology is here to stay. In many ways it can provide needed assistance and improve lives.  Farahany wants us to think about how it will change us, our society, and what we can do “to protect our freedom of thought and rumination, mental privacy, and self-determination over our brains and mental experiences” as the technology continues to advance (Introduction, p. 11). These are important concepts for each of us to consider in our increasingly connected world.

The book is currently on the New Book display in the Opelika LRC. Come by and see some of the other interesting resources we’ve received!

Farahany, N. A. (2023). The Battle for Your Brain: Defending the Right to Think Freely in the Age of Neurotechnology. St. Martin’s Press. [RC 343 .F37 2023]

Today is the 80^th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, more simply called VE Day. Though we do not celebrate it much in the United States, there are multi-day events commemorating the day in countries such as Great Britain. This day commemorates the unconditional surrender of Germany, ending World War II in Europe. We have a small display of related books in the library in honor of this historic day. Eight Days in May: The Final Collapse of the Third Reich by Volker Ullrich looks at the days between Adolph Hitler and Eva Braun’s deaths on April 30, 1945, and the official surrender on May 7-8, 1945. Ullrich “draws on an astonishing variety of sources, including diaries and letters of ordinary Germans, to narrate a society’s descent into Hobbesian chaos” (from the dust jacket). The effects of major events on everyday people is always interesting. This book looks like a fascinating account of the last difficult days of a war the effects of which are still felt today. The book is on display and available for check out.

Interested in more information about VE Day? Check out the Imperial War Museums’ page “What You Need To Know About VE Day.”

One of the magazines we still get in the Opelika library is CCJournal, or the Community College Journal. This monthly journal frequently has interesting feature articles that I wish more people knew about. This month is no exception. “Easing the Burden” by Douglas J. Guth (an education writer) asks the question, “In what ways can community colleges better support the needs of parenting learners?” From the students I have interacted with in the library, I know we have many students parenting children from newborn through college age. These students have different needs from the more traditional student body. The article helps highlight some ways community colleges are supporting parents who are also students.

The second article I wanted to highlight is “Guiding Students Through Trauma” by Ed Finkel, another education writer. This article does not suggest that faculty, administrators, or staff should be trauma counselors. Instead, citing a 2017 report that showed “roughly two-thirds of community college students have experienced at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE)…and between 20% and 30% have experienced two or more,” Finkel argues that community colleges need to be “trauma-informed.” This means understanding how trauma, whether from a childhood experience or military service, can affect learning and persistence through the program.

To read these articles, come by the library. You can also access these articles online on the American Association of Community Colleges Community College Journal page.