Trout Library Blog - Library Guides at Charles H. Trout Library

With Earth Day coming up on April 22, I invite you to peruse my Climate Change, Energy & Sustainability library guide and also have a look at our book display on the slatwall just inside the Library entrance. A link to the guide can be found by Clicking on Research Guides on the Library's homepage and then clicking on the Special Topics tab.

The guide contains tabs for relevant websites, databases, videos and podcasts, books, articles, reports, and more. The website tab is broken down into the following categories: Climate Change Research & Data, Climate Change News, Weather, and Sustainability & Renewable Energy. Among the many interesting and informative websites that you will find are: Climate Central, which provides research and reporting by leading scientists and journalists about climate change and its impact on the public; Skeptical Science, which explains climate change science and rebuts misinformation; World Weather Attribution, which details studies that examine the extent to which climate change is responsible for individual weather events; and a link to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Below are some highlights from the book display. All books on the display are available to be checked out:

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson

Call Number: 363.73 .C321A 1994

Originally written in 1962, Rachel Carson documents the environmental harm caused by the indiscriminate use of pesticides. Her book helped to launch the environmental movement.

Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit by Al Gore

Call Number: 363.7 .G665 2006

Originally published in 1992, the former vice president describes how human actions and decisions can endanger or safeguard the vulnerable ecosystem that sustains us all, focusing on the threats that everyday choices pose to our climate, water, soil, and diversity of plant and animal life.

The Climate Book by Greta Thunberg

Call Number: 363.73874 .T536 2023

Greta Thunberg has gathered the wisdom of over one hundred experts - geophysicists, oceanographers and meteorologists; engineers, economists and mathematicians; historians, philosophers and indigenous leaders to equip us all with the knowledge that we need to combat climate disaster. Includes illuminating and often shocking grayscale charts, graphs, diagrams, photographs, and illustrations to underscore research and arguments.

Climate Change: What Everyone Needs to Know by Joseph Romm

Call Number: 363.73874 .R766 2018

Provides an overview of the science, conflicts, and implications of our warming planet. Broken down into the following seven chapters: Climate Science Basics, Extreme Weather and Climate Change, Projected Climate Impacts, Avoiding the Worst Impacts, Climate Politics and Policies, The Role of Clean Energy, and Climate Change and You. Each chapter features numerous questions on the covered topic that the author answers in a detailed yet understandable way.

Enviromedics: The Impact of Climate Change on Human Health by Lemery Auerbach; Paul Auerbach; Jay Lemery

Call Number: 613.1 .L552 2017

Written by physicians, this book clarifies the science, dispels the myths, and help readers understand the threats of climate change to human health.

The Clean Energy Age: A Guide to Beating Climate Change by B. F. Nagy

Call Number: 333.79 .N152 2018

A guidebook containing Top Ten lists that will help individuals and organizations save money while taking aim at the source of most of our carbon emissions. Explores opportunities for homeowners, governments, corporations, media, and others.

Sustainability Made Simple: Small Changes for Big Impact by Rosaly Byrd; Laurèn DeMates

Call Number: 338.927 .B995 2019

An introduction to sustainability and sustainable living that explores the relationship between everyday life and the intricate global environmental issues of today, including air and water pollution, deforestation, and climate change. Provides new and relatively easy ways to incorporate sustainability into daily life.

Remember that if you have questions about these resources or any others, please don’t hesitate to ask us. You may visit the Library during the hours posted on the Library's homepage, email us at library@harcum.edu, use our chat service, or call us at 610-526-6085.

Recent Posts

The Bryn Mawr Substation

Eagle-eyed observers around campus may have noticed recent construction activity at the Bryn Mawr Substation. This work, undertaken by Amtrak, is more than just a facelift; it's part of a significant three-year project to upgrade the train line stretching from the Philadelphia Zoo to Paoli. Interestingly, this isn't the first major transformation for the Bryn Mawr Substation, a structure which has been a backdrop to our community, intertwined with the story of Harcum College.Built in 1915, the same year Harcum College first opened its doors in Melville Hall, the Bryn Mawr Substation stands as a silent witness to the college's growth. Constructed by the Pennsylvania Railroad as part of the electrification of their line, the substation's early construction would have coincided with Harcum's initial upgrades to Melville Hall, marking the beginning of a shared history within the Bryn Mawr landscape.While the Bryn Mawr Substation has become an unassuming part of the local scenery, the Harcum College Archive Collection offers glimpses into its past. The few photographs featuring the substation often capture it in the background.The earliest visual record of the substation in the Harcum College Archive appears in a photograph of Bedford Hall. Although undated, we know this image cannot predate 1947, the year Harcum acquired the building. Even in the background of this image, the Bryn Mawr Substation is visible, its structure remarkably similar to its present-day form, offering a tangible link between the college's mid-20th century and today. Decades later, in 1974, the Bryn Mawr Substation made another appearance in Harcum's history, captured in two photographs within The Harlequin, the college yearbook. These images, documenting the dedication of Harcum's new tennis courts, feature the substation in the distance. Local sportscaster Joe Pellegrino joined students for a game, watched by two hundred members of the Harcum community. The steadfast presence of the substation in the backdrop underscores its enduring place within the college's physical environment.The Bryn Mawr Substation forms the backdrop to a tennis match, The Harlequin, 1974.Two hundred members of the College community watched a tennis match on the new courts. The Bryn Mawr Substation is visible in the background, The Harlequin, 1974.Local sportscaster, Joe Pellegrino stands among Harcum College tennis players at the opening ceremony of the new tennis courts, The Harlequin, 1974Though the familiar presence of the Bryn Mawr Substation will be missed, its legacy remains embedded in the visual and historical fabric of the campus. The arrival of the new substation signals progress, a continuation of the ever-evolving relationship between the college and the infrastructure surrounding it. Just as Harcum has grown and changed over the years, so too will this space, shaping the future while carrying echoes of the past. Roxanne Sutton Reference and Special Collections Librarian 610-526-6022 rsutton@harcum.edu ...

Unveiling Harcum’s Hidden History through Advertisements

Imagine stumbling across a century-old advertisement that sheds light on the remarkable women who shaped Harcum College. This thrilling discovery recently unfolded at the Charles H. Trout Library, where the archives gained three original advertisements. ...

A Familiar Face

The bust of Dr. Charles Wharton Stork has been a permanent fixture in the Library since 1984. But why is is there? He was a prolific author and taught at Harcum. He also survived a sinking ship. We look at archival material to tell us more. ...

Elizabeth "Libbie" Hall Willis, Harcum School Principal, 1921-1929

Recently, I was asked for records from our archive relating to Elizabeth "Libbie" Hall Wilis. What we found was a new piece of Harcum College history I think is worth documenting.Willis was the Head of the Academic Department and Prinicpal from approximately 1921 to 1929 and later an advisor to Edith Harcum until approximately 1934. Elizabeth Hall Willis, who went by Libbie, obtained a degree in painting from Syracuse University. Before coming to the Harcum School, she had a career as an art teacher at the University of Arkansas and at Chatham Hall. It was while teaching art at Chatham Hall she met a student, Georgia O'Keefe. You can read about this encounter and the on-going professional relationship between Willis and O'Keefe in Linda Grasso's book Equal under the Sky: Georgia O'Keefe & Twentieth Century Feminism. Equal under the Sky by Linda M. GrassoCall Number: 759.13 .G769 2019ISBN: 9780826360731Publication Date: 2019See pages 107-115Willis came to the Harcum School to lead the academics and college preparation program. Her title in 1921 was “Head of the Academic Department” but it was later changed to Principal. Throughout her time at Harcum, she was mentioned in the yearbook, Purple Patches, especially in association with her work with college preparation studies. In the "Class Will" in 1922 the students express fond appreciation and love for her. The 1923 yearbook was dedicated to Mrs. Willis. This is quite a show of support by the student body. Her portrait finally appears in the 1929 yearbook. She left Harcum School after 1929, although she was mentioned as an advisor in the 1934 academic calendar, perhaps she stayed in touch to advise Edith Harcum. The biggest surprise of all is that we found her on video. In those years, Edith Harcum’s son Bill Harcum was given a silent film camera and he took silent moving images around the school. The films were digitized and Bill Harcum gave commentary on the films. You can see Elizabeth Willis briefly at 0:12 seconds, right at the beginning of the film. Bill Harcum mentions Mrs. Willis by name and calls her the head mistress. Libbie Hall Willis had a interesting life as an artist and academic before and after her time at Harcum College. Harcum is fortunate to be able to claim her as one of our own. Roxanne Sutton Reference and Special Collections Librarian 610-526-6022 rsutton@harcum.edu ...

Earth Day Resources