Wednesday, April 15, 2026

Registering for Fall? Consider enrolling in MU Regionals Courses with Free or Affordable Textbooks

Books on a library shelf


Regional students are asking about courses that have free or affordable course materials, and the Regional Libraries have assembled a list of them (now updated in Spring 2026)!

You may consult the list of Miami University Regionals courses with free or affordable textbooks as a searchable Google Sheet. There are 120 listed course sections, representing 108 courses. 

Thanks to the 54 Regional faculty members who responded to the survey and provided information about their course materials. And a big thank you to Melissa Carrion of TRIO, who inspired us to run the survey. 

From past surveys and many conversations, we know that Regional students are negatively impacted by textbook costs. But it is clear that many Regional faculty members have found ways to decrease or eliminate textbook costs for their students. We do recognize, though, that some course topics may not be able to be addressed using open textbooks, OER, or the use of older textbook editions.

If you are a faculty member who is:
  1. using an open textbook, 
  2. using some form of OER or instructor-supplied readings, 
  3. enabling students to buy or borrow less expensive earlier editions of textbooks, or 
  4. using another affordable option for students to access learning materials, 
and you are not included in this list, we want to hear from you. Email John Burke (burkejj@miamioh.edu) with your information and we will add you to the list!  We hope to keep updating and growing this list on an ongoing basis.

Anyone with questions or comments about the list should feel free to contact us. Thanks!

John Burke and Krista McDonald

Wednesday, April 01, 2026

GH Library Zoom events this week!

Hello!

Gardner-Harvey Library will be hosting 2 events on Zoom this week! 
  • At 4 p.m. today, join Professor Janelle Allen on Zoom to learn about the natural areas surrounding the Middletown campus. Zoom link provided below.
  • Join us on Zoom Thursday (tomorrow) at 12 p.m. for our new Short Story Club! Do you like the idea of a book club but don't have time to read the book? The selected short stories can both be read within 30 minutes! This meeting we will be discussing two short stories- The Pedestrian & Rocket Summer both by Ray Bradbury. You can find these short stories at https://www.libraryofshortstories.com/stories Zoom link for Short Story Club

What's In Our Backyard Series
Photograph of trees on the Middletown campus.
A Tour of the Natural Areas Around Miami University Middletown, A Campus Among the Trees!
Wednesday, Apr. 1 
4 p.m. | Gardner-Harvey Library | Middletown | Zoom and In-person
The beautiful, natural areas around the Middletown Campus are a positive protective factor for our region and our university. These areas are a favorable investment for our Metroparks and are open to the community to improve their health through visiting the green spaces.
No RSVP is required.




Visit for Zoom Link





Short Story Club brochure




Monday, March 30, 2026

April's Middletown Book for Discussion: Murder Takes a Vacation (April 24)

A cruise on the river Seine in France.


The MUM Book Discussion group will next meet on Friday, April 24.  Our title is Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman.  Here is a brief summary:


"[A]n irresistible mystery featuring Muriel Blossom, a former private investigator and middle-aged widow whose vacation on a Parisian river cruise turns into a deadly international mystery...that only she can solve." (publisher)

Here is where you can find the book:
  • There are no copies available at Miami or OhioLINK, but ---- use Miami University Libraries Search to search both of those catalogs, plus ---- SearchOhio is back, and they have copies! It is now incorporated into the Miami University Libraries Search (if you search in "Everything" from the search menu). Once again we have access to the holdings of many Ohio public libraries in addition to our usual academic options. You may also access SearchOhio through your local public library.
  • Amazon has the hardcover, paperback, and Kindle available, and Bookshop.org has links to purchase the title from independent booksellers.

We will meet at 11:30 am on the 24th both in Room 123 in the Library and on Zoom.  Join the Zoom here! 

Our group is always finding interesting titles to share, and we look forward to the new things you'll bring to the table. In addition to discussing Broken Country, the group also shared these titles for consideration at their March 27 meeting:

Rebellion 1776, Laurie Halse AndersonHarlan Coben (author)
Dreamland Burning, Jennifer Latham
The Library Book, Susan Orlean
The Orchid Thief, Susan Orlean  
Theo of Golden, Allen Levi
The Correspondent, Virginia Evans
She's Come Undone, Wally Lamb
Hour of the Witch, Chris Bohjalian
The Gilded Hour, and Where the Light Enters, Sara Donati
Rules at the School by the Sea, Jenny Colgan
The Jaipur Trilogy, Alka Joshi
The Many Lives of Mama Love, Lara Love Hardin
Colored Television, Danzy Senna
Reboot, Justin Taylor
Julia, Heather Moore
Harlem Rhapsody, Victoria Christopher Murray
Ishmael, Daniel Quinn
Scissors on Strike, Jennifer Jones
Glitter Kittens, William Joyce
On Her Trail, John Dickerson
Atmosphere, Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Emperor of Gladness, Ocean Vuong
The Boys in the Light, Nina Willner
The Ghosts of Rome, Joseph O'Connor
Clear, Carys Davies
Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
Orbital, Samantha Harvey
Voracious Science and Vulnerable Animals, John Gluck
Twist, Colum McCann
11/22/63, Stephen King
The Bedeviled, Thomas Cullinan
To Paradise, Hanya Yanagihara

Please come along to our discussions to share what you've been reading/watching/listening to/experiencing!

If you're looking for something interesting to read, check out our page of past and future reads at http://www.mid.miamioh.edu/library/bookdiscussion.htm

John

The semester home stretch! Library events and more! (GHL Newsletter)

Hello!


We hope you had a great spring break! Check out the GHL Midd-mester newsletter linked here for updates on events, tips for research, and highlights to services and equipment we offer. 

GHL Newsletter cover photo



Along with the newsletter, below you will find our flyer about the mini-golf design competition (contact Jennifer Hicks at hicksjl2@miamioh.edu for more details; the competition runs through May 1) and our new Short Story Club (April 2)!  We hope you can join us for these fun spring events!

Mini-Golf Design contest flyer

Short Story Club flyer


--
Jennifer Hicks, MLIS, MA Instructional Design & Technology

Outreach & Instruction Assistant Librarian
Gardner-Harvey Library
Miami University Middletown
513-727-3221

Help us help students! The Gardner-Harvey Library Care Cabinet is stocked with personal hygiene items for students in need. We also provide free snacks in the lounge because students can't focus when they are hungry. If you would like to help, we would gladly accept donations in person or sent directly through our Amazon Wishlist

Tuesday, March 17, 2026

Join GHL on Zoom today to learn about Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii! (3/17)

 

National Parks
Photograph of Mount Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius
Tuesday, Mar. 17 
4:30 p.m. | 
Zoom event
Most have heard of the city of Pompeii and how it was buried under ash from an eruption of Mount Vesuvius, but have you heard of its sister city, Herculaneum, or that there were survivors from Pompeii? Why is Mount Vesuvius where it is? What is its relationship to Italy’s Campi Flegrei supervolcano? What is the likelihood of Mount Vesuvius erupting again? Join us as Tammie Gerke, Ph.D. in Geology, discusses the formation of this volcano and its impacts on previous peoples and possible impacts to residents of Naples and the region in the future. She will also share her experience and photos of her trip to Pompeii and Herculaneum and up the slopes to the crater of Mt. Vesuvius.
No RSVP is required
Visit for Zoom Link

Thursday, March 12, 2026

March Short Story Club (April 2)

Due to spring break, March's Short Story Club will meet on April 2nd, at Noon (12pm). 

There will be two short stories by Ray Bradbury: "The Pedestrian" & "Rocket Summer." They are available (for free) at libraryofshortstories.com (The Pedestrian and Rocket Summer).

Zoom link for meeting.

See you there!




Wednesday, March 11, 2026

Learn about AI tools that help you get things done! (3/12)

Join the Gardner-Harvey Library on Thursday, March 12th from 2pm-1pm for "Accomplishing Tasks with AI."

You've heard the hype, but what can AI do for you? Join presenters Jennifer Hicks and John Burke to explore daily tasks that AI tools can assist you with. Find pratical applications that put AI to work, for you!


In person (GRD 111) or on Zoom!



Monday, March 09, 2026

The MUMSTOCK Concert: Remembering Country Joe McDonald

Image of a newspaper headline and story from the May  30, 1971, Middletown Journal.

The death of musician Country Joe McDonald on Saturday (March 7, 2026) brought to mind his participation in a concert at Miami University Middletown on May 30, 1971. A writer for the Middletown Journal referred to the event, which co-headlined Edgar Winter, as "MUMSTOCK." Read more in the Gardner-Harvey Library archives: https://mum50.omeka.net/items/show/1433#