Sorting Out Race: Examining Racial Identity & Stereotypes in Thrift Store Donations
June 6 - September 28, 2023

Sorting Out Race is a travelling exhibit curated by the Kauffman Museum at Bethel College and presented by the MSU Library in collaboration with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the Academic Diversity Partners.

Everyday thrift stores receive donations of items with racial imagery—antique advertising cards, collectible salt-and-pepper shakers, vintage children’s books, and mugs with sports team mascots. Are these harmless reminders of past attitudes or do they perpetuate stereotypes about race? Should thrift stores sell these objects? Or should they be “sorted out” of the resale environment? Sorting Out Race arose out of a desire to divert these artifacts from thrift stores to an exhibit that would generate a healthy community conversation about our continuing struggles with race.

Sorting Out Race will be exhibited on the first floor of the MSU Library through September 28. Click here to find out more about the exhibit. Includes interactive activities.

Photo of exhibit


Earth, Making a Difference
April 2023

Each year, we honor environmental efforts to coordinate and support protection of the earth on April 22nd, national Earth Day. This year, the MSU Library is celebrating new and returning ways to actively participate and engage in learning about climate change, the environment, and how you can make a difference.  The library is partnering with Citizen Science to make science kits available for check-out. These kits guide anyone through an outdoor adventure, exploring and capturing some information about the world around them. From practical tips to books and films you can explore through the library to what’s happening on campus with the annual Sustainability Summit, Climate Week, and student and community groups focused on environmental efforts, everyone can learn something and be involved in making a difference today.

Photo of the display case

 


Timeline of Women’s History at MSU
March 2023

This display traced a timeline of notable women and their contributions to the history of Montana State University from its founding to the present day. Also included were book recommendations from this year’s newly inducted “Extraordinary, Ordinary” women and members of MSU’s Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies committee.

Photo of the display case


Open House 2023 – “Opening Possibilities”
January 2023

Connecting to this year’s theme of “Opening Possibilities” and acknowledging the enormous burden that textbook costs can place on students, this display educated viewers on Open Educational Resources (OER) and how they are implemented in MSU’s curriculum. A poster chart was placed alongside the display where students could place stickers tracking how much money they spent on textbooks for the spring semester.

Photo of the display case


  Click here to check out our archive of past displays.