Book Suggestion

Paperwhite Narcissus

written by Tom Baker

Looking for a good book about self-discovery? Interested in keeping your brain engaged with a compelling novel during these snowy days? Paperwhite Narcissus might just be the book you’ve been looking for.

In this relatively short novel, we follow Tim as he navigates through his senior year of college. After the death of his mentor, Red Ryder, he tries to deal with her absence while also figuring out who he is. As if that weren’t enough, Tim is stuck deciding whether or not it is worth applying to graduate school, when the fear of being drafted into the military looms around him. This leads him on some strange adventures as he tries to uncover who he really is.

Come check out this book and many others over at the library! We’ve got many new books out on display that are ready to be checked out and read throughout the holiday season.

Native American Heritage Month Book Display

Red Bird Sings

Q. L. Pearce & Gina Capaldi

In honor of Native American Heritage month, Stewart Memorial Library has created a display to showcase some of the wonderful works about, or written by those of Native American decent. Stories both new and old, fictional and non, are out for your viewing pleasure on the main floor and the basement level of the library. 

One of these incredible works, Red Bird Sings written by Q. L. Pearce and illustrated by Gina Capaldi. This captivating picture book tells the tale of Zitkala-Ša, a poet (whose work you can also check out at our display), activist, and musician who is trying to find a way to speak her mind in a world ruled by oppressors. The reader travels with Zitkala-Ša as she grows, learns, and discovers her voice and potential in the world. Her drive to do more for herself, while also standing up for her people is what makes this piece so incredibly moving. And if her bravery and poise wasn’t enough, then the artistic illustrations just might do you in. 

Give yourself a break from all the cramming, writing, and stress of classes to come enjoy the tale of Zitkala-Ša and so many other Native Americans. All books are available for check out on the main floor. Don’t miss out!

-Review by library student worker Samantha Jankowski

Database Updates!

With the new school year here, we wanted to give all Kohawks a brief introduction to some changes in our database list. Find these on our home page under "All Databases"


Check out Birds of North America whether you're an aspiring ornithologist or just simply interested in topics about birds. BNA has some great resources like videos, charts, audio clips, and images to help you get familiar with the friendly fowl around us. 

Find Birds of North America here or in our All Databases list

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We've got a handy resource from ProQuest that can assist you with starting assignments. It's called Research Companion, and it's compiled into a friendly interface that provides videos, tables, and blurbs about different topics, how to evaluate sources, citation, and more. 

Few videos are longer than a couple of minutes, so you'll be on your way to a great assignment in no time!



Find Research Companion here or in our All Databases list

Washington's Birthday & the Colonial Ball

Happy Presidents Day! In her early days, Coe would celebrate George Washington's birthday with an assembly that included a debate and a reception hosted by the women students.

1893 Program

1892 Program

From a March 1, 1906  article in the Cosmos, it was mentioned that the women faculty and students of Williston Hall (the original women's dormitory) held a reception and provided refreshments and even little axes as souvenirs.

1924 Colonial Ball

Colonial Ball dance performance 1950s

Starting in 1911, the day's festivities concluded with the Colonial Ball. This was an even where the women students could show off their dance and athletic skills. They would dress in colonial costumes and perform for their fellow Kohawks and members of the public. Two senior women are honored by being named as George and Martha Washington. This tradition continued for many years, the final ball was held in February of 1961.

Marquis Court

Did you know in 1947, Coe arranged for 15 housing units for married veterans and their families? This allowed the vet to still easily attend classes at Coe. The units were built by the Federal Public Housing Authority and ownership was initially retained by the government until two years after the war, and then they belonged fully to Coe College.

A photo of the huts from the 1948 yearbook

Each unit (known as a Quonset hut) had two bedrooms, a living room with a kitchenette, two closets and a bathroom. The units also came furnished with a gas space heater, a stove, and a water heater. Bed linens, however, could be rented from the government if the couple wished!

It was named Marquis Court after a former president of Coe. The huts happily housed up to 26 couples and 7 children (Coe Cosmos October 18, 1950) as well as a canary, three dogs, and a skunk! Over time, the buildings became run down and housed fewer students, so they were finally abandoned and demolished in 1960.

A group of students and pets share dinner

Text from the 1949 Courier about the huts