Depression and Suicide Awareness Resources

The college years are a challenging time for many people. In addition to pursuing studies many students also juggle work and family obligations. But what if the stress of trying to keep up with all of these things becomes overwhelming?

UM's Office of Counseling Services endeavors to help students through these trying times. The Office provides free and confidential services to students including individual and group counseling.

Carmichael Library is partnering with Counseling Services to highlight the twin problems of depression and suicide. According to the Jed Foundation, one in four people will experience a depressive episode by age 24. Unfortunately, research shows that college age people are among the least likely to seek help for mental health issues.

Carmichael Library and Counseling Services have a shared goal of contributing to the academic success of all of our students. To that end, we've compiled a Depression and Suicide Awareness Resources list. The list contains nearly 20 book titles chosen by UM counselors and librarians to help students who may be struggling with depression, or to serve as resources for those who are helping a friend or loved one.

Our Depression and Suicide Awareness resource shelf is located on the east side of the library's Main Floor, near the Browsing Collection and restrooms. All of these items are available for checkout. While you're visiting the resource shelf, consider taking one of the cards, which have been supplied by Counseling Services. The cards list some of the signs and symptoms of depression.

To learn more about the Counseling Services office, visit their website or give them a call at (205) 665-6245.

Celebrating Day of the Dead

This week brings one of the library's favorite programs, the annual celebration of the Latin American observance Day of the Dead (Día de Los Muertos.) Since 2002, Dr. Eric Vaccarella has assigned his students the task of researching this tradition and of constructing a ceremonial altar (ofrenda) in honor of someone who has passed away. As in recent years, students are building their altars to persons of Mexican or Mexican-American heritage. This year's honorees are:

Cuauhtémoc (ca. 1500-1525) – Last Aztec Empire

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1651-1695) – Poet and advocate for women’s equality

Antonio López de Santa Anna (1791-1876) – Mexican president, political leader, and soldier

José Guadalupe Posada (1852-1913) – Popular artist and cartoonist

Emiliano Zapata (1879-1919) – Revolutionary

Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) – Painter

Diego Rivera (1886-1957) – Painter and Muralist

Remedios Varo (1913-1963) – Painter

Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (1971-1995) – Singer

Ricardo Montalbán (1920-2009) – Actor

Carlos Fuentes (1928-2012) – Writer and Nobel Prize winner

The library is hosting the display and dedication of the altars on our ground floor. This year's display includes artifacts from Dr. Vaccarella's personal collection, as well as selections from the library's new Day of the Dead bookshelf.

The campus community is invited to attend as Dr. Vaccarella's SPN 201 students present their work during regular class times this Friday, October 31 from 10:00-10:50 and 11:00-11:50. Refreshments, including the traditional Bread of the Dead (Pan de Muerto,) will be served. For those who cannot join us this Friday, don't worry! The altars will remain on display through Friday, November 7.

This year's celebration is sponsored by Carmichael Library and the College of Arts and Sciences.

Introducing the W.M. "Mack" Wyatt Digital Archives

Wyatt as Alabama College's acting executive secretary (1943-1944)

Carmichael Library is pleased to announce the formation and dedication of the W.M. "Mack" Wyatt Digital Archives. This new collection serves as a repository for archived newspapers printed in Montevallo and Shelby County, particularly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As this digital archive expands, newsprints appearing in various formats will be added.

Browse pages from the 1941 editions of the Montevallo Times

Wyatt got his start as a printer and typesetter at the age of 15 in 1907 in Clanton, Alabama. After graduation from high school in 1913, he bought a half-interest the next year in the Union Banner newspaper in Clanton. His younger brother, Gene Wyatt, bought the other half of the paper in 1917 and the two brothers published the paper for the next 18 years. In the early 1920’s, Mack left the Union Banner for a brief stint editing the DeKalb Herald in Ft. Payne, Alabama, but he soon returned to Clanton and the Union Banner.

Wyatt bought the Montevallo Times in 1935 and edited it until 1954. He started the Calera Herald in 1951 and edited it until 1954. Finally, he consolidated the Montevallo Times and the Calera Herald into the Shelby County Times-Herald in 1954 and published that paper until 1959 when he sold out to the Shelby County Reporter.

This advertisement for a cold medication ran in the January 10, 1901 edition of The Sentinel (Montevallo, Ala.)

The library invites members of the UM community as well as the general public to explore this trove of primary source documents. Among the advanced search and sharing options available in our collection is the ability to embed a mini book reader, as seen above. The collection includes runs from five local publications including W.M. Wyatt's Montevallo Times and an older weekly publication that ran under the name Montevallo News (1891-1895.)

A view of the imprint for the Montevallo Times taken from the February 20, 1941 edition.

This collection is made possible by a gift from Clayton M. Nordan (M.A. ’76).