Tales from the Crypt on WSU Libraries’ Paranormal Page

Even the aborigines of Australia’s Tanami Desert claim to have seen UFOs.

A researcher then with the University of Pretoria wrote of the Warlpiri people and their beliefs regarding close encounters in a 2007 article in the Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute. Eirik Saethre’s paper is one of the wonderful oddities to be found in Washington State University Libraries’ Paranormal Page (http://libguides.wsulibs.wsu.edu/content.php?pid=328983).

Anyone with a yen for something to do other than egging houses or chaperoning costumed and sugar-amped kids door to door this Halloween can’t go wrong with a little trip through the virtual stacks – and imaginative musings – of electronic projects librarian Jane Scales. She started the Paranormal Page because the topic is of interest to students – both academically and as part of popular culture.

“It may seem strange that the paranormal would be considered part of academia, but it actually makes a lot of sense,” she said. “Professors sometimes use examples of false science, urban myths or superstition to help students understand the necessity for critical thinking. Anthropology, history and folklore are academic areas of study that sometimes consider the role of legends as well.”

For more about the library guide, see the WSU News article at https://news.wsu.edu/2014/10/31/tales-from-the-crypt-on-wsu-libraries-pa….