Ask A Librarian

WVU Plays Key Role in Marshall Film

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
December 21st, 2006

West Virginia University played a key role in helping Marshall University rebuild its football program after a plane crash took the lives of 75 football players, coaches and community members in 1970. WVU again played an important role in the retelling of the saga in the upcoming movie We Are Marshall.

Charged with the task of training a team composed mostly of new players, MU coaches Jack Lengyel and Red Dawson turned to then WVU Football Coach Bobby Bowden for guidance.The pair made a trip to Morgantown to learn the veer offense from Bowden. Lengyel and Dawson sat in an office at the old Mountaineer Stadium and watched black and white game films to study the plays.

Read the rest of this entry »

New Electronic Journals in Criminology

Posted by Admin.
December 20th, 2006

Homicide StudiesThe Libraries recently added the Sage Criminology Collection, 23 e-journals covering the subjects of criminal justice, juvenile delinquency, juvenile justice, correctons, penology, policing, forensic psychology, and family and domestic violence.  Some of the journals have content back 23 years.

A sample of the titles include: Child Maltreatment, Feminist Criminology, Homicide Studies, Journal of Interpersonal Violence, and Youth Justice. 

A complete list of titles and access to the journals is available on the Library Electronic Journals page at http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/ejournals.

Upgrade Shuts Down Library Computer Access Tuesday Morning

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
December 18th, 2006

There will be no access to the WVU Libraries Web site or to Library computers Tuesday morning because of work to upgrade the WVU Libraries’ network switches.

The Libraries will remain open during the upgrade, however users will not be able to log on to library computers. Also, there will be no remote access. Frances O’Brien, Dean of Libraries, expects the work to be finished by early afternoon.

Wise Library History Available Online as E-Book

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
December 15th, 2006

Readers who want to peruse the newly published history of the WVU Libraries can now flip through the pages online.

The WVU Libraries’ Web Team has created an E-Book version of The Charles C. Wise Library: A Retrospective by WVU Law student Luke Boso. The digital book is available through Mountainlynx or at http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/history/wise.pdf.

Read the rest of this entry »

Libraries Extend Hours for Exam Week

Posted by Admin.
December 6th, 2006

This weekend, the WVU Libraries will remain open on Friday and Saturday evenings and will open early on Sunday. 

On Friday, December 8, and Saturday, December 9,  most Libraries will be open until 11 PM.  They will reopen at 9 AM on Sunday and remain open until 2 AM Monday morning. 

You can find a complete list of Libraries and hours at http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/hours.

Best wishes from the Library faculty and staff for a successful exam week and a great semester break!

 

 

 

 

 

Libraries Host Changing the Face of Medicine Program

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
November 29th, 2006

West Virginia University Libraries recently hosted a day of activities in conjunction with the Changing the Face of Medicine exhibit currently on display in the lobby of the Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center.

The day began with a tour of the exhibit by its curator, Manon Parry of the National Library of Medicine. After the tour, Terry Ottosen of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine presented a talk titled “Resources for Consumer Health” in the Erickson Alumni Center.    

 Manon Parry Exhibit Curator Manon Parry leads the audience through the traveling display.

Read the rest of this entry »

WVU Alumna to Hold Book Reading Nov. 30 at Wise Library

Posted by Admin.
November 27th, 2006

A West Virginia University alumna will return to her alma mater for a book reading as part of the Helen Coast Hayes Lecture Series.

Dr. Dixee Bartholomew-Feis will speak at 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 30, in the Robinson Reading Room of the Wise Library on WVU’s Downtown Campus. She will read an excerpt from her new book, “The OSS and Ho Chi Minh: Unexpected Allies in War Against Japan.” The event is free and open to the public. The reading will be followed by a short question-and-answer session and a book signing opportunity.

Dr. Bartholomew-Feis is a native of Monongalia County and a graduate of Clay-Battelle High School. She is currently an associate professor of history at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa.

She is a 1987 summa cum laude graduate of WVU’s Eberly College of Arts and Sciences with a bachelor of arts degree in history, international relations (Asian emphasis) and French. She was also Phi Beta Kappa at WVU. She earned a master of arts degree in secondary education from The College of William and Mary in 1989. She graduated from The Ohio State University in 2001, with a Ph.D. in history. Her major field of study was Asian history, and her minors included military and modern Middle Eastern history.

Her book, “The OSS and Ho Chi Minh: Unexpected Allies in the War Against Japan” was published in 2006 by the University Press of Kansas. It explores the once-cooperative relationship between the United States and Vietnam War enemy Ho Chi Minh.

“It is a special delight to welcome Dixee back to campus where she began as an outstanding undergraduate student and now returns as a important young scholar with a distinguished first book,” said Jack Hammersmith, a professor of history who taught Bartholomew-Feis as undergraduate at WVU.

The Helen Coast Hayes Lecture Series was established in 1998 by an endowment that provides permanent support for annual lectures on peace studies. The series explores a variety of topics in the humanities that affect peace, including the literature, history, sociology, psychology and philosophy of peace.

For more information, please contact Dr. Jack Hammersmith at Jack.Hammersmith@mail.wvu.edu or at 304-293-2421, ext. 5235.

Libraries Honored for Wellness Activities

Posted by Admin.
November 8th, 2006

Dee Dee Strimel, the regional PEIA Pathways to Wellness coordinator, announced today that the WVU Libraries is the November Worksite of the Month.  She lauded the Libraries’ wellness program for coordinating activities and being responsive in the administration of programs.  She also praised the Libraries’ employees for their extensive participation.  Recent programs include a nutrition activity called “5 a Day;” a stress reduction series called “Stress Less, Be Your Best;” and a walking program called “Walk 100 Miles in 100 Days.”   Each activity is coordinated by a Wellness Committee member:  Sherry Steadman, Barbara Lagodna, Susanne Rasmussen, Carroll Wilkinson, Kristi Truban, and Linda Blake.  The Libraries’ staff benefit from these health and wellness activities thanks to the support of Myra Lowe, Associate Dean of Libraries, and Frances O’Brien, Dean of Libraries. 

Submitted by Linda Blake 

New Geoscience E-Journals

Posted by Admin.
October 20th, 2006

The Libraries recently added GeoScienceWorld to electronic collections.  GeoScienceWorld, a resource for research and communication in the geosciences, consists of 30 peer-reviewed journals indexed, linked, and inter-operable with the database Geo-Ref.  The journals are society publications, published from the year 2000 through the present.

The professional societies represented are:  American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), American Geological Institute (AGI), Geological Society of America (GSA), The Geological Society of London (GSL), Mineralogical Society of American (MSA), Society for Sedimentary Geology (SEPM), and Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG).

To search GeoScienceWorld, use GeoRef on the WVU Libraries database page at http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/databases/.  To access journals in GeoScienceWorld directly, use the link under collections on the WVU Libraries e-journals page at http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/ejournals/.

submitted by Linda Blake

Electronic Journals Coordinator/Science Librarian

WVU, Marshall Libraries Host Author Lunch Oct. 27

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
October 18th, 2006

WVU Intranet, October 16, 2006 

West Virginia University and Marshall meet again this fall. However, this time there won’t be a football.

Instead, the excitement is all part of the third author’s luncheon for supporters of the libraries at WVU and Marshall. The event kicks off at noon, Friday, Oct. 27 at the Embassy Suites in Charleston.

“We are truly grateful for all of our wonderful supporters, and this luncheon is our way of showing them our appreciation,” WVU Libraries Dean Frances O’Brien said.

“We expect that everyone will have a great time. Past luncheons show us that people enjoy meeting writers and hearing them talk about their craft.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Wise Library Named Literary Landmark as Keeper of Poet Laureate Work

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
October 9th, 2006

WVU Intranet, October 9, 2006

plaque

 

 

LITERARY LANDMARK — WVU’s Charles C. Wise, Jr. Library was designated as a literary landmark during the West Virginia Library Association Annual Conference recently held in Huntington. Receiving a plaque that notes the designation are, from left, Martha Yancey, head of circulation at the Evansdale Library and WVLA president; Frances O’Brien, dean of the WVU Libraries; Penny Pugh, head of reference for the Downtown Campus Library; and Harold M. Forbes, curator of rare books.

Library Login Changes as of October 8

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
October 7th, 2006

User login to computers at the WVU Libraries or to remotely access the Libraries’ electronic resources changes as of October 8.

Currently, users login one way at a campus library and another way at home or elsewhere. Under the new policy, the login process becomes the same at all locations for students, faculty, and staff – username and password are required.

Read the rest of this entry »

Celebrate Banned Books Week

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
September 28th, 2006

 The Daily Athenaeum, Editorial, September 27, 2006

The Daily Athenaeum reported Monday that this week marks the 25th anniversary of the American Library Association Banned Books Week, which runs through this Saturday.

To promote awareness of challenged and banned books, WVU Libraries is running a booth in the Mountainlair from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. throughout the remainder of the school week.

Read the rest of this entry »

WVU Libraries celebrates 25th anniversary of Banned Books Week

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
September 27th, 2006

The Daily Athenaeum, September 26, 2006 

By Kathryn Gregory
Senior Staff Writer

The topic of controversial books in history usually brings to mind authors like J.K Rowling, J.D Salinger and William Shakespeare. Sometimes, books can even be banned from libraries because they are deemed too offensive.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week. Banned Books Week was created to celebrate readers’ freedom to read, said Sherry Steadman, library associate at West Virginia University.

“Harry Potter always gets challenged. Even the Bible, the dictionary and encyclopedia get challenged because people take offense to the language,” Steadman said.

To promote awareness of challenged and banned books, WVU Libraries have set up a booth in the Mountainlair this week from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. through Sept. 29. It’s designed to encourage people to read the banned books, Steadman said.

“We are here to let people be aware that people are trying to restrict your right to what you can read,” she said.

WVU does not have banned books. Books are typically not challenged in an University setting. According to Steadman, banning mostly takes place at public libraries and in school systems.

“A balanced, non-biased library collection is the building block of empirical research and academic teaching,” said Sophie Bogdanski, a librarian at WVU. “Books represent our history and culture through the ages. It reflects our story as human beings.”

In many cases, books are banned for offensive content relating to sex, profanity and racism, Steadman said.

Monongalia County’s last book banning was in 1977 for “Our Bodies, Ourselves” by Boston Women’s Health Book Collection.

“It was challenged because someone thought it was pornographic, encouraged homosexuality and was filthy,” Steadman said.

Google has joined Banned Books Week with an addition to its Web site. Web surfers can read about classic books which are continually challenged in the United States.

The Web site lists 42 of 100 classic books that are recognized by the Radcliffe Publishing Course as some of the best novels of the 20th century, but are still challenged.

“It all comes down to a good author. The authors of books challenge us through their experiences, opinions and views,” Bogdanski said.

A library is there to provide, collect and preserve all books, regardless of their viewpoints and opinions, Bogdanski said.

“An author does their job by challenging us through the written word,” she said.

For more information about banned books, visit the Mountainlair booth or the ALA Web site at www.ala.org/bbooks.

Banned Books Week; Unique prestige bestowed on many well-known authors

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
September 25th, 2006

The Dominion Post, September 25, 2006

 

By Evelyn Ryan

The Dominion Post

Some of the best-known and popular books on library and bookstore shelves also hold the unique honor of being on the list of books some people want censored.

The list ranges from “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain to J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” stories to the popular juvenile series “Captain Underpants” by Dav Pilkey.

Area residents have a chance to learn more about censorship this week at WVU, where librarians are focusing on freedom to read as part of Banned Books Week.

“Banned Books Week holds a great deal of significance for academic and research libraries,” said Sophie Bogdanski, monographs cataloging unit librarian for the WVU Libraries.

Read the rest of this entry »

Wilkinson Named Library Instruction Director

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
September 14th, 2006

Carroll Wetzel Wilkinson has been appointed Director of Instruction and Information Literacy for the WVU Libraries.

In the post, Wilkinson, the former Head of Access Services for the Downtown Campus Library, will oversee courses being taught by the Libraries and develop curriculum for future classes. She also hopes to work with interested faculty to integrate the intellectual principles of information literacy into their teaching.

“Carroll brings a strong interest in teaching and information literacy to this program,” WVU Libraries Dean Frances O’Brien said. “She also has a track record of collaborative efforts that bring different people together. She will be able to lead us in providing library instruction to WVU students in meaningful new ways.”

Carroll
Wilkinson

Read the rest of this entry »

More Computers !

Posted by Admin.
September 8th, 2006

Students will find 40 additional computers available for research and writing in the Downtown Campus Library this semester. From Sunday through Thursday, the Computer Classroom on the lower level will be open as a lab from 5 PM until 10 PM. Computers in the classroom offer all the functionality of library public computers – including Internet, word processing, and spreadsheet applications.

The 30 computers in the classroom bring the total of public desktop computers in the Downtown Library to 210. The Media Services desk also recently increased the number of wireless laptop computers from 20 to 30. Students may borrow these machines for use anywhere in the Downtown Library Complex.

Another Tale of Two Cities

Posted by Admin.
September 6th, 2006

Another Tale of Two Cities
Un autre conte de deux villes

a documentary by Michelle Gales
The transformation of two neighborhoods, the Faubourg Saint-Antoine in Paris
and Spitalfields-Whitechapel in London

Now & Then Productions
Screening Thursday September 7 at 5:30 PM
Downtown Campus Library
Room 104
Followed by Discussion with the Director

Another Tale of Two Cities invites you to be the detective, looking for clues in the images, the signs of change. And to be something of an archaeologist, too. These streets have a story to tell. And they are full of History: the French Revolutions of 1789, 1830, 1848 and the Paris Commune, John Wikes, French Huguenots and Jewish refugees. London Docklands, the Labour Movement and the famous East End solidarity. In fact, Another Tale of Two Cities, does not follow a traditional storyline, but an itinerary: three passages between these two cities.

Read the rest of this entry »

WVU Library installs self-checkout system to ease the strain of manual checkout

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
August 22nd, 2006

The Daily Athenaeum, August 22, 2006

The Downtown and Evansdale libraries have recently installed a new checkout system that will enable students to get their books in a timelier manner.

The new system, called 3M’s SelfCheck, is very similar to what students run across when doing a self-check out at the grocery store.

self-check
Billy Wolfe/THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
Senior chemistry major Emily Perteete attempts to use the new self-check out counter at the downtown library, but has problems with the scanner. According to librarians, not all books have barcodes placed on them properly and oversized books will not work at the new station.

Read the rest of this entry »

Libraries Add Self Check Units

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
August 17th, 2006

Your next trip to the library might be a little quicker. New self-checkout stations at the Downtown Campus and Evansdale libraries allow users to avoid long lines when checking out materials.

This new option, 3M’s SelfCheck, is similar to using a self-checkout at the grocery store. Simply touch the screen and animated instructions guide you through the process.

“It’s a nice alternative for those days when the lines are two or three people deep and you just need to check out a book,” said Mary Strife, Evansdale Library Director and circulation policy committee chair. “This is a fast way to get it done and go.”

Read the rest of this entry »