Ask A Librarian

Conduct Research 24/7 with Library Databases

Posted by Admin.
November 13th, 2008

Research material for papers and projects is just a few web clicks away whenever you need it. WVU Libraries provide 24/7 access to online resources for WVU students, faculty and staff through our list of Databases.

Resources in the Databases list include a wide variety of types of material and cover every academic discipline. Some of the things you will find are:

    collections of peer-reviewed journal articles in JSTOR
    news from broadcast, print, and internet sources in Lexis Nexis
    early books from Eighteenth Century Collections Online
    encyclopedias AccessScience and Grove Art for specialized topics
    collections of eBooks in engineering from Knovel
    extensive company information from Mergent Online

Browse the Databases list for complete listings and descriptions of the more than 300 online sources available.

If you have questions about which might be useful for your research, you can always Ask a Librarian for recommendations.

Health Sciences Library to Host Conference

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
October 15th, 2008

The Health Sciences Library faculty and staff will play host to the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Medical Library Association’s annual conference to be held Oct. 20-22 at the Waterfront Place Hotel.

The meeting will bring to campus about 150 health sciences librarians and other information professionals from the District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. The last time the MAC conference was in Morgantown was in 1993.

“We are looking forward to hosting the conference to show off our new Health Sciences Library and Learning Center, as well as the rail trails and Wharf District near the Waterfront Place Hotel,” said Susan Arnold, Director of the Health Sciences Library and Local Arrangements Chair for the conference. “Our theme is ‘Almost Heaven—Exploring New Vistas’.”
Read the rest of this entry »

Workshop on U.S. Patent Searching to be Held

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
October 15th, 2008

An introductory workshop on U.S. patent searching will be held from 9-11 a.m. Oct. 21 in room 130 of the Evansdale Library.

The workshop will cover introductory information on the patenting process, preliminary patent searching including classification, Public PAIR, and hands-on instruction in using the U.S. Patent Office’s online database of patents from 1790 to the present.

For more information, contact Marian Armour-Gemmen, 293-9758, or marmour@wvu.edu.

WVU Libraries receive additional Knotts memorabilia

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
October 10th, 2008

The Daily Athenaeum, October 9, 2008

By Katlin Stinespring

West Virginia University students can now experience more of Don Knotts’ background beyond Barney Fife, his character on “The Andy Griffith Show.”

Knotts’ widow, Francey Yarborough-Knotts, is fulfilling his wishes to donate various belongings and memorabilia to his alma mater.

“Throughout his life, (Knotts) maintained pretty close ties to Morgantown and always considered himself a West Virginian and a fan of WVU. (Yarborough-Knotts) is following through on his behalf,” said John Cuthbert, curator of the West Virginia and Regional History Collection.
Read the rest of this entry »

Libraries to Host Open Access Day Event

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
October 10th, 2008

In celebration of the first international Open Access Day, the WVU Libraries will host a live, worldwide broadcast at 7 p.m. Oct. 14 in the computer classroom at the Health Sciences Library.

The presentation will feature an appearance from Sir Richard Roberts, PhD, FRS, who was the joint winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering split genes and RNA splicing. Currently working at New England Biolabs, he was one of 26 Nobel Prize winners to sign the Open Letter to the U.S. Congress in support of taxpayer access to publicly funded research.
Read the rest of this entry »

WV Collection Receives More Knotts Memorabilia

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
October 1st, 2008

What happened after Deputy Fife hung up his gun holster, Mr. Furley left the landlord business, Mr. Chicken overcame his fears, and the Apple Dumpling Gang rode off into the sunset? That’s when Don Knotts, the comic genius and WVU alum, returned to his first love, live theater.

This lesser-known aspect of Knotts’ acting career is chronicled in the latest gift of memorabilia from his widow, Francey Yarborough-Knotts, to the WVU Libraries’ West Virginia and Regional History Collection.

“Don Knotts had a very long and broad career in live theater,” said John Cuthbert, Curator of the WVRHC. “This donation is quite extensive and provides a comprehensive look into Don’s career, including his early career.”

Among the gems are a thick stack of playbills, many with covers bearing Knotts’ wide grin, that mark his work in dozens of stage productions over a span of decades.

playbills
Don Knotts, a Morgantown native and WVU alum, starred in dozens of plays during and following his stellar television and movie career.
Read the rest of this entry »

Evansdale Library to be Renovated

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
September 30th, 2008

The Daily Athenaeum, September 30, 2008

By Ryan Hoffman

By the start of the Fall 2009 semester, the West Virginia University Evansdale Library will feature a brand new coffee house and other renovations.

“The whole idea is to reconfigure the first floor,” said Mary Strife, Evansdale Library director.

Although the numbers are not final, the renovation, including the cafe is expected to cost between $750,000 and $1 million, Strife said.

The money will come from the Office of the Provost and WVU Libraries, although the details are not yet final.

The spending plan must be finalized by June 30, 2009, the end of the fiscal year.

All monies must either be spent or designated to a specific area of spending; otherwise the funds will be lost.

“We are very excited about the renovations and hope that it is a very busy summer for us,” Strife said.
Read the rest of this entry »

WVU libraries to send books to be digitized

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
September 23rd, 2008

The Daily Athenaeum, September 23, 2008

By Katlin Stinespring

The West Virginia University Libraries are mailing 10 books this week to Fort Wayne, Ind. to be digitized for public access from any location via the Internet.

This plan is part of a grant project which makes digitized copies of books available online on www.archive.org, and makes out-of-print or out-of-copyright books available to anyone. The books are scanned and imported to the online archives.

The University is sending books selected from the rare books collection, many of which are written on the history of West Virginia, WVU and the Civil War.

The digitization of the rare books makes the content more accessible, where in the past, patrons had to make an appointment or in some cases, come to Morgantown.
Read the rest of this entry »

WVU Libraries Selected for Digital Pilot Project

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
September 15th, 2008

Think you know how to read a book? Good battery life on your laptop may one day be as important as good lighting.

The West Virginia University Libraries are among 14 institutions picked to participate in a book digitization pilot project. The goal of the project is to digitize a selection of rare and significant books from the participants’ collections and make the electronic versions available via the Internet.

“I hope books never go away, and I don’t think they will, but digitization makes a book available to anyone, anywhere in the world, who has an Internet connection,” said Frances O’Brien, Dean of the WVU Libraries. “I think that’s valuable for people who live a distance from a research library.”

Palinet planning group
William Rafter, Head of the Libraries’ Cataloging Department; Frances O’Brien, Dean of Libraries; Jo. Brown, the Libraries’ Appalachian bibliographer; and Harold M. Forbes, Rare Books Collection Curator; examine a sketch in one of the books selected for the book digitization pilot project.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tutoring Available at Downtown Campus Library

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
August 25th, 2008

This fall, the WVU Libraries launch a collaborative effort with the WVU Writing Center and the Office of Student Affairs. Beginning Aug. 25, peer tutors will be available for drop-in tutoring sessions on the first floor of the Downtown Campus Library on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Student Affairs tutors will be available from 7-11 p.m. and will provide tutoring for chemistry, physics, biology, math, and statistics. Tutors from the WVU Writing Center will be available from 7-9 p.m. and will work with students to improve their writing.

Downtown Campus Library Makeover Welcomes Back Students

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
August 18th, 2008

Summer is a good time to tackle that to-do list and make some positive changes. Lose some weight. Get into shape. Renovate your library.

The latter has been the focus of the West Virginia University Libraries this summer. When students and faculty return to campus for the fall semester, they will find multiple enhancements to the Downtown Campus Library.

The makeover will provide users with a flexible environment in which to work and a convenient link to academic assistance while writing a paper or technical support while working on a computer.

“Our main goal is to respond to student needs,” said Myra Lowe, WVU Libraries Associate Dean. “We want to provide them with a place that is conducive for studying, working on assignments with others, creating multi-media projects, and obtaining needed assistance along the way.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Library Depository Addition Opens Doors

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
July 8th, 2008

Watch any show on HGTV and you will probably hear someone espouse the virtues of proper storage and the need for adequate closet space. The same conversation has been happening for a while at the West Virginia University Libraries.

The Libraries now have 12,000 more square feet of space to house lesser-used books, journals, and other materials thanks to the newly opened addition to the Libraries’ Depository in the WVU Research Park.

“This off-site storage is designed to preserve our collections but still make them available to WVU students and faculty through the MountainLynx catalog,” Libraries Dean Frances O’Brien said. “I think it’s a good solution to the increasing demand for more study and learning space in the campus libraries.”

Depository
Randy Jenkins, Depository Manager, oversees the migration of materials from the Downtown Campus, Evansdale, and Health Sciences libraries to the new Depository addition.
Read the rest of this entry »

Math Library Moved

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
June 23rd, 2008

Materials from the Math Library are now located in the Downtown Campus Library or the Libraries Depository. Ask for help at the Reference Desk.

WVU Digital Collection Shows Captured Moments in the Mountain State

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
June 23rd, 2008

WVU Today, June 18, 2008

Call West Virginia University’s John Cuthbert “old school,” and the library curator will laugh and thank you for the compliment.

That’s because in today’s whiz-bang, jump-cut, computer graphic-enhanced, “just roll tape” age, he still thinks there’s a lot to be said for the compelling drama of the humble photograph – preferably one that is sepia toned, from a time gone by.

“I always think about what went on right before and right after the picture was snapped,” Cuthbert said. “I’m always drawn to the faces and surroundings. You can see the baby who grew up to be a great-grandmother or the miner who unfortunately died the day after the photograph was made. A good photograph is a little slice of someone’s soul, and I mean that in a good way.”
Read the rest of this entry »

Libraries to Celebrate W.Va. Day

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
June 23rd, 2008

The Daily Athenaeum, June 18, 2008

By Candace Nelson

On June 20, 1863, West Virginia was created from the secession of several northwestern counties of Virginia during the Civil War. West Virginia is the only state created from another without the parent state’s permission and the only to achieve statehood by the proclamation of a president.

In honor of West Virginia Day on Friday, West Virginia University Libraries is holding a series of free events to celebrate George Bird Evans.

Evans’ family enjoyed the outdoors, and, coincidentally, his middle name (Bird) was a family name.

“It’s a great opportunity for students and staff to know about our history. (Evans) may not be well-known, but (this display) will benefit the students,” said Monte Maxwell, a representative of WVU Libraries.
Read the rest of this entry »

WVU Libraries Celebrate West Virginia Day

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
June 17th, 2008

Stop by the Downtown Campus Library on June 20 to celebrate the state’s founding. The WVU Libraries will mark the day by paying tribute to artist, author, outdoor enthusiast, and West Virginian George Bird Evans.

“We are focusing on George Bird Evans in honor of the donation of the Evans’ papers and manuscripts to the WVU Libraries earlier this year,” said John Cuthbert, curator of the West Virginia and Regional History Collection. “Evans was a giant in the field of upland game bird hunting literature. His writing about the subject, which included well over one hundred books and articles, reflected a connoisseurship that harked back to the European tradition of the gentleman sportsman.”

Evans began his professional life during the late 1920s working as an illustrator for leading magazines and other clients in New York City. After serving during World War II, he turned his talents to writing a series of acclaimed mystery novels. It was not until the 1950s that he began writing about his passion for birds, dogs, and the West Virginia mountains. He passed away in 1998.

Festivities begin at 9:30 a.m. with a reception in the Milano Reading Room. A dedication ceremony for the George Bird Evans Collection follows at 10 a.m., with Evans’ biographer Catherine Harper delivering the keynote address.

An exhibit of Evans’ work opens at noon in the Davis Galleries on the sixth floor of the Wise Library. The 2008 West Virginia Day posters will be distributed at that time to those present.

The day concludes with a reception at “Old Hemlock,” the rustic Preston County home of Evans. The reception will include a barbeque, tours of the home and grounds, and demonstrations of Pointers, the dog breed Evans immortalized in drawing and word.

A native of nearby Uniontown, Pa., Evans settled permanently in Preston County in 1939. His home near Bruceton Mills became well known to sporting literature enthusiasts throughout the country during the late twentieth century. His writings were largely based upon his experiences at “Old Hemlock” and in the nearby hills and mountains.

Evans’ extensive collection, now housed in the WVRHC, includes personal papers, manuscripts, books and other materials by and about Evans and his wife, co-author and editor, Kay Harris Evans.

All events are open to the public.

HarpWeek Added to Library Databases

Posted by Admin.
June 6th, 2008

Harper’s Weekly, the illustrated newspaper of record for the 19th century, is now available to WVU researchers through HarpWeek, a web site that provides electronic access to Harper’s Weekly for a 56-year period: 1857-1912.

The HarpWeek electronic database makes it possible for you to discover the lively news stories, illustrations, cartoons, editorials, biographies, literature and even advertisements that shaped and reflected public opinion in this era. Using HarpWeek’s powerful features, you can browse through 56 years of Harper’s Weekly page by page, locate specific articles based on search terms or phrases you specify, or use sophisticated indexing and synopsis tools to comb through thousands of Harper’s Weekly articles.

Access HarpWeek through the Library’s website at:
www.libraries.wvu.edu/databases

Open Access Journals Update

Posted by Admin.
April 21st, 2008

Open access journals are peer-reviewed journals that provide free, online access to their articles. They do not charge subscription fees to readers or libraries. Instead, they cover their costs through publication fees to authors.

The WVU Libraries have purchased institutional memberships in BioMed Central and Public Library of Science which will reduce the required author publication fees for WVU faculty researchers. For more information visit:
www.libraries.wvu.edu/open-access

WVU Libraries also recently sponsored presentations by two proponents of open online access to scientific and scholarly materials to campus for free public presentations. Members of the WVU community were invited to attend to learn more about this crucial issue. Barbara Epstein, director of the Health Sciences Library System at the University of Pittsburgh, spoke at 11 a.m. Friday, April 25, in the Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center auditorium. She lectured on changes in scholarly communication, with an emphasis on open access and a new National Institute of Health mandate. Heather Joseph, executive director of the Association of Research Libraries Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, spoke at 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 1, at the National Research Center for Coal and Energy.

Library Curator Helps Wheeling Steel Return to Stage

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
April 10th, 2008

In the age of iPods and YouTube, the WVU Libraries and the Wheeling Symphony are collaborating to celebrate a treasure from the golden era of radio.

Broadcast from Capitol Music Hall in Wheeling, “It’s Wheeling Steel” entered homes nationwide from 1936-1944. Millions gathered around their radios on Sunday afternoons to hear amateur musicians debut their talents in front of a live audience.

The sensation returns to Wheeling at 8 p.m. April 18 with “Remembering ‘It’s Wheeling Steel,’ Part II.” The performance at the WesBanco Arena will transport the audience back to the show’s heyday.
Read the rest of this entry »

WVU Libraries Celebrate 125 Years as a Federal Depository Library

Posted by Monte Maxwell.
February 20th, 2008

The West Virginia University Libraries celebrated 125 years as a Federal Depository Library during an event on Feb. 14.

More than 50 people filled Room 104 of the Downtown Campus Library to hear Bill Sleeman, Chair of the American Library Association’s Government Documents Round Table, speak about the importance of Federal Depository Libraries. Following, Ted Priebe, Director of Library Planning and Development for the U.S. Government Printing Office, presented a commemorative plaque to Libraries Dean Frances O’Brien, Associate Dean Myra Lowe, and Christine Chang, government documents librarian.

plaque
Ted Priebe, Director of Library Planning and Development, US Government Printing Office, presented a commemorative plaque to Christine Chang, government documents librarian. Picture here are Bill Sleeman, chair of ALA’s Government Documents Roundtable; Libraries Dean Frances O’Brien; Chang; and Priebe.

Sleeman
Bill Sleeman talks to about the future of government documents in libraries.

Priebe
Ted Priebe talks about government document libraries.

Food
The celebration included an assortment of cookies, chocolate covered strawberries, and punch.

Hilary and Jo.
Hilary and Jo.

Cassie and Natelle
Cassie and Natelle

Alyssa and Penny
Alyssa and Penny

Joe, Dante, and Ginger
Joe, Dante, and Ginger

Bill Sleeman and Linda
Bill Sleeman and Linda

crowd
Ted Priebe; Christine; and Dr. Majed Khader, government documents librarian for Marshall University Libraries

Eleanor McDonald and Natelle
Eleanor McDonald and Natelle

Joe and Jo.
Joe and Jo.

Present
Myra presents a gift to Christine to mark her time as government documents librarian

clock
Myra and Christine admire Christine’s new mantel clock