Monday, December 5, 2011

Forthcoming book by John Knapp

Please see this post from the Eerdmans blog. Here is the description from the blog:

John C. Knapp is founding director of the Frances Marlin Mann Center for Ethics and Leadership at Samford University and author of the forthcoming book How the Church Fails Businesspeople (and What Can Be Done About It). In this post (the first in a three-part series), he discusses the “dangerous chasm separating the worlds of faith and work” that compelled him to write the book.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

New Electronic Books

You can browse our recently added ebooks here, organized by category. 1,705 ebooks were added to the the library catalog today!

Monday, November 28, 2011

Mobile-friendly databases

We are pleased to announce that 40 of the University Library databases now have a mobile-friendly option available. If you see this mobile icon - - you can click it to access the mobile-friendly version of the database.

We hope that this will make our resources even more accessible. Please let us know if you have any questions.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

The Early Republic

The University Library has acquired access to The Early Republic, an extensive collection of primary documents from the first days of the United States, published by Johns Hopkins University Press. This database is available on and off campus to all students, faculty, and staff.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Wrapping Up Project SAILS

A special thank you to the 675 students who participated in Project SAILS:

  • Freshmen: 361 (53.5%)
  • Sophomores: 77 (11.4%)
  • Juniors: 50 (7.4%)
  • Seniors: 173 (25.6%)
  • Other: 14 (2.1%)

Your feedback gave us valuable data that will help us serve you more effectively.

Again, congratulations to Katie, Cole, Kenan, Grace, Paul, Laura, and Anna for winning our prizes!

Monday, November 14, 2011

SAILS Grand Prize Winner

Anna Crawford won an iPad for participating in Project SAILS. Congratulations, Anna!

Thank you to everyone who helped Project SAILS to be a great success.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

SAILS Winner #6

Laura Bedsole won a $50 Amazon Gift Card for participating in Project SAILS. Congratulations, Laura!

Measure of Devotion

The Samford University Library invites you to remember the American Civil War and the lives that were changed through an exhibit open to the public featuring historical documents, journals, letters and photos.

Measure of Devotion
November 7th - December 2, 2011

With thanks to Jennifer Taylor, Special Collection Department.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

SAILS Winner #5

Paul Austin won a $50 Amazon Gift Card for participating in Project SAILS. Congratulations, Paul!

Friday, November 4, 2011

SAILS Winner #4



Grace Kimrey won a $100 Amazon Gift Card for participating in Project SAILS. Congratulations, Grace!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

SAILS Winner #3

Congratulations to Kenan Solomon, our third SAILS winner! Kenan won a $50 Amazon Gift Card.

The iPad Grand Prize is still available. If you have not already taken Project SAILS, be sure to take the survey by 11/11/11 and enter to win an iPad.

Need instructions on how to take the test or a code? Just e-mail Stephanie Rollins.

Thank you for helping us help you!

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Royal Society Journal Archive

The Royal Society opened its archives to the public yesterday in digital format.
"Treasures in the archive include Isaac Newton's first published scientific paper, geological work by a young Charles Darwin, and Benjamin Franklin’s celebrated account of his electrical kite experiment." (The Royal Society)
Please read more about the archives, or enjoy searching them yourself!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

SAILS Winner #2


Congratulations to Cole Limbaugh, who won a $50 Amazon Gift Card for participating in Project SAILS!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Popcorn Aftermath

Thank you to all those who visited us during our popcorn give-away. We promoted Project SAILS by giving away 26 batches of fresh popcorn and 83 SAILS cards! The SAILS survey will remain open to undergraduates through November 11.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Free Popcorn

Tomorrow during Convo hour (10:00-11:00 a.m.), we will be distributing free popcorn in front of the University Library. This is to promote Project SAILS.

We will also be distributing SAILS cards to undergraduate students during this time. Any undergraduate student who has not received a SAILS card may also acquire one at the Reference Desk on the 2nd floor of the Library.

There are still five prizes to give away to undergraduates. Please help us help you by participating in Project SAILS!

Friday, October 21, 2011

SAILS Winner #1


We are giving away prizes to our undergraduates for taking the Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS). Our first winner is Katie Wood - she won a $50 gift card to Amazon.com. Congratulations, Katie!

Friday, October 14, 2011

Project SAILS

From October 17 through November 11, the University Library will be administering the Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS) to Samford undergraduate students. This will give us a detailed snapshot of our students’ information literacy skills and will help us to optimize our instructional efforts to meet areas of need. We will need the support of our faculty in encouraging students to connect to the library website and complete the test.

The library will be giving away prizes for taking this test. If you are an undergraduate student, you could win an Amazon Gift Card ($50-$100) or a new iPad. Prizes will be given out on the next five Fridays (10/21 to 11/18).

The test takes 35 minutes on average. For instructions on how to take the test and other information, see http://library.samford.edu/purl/sailsinfo.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Live at the Library 2011

Dr. Wayne Flynt will be speaking at Live at the Library this year. Be sure to read the Belltower article about this exciting event.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Farewell and Welcome

We are sad to say goodbye to one of the library's most familiar faces. Beth Smith has served the Samford community for over five years as our Reserve Specialist at the Circulation Desk. In this capacity, she has been in close contact with faculty all over campus to ensure that the library provides access to necessary resources for our students. We are grateful for Beth's excellent service, for her genuine investment in our students, and for the cheerful spirit she has brought to this place. Beth's last day at the Circulation Desk will be Friday, September 30.

We are very excited to welcome Jordan Hughes as our new Reserve Specialist. A Samford alumna, Jordan is familiar with our campus and passionate about serving this community. Jordan worked in the library as a student, and we could not be more pleased that she has joined our staff. Please join us in welcoming Jordan back to Samford.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Beethoven for Free

If you are a music lover, you may want to follow Alexander Street's music blog. For the next week or so, Alexander Street Press is offering a free download of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony. Although themes from the Fifth and the Ninth are more famous, the Seventh is easily my favorite. Beethoven himself considered it one of his best works. The second movement of this symphony has been used effectively in a number of movie soundtracks, including Mr. Holland's Opus (1995) and The King's Speech (2010).

Friday, September 16, 2011

Ode to Instruction

Because I serve on staff at the University Library, I usually think of library instruction as a service we offer at the library. Recently, however, I experienced library instruction as a service offered to me as a graduate student in a research class.

On the first day of class, as our professor described our formidable research assignment, I felt a distinct pang of anxiety. Never before had I been assigned a paper of this magnitude. I inwardly fixated on questions like "How do I do this?" and "Where do I start?" Minutes later, under the expert guidance of Harold Goss, my anxieties dissipated. I enjoyed the relief of knowing that I had the tools I needed for my research paper, coupled with the mild amusement that I still have much to learn even after years of library service. Harold patiently demonstrated the capabilities of Multi-Search to our class and reassured us that the reference librarians were here to help us. By the end of our instruction session, I knew how to sift through all the Library’s holdings to find what I needed, and the research paper seemed much less intimidating to me. To be honest, it's starting to look rather friendly.

I am delighted to report that the University Library has met my needs as a student. This has broadened my perspective and deepened my satisfaction as a library staff member. I commend all those responsible for the instruction program here at Samford and recommend it to any faculty members who may not have considered it for their own classes.

Monday, September 12, 2011

New Britannica Media Collection

Encyclopaedia Britannica now has thousands of audio and video files online. This media collection is very rich in content, and you can browse it on the Britannica Public Library website.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Vital Documents (Yours) & Disasters

Should you need to replace your vital documents, for example a Social Security card, then use this list to help identify the correct office for replacements.

9/11 Resources

As we near the 10th anniversary of 9/11, Credo Reference, one of the University Library's newest online resources, has shared a topic page on "September 11." This topic page combines summary information, links to articles and book reviews, links to books here in the library and elsewhere, and links to images. As we remember this tragic event, you might be interested in these resources, some of which have been very recently published.

With thanks to Lori Northrup, Associate Director and Chair, Collection Management/Acquisitions.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Music Databases

Thanks to support from the School of the Arts, the University Library has acquired access to the Classical Scores Library through the Music Online platform. This enables you to access several databases simultaneously:

African American Music Reference
Classical Music Library
Classical Music Reference Library
Classical Scores Library
Garland Encyclopedia of World Music

Please enjoy your access to this impressive array of music scores, recordings, and other resources.

Entre Nous Online

In celebration of the class of 1961 and their upcoming golden anniversary, the University Library is excited to announce that the 1958–1961 Entre Nous are now available on the Internet Archive. The digitization of these volumes has been made possible with the help of Dr. Heather West (in honor of Ira L. West) and alumnus Joe W. McDade (in honor of Elizabeth Wells). The library plans to have more yearbooks available in time for the 2012 homecoming celebration. There is still time for alumni and friends to support this digitization effort.

With thanks to Jennifer Taylor, Special Collection Department.

Monday, August 29, 2011

ILL Has Moved

The Interlibrary Loan office has moved from Room 226 (2nd floor) to Room 410 (4th floor). Because ILL is a very active department, the larger space will certainly be put to good use. To visit the new office, you may use the stairs or the left-most elevator. Please see the Circulation Desk for assistance.

Friday, August 26, 2011

WorldCat Turns Forty

Here is a letter from Jay Jordan, the President and CEO of OCLC:

"Today marks the 40th anniversary of the launch of WorldCat, the world's most comprehensive online library database. Few of those involved in the creation of WorldCat would have guessed that 40 years later, thousands of librarians and catalogers around the world would have cataloged more than 1.7 billion items.

"Contributions to WorldCat from individual libraries and other partners in the community allow many libraries to get most of the records in their local catalogs from this shared resource. While records come in to WorldCat from a variety of sources, it is the ongoing partnership between dedicated catalogers and the WorldCat team at OCLC that keeps collection data accurate and useful to information seekers.

"WorldCat is a singular achievement. It represents the cooperative spirit at the heart of what makes libraries unique among cultural, educational and civic services. It is a shared resource that is built and maintained by thousands of members for the good of all. We who work at OCLC are proud to have been a part of this remarkable story, and I want to thank our member institutions and employees for the years of dedicated effort that helped build this unique resource. Fred Kilgour's vision—improving access to information through library cooperation—is every bit as vital today as it was in 1971. This anniversary is an important milestone in a shared journey that, I believe, will continue for many decades to come.

"At one point in our history, OCLC used Irascope LTE terminals to send message traffic at 2400 baud over dedicated, leased telephone lines. Our network people tell me that information moves in and out of WorldCat via the Web at approximately 416,000 times that speed today. People now access WorldCat from desktop computers and laptops that are far more powerful than the dedicated servers of the 1970s and '80s. And with tablets and smartphones, our users are staying connected to member libraries at any time, from almost anywhere on the globe.

"The technology has obviously changed, but the vision has not: furthering access to the information in the world's libraries. WorldCat may be one of the world’s oldest databases, but our libraries' commitment to its health and improvement keeps it truly young at heart. And that heart, still beating strongly, is at the center of a unique, global bibliographic system.

"Happy 40th birthday, WorldCat. And congratulations to everyone who had a hand in building this marvelous resource, one record at a time. You're truly part of something extraordinary."

Thursday, August 25, 2011

New Database Trials

The University Library has recently gained access to three new database trials. These resources cover a wide variety of topics and are offered for a limited time. You can view all our current trials here.

With thanks to Lori Northrup, Associate Director and Chair, Collection Management/Acquisitions.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Spotlight on Microfilm

Microfilm continues to be the desired means of preservation for many archivists. If maintained correctly, film can preserve records for up to 500 years. Currently the Samford University Library is the only institution in Alabama with a mission that includes preservation microfilming for manuscripts, records, and newspapers. Recently, the staff of the Special Collection Department received a microfilm camera on loan from the Alabama Department of Archives and History to aid in the library’s mission. Each year, Samford's microfilm lab preserves a high volume of materials on film for approximately 95% less than it would cost in time or money if it were to be digitized. On average, it costs the department $0.07 to $0.15 per page filmed. Recent studies at other institutions have found a low budget manuscript digitization project costs approximately $1.50 per image to be scanned and uploaded to a website. In 2010 Samford's microfilm laboratory preserved approximately 200,000 pages of records, manuscripts, and newspapers on microfilm. The film produced by the library is sent to various newspaper companies and libraries across the Southeast. The film is also made available to any researcher with access to a library across the United States.

For more information on the Samford University Library's Microfilm Laboratory, please visit http://library.samford.edu/about/sc/microfilm.html.

With thanks to Jennifer Taylor, Special Collection Department.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Butterworth Collection Featured in SC Treasure Chest

Every two months, the Special Collection department shares a new "treasure" from their Treasure Chest. This is one way you can enjoy the wide variety of materials housed in Special Collection. The newest treasure is the William E. Butterworth Collection. Butterworth is a prolific author, and you may recognize him by his most famous pen name, W. E. B. Griffin. Click here to read more.

With thanks to Jennifer Taylor, Special Collection Department.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Southern Baptist Convention Annuals

The Southern Baptist Convention annuals (1845-2010) are now available for viewing and downloading on the Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives website. Most all, but not all, have been indexed through Google Search. Thanks to the Executive Committee, SBC, and many folks at the Baylor University Library for making this cooperative project a success. The annuals are also accessible through the Baylor University Digital Library.

With thanks to Jennifer Taylor,  Special Collection Department

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Perseids Meteor Shower

"The Perseids Meteor Shower peaks on August 13 and 14, but they're visible now through August 22. Even though they peak at 60 meteors per hour, the full Moon on the peak nights will somewhat frustrate your meteor watching pleasure. Find the darkest area you can and look to the northeast after midnight. But don't wait until mid-August -- enjoy the shooting stars now while the Moon isn't so bright and the evenings are still warm!"

With thanks to George Atchley of Samford's Christenberry Planetarium.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Free Music Download from Alexander Street Press

The latest free music download from Alexander Street Press is "Cowboy Jim" from the album "Pioneering Women of Bluegrass," performed by Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Four Ways that iPads are Changing the Lives of People with Disabilities

This caught my eye.  I know that technological devices can have adaptive features that create real utility for users with various disabilities.  The iPad seems to excel at this.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Inside the New York Public Library's All-Night Scavenger Hunt

How's this for programming?

"On Friday, May 20, 500 young adults gathered at the New York Public Library to spend the entire night indulging in an ambitious interactive game that would test their collaborative abilities while introducing them to the library's vast holdings. 'Find the Future at NYPL: The Game' was conjured up as part of a weekend of activities celebrating the library's centennial. Participants were picked from a field of 5000 applicants based on their creativity and ability to dream big, as demonstrated through an online submission process where they were asked, 'How do you want to make history and change the world?'"

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

World Music Download from Alexander Street and Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

I received this message today and wanted to share it with our readers. 
_____________________________________________________
World Music Download from Alexander Street 
and Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
 
grey_box_top.gif
"By and By When the Morning Comes" the album Lead Belly Sings for Children by Lead Belly (SFW45047)  


From the Alexander Street Press Website:
________________________________________________________

 
"Our featured download from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings is "By and By When the Morning Comes" performed by Lead Belly, from the album Lead Belly Sings for Children. This collection features delightful songs for young children as well as the work songs, blues, and spirituals Lead Belly used to teach children about the experiences and emotions of adult life. Originally recorded in children's concerts and studios for Moses Asch and Folkways Records in the 1940s, the 28 songs and spoken introductions reveal the humor, humanity, and musical genius of one of the great artists of the twentieth century. For more information, and to download this track, click here.
"

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Congratulations Poetry Contest Winner Regina Coleman

We in the University Library are as proud as we can be of our own Regina Coleman, whose poem "Sweet New Orleans" was a first prize winner in the Credo Reference poetry contest.  Regina manages our Acquisitions Department.  You can read her poem here.  Congratulations to a multi-talented member of the Library team!

Friday, July 1, 2011

New Library Website - Beta Version

The University Library is pleased to announce the launch of its redesigned website, currently in beta form. There is a link to the Beta site from the library's home page: http://library.samford.edu/

The Beta site is available during the summer and is updated continuously, so please bookmark it! We're very excited about it and hope you will be too. We'd love to hear your feedback for improvements. Please try it out and let us know what you think!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Kathryn Tucker Windham, 1918-2011

A great lady has passed. Kathryn Tucker Windham died on Sunday at the age of 93. She was an Alabama treasure and a national treasure. National Public Radio offered this segment about her life and work.  Here is another article from The School Library Journal 

In 2007, the University Library was fortunate—and thrilled—to have Ms. Windham speak at the annual "Live @ the Library Event."  You can visit the library's Facebook page to view more photos, which show a packed house.  No surprise there.   

You may be interested to know that there seems to be quite a lot of video material featuring this gifted writer and storyteller on YouTube

Monday, June 13, 2011

The Samford Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR) is underway. You may see participants on campus during the week, or enjoying break time in the Student Center:






Friday, June 10, 2011

National Academies Press - Free eBooks

The National Academies Press has made hundreds of its book titles free via PDF download.

A wide range of science and technology materials are available: biology and life sciences, earth sciences, energy and energy conservation, food & nutrition, and health & medicine. 

There are also a a substantial number of books that deal with teaching.  For example, the seminal series titled "How People Learn" is available, which includes material on teacher education and the teaching of  subjects such as history, as well as math and science. 

Other subjects covered are behavioral sciences, conflict and security issues, climate change, and understanding evolution.

You must register as a user.  Once you've located a book or books you're interested in, look for the PDF download button. 

Monday, June 6, 2011

Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research

June 12-17, 2011 is IGHR week here at Samford, and the library is an integral part of this event. The Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR) is a week-long event attended by genealogists and researchers from all over the United States.  It offers a wide variety of courses focused on the discovery, evaluation and use of genealogical sources and research methods specific to genealogical research.  Courses are offered by educators prominent in the field of genealogy research.  To learn more, please visit http://www4.samford.edu/schools/ighr/.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Gigantic Book Sale!

Make some time this weekend for Birmingham Public Library's Gigantic book sale, June 3-4 2011.  This video tells you all you need to knowand then some:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3erMYfEehzE

Monday, May 23, 2011

Exhibit of New York Public Library Artifacts

From Wired magazine:

"The curators at the New York Public Library have spent a century amassing the library’s extensive research collection — everything from 4,300-year-old Sumerian cuneiforms to Malcolm X’s briefcase.
Now the library is putting a vast selection of that stash on display in Celebrating 100 Years. The exhibit opens Saturday at the NYPL’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, which is celebrating its 100th birthday."

You can view some of these truly fascinating items by clicking here.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

CONVOCATION WEEKEND CLOSING HOURS

This weekend is Samford convocation, so please be aware of our closing hours: http://library.samford.edu/about/hours.html

Monday, May 9, 2011

PROQUEST HISTORY VAULT

We invite you to explore our latest database trial, Proquest History Vault, which includes substantial content dealing with Alabama History, and modules titled "The Black Freedom Struggle in the 20th Century: Federal Government Records & Organizational Records and Personal Papers."  Please visit the trials page to view login information for this trial.

Monday, May 2, 2011

DAYBREAK IN ALABAMA

From the Knopf "A Poem A Day" site, with thanks to Anna Embree.  "Daybreak in Alabama," by Langston Hughes:
http://poem-a-day.knopfdoubleday.com/2011/04/29/hughes/

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

RECENT BOOK ACQUISITIONS

Thanks to Ed Cherry for creating the content of this posting.

Would you like a quick and easy way to learn about books our library has recently acquired?  Would you like to receive an automatic notification when new books in your field(s) of interest are added to the library collection?

Have a look at "Recent Acquisitions" available on the "Find Books" flyout on the homepage. The link is also accessible from the "Find Books" tab on subsequent pages.

Or you can visit http://library.samford.edu/newacq/.  This list of new books is updated weekly.  Books are grouped by broad subject categories, such as “language and literature” and “religion and society.”

This page includes RSS feeds for each subject area.  You can subscribe to these feeds to receive a notice when new books are added to the library collection.  To subscribe to a feed, click on the orange RSS link beside the subject name.


Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Encyclopedia of European social history from 1350 to 2000

The Encyclopedia of European Social History covers all aspects of European social history from 1350-2000.  This six-volume reference resource includes more than 230 articles on subjects ranging from education and marriage practices to clothing/fashion, ethnicity and national identities, and the impact of religious authority on social life.  The volumes include photographs, drawings and maps.

This resource is located on the second floor of the University Library in the Reference Department.

Friday, April 22, 2011

NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK PRIZE WINNERS


Here are some of our happy Library Week prize draw winners, who enjoyed gift certificates from their favorite restaurants, such as Five Guys, Moes, Mugshots, Yolo's, and the Samford Food Court.  Committee member Jennifer Taylor did an outstanding job of contacting the restaurants and obtaining these gifts.  Almost every student said to me "I never win anything!"  Not true anymore!  Thanks to everyone who entered and to the terrific National Library Week committee.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

BUSINESS PLANS HANDBOOK FROM GALE PUBLISHING


The Business Plans Handbook, a Gale Virtual Reference Library title, is now available.  Visit the library's catalog to view the title and gain access to this electronic resource.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

OPEN MIC POETY READING!

We were very fortunate to have Michael Adams start us off with a rap poem of his own making titled "Thunderstorm." It was thrilling. Other readers included Eric Allen, Beth Ashmore, Jim Baggett, Garrett Brown, Cheryl Cecil, Naomi Gold, Harold Goss, Bradley Harris, Monica Longoria, Jennifer Taylor, Steven Thomas, Michael Virga, and Will Womack.

Thanks to everyone who read, recited, rapped, or came out to participate by watching and listening!
















Wednesday, April 13, 2011

MEET N' GREET


Yesterday's meet n' greet (aka "meet n' eat") was a great success. Thanks to my great committee: Catherine Evans, Jennifer Taylor, Dana Webster, and Bekah Wood. Thanks especially to everyone who attended and enjoyed good coffee, good conversation, and delicious sweets.

Monday, April 11, 2011

NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK

It's National Library Week, and the University Library will be marking this occasion Monday April 11-Friday April 15 with daily prize drawings, a Tuesday meet n' greet, a Thursday open mic poetry reading, and a final prize draw on Friday for a $50 Amazon gift certificate. Click here to learn more.

Friday, April 8, 2011

CENSUS BUREAU WORKSHOPS AT BIRMINGHAM PUBLIC LIBRARY

Click here to learn more about Census Bureau Workshops at Birmingham Public Library.

CLASSICAL MUSIC DATABASE TRIAL: MediciTV

With thanks to Jaro Szurek, Music Librarian.

We have a trial access to the MediciTV video database, which is devoted to classical music performance, dance, and other areas of the performing arts. The trial expires May 5.

Please click here to access MediciTV.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

PROQUEST DISSERTATIONS AND THESES

Our current trial to Proquest Dissertations and Theses A & I will be active until the end of April.

The publisher states: “This database is the world's most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses from around the world, spanning from 1861 to the present day.” Our trial includes abstracting and indexing.

You will find the trial linked from our Databases Trials page and from our Dissertations and Theses subject guide.

Monday, April 4, 2011

EARTH DAY ART DISPLAY AND CONTEST

University-wide Earth Day Art Exhibition 2011

Who: Samford artists: students (graduate or undergraduate), staff or faculty

What: Any piece of art that is framed/matted and ready to hang, or sculpture suitable and ready to be displayed. (No outdoor installations please.) If you are in doubt, ask Naomi.

Where: Exhibition in the University Library

When: April 18 – 25, 2011

Why: Receive two weeks of fame and a fabulous Earth Day Art T-shirt.

To participate in the show, you MUST do the following:
Deliver artwork between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., April 1-15 to:

Naomi Gold, Reference Librarian
Room 224, University Library
ngold@samford.edu

Your submissions must be accompanied by the appropriate paperwork. Please download the paperwork instructions from this link.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

DATABASE TRIALS

Please keep in mind the substantial number of excellent trial resources being made available to the Samford community. These trials carry expiration dates, so visit the Trials page sooner rather than later, and feel free to contact Lori Northup, lanorthr@samford.edu, with your comments.

Friday, March 25, 2011

GUIDE TO eBOOKS

You may be aware that the University Library is obtaining more and more of its access to books in eBook format. Many of you have likely seen, and perhaps used, items in the library catalog marked “electronic resource.” If so, you will know that these important resources are accompanied by a certain learning curve.

In order to assist you in your use of electronic books, we have created a page on the library website providing instruction and assistance:

http://samford.libguides.com/eBooks

Please view it at your convenience, and feel free to contact any member of the reference department for further clarification.

WELCOME, DR. STEPHANIE ROLLINS

Thanks to Kim Herndon for providing the text for this posting.

It is our pleasure to announce the appointment of Dr. Stephanie Rollins as Reference and Instruction Librarian for the University Library, effective April 4th. Dr. Rollins is currently the Reference Librarian and Branch Manager at the College of Southern Nevada in Henderson, Nevada and is a native of Alabama. Dr. Rollins’ strong professional background with sixteen years of experience in research and access services will complement our already strong Reference and Research Services Department.

Dr. Rollins received a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree in English from Auburn University, and a Master of Library Science and Doctor of Public Administration from the University of Alabama. She is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Library Association, Nevada Library Association, and Mountain Plains Library Association, and was an active member of the Alabama Library Association during her tenure at the Muir S. Fairchild Research Information Center, Maxwell AFB. Dr. Rollins is assuming the position previously held by Harold Goss who became the Chair of Research Services of the University Library on January 1st, 2011. In her role, Dr. Rollins will be responsible for planning, designing, implementing, and assessing library instruction and information literacy initiatives as well as assisting with reference and research services.

We are most grateful to Harold Goss for his hard work this semester, as he assumed his new duties in addition to continuing to fulfill the duties of Instruction Librarian during the search process.

We are pleased to have Dr. Rollins as part of the University Library faculty and we know you will join us in welcoming her in her new role.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

EARTH DAY 2011

Attention student groups and organizations, faculty, and students: Earth Day is coming! Make your plans, share your ideas, and bring it all to the Earth Day Sustainability Fair, coming to you on Ben Brown Plaza Thurs, 21 April 2011. This year's suggested theme is "Renewal." Sign up here:
http://www4.samford.edu/earthday/oncregform.html

And view a full list of events here:
http://www4.samford.edu/earthday/schedule.html

Monday, March 21, 2011

University-wide Earth Day Art Exhibition 2011

Who: Samford artists: students (graduate or undergraduate), staff or faculty

What: Any piece of art that is framed/matted and ready to hang, or sculpture suitable and ready to be displayed. (No outdoor installations please.) If you are in doubt, ask Naomi.

Where: Exhibition in the University Library

When: April 18 – 25, 2011

Why: Receive two weeks of fame and a fabulous Earth Day Art T-shirt.

To participate in the show, you MUST do the following:
Deliver artwork between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Wednesday, April 1 through Wednesday, April 15 to:

Naomi Gold, Reference Librarian
Room 224, University Library
ngold@samford.edu

Your submissions must be accompanied by the appropriate paperwork. Please download the paperwork instructions from this link.

Friday, March 11, 2011

EARTH DAY ESSAY CONTEST. GRAND PRIZE: NOOK eREADER!

The Communication Resource Center is sponsoring an essay contest for Earth Day. The grand prize is a Nook e-reader. Visit the CRC site to learn more, and visit the library's Earth Day book display, which also includes details about this great writing opportunity!

Monday, March 7, 2011

TRIALS AND MOBILE-FRIENDLY DATABASES

Please take a moment to have a look-see at the database trials we are now offering--
http://samford.libguides.com/trials--as well as our list of mobile-friendly databases now available at http://samford.libguides.com/mobile.

Friday, March 4, 2011

MOBILE-FRIENDLY DATABASES!

We have created a page that lists all the databases with mobile-friendly interfaces. It is available here: http://samford.libguides.com/mobile.

We would really appreciate hearing your feedback about this page and the resources on them. How well do they work with your mobile device? Feel free to comment on our Facebook page, here on the Library News Blog, or with the comment feature on the mobile-friendly device page.

Thank you!

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Women's History Month

The library's Government Documents area has a display of numerous materials related to Women's History Month, including materials dealing with women's involvement with the American trade union movement 1824-1976; Women in Congress; Women marines in World War II; and a document titled "Equal Pay: A Thirty-Five Year Perspective."

Please visit the Government Documents area on the second floor of the University Library. Thank you.

FREEBIES! DATABASE TRIALS!

Thanks to Lori Northrup for providing the material for this posting.

I hope that heading got your attention. What term works better, do you think?" "Freebies? Or "database trials?"

Whatever your preference, we're glad you're reading this, because the University Library is hosting many trials at the moment, and we’d love your feedback. On our database trials page at http://samford.libguides.com/trials, you’ll find collections of ebooks, article databases, image databases, databases of films and music, and more! There’s a tab on the page that links to surveys about each product.

There is a survey for each trial. The surveys are short. We are genuinely interested in your feedback and would really appreciate hearing from you. Let us know what you think of these resources, especially as they relate to your respective disciplines.

Getting your feedback helps us to be better informed as we search for resources that will meet your needs and those of our students. Thank you for your assistance.

Monday, February 28, 2011

AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS



Black History Month is coming to an official end, but the study of history never ends, and thanks to resources such as the Library of Congress African American History Month collection, we will never run out of interesting avenues to explore.

The Library of Congress African American History Month collection provides an endlessly fascinating array of historical photographs, an online exhibition from the Smithsonian Museum of African Art titled "African Mosaic: Celebrating a Decade of Collecting," and online exhibits of materials related to arts and culture, civil rights, government & politics, religion, and sports.

Click here to read about the history of African American History Month and the work of Harvard-trained historian Carter G. Woodson, founder of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) and the first Negro History Week in 1925.

Note, in particular, a link to the extraordinary collection of Bernard and Shirley Kinsey, who over the span of 40 years collected a variety of important documents, rare artifacts, and works of art, such as an early version of the Emancipation Proclamation to correspondence between Malcolm X and Alex Haley.

The Kinsey collection includes items such as an 1854 letter, written by one A.M. Crawford, the owner of a young slave named Frances, offering her for sale. (This letter can be viewed at the top of this posting. Click on the image to enlarge it.) The letter states: "She is the finest chamber-maid [sic] I have ever seen in my life." In the letter, Crawford goes on to say: "She does not know that she is to be sold. I could not tell her. I own all her family." Crawford is aware of the heartbreak the separation will cause, but his only concern is for making the sale and avoiding a "distressing leave-taking." The proceeds from the sale are earmarked for the construction of a new stable.

This year's theme for African American History Month, chosen by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, was "African Americans and the Civil War." (See http://www.africanamericanhistorymonth.gov/about.html). This theme "...honors the efforts of people of African descent to destroy slavery and inaugurate universal freedom in the United States."

The Association "...urges all Americans to study and reflect on the value of their contribution to the nation."

Friday, February 25, 2011

SAMFORD NOBEL PRIZE BIG READ

With thanks to Bryan Johnson of the English Department, who is responsible for the text reproduced here:

"Please join us for the spring 'Samford Nobel Prize Big Read.' To refresh your memory, in fall semesters we read a work by a past Nobel Prize winner in literature, and in the spring we take on the newest laureate, announced in October."

"This semester we’ll read Mario Vargas Llosa’s The Feast of the Goat
(2002)...The Feast of the Goat concerns chiefly the downfall of a Latin American dictator and the specific experiences of different agents of that downfall. As Walter Kirn writes in his NY Times review, Vargas Llosa gives us 'the lowdown on organized evil in high places.'"

The bookstore will be ordering fifteen copies of the novel. Dr. Johnson will hold spots for the first fifteen people to email him (bmjohnso@samford.edu). The discussion group will meet on Wednesday, April 6 at 3:00, Brooks 105.

Source: Dr. Bryan Johnson

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

DATABASE TRIAL: SMALL BUSINESS REFERENCE CENTER ™

We have yet another great trial to tell you about: the Small Business Reference Center™, providing "up-to-date information on relevant topics from starting a company, operations management and sales to growing or rescuing a business. The database contains nearly 400 full-text periodicals and over 450 full-text reference books." Available until 6/30/11.

Monday, February 21, 2011

INTERNATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS CENTER AND MUSEUM, GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA


In January 2010, the New York Times wrote a review of the new International Civil Rights Center and Museum in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is housed in the very same Woolworth building, the same "mundane luncheonette," where four 17-year-old freshmen at the all-black Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina sat down on Feb. 1, 1960 and attempted to order some food

That simple act in the American South set off "....[one of the] greatest political movements of the twentieth century...a cataclysmic social transformation."

Read about it here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/01/arts/design/01museum.html

Friday, February 18, 2011

DR. PERCY JULIAN - "FORGOTTEN GENIUS"


"Against all odds, African-American chemist Percy Julian became one of the great scientists of the 20th century."


There is a wealth of information about the work of Percy Julian on this PBS website based on the NOVA series that featured Julian's story and work: this PBS website.
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Dr. Percy Julian was born in 1899 in Montgomery, Alabama into a family "...that believed absolutely in education." (Source http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/management/2007-02-02-watchlistenread_x.htm?csp=34)

He was a talented student, but at that time the city provided no public education for black students after eighth grade. He persisted in pursuing his education, however, and was admitted to DePauw University in Indiana as a "sub-freshman," taking remedial classes to make up for the foundational courses denied him in Montgomery's public system. In 1920, he graduated first in his class with Phi Beta Kappa honors.

He became a chemistry instructor at Fisk University, and in 1923 received a fellowship that took him to Harvard to complete his masters degree. Subsequently, he again taught at the university level before traveling to Austria to obtain his PhD in chemistry from the University of Vienna in 1931.

He returned to DePauw to continue his research. His original interest was investigating plant products, especially traditional medicinal plants such as the African calabar bean. In 1935, in collaboration with Josef Pikl, he first synthesized from this plant a chemical called physostigmine, or esserine, which had properties allowing for the treatment of glaucoma by reducing pressure inside the eyeball. This brought him international scientific acclaim, but DePauw would not offer him a professorship.

Perry was interviewed at DuPont and numerous other chemical companies, all of which rejected him once they learned that he was black. He was eventually offered the position of Director of Research at The Glidden Company, a paint manufacturer now part of Imperial Chemical Industries. At Glidden, he was supervising white chemists ten years before Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color line.

He devised methods for using soybean protein to improve water-based paints, and as a central ingredient in the fire retardant Aer-O-Foam. Just as significantly, Perry and his Glidden team discovered that soybean protein could be used to make human hormones. They developed a method for bulk manufacturing of these hormones, which lead to the production of drugs that prevent miscarriage.

He also discovered new and more cost-effective methods for synthesizing cortisone, a drug that relieves the pain of rheumatoid arthritis. In 1948, the Mayo Clinic had announced the discovery of cortisone, but it was difficult to produce. Julian focused his gifts on this challenge, and by October 1949, his team had created a synthetic cortisone substitute, equally effective and much less expensive, since natural cortisone had to be extracted from the adrenal glands of oxen and cost hundreds of dollars per drop, while Julian's synthetic cortisone cost pennies per ounce.

Julian held more than 100 chemical patents, wrote scores of papers describing his work, and received dozens of awards and honorary degrees. He founded The Julian Laboratories, Inc., with labs in the U.S. and Mexico, and worked to hire as many qualified black chemists as possible. (Both laboratories were purchased by Smith Kline French in 1961).

In 1951, Julian and his family moved to Oak Park, Illinois, becoming the first black family to live there. His house was firebombed twice (events that my parents recall and mentioned to me when we were discussing Dr. Julian). But the community was largely supportive of him and a community group was established to defend the family. (Source: http://www.sayitwithme.com/blackhistoryfacts.htm). The Julian family became "a focal point" for civil rights work in Oak Park. (Source: http://www.oprfhistory.org/explore_local_history/hometown_legends/science/percy_julian/default.aspx)

Ned Heindel, former president of the American Chemical Society stated:
"If you look at Percy Julian's career, you can say, if this man had not been black, he could have been a chaired professor at any Ivy or Big Ten institution...The breadth of his understanding of chemistry, and his fire in the belly to produce so many results in such a short period of time, this is Nobel Laureate stuff."(Source: http://www.depauw.edu/news/index.asp?id=18843)