Calling All Students – Apply For a Research Grant!

Callout_researchSympCalling all students!  Are you considering applying for a Summer Research Grant in the Arts, Humanities or Social Sciences?  Or maybe in Science & Mathematics?  These research grants offer you the opportunity to be supported by a stipend while you have the chance to conduct meaningful research on a subject that matters to you.  They are prestigious awards, and the application process is competitive, but the library is here to help you!

All of the grant applications require a bibliography or reference list as part of your project description, and we can help you find those sources.  It’s easy to make an appointment with the liaison librarian for your area of interest.  You can also find email addresses for librarians, and recommended databases for you to search, on the Research Guides for your subject area.  Interested in the genetics of Drosophila melanogaster?  Eli Gandour-Rood, Science Liaison Librarian, can help you conduct a thorough and up-to-date literature review.  Fascinated by local Tacoma history?  Humanities Liaison Peggy Burge can help you identify potential primary sources.

Applications are due in early March, so contact a librarian today to find out how we can help you write a successful Summer Research Grant application!

 

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Popular Reading Collection: Just in – “The Good Luck of Right Now”

blog_GoodluckRightNowJust in TODAY: The Good Luck of Right Now by Matthew Quick, bestselling author of The Silver Linings Playbook.

Bartholomew Neil has lived with his mother for over thirty years.  When she passes away, the sheltered man must learn to live life on his own.  Bartholomew finds a beacon of hope and perhaps even fate when he happens upon a “Free Tibet” letter written by actor Richard Gere in his mother’s underwear drawer.  He decides to start his life by writing Gere a series of letters that ultimately reflect Bartholomew’s poignantly earnest attempts to assemble a life and family of his own.  A number of random and eccentric fellow characters accompany him on his journey of discovery.

If you read and enjoyed The Silver Linings Playbook, check out this new title from the same author, available in the Popular Collection.

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GPO’s Federal Digital System – Free Online Access

FedDigWant to read the actual text of the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act?”  Need a transcript of the President’s “State of the Union” address?  Researching Watergate, and want to read the transcripts of President Nixon’s grand jury testimony?

These documents, and so much more, can be found through the U.S. Government Printing Offices, free, online site: GPO’s Federal Digital System (FDsys) provides free online access to official publications from all three branches (House, Senate & President) of the Federal Government.

Through FDsys, you are able to:

  • Search for documents and publications:
    FDsys provides advanced search capabilities and the ability to refine and narrow your search for quick access to the information you need.
  • Browse for documents and publications:
    FDsys offers browsing by collection, Congressional committee, date, and Government author.
  • Access metadata about documents and publications:
    FDsys provides information about Government publications in standard XML formats.
  • Download documents and publications in multiple renditions or file formats:
    With FDsys, users can download a single file or download content and metadata packaged together in a compressed file.
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From the Archives: Summer Fellowship Opportunity

blog_OpenhouseThis summer the Archives & Special Collections will host a summer research fellow.  The 2014 project will focus on increasing awareness of our unique resources at Puget Sound through Wikipedia.

Through Wikipedia’s GLAM-Wiki project (Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums) the Wikipedian in Residence will increase access to the Archives & Special Collections holdings and services while strengthening the relationship between the Archives & Special Collections and the Wikipedia community.  Adhering to archival and Wikipedia best practices, the Wikipedian in Residence will: promote new or existing Wiki projects related to the University’s holdings; work with staff to digitize, compile, and organize resources that can be shared with the Wikipedia community; and advise staff on Wikipedia best practices.

For more information, contact Katie Henningsen, Archivist and Digital Collections Coordinator or drop in during our Open House on February 12th, from 4:00-5:30 p.m.

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“An Officer and a Spy” Available in the Popular Reading Collection

OfficerandSpyFeatured on the “Books of the Times,” Robert Harris’ An Officer and a Spy is available in the Popular Reading Collection.

The novel centers on the infamous Dreyfus Affair-Paris 1895.  Alfred Dreyfus, a young Jewish officer has been convicted of treason, sentenced to a life of imprisonment, and publicly stripped of his rank.  Georges Picquart, a witness to Dreyfus’ humiliation and head of the agency who convicted Dreyfus, begins as a firm believer in the officer’s guilt.  Picquart begins to question his judgment, however, when he happens upon evidence that may lead to another suspect.

Harris vividly tells the story of a scandal that mesmerized the world in An Officer and a Spy, once again establishing his prowess in the genre of historical fiction.  Check out this title and many other in Popular Collection, located in the Media Room.

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Apply for the Summer Fellowship in Archives & Special Collections

blog_OpenhouseCome learn more about this year’s project and explore the collections at our Open House!

Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2014
4–5:30 p.m.
Collins Library Room 211

The Archives & Special Collections maintains the University of Puget Sound’s rare books, artists’ books, and manuscripts, as well as material documenting the university and its history.  Through Wikipedia’s GLAM-Wiki project the Wikipedian in Residence will increase access to the Archives & Special Collections holdings and services while strengthening the relationship between the Archives & Special Collections and the Wikipedia community.

March 10, 2014 – Application Due.
April 8, 2014 – Awards announced.

A stipend of $3,250 will be provided, based on 350 hours completed over the course of the summer.

For more information contact: libref@pugetsound.edu

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ARTstor On-site Training Sessions

Callout_ArtStorThe Collins Memorial Library Invites You to ARTstor On-site Training. Open to faculty, staff, and students

February 11, 2014, 10-11 a.m.
ARTstor Basics for Teaching

  1. What has ARTstor become?  Its world-wide importance, its relevance in multi-disciplinary searches, its convenience for one-stop shopping for images.
  2. How to register as an ARTstor user?
  3. What are its easy-to-learn tools for searching for multi-disciplinary images and saving them for your classes or other public presentations?

February 12, 2014, 11 a.m.-Noon
Beyond the Basics

  1. Creating shared folders and URLs in ARTstor’s cloud, for the use and  collaboration with students and colleagues.
  2. Working with OIV, or Offline Image Viewer, ARTstor’s version of PowerPoint, its advantages for higher definition images, zooming and 360 degrees viewings.
  3. Using the extra ARTstor tools, how to harness previous users’ expertise to help expand your searches, and find copyright-free high quality images for academic publications.
  4. How to explore ARTstor’s resources further through its webinars and online guides.

Please RSVP by February 10, 2014 to
Wallace Weston, wweston@pugetsound.edu

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Behind the Archives Door Series – Winter 2014 Events!

StainedGlass

Image of the Shelmidine Stained Glass

On the first and third Thursday of each month at 4:00 p.m., the Archives & Special Collections will hold a series of informal presentations on current research, unique resources, and rare books that are part of the University of Puget Sound Collections. Join us for informal discussion, tea and the opportunity to handle documents and artifacts hundreds of years old!

2/6:  Apianus, Cosmographia (1584) — James Evans, Science, Technology, and Society. The Cosmographia was a guide to the discipline of cosmography and includes a fold-out chart of one of the earliest published maps of North America. Recently added to the collection, this 1584 edition also includes original paper instruments with moving parts, called volvelles, which allowed readers to solve problems from the book.

2/20:  Japanese American students at Puget Sound during WWII — Katie Henningsen, Archives & Special Collections. During WWII, Japanese American students at Puget Sound were deported to internment camps. Learn about their experiences and the university’s response by examining original documents.

3/6:  To The Height(s)?: The Mystery of Puget Sound’s Errant Greek Motto — Brett Rogers, Classics. Intrepid Classics Professor and researcher Brett Rogers unravels the history of the Puget Sound Seal and
the real meaning behind the motto Pros Ta Akra!

4/3:  The Joy of Book Collecting — Ian Fox ’14 and Jane Carlin, Library Director. The 2013 Book Collecting Contest winner, Ian Fox ’14, will share his love of all things Batman and talk about the development of his outstanding collection of books. Jane Carlin will discuss the larger world of book collecting and the 2015 Puget Sound Book Collecting contest. The contest offers three awards: $750, $500, and $250.

4/17:  Stan! and his World — C. Mark Smith ’61 and Brendan Balaam ’14, Liana Hardcastle ’14, Tosia Klincewicz ’14, Margaret O’Rourke ’14. C. Mark Smith ’61 will join 4 student curators to discuss the life and times of Professor Lyle “Stan” Shelmidine who taught Middle Eastern History and the creation of the Collins Library exhibit, Stan!, featuring artifacts and documents from Shelmidine’s Collection. Learn about Middle Eastern art and architecture and explore the library and life of a Puget Sound icon.

5/1:  Solving Mysteries with Photographs — John Finney ’67 P’94, Archives & Special Collections. A picture is worth a thousand words and no one knows more about that than John Finney ’67 P’94 who has scanned and documented over three thousand images documenting Puget Sound’s history. John will describe ways to “read” a photograph and showcase some of his biggest mysteries and how he solved them.

Collins Memorial Library
Pugetsound.edu/library
ASC_logo

 

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From the Archives: Plutarch (1538)

PlutarchAmongst the beautiful old tomes in Archives & Special Collections sits a 1538 edition of Plutarch’s Lives. The work explores the actions of Themistocles, Pericles, Aristides, Alcibiades, Coriolanus, Demosthenes, Cicero, Caesar, and Antony in eleven sections. It is both a history and a type of moral guide, as Plutarch highlighted the moral value of each man’s life.

This magnanimous volume is written completely in Latin – it was translated by Girolamo Birago and Donato Acciaiuoli, amongst others – and the page margins contain notations in Italian and Greek. The first letter of each chapter is carefully hand-detailed and accompanied by vines, flowers, or a small human figure. Red and black marbled patterns cover the book’s cover and text blocks.

For those interested in Classics or the Latin language, this volume is a beautiful and intriguing source of material. Consider its age, author, and content, and imagine the lives of those who have also read this book in its half-millennium lifespan! Visit Plutarch in the Archives, and you will find yourself beside a provocative piece of the past.

By Maya Steinborn

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Just in – “Carthage,” by Joyce Carol Oates, in the Popular Reading Collection!

CarthageFrom one of the most respected authors and writers of our time, Carthage, by Joyce Carol Oates, examines the human capacity for violence, forgiveness, and love.  After Zeno Mayfield’s daughter goes missing in the wilds of the Adirondacks, an unlikely suspect is found in a decorated Iraq War veteran.  The book transports readers into the psyche of the wounded corporal while also telling the story of the disillusioned young girl whose emotional disappearance may have happened long before her physical one.

Carthage is a dark and exhilarating addition to the Oates canon.  Check it out for yourself from the Popular Collection located in the Media Room!

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