We now have access to four new streaming video collections from Alexander Street Press!

Classical Music in Video

Watch classical music performances, sit in on masterclasses, and see interviews with master teachers.

Filmakers Library Online

See award-winning documentaries on topics ranging from race and gender studies, human rights, global studies, criminal justice, environmental studies, health, political science, arts and literature.

Nursing Education in Video

View videos specifically created for the education and training of nurses and other healthcare workers. 

Silent Film Online

Watch silent features, serials, and shorts from the 1890s to the 1930s.

 

DePaul University Libraries acquired permanent access to these collections thanks to a deal brokered by the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI). Two other collections acquired through this deal, Education in Video and Ethnographic Video Online, were already available through DePaul but as subscriptions rather than as owned content.

We hope that you will find all of these collections useful for your research and teaching!

On Thursday, May 23rd, Special Collections and Archives will be closed from 1pm to 5pm.  We hope this will not cause any inconvenience.

Inspiration for how to spend your summer vacation can be found on the shelves of the DePaul Library. We have many books that dig deeper than travel guides; these books explore the historical, cultural, and environmental significance of places. If nature factors into your vacation plans, reach for one of the following three books to gain a better understanding of the physical world we inhabit.

My most memorable vacations have been spent recharging in the forests, waters, and mountains of several U.S. national parks.  Being in the presence of rocks that are thousands of years old quickly puts the concerns of life in perspective.  But after reviewing National Parks: The American Experience (4th ed.), I realize that the enduring natural wonders of these lands belie the tenuous beginnings and continued existence of the national park system.  Alfred Runte, an environmental historian, captures this vulnerability early in the book with a carefully documented history of the interplay between the establishment of Yosemite and Yellowstone in the late 1800s. In the remaining chapters, Runte addresses the decades of controversies and ideological differences that have challenged the parks, and the environmental concerns of today including melting glaciers, fires, recreational vehicles, and wildlife management. (John T. Richardson Library, Call Number: 973 R943N)

Forests for the People: The Story of America’s Eastern National Forests was clearly written from the heart.  The following anecdote that Christopher Johnson and David          Govatski share poignantly explains their motivation for researching and writing this book.  According to legend, the forests were so dense in the 1500s that “a squirrel could have scrambled across treetops from Maine to Minnesota without ever touching the ground” (p. 9).  Sadly, by 1900 the eastern forests of the U.S. had been decimated by logging, and especially clear-cutting.  But through the passionate conservation efforts of many individuals and organizations, the woodlands were brought back from the brink through the passage of the Weeks Act in 1911. The authors wrote this book to document this successful conservation achievement by grassroots democracy. Also concerned about the continued health of these forests, they present case studies to highlight challenges that eastern forests are facing today.          (John T. Richardson Library, Call Number: 333.75110974 J664F)

High Places: Cultural Geographies of Mountains, Ice and Science is not an adventure book about mountain climbing expeditions.  This work is a collection of essays focused on high places that fit within the geographic scope of high altitude (mountains) or high latitude (polar regions).  While the essays share the commonality of high winds, low temperatures, ice and snow, they address very different aspects of meaning making in these extreme physical environments.  The essays are written from two geographical viewpoints: outsiders (researchers and explorers) and insiders (natives).  An example of an outsider’s perspective was written by William L. Fox, who studies cognitive dissonance and landscapes. His essay addresses the difficulties of mapping and navigating in the Antarctic because of its isotropic landscape. While the essay written by Gilles Rudaz, a scholar in environmental policy and planning, discusses the importance of incorporating the perspective of mountain dwellers into mountain research.  (John T. Richardson Library, Call Number: 304.2309143 H6382)  

Thanks to DePaul University Political Science Professor, Michael Mezey, for remembering the DePaul University Library in the opening of his forthcoming book, Presidentialism: Power in Comparative Perspective.  In the preface, Professor Mezey writes "Thanks also go to DePaul’s excellent library system and to Jennifer Schwartz in the reference section, who helped me track down some of the more obscure source material." 

We're looking forward to the book's release!  In the meantime, we'll make do with a short summary available at http://depaul.worldcat.org/oclc/817799661.   

Not everyone associates libraries with LGBTQ pride, but as a profession, librarianship has the distinction of the nation’s first gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender professional organization. The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table (GLBTRT) of the American Library Association (ALA) was founded in 1970 as ALA's Task Force on Gay Liberation.

The DePaul Library carries on that proud tradition by collecting books, media, and e-journals to support both the Lesbian/Gay/Bi/Transgender/Queer Studies Program and the non-academic interests of students of all sexualities and gender identities.  The LGBTQA Student Services Office also has a collection of materials for checkout, supplemented by second copies in the library. 

See the research guide for LGBTQ Studies for a selection of e-resources, reference material, and books and media. Know of a worthwhile resource that you're not finding in the library? We welcome your suggestions -- contact Paula Dempsey.

Faculty--The local version of the ITHAKA Faculty Survey is still available for your completion through Wednesday, May15th. Please take this opportunity to contribute to this national study of faculty perspectives in scholarship, publishing, and the role of libraries.  Make an impact on the future of scholarship and teaching in an increasingly digital environment by participating in the survey by ITHAKA, a not-for-profit organization that includes JSTOR and Portico. Your input will support strategic planning and help us better understand how the electronic revolution looks from a faculty standpoint.  The results will enable us to invest wisely in electronic technologies to support research and teaching at DePaul.  

All faculty were sent an email with a link to the survey, which is anonymous and takes about 20 minutes to complete.  We need a large corpus of faculty to participate in order to compare our results to the national aggregate. 

In the coming months, the Library will be moving to a new system for managing course reserves called Ares.  Ares allows us to automate and simplify the reserves process, making it faster and easier for you to put resources of any type on reserve for students to use as well as for students to quickly access their course reserves anytime, anywhere on the Web.

Key functionalities of Ares include:

•    the ability to upload and manage course reserves from any web browser
•    new copyright workflow behind the scenes for a faster permissions process
•    online delivery of course reserves in any format, including electronic books, articles, music, and streaming media
•    course management system integration allowing students to view and access course reserves directly from D2L
•    statistical reports on reserves use for instructors and librarians, helping us make informed decisions together on research resource purchases in the future
 
We expect to implement Ares beginning Fall quarter 2013 following successful pilot of select courses this summer.  Initial and ongoing training will be provided by the university's Media Production & Training group (MPT) in conjunction with the Library implementation team.  

Visit the Media Production and Training website to view upcoming training events and reserve a time to learn more about Ares.  

Web Applications Librarian and system implementation lead, Jim LeFager, is also available to answer any questions you have about the new system, training opportunities, or joining the summer pilot test group. 

Rev. Edward Udovic, C.M., DePaul University’s Vice President of Teaching & Learning Resources, Senior Executive for University Mission, and Associate Professor of History, won the Center for Research Libraries’ (CRL) Primary Source Award for Teaching this year for his Chicago Quarter class, “The Lincoln Park Neighborhood: Then and Now.”

CRL is an international collective of university, college, and independent research libraries whose mission is to support “advanced research and teaching in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences by preserving and making available to scholars the primary source material critical to those disciplines.”  CRL presents the annual award to recognize teachers who encourage the innovative use of primary sources on behalf of their students’ educational experience.

According to the award announcement:

“Providing a structured introduction to urban, local, and educational history, as well as museum and material culture studies, Udovic’s course ensured that first-year students at DePaul engaged with primary source materials from their first days at the university, and developed an initial awareness of the role that special collections, archives, and museums may play in their undergraduate education.”

Udovic’s course makes extensive use of primary source materials available at the Chicago History Museum and DePaul University Library’s Special Collections and Archives. Noted Udovic, “Over the years DePaul’s archive has purposely built a Lincoln Park collection that illustrates the neighborhood’s long and interesting history. These collections provide the backbone of the course’s pedagogy as do intensive neighborhood walking tours.” In addition to garnering recognition from CRL, the course’s focus on primary sources has also been well received by another key audience: DePaul students. “Students always react positively and enthusiastically when directly engaged with a wide variety of primary source materials” Udovic reflected. “For many of them it is the first time where history hasn’t been mediated to them through textbooks.”

The library would like to congratulate Fr. Udovic, for receiving this award and encourage faculty to consult with our archivists on how to incorporate DePaul’s diverse archival collections into their courses.

More information on the award and on Fr. Udovic’s course is in the Spring 2013 issue of the CRL “Focus” newsletter available at http://www.crl.edu/focus/article/9267

An additional example of a course that draws on DePaul University Archives and Special Collections is available at (http://news.library.depaul.edu/news/post/2010/03/Warren-Schultz-takes-students-back-to-1930e28099s-China.aspx).