The Library has a number of e-book collections that current students, faculty and staff can access from anywhere – but today I’m going to highlight a few that focus on topics related to technology, and computer science. Need a manual for Excel 2007? Looking for a book on ASP.NET? Interested in reading about data mining? We’ve got something for you.

Safari Tech Books Online This database includes books, certification manuals, and articles from many of the top software & technology publishers (just a few examples: O’Reilly, Sams, New Riders, Microsoft, IBM, Peachpit, Que).  Titles and topics range widely from basic, beginner-level books on software applications to handbooks and guides for the specialist. It’s not just computer science and tech topics either – Safari also includes a number of business, management, and finance titles.

Books 24 x 7 Similar to Safari, through Books 24 x 7, get access to thousands of titles in the areas of information technology and computing – plus business, finance, and government.  One nifty feature of this resource: you can create your own personal ‘folders’ to store frequently-used books or titles of special interest.

But wait! There’s more. Would you like to do some in-depth research, something more academic or technical in nature? In that case, you might consider:

Lecture Notes in Computer Science  This highly-respected series reports the latest results from all areas of computer science and information technology research. Titles include both conference proceedings and individual books. DePaul also owns many of these titles in print.

Springer 2009 Computer Science E-books Package Collection As you might guess, this resource includes over 3000 titles published in 2009: book series, monographs, textbooks, and major reference works.

The Writing Center Library Outpost will be open during exam week only on Friday, November 20th, from 11:00am to 3:00pm.

During the time the Outpost is closed, students can take advantage of evening and weekend hours at the main Writing Center locations, 11/18 thru 11/21:

Lincoln Park Office, 250 McGaw Hall
Wednesday, November 18: 10:00 – 5:00
Thursday, November 19: 10:00 – 8:00  
Friday, November 20: 10:00 – 5:00 
Saturday, November 21: 11:00 – 4:00
 
Loop Office, 1620 Lewis Center
Wednesday, November 18: 10:00 – 5:00
Thursday, November 19: 10:00 – 8:00  
Friday, November 20: 10:00 – 5:00 

Looking for a quiet place to study for finals in the wee hours of the morning? The Richardson Library has you covered! The Library will be open for DePaul students 24 hours a day from 7:30am Tuesday, November 17th, through 10:00pm Tuesday, November 24th.

The entrance of the library will be locked at 11:00pm and library access will be restricted to the DePaul community at this time.  Students can enter the library by swiping their DePaul IDs through the card reader located to the left of the main entrance. At the same time, during the hours of 11:00am-7:00am, the outer doors of the building will be locked and students may enter the building using the cardswipe entrance on the west (Quad side) doors only. DePaul security will be patrolling the library throughout the night to ensure safety.

For study breaks, DePaul Dining Services will be offering coffee, tea, and other beverages, as well as a variety of snacks, for purchase in Kelly Hall (outside the main entrance to the Library) from 11:00pm until 7:00am.

Good luck, students! 

Afraid to go out of the house this Friday?  You're not alone, many people suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia, a morbid, irrational fear of Friday the 13th.  Others are affected by triskaidekaphobia, the fear of 13.

The belief that Friday the 13th is an unlucky day is derived from two long-standing superstitions, the fear of the number 13 and a negative association with Friday itself. The two superstitions are part of a long and fragmented history making it difficult to pinpoint their origin. The unlucky 13 seems to have ancient origins giving room for plenty of speculation as to why the number came to be considered unlucky.  Some theories argue that there are mathematical reasons for the fear of 13 while others believe that 13 came to be associated with unlucky events.  Whatever the reasons, it is clear that 13 shows up time and time again as the object upon which people have historically projected fear and uncertainty.  One of the first texts to reflect this view is Work and Days, written in 700 B.C.E. by the Greek poet Hesiod. In this text, Hesiod mentions the 13th day of the month as an unlucky day for sowing seeds.  Unlucky 13 is incorporated in the story of the Last Supper at which Judas was the 13th guest. 

Negativity towards Fridays can be traced as far back as the 16th century in western literature.  The term "friday-faced," meaning sad-looking, and "friday-look," meaning a solemn look, surfaced as early as the late 1500s in Greenes Groatsworth of Witte: "The Foxe made a Fridayface, counterfeiting sorrow."²  The expression was used again in 1681 by William Robertson who wrote, "What makes you look so sad, and moodily? with such a Friday face" in the Phraseologia Generalis. Early in the next century William Rowley spoke of a "plague of Friday mornings!" in Match of Midnight.³  Why there's a negative association with Friday is subject to speculation.   It's unclear when the bad luck of 13 and supertitions of Friday coincided.  One historic event is often cited.  On Friday 13, 1307, members of the Knights of Templar were arrested and their leader was killed.  It came to be recognized as an unlucky date in the calendar.  However, according to Nathaniel Lachenmeyer, Friday the 13th didn't show up in lists of unlucky days until the 20th century.⁴ 

I hope this cursory history gives you just a taste of the superstitions surrounding this auspicious date.  If you're interested in learning more about the theories of the origin of Friday the 13th, check out 13: The Story of the World's Most Popular Superstition by Lachenmeyer.  It's located in the Lincoln Park Stacks at 133.3359 L137t 2004.  

 

1)  Lachenmeyer, Nathaniel. "The Origins of Unlucky 13." 13: the Story of the World's Most Popular Superstition. Thunder Mouth's Press: New York, 2004.

2) "Friday." Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press, 2008.

3)  Ibid.

3) Lachenmeyer, Nathaniel. "The Rise of 13." 13: the Story of the World's Most Popular Superstition. Thunder Mouth's Press: New York, 2004.

 

DePaul second president, Fr. John Martin, had a brief but eventful tenure. His term began in January 1909 and lasted until June 1910. Martin was born in LaSalle, Illinois in 1877, and was ordained in 1900. He was only 32 when he began his presidency. While President, Fr. Martin focused on managing the mounting debt brought on by a 1907 depression and the building of Byrne Hall, the College Theater and the Lyceum. He was instrumental in the development of the School of Engineering, a subject he held close to his heart as he was mechanically-minded himself. After his time at DePaul, Fr. Martin became President of St. Vincent's College in Cape Girardeau, Missouri and served as a chaplain for the U.S. Army during WWI. 

Veterans Day, held annually on November 11, was designated to honor America's veterans for their patriotism and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the United States.  The City of Chicago is hosting a Veterans Day Ceremony at Soldier Field honoring those who have served in times of peace as well as in war.  DePaul University is also sponsoring an event to honor our veterans.  Both events are free and open to the public. 

City of Chicago Veterans Day Ceremony at Soldier Field

The Veterans Day Ceremony will feature keynote speaker Brigadier General Steven P. Huber, deputy commander of the Illinois Army National Guard.  General Huber joined the Illinois Army National Guard as a Private First Class in February 1979 and has held numerous command and staff positions throughout his career.  In October 2009, he was appointed deputy commander after returning from a year-long tour in Afghanistan where he served as commander of Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix VIII.  The General has received several awards throughout his career including the Army Superior Unit Award, National Defense Service Medal and the Bronze Star Medal.  Also speaking is DePaul student and army veteran, Katherine R. West. While serving her country, West was deployed for two overseas missions to Korea and Iraq.

The United States Naval Academy Women’s Glee Club, founded when women first entered the Naval Academy in 1976, will be performing two musical selections at the Commemoration, the National Anthem and America the Beautiful. The ensemble has performed across the nation as well as internationally, including tours to California, Hawaii, New York, Texas, Rome and London.

The program also includes a Wreath Ceremony at the Doughboy Statue to honor and remember local men and women who have served our country.

11 am, November 11, 2009

Soldier Field, Doughboy Statue, Gate O

1410 S. Museum Campus Dr.

Veterans Day Celebration with Vet Art Project hosted by the Veterans Advocacy Group at DePaul University

Army veteran, Katherine R. West, will be speaking with other veterans who will share their stories. While serving her country, West was deployed for two overseas missions to Korea and Iraq.  She was recently diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and discharged from the Army in May 2009.  West is currently pursuing a Psychology degree at DePaul University's School for New Learning Adult Bridge New Admission Program.  Her goal is to use her degree to help veterans experiencing the after effects of war as a Peer Support Specialist. Seating is limited so please RSVP to (312) 362-6367.

Reception starts at 5pm and speakers begin at 5:30, November 11, 2009

11th Floor of the DePaul Center, 1 E. Jackson Blvd.

 

 

Wonding what's going on in West Palm Beach or Bowling Green, Kentucky? What about Sao Paulo, Brazil? or New Dehli, India? You can now find news sources from all over the world in Access World News, which contains local, regional, and national U.S. newspapers as well as full-text content of key international sources including newspapers, magazines, broadcast transcripts, newswires, and news videos.

DePaul's interface offers shortcuts to local news sources, like the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, and the Redeye, as well as key national papers, such as the New York Times, and the Washington Post. Access World News offers an easy to use keyword search for these individual titles, or you can browse issues by date, giving users an alternative to Lexis Nexis. And once you find an article you like, it is a snap to email yourself the full text, print it out, or export the citation information.

If you are looking for international news, you can use the interactive world map to choose a continent of interest, and then drill down to the country, state, and city level to browse local news sources in Egypt, Zimbabwe, or Bangladesh. 

 Join us tonight in Special Collections for an evening with Dr. Joe Schwieterman, as we celebrate and discuss the recent release of his latest book, Beyond Burnham: An Illustrated History of Planning for the Chicago Region.

Dr. Schwieterman, the director of the Chaddick Institute of Metropolitan Development here at DePaul, is a noted authority on transportation and a long-standing contributor to the Transportation Research Board (TRB), a unit of the National Academy of Sciences. A book signing and reception will following the reading, as well as the chance to explore the current exhibit in Special Collections & Archives, "The City that Works: Burnham and the Chicago Plan," which features an original copy of the Burnham Plan.

Wednesday, November 4th
Richardson Library, Special Collections & Archives
room 314
5:00pm 

 

The following content has been added to the Image Collection Database

Ancient Art: Classical Sculpture from the British Museum

Islamic Art: Decorated Manuscript Pages and Folios

African Art: Sculpture of the Songye Culture

Asian Art: Animals in Chinese Painting, Woodblock prints by Hiroshige

Medieval and Renaissance Art: Chartres Cathedral

Modern and Contemporary: Paintings by Rene Magritte, Works by Vito Acconci

Architecture: Images of the Quadracci Pavilion at the Milwaukee Art Museum by Santiago Calatrava

For more information about the Image Collection, or for assistance in locating images, contact the Image Collection staff.  

 

Since 1990, November has been designated Native American Heritage Month to honor Native American traditions, communities and contributions. The theme for this year's heritage month is "Pride in Our Heritage. Honor to Our Ancestors."

Events happening in Chicago:

American Indian Center's 56th Annual Chicago Powwow 

November 7-8, 2009

UIC Pavilion ( University of Illinois, Chicago campus)
1150 W. Harrison Street, Chicago, IL

Doors open at 12 noon on Saturday, 10am on Sunday
Grand Entry (Dancing) starts at 1pm and 7pm Saturday
Admission $12 Adults, $6 Children (6-12) and Seniors 55+
Student/Groups receive a $2 discount, $18 for a weekend pass

American Indians in Chicago: Our Legacies, Our Communities

November 5, 2009, 7:00 pm

Scott Stevens, Director of the Newberry Library's D'Arcy McNickle Center for American Indian History, is the guest speaker.

Sulzer Regional
4455 N. Lincoln Avenue
60625