The DePaul University Libraries will be closed starting tomorrow, December 23rd, through January 1st. We will resume normal business hours on Friday, January 2nd. 

  We hope everyone enjoys the holiday break, and have a Happy New Year!

Fall Quarter has been very productive in the Image Collection. 

In preperation for a course to be taught in the Spring, we have added quite a few images related to art of the Silk Road.  Search using the term "silk road" to locate most of these images.

We have also uploaded (and continue to upload) images from our Historical Photograph section of slides focusing on issues of slavery, segregation, and civil-rights protests. 

Finally, we've added quite a few images of work from the Renaissance in all media including painting, sculpture and the decorative arts.

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

 

Image: Fra Angelico and Fra Filippo Lippi. "Adoration of the Magi." 1440-1460. Washington, DC. National Gallery of Art

Do you read a lot of blogs? Do you have favorite websites you visit every day? Are you a news junky like me? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should definitely check out Google Reader.

 

Google Reader is a feed-aggregator that collects updates from websites you access regularly and conveniently displays them in a single location. It reduces the time spent visiting multiple websites and creates a personalized newspaper of sorts. In addition to the simplicity that feed-aggregators provide, Google Reader also makes storing and sharing information incredibly easy. You can put a star on articles you want to save for future reference and "tag" articles to keep similar pieces organized. Also, if you have really enjoyed something you've read, Reader makes sharing articles simple!

To give it a try, go to www.google.com/reader.

You bet.  You can find what we have by searching the library catalog.  You can access the catalog a number of different ways, but one way to start you search is to click on the word “Find” in the middle of our page.  Next, click on the link that says, “Videos, Music & Images”.  You should see a list of helpful FAQs for finding films, and link to DePaul’s Library Catalog.

To find a specific film (e.g., Casablanca)
•    Type the title of the movie in the search box, and select 'Title' from the Search by menu.
•    Use the Quick Limits drop-down just below the search box to select "Films/videos/DVDs".

To find films on a topic (e.g., Japan)
•    Type your keyword(s) in the search box.
•    Use the Quick Limits drop-down just below the search box to select "Films/videos/DVDs".

DVDs and videocassettes are shelved on the first floor of the Lincoln Park campus library in the Media Viewing & Listening Room; swipe your DePaul ID to enter. At the Loop campus, you'll find video materials in the AudioVisual Room, DPC 10011. DePaul students, faculty and staff can check out up to two videos for a seven-day period.

If DePaul's copy is checked out, or we don't have the movie you are looking for, feel free to contact us by phone, email, or IM via our Ask A Librarian service, or just stop by the reference desk at any campus; we'll be glad to help you locate what you need.

Have you got the Christmas spirit yet?  Then head up to the third floor exhibit case outside Special Collections to see some of the editions and illustrations of Dickens beloved story A Christmas Carol.

It was with A Christmas Carol that Samuel Baldwin Bradford began his Dickens Collection, which was given to DePaul University Library in 1972.  This collection now contains over 50 editions, as well as over a hundred other Dickens Christmas books. Bradford's intent was to obtain every illustrator’s idea of the characters and scenes from one of Dickens’ most famous stories.

This exhibit’s selection of editions highlights some of these illustrations.  It also contains some items that show how the story has become integrated into popular culture, from plates and jigsaw puzzles to comic strips and advent calendars.  Take a look and see how A Christmas Carol has been enduringly popular since it was first published in 1843. 

As the campus computer labs upgrade to the newest version of Microsoft Office, you can avoid compatibility problems with older versions of the software on a personal lap top or computer by upgrading. DePaul students can purchase the upgrade at a discount. Check out Demon Discounts for the other great deals on I-Go membership, Kerasotes and AMC movie passes, and lots more!

Chicago’s a vibrant theater town and ‘tis the season for many local troops to pull out old standards including It’s a Wonderful Life, Christmas Carol, and The Nutcracker as well as new favorites such as The Santaland Diaries. Between spoofs, fairy tales, musicals, and contemporary plays with holiday themes, there’s something for every theatergoer on stage this month. Both Metromix and Time Out Chicago highlight a range of local options and be sure to check Hot Tix for cheap last minute tickets.

We probably all have a little spam in at least one of our email inboxes--those unsolicted messages offering to boost our staminia or enhance various parts of our anatomies. But what does an offer from Tortoiseshell S. Factual for the "Cheapest AND The Best!!!!!" have in common with pork and ham in a can?

According to the OED, to "spam" is "To flood (a network, esp. the Internet, a newsgroup, or individuals) with a large number of unsolicited postings, or multiple copies of the same posting. Also intr.: to send large numbers of unsolicited messages or advertisements,"¹and cites the earliest usage for the verb as 1991 (although it applied to programing and not internet communications at the time).  Fortunately, page 3 of the introduction of Anti-Spam Measures: Analysis and Design provides us with a bit more background: 

"The eytmology of the word "spam" is, usually, explained by using an old skit from Monty Python's Flying Circus comedy program...In the sketch in question, a restaurant serves all its food with lots of Spam, which is canned meat and an acroymn for 'Shoulder of Pork and Ham.' The waitress repeats the word several times in describing how much Spam is in dishes on the menu.  When she does this, a group of Vikings in the corner start singing a chorus of "SPAM SPAM SPAM..." at increasing volunes in an attempt to drown out other conversations.  As 'unsolicited buld e-mail' disturbs Internet communication likewise, it was termed "spam."²

The wikipedia article on "Spam (electronic)" has a few more examples and a more detailed history.  You can also watch the orignal Monty Python skit on YouTube.  

 

¹ Spam, v. In the Oxford English Dictionary online. Retrieved December 5, 2008, from http://library.depaul.edu/CheckURL.aspx?address=http://dictionary.oed.com/entrance.dtl

² Schryen, G. (2007). Anti-Spam Measures: Analysis and Design. Berlin: Springer.

Photo credit: Galore, Janet. spam. 2006. <http://www.flickr.com>

 

 

 

 

'Tis the season to make your own gifts! Homemade holiday gifts will save you a few bucks AND help save the planet--no plastic packaging or stuff made in sweatshops.  Instructables is a website where people share instructions for making almost anything.  The instructions range from the simple (how to fold an origami crane) to the complicated (build your own home security system), and are usually illustrated with step-by-step photos or video clips.  For the holiday season, Instructables has grouped some items into their Gift Ideas section.  There are a bunch of cool ideas that you won't see in a regular craft magazine: a sweet duct tape messenger bag,bath bombs,recycled paper bows, recycled can trays/candle holders and much more.  Instructables are tagged and searchable, and there's a community forum where you can talk to other DIYers.  We wish you a merry and creative December!