Library Exhibit: "Movers and Shakers" African-American Writers and Artists from the Harlem Renaissance to the 1980's"

In celebration of National Black History Month, Boatwright Library's Special Collections presents the exhibit "Movers and Shakers: African-American Writers and Artists from the Harlem Renaissance to the 1980's." The exhibition of autographed, first edition books, many with dust jackets, by Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, James Weldon Johnson, Richard Wright, Ishmael Reed, James Baldwin and Toni Morrison is on display on the second floor of Boatwright Library through March 4.

Search Engine Users are Unaware and Naïve

The Pew Internet and American Life Project reports that adults online in the U.S. are generally naive when it comes to how search engines work. The study found that only one in six users of Internet search engines could tell the difference between unbiased search results and paid advertisements.

Tsunami Information Web Page

The University of Richmond Libraries have created a link to federal government information resources about the recent tsunami disaster in the Indian Ocean rim. You can also connect to this web page from the Libraries' Government Information Page.

Media Resource Center Extends Evening Hours

The Media Resource Center (MRC) in Boatwright Memorial Library has extended its hours open this semester until midnight, Sunday through Thursday. Please note that the MRC will continue to close at 5 pm on Fridays and Saturdays.

New Library Web Site

The library’s new web site debuted on January 3, 2005. The new web page address is: http://library.richmond.edu/, so you will need to change bookmark and link addresses for the library’s resources. Users will find the same content on the site, but we hope the new layout will make it easier to find our sources and services. If you have any further questions on how to navigate the site, please contact Lucretia McCulley, Head, Outreach and Instruction Services.

"IM" a Librarian

Boatwright Library reference librarians are offering a new way for students, staff and faculty to ask library research questions. Just add "boatwrightinfo" to your AIM buddy list. The service is available during reference desk hours. For more information, connect to Ask a Librarian on the library's web site.

Ahmanson Foundation Awards Grant to Parsons Music Library

Parsons Music Library has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Ahmanson Foundation for the purchase of audio and video recordings of opera, as well as books that explore the multiple layers of meaning resulting from opera’s hybrid nature. Although the inspiration for this grant is a new music course, "Opera and the History of Collaboration," which will be taught by Dr. Ruth Longobardi in spring 2005, we hope that other faculty will find ways to incorporate these new library materials into their teaching and research, particularly as they stimulate creativity in areas with less obvious connections to music.

Library 101 Registration Information for First Year Students

FIRST YEAR STUDENTS: Now that you have completed Library 100, you need to register for LIBRARY 101 for spring semester. There are 42 sections of Library 101 listed on BANNERWEB. Please register for one of the sections that fits with your schedule. Then make a note in your calendar of the Library 101 meeting time.

Treasures of Boatwright Library

Stop by and view the "Treasures of Boatwright Restored", an exhibit of books from the Boatwright Library Special Collections on the second floor of the library. The exhibit includes rare and unique items that have been restored, conserved and preserved over the course of some thirty years with the generous support and funding of the Friends of the Boatwright Memorial Library. The exhibit includes a rare copy of Virgil's Publii Virgilii Maronis, published in London in 1658 and presented by the U.S. Consul of Naples to Dr. J.L.M. Curry for the Richmond College Library in 1890; and a copy of The Addisonian Miscellany, with writings by the English essayist Joseph Addison, published in Boston in 1801 and beautifully restored by Master Hand Bookbinder John Field. The exhibit extends through December 2004.

Students Flock to Boatwright Library!

Recent gate count statistics reveal that student use of the library in September 2004 has increased 57.5% over September 2003. Over 69,000 entries into the library were recorded from September 1 - 30.

Laptop Checkout in Boatwright Library

18 laptops are available for student use in the library at the Main Service Desk. Students may present their university ID and check out the laptop for 4 hours. Due to heavy use, laptops may not be renewed. Students are also encouraged to bring in their own laptops and connect to the wireless network in the library. The Main Service Desk can also check out wireless network cards for laptops that are not wireless ready.

International Film Series Begins 16th Season

The International Film Series begins its 16th season this week with the showing of film Osama, winner of the 2004 Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. Writer/director Siddiq Barmak makes his film debut with Osama which was the first all-Afghan feature released since the end of the Taliban rule. The film is not only a vital social document, but also an intense, moving film centering on a girl who must disguise herself as a boy so her family can survive. The show times are Thursday, September 23, 7:00 p.m., Jepson Hall 118; Friday, September 24, 3:00 p.m., Adams Auditorium (Boatwright Library/MRC); and Sunday, September 26, 7:00 p.m., Jepson Hall 118.

Election 2004 Resources

Check out the University of Richmond Libraries' resource guide on Election 2004. Useful links to information on polling, candidates, campaign funding, etc. are provided. Be a knowledgeable voter!

Josephine Nunnally Gift Benefits Boatwright Library

Boatwright Library has received a significant gift from the estate of alumna Josephine Nunnally. Her bequest of $100,000 has been placed in the Book-a-Year fund where it will grow in perpetuity. The Book a Year fund was established in 2003 as a restricted endowment fund; its income will be used to purchase books, journals, and other materials for the libraries. Miss Nunnally, a Richmond native, graduated from Westhampton College in 1931. After earning a master’s degree in library science, she returned to the University and served as a cataloger from 1938 until her retirement in 1975. For more information, connect to Book-a-Year fund to find out how to contribute to its growth.

New Interlibrary Loan System Beginning Fall 2004!

UR Libraries recently introduced a new system for requesting books and articles via interlibrary loan. The interlibrary loan webpage has also been redesigned in order to communicate this new method! The new system will automatically add your personal information (name, etc.) to your request, which leaves just the information about the item to be entered. Users will now also be emailed when their books arrive and articles will automatically be emailed directly to the requestor! For further information visit:

http://oncampus.richmond.edu/is/library/access/ill.html

Early American Newspapers, Digital

Through a generous gift by Edwin S. Snead, III, the Libraries now have access to the digital collection of the Early American Newspapers. This collection provides access to newspaper articles on history, culture, religion, commerce, education, politics, etc. from the Colonial period through the Civil War. Date coverage includes 1690 – 1876. The database will eventually include more than 1 million pages from newspapers. Early American Newspapers is available under "Online Databases" and through the UR Library Catalog on the Libraries’ web site.

After 90 years, The Collegian Goes Digital

The Collegian is the University's student newspaper that has been in publication since 1914. It consists of 90 volumes and over 22,000 pages. Until now, the back issues of The Collegian could be accessed only at the Virginia Baptist Historical Society on microfilm. Now it is available online, fulltext searchable, with the ability to view the full article. Over 90 years content can be browsed or searched by keyword. Explore the Collegian Archive: 1914-2003.

New York Times Reports on Google's Impact on Libraries

The June 21, 2004 issue of the New York Times reports on the three year study by Electronic Publishing Initiative at Columbia University that concluded that electronic resources have become the main tool for information gathering, particularly among undergraduates. Not only has the web become popular with students, but with faculty as well. In the Columbia survey, 90 percent of the faculty members who responded said they used electronic resources in their research several times a week or more.In response, librarians at Carnegie Melon, the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) and other organizations are trying to bring material that search engines like Google have missed from the deep Web to the surface. In recent months, dozens of research libraries began working with Google and other search engines to help put their collections within reach of a broader public.

New University ID Cards

Effective June 28, 2004, the university will begin to use new, randomly generated ID numbers on university ID cards. Library users should be aware that beginning June 28, one must have a new University ID card to: 1) Renew books online and view your library account information using the My Account feature on the UR Library Catalog 2) Check out books using the Self-Check and 3) Quickly check out books at the library’s main service desk. As of September 30, old ID cards will be turned off and will no longer grant access to campus buildings or services. ID Card pickup Schedule is scheduled for June 28 – July 9, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the One Card Office, Room 300 of Tyler Hanes Commons Building.

World War II Documents from the Boatwright Library Federal Depository Collection
Government-published pamphlets explaining why America went to war, the U.S. relationship to Allied and Axis countries, and how soldiers could adjust to post-war life are now offered for permanent public view in a University of Richmond library online collection, "America at War 1941-45," beginning Memorial Day (May 31). The 60 documents are part of a larger collection of about 250, which Richmond's Boatwright Memorial Library eventually will digitize and make accessible via the Internet.