September 2010 Archives
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Noon - 1:30 p.m.
Cabell Library Multipurpose Room, 2nd floor
ARTstor is a digital library of more than one million images in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. It also includes a suite of software tools that enable users to view and analyze images. In this workshop, you will learn how to search and browse the ARTstor collection of images, create an account and manage folders, create and manage image groups, and download and use the ARTstor Offline Image Viewer.
Please contact Kristina Keogh (804-828-6339) to RSVP or for more information.
VCU Libraries has even more laptops now available for students to borrow while working in the library. There are forty laptops and seven netbooks at Cabell Library, and three laptops at Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences. To see if there are laptops available before you come to the service desk, simply check the online catalog for "student laptop" as a title -- you'll be able to see the laptops and netbooks at both library locations.
Software installed on the laptops includes Windows XP, MS Office 2007, Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox, SAS and SPSS, myitlab, iTunes, CutePDF Creator, and Photoshop Elements. The netbooks have Windows 7 Starter Edition, MS Office 2007, Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox, and CutePDF Creator.
Laptops are loaned for four hours at a time, and borrowing is limited to students and faculty at VCU with a valid VCUCard. If you return a laptop late, you will be responsible for overdue fines ($10 per hour), so be sure to bring your laptop back before it is due. A limited number of headphones and power cords are also available; just ask at the desk. The laptop loan service is provided by VCU Libraries and VCU Technology Services.
Berg Fashion Library is now available from VCU Libraries. The Berg Fashion Library offers cross-searchable access to interdisciplinary text and image content focusing on world dress and fashion. It covers all regions of the world, with content from prehistory to the present day. Students and scholars in disciplines including anthropology, art history, history, sociology, geography, folklore, museum studies, theater, and women's studies, as well as fashion design and merchandising, will find material of interest in this resource.
Hispanic Heritage Month is a month long observance (September 15 - Oct. 15) when America celebrates the culture and traditions of U.S. residents who trace their roots to Spain, Mexico, and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South America, and the Latin Caribbean. VCU Libraries is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month by hosting a special exhibit on resources in our collections relating to Hispanic history and culture.
On display on the fourth floor of the James Branch Cabell Library are a sample of the many books the library houses on Latin American society, including the recently published Latinos in Dixie: Class and Assimilation in Richmond, Virginia. It is the first scholarly monograph to focus on the Latino community in Richmond. From language use, ethnic customs, and family life to workplace dynamics and, ultimately, political and religious participation, this book explores what Latinos experience in moving to Richmond and what they bring to a city previously marked only by a black and white ethnic divide.
A panel discussion exploring Hispanic immigration to Virginia will be held at the Library of Virginia on Sept. 30th.
Also on display are two of the first Spanish language newspapers to be published in Virginia. Complete runs of the newspapers El Eco de Virginia and El Sol were donated to VCU Libraries in 2006. The issues were microfilmed and added to the Virginia State Newspaper Project. The newspapers can be accessed in Cabell Library's Special Collections and Archives department or on microfilm on the third floor of the library.
Hispanic Heritage Month began in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded to a 30-day period under President Ronald Reagan in 1988. September 15 was chosen as the starting point for the celebration because it is the anniversary of the independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua -- all of which declared independence in 1821. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively.
Please visit the James Branch Cabell Library's exhibit area, located on the fourth floor of the library, to view this exhibit and others that highlight many of the diverse collections housed in the VCU Libraries.
- European art from late antiquity to the present, American art from the colonial era to the present, and global art since 1945
- Visual arts in all media, including painting, sculpture, drawing, video, installations, new media, decorative and applied arts, museum studies and conservation, archaeology and classical studies, antiques and architectural history, and related fields
- Scholarship from at least 500 core journals, plus detailed coverage of monographs, essay collections, conference proceedings and exhibition catalogs.
VCU Libraries is collaborating with Thomson Reuters and Elsevier to present a series of Resources Days showcasing key science and engineering resources..
I. Web of Science, Biosis Previews & Zoological Record
When: September 22, Noon - 2 p.m.
Where:Commons Theater - University Student Commons
Learn how to navigate Web of Science, which now includes Conference Proceedings. Create citation reports and track citations over time and publications. Learn how Web of Science provides basic statistics such as average cites and h-index. Also view demonstrations of Biosis Previews and Zoological Record.
Lunch is provided.
RSVP required to Ronke Lawal (or call: 804-828-8739) by September 20.
II. Science Direct, SciVerse, Engineering Village & Reaxys
When: Thursday October 7, 2010, 10:30 - 3:30
Where: Virginia Rooms A-D University Student Commons
Get updates on Science Direct, Engineering Village and Reaxys databases. View demonstrations and familiarize yourself with the new Science Direct Interface - SciVerse.
10:30am -11:30 Updates and search features of SciVerse, Science Direct, and Engineering Village
12 noon - 1:00pm Demystifying Reaxys (Formerly Beilstein)
1:30-3:30 Demonstrations of all Databases
Brunch/Lunch is provided
RSVP required to Ronke Lawal (or call: 804-828-8739) by September 30.
Please indicate which session you wish to attend.
Stratfor, a resource for geopolitical intelligence on worldwide political, economic, and military developments, is now available from VCU Libraries. Stratfor provides snapshots of global breaking news through situation reports, analysis through daily reports that assess key world events and their significance, quarterly and annual forecasts, and multimedia. Stratfor includes an ongoing series of monographs and assessments that offer forecasts from its experts throughout the world.
In observation of Constitution Day (September 17th each year), VCU Libraries and University Student Commons & Activities (USC&A Programs) present the 2009 HBO film "Shouting fire: Stories from the edge of free speech." This documentary examines the issue of free speech versus national security in a post-9/11 world. Through a series of interviews, this film explores these issues from both sides. The ultimate question formulated becomes "is all speech equally free?" You can find more information or register to visit (advance registration not required to attend).
Also, throughout the week of September 13th, VCU Libraries will feature a presentation and video montage on the large-screen monitors inside the entrances of Cabell Library and Tompkins-McCaw Library. Catch trivia and fun facts as you visit the library! The video montage features a variety of clips, from the "Schoolhouse Rock" Preamble to a segment of Barbara Jordan's 1974 "Constitution Speech."
Last, but not least, from September 13th-17th stop by the Cabell Library reference desk or the Tompkins-McCaw Library service desk for a free pocket-sized copy of the Constitution. While supplies last!
For more information and links to Constitution resources see our Constitution Day Web site.
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Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Noon - 1:00PM
Cabell Library
Multipurpose Room, 2nd floor
New to graduate school? Short on time to search for the best online resources to find scholarly resources, images, and dissertations? This workshop will provide information on good places to start your research, tools to manage your citations, tips on how electronic resources work at VCU, and suggestions for how to use free online resources such as Google Books and Google Scholar.
For more information, please contact John Glover or Kristina Keogh
American Library Association Promotes Banned Books Week
Banned Books Week
Celebrating the Freedom to Read
September 25 - October 2, 2009
Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read is observed during the last week of September each year. Observed since 1982, this annual American Library Association event reminds Americans not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted.
Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one's opinion, even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular. It stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them. After all, intellectual freedom can exist only where these two essential conditions are met.
VCU Libraries' James Branch Cabell Library is named for noted Richmond author James Branch Cabell (1879-1958). Cabell's "Jurgen" (1919) was considered pornographic by some and was banned soon after its publication. A trial over its content brought the reclusive writer national fame. Read more about Cabell and the Banning of Jurgen.
Banned Books Week is sponsored by the American Library Association, the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the Association of American Publishers, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and the National Association of College Stores. Banned Books Week is also endorsed by the Center for the Book of the Library of Congress. Learn more about Banned Book Week from the American Library Association, including the list of the ten most challenged book titles for 2009, and a section titled "what you can do" to help fight censorship.
Visit the VCU Libraries Summer Reading Resource Guide to learn more about The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. This guide has articles, interviews and other important information about the book, author and topics.
Film Screening: "Shouting Fire: Stories from the edge of free speech"
Thursday September 16, 2010
Noon - 1:45 p.m.
Cabell Library, Multipurpose Room, Second floor
Monroe Park Campus
In observation of Constitution Day, VCU Libraries and University Student Commons & Activities (USC&A Programs) present the 2009 HBO film "Shouting fire: Stories from the edge of free speech." This documentary examines the issue of free speech versus national security in a post-9/11 world. Through a series of interviews, this film explores these issues from both sides. The ultimate question formulated becomes "is all speech equally free?" For more information on this film, visit the HBO Web site.
Register online. Visit VCU Libraries events page for more information on other upcoming events and workshops.
