November 2010 Archives
The Department of English and the MFA Program in Creative Writing at VCU will host a reading by acclaimed poets and MFA alums, Allison Titus and Mathias Svalina, at the VCU Visiting Writers Series. Titus previously worked in the Collection Management Department at VCU Libraries. The reading is Thursday, December 2, at 8 p.m., University Commons, Forum Room.
VCU Libraries now provides access to The Left Index, an online resource dedicated to the study of cultural and political issues from the perspective of leftist thought. Topics covered include art and aesthetics, ecology and environment, education, globalization, history of the labor movement past and present, legal issues, philosophy, race and ethnicity, and social theory. More than 485,000 citations and abstracts, from 1982 to the present, are drawn from a wide range of publications and classic texts.
VCU Libraries now provides access to Alternative Press Index, a comprehensive resource for the interdisciplinary study of leftist and radical cultural and political thinking in the United States and around the world. Articles from over 300 journals, magazines, and newspapers are indexed in disciplines that include ecology, feminism, and organized labor. Online coverage starts from 1991 and up to the present.
James Branch Cabell Library will again offer Library Lite All Nite, beginning November 28 and continuing through the end of the exam period on the Monroe Park Campus (December 21). The library will remain open 24 hours a day, Sunday through Thursday, closing at 6:00 p.m. on Fridays (our regular Saturday hours, 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., will not change). Some services -- such as reference and instruction, media and reserves, special collections, the helpIT Center, and Starbucks -- will be available during their regular hours. Other services, such as the circulation service desk, laptop loans, group study room reservations, Internet access, printing, and all of our electronic resources, will be available around the clock. All library policies, including Use of Library Facilities and Food and Drink, remain in effect during these extended hours. We recommend the services of the VCU Security Escort Services for students leaving the library late at night.
Just released, the Richmond Comprehensive Planning Slide Collection contains over 8,000 photographs primarily depicting the city of Richmond, Virginia. The collection of 35mm slides was compiled by the staff of the Planning and Preservation Division of the City of Richmond's Department of Planning and Development Review. It functioned as an archive of planning imagery used for presentations to the public, to community groups, and to the Planning Commission and City Council for the adoption of plans. Dating from the 1940s to 2000, with the majority ranging from the '70s to the '90s, the photographs depict buildings, streets, aerial views, parks, parking lots, floods, people, and events, mostly in Richmond, but also in other cities in Virginia and in other states. The non-Richmond views were used by the Division as examples of best planning practices.
The Richmond Comprehensive Planning Slide Collection is part of the VCU Libraries Digital Collections, a growing resource for the VCU and global communities.
What Do I Read Next?
Tuesday, December 7, 201012:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Cabell Library 3rd floor Classroom, Room 319
This workshop will introduce participants to tools for finding leisure reading materials at VCU Libraries. It will cover such resources as Book reMarks, Fiction Connection, and various free online tools to help readers discover authors and explore genres. No advance registration is necessary.
Please contact John Glover for further information (828-6555).
A new online database, Index Islamicus, is now available through the VCU Libraries. With coverage for the last hundred years, current, and future scholarship, all aspects of Islam, the Middle East, and the Muslim world are indexed for the arts, history, literature, medicine, politics, religion, and sciences. Updated annually by the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, Index Islamicus is searchable by author, journal, and title. Over 3,000 journals are indexed, as well as book reviews, conference proceedings, and scholarly monographs.
Finding images workshop
Friday, December 3, 2010
Noon - 1 p.m.
Cabell Library 3rd floor Classroom, Room 319
This workshop will offer an introduction to finding and using images from VCU Libraries digital image collections and from other resources. In addition to general help with understanding image copyright and citation, this session will cover image search engines, free image resources, and digital image databases available to the VCU community, including ARTstor, AP Images, and other resources.
Please contact Kristina Keogh (828-6339) for more information.
Film screening: No Crossover: the trials of Allen Iverson
Thursday, November 11, 2010
12:30-1:30 p.m.
Cabell Library, second floor Multipurpose Room, 250
Monroe Park Campus
In 1993, Allen Iverson was a Bethel High School sports star who, at the beginning of his young career, faced a trial that divided Hampton, Virginia, along racial lines. Oscar nominee, Steve James (Hoop Dreams) returned to his hometown to explore issues of race, celebrity and sports for ESPN's 30 for 30 documentary series. (60 minutes)
Please bring a lunch.
Co-sponsored by VCU Libraries and Student Affairs & Enrollment Services: University Student Commons & Activities (USC&A Programs). Visit VCU Libraries events page for more information on other upcoming events and workshops.
Cabell Library now has a self-service public fax machine, located near the copier/printer corral on the first floor. The cost is $1.50 for the first page and $1.00 for each additional page; international rates are higher. Payment can be made with a credit or debit card. Assistance is available to users at any time via a telephone that connects directly to the fax vending company's customer service helpline.
Is your scholarly research only for those wealthy enough to afford the journal you publish in? Or would you rather have your work freely accessible to all without charge, while still published in a peer-reviewed, scholarly journal?
On Tuesday, November 9th, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m., VCU Libraries will present a new workshop for faculty (but open to all) entitled "Open Access Scholarly Publishing for Faculty." The workshop will be conducted by Dan Ream, VCU librarian and past president of the VCU Faculty Senate.
As journal subscription costs have increased dramatically, fewer and fewer libraries can afford every journal that is needed, including some that are considered prestigious and essential. Faculty worldwide, especially in the sciences but also increasingly in the social sciences and humanities, have responded by creating and publishing their research in open access, peer-reviewed journals that charge no fee to their readers. Faculty Senates from Harvard to Berkeley to the University of Virginia have endorsed open access publishing for their faculty. Perhaps VCU's Faculty Senate may some day do so as well.
This one-hour session will introduce faculty to this revolution in publishing of open access, peer-reviewed journals and demonstrate how to locate them in almost any discipline, as well as discuss the potential benefits of worldwide free access to faculty research. Options for faculty retention of copyright will also be discussed.
This workshop will be held in library classroom/lab 319 on the third floor of Cabell Library. No advance registration is necessary. Address questions to Dan Ream, or call 828-6545 for more information.
