November 2011 Archives

Some 30 VCU Libraries employees were recognized in November when Virginia Commonwealth University and the VCU Health System recognized employees for their dedicated years of commitment at the 40th annual Service Awards receptions.

Nearly 2,000 employees, who have been with the university from five to 20 years, were honored at receptions held on both campuses. A separate reception, followed by a special Theatre VCU performance of "Grease," was held for faculty and staff with 25 or more years of service. The list of 2011 honorees

"These awards honor out greatest asset --you," President Michael Rao, Ph.D., said at the MCV Campus reception. "I can't thank you enough for the work you do every day."

VCU Libraries staff honored were:

30 Years

Linette Fields, library specialist, Cabell

25 Years

Alice Chambliss, network analyst, Cabell

Larry Ohree, network analyst, Cabell

Daniel Ream, director of outreach and distance education, Cabell

Lynne Turman, head, TML collections, Tompkins-McCaw

20 Years

Edward Blease, library specialist, Cabell

Nita Bryant, library specialist, Cabell

Karen Cary, head, collection management, Cabell

Reginald Davenport, library specialist, Cabell

Mary Dyer, catalog librarian for digital asset management, Cabell

Patricia Selinger, head, preservation, Cabell

Shirley Thomas, head, resource delivery services, Cabell

15 Years

Helen Jackson, archival assistant for comic & digital collections, Cabell

10 Years

John Birch, AV equipment specialist, Cabell

Charles Morrison, evening/weekend supervisor, Cabell

5 Years

Gay Acompanado, archival assistant for the arts, Cabell

Andrew Bain, special collections assistant, Tompkins-McCaw

Samuel Byrd, digital collections systems librarian, Cabell

Elijah Christman, fiscal technician senior, Cabell

Margaret Henderson, library specialist, Tompkins-McCaw

Patrick Hurley, special projects assistant, Tompkins-McCaw

Jasmine Kenney, document delivery specialist, Cabell

Dana Ladd, Community Health Education Center librarian, Tompkins-McCaw

Thelma Mack, research & education coordinator, Tompkins-McCaw

Danielle Maitland, library specialist, Tompkins-McCaw

Elizabeth McDaniel, catalog librarian for special collections, Cabell

Denise McGee, holds/registration specialist, Cabell

Trinette Moseley, administrative office specialist, Cabell

Cristina Ramirez, social and behavioral sciences collection librarian, Cabell

Michael Rawls, budget and assessment director, Cabell

Sheraffaz Reed, library assistant, Cabell

 

A new digital collection at VCU Libraries captures architectural details and photographs of more than 600 structures in Jackson Ward and Oregon Hill, many of which no longer exist.

The Richmond Architectural Survey contains data sheets and information compiled by the City of Richmond's Department of Planning and Community Development in the mid-1970s. The evaluations were intended to be used in preservation plans and for city planning as a whole. These data sheets predate the standard survey forms used in Virginia used since the 1980s.

This collection is expected to be useful to people with interests in architecture and Richmond history and historic preservation. "The images taken for the survey combined with the data for these 18th and 19th century Richmond houses, many of them vastly altered or demolished in the last four decades, will give researchers a new perspective on Richmond's historic neighborhoods. It's a unique resource that can now be accessed
online," said Ray Bonis, archives coordinator at James Branch Cabell Library.

The 1970s survey form included a section identifying the building, its basic architecture and the construction date. A separate section evaluated the structure's architectural significance. Many of the forms included one or more photographs. Online, the data sheet is presented along with the photographs. Occasionally, assessors property cards are included, which offer more details on the buildings.

The data sheets reflect the bias of the times against so-called vernacular architecture--generally thought to be functional buildings designed to meet the needs of common people in their time and place. Vernacular structures were built by owners, builders or developers not schooled in formal architectural design. In some communities, these were sod houses, log cabins, barns and farm outbuildings. In urban centers, examples of vernacular architecture are homes, neighborhood businesses, storefronts, even churches--structures in the cityscape that served ordinary families living their everyday lives.

Historically, worldwide most buildings were built by people without plans by an architect. But, until recently, most historic preservation efforts focused on saving and restoring grand houses, such as those along Richmond's Monument Avenue, with little consideration given to typical neighborhoods and everyday structures, particularly those in non-white or non-wealthy sections of town. Structures like those in Jackson Ward and Oregon Hill--smaller and simply designed buildings--were considered less important architecturally, and less important to preserve.

These views began to change in the 1980s when city planners, preservationists and architectural historians began to consider vernacular architecture as important signatures of society and culture and thus as vital to understanding history as designed buildings. These changing views led preservation efforts to save entire blocks and not just key buildings.

Materials in this collection are in the public domain, and thus are free of any copyright restriction. To credit the collection: cite VCU Libraries Special Collections and Archives at James Branch Cabell Library. 

Users have high expectations for access to library collections. VCU Libraries' upgraded version of digital collections helps fulfill those needs. Frequent users of the collections will find numerous improvements, including:

• revamped image viewer
  
• improved ability to zoom in and pan across images and display them                
• full-screen capability
  
• faster page load performance
• easier navigation between searches and results
• easier, expanded print and download functions
• new social features allowing patrons to comment, rate, share and tag content.
• RSS feeds for individual collections that allow researchers immediate notice by email of additions to the collections
  

The changeover to an enhanced content management system was a culmination of months of planning and behind-the-scenes work. "We're excited to offer this wonderfully enriched new interface for our unique digital collections. We're proud of the work of the many staff responsible for this project, who have brought this service online after months of careful planning, deep technical changes, and many upgrades and patches, all executed without any downtime for our users. Scholars and students throughout the world will benefit from the powerful new capabilities of the system," said University Librarian John Ulmschneider.

• Users of the new system are invited to send feedback.
• Landing page for digital collections
• Feature story about VCU Libraries digital collections

 

"A Decade of Firsts" published online by Virginia Living Magazine offers an in-depth portrait of the 10th annual literary prize, its background and its meaning. The VCU Cabell First Novelist Festival is a free and open-to-all event held on campus Nov. 15 and 16. Details.

In December, EBSCO--one of VCU Libraries' main database providers--will be moving all databases now available through WilsonWeb to a new platform.

"My Wilson Web" accounts will be eliminated on Dec. 22 and it will be up to each user to save their own materials.

The databases effected are: Applied Science & Tech Index; Art Full Text; Art Retrospective; Biological & Agricultural Index Plus; Book Review Digest Plus; Essay & General Literature; General Science Full Text;  Humanities Index; Library Literature & Information Science; Play Index; Short Story Index; and Social Sciences Index.

Patrons who have set up My Wilson Web accounts to save searches and records should save the contents of those accounts elsewhere no later than Dec. 22 in order to have continued access to them. 

Searches may be recreated in the EBSCO version of the databases and saved to a My EBSCOhost account. Select the EBSCOhost link on the Databases A-Z list and choose. Scroll down the list to see if the WilsonWeb database you were using is on the list. If it is, you may want to create a My EBSCOhost account and re-create your previous searches. Instructions for creating a My EBSCOhost account 

Need help? Ask a Librarian.

Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Beverly J. Warren sent this notice to all members of the VCU community this morning:

"Today, November 11, 2011, our nation celebrates Veterans Day. To commemorate this important holiday, Gov. Bob McDonnell, through the issuance of a proclamation, has asked all Virginians to observe a moment of silence today at 11 a.m.

I hope that you will join me in taking this opportunity to reflect on the service and sacrifices of all veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces. To read the governor's proclamation.

A week prior to the Nov. 15-16 VCU Cabell First Novelist Festival, RVA published an in-depth interview with the 2011 honoree.

In a Nov. 8, 2011 feature story by Dale Brumfield about the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award, University Librarian John Ulmschneider discusses the history and future of the literary honor, which marks its 10th anniversary at a Nov. 15-16 festival. The article

 

Wesley J. Chenault is the new Head, Special Collections and Archives, James Branch Cabell Library. He is charged with building VCU Libraries collections with pointed interests in under-represented communities.

According to University Librarian John Ulmschneider, "Chenault will use both traditional and state-of-the-art practices to develop, preserve and provide access to special collections, and help the VCU Libraries create a compelling vision for growing and celebrating these collections in the future. He will bring particular focus to the VCU Libraries' efforts to build world-class collections in fine arts (including comic arts) and community histories (including oral histories) by cultivating appropriate relationships both with the VCU community and with the larger community of donors and committed supporters in Virginia and the Southeast region."

Chenault brings a firm foundation of education and experience to his new position, with a background that is especially well-suited to the focus and goals of the VCU Libraries.

Previously, he served as a research associate for the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African-American Culture and History in the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System and collaborated with librarians, archivists, community historians, citizen supporters, and others to build and expand access to collections that focus on the history of the African-American community in Georgia. As archivist at the Kenan Research Center in the Atlanta History Center, Chenault's work on collections that document the LGBT community in the Atlanta region was notable. Earlier professional experiences with the National Endowment for the Humanities and Georgia State University focused on collections related to women's studies, oral histories, and materials documenting business and civic leaders in Georgia.

Chenault holds the B.A. in psychology from Auburn University, the M.A. in Women's Studies from Georgia State University, and the Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of New Mexico.

Writers will converge on the Virginia Commonwealth University campus for informal meetings with creative writing graduate students and free-and-open to all public events Nov. 15 and 16. The line-up of events:

Tuesday, Nov. 15, 7 p.m., Commonwealth Ballrooms, VCU Student Commons
Publishing and Building a Career

• "First and Last Novels: Rumblings About Writing and Publishing in the 21st Century:" NPR book critic Alan Cheuse speaks
• "Building a Career After Winning an Award:" Tom De Haven, award co-founder, leads a panel with Cheuse and previous recipients Michael Byers, Maribeth Fischer and Victor Lodato
• Reception and book signing

Wednesday, Nov. 16, 7 p.m., Commons Theater, VCU Student Commons

Celebration of the 2011 VCU Cabell First Novelist Award Winner

• David Gordon reads from "The Serialist."
• "Inside the Business: Bringing a Book to the Public:" Susann Cokal, award administrator, moderates a discussion among Gordon, his agent and editor--Douglas Stewart of Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc. and Karen Thompson of Simon & Schuster--and Victor Lodato
• Reception and book signing

Details

• All events are free.
• Parking: West Main Street and West Cary Street decks
• Festival Web site
  
• To register or to request special accommodations, please use our online registration system or contact VCU Libraries membership and events coordinator Gregory Kimbrell at (804)-828-0593 or kimbrellgg@vcu.edu.
• About current and past winners
  
• About the speakers:

Alan Cheuse is widely known as the voice of literary criticism and publishing for NPR's "All Things Considered." He is the author of five novels, including "Song of Slaves in the Desert," (Sourcebooks, 2011), three collections of short stories, and a book of travel essays. His stories have appeared in many magazines and journals. He teaches creative writing at George Mason University.

David Gordon is the recipient of the 10th VCU Cabell First Novelist Award for "The Serialist" (Simon & Schuster). He attended Sarah Lawrence College and went on to earn a master's degree in English and comparative literature and a master of fine arts in fiction writing, both from Columbia University. He has worked in film and publishing, as well as in several genres of fiction. "The Serialist" is a rollicking story, part thriller and part paean to writing itself, about a writer stuck grinding out pulpy serial novels about vampires and space adventurers. His life begins strangely to imitate his stories when he agrees to ghostwrite a killer's memoir.

Michael Byers received the 2004 award for "Long for This World" (Houghton Mifflin). In 2010, Henry Holt published his second novel, "Percival's Planet." He teaches creative writing at the University of Michigan.

Susann Cokal directs the nationally ranked creative writing program at VCU and is the author of two novels. 

Tom De Haven teaches fiction and screenwriting in the creative writing program at VCU and is the author of 18 books. 

Maribeth Fischer received the inaugural award for her 2001 novel, "The Language of Good-bye" (Plume). In 2007, Simon & Schuster published her second novel, "The Life You Longed For." She founded a writers' guild in Delaware and also directs an annual writers' conference.

Victor Lodato is the 2010 award winner for "Mathilda Savitch" (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) and is one of the judges who selected  the 2011 recipient. Known also as a poet and playwright, he is a Guggenheim Fellow, as well as the recipient of the Weissberger Award for his play "Motherhouse."