Library News: Classes & Workshops 
Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences will host a live simulcast of TEDMED 2013, April 16-19, during regular library hours. The University community is invited to join colleagues to listen to this provocative series of short, inspiring talks, curated by the well-known TED (technology, entertainment, design) conference series, which began in the mid-1980s.
TEDMED focuses on health and medicine. The conference meets at the Kennedy Center in Washington, for a 31/2 day program.
According to organizers, "TEDMED believes that the future of health and medicine will be shaped by vital input from leading medical colleges, teaching hospitals, government agencies and non-profit institutions around the world." In this spirit of collaboration and information sharing, the TEDMED event is broadcast free to these institutions.
This is the first time VCU has participated in TEDMED Live.
Selected highlights and topics include:
Tuesday, April 16
- John Maeda, Rhode Island School of Design President: "How can design principles lead to more discovery and better treatment?"
- America Bracho, CEO and President, Latino Health Acesss: "What happens when patients become leaders on the health team?"
- Harvey Fineberg, President, Institute of Medicine: "What is the U.S. health disadvantage?"
Wednesday, April 17
- Amy Abernathy, Director, Duke Center for Learning Health Care: "Can patient data have a second life?"
- Sally Okun, VP Advocacy, Policy and Patient Safety, PatientsLikeMe: "Does anyone in healthcare want to be understood?"
- Francis S. Collins, NIH Director: "Can science take the next leap?"
Thursday, April 18
- Susan Desmond-Hellmann, Chancellor, University of California, San Francisco: "Attention stressed-out docs: Can the consumer be the 'cavalry'that rescues you?"
- Elizabeth Marincola, President, Society for Science and the Public: "With open access, who translates medical research?"
- Elazer Edlman, Senior Physician, Harvard-MIT Biomedical Engineering Center: "The Big Bang in Medicine and Engineering - will the knowledge explosion actually hurt innovation across disciplines?"
Friday, April 19
- Laura Deming, Partner, The Longevity Fund: "How do we make prevention a $1 trillion business?"
- Isaac Kohane, Professor of Pediatrics and Health Sciences Technology, Harvard Medical School: "How can every clinical visit be used to advance medical science?"
How scholars and artists share their work is changing. More and more, arts and humanities scholarship, creative activity and teaching occurs in the digital environment. VCU Libraries' new forum, "Digital Pragmata" (Digital Things) will explore these trends and techniques in modern scholarship, teaching and creative work.
"Digital pragmata flourish at the nexus of research, teaching and creativity," said John Glover, assistant professor and reference librarian for the humanities. Glover is organizing the sessions along with Kristina Keogh, assistant professor and reference librarian for the arts. Digital pragmata can be textual databases, creative visualizations of information, multimedia explorations, collaboratively annotated maps, course-related blogs and a thousand other projects. Digital objects can be wildly creative, deeply complex or simple communication tools.
"In working with faculty in various departments, we see a need to broaden the conversation about digital material," said Keogh, who is also a doctoral candidate in art history. Instructors requiring the creation of digital objects are scattered across all disciplines. "We want to bring together faculty and graduate students from a range of disciplines to learn and share ideas."
These sessions are free and open to all. Space is limited. Please register.
The March 26 and April 25 panels will be recorded and shared online.
For more information contact Glover at jglover2@vcu.edu or Keogh at keoghkm@vcu.edu.
March 26
1 to 3 p.m., followed by reception
Visualizing the Digital
Design, ideas and platforms
- Edward L. Ayers, president, University of Richmond, pioneer in the digital humanities
- Amanda French, THATCamp (The Humanities and Technology Camp) coordinator, Center for History and New Media, George Mason University
- Emily Smith, executive director, 1708 Gallery, Richmond, curator and creator of InLight Richmond
- Moderator: Roy D. McKelvey, associate professor, Department of Graphic Design, VCU, co-founder of Loop: AIGA Journal of Interactive Design Education
April 25
1 to 3 p.m., followed by a reception
Crafting Content
Creation, scholarship and organization
- Ben Fino-Radin, digital conservator for Rhizome at the New Museum and manager of the Museum of Modern Art Digital Repository
- Francesca Fiorani, associate professor, History of Art and Architecture, UVA, director of Leonardo da Vinci and His Treatise on Painting
- Michael Poston, database applications associate, Folger Shakespeare Library
- Moderator: Joshua Eckhardt, associate professor, Department of English, VCU, and founding, general co-editor of British Virginia
May 2
Noon to 2 p.m.
Funding Innovation
Avenues, resources and project support
- Jessica Venable, grant analyst, Office of Research, VCU
- David Holland, research and entrepreneurship specialist, School of the Arts, VCU
As one
of the first major research universities to launch a pioneering new cloud-resident
enterprise library platform, Virginia Commonwealth University hosted a Jan. 9 session designed to help other libraries around the world prepare
for the next generation of library technologies. VCU
Libraries went live in the fall semester with Alma, cloud-resident
enterprise library software from Ex Libris Inc
"Libraries have always been on the cutting edge of technology," said University Librarian John E. Ulmschneider. "Emerging cloud technologies are building blocks for the research libraries of the future--more accessible, scalable, secure and content-rich than ever to advance scholarly endeavor."
At the Jan. 9 event, industry leaders discussed how emerging cloud-based technologies are transforming research libraries.
International students can receive special library tours and research workshops designed for them this spring. Language challenges and cultural differences can present barriers to academic success for some international students. Libraries in their home nations may be vastly different from academic libraries in the United States.
- Tours of James Branch Cabell Library: Jan. 16, 4 p.m. and Jan. 22, 5 p.m.
- Introduction to Research: Feb. 6, 7 p.m.
- Finding Information in the Library I: Feb. 25, 5 p.m.
- Finding Information in the Library II: March 19, 6 p.m.
These workshops are a partnership between VCU Libraries and the Global Education Office. No registration is necessary. Workshops and tours are free and open to all.
For a detailed description of the workshops and additional helpful information, including foreign language dictionaries, see VCU Libraries' International Students Guide.
- New to graduate school? Short on time to search for the best online
resources to find scholarly sources, 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 like Google
Books.
- The workshop leaders are assistant professors Reference Librarian for the Humanities and Reference Collection Coordinator John Glover and Reference Librarian for the Arts Kristina Keogh.
No registration is necessary but faculty who intend to bring a class are asked to contact library faculty in advance so we may prepare for you. For more information please contact John Glover (jglover2@vcu.edu) or Kristina Keogh (keoghkm@vcu.edu).
- James Branch Cabell Library
- Room 319
- 2 to 3 p.m. Oct. 29
Is your scholarly research only for those wealthy enough to afford the
journal you publish in? How many in your local community can access your research published in expensive online journals? How many in your professional community without well-funded library access can read your work? How about your school's alumni? Would you rather have your work freely
accessible to all without charge, while still published in a
peer-reviewed, scholarly journal?
On Friday, March 30, from 3 to 4 p.m. VCU Libraries presents a 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.
On Friday, March 30, from 3 to 4 p.m. VCU Libraries presents a 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.
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 James Branch Cabell Library. No advance registration is necessary. Address questions to Dan Ream, or call 828-6545 for more information.
Walk-In Research and Writing Clinics
are designed to help anyone optimize their research and writing performance-- undergraduates, graduates, faculty and staff. Anytime the clinic is open, a librarian and writing consultant are available for one-on-one assistance on finding library resources and working through the writing process. Drop in for quick questions or in-depth
discussions. The clinics are co-sponsored by VCU Libraries and The
Writing Center.
Clinic Schedule Spring Semester
Multipurpose Room, room 250, James Branch Cabell Library
For more information
Writing Center workshops
Clinic Schedule Spring Semester
Multipurpose Room, room 250, James Branch Cabell Library
- Tuesday, Feb. 28, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.
- Wednesday, Feb. 29, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
- Tuesday, March 6, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
- Wednesday, March 7, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.
- Tuesday, March 20, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.
- Wednesday, March 21, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
- Tuesday, March 27, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
- Wednesday, March 28, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.
- Tuesday, April 3, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.
- Wednesday, April 4, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
- Tuesday, April 10, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
- Wednesday, April 11, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.
- Tuesday, April 17, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.
- Wednesday, April 18, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
- Tuesday, April 24, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
- Wednesday, April 25, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.
For more information
Writing Center workshops
Walk-In Research and Writing Clinics are designed to help anyone improve their research and writing skills. Undergraduate or graduate students, faculty and staff are welcome. During clinics, a librarian and Writing Center consultant will provide one-on-one assistance to find library resources or to work through the writing process. Drop in for quick questions or for more in-depth discussions. The clinics are co-sponsored by VCU Libraries and The Writing Center.
Clinic Schedule
Multipurpose Room, room 250, James Branch Cabell Library
Clinic Schedule
Multipurpose Room, room 250, James Branch Cabell Library
- Tuesday, Oct. 11, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.
- Wednesday, Oct. 12, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
- Tuesday, Oct. 18, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
- Wednesday, Oct. 19, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.
- Tuesday, Oct. 25, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.
- Wednesday, Oct. 26, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
- Tuesday, Nov. 1, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
- Wednesday, Nov. 2, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.
- Tuesday, Nov. 8, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.
- Wednesday, Nov. 9, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
- Tuesday, Nov. 15, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.
- Wednesday, Nov. 16, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
- Tuesday, Nov. 29, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
- Wednesday, Nov. 30, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.
- Tuesday, Dec. 6, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.
- Wednesday, Dec. 7, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
The Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO) is now available through the VCU Libraries. ECCO delivers every significant English-language and foreign-language title printed in Great Britain during the eighteenth century, along with thousands of important works from the Americas. ECCO contains books, pamphlets, broadsides, directories of Bibles, sheet music, sermons, advertisements, and other ephemera. Content is presented as full text page images which can be viewed online or downloaded as PDF documents. Divided into two parts, Part I includes 26 million pages of text from more than 136,000 titles. Part II is comprised of nearly 50,000 new titles of previously unavailable or inaccessible materials. ECCO provides full text searching; results may be limited by subject, language, dates of publication, illustrated works, etc. ECCO is based on The English Short Title Catalogue, a machine-readable union list of the holdings of the British Library, as well as those from more than 1,500 university, private, and public libraries worldwide. Work is being done to add ECCO records to the VCU Libraries catalog.Acquisition of the Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO) was made possible through a close partnership with the College of Humanities and Sciences and the Department of English.
