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10/29/2009

We now have a 30-day trial of Mango for Libraries, an online language-learning program. You can use this link to try it. The link takes you to a page that includes more information about the Mango system, and an option to "Ready to Learn? Click Here to start!"

You'll see two versions of the program. The one labeled Original is the current version of the system, with nine languages (Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, French, German, Italian, Greek, Russian, and Mandarin Chinese) plus three ESL versions (for speakers of Polish, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese.) There's also a preview of the "2.0" version of the program. Just a few of the languages are available in the preview, but they include Arabic, Greek, and Hindi.

Please take a look at this and let us know what you think.

Posted at 8:37 AM by Elisabeth E Tully | Category: Featured Resource | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

10/28/2009

Halloween Tidbits

Halloween, is fast approaching, and we thought that you might be interested in these statistics.
• The total production of pumpkins by major pumpkin-producing states in 2008 was 1.1 billion pounds. Illinois led the country by producing 496 million pounds of the orange gourds. The value of all pumpkins produced by major pumpkin-producing states was $141 million. Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service http://www.nass.usda.gov/index.asp
• The per-capita consumption of candy by Americans in 2008 was 23.8 pounds. While not all of this candy was consumed in October, Halloween is responsible for the lion’s share of the annual consumption. Source: Current Industrial Reports, Confectionery: 2008

Posted at 3:10 PM by Elisabeth E Tully | Category: Events | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

Too fragile to use?

What happens when a student doing a research project needs to use fragile, rare, and valuable materials from our special collections? Thanks to the magic of digitization, we can provide them with access to these materials without harm to the originals. Sometimes we need to scan the item ourselves, but frequently Google Books or the Internet Archive has already digitized the book. In this case, all we need to do is add a link from our online library catalog to the full-text version of the book. For example, a senior recently requested the use of James Pike’s “The Prostrate State: South Carolina under Negro Government”. When the book was retrieved from the special collections, we noticed that the first twenty or so pages had broken off from the text block. The student looked through the book very carefully, but it became apparent that the book was too fragile for use. Fortunately, Tim Sprattler, who is in charge of the special collections, was able to find a link at Internet Archive and has added it to the library catalog record. The result was a happy student, and a book that did not sustain further damage.
Here is what the record looks like.

Posted at 3:04 PM by Elisabeth E Tully | Category: Archives | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

Resource of the Week: CIAO

As one of the most comprehensive resources for documents relating to foreign and international affairs, Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO) is an excellent resource for advanced history projects (International Relations, Economics, etc…). The database includes original full-text research and writings published in working papers from university research institutes, occasional papers series from NGOs, foundation-funded research projects, conference proceedings, books, journals and policy briefs. Although the emphasis is research and policy papers, CIAO also contains some International Affairs case studies as well as special features on major events (9/11, Cuban Missile Crisis, etc…)
CIAO has both a simple keyword search feature and a more advanced search function with the ability to limit and sort by world regions or specific document type. Some sample searches revealed a wealth of information and papers on microfinance, international education, human capital, and immigration. One nice feature is the ability to list the major policy centers and think tanks and the papers and studies they produce on international topics. CIAO is an underused resource that deserves a second look. Find this resource on the A to Z list of e-Resources on the OWHL web page. Stop by the library for questions or help.

Posted at 2:55 PM by Elisabeth E Tully | Category: Featured Resource | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

Librarians attend session on new open-source catalog

Through our membership in NOBLE, the OWHL is participating in a grant-funded project exploring the implementation of the Evergreen open-source Library Automation System. Elisabeth Tully and Jeffrey Marzluft, the Director and Associate Director of the OWHL, recently attended a presentation by NOBLE's Electronic Resources and Database Working Group on the possibilities for the new online library catalog. Presentations highlighted features that could become part of a new web interface, including those that affect searching and navigation, displaying and working with results, enhanced content from other vendors or created by our own users, and the many tailored features and functions that could be associated with a patron's online account. If there are features or functionality that you would like to see in the new catalog, please contact Elisabeth or Jeffrey. We want the new system to work for you.

Posted at 2:51 PM by Elisabeth E Tully | Category: Electronic Resources | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

10/21/2009

E-resource of the Week: The World and I School

Most of the electronic resources that we purchase at the OWHL can be associated with a specific discipline. It is not easy to do that with The World and I School Online. It is a cross-curriculum resource featuring current news and analysis, viewpoint essays, biographical information, ethical dilemmas in science and technology and much more. The product contains a complete introductory course in Spanish as well as weekly articles geared to more advanced learners. The World and I School began life as a print publication, and the electronic version of that publication makes up the core of this resource. Users can browse issues back to 1986, or search the complete collection by keyword. The advanced search capabilities permit the sorting of retrieved articles by relevancy, date, or author, and support more refined searches of the articles. The product emphasizes global cultural studies, and includes both images and world cultural perspectives. “Special Collections” such as Shedding Light on Islam, are well organized and invite lengthy browsing. There is truly something for everyone in the product.. Find this resource on the OWHL homepage, e-resources A to Z list. We think that you’ll be hooked.

Posted at 4:12 PM by Elisabeth E Tully | Category: Electronic Resources | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

Librarians to Speak at Parents’ Weekend

Have you ever wondered what student life was like at Andover back in its early years, and down through the years? Are you curious about how the OWH librarians tackle the difficult job of helping students to learn the information skills that they need for lifelong learning in the digital millennium? Then you should plan to drop in on the presentations that Tim Sprattler and Elisabeth Tully will be giving during Parents’ Weekend.

Sprattler, the acting Academy Archivist, plans to introduce the Westminster Assembly Shorter Catechism, the guide to being a good student that was used shortly after the founding of the Academy. He will also show other artifacts dealing with the life of an early scholarship student, and present evidence that 19th century PA students were often in their twenties rather than their teens. Additional highlights of the presentation include the Abbot girls Walking Program and the Military Clubs and Secret Societies.

Tully, the Library Director, will discuss the library’s instructional program. She will highlight the programs’ goals, and demonstrate some of the pedagogical approaches useful in working with intelligent and motivated students who are over-dependent on the free Internet as an information source, and ill-equipped to evaluate the information they find.

Both programs will be held on Saturday in the McLean Gallery of the library, beginning at 3:45.

Posted at 4:10 PM by Elisabeth E Tully | Category: Events | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

10/19/2009

The Smallest Books in the Special Collections

Some of the smallest items in the Archive are currently on display in the lobby of the library. One of these is a clay tablet with miniature writing dating from 2000 BCE, which was donated in 1930 by Benjamin F. Schlesinger, P. A. Class of 1892. Also on display is the smallest book printed using moveable type. The book reproduces a letter from Galileo to a lady friend, and was by C. W. Cannon, P. A. Class of 1904 . Photos displayed with the book reveal the text inside, because the book is very fragile and cannot be shown open. Mini Galileo Book005_lg

Also on display is our copy of one of five in a series of "the world's smallest book." An accompanying photo reveals the text of the book, which is The Lord’s Prayer. The book was donated by Dudley L. Vaill, P. A. Class of 1927. Another version of the Lord’s Prayer was found in the cubby holes of Bertha Bailey’s desk. The prayer is inscribed within a small circle, in this case a three-cent piece, with the prayer repeated to fill the circle. Finally, the display features a sermon book belonging to the eldest of the five Samuel Phillips which came to the Archive with the Phillips family papers. He wrote all his sermons in very small handwriting to save paper, and must have had excellent eyesight to be able to read them in the dim light of his church.

Posted at 10:39 AM by Elisabeth E Tully | Category: Special Collections | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

10/16/2009

Student Rebellions on Display

It is a little known fact that many student rebellions that have occurred at Andover over the years. A current Archive display in the OWHL features two of these. In the early history of the school students were often in their twenties rather than their teens, and “rebellion” was the term given to any dispute between the faculty and the students. The first of the featured “rebellions” occurred when students sought to form an anti-slavery society at the Academy, and were denied on the grounds that it would be a distraction from their academic activities. The students then requested honorable dismissal, and were turned down. Many voluntarily withdrew from school. Sherlock Bristol recalls this event in his biography “The Pioneer Preacher”.
The second featured rebellion concerned a dispute over the graduation ceremonies for the Class of 1846. William Stark, the leader of the rebellion, felt he should have been selected valedictorian. He and a group of seniors attempted to force the administration to change the assignment of parts, to no avail. Undaunted, Stark obtained copies of the graduation catalogue and had a program printed reflecting his choices for the school honors. He was somehow able to get the fake program passed out at the ceremonies, creating quite a stir. Material documenting other student rebellions may be viewed by contacting Tim Sprattler in the Archive.

Posted at 2:42 PM by Elisabeth E Tully | Category: Archives | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

10/15/2009

Display of Materials on Social Class

In support of this year’s faculty development theme of “Social Class”, the OWH Library has gathered some books on the topic and arranged them at the Main Help Desk. Our speakers recommended some of these books, and experts who will be visiting campus this year wrote others. As additional books are recommended throughout the year, we’ll be adding to our collection and to the display. The titles currently on display are:
How class works: power and social movement, by Stanley Aronowitz
Deer hunting with Jesus : dispatches from America's class war, by Joe Bageant
The trouble with diversity: how we learned to love identity and ignore inequality, by Walter Benn
Nickel and dimed: on (not) getting by in America, by Barbara Ehrenreich
Fear of falling: the inner life of the middle class, by Barbara Ehrenreich
Pathologies of power: health, human rights, and the new war on the poor, by Paul Farmer
Outliers: The story of success, by Malcolm Gladwell
Where have all the liberals gone? race, class, and Ideals in America, by James R. Flynn
Class matters, by correspondents of the New York Times; introduction by Bill Keller
Limbo: blue-collar roots, white-collar dreams, by Alfred Lubrano
Unfinished Business: Closing the racial achievement gap in our schools, by Pedro Noguera and Jean Yonemura Wing

Posted at 2:39 PM by Elisabeth E Tully | Category: Print Resources | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

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