Founders Update

LGBT History Month Event: October 1, 7:30 pm, Rare Books and Special Collections

2007-09-24T14:05:00.000-07:00

LGBT Religious Archives Network

LGBT-RAN Project Coordinator Mark Bowman presents an innovative venture in preserving history and encouraging scholarly study of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) religious movements around the world. Sponsored by United Campus Ministries, LGBT Studies, Rare Books & Special Collections, Presidential Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.

Monday, October 1, 7:30 pm
Founders Library, Staff Lounge, Lower Level
Reception Following

NIU Library Friends Wine Tasting

2007-08-14T13:23:00.000-07:00

The Friends of the NIU Libraries is pleased to announce that we are sponsoring a wine tasting at Rouge in Creston, on Thursday, August 23rd from 4-6 pm. Transportation to and from campus is available. Space is limited, so please contact Angie Schroeder (aschroeder@niu.edu or 815-753-8091) to reserve your spot.

This event is free to new NIU faculty. The cost for all other participants is $10 per person.

Please join us!

New and Old in Special Collections

2007-08-14T13:18:00.000-07:00

The department of Rare Books and Special Collections has a new blog!

http://niurarebooks.blogspot.com/

Here you will find announcements about the department, updates on Friends events, and other items of interest related to the Rare Books community.

Additionally, we are now happily accepting appointments for class visits to Special Collections. Please contact Lynne Thomas at lmthomas@niu.edu or at 815-753-0255 to schedule your class visit.

Ithaka Report on University Publishing in a Digital Age

2007-08-01T14:15:00.000-07:00

Patrons may be interested in the following report on scholarly communications, which has been heavily covered in both the Chronicle of Higher Education and Inside Higher Ed.

http://www.ithaka.org/strategic-services/university-publishing

Friends of NIU Libraries Annual Meeting

2007-06-18T08:06:00.000-07:00

The Friends of the NIU Libraries will hold their Annual Meeting on Thursday, July 19th from 3:00-5:00 pm in Rare Books and Special Collections on the 4th Floor of Founders' Library. Light refreshments will be served.

A brief business meeting will begin at 3:30.

The NIU Common Press will be "back in action" after a long hiatus. Please join us for its inaugural public run, and take a "pull" on the Press. Friends will be able to take home copies of their presswork as a souvenir of our meeting.

Questions and comments can be directed to Lynne Thomas at lmthomas@niu.edu or (815)753-0255.

Please join us!

NIU Common Press Back in Action!

2007-06-08T09:48:00.000-07:00

The NIU Common Press, a replica of the kind of printing press used to print books from Gutenberg's time through the 1820s in Europe and the United States, is now back in working condition. We hope to post photographs of the press in action soon. If you would like to see a demonstration of the Press in action, please contact Lynne Thomas, the Head of Rare Books and Special Collections.

Our thanks go out to Barry Schrader, a Friend of the NIU Libraries, for furnishing expertise, materials, and good humor to the project.

Library acquires papers of E.E. Knight

2007-06-08T09:42:00.000-07:00

Rare Books and Special Collections is pleased to announce that we have acquired the papers of E.E. Knight, writer of the Vampire Earth series and the Age of Fire series, as an addition to our Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) Collection in the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections. Knight is also an NIU Alumni. His papers are currently being processed, and we hope to make them available to researchers within the next few months.

Jack McDevitt Wins 2007 Nebula Award

2007-06-08T09:28:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Jack McDevitt, who received the 2007 Nebula Award for his novel Seeker. The Nebula Award is given annually by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). Mr. McDevitt's papers are held in the SFWA Collection, which is part of the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections in Founders Memorial Library.

Tax Service at Founders Library

2007-02-07T14:10:00.000-08:00

Each year the NIU Accountancy Department provides volunteer assitance to students needing help with their income tax forms.

This year, tax assistance will be available from Friday, February 9th through April 15th, with the exception of Spring break week, March 11th-17th.

The tables will be staffed on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm and on Fridays from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm.

Location will be in the student lounge on the lower level in Founders Library.

The Government Publications Department on the second floor of Founders Library has in the past offered state and federal tax forms, but this year will have state income tax forms only. Federal forms are available online at http://www.irs.gov .

2006 Posting in One

2007-01-19T09:11:00.000-08:00

Nov. 30, 2006
The search for the Dean, University Libraries has been launched. A search committee has been formed and the deadline for applications is February 15, 2007. The position description and a copy of the position advertisement can be found at http://www.niulib.niu.edu/ . The goal is to fill the position by July 1, 2007. Nominations for the position are welcome. Three faculty positions at the University Libraries have been filled. The Libraries welcome Hao Phan, who comes to us from UCLA as the Curator of the Southeast Asia Collection, Wendell Johnson, who comes to us from Waubansee as a social science librarian with responsibility for political science, philosophy and economics, and Meredith Ayers, who will come to us in January from Northern Michigan University as science librarian with responsibility for biological sciences and chemistry. Associate Dean for Public Services H. Stephen Wright will step down from his administrative duties at the end of January, 2007. We will miss Stephen on the administrative floor, but we are happy that he will remain as a member of the library faculty, working in the Cataloging Department.

New at Founders this fall, Book Review Index Plus offers a comprehensive guide to book reviews that includes more than 5 million review citations from thousands of publications, including such scholarly publications as the Times Literary Supplement, the Journal of American History, Choice, and the New York Times Book Review. Coverage is quite complete, and includes the entire backfile of the print version. Date coverage is 1965 to the present. Most of the reviews are linked to full text of the journals owned by the University Libraries through the SFX at NIU button. Searching also allows users to search book reviews in a particular journal and retrieve the full-text, thus serving as a current awareness service for scholars who want to keep up with the literature. Access Book Review Index Plus from both on campus and off campus at http://www.niulib.niu.edu/onoffcampus.cfm . After authenticating, users will find the database under “General” or on the “List of All Databases.” Links are also provided on several subject pages, including English and History.

New at Founders the fall, these Thomson Scientific products consist of the Web of Science (Science and Social Sciences Citation Indexes (1987 to the present)) with additional databases including BIOSIS Previews (1969 to the present), Current Contents (1998 to the present), and Medline (1950 to the present). In January, 2007, the Web of Knowledge will also include access to EndNote Web. The databases offer a powerful and versatile research platform as well as search and analysis tools that enhance their scholarly value. In addition, most offer linking directly to the full text of journals owned by the University Libraries. The Web of Science offers sophisticated citation analysis so that users can identify and use the most frequently cited articles in a number of science and social science fields. Access the Web of Knowledge from both on-campus and off-campus at http://www.niulib.niu.edu/onoffcampus.cfm. After authenticating, users will find the databases listed both individually and as the “Web of Knowledge on the List of All Databases”. Both Web of Science and Web of Knowledge are also linked from several of the science and social science subject pages.

Sept. 7, 2006
The University Libraries is considering a package of databases from Thomson Scientific. The package includes Web of Science (Science and Social Sciences Citation Indexes), Current of Contents (Life Sciences and Physical, Chemical, and Earth Sciences). Biosis Previews (life sciences), ISI Proceedings (Science and Social Sciences), Medline, and Endnote Web (Web-based Bibliographic Management Tool). Please check these products out. Send feedback to eteolson@niu.edu ISI Web of Knowledge(SM) Trial Access The trial will run through Saturday, September 30, 2006. The URL is http://isiknowledge.com/ The following products and backyears will be available: BIOSIS Previews®: 1969-present Current Contents Connect® ISI Proceedings(SM): 1990-present (both editions) Medline: 1950 - present Web of Science®: - Science Citation Index , 1975-presentÒ, 1975-present - Social Sciences Citation IndexäExpanded PLEASE NOTE: Trial access is limited to five simultaneous users. Any subsequent attempts to access the database after five users are logged on will generate a message indicating that the maximum number of concurrent users is already in effect. For this reason, we strongly recommend that all participants use the LOGOFF button at the end of each search session when they finish reviewing the product. This immediately frees the session for the next user.

Aug. 23, 2006
We would like to thank Ann Glenn and Paul Webb for their contributions to the University Libraries. Ann is retired and Paul has accepted a position with ebrary. We wish them the best. The searches for their positions, Science Librarian and Social Science Librarian, are in process, and we hope to have subject specialists in place in the next few months. The new social science librarian will oversee subject areas in political science, economics, and philosophy. The new science librarian will oversee chemistry and biology. In the meanwhile, if you need assistance in these areas, please contact Charles Larry (753-0616) for the social sciences, Jitka Hurych (753-1947) for biology, and Nestor Osorio (753-9837) for chemistry.

Aug. 23, 2006
CARLI Digital Collections/SASKIA Image Library A new database from the statewide consortium, CARLI, is the Saskia Art Images library, presently a 30,000 image digirtal collection. The images are available on the University Libraries website, both in the database list and on the Art subject page. The images are reproduced in high resolution and are searchable in various ways. The user can select to search by all words, exact phrase, any word, or no word (?) in all fields, selected fields, or by proximity (a word within a selected number near other words). Browsing is also possible, but this search produces a straight, alphabetically arranged list of images by title. Under the “Preferences” section the user can alter the site to fill individual needs. Most importantly, the database sorts of the retrieved material can be altered by selecting different fields in up to five priorities. The user can also create a “Favorites” section and retain and manipulate images as needed. This site should be especially helpful for those students in art history classes. It had been a long time dream of Dr. Ronald Wiedenhoeft, a historian of art and architecture and Fulbright scholar at Columbia University, to make available high quality images for educational purposes. In 1966, he and his wife, Renate, started Saskia, Ltd., a company producing high quality slides for sale to universities, art schools, and the general public. This database takes the endeavor a step further by offering high quality digital images of the works.

April 4, 2006
The University Libraries now offers live, real-time chat reference service on the three major chat networks: AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), MSN Messenger, and Yahoo Messenger. You can use this service to communicate with an NIU reference librarian and get live help with research projects, ask for guidance in using online databases, or just get quick answers to your reference questions. To use this service, you’ll need an account on one of these services (all of which are free and take only a few minutes to set up) and chat software. To get started, visit one of these sites to download a chat program: AOL Instant Messenger: http://www.aim.com/ MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com/ Yahoo Messenger: http://messenger.yahoo.com/ Many computers already have chat software pre-installed; for example, Windows XP comes with Windows Messenger, which allows you to communicate via the MSN chat network. Or you can download Trillian (http://www.trillian.cc/ ), a free program that can interact seamlessly with all of the major chat systems. Once you have your account set up and your chat program installed, you can reach a reference librarian by sending a message to niulibrary on AIM, MSN, or Yahoo. Chat reference is available anytime the library’s reference desk is open; the hours are posted at http://www.ulib.niu.edu/refdesk.htm .

Feb. 23, 2006
A long-standing problem of access to the major journals in the field of anthropology was solved in 2005 with the creation of the database Anthropology Plus. It was formed by the merger of Anthropology Index ( produced by the Royal Anthropological Institute in London, whose patron was the late Princess Diana ) and the indexing series Anthropological Literature from Harvard University. Updated twelve times a year, its 840,887 records offer extensive worldwide indexing of journal articles, reports, commentaries, edited works, and obituaries in the fields of social, cultural, physical, biological, and linguistic anthropology, ethnology, archaeology, folklore, material culture, and interdisciplinary studies. The index offers excellent coverage of all core periodicals in the field in addition to local and lesser-known journals from the late 19th century to the present, with full text links established as available. Searching can be done by author, title, keyword, journal name and subject, with the “ Advanced Search “ option allowing users to limit by year of publication and languages well. Useful features for both librarians and faculty are a list of journals indexed and a promotional toolkit which includes teaching guides . While most directly relevant to faculty in the Department of Anthropology and programs in such interdisciplinary fields as Latino/Latin American Studies, Black Studies, South East Asian Studies, Women’s Studies and LGBT Studies, researchers in any discipline of the social sciences should include it in their basic matrix of sources when beginning a literature investigation. Anthropology Plus is available at http://www.niulib.niu.edu/articles.cfm . After you authenticate by clicking on on-campus or off-campus, click on List of Databases and scroll down to the database name. Robert Ridinger, Anthropology Subject Specialist. rridinger@niu.edu

For nearly forty years, the International Medieval Bibliography (IMB Online) has provided scholars from many disciplines with a comprehensive, current bibliography of articles in journals and miscellany volumes (conference proceedings, essay collections or Festschriften) worldwide. Produced with the support of the Medieval Academy of America since its appearance in paper form in 1967, its editorial work is done out of the Institute for Medieval Studies at the University of Leeds, with more than 50 teams of contributors from Europe, North America, Australia and Japan. Users are offered two options in the search screen, first by bibliographical details such as author, title of article or publication, year published, the ISBN and ISSN numbers, and the language of the original work. This last enables the searcher to specify any of twenty-two languages ranging from Polish to Welsh and Catalan, with the names of each given in their own form rather than an Anglicized version. A second option for research is by classification details, which in this database are taken to mean subjects, places, persons, families, texts, repositories, and the century the work was created. The menu also offers searching by subject, place and date, with the option of storing search histories for later re-use, and the feature of customizing data exported , under “ Settings “. It should be noted that the range of topics under subject searching ranges from the arts through expected categories such as language and literature, philosophy and intellectual history, religion, science, medicine, and social and economic history to more focused topics such as environment and institutions. Given the breadth of this resource, it can be profitably used by students and faculty in all fields of the humanities and social sciences. To access the IMB, go to http://www.niulib.niu.edu/articles.cfm , authenticate yourself, and click on “List All Database” in the toolbar at the top of the page. Then scroll down to reach the database - Robert Ridinger.

Jan. 17, 2006
New Online Book Database from ebrary Integrates with Blackboard Northern Illinois University now subscribes to Academic Complete, a growing collection from ebrary® that includes more than 23,000 full-text books and other authoritative content from leading academic, technical, and trade publishers. Academic Complete is delivered via ebrary’s Dynamic Content Platform (DCP)™ featuring the ebrary Reader™ and InfoTools™ software for efficient and thorough researching. Available today at http://www.niulib.niu.edu/articles.cfm and then under List All Databases, Academic Complete is a great tool for assigning supplementary reading. And, it integrates with Blackboard (instructions are available upon request). Key features and benefits include the following: Thousands of searchable, online books covering all academic subject areas. Simultaneous, multi-user access – Any number of students can access the same page, in the same book, at the same time. No check-out required! Available 24/7 from any computer with Internet access. The ebrary Reader delivers online books to your desktop page-by-page, so you never have to wait for downloads. InfoTools gives every document word-level interaction. Just select a word or phrase of interest then instantly link to other resources in the library, the DCP, or on the web without losing your place of reference. Highlight text and take notes in the document. Personal Bookshelves automatically archive highlights, notes, and bookmarks as you conduct research. Bookshelves can be shared with any number of students. Copy and print pages with automatic bibliographical citations – Choose from several citation styles. ebrary citations include a URL hyperlink back to the original source. Multiple search options – Simple, advanced, full-text, key word, Boolean, proximity. Multiple navigation options – Go to each occurrence of your search term, flip through pages, go to specific page numbers, or navigate using the table of contents. Additional Resources: See how the ebrary Reader works: http://www.ebrary.com/corp/demo/Reader.htm Check out InfoTools: http://www.ebrary.com/corp/demo/InfoTools_reader.htm Download the ebrary Patron User Guide: http://www.ebrary.com/corp/pdf/ebrary_Patron_User_Guide.pdf Download the ebrary Quick Guide: http://www.ebrary.com/corp/collateral/en/Quick_Guides/007.01-quick_guideAC.pdf

The Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO) database is a comprehensive resource for researchers in political science and international affairs, and to a lesser but still significant extent, researchers in the fields of economics, sociology and international business. CIAO coverage ranges from 1991 to the present, and is content rich beyond just valuable journal articles. Also included are working papers from research institutes, occasional working papers from non-government organizations, foundation sponsored research, conference proceedings, some books and policy briefs. A valuable feature of the CIAO database is the inclusion of original case studies that can serve as teaching materials within the classroom as well as additional backgrounds readings designated as ‘course packs’ that can double as suggested readings for classroom use. Users will appreciate the database layout design as easy to navigate with a well-positioned navigation bar on the left side of the screen that clearly lays out types of materials and resources that can be accessed. Unlike other international affairs databases, such as PAIS and International Political Science Abstracts, CIAO offers full-text access to many of the diverse resources it contains. However, full-text coverage is not all inclusive and users will notice that some standard database features are absent, such as marking records and emailing search results. In spite of these limited drawbacks, the CIAO database is a valuable resource that Founder’s Memorial Library users will want to acquaint themselves with. Find it at http://www.niulib.niu.edu/articles.cfm , then under “List All Databases.” -- Paul Webb

BIOGRAPHY REFERENCE BANK Biography Reference Bank is a database with more than 500,000 full-text biographies with links to nearly 400,000 related full-text articles. Included are individuals worldwide from all areas in the sciences, social sciences and humanities covering ancient to current times. Authors, musicians, Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, artists, theologians, educators, athletes, political and governmental leaders, scientists, mathematicians, inventors, and many more categories are included. Most biographies are over 1,500 words in length, and some include archive photo(s). The database is located on the library’s homepage, http://www.ulib.niu.edu/, under Articles and more…, then click on “General.” Scroll to Biography Reference Bank. The database offers both a basic and advanced search capability. Advanced searches can be limited to birth date, death date, profession/activity, place of origin, gender, century, race, or works created by subject. Search statements may incorporate the use of the AND, OR, NOT logic terms. Subject searching is possible and assisted by the use of the Profession/Activity function box which lists hundreds of professions and activities, from “abolitionists” to “zoologists.” Additional features include a thesaurus of suggested subject headings and related terms in the database’s controlled vocabulary. For example, typing in “explorers” will also identify the terms “adventurers,” “geographers,” and “spelunkers.” The links provided for each subject will include combinations of full-text biographies, articles about the subject, books about the subject, books by the subject, as well as book review excerpts. Biography Reference Bank is a major addition to the library’s other biography databases, Biography and Genealogy Master Index (index only) and American National Biography (the online counterpart of the print title). The database’s producers have pledged to add more than 1,000 new biographies each year to the database. -- Byron Anderson

Founders Update is a new blog announcing new acquisitions for the library and answering your questions about these new resources. Please feel free to ask questions or make comments. This blog will be updated monthly.