Wednesday, March 27, 2013

News from the Sutherland Archives

By Catherine McIntyre, Archivist


We have added two brand new collections to our digital collections and oral histories: the Edison Cylinder Project and the Vietnam Oral History Collection.

The Edison Cylinder Project is the brainchild of Professor Mike Wisland of the Digital Media Technology Department. He and several of his students have built a machine that electronically transcribes the sound from the original Edison cylinders, the precursors to records. While many external recordings have been made of the music from Edison cylinders, it is rare to actually digitize the sound directly from the cylinder, thus eliminating much of the crackle and hiss that one might pick up with an external recording. We currently have four jaunty tunes from 1916-1919 in this collection, including the number one hit of its time, “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary,” and saucy little numbers such as “Naughty! Naughty! Naughty!” This collection will continue to grow as we digitize more of Professor Wisland’s Edison cylinders.

Dr. William Cobb interviews Ray Hill
The second of our new digital collections is the Vietnam Era Oral History Collection. UVU history professor Dr. William Cobb has been contacting and interviewing area Vietnam era veterans since 2010. We currently have several transcripts available online, but we will soon be adding the audio of the interviews, as well as maps, photographs, and digitized images of other items that are important to the interviewees such as their helmets, jackets, and other objects. This collection will also continue to grow in size, depth, and importance as a research resource.

We will soon receive a donation of several hundred historical photographs, slides, and negatives from Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo. UVRMC will soon be celebrating their 75th anniversary. We plan to digitize some of the collection in time for their celebration. The collection includes images of older area hospital buildings, personnel, promotional photos, and more that will be useful for research on hospitals, medicine, and the medical profession in Provo. We’re looking forward to making this collection available.

Visit the George Sutherland Archives online.

Monday, March 18, 2013

Who Else is in the Library?

Did you know that the library building is home to more that just the Library? We share space with a number of departments:

Accessibility Services Assistive Technology Lab (1st Floor)

The Assistive Technology Lab helps students with documented disabilities by providing software and other technologies. A full list of their services, hours, and contact information can be found on their department page.

Bytes & Brews Cafe (1st Floor)

The cafe is one of the most popular places in the Library and provides students, staff, and faculty with the fuel to keep going. Their menu is constantly updated with new items, and they frequently offer special deals.

Visual Arts Lab (2nd Floor)

Run by UVU's Printing Services Department, the Visual Arts Lab offers faxing, large scale printing, matte cutting, and much more. They can also print large jobs for you on your department's account.

Writing Center (2nd Floor)

The Writing Center is another popular destination in the Library. The Writing Center offers help to students with questions about citations, writing skills, grammar and spelling, and much more. Additional writing help is also available on the Online Writing Lab (OWL) site.

Deaf Studies Lab (2nd Floor)

The Deaf Studies Lab has the technology to help hearing, hearing impaired, and deaf students communicate. The space is also used to teach classes on (and in) American Sign Language.

Innovation Center (2nd Floor)

The Innovation Center was recently created to help UVU faculty incorporate technology into their classes. They can help with questions about Canvas, Prezi, Google Tools, and many more. The Innovation Center works closely with the Distance Education Department to help faculty learn and share best practices for online education.

Media Services (3rd Floor)

Media Services help us keep the podiums, projectors, and digital signs running. If you're using one of the Library's classrooms and something goes wrong, call them at x1111 and they'll be on their way.

Data Center (3rd Floor)

The Data Center also helps keep the university's technology running, but from behind the scenes. The folks at the Data Center keep the servers running, which keeps UVU's web sites up and running. They also rent virtual server space.

Center for Constitutional Studies Center (3rd Floor)

The Constitutional Studies Center is the most recent department to move in to the Library. They are a nonpartisan group that promotes education and discussion about the US Constitution, Constitutional Law, and other related issues. They frequently host guest speakers and exhibits.

Faculty Center for Teaching Excellence (4th Floor)

The FCTE's mission is to help UVU's faculty improve their teaching skills. They offer teaching circles, where faculty can share ideas and best practices. They also arrange mentorships.

Department of Integrated Studies (5th Floor)

This is an academic department that supports education in cinema studies, American studies, peace and justice studies, and many other emphases.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Who Would Win: Tournament of Geniuses

The fourth annual Who Would Win contest begins next Monday, March 18. This year's contest features some of the greatest geniuses that ever wielded a paintbrush, pen, or microscope. Starting Monday, we will post the matches of the day and you can follow along on our bracket.

In the past, Who Would Win has featured superheroes, bands, and movie characters. All of the people and characters in Who Would Win are represented in the Library's collections.


Monday, March 4, 2013

Need help with research? Find us online!


Did you know that the Library offers several ways to get help with research online? Here are some of the ways you can have your questions answered without leaving your computer:


LiveHelp

LiveHelp is a chat service available directly from the Library's homepage. Just click on the green LiveHelp button in the lower right corner of the page to start chatting with a librarian. (If LiveHelp is closed, you can send us an email by clicking on the envelope icon in the lower right corner of our homepage.)

Online Tutorials

The Library offers text-based and video tutorials on basic and advanced research skills on our tutorials page. The video tutorials are one to two minutes long, while the text tutorials cover research in more depth.

FAQs

Do you have questions about Library policies or procedures? Check our FAQ for questions about library services.

Of course, we're always happy to answer questions in person or over the phone. Don't hesitate to ask!