Tuesday, May 28, 2013

The UVU Library Rocks On

Sir Edmund Hilary (left) and Tenzing Norgay in 1953
May 29 will be the 60th anniversary of the first known successful summit of Mount Everest, by Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hilary. In addition to our weekly display celebrating their achievement, we're also taking a look at the geology and geography resources here in the Library.

ArcGIS

ArcGIS is a one of a kind software designed to help not only geography students, but also students in sociology, business, education, and many more areas. It can be used to find demographic and infrastructure information, as well as topographical data. ArcGIS also offers tools for creating specialized maps.

GeoRef

GeoRef is the premier database for finding geologic data and articles, as well as articles on related topics. This database covers everything from the highest peaks on land to the deepest troughs in the ocean. It also contains articles about minerology, vulcanology, seismology, and much more.

Map Collection

On the fourth floor of the Library, we have hundreds of topographical and political maps available for check out. These maps can be checked out for one week. You can browse through the drawers or search the Library's catalog to find specific maps.

If you have questions about geography or geology research, you can contact the Reference Desk at (801) 863-8840 or call Trevor Young, our science librarian, at (801) 863-6846. For questions about using ArcGIS, contact Carlos Alarco at (801) 863-7369.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Research Religion at the UVU Library

May is Jewish American Heritage Month. While our weekly first floor book display will celebrate the creative work of Americans of Jewish ancestry, online we're looking at our research tools for religion. These tools can not only help you research Judaism, but also Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, and many more.

Religion touches on so many different aspects of life that, depending on what your topic is, you might also try searching our databases is sociology, history, or psychology. For more help researching religion, contact the Reference Desk at (801) 863-8840 or Keith Rowley, our religion subject librarian, at (801) 863-8780.

ATLA Religion Database

Created by the American Theological Library Association, this database contains nearly two million articles, reports, monographs, book reviews, and other items published on topics in religion from 1949 to the present. No other database covers religion in as great a depth as the ATLA Religion Database.

Religion Research Guide

This research guide lists the best reference books to use to get started as well as suggested databases and vetted websites. The databases can help you search through journals and magazines for articles about religion and related topics. The websites, carefully evaluated for accuracy and authority, can help answer questions such as "How many Americans practice X religion?" or "When is Ramadam/Yom Kippur/Easter/etc.?"

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Travel Back in Time with the UVU Library

1871 Illustration of Wagon Train Members Camping
This week is the 170th anniversary of the first major wagon trail heading out on the Oregon Trail. According to some estimates, over 400,000 people would follow the trail during the next few decades. In addition to sharing our collection of materials about the Oregon Trail in our weekly book display, we're also spotlighting the George Sutherland Archives collection of historic books and our American history research materials.

George Sutherland Archives

The mission of the Archives is to "[collect] and [make] available materials that document and reflect the history and development of Utah Valley University and the surrounding communities." The Archives has been collecting local history materials for decades and their collection includes overland diaries, historic photographs, and more. The Archives is located on the third floor of the Library.

America History & Life

This database offers access to many full text articles and indexes many more articles on American history, from Precolumbian times to the early nineteenth century. It currently searches through 1,700 unique journals to cover all topics in American history including social history, military history, minority history, and more.

Mountain West Digital Library

The UVU Library and the George Sutherland Archives have been a partner of the Mountain West Digital Library for years. The MWDL digitizes newspaper articles, historic photographs, and documents and makes them available through their portal. They currently offer digital access to more than 700,000 items.

For questions about researching American history, please contact the Reference Desk at (801) 863-8840. For questions about local history or using the George Sutherland Archives, contact Catherine McIntyre at (801) 863-8821.

Monday, May 6, 2013

Visit Strange New Worlds at the UVU Library!

This week the Library is highlighting its science fiction collection. We have hundreds of new and classic titles ready and waiting to take you on voyages of discovery. We've got everything from Jules Verne and H.G. Wells to last year's Nebula and Hugo award winning novel, Jo Walton's Among Others. If you're looking for a great science fiction read, head for the first floor display where more than 30 staff-picked titles are ready to be checked out.

Science fiction provides an excellent lens for analyzing our culture and literature. To help understand and explore that lens, we've collected a number of reference and critical titles on the genre, including these recent works:
Many more are available in our Browsing Collection (first floor) and Regular Collection (fourth floor). Book are organized by author and authors are arranged by nationality, so if you need help locating a title please stop by the Reference Desk or ask Annie Smith (subject librarian for literature). We're always happy to hook readers up with great reads.