The UVU Library Heads Out to the Ballpark

110 years ago this week, the Boston Americans and the Pittsburgh Pirates played the first game of the very first World Series. You might not think of the UVU Library and sports in the same thought, but we have some great resources and collections for baseball--and sports--research.

Dictionary of Sports Studies

This online dictionary, published by Oxford University Press, is the perfect place to get started with your sports research. It contains hundreds of definitions to help you with the lingo.

Newspaper Source

Keep up with the latest sports news and scores with Newspaper Source. This database contains an archive of national and regional newspaper articles, often the best source of information for the wide world of sports.

SPORTDiscus

SPORTDiscus offers a combination of peer-reviewed articles about sports and sports medicine. It's a great place to research the psychology and science of sports.

Sports Collection

Books about sports and games from chess to rugby can be found on the fourth floor of the Library, in section GV.

Our health sciences librarian, Debbie Short, also manages our sports resources. While you can ask any librarian at the Reference Desk for help, Debbie can help with in-depth research questions.

Banned Books Week

The past few months have seen a surprising number of book challenges* in the United States. Sherman Alexie's Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, Lois Ruby's Steal Away Home, Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, and Ralph Ellison's The Invisible Man have all see recent challenges from parents and school boards. These attempts--some as recent as last week--at censorship are the reason that American libraries still have Banned Books Week.

There are numerous resources online to learn about book bans and challenges, but the best place is the American Library Association's Banned Books Week site. The ALA site lists the most frequently banned books and articles with powerful arguments for keeping difficult books on library and school shelves.

The UVU Library has a display planned, which will be available soon. But there are other resources we have on offer:

Children's Literature and Young Adult Literature

Most challenges are directed at children's and young adult books. Children's books are kept on the north end of the third floor. Young adult books are on the fourth floor, in section PZ.

Education Full Text

This database contains resources for teachers or parents who would like to find the latest research showing how reading (even reading challenging books) can help students improve in school and develop lifelong learning skills.

Oxford Encyclopedia of Children's Literature

This online reference book includes short synopses and author biographies, to help researchers learn more about the vast array of books available to young readers.

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* A book challenge is when someone requests that a book be removed from a library's collection. Until the book has actually been taken out of the library, it's not officially a banned book.

The UVU Library stays on the right side of the law

The US Constitution was adopted September 17, 1787

It's Constitution Week. With UVU's Constitution Conference, we decided to take a closer look at the legal resources we have on offer here at the Library. Our legal resources not only support legal research for papers and speeches, but also support UVU's paralegal program.

Law Collection

Located on the third floor, our legal collection includes standard works like the Pacific Reporter, Corpus Juris Secundum, and American Jurisprudence. Law books cannot leave the Library, but we have photocopiers on each floor and scanners on the first floor so that you can make copies.

Legal Collection

Created by EBSCOHost, this database offers the latest in law review articles and news. It's a terrific resource for finding out about the current state of legal debates in the United States.

LexisNexis Academic Universe

While LexisNexis Academic Universe does offer some review articles and legal news, it's best used to look up state and federal laws and court cases from the district and Supreme Courts. LexisNexis has a tricky interface, but we're happy to help you navigate your way through it.

As always, you can ask us questions at the Reference Desk. Most of the time, we can answer any research related questions. When it comes to law questions, we are not able to interpret law or give legal advice. If you do have questions about your own legal situation, we can point you towards free state resources.

For the Love of Reading

Lesli Baker, Assistant Director--Public Services, has been involved with UVU's For the Love of Reading Conference since its inception. This conference is a forum on best practices, teaching techniques, and other efforts at promoting literacy. This year's reading conference will be held September 19 and 20 in Deer Valley, Utah. (For more information, visit the For the Love of Reading site.)

With the conference just around the corner, we'd like to highlight a few of our own resources for promoting literacy.

Children's Literature Collection

The UVU Library has a growing collection of books (fiction and nonfiction) written for children K-6. (Books for older readers can be found in the fourth floor general book collection in the PZ section.) These books have been used by new Master of Education students, students learning English as a second language, and by parents looking for something to read to their children. This collection is located at the north end of the third floor. Books in this collection may only be checked out for one week.

Education Full Text

Along with ERIC, Education Full Text is our best resource for researching literacy and teaching methods. The articles in this database come from a blend of trade publications and peer-reviewed journals. Articles cover not only how and what to teach, but give you the science behind how children learn.

For more information about the For the Love of Reading Conference, contact Lesli Baker at bakerle@uvu.edu. For information about library resources, contact the Reference Desk at (801) 863-8840.

The Library can take you to Mexico (with books!)

Image via WikiCommons

UVU's International Center is turning its global spotlight on Mexico this year, and the Library is doing its bit to help. With our databases and more than 1,500 books about Mexico, you can take the first steps of your journey right here on campus.

Business Source Premier

Business Source Premier is our favorite business database. It contains articles about entrepreneurship, marketing, management, and much more. It can be used to learn more about the economic landscape of Mexico.

Encyclopedia of US-Latin American Relations

This online encyclopedia was produced by one of the most trusted names in political science publishing, Congressional Quarterly. This eBook covers the history and politics of the United States' relationship with Mexico and Latin America.

Books About Mexico

Our collection of books about Mexico cover anthropology, history, literature, politics, social sciences, and much more. We have a book for nearly any topic about Mexico and its people that you can think of.

We have no limits on the number of books you can check out from the Library. All books from the fourth floor can be checked out for three weeks.

If you have questions or would like to do more in depth research about Mexico, please contact the Reference Desk at (801) 863-8840.