The UVU Library Gets Radical

March 25 is feminist leader Gloria Steinem's birthday and this week the Library will be turning the spotlight on some of its resources on feminism.

GenderWatch

GenderWatch is a unique database that can be used to find articles about the history of women's rights. It contains articles from the volatile 1960s and 1970s that can help modern researchers learn more about the inspiration behind the Feminist Movement, their arguments, and more.

Women's Studies Books

The Library's Women's Studies section (fourth floor, section HQ) encompasses women in history, gender roles, feminism, family dynamics, gender politics, and many more topics.

The UVU Library Tries Not to Run Out of Gas

Forty years ago this week, the United States suffered a massive shortage of gas. Lines at gas stations stretched for blocks. Some stations rationed. Today, Americans are still looking for and debating about alternatives to fossil fuels. In recognition of the 1973-1974 Oil Crisis, this week the Library is focusing on its environmental studies collections and databases.

Environmental Studies Books

Many books about ecology can be found in section Q, but books that discuss conservation, sustainability, environmental impact, and related topics are located in section GE on the fourth floor.

Greenwire

Greenwire is a unique database that can be used to find the latest news in environmental policy, pollution, conservation and sustainability efforts, and more.

More ecology databases are available on our physical sciences subject page. If you have any questions using these resources, please contact our science librarian, Trevor Young.

All Roads Lead to Rome at the UVU Library

The Ides of March have come around again and this year marks the 2058th anniversary of the assassination of Julius Caesar. Many people may know enough about this event to quip "Et tu, Brute?" but come to the Library during Spring Break to learn the real history.

Historical Abstracts

This database specializes in articles by a wide variety of historians. Most articles are peer-reviewed. Some articles about ancient history are available, but most of this database focuses on history from the Renaissance to the present. We're listing it here because the Roman Empire has had such a lasting impact on politics, history, geography, law, art, and literature ever since its decline and fall.

JSTOR

In addition to articles about more recent history, JSTOR contains a wealth of articles about ancient history. The best part about using JSTOR is that you can read every article that you find through our subscription!

Roman History Books

Books are the best way to get in-depth knowledge of the Roman Empire. Learn about emperors, assassinations, conquests, sea battles, certain Egyptian queens, decadent Roman culture, and much more in section DG on the fourth floor.

The UVU Library Speaks Freely

Twenty-five years ago this week, controversial photographer Robert Mapplethorpe passed away. Nearly every one of Mapplethorpe's shows sparked outrage and debate about whether his photographs were art or pornography. This week, we're sharing some of our books about Mapplethorpe's life and work because one of the missions of the Library is to protect intellectual freedom. This means that the Library does not shy away from collecting material because it might offend someone.

Books about Free Speech

Books about the First Amendment and freedom of speech can be found throughout the Library's collection. Most of them are in our constitutional law section, but others are in art, literature, and history. These books look at important cases in American history in which the right to free speech was challenged. Many of them highlight the tension between the right of expression and offensive speech.

LexisNexis Academic

LexisNexis Academic is a popular legal database that contains thousands of district, federal, and Supreme Court cases; legal articles; state and federal laws; and much more. It also contains a news archive that goes back to the mid-1970s. The database's interface is complex, so please feel free to visit us at the Reference Desk if you have questions.

Photography Books

Section TR contains our books about photography and collections of photographers' work. You can find more Mapplethorpe here, as well as work by Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, Alfred Stieglitz, and many others.

The UVU Library Follows the Money

Forty years ago this week, the Watergate scandal broke, changing the way Americans perceived their government forever. Most of our students today weren't even born at the time and have little idea about how the story evolved from a late night break in to the resignation of a president. All this week, we will be featuring books and databases that can help show (or remind) people what happened all those years ago.

American History in Video

This unique database streams newsreel, documentary, and other video on a wide range of topics in American history. American History in Video is available on and off campus so that you can watch history as it happened.

Nixon Collection

We have books about all American presidents in our collection. But because of Watergate and other scandals, we have shelves of books about Richard Nixon. They can be found on the fourth floor, in section E 885.

If you have any questions about accessing these resources, please call us at (801) 864-8840. We're happy to help!

The Library Won't Hurt a Bit

60 years ago saw the first field test of the polio vaccine, the first step towards eradicating the terrible disease. To highlight this important moment in medical history, the UVU Library created a display about vaccination and will be sharing useful resources.

Health Source: Consumer Edition

Vaccinations are the subject of many myths. The articles in Health Source: Consumer Edition can show you the latest research and help you sort fact from fiction.

Public Health Books

Section RA on the fourth floor contains our collection of books about public health. This broad category includes books on health communication, vaccination programs, health education, and many more topics.

As always, you can ask for help with your research questions at the Reference Desk, call us at (801) 863-8840, or chat with us using LiveHelp. Debbie Short, our health sciences librarian, can also help you with advanced research.

The UVU Library Makes Friends

With Facebook celebrating its tenth birthday this week, we wanted to share the books we've collected about friendship and the impact that social networking has had on our relationships. We put up a display on the first floor with the most relevant books, and we hope you'll stop by to take a look. Here are some other resources we have for doing research on friendship and social networking:

Books about Friendship and Social Interaction

Books about friendship are available in several locations in the Library, but most of them can be found on the fourth floor in section HM.

Sociological Collection

This database contains research touching on just about every aspect of social life. Researchers have been looking at how social networking and social media has changed the way we communicate, resolve conflicts, and make friends since before Facebook became an Internet phenomena. Most of that research can be found in Sociological Collection.

We'd like to be your friends! Follow the Library on Facebook and Twitter for news and highlights from the Library, book recommendations, pictures, and more.

Beatlemania at the UVU Library

All book displays are on the first floor.

On February 7, 1964, the Beatles landed in the United States to begin their first US tour. We're celebrating this milestone in music history by featuring some of our music research sources all this week.

Music Collection

You can check out as many books from our regular collection (fourth floor) as you can carry away for three weeks at a time. Our music books--which include biographies, histories, music theory texts, and more--can all be found in section M.

Music Reference Books

Our reference books are selected to help you get started on your research. Many of our books about popular music can be found in this collection, located on the first floor. Music books are in section M. One of the best sources of information about popular music, The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll, can be found here. Most reference books check out for three days at a time.

Online Music Reference Books

We are very proud of our online reference collection. The above link takes you to a page that lists our books by subject. Just click music to see all of our available titles. Our collection focuses on classical music, but you can also find information about popular music and musicians.

As always, if you have questions about your research or need help getting started, please contact us at the Reference Desk. We can be reached by phone at (801) 863-8840. You can also get in touch via text, chat, and email (Get Help details).

The UVU Library Goes Quiet

On February 2, 1914, Charlie Chaplin's Little Tramp character made his screen debut. Even though he only spoke once, in 1940's The Great Dictator, the Little Tramp made us laugh and cry without saying a word. The first thirty years of cinema were years of amazing technological achievement. So, in honor of silent movies and Charlie Chaplin's legacy, this week we're sharing our collections of silent movie history.

Silent Movies

Most of our silent movies are in one location in our media collection on the second floor, but a few are available mixed with the other genres like comedy, drama, and the foreign films. You can search the Library's catalog here to find nearly every silent movie we have. Due to the popularity of our film collection, you can only check out five videos at a time for three days at a time.

Silent Movie History

Learn more about the fascinating history of silent movies and the early cinema from our books on the fourth floor in section PN 1995.75. Actor and director biographies can be found a little further down the shelf.

Quiet Floors

As we're honoring silent movies, this seems like a good week to remind students that the third, fourth, and fifth floors are quiet study floors.

The UVU Library Gets a Little Surreal

This week in January sees the anniversaries of the deaths of two innovative artists: Edvard Munch and Salvador Dalí. To celebrate their contributions to the world of art, we wanted to highlight some of our art resources.

There is also a display of books about Dalí and Munch on the first floor, but it won't last long!

Adobe Photoshop

You might not think of the library as a place to go to create art, but we have offered Adobe Photoshop (and Adobe's Creative Suite) on our Mac computers for years. Soon, we will have access to Adobe Cloud.

Art Collection

We have hundreds of books about art and artists on the fourth floor of the Library. They can be found in section N. Art books are arranged by medium, so books on sculpture are in one section and architecture in another. Within each section, books are subdivided into sections on history or technique or schools of art. Most of our books about surrealism (Dalí) and expressionism (Munch), will be in section ND with our books on painting.

Grove Art Online

Created by Oxford University Press, Grove Art Online is a terrific reference source for art. If you need quick definitions or explanations of art terms or want a quick biography of an artist, Grove is the best place to get started.