LIBRARY NEWS

February 9, 2012

Interim University Librarian Arrives


Greetings, campus colleagues! I am now in my second week of a time-limited appointment as Interim University Librarian for UNC Asheville. I couldn't be more delighted to be joining this community for several months as the search for a permanent University Librarian gets underway. My previous positions include the library directorships at Lenoir-Rhyne University and Agnes Scott College, and more distant positions with Georgia State University and the University of Nebraska. I thought I had retired in June 2011, but was lured back by this great opportunity. My home is still in Hickory, and I am on campus typically mid-day Tuesday through mid-day Friday. I look forward to meeting many of you in the weeks to come. Please contact me at any time with questions, suggestions, or concerns about the Ramsey Library and the services we provide. (vmorelan@unca.edu; 251-6545)

January 16, 2012

Brown Bag Schedule Announced!

Please join us for this semester's fine lineup of talks with UNC Asheville faculty authors!





Tuesday, January 26, 2012

Grant Hardy (Humanities)

Great Minds of the Eastern Intellectual Tradition

Ramsey Library's Whitman Room
Click to add this event to your Google Calendar!


Thursday, February 9, 2012

Darin Waters (History)

Barely Seen and Rarely Heard: Political Invisibility of Asheville's Black Community 1865-1900

Ramsey Library's Whitman Room


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Thursday, February 23, 2012

Sonya DiPalma (Mass Communication)

Feeding the Beast: How Your Organization Can Avoid Getting Bitten, or Even Eaten, in a Social Media Storm

Ramsey Library's Whitman Room

Click to add this event to your Google Calendar!

 

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Jeffrey Wilcox (Environmental Studies)

Regional Geology of the Colorado Plateau: A recap (with pictures) of the May 2011 UNCA Field Course

Ramsey Library's Whitman Room

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Thursday, March 29, 2012

To be announced
 
 
 

Thursday, April 19, 2012

David P. Gillette (Environmental Studies)

Can You Go Back Again? Some Lessons From Stream Restoration In Western North Carolina

Ramsey Library's Whitman Room

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Group Study Room Upgrade!

We are pleased to announce that all our group study rooms are now equipped with large screen monitors that can be plugged into your laptop for easier group viewing. Stop by the Circulation Desk to check out a group study room key...or a laptop!


November 21, 2011

Brown Bag: Redaction! A Reading

Tuesday, December 1, 2011

Special Event
REDACTION! A Reading

Special Collections, Ramsey Library

12:30-1:30pm

Amy Borg, Paul Loomis, Dana Middleton, Jesse Rice-Evans, Mesha Maren-Hogan and Matt Owens

Redaction is a community-based, peer-facilitated creative writing workshop meeting weekly on Fridays in the University Writing Center. They welcome all comers to talk about and share their prose and poetry.

View flyer (pdf)

November 3, 2011

Presentation: "What Does a Person Have To Do To Use a Computer Here?"

On November 11, 2011 at UNC Asheville, 10 am in RL 101 (The Whitman Room)

Ramsey Library invites you to the following presentation:


"What Does a Person Have To Do To Use a Computer Here?"
Presented by Jill Ellern and Robin Hitch from Western Carolina University


This is a repeat presentation originally given at the North Carolina Library Association 59th Biennial Conference in Hickory on October 7, 2011.


Find out how North Carolina academic libraries (including all community colleges, private colleges and the UNC system) control patron use of computers in their public areas. This presentation looks at the results of a statewide survey into the authentication practices to see how libraries deal with privacy, authentication, guest access and data retention.


The co-researchers are from Western Carolina University - Jill Ellern, Systems Librarian, Shandon Bates, former Director of Systems and Operations but now at University of Oregon, and Robin Hitch, Computer Support Analyst in the Hunter Library.

Open to all. No registration required.

For more information contact: Anita White-Carter (whitecar@unca.edu) or 828 251-6434

September 7, 2011

WORKSHOP: Statistical Insight (Proquest)

Proquest Statistical Insight enables easy access to statistical charts and tables produced by the U.S. government, major international and intergovernmental organizations, professional and trade organizations, commercial publishers, independent research organizations, state government agencies, and universities.

The database includes demographic data as well as data about crime, economics, health, education, labor, the environment and more.

Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 12:30pm

Ramsey Library's Kimmel Lab

Faculty, staff, students & community members are all welcome to attend.

Click to add this event to your Google Calendar!


August 1, 2011

NOTES FROM RAMSEY LIBRARY; 2011-14

U.S. CENSUS WORKSHOP


The fall closing of the Charlotte office providing assistance in the use of U.S. Census data is one of the many, though not the most tragic, victims of our current economy and governmental belt tightening. At the very time that software changes are making accessing large census data sets on the web more difficult, the valued assistance of this office will no longer be available.


Ramsey Library has arranged for a trainer from Charlotte Regional Census Bureau to offer a workshop in Ramsey Library on Monday, August 15. This workshop will cover some important details about 2010 reports and the new search interface for American Fact Finder2. This is a great chance to get hands on training on how to locate data on the census site.


The workshop is 2 pm - 4:30 pm in Ramsey Library, Kimmel Room, 119.


To sign up or ask questions, please contact Anita White-Carter, Research Coordinator, UNC Asheville - Ramsey Library, 251-6434, whitecar@unca.edu.


VARIETE!


Virtual And Real Integrative Educational Technology for Everyone! The Center for Teaching & Learning and Teaching & Learning with Technology Resources recently announced VARIETE, a program introducing innovative ways in which UNC Asheville faculty use technology to facilitate student excitement and learning. Sessions will address instructional technology novices and pros. Participants will also have a chance to interact with colleagues interested in exploring enhanced uses of instructional technology or blended/hybrid learning opportunities.


VARIETE will take place on Wednesday, August 17th, in the Ramsey Library Whitman Room, from 12:30-4:30 p.m. Lunch provided! Reserve a spot by emailing Melissa Himelein (himelein@unca.edu); let her know whether you prefer a vegetarian or non-vegetarian lunch.


RECENT NEWS OF NOTE FROM TLTR

OTHER RECENT NEWS OF NOTE


AND, JUST FOR THE FUN OF IT!!

Immortal Quotations About Higher Education

July 1, 2011

NOTES FROM RAMSEY LIBRARY ; 2011-13

OUR BEAUTIFUL CAMPUS

NOTES wants to take just a moment to share some views of our beautiful campus from these early summer days and from the cooler days of last fall. NOTES also hopes that you will join in thanking and congratulating MELISSA ACKER and her hard-working grounds crew for what they've done over many years to make UNC Asheville into a beautiful physical environment.


FEATURED RESOURCE

One of Ramsey Library's new, digital resources that is fully accessible 24/7 is Political Science Complete (PSC). PSC provides the full texts of articles in more than 530 journals (e.g., Public Opinion Quarterly, Political Science Quarterly, Peace & Change, Human Rights Review, Environmental Politics, Background Notes on Countries of the World, Political Risk Yearbook, and African Studies Quarterly) as well as indexing and abstracts for over 2,900. Searchers will find a world-wide focus, "reflecting the globalization of contemporary political discourse." PSC also offers over 340 full-text reference books and monographs, and over 38,000 full-text conference papers, including those of the International Political Science Association. Be sure to check it out!

Political Science Complete


TLTR: RECENT NEWS OF NOTE

CLICKERS ~ Using or interested in using Classroom Response Systems (or "clickers" to the "rest of us") in your classroom? Teaching & Learning With Technology Resources is collaborating with Melissa Himelein and the Center for Teaching in Learning in sponsoring a Google Groups-based campus discussion forum, cleverly enough named "Clickers," on just that technology. Instructors, technology staff, and others with an interest can use the forum to connect with others with similar interests, share ideas and debate pedagogy, or simply eavesdrop (NOTES' personal favorite). All you have to do to join is follow this link and follow the directions: https://groups.google.com/a/unca.edu/group/clickers/topics. (Let the guy behind the curtain know if you have any trouble. )

There's still time to get in on the ground floor of two interesting discussions. One explores student reaction to buying their own clicker and whether they think it worth the investment (both the model of the department providing the clickers and the one in which students purchase their own exist on campus). The other discussion has introduced current news reports on suits by students claiming that the use of clickers disadvantages students with visual and other challenges.

For further info:
Join "Clickers" at: https://groups.google.com/a/unca.edu/group/clickers/topics
"Blind Florida State U. Students Sue Over E-Learning Systems"
"Classroom Response Systems, an Accessibility Viewpoint" (Michigan State University)


OTHER RECENT NEWS OF NOTE

Darwin Library, Now Online, Reveals Mind of 19th-Century Naturalist
The portion of Charles Darwin's library on the Web even includes handwritten notes he scribbled in the margins of his books.
My Battle With E-Pirates, By Clement Vincent
A scholar claims victory in his first salvo against an illegal download of his book. But was engagement a mistake?
Hot Type: Publishers Say They Are Not the Enemy in University Copyright Disputes, By Jennifer Howard, Whatever happens in a court battle over fair use, it has made the divisions between librarians and publishers more evident than ever.
Wanted: Your Ideas on How to Build a Digital Public Library of America

June 15, 2011

NOTES FROM RAMSEY LIBRARY : 2011-12

FEATURED RESOURCE

This issue's featured resource is the first iteration of a major revision to Ramsey Library's main web page. After discussing student comments and the library's 2009-2011 assessment results, Ramsey librarians concluded that feedback indicating concerns about sufficient information resources might have more to do with sorting through library search results than with any objective insufficiency in available content. You'll recall that on last spring's library web site you landed on a home page that then required that you navigate either to conduct a search for books, etc. in the "catalog" or to select specific journal databases to locate individual articles. In both cases, increasingly and due to the disparate sizes of Ramsey Library and the libraries at Western Carolina and Appalachian State (the combined holdings of which comprise the online catalog), UNC Asheville searchers were finding more and more electronic books or journal articles not available to our campus. Inevitably, this resulted in frustration AND the perception that Ramsey Library did not offer sufficient resources. In some cases, for example e-books devoted to computer software, the searcher had to navigate several screens of titles available at ASU but not UNC Asheville before finding anything.

Brandy Bourne, ace Web Services Librarian, has redesigned the the library's main page so that:
You're ready to search on the first page.
The default is for individual articles with a quick search box similar to a Google search (note that the Quick Search covers only a limited number of the most popular databases) with results limited to articles available at UNC Asheville.
Tabs for searching journal titles, videos, course reserves, and books.
Note that searching under "Books & more" in the quick search box produces results which are fully accessible to folks at UNC Asheville.
So, what if you don't find what you need or for whatever reason you want your search to cover the holdings of all three libraries, or you want to use the Aquabrowser feature. All you have to do is click on t he "Books & more tab" on the left above the "Quick Search" box, and then click on "WNCLN." That'll take you back to the original search screen.

We plan to conduct focus groups with students this fall to see if these changes are an improvement. If we can figure out how to do it without being to intrusive, we'll also ask for user reactions via a voluntary online survey. In the meantime, if you have any comments or suggestions, please send them along to Brandy Bourne.


TLTR: RECENT NEWS OF NOTE

In the Public Domain

This is the first entry in a recurring if irregular series designed to help the campus community locate copyright-free materials for use in the classroom, on websites, or for basically anything you want. Suggestions here will come largely form NOTES FROM RAMSEY's reading of Stephan Fishman's The Public Domain: How to Find & Use Copyright-Free Writings, Music, Art & More (5th ed., Nolo Press, 2010)(available from Amazon and other book sources). Today, we'll share Fishman's definition (more than likely the last quote): ". . . the words 'public domain' mean creative works that for one reason or another are not protected by copyright law and are ordinarily free for all use." (p. 4)

Other TLTR News

Check out Teaching & Learning with Technology Resources' (TLTR) web page "In-House Productions." Here you'll find a listing of local campus programs representing the fine work of Kent Thompson, many of your students, and the campus community. One of the newer features with a link to the actual program is "Multimedia Arts & Sciences Annual Juried Student Exhibition." This is great stuff!!

Creating a Meaningful College Experience in an Era of Streamlining, By William G. Tierney
With class sizes in the hundreds of students, distance learning can begin in the fifth row. (NOTES finds this an interesting perspective!)


OTHER NEWS OF NOTE

Digging Into Data in the Humanities, Day 1
Digital humanists have converged on the headquarters of the National Endowment for the Humanities to talk about cutting-edge work with big data in history, linguistics, literature, and other fields.

Digging Into Data, Day 2: Making Tools and Using Them
Projects explored at the meeting included a database in which scholars can mine a year's worth of spoken English, and another with digitized records of 200,000 trials at London's Old Bailey.

National Academies Press Puts All 4,000 Books Online at No Charge
Recent cost-cutting measures have allowed the leading publisher of scholarly books to offer its catalog gratis, as PDF downloads.

Publishers Grapple With Thorny Issues of Protecting Property and Going Digital, By Jennifer Howard
Value copyright laws, attendees at the Association of American University Presses' annual meeting were advised.


SUMMER READS

Geeks at the Beach: 10 Summer Reads About Technology and Your Life
Recent books (and a video) highlight how tech is turning culture and parts of higher education upside down.

Novel Academic Novels, By Ms. Mentor
Ms. Mentor offers her annual summer reading list for faculty members. (With a respectful nod to our friend and colleague, Professor Merritt Mosley)

June 5, 2011

New Homepage Search Box

We've launched a new homepage search box that we think will make navigating our collections easier and more intuitive. For the most part, the difference is in presentation only, but there are a few changes to your search options.


QUICK SEARCH
First, we've introduced a "Quick" article search option. This box searches a wide range of our Ebscohost databases (hover over the "?" by the box to see the full list) and will satisfy those who need results fast.


BOOKS & MORE
Our "Books & More" catalog search is now set to search only UNC Asheville holdings. This change has been made in response to the changing nature of our collections. As we and our WNCLN (Western Carolina Library Network) partners acquire more digital collections, it becomes less practical to have a shared catalog search. Digital content, unlike physical books, cannot usually be shared between schools. Vast digital collections held by only one or two of our three schools make finding available materials increasingly difficult.


ABC Express borrowing from ASU & WCU is still available to students, faculty and staff. Just choose "WNCLN" below the search box.


Our old homepage layout will be available temporarily, but please try our new layout, and send any comments to library@unca.edu.


June 2, 2011

NOTES FROM RAMSEY LIBRARY ; 2011-11

FEATURED RESOURCE
Well, it had to happen and if you haven't anticipated it, you should have! It's NOTES' first, real COPYRIGHT issue! It's a shame NOTES couldn't get itself together for World Intellectual Property Day (April 26), but sometimes the world just doesn't cooperate. Anyway, though not strictly the library's, today's featured resource in the university's new intellectual property web site just published on the new campus website located under the Office of the University General Council in the Administration section. Check out convenient links to UNC Asheville policies and forms on the main Intellectual Property/Copyright page. Then check out links to information about U.S. copyright law, tutorials and guides, digital media, free or low cost permissions, and useful sites on the Intellectual Property Information page. And last but certainly not least, NOTES hopes that many of you will take the opportunity to link to the Copyright Information for Students page which presents those connections likely to be of most interest to our students (including dire warnings and a summary of civil and criminal penalties for violation of copyright laws).


RECENT COPYRIGHT NEWS OF NOTE

What You Don't Know About Copyright but Should, By Jennifer Howard
In a maze of rights confusion, Nancy Sims, copyright-program librarian at the University of Minnesota, guides colleges to safety
A Professor Takes His Rights Fight to the Supreme Court, By Marc Parry
Lawrence Golan, music teacher and conductor, has a case whose outcome could affect access to many books and films, as well as to some composers' scores.
2 Universities Under the Legal Gun (includes update on Cambridge University Press et al. v. Patton et al. (Georgia State University) that will like have seminal impact on the copying of and electronic access to copyrighted materials in the classroom and library).
What's at Stake in the Georgia State Copyright Case
Experts in scholarly communications comment on what the case may mean for the use of reproduced copyrighted material in the classroom.
Out of Fear, Institutions Lock Millions of Books and Images Away from Scholars, By Marc Parry
Confronted with the murky copyright status of many works, academic archives are playing it safe and limiting online access to scholars.
Pushing Back Against Legal Threats by Putting Fair Use Forward, By Jeffrey R. Young
Two professors at American University fight against "copywrongs" with common-sense guides to the law.
QuickWire: Parties in Google Books Settlement Get More Time

OTHER RECENT NEWS OF NOTE
Students Say Tablets Will Transform College, Though Most Don't Own Tablets
Nearly half said they expected the devices to replace textbooks within the next five years.
Textbooks Go the iTunes Route, but Buying by Chapters May Not Save Students Money, By Ben Wieder
Publishers are now giving students the option to buy e-textbooks by the chapter. Will it do for academic publishing what iTunes did for the music industry?
Academics, in New Move, Begin to Work With Wikipedia
The Association for Psychological Science uses its prestige-and some new software-to motivate scholars to help fix inaccuracies in the everyone-can-edit encyclopedia.
U. of Chicago Students Hope to Revolutionize Course Packs
Two students are developing a cheaper, online alternative to printed course materials that they want to bring to campuses nationwide
When You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover, By Ann Kirschner
E-readers have changed the packaging picture.
Leading Economics Journals Drop 'Double Blind' Peer Review

May 24, 2011

NOTES FROM RAMSEY LIBRARY ; 2011-10

FEATURED RESOURCE

This issue's featured resource is easy access to help. NOTES FROM RAMSEY is proud of the many electronic and paper texts we offer as well as images and videos in many formats to aid learning and research. But the greatest and most powerful of all our resources are the Ramsey folks who are here and eager to help you and your students. One fun and easy way to access that help is through the library's Ask a Librarian service. In the far left column of the library's home page (green section) you'll find the "Ask a Librarian!" link. The next screen shows frequently asked questions ~ a click will take you to the answer. At the top of the screen beneath "LibraryAnswers - Ask us" you'll find a box in which you can enter a question. And, if you don't want to try either way, you can always email us libref@unca.edu. Posting a question through "Ask a Librarian!" or emailing libref@unca.edu are dependable ways to receive quick, written help often with useful hotlinks embedded.


TLTR: RECENT NEWS OF NOTE

ICPSR

Other TLTR News

April 28, 2011

Graphic Novel Contest Winners

We're very pleased to announce the winners of the 2011 Ramsey Library Graphic Novel Contest!


The Physics of Paper

The Boy and the Tree

Dirty Laundry
First Place
Gus Frisbee
The Physics of Paper


Honorable Mention
Kyle Branham
The Boy and the Tree


Honorable Mention
Lorca Lechuga-Haeseler
Dirty Laundry



Thanks to all who entered! We are excited to see so much promising work from our students.

And a special thanks to our jurors for their considered evaluation of the work submitted:

Robert Dunning, Art Department, UNC Asheville
Blake Hobby, Literature Department, UNC Asheville
Katherine Min, Literature Department, UNC Asheville
Lei Han, Multimedia Arts & Sciences Department, UNC Asheville
Chance Whitmire, Fanaticon
Laurie Corral, Asheville Bookworks

April 27, 2011

NOTES FROM RAMSEY LIBRARY; 2011-8

END OF SEMESTER LIBRARY HOURS

Please note and share with your students that Ramsey Library began end-of-the-semester extended hours on April 20. On this schedule the library opens at 8AM and closes at 2AM, Monday through Thursday, opens at 8 AM and closes at 9 PM on Friday, opens at 10 AM and closes at 9 PM on Saturday, and opens at 1 PM and closes at 2 AM on Sunday. For the day-by-day schedule please see the library's web hours info at
http://bullpup.lib.unca.edu/library/cal/index.html.


FALL RESEARCH TOOLS SYMPOSIA

Ramsey Librarians are planning a series of research tools symposia for fall 2011. These will focus on some new and at least one more familiar tool and how they can be used to enhance undergraduate research. These will likely include two brand new statistics resources, Statistical Datasets ~ Basic and Statistical Insight, our new membership in ICPSR, and enhanced use of the Web of Knowledge (recall that we recently restored the Social Sciences Citation Index and the Arts & Humanities Citation Index components). Watch for notices over the summer and at the beginning of the fall semester.


HELEN WYKLE TO RECEIVE SONDLEY AWARD

NOTES FROM RAMSEY has just learned that that on 11 May Helen Wykle, Curator of Special Collections in Ramsey Library, will receive the Sondley Award, " . . . given by the Historic Resources Commission of Asheville and Buncombe County to an individual or individuals in the community who by word or deed has kindled among the citizenry of Asheville and Buncombe County an appreciation for the history or historic resources of the area."

Please join NOTES FROM RAMSEY LIBRARY in congratulating Helen on this distinction and the recognition of her contributions to the community and in support of UNC Asheville's mission of outreach to the community.


UNC ASHEVILLE YEARBOOKS AVAILABLE ONLINE

Take a look and take pride in our University's illustrious heritage as the first 19 University of North Carolina Asheville yearbooks are now available online. Digital access is brought to you, and the world, via Ramsey Library's collaboration with the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center, ". . . a statewide digitization and digital publishing program housed in the North Carolina Collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (and working ) with cultural heritage institutions across North Carolina to digitize and publish historic materials online." The Center operates in conjunction with the State Library of North Carolina's NC ECHO (North Carolina Exploring Cultural Heritage Online) project. It is supported by the State Library of North Carolina with funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act.The project's site notes that "Student yearbooks provide a window into college life in North Carolina from the 1890s to the present. From sports teams to sororities, fashions to hairstyles, these volumes document the changing attitudes and culture of college students year by year."
UNC Asheville's Institutional Page
http://digitalnc.org/institutions/university-north-carolina-asheville


RECENT NEWS OF NOTE

Brainstorm: Educating Students About Their Data Trails
The merits and pitfalls of digital surveillance can be discussed at length. Meanwhile, though, just make sure undergrads know about it, Mark Bauerlein advises.
5 Myths About the 'Information Age' , By Robert Darnton
New technology is reinforcing old modes of communication more than it is undermining them.
Colleges Aren't Meeting Demand for Programs That Blend Online and Classroom Learning, Survey Suggests
With Google Settlement in Limbo, Universities Forge Ahead With Research on Digitized Books
Indiana University and the University of Illinois plan to establish a center for computational research on millions of digitized texts, many of them scanned by Google.

April 6, 2011

NOTES FROM RAMSEY LIBRARY; 2011-7

FEATURED RESOURCE

Ramsey Library is pleased to announce the availability of a new online package, the Oxford Digital Reference Shelf. This new package includes Oxford University Press standard reference sources in history and culture (e.g., The Oxford Encyclopedia of Greece & Rome, Black Women in America, The Oxford Companion to the Book), literature and language (e.g., The Oxford Encyclopedia of Children's Literature), the arts (e.g., The Grove Encyclopedia of American Art, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islamic Art & Architecture, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre & Performance) , science (e.g., Encyclopedia of Global Change), the social sciences (e.g., Encyclopedia of Human Rights) , and law (e.g., The Oxford International Encyclopedia of Legal History). All individual titles are linked from their respective record in the online catalog.

UPCOMING CELEBRATION

NOTES FROM RAMSEY wants to send a special thanks to Professor Bruce Larson for bringing to our attention that April 26 is WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DAY!! Be sure to mark your calendar and watch NOTES FROM RAMSEY LIBRARY for more exciting news! (Actually, Bruce just forwarded a note in good faith. It was NOTES that spotted the celebratory date.)

TLTR: RECENT NEWS OF NOTE

iPads for College Classrooms? Not So Fast, Some Professors Say., By Ben Wieder
iPads are all the rage, but researchers who look into the teaching value of tablet PC's say those older devices may be better.
English Professor Uses High-Tech Tools to Make Case for Importance of Reading
Innovations: Invigorating the Classroom
Ernst Benjamin of the American Association of University Professors says the group's recent report is not an effort to politicize the classroom but to improve student learning.
Early Finding of Cal State U. E-Textbook Study: Terms Matter
The university has found that whether or not students liked their digital textbooks depended on what rules publishers set on how they could be used.
'New York Times' Paywall Will Add Costs to Some College Offerings
Campuses that participate in the college-readership program will have to pay for access to the paper's site but will receive a discounted rate.

OTHER RECENT NEWS OF NOTE
Judge Rejects Settlement in Google Books Case, Saying It Goes Too Far By Jennifer Howard
The judge urged the parties to consider revising the settlement, however, and suggested an approach that would ease his major concerns about copyright.
Google Decision Spurs Research Libraries to Rethink the Path to Digital Access, By Jennifer Howard
The libraries reiterated their commitment to making as much material as possible available digitally and hoped to find a solution to a vexing copyright issue.
A Copyright Expert Who Spoke Up for Academic Authors Offers Insights on the Ruling
Libraries, Publishing, and a Plea for Shotgun Weddings , By Bryn Geffert
Libraries and university presses are both ailing and desperate. Their union could be their salvation.

March 14, 2011

NOTES FROM RAMSEY LIBRARY; 2011-6

FEATURED RESOURCE

Statesman's Yearbook Online ~ Next to the Statistical Abstract of the United States this may be the title nearest and dearest to an old librarian's heart. "Regularly updated to reflect recent world events, the much-acclaimed The Statesman's Yearbook Online includes reliable information on every country in the world, covering key historical events, population, city profiles, social statistics, climate, recent elections, current leaders, defense, international relations, economy, energy and natural resources, industry, international trade, religion, culture, and diplomatic representatives, as well as fact sheets and much more. Find out more about The Statesman's Yearbook." Online version available to UNC Asheville students, faculty, and staff, only.


INTER-UNIVERSITY CONSORTIUM FOR POLITICAL & SOCIAL RESEARCH

From ICPSR's DataBytes newsletter, Winter 2011
The Integrated Fertility Survey Series (IFSS) project at ICPSR is pleased to announce the release of its second harmonized dataset, which updates the first release and adds variables related to union history, cohabitation and husband/partner sociodemographics. The dataset combines information from 10 surveys and over 71,000 respondents spanning 1955 to 2002 into harmonized variables for easy analysis.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children & Families, Office of Planning Research & Evaluation Funds is accepting applications to provide funding for a Research Center to Support Secondary Analyses of Head Start Impact Study Data to answer questions related to the characteristics of effective Head Start centers, classrooms, and teachers. For more information about this funding opportunity, including the award amount and due dates, please visit the Research Connections Web site.

The library's online catalog now contains bibliographic records for all the ICPSR databases. There are more than 7,265 records; 55 new for this year. So, if you're looking for that old reliable General Social Survey, just search it in the library online catalog to get direct access to the ICPSR data file online. Check it our at General Social Survey!


RECENT NEWS OF NOTE
Setting Students' Minds on Fire
Learning should be more than active. And it can be, as some professors and students are discovering in a particularly compelling classroom competition.
College 2.0: Actually Going to Class? How 20th-Century. , By Jeffrey R. Young
New learning technologies prompt a rethinking of traditional course structure.
Collaboration Seeks to Provide Easier Access to E-Books
The Internet Archive and Open Library are working with 150 public and academic libraries to offer their patrons a larger catalog of digital books.
Rereading the University Classics, Part 5
A series on classic texts about higher education continues with Thorstein Veblen's "The Higher Learning in America."

March 2, 2011

NOTES FROM RAMSEY LIBRARY, 2011-5

FEATURED RESOURCE

In this issue, NOTES FROM RAMSEY LIBRARY invites your attention to a collection of the most valuable resources available through the Ramsey Library web site ~ LibGuides. From the library's home page, click on the "Research & Collection Guides" link located just below the divide in the white, mid section of the page. This will transport you to the remarkably useful "Welcome to LibGuides." A quick tour of the page reveals information about featured resources (currently ICPSR), a way to sign up for email alerts to new guides, featured new books, and, most importantly, links to more than 40 guides to subjects (e.g., African American Studies, Art, Economics, Gender & Sexuality, Statistics, and Women's Studies) as well as useful tutorials (e.g., Zotero, Writing in the Disciplines, Library 101, and Career and Job Search). Check it out!!

NOTES FROM RAMSEY LIBRARY congratulates Brandy Bourne, Web Services Librarian, and all the librarians who put so much time and effort into making the LibGuides such a valuable resource!

CHANGES TO LIBRARY WEB SITE

Hopefully, you've already seen them, but NOTES FROM RAMSEY LIBRARY is very pleased to congratulate Brandy Bourne, Web Services Librarian, for the recent housekeeping improvements on the library's primary pages. We've added a link and widget to our new service, LibAnswers, added a daily library hours box, and changed our header and colors to more closely align with the University colors. Email library@unca.edu to let us know what you think!.

ONLINE EXHIBITS

Check out Ramsey Library Special Collections Online Exhibits Asheville's Black History and Faces of Asheville's Black History.

ICPSR MERITORIOUS SERVICE AWARD

As part of its mission to support the social sciences, ICPSR presents biennial awards to individuals who have distinguished themselves in their service to the social science community and is now seeking nominations for these two awards. The Warren E. Miller Award for Meritorious Service to the Social Sciences was initiated in 1993 to recognize individuals who have had a profound impact on social science research and infrastructure. Warren E. Miller, a founder of ICPSR and its first Executive Director, demonstrated throughout his career exemplary service to the social science community and a talent for building institutions that have survived beyond his direct involvement and continue to prosper. ICPSR requests nominations be sent to mf-awards@icpsr.umich.edu and include a brief summary of the individual's qualifications and explanation of why the nominee is a worthy recipient. The Prizes committee will consider the nominations, make a final determination of the award winners, and inform ICPSR Council of their decision. The awards will be given during the ICPSR Biennial Meeting of Official Representatives held October 5-7, 2011 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Nominations are due no later than March 25.

February 21, 2011

NOTES FROM RAMSEY LIBRARY ; 2011-4

GRAPHIC NOVEL CONTEST

Recently, Cynthia Canejo announced that Gareth Hinds, Graphic Novel artist/writer,will be giving a lecture in the Humanities Lecture Hall on Tuesday, March 1, 2011 at 7:00 PM. In addition to directly supporting Mr. Hinds visit, Ramsey Library is pleased to collaborate with the Departments of Art, Language & Literature, and Multimedia Arts & Sciences in offering a Graphic Novel Contest for UNC Asheville students. Please encourage interested students to enter. The grand prize winner will choose a $250 gift card to True Blue Art Supply, Malaprop's Bookstore, or Asheville Bookworks.

More information, contest rules, and application forms can be found at GRAPHIC NOVEL CONTEST.
flyer_web.jpg

NEW FEATURE: NOTES FROM TLTR
A new, irregular feature of this irregular (on many levels!) publication will feature Ideas, observations, tips, and gleanings from published sources shared by the talented folks in Teaching & Learning with Technology Resources. John Myers, Leigh Svenson, Kent Thompson, Chris Asbill, Greg Dillingham, Clliff Hedrick, and Tim Buckner comprise the team which brings instructional technology support in the classroom (with the able support of ITS User Services), Lipinsky and Humanities Lecture Halls, TV and video production, and distance learning services via the Internet. Today's offering comes from a recent issue of EDUCAUSE Review which caught the attention of NOTES FROM RAMSEY LIBRARY.
>"Case Study: Murder, Madness, and Mayhem"

In the spring of 2008, Professor Jon Beasley-Murray launched his students at the University of British Columbia on a project to improve the inadequate and shallow coverage of Latin American literary studies by the online encyclopedia Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia%3AWikiProject_Murder_Madness_and_Mayhem). Working in groups, some students were assigned to topics that did not yet have articles while others were tasked with improving existing articles. The grading scheme was explicitly tied to the criteria and external peer-review processes used by Wikipedia to assign "good article" and "featured article" status.18 Students were pushed to develop both traditional and new media literacy skills. The result was scholarly yet engaging public resources that have been read by hundreds of thousands of information-seekers. It is also worth noting that no license, usage, or subscription fees have to be paid to Wikipedia for the provision of this incredible learning environment."

"Never Mind the Edupunks; or, The Great Web 2.0 Swindle"© 2010 Brian Lamb and Jim Groom.
The text of this article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). EDUCAUSE Review, vol. 45, no. 4 (July/August 2010): 50-58
RECENT NEWS OF NOTE

NOTES FROM RAMSEY LIBRARY has taken particular note of a significant publishing announcement. What note, NOTES isn't quite sure of yet. However, we're pretty sure we've set a new world's record for the occurrence of the words "note" or "notes" within one inch of an email!!

o Nota Bene: Idol Pursuits, By Nina C. Ayoub
In the first university-press book on "American Idol," an ethnomusicologist looks at the TV show's cultural influence.

Less stimulating, perhaps, but noteworthy!

* Obama's Plans for Advanced Ed Tech Center
An Education Department official talks about a new National Center for Advanced Research and Information in Digital Technologies that will finance research on teaching and learning.
* 6 Top Tech Trends on the Horizon for Higher Education
Among the ones to watch are game-based learning, electronic books, and learning analytics, according to a new report.
* Wikipedia's Editing Process Is Still a Mystery to Students
Students remain unaware of the site's history and discussion pages.

February 11, 2011

NOTES FROM RAMSEY LIBRARY; 2011-3

RAMSEY LIBRARY JOINS ICPSR

Ever mindful of our role in facilitating undergraduate and faculty research, Ramsey Library is very pleased to announce its membership, on behalf of the University community, in the Inter-University Consortium for Political & Social Research (ICPSR) at the University of Michigan. Many faculty will be intimately familiar with this international consortium of about 700 academic institutions and research organizations which has since 1962 provided leadership and training in data access, curation, and methods of analysis for the social science research community. ICPSR's preeminent data archive offers more than 500,000 files of research in the social sciences including 16 collections of data in education, aging, criminal justice, substance abuse, terrorism, and other fields. Note that ICPSR does not provide publications, reports, or ready-made statistics. What ICPSR does supply are the numeric raw data used to create publications, reports, and figures.

All UNC Asheville staff, students, and faculty have access to the extensive ICPSR data holdings via any campus computer. Access is direct and quick by accessing the ICPSR Web site at www.icpsr.umich.edu. First-time users will be asked to create an ICPSR MyData account; thereafter, you will need your email address and password to download data. Content downloaded from this world's largest collection of digital social science data can be used for secondary research, instructional activities, and to write articles, papers, theses, etc.

The library has just acquired access so this is a bit new for us. NOTES FROM RAMSEY LIBRARY will be sharing more information as its assimilated, but wanted to let everyone know of its current and future availability as soon as we could. More later. In the meantime, please check out the more detailed information available at:

Political Science (PDF 328K)
Social Sciences (PDF 180K)
Sociology (PDF 328K)
Instruction and Learning (PDF 811K)
Specialty archives (PDF 333K)
Resource Center for Minority Data (PDF 340K)


2011 ICPSR SUMMER PROGRAM IN QUANTITATIVE METHODS

ICPSR recently announced the 2011 Summer Program in Quantitative Methods of Social Research. The main component of the ICPSR Summer Program is held on the campus of the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Lectures and workshops on a wide variety of topics in research design, quantitative reasoning, statistical methods, and data processing are presented in two four‑week sessions. The first session runs from June 20, 2011 until July 15, 2011. The second session runs from July 18, 2011 until August 12, 2011. The contents of the two sessions are largely independent of each other, although some second‑session workshops do assume that participants are familiar with material from first‑session courses.

The 2011 ICPSR Summer Program will also offer a number of three‑ to five‑day workshops on both statistical and substantive topics throughout the summer. Most of these shorter workshops take place in Ann Arbor, but there are several that will be held in other locations: Amherst, MA; Bloomington, IN; Chapel Hill, NC; and (for the first time) Berkeley, CA.

The application form, registration instructions, fee structure, and further information about the ICPSR Summer Program are all available on the ICPSR web site: http://icpsr.umich.edu/sumprog/.


RECENT NEWS OF NOTE

On the general theme of "rules (?)", here's some news you may have missed:

E-Books' Varied Formats Make Citations a Mess for Scholars, By Tushar Rae
E-book readers use different page-numbering systems, forcing academics to find other ways to provide the citations that are crucial to scholarship. But, Anita White-Carter let NOTES know that Amazon plans "real" page numbers in Kindle books sometime in the coming months!

A Digital Library Guru Discusses New Rules on Sharing Scientific Data
Sayeed Choudhury predicts that the step by the National Science Foundation will lead to broader participation in science activities.

A Classic 'Nontextbook' on Writing, By James M. Lang
A third edition of "Writing With Style" proves once again why the book has been so popular.

The Poetry Foundation has just released a "Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Poetry." It can be found online at:
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/downloads/FairUsePoetryBooklet_singlepg_2.pdf

February 3, 2011

Changes to our web site


Dear library community,


We've done a little housekeeping on our primary web pages.

Here's what we've changed:


1) Added a link and widget to our new service, LibAnswers. Try it out!

2) Added a daily library hours box.

3) Changed our header and colors to more closely align with the University colors.


We hope you find these small changes helpful. You'll find everything else just where it was. Email library@unca.edu to let us know what you think!

January 28, 2011

NOTES FROM RAMSEY LIBRARY; 2011-2

FEATURED RESOURCE

Many accomplished information seekers have long known the breadth and depth of information available through the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO). For decades, though, the difficulty of navigating that complex, even arcane information world proved at best daunting. In the mid-1990s, GPO launched GPO Access as the first step in expanding its mission to provide electronic access to Federal Government information (ever wonder how many hours per year a particular type of aircraft engine is run in U.S.?). GPO has now begun to roll-out its second generation system known as F-Dsys (and, yes, NOTES does know what it stands for ~ Federal Digital System) with completion scheduled for mid-2011. Here are some key enhancements:


  • Easily search across multiple publications or collections of Government publications from a single search box.

  • Perform an advanced search against robust metadata about each publication from a single advanced search page.

  • Construct complex search queries using advanced Boolean and field operators.

  • Refine and narrow searches by applying filters, sorting search results, and searching within search results.

  • Retrieve individual Government documents and publications in seconds directly from each search result.

  • View more information about a publication and access multiple file formats from a "More Information" Web page that is available from each search result.

  • Access metadata or information about Government publications in standard formats such as MODS and PREMIS.

  • Download content and metadata packaged together as a single ZIP file.

  • Browse for a specific Government publications and browse within the publication using its table of contents.

  • Utilize enhanced help options including context specific field level help and a searchable online help system

To learn more about F-Dsys visit http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/search/home.action.


BROWN BAG BOOK TALKS

Well, if you weren't in Special Collections, 12:30 to 1:30 on last Tuesday, you missed it!! Yep, you missed Ramsey Library's first Brown Bag Book Talk of the spring semester and the chance to hear Dan Pierce wax poetic on "The Real NASCAR: White Lightning, Red Clay, and Big Bill France." Not only did you miss Dan's (of History Channel fame!) presentation, but you'll never know if white lightning was really served.

It's not too late, however, for the second talk of the semester. Please join us and encourage your students to participate in Laura Hope-Gill's poetry reading and slide show "The Soul Tree: Poems and Photographs of the Southern Appalachians," Ramsey Library Whitman Room, 12:30 - 1:30, Tuesday, February 8.

Visit the full schedule at http://toto.lib.unca.edu/programs/brownbag.htm


RECENT NEWS OF NOTE
As Wikipedia Turns 10, It Focuses on Ways to Improve Student Learning
The popular open encyclopedia moves to create a repository of teaching materials.
Looking for a Companion? Philosophy Publishers Can Help
Carlin Romano wandered around the exhibits at last week's APA Eastern, and found new companions at every turn.
Hip-Hop and Copyright Law in the Classroom
A professor's documentary film examines the legal implications of hip-hop artists' use of samples of previously recorded music.
The Chronicle of Higher Education's Selected New Books on Higher Education
Rereading the University Classics, Part 4
By Kai Hammermeister, A series on classic texts about higher education continues with Upton Sinclair's "The Goose-Step."

January 14, 2011

NOTES FROM RAMSEY LIBRARY; 2011-1

NOTES FROM RAMSEY LIBRARY hopes that everyone enjoyed a safe and joyful holiday season and that your semester is off to a great start. NOTES also wants to thank the library staff who overcame the weather to make the library as available as possible over the past week. And, all the Ramsey Library folks are grateful to the Grounds and Facilities personnel who made the campus as safe as possible and who kept our buildings warm and the water flowing. To all of you and to those "critical personnel" we may not even know of, many, many thanks!!


BOOKS & LIBRARY CONTENT PURCHASES CONTINUE FOR NOW

While the latest budget news seems less than encouraging, we are still able to purchase books and other library materials to support students and faculty. Faculty who know of materials that they need please get that information to your librarian bibliographer and we will do everything we can to acquire the material before the budget doors close any tighter. Please contact or send your requests to your departmental bibliographer whose listed at:
http://bullpup.lib.unca.edu/library/libdir/bibliographers.html.


LYNDA.COM

If you haven't tried it, do give LYNDA.COM a whirl. This online training library containing over 3,000 video tutorials on all types of software, and provides comprehensive training in office software, audio, video, photography, graphic design, web and interactive design, business, and development from expert instructors. We've been very pleased with the response to this investment and recently added several concurrent users to our license.


GRADUATE SCHOOL ENTRANCE EXAM PREP

As the semester begins many students turn their attention to thoughts of graduation and graduate school. NOTES FROM RAMSEY encourages students to take advantage of the expertise offered by the Career Center and the wisdom of their faculty. In addition, we offer access to interactive practice tests and tutorials for academic and licensing tests including the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT, and the Praxis. These materials can be accessed via the Ramsey Library web site by clicking Research Databases, then clicking Title List. Navigate to the L listing on the alphabetical title index and select Learning Express Library. Once on the Learning Express web site, click the College Students link under the heading "Learning Centers" on the left side of the page. From there click the Graduate School Entrance Exam Preparation link. A second list will appear. Select an exam preparation module. Click the Login to Add link to the right of the selection. You will be asked to create a unique user name and password for accessing scores and keeping track of progress. PLEASE MAKE NOTE OF THE USER NAME AND PASSWORD YOU SELECTED. Ramsey Library has no access to this information.

(Many thanks to Anita White-Carter for these directions!!)

January 7, 2011

Group Study Rooms Upgraded


In response to student requests and mindful of an increasing need for "smart" group study space, the library has equipped five of its group study rooms with 36" plasma monitors to be used with laptop computers.

Students may bring their own laptops or check one out from the library.

In the 2009-2010 school year, students checked out keys to group study rooms 4,212 times. We hope this new addition will make them even more useful to students as they collaborate on papers and projects.

Ramsey Library wants to express its gratitude to the lab/smart classroom team of ITS' User Services. Many thanks to Mark Nielson, Alex Mitchell, and John Furst for their supportive collaboration and their quick, professional work in getting these screens up and running.

January 6, 2011

FDsys: A new portal for US federal government information


The federal government has launched a new official portal called the Federal Digital System (FDsys). Search across or browse collections of government publications such as federal laws, presidential publications, Congressional information, and Economic Indicators.

FDsys will replace the previous portal, GPO Access, which will continue to be available only until mid-2011.

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/search/home.action

Wikimedia Bookshelf: Using Wikipedia in the Classroom

Students and faculty using Wikipedia may be interested in the publications available via the Wikimedia Bookshelf.

A selection of PDF documents offer an introduction to Wikipedia (what it offers and how it works), a guide to evaluating article quality, and an introduction to public domain and free licenses.




Instructors might also be interested in the guide to Using Wikipedia as a teaching tool in higher education and links to sample assignments.

For more information, watch the archived Educause presentation, Wikipedia in the Classroom: Changing the Way Teachers and Students Use Wikipedia.

December 15, 2010

Library Special Collections Receives Award

We're proud to announce that our Special Collections department was awarded the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) trophy for Outstanding Achievement on December 8, 2010. Kudos to Helen Wykle, Sallie Klipp and their fine group of student workers and volunteers.

You can view the library's extensive online historical collections via the Special Collections web site.

See a list of past winners.




December 13, 2010

NOTES FROM RAMSEY LIBRARY; 2010-8

SPECIAL COLLECTIONS HONORED

On December 8th Special Collections was awarded the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) trophy for Outstanding Achievement. The award, given annually since 1954 recognizes individuals, organizations, museums, and societies for contributions to the historical record of western North Carolina for outstanding work in documenting and providing scholarly contributions to the public record, to publications about the area, for services to history, and for providing unique research materials.

NOTES FROM RAMSEY congratulates Helen Wykle, Curator of Special Collections, Sallie Klipp, Special Collections Assistant, and the legions of student workers, interns, and volunteers who have contributed so much to Special Collections, Ramsey Library, and our community over the years with particular nodes to those able to attend the award event: student, Melissa Hutcheson, intern, Susan Jones, volunteers, Toey Fortenbery, Tim Hawkins, Bob Cunningham, and Sharon Fahrer, were able to attend the ceremony. In addition to those in attendance recognition should be given to key outstanding volunteers, particularly Margaret Mitchell for her work on the E.M Ball Photograph Collection, Brian Stanley for web site design, and Sharon Fahrer of History@Hand who continues to be one of our strongest supporters and gatherers of collections and materials.


Group Study Rooms Upgraded!!

Recently, Ramsey Library was pleased to let students know that in response to student requests and mindful of an increasing need for "smart" group study space, the library has equipped five of its group study rooms with 36" plasma monitors to be used with laptop computers. Students may bring their own laptops or check one out from the library. In the 2009-2010 school year, students checked out keys to group study rooms 4,212 times. We hope this new addition will make them even more useful to students as they collaborate on papers and projects.

Ramsey Library wants to express its gratitude to the lab/smart classroom team of ITS' User Services. Many thanks to Mark Nielson, Alex Mitchell, and John Furst for their supportive collaboration and their quick, professional work in getting these screens up and running.


Recent News of Note

Professors Publish Guide to Copyright Issues of Multimedia Projects
Students often create classroom projects that blend in clips from YouTube videos or hit songs, and many want to post their work online for a wider audience. But does that violate copyright law?

Southern Cal to Open Lab on Future of Digital Media
The Annenberg Innovation Lab will focus on social networking, journalism on digital devices, and other emerging areas.

November 24, 2010

NOTES FROM RAMSEY LIBRARY; 2010-7

Extended Hours

As noted in an earlier issue, was pleased to extend its regular evening hours until 1 AM, Sunday thru Thursday. As the end of the semester and finals approach the library will be offering even later hours beginning Wednesday, December 1. The end-of-semester schedule is as follows:

Wednesday, 12/1 8 AM - 2 AM
Thursday, 12/2 8 AM - 2 AM
Friday, 12/3 8 AM - 9 PM
Saturday, 12/4 10 AM - 9 PM
Sunday, 12/5 1 PM - 2 AM
Monday, 12/6 8 AM - 2 AM
Tuesday, 12/7 8 AM - 2 AM
Wednesday, 12/8 8 AM - 2 AM
Thursday, 12/9 8 AM - 2 AM
Friday, 12/10 8 AM - 9 PM
Saturday, 12/11 10AM - 9 PM
Sunday, 12/12 1 PM - 2 AM
Monday, 12/13 8 AM - 2 AM
Tuesday, 12/14 8 AM -9 PM
Wednesday, 12/15 8 AM - 6 PM

For current hours information please see http://bullpup.lib.unca.edu/library/cal/index.html.


Featured Resource

Environment Completeâ„¢ offers deep coverage in applicable areas of agriculture, ecosystem ecology, energy, renewable energy sources, natural resources, marine & freshwater science, geography, pollution & waste management, environmental technology, environmental law, public policy, social impacts, urban planning, and more. It contains more than 2,265,500 records from more than 2,100 domestic and international titles going back to 1888 (including over 1,250 active core titles). The database contains full text for more than 820 journals, including many of the most used journals in the discipline, such as Environment (back to 1975), Ecologist, Conservation Biology, etc. Additionally, Environment Complete provides full text for more than 220 monographs, such as Encyclopedia of World Environmental History (3 volumes), Advances in Water Treatment & Environmental Management, etc.

Check it out online at http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/search?vid=1&hid=107&sid=d473a943-bfb2-4641-bcf2-01758a2760b2%40sessionmgr115 or via the spotlight box on the lower right of the library's main page.


Recent News of Note

Textbooks & Reading

The End of the Textbook as We Know It
Here's the new plan: Colleges require students to pay a course-materials fee, which would be used to buy e-books for all of them.

Brainstorm: Pride and Proofreading
Jane Austen's newly released digital manuscripts show how extensive her revisions were and that she wrote in a radically experimental style, says Laurie Fendrich.

New at iTunes U: Free E-Books
Oxford, Rice, and the Open University have added digital books to the lectures and other materials available on the educational-content platform.

Selected New Books on Higher Education

Rereading the University Classics, Part 3
By Kai Hammermeister, A new series on classic texts about higher education continues with John Henry Newman's "The Idea of a University."

What They're Reading on College Campuses
And, yes, Mark, Stieg Larsson's still there!!


November 11, 2010

Author & Magazine Editor Paul Howey Speaks Tuesday, 11/16

Tuesday, Nov. 16 - 12:30-1:30
Paul Howey
Magazine Editor and Author

Paul began his career in journalism as a crime reporter and photographer for the Columbus Dispatch in Ohio. His career path is varied and includes time spent in advertising, landscape design, fundraising, professional politics and ten-years in the oil and gas industry raising money for wildcat drilling. He reentered the journalism field in the mid nineties as an editor and staff manager for a children's book publishing company. He currently serves as editor for The Laurel of Asheville.

Paul has written books for a variety of audiences. His most recent book, Freckles:The Mystery of the Little Dog in the Desert, won several awards.


October 19, 2010

NOTES FROM RAMSEY LIBRARY; 2010-6

FILMS ON DEMAND

This issue's featured resource is FILMS ON DEMAND. Ramsey Library is very pleased to invite you to take full advantage of this online, streamed access to thousands of academic films and film clips in the Humanities and Social Sciences, Business & Economics, Science and Mathematics, and Health and Medicine. Films Media Group is the leading source of high-quality video and multimedia for academic, vocational and life-skills content through its four brands: Films for the Humanities and Sciences, Cambridge Educational, Meridian Education, and Shopware. Our licensing allows viewing by individuals, streaming into classrooms, and bookmarking by instructors. It can also be streamed for student use through your MOODLE course structure (see John Myers for details).

This is an exciting new product which takes full advantage of emerging instructional technologies. We hope you and your students enjoy it!


LIBRARY ADDS GRAND NEW PAINTING

On your next visit to Ramsey Library be sure to check out our new painting in the wall of the University Writing Center. Donate by UNC Asheville parent Robert Lock, "Wild Acres" was produced by the studio of Asa Cassidy and Joseph Ness as a real estate speculation painting for Thomas Dixon, Jr., a native North Carolinian and author of multiple romanticized Ku Klux Klan novels. Dixon bought "Wild Acres" to be the home of the Mount Mitchell Association of Arts and Sciences, an "intellectual colony" he founded for writers and artists.


RECENT NEWS OF NOTE

A Modern Scholar's Ailments: Link Rot and Footnote Flight
A plague of dead links to Web-based resources threatens academe.

ProfHacker: Improve your use of Google Books with Mirlyn and Hathi Trust
Having trouble finding specific public-domain texts in Google Books?

NC LIVE Has Added 25 Videos to the PBS Streaming Video Collection.



October 7, 2010

NOTES FROM RAMSEY LIBRARY; 2010-5

***************************************************
NOTES FROM RAMSEY LIBRARY; 2010-5

7 October 2010
***************************************************

"Where books are burnt, in the end people are also burnt."

~ Heinrich Heine

Ramsey Library Hours Extended

In response to student requests and long-running assessment, and enabled by an increase in this year's E&T fees, Ramsey Library is pleased to announce that beginning Tuesday, October 12 the library will remain open until 1 AM, Sunday through Thursday. This will be will be the library's regular schedule and represents an additional hour on those days. We will continue to extend hours to 2 AM for the period preceding final exams.

Effective 10/12/10, the library's weekly schedule will be:

Monday - Thursday, 8 AM to 1 AM
Friday, 8 AM to 6 PM
Saturday, 10 AM to 6 PM
Sunday, 1 PM to 1 AM

For detailed hours info, please check http://bullpup.lib.unca.edu/library/cal/index.html.


Coffee & Hot Chocolate Now Available in the Library

In response to requests of student focus groups last summer, Ramsey Library is very pleased to announce the installation of a coffee/hot chocolate machine in the library. This makes at least a limited selection of hot beverages available during those late evening and weekend hours when Café Ramsey is closed. The machine is located on the main floor in the area of stairwell to the right of the Information & Technology Desk. Initial reports are that the coffee's pretty good!! We hope you enjoy it and that you'll help us keep the library neat and well-maintained. We hope to have a juice and water machine in the near future.


Featured Resource

Ramsey Library is pleased to welcome back a great electronic resource that had somehow escaped from our corral. For a number of years, the library provided access to EconLit on a "per search" basis. Recently, that means of access was disabled and that escaped our attention. Now we have a full subscription to EconLit, the American Economic Association's electronic bibliography indexing more than thirty years of economics literature from around the world. Compiled and abstracted in an easily searchable format, EconLit is a comprehensive index of journal articles, books, book reviews, collective volume articles, working papers and dissertations. The direct link (from on campus only) is http://0-web.ebscohost.com.wncln.wncln.org/ehost/search?vid=1&hid=113&sid=4303ca4a-5e21-4a0a-8f87-9ea66913cf42%40sessionmgr114. It can be accessed remotely by going through the library's web site and selecting EconLit from among our collection of electronic resources at http://libguides.unca.edu/content.php?pid=81370. You can find a downloadable desktop link at http://www.aeaweb.org/econlit/icon.php.


More on Free & Discounted Software

With apologies to any and all I may have confused, it turns out the link to the site with information about the free and discounted software that I distributed earlier was to a site not ready for publication. And, it went away. It will eventually return on the new ITS web site, but till then I've created a Google site with the same info and the link to Microsoft for their discounted software. Please note that you have to go to that site, pay the discounted price, and download the software to your computer. It's NOT available in the library like the free packages. The Google site for software info is https://sites.google.com/a/unca.edu/jim_kuhlman/software.

October 5, 2010

Local author Nan Chase to speak

Our Brown Bag Book Talks series continues today with Nan Chase, author of Eat Your Yard and Asheville: A History, among other publications.

book

Join us at 12:30 upstairs in Special Collections.

Find more information on our Brown Bag Book Talks series page.


September 28, 2010

Journalist/Author Michael Cogdill to speak

The library's Brown Bag Book Talks series continues today with journalist and author, Michael Cogdill. He'll be talking about his latest book, She-Rain: A Story of Hope.

Join us upstairs in Special Collections at 12:30pm.


Michael Cogdill



Check our Brown Bag series page for more information.


September 22, 2010

NOTES FROM RAMSEY LIBRARY; 2010-4

***************************************************
NOTES FROM RAMSEY LIBRARY; 2010-4

21 September 2010
***************************************************

"Where books are burnt, in the end people are also burnt."

~ Heinrich Heine

Featured Resource

Lynda.com is one of Ramsey Library's most exciting new resources. This online training library contains more than 3,000 video tutorials on all types of software (e.g., Word, Excel, Photoshop, Adobe Acrobat, Dreamweaver, After Effects, etc.) providing comprehensive training in office software, audio, video, photography, graphic design, web and interactive design, business, and development from expert instructors. The library subscription allows for as many as 5 concurrent users. Let us know if you used any of the tutorials, how you like them, and, especially, if you have had difficulty accessing them due to all the concurrent use slots being in use.

Lynda.com (NOTE: If you're trying from off campus, you'll need to access Lynda.com via the library's web site and logging into the proxy server.)

Recent News of Note

· E-Readers Advance in Academe: a Chronicle Survey

Nearly 40 percent of Chronicle Review readers own the devices, and a large majority are very satisfied.

· Wired Campus: Should Colleges Do More to Teach Students About Plagiarism?

When caught turning in papers with passages lifted straight from Wikipedia, some students say they didn't realize that was against the rules.

· Rereading the University Classics

By Kai Hammermeister , A new series on classic texts about higher education begins with José Ortega y Gasset's "Mission of the University."

· What They're Reading on College Campuses

It's time we all catch up with the writings of Stieg Larsson!!!


September 7, 2010

NOTES FROM RAMSEY LIBRARY; 2010-3

"Where books are burnt, in the end people are also burnt."

~ Heinrich Heine


NEW LIBRARY RESOURCES

With an improved library materials acquisitions budget last year, the library was able to restore subscriptions to some titles that had been canceled during the more stringent times and purchase totally new materials. For the last several years the campus community has consistently emphasized a preference for electronic, full-text resources with their increased searchability, ease of capture, and 24/7 access. Please check out the library's descriptions of and links to new databases at http://libguides.unca.edu/content.php?pid=80898&sid=814238.


The new or expanded "standards" include:

ABI/Inform Complete

The Asheville Citizen-Times

Encyclopedia Britannica Online

MyiLibrary Audio Books

MyiLibrary eBooks

Sage Journals Online

Socindex with full text

Web of Science.


Brand new offerings include:

Art Full Text

Mary Ann Liebert Publishers Full Text Journals

ATLA Religion Database

NC Live Business Portal

Cambridge Collections Online

NC Live Jobs Portal

Cambridge Histories Online

Oxford Art Online

Cinema Image Gallery

Oxford Handbooks Online

Credo Reference

Political Science Complete

Environment Complete

PowerSpeak Languages

Films on Demand

World Bank e-Library

LGBT Life with Full Text

Literature Resource Center.



Future issues of NOTES FROM RAMSEY will highlight some of the more interesting and useful titles. We very much hope that these offerings will enhance the research and learning experiences of you and your students.


RECENT ITEMS OF INTEREST FROM THE CHRONICLE YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

· Wired Campus: 21st-Century Research Collections--Mostly Digital, Ever Larger
A new report looks at the shape library materials will take and the prospects for the survival of the print book.

· Wired Campus: Blind Students Get Free Access to Cambridge U. Press Books
Digital technology will allow visually impaired students to read the press's entire backlist of titles, thanks to a new partnership with a California-based nonprofit group

· Wired Campus: Archive Makes Over a Million Digital Books Available for Those Who Can't Use Print
The Internet Archive has more than doubled the number of volumes in a format accessible to blind people and others.

· Wired Campus: A New Digital Repository for Sociology Instructors
The American Sociological Association hopes that its members will build a large library of syllabi and other teaching tools.

· Hot Type: From the Bodleian's Remarkable Collections, a Publishing Business Grows
By Jennifer Howard
The program at Oxford's library actually looks more like traditional university-based publishing than like the digitally driven models taking shape elsewhere.

Artist Robert Johnson to Speak on Campus

Robert Johnson's 8 Views of Mount Pisgah hangs prominently above our Research Desk and visitors can be seen stopping to admire and wonder at the striking painting. You may have even wondered about it yourself.


Robert Johnson painting


You can find out more about the artist and his work at the library, or you can meet him yourself thanks to the Meet the Maker series organized by UNC Asheville's Craft Studies Initiative.


Meet the Maker: Robert Johnson, this Thursday, September 9 at 7:30 p.m. in the Owen Conference Center, 302 Owen Hall, UNC Asheville.

More information: http://craft.unca.edu/meet-maker-robert-johnson

UPDATE: Read the Blue Banner article about this event.



May 14, 2010

NEW RESOURCE: LGBT Life

LGBT Life with Full Text contains all of the content available in LGBT Life as well as full text for more than 120 of the most important and historically significant LGBT journals, magazines and regional newspapers, as well as more than 140 full-text monographs and books. The database includes comprehensive indexing and abstract coverage as well as a specialized LGBT Thesaurus containing over 6,400 terms.

Try it out!

NEW RESOURCE: EBSCOhost Environment Complete

This new subscription covers applicable areas of agriculture, ecosystem ecology, energy, renewable energy sources, natural resources, marine & freshwater science, geography, pollution & waste management, environmental technology, environmental law, public policy, social impacts, urban planning, and more. It contains more than 1,957,000 records from titles going back to the 1940s. The database also contains full text for more than 680 journals and 120 monographs.

Try it out!

April 29, 2010

2009 Bibliography of UNC Asheville Faculty Publications




From metacomprehension to the Book of Mormon, find out what UNC Asheville's faculty have been writing about in our 2009 Bibliography of UNC Asheville Faculty Publications.

April 28, 2010

Library Internship Program Seeks Applicants

Announcing: 1 paid internship available for Fall 2010 semester.

10-15 hours per week. Application deadline is August 27, 2010


The Ramsey Library Internship Program is designed to encourage and promote future professionals for library, information, and instructional technology fields. The Program provides UNC Asheville undergraduate students with the opportunity to gain practical experience working in an academic library.


Download application (PDF)


NEW RESOURCE: NC LIVE Jobs Portal

The NC LIVE Jobs Portal is now available to the UNC Asheville community. The portal is a user-friendly starting point for those who are job hunting or looking to jump start their careers, featuring resume and cover letter builders, Career Library, a database with complete career information, career-related eBooks, interviewing tips, interactive practice exams, and more.

Available via the Portal is the Job & Career Accelerator. This online tool provides step-by-step assistance for job seekers at all experience and education levels--from exploring and matching suitable occupations, to finding available jobs in their area from a database of over 5 million up-to-date job postings. Job & Career Accelerator users can easily create professional resumes and cover letters, master interviewing and networking techniques, improve work related skills, and prepare for occupation related exams. Note: You'll be prompted to create a free account to access the Job & Career Accelerator and track your progress.



New Look for Research Databases Lists

We've recently integrated our research database listings with our online Library Guides, and we think you'll be pleased with the results. You can still browse available databases by title or by subject, but the new interface allows for better descriptions, help options and grouping of resources.


If you look around, you'll find a growing collection of research guides as well. These are curated by our librarians and provide an overview of our print and online holdings in particular subject areas as well as subject-specific research tips.


Access our RESEARCH DATABASES by TITLE or by SUBJECT.


Check out our newest online resources.


Email us at library@unca.edu to let us know what you think!

April 27, 2010

Extended Hours through May 7

In support of busy end-of-semester schedules, we're opening early and/or staying open late for the next couple of weeks.

For more information, check our Hours page, where you can even subscribe to our Google calendar!

April 26, 2010

NOTES FROM RAMSEY LIBRARY; 2010-2

"Where books are burnt, in the end people are also burnt."

~ Heinrich Heine



RAMSEY LIBRARY EXTENDS HOURS FOR END OF SEMESTER

Ramsey Library is very pleased to announce that we are again extending hours to help our students at the end of the semester. Please share this with students:

Sunday, April 25 1pm - 2am
Monday, April 26 8am - 2am
Tuesday, April 27 8am - 2am
Wednesday, April 28 8am - 2am
Thursday, April 29 8am - 2am
Friday, April 30 8am - 9pm
Saturday, May 1 10am - 9pm
Sunday, May 2 noon - 1am
Monday, May 3 8am - 1am
Tuesday, May 4 8am - 1am
Wednesday, May 5 8am - 1am
Thursday, May 6 8am - 1am
Friday, May 7 8am - 6pm
Saturday, May 8 CLOSED
Sunday, May 9 CLOSED

April 18, 2009

International Human Rights Law Talk

Ramsey Library Special Collections is pleased to announce a new series:

Brown Bag Book Talks
with UNC Asheville Faculty Authors

The Brown Bag Book Talk series wraps up with Dr. Mark Gibney, Professor of Political Science and Belk Distinguished Professor in the Humanities, who will discuss his latest book, International Human Rights Law: Returning to Universal Principles (Rowman & Littlefield, 2008), on Tuesday, April 21 from 12:30-1:30.

All book talks will take place in Special Collections, upper level of D. H. Ramsey Library, on the UNC Asheville campus. Bring your lunch and join us for a stimulating book talk.

For more information about the Brown Bag Book Talks, visit our website.

April 6, 2009

Video Production Techniques Talk

Ramsey Library Special Collections is pleased to announce a new series:

Brown Bag Book Talks
with UNC Asheville Faculty Authors

The series continues on Thursday, April 9 from 12:30-1:30, with Dr. Don Diefenbach, Associate Professor of Mass Communication, who will discuss his latest book, Video Production Techniques: Theory and Practice from Concept to Screen (Routledge, 2007).

All book talks will take place in Special Collections, upper level of D. H. Ramsey Library, on the UNC Asheville campus. Bring your lunch and join us for a stimulating book talk.

For more information about the Brown Bag Book Talks, visit our website.

March 28, 2009

Third Temple Talk

Ramsey Library Special Collections is pleased to announce a new series:

Brown Bag Book Talks
with UNC Asheville Faculty Authors

The series continues on Tuesday, March 31 from 12:30-1:30, with Dr. Rick Chess, Professor of Literature and Director of the Center for Jewish Studies, who will read from and discuss his latest collection of poetry, Third Temple (University of Tampa Press, 2007).

All book talks will take place in Special Collections, upper level of D. H. Ramsey Library, on the UNC Asheville campus. Bring your lunch and join us for a stimulating book talk.

For more information about the Brown Bag Book Talks, visit our website.

March 16, 2009

Fresher Styles for Web Designers Talk

Ramsey Library Special Collections is pleased to announce a new series:

Brown Bag Book Talks
with UNC Asheville Faculty Authors

The series continues on Thursday, March 19 from 12:30-1:30, with Curt Cloninger, Assistant Professor of Multimedia Arts and Sciences, who will provide a visual tour of ideas and themes from his latest book, Fresher Styles for Web Designers: More Eye Candy from the Underground (New Riders, 2008).

All book talks will take place in Special Collections, upper level of D. H. Ramsey Library, on the UNC Asheville campus. Bring your lunch and join us for a stimulating book talk.

For more information about the Brown Bag Book Talks, visit our website.

February 28, 2009

Babies, Bikes and Broads Book Talk

Ramsey Library Special Collections is pleased to announce a new series:

Brown Bag Book Talks
with UNC Asheville Faculty Authors

The Brown Bag Book Talk series continues on Thursday, March 5 from 12:30-1:30, with Cynn Chadwick, Lecturer in the Literature and Language Department, who will read from and discuss her latest novel, Babies, Bikes and Broads: The Third Book in the Cat Rising Series (Bywater Books, 2008).

All book talks will take place in Special Collections, upper level of D. H. Ramsey Library, on the UNC Asheville campus. Bring your lunch and join us for a stimulating book talk.

For more information about the Brown Bag Book Talks, visit our website.

February 21, 2009

Principles of Physical Optics Talk

Ramsey Library Special Collections is pleased to announce a new series:

Brown Bag Book Talks
with UNC Asheville Faculty Authors

The series continues on Tuesday, February 24 from 12:30-1:30, with Dr. Chuck Bennett, Professor of Physics, who will discuss the trials and tribulations of authoring Principles of Physical Optics (Wiley, 2008).

All book talks will take place in Special Collections, upper level of D. H. Ramsey Library, on the UNC Asheville campus. Bring your lunch and join us for a stimulating book talk.

For more information about the Brown Bag Book Talks, visit our website.

February 11, 2009

Souvenirs of a Shrunken World Talk

Ramsey Library Special Collections is pleased to announce a new series:

Brown Bag Book Talks
with UNC Asheville Faculty Authors

This new series begins on Thursday, February 12 (12:30-1:30) with Dr. Holly Iglesias, of the Master of Liberal Arts program, speaking about her latest collection of poetry, Souvenirs of a Shrunken World (Kore Press, 2008).

All book talks will take place in Special Collections, upper level of D. H. Ramsey Library, on the UNC Asheville campus. Bring your lunch and join us for a stimulating book talk.

For more information about the Brown Bag Book Talks, visit our website.

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