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Library News
October 2008
MUSE is back! Due to popular demand!
You asked and we heard! Due to popular demand, the Library is currently testing the Project MUSE database. You will have on-campus access to a number of journals and articles available through Project MUSE during this trial. Just login to your campus computer or come over to the library and click on this link http://muse.jhu.edu/. If you are interested in the complete listing of journals available through this subscription, please click here: http://muse.jhu.edu/about/help/access/journal_access.html. We are interested in your feedback on this database. Please send comments to Deirdre McDonald, Associate Library Director for Research Services, mcdonaldd@utpa.edu.
UPDATE: The trial period for Project MUSE has ended. Thanks to everyone who tested and commented on this database. Based on your feedback, the library will be purchasing a subscription to Project MUSE starting Spring Semester. Access begins 1/1/2009.
August 2008
New Look!
A new and improved online catalog is coming Thursday August 7, 2008. The library recently upgraded its online catalog software. With this upgrade comes a new look as well as improved easier to use functionality (see screenshot below).
July 2008
As of July 8, 2008, you will find:
Circulating Books: Call Numbers A-M on the
third floor, west side
Circulating Books: Call Numbers N-Z on the
fourth floor, Overs & Juv
Reference Books: Second Floor, east side
Reserve Materials: Third Floor, east side
Bound & Current journals: Second Floor, west
side
June 2008
Now things are so simple! Journals are on second
floor, while books start on third floor and end on fourth!
As of June 19, 2008, you will find:
Circulating Books: Call Numbers A-LC on the
third floor, west side
Circulating Books: Call Numbers LD-Z on the
fourth floor, Overs & Juv
Reference Books: Second Floor, east side
Reserve Materials: Third Floor, east side
Bound & Current journals: Second Floor, west
side
June 2008
Changes Underway at Your Library!
Circulating books can now be found on the third and fourth
floors,
and journals are moving to the second floor, west side.
As of June 3, 2008, you will find:
Circulating Books: Call Numbers A-KZ on the third floor,
west side
Circulating Books: Call Numbers L-LC on the second floor, west
side
Circulating Books: Call Numbers LD-Z on the fourth floor
Oversized and Juvenile Books: Fourth floor
Reference Books: Second Floor, east side
Reserve Materials: Third Floor, east side
Bound journals: Second Floor, west side
Current journals: Call numbers A-S, third floor, east side
Current journals: Call numbers S-Z, second floor, west side
May 2008
TWO NEW AND EXCITING DATABASES TO EXPLORE--COURTESY OF THE UTPA LIBRARY!
GreenFILE - This new database covers alternative fuel sources, energy conservation, global warming, natural resources, pollution, recycling, and beyond. Anyone with an interest in environmental issues and who needs resource material regarding these subjects will find this database to be an invaluable tool.
Teacher Reference Center (TRC) - This new education database provides key education topics such as assessment, continuing education, current pedagogical research, curriculum development, instructional media, language arts, literary standards, science and mathematics, and more for K-12 education students, teachers, and librarians. It includes an index of over 260 titles from the most popular education trade journals, periodicals, and books.
For assistance with these and any other databases, please contact the personnel at the Reference Desk, Second Floor.
May 2008
How to get a "strong password" so you can log onto the wireless network, Blackboard, and computer labs at UTPA this summer:
-----Original Message-----
From: IT Helpdesk [mailto:helpdesk@UTPA.EDU]
Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2008 9:14 AM
To: all_users
Subject: Over 6,000 students need to change their password before May
31, 2008 to meet strong password policy
Within the last couple of months, emails have been sent to over 8,000
students asking them to please change their passwords so that they
comply with UTPA's strong password policy. Over 1,500 students have
complied with this. Unfortunately, there are still over 6,000 students
who have not.
Emails have been sent since last week informing these students to please
change their password before May 31, 2008 otherwise their password will
expire on June 1, 2008. The consequences of not changing their password
before May 31, 2008 will result in having their passwords expiring on
June 1, 2008 and the customer unable to log into IT Resources such as
the wireless network, Blackboard, computer labs, etc.
Please be advised that if you have not changed your password since
November 6, 2007, your password will expire. Anyone who changed their
password after November 6, 2007 were forced to meet the strong password
requirements and do NOT have to change their password.
Here is the link to change your password:
http://www.utpa.edu/changepasswordRequirements for Strong Password:
Character length:
Minimum - 10 Maximum - 14
Complexity:
Word cannot be found in dictionary, first or last name of account owner
not permitted
Alphanumeric:
Combination of numeric and alphabetic characters
Case:
Combination of Upper and Lower case characters
Optional:
Special characters allowed: ` ~ ! # % ^ &* ( ) _ + - = { } | [ ] \:;<>?
, .
If you have any questions, please contact the Helpdesk at 381-2020 (ext
2020) or visit the Service Desk with your photo id at ASB 1.102.
Thank you,
Academic ServicesApril 2008
Video Game Tournament in the Library
The University Library will be holding a free Video Game Tournament, sponsored by the UTPA Gamers Club, on Thursday, April 17, in room 310, from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. The competitors will be playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl © on the Nintendo Wii © system. (Other video, card, or board games will be available for the audience or those waiting to play.)
The tournament is open to all UTPA students, staff, and faculty; competitors are invited to bring their own controllers. Limited refreshments will be available, and prizes will be awarded to the winners.
For more information, contact Ward Price (wprice@utpa.edu) at the Library or Justin Vela (789-0049) of the Gamers Club in the University Center.
April 2008
Border Wall Exhibits in Library
As part of the Pan American Days on April 14-17, 2008 The University of Texas - Pan American Library has two Border Wall Exhibits. The exhibit in the Library Lobby consists of documents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on the environmental impact of the wall as well as routes for its intended Rio Grande Valley locations. Also displayed are assorted memorabilia from groups voicing their own opinions about the wall.
The second, an art exhibit in the UTPA Library Annex Gallery North on first floor, consists of works by various Valley artists. The art exhibit was curated by Rachael Freyman Brown, art instructor at South Texas College in Weslaco. It includes works of art by Reynaldo Santiago, Kris Ohlinger, Richard Hernandez, Monica Maria Ramirez, Alma Casso, Benjamin P. Varela, Richard Lubbens, Joel Garcia, Scot Nichol, "Mitch", Rachael Freyman Brown and Victor Alvarez.
Brown says in her artist's statement, "When I heard about the dimensions of the wall, I could see in my mind's eye the havoc it would wreak on sensitive areas of the Valley's landscape. I'm not a magician with modern illustration, however, so my friend and collaborator Victor [Alvarez - a UTPA student] worked the digital magic of building the wall while I supplied the photographs of various sites." Their collaboration hangs "clothesline style" with photos by Brown on the top line and Alvarez's compositions with digitally superimposed walls on the bottom line.
A 3x8 foot banner serves as an introductory panel to the art exhibit by listing arguments for and against building a wall between the United States and Mexico. The text from this banner originated from an exhibit done last fall at The University of Texas at Brownsville. Most of the art works in UTPA's exhibit were previously exhibited at South Texas College and the Creative Art Incubator in McAllen. The exhibits will be on display from April 14 - May 12. For more information contact Virginia Haynie Gause at vgause@utpa.edu or 956-381-2303.
March 2008
The Hollywood Librarian Documentary Comes to UTPA
The Hollywood Librarian is Coming! The Hollywood Librarian: A Look at Librarians through Film premiered at the American Library Association Conference in June 2007. Since then it has been shown at dozens of venues in the United States, as well as a few in Canada, England and Ireland. UTPA Library has been trying to get the film since October. But on Friday, March 28 it is finally coming! And just in time for FESTIBA! And how more fitting can you get than showing such a film as 300 librarians descend on UTPA for Librarian's Day!
This film will take the viewer on both a light-hearted and more serious ride through the history of librarians. It breaks the myth that we often see in the movies, of librarians having nothing more to do than check out books. Films such as Sophie's Choice, Philadelphia and It's a Wonderful Life show librarians as negative stereotypes. However, librarians in Lorenzo's Oil, Desk Set and The Shawshank Redemption are competent and professional. This documentary shows librarians in real life managing a business, worrying about customer service, marketing, merchandizing, etc. The film hits on some big issues with librarians - censorship, inadequate budgets, confidentiality. In this film you will meet a dedicated children's librarian, a witty library director, a high-tech corporate librarian, a smart medical librarian, and a dedicated cataloger. You will see the challenges created by shrinking financial support and increased materials costs. You will see older librarians who have watched the explosion of technology and younger librarians who were born into the information age.
The idea for this film came to writer and director Ann Seidl in 1995 when she was a library science student. Like many librarians she found a contast between the way she saw herself and her colleagues and the way librarians were portrayed in the movies. So she decided to make this film to combat the bad sterotypes and to prove what a noble profession librarianship is. In the process she waded through some 400 movies that portray librarians. The purpose of documentary is to increase the public's awareness of the complex and democratic nature of librarianship in the age of technology.
"The Hollywood Librarian: A Look at Librarians Through Film" will be shown at 8:15 a.m., Friday, March 28, 2008 in the UTPA Fine Arts Auditorium. The film runs 95 minutes.
Admission is free and the public is invited. For more information please contact Virginia Haynie Gause at 956-381-2303 or vgause@utpa.edu.
February 2008
Library Lobby Exhibits
The library is continuously changing exhibits in its lobby showcases. Current lobby exhibits include 6 showcases of books purchased at the Feria Internacional del Libro (FIL)/ Guadalajara International Book Fair last November. Here are some photos of UTPA Librarians made at that book fair: http://php.lib.utpa.edu/gallery/slideshow.php?set_albumName=Guadalajara-International-Book-Fair-2007
Here are some photos of UTPA Librarians purchasing books at Feria Internactional del Libro Monterrey/ Monterrey International Book Fair last October. These books were formerly in lobby showcases but are now all on the regular shelves. http://php.lib.utpa.edu/gallery/slideshow.php?set_albumName=Monterrey-International-Book-Fair-October-2007
Other lobby exhibits include Black History Month books and items from the Pan American Archives and the Chicano Archives, as well as some of the tools used in archives management.
January 2008
Library 3rd and 4th Floors Under Construction
The library is getting ready to install mobile compact shelving on the 3rd floor west side. This project will take approximately 45 days to complete. As a result there will be extra noise and traffic in these areas of the library. Some of the library collection has been temporarily moved to to make room for the work to be done. If you can't find what you are looking for please see library staff members for help.
December 2007
Library Extended Hours
The Library will have extended hours on the following dates:
| December 2-6: | Close at 2:00 a.m. |
| December 9-12: | Close at 2:00 a.m. |
Free coffee will be offered in front of the Circulation desk starting
at 10 p.m. during extended hours.
Cream and sugar will be made available.
Good Luck to All During Finals!
April 2007
New Database
Latin American Women Writers brings together "the most important writers from 19 countries, as well as the works of the principal feminists, in one single collection [including] ... literary works, memoirs, feminist essays, and other materials" from the colonial period to the present."
February 2007
New Database
Cabell's Directory of Publishing Opportunities provides contact information, publication guidelines, and other information to help professors and students get their manuscripts published. Click on Members to use Cabell's.
January 2007
New Database
Science of Synthesis Houben-Weyl Methods of Molecular Transformations "is designed to be the first point of reference before embarking on further searches, providing a route through the mass information available in primary literature." You must allow pop-up windows to open to use Science of Synthesis.
January 2007
New Database
Classical Music Library "the world's largest multi-label database of Classical music recordings for listening and learning in libraries ... ranges from vocal and choral music, to chamber, orchestral, solo instrumental, and opera" and includes over 50,000 recordings from over 1800 composers by thousands of ensembles and artists.
December 2006
New Database
ICPSR (the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research) "established in 1962, is an integral part of the infrastructure of social science research. [It] maintains and provides access to a vast archive of social science data for research and instruction...ICPSR does not provide publications, reports, or ready-made statistics,... [but instead supplies] the numeric raw data used to create publications, reports, and figures."
November 2006
New Database
Grove Music Online "comprises the full text of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, ... The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, ... and The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz ... Grove Music Online continues to grow with both newly commissioned material and more articles from other Grove dictionaries."
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