Blogs

This workshop, jointly produced by the University Libraries and the Howe Center for Writing Excellence, will provide an overview of the citation process, geared especially to international students.  Kate Francis, Arianne Hartsell-Gundy, and Eric Resnis will be presenting.   We will talk about why citations are needed, how to cite, and resources that can be utilized.  Feel free to come with your questions.  The workshop will be on 9/14 from 4:00-5:00pm in King 27.  You can register here.  Space is limited to 15, so register now!

Update: A second session has been added on 9/24 at 1:00pm.  You can register here for that session.

The Miami University Library Diversity Cluster is pleased to announce a Cultural Biography Film Series and Workshop with Dr. Ray Terrell which will take place beginning on September 10th.  All screenings and discussions occur on Thursdays from 12 noon to 2 p.m. in King Library Room 320.  The series is open to all University faculty, staff and students.

Three films will be screened and discussed over the course of the fall semester.  A final session on the process of writing a cultural biography will complete the series. The final session will also include a brief introduction to podcasting for sharing cultural biographies on the web.

Dates:

1. Clown (offered two different days – choose one 9/10/09 or 9/17/09)

2. The Way Home (9/24/09) or White Mirrors of Privilege: Making Whiteness Visible (10/08/09)

     * Select and attend one or may attend both if you like.

3. Final Session on Creating a Cultural Biography (10/22/09)

This event is sponsored by the Library's Diversity Cluster

We have a new collection of autobiographies in our collection.  It's called Gay American Autobiography: Writings from Whitman to Sedaris.  It's edited by David Bergman and can be found at King Library PS508.G39 G39 2009.  The collection draws from letters, journals, oral histories, memoirs, and autobiographies from the last century and a half.  It includes American men of African, European, Jewish, Asian, and Latino heritage.  The experiences portrayed are varied and fascinating.  You'll find writings by Henry James, Minette, Edmund White, David Wojnarowicz, and many others.  The collection includes many out-of-print and hard-to-find works and is well worth checking out!

Your professor just assigned a paper requiring scholarly citations, and you have no idea where to begin.  Or you’ve looked around and can’t seem to find anything on your topic. Where can you go? Who can you ask for help?

Schedule an appointment with a subject librarian! With the new webpage, the Libraries have implemented a research consultation program.  It’s as easy as clicking on the “Research Consultation” link under Services on the Library’s homepage.  Fill out the form, and a librarian will contact you to arrange a meeting.  Get help from one of the best resources at your disposal!

Well, it's move-in day! Welcome [back] to Miami.  Before classes get started, why not relax with some good movies.  We've got a bunch of great flicks you can borrow, like V for Vendetta and Transformers.

Search through our movie collection here: http://bit.ly/chmJt.

Welcome back!

Please plan to join us for the Miami University Libraries' New Graduate Student Orientation at 7:00-8:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 27 or at 2:00-3:30 p.m. on Friday, August 28 in King Library 110.

These sessions will include a question and answer session on new and existing library services and resources, a quick tour of King Library, and an opportunity to meet informally with liaison librarians who coordinate library services to individual academic programs.

I really wish I could be at the National Mall in D.C. on September 26th this year.  As part of the Library of Congress’ National Book Festival, Jon Scieszka is leading "The Exquisite Corpse Adventure."  He'll start out a chain of celebrated authors writing a serial adventure story with the following words:

This story starts with a train rushing through the night.  The full moon lights the silver rails winding around dark mountains, through deep woods, and over steep gorges of jagged rock and one freezing cold rushing black mountain river.  I wish there was enough time to describe all of the funny (and touching) twists and turns – especially the Elephant Clown Party – that led up to now. But there isn’t. Enough time. Because there is a ticking clock. And the two passengers we care most about don’t know anything about it.

Susan Cooper, Kate Di Camillo, Nikki Grimes, Daniel Handler aka Lemony Snicket, and, Gregory Maguire are among the celebrated authors who will also contribute.

If you're like me, and are pretty sure you won't be able to make it to this event, you can console yourself by checking out the this website Lifelong Literacy on September 26th to see how the story progresses.

You might also check out books written by some of the authors listed above.  Many of their books can be found in our very own Instructional Material Center on the ground floor of King Library.

Here are a few titles you might be interested in:

Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka.  King Library, Ground Floor, IMC, Juv.  PZ8.S3134 St 1992

Hopscotch Love: A Family Treasury of Love Poems by Nikki Grimes. King Library, Ground Floor, IMC, Juv.  PS3557.R489982 H67 1999

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate Di Camillo.  King Library, Ground Floor, IMC, Juv. PZ7.D5455 Be 2000

Miami University has completed its Annual Selection Process for Government materials, with three new additions to the collection. These newly selected materials are from the departments of Defense and Commerce, and from the EPA.

To enhance its already significant publications from the Department of Defense, King Library is adding two publications from the U.S. Army's 1st Cavalry Division. Crossed Sabers and Daily Charge are newsletters written by and for military service members and their families. While not academic in nature, these materials serve as primary sources to everyday life in active duty, and compliment Miami's already historic collection of U.S. military publications issued during times of combat.

King Library will also add the Department of Commerce's E-Stats materials to its collection. These publications measure the distribution and impact of e-commerce activities on U.S. industry and economy.

Finally, Chemistry scholars will appreciate the addition of materials from the Environmental Protection Agency's Green Chemistry project. The project recognizes and awards the application of innovative chemical processes designed to reduce or eliminate negative environmental impacts.

Item Selection is an annual process whereby Federal depository libraries add new materials to their collection profiles. Formally selecting items to be delivered as part of the Depository collection guarantees their access to the public, helps them to become more easily discovered for research needs, and encourages the preservation of these materials as primary source materials.

Miami University is celebrating its 100th anniversary as a depository of U.S. Government materials this Fall. More news on centennial celebrations will be announced soon.

The U.S. Government Bookstore announced yesterday the availability of a new email alert system, "New Titles by Topic," that allows patrons to receive notification of new government publications based on specific topics of interest.

The alert topics available span all areas of public and academic interest and research, including Cancer research, Africa, criminal justice, health care, maps and atlases, World War II, federal statistics, grants and awards, patents and trademarks, and more.

See the complete list of Topics, and Subscribe to them, at the GPO Bookstore. GPO's press release about the service is available in PDF format here.