2008 Library News & Events
Wednesday, December 31st, 2008[12/22/2008]Some library online services will be affected Monday afternoon, including off-campus accesses to electronic databases and journals, ETDs and electronic reserves. For questions please contact the reference desk 487-2507.
Ask a Librarian
[12/18/2008]On January 5th, 2009 the Library catalog will be unavailable due to a necessary system upgrade. Please contact our Reference Librarians if you need assistance. The upgrade is in preparation for the new catalog interface which will be released later in January. More details soon!
Library Online Catalog
Ask a Librarian
[12/10/2008]The library is experiencing intermittent connectivity issue to its electronic resources. We apologize for any inconvenience that this might cause. If you have any questions please contact the reference desk 487-2507.
E-Alerts
[12/3/2008]The holiday hours for the Library are posted. Users of Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery services may experience delays in processing and delivery of materials for any items requested after December 12.
December 20 and 21 - CLOSED; December 22 and 23 - 8:00 am - 5:00 pm; December 24 - 28 - CLOSED; December 29 and 30 - 10:00 am - 2:00 pm; December 31 - January 4 - CLOSED
Library Exception Hours
[12/2/2008]“Barack Obama: The New Face of American Politics” written by Martin Dupuis and Keith Boeckelman is chosen as NetLibrary December eBook of the Month. This eBook of the Month is provided through the generous support of Greenwood Publishing Group.
At the beginning of 2004, Barack Obama was an almost unknown Illinois state legislator and a candidate for the U.S. Senate. Today, Obama’s straightforward policy recommendations, message of hope and inclusion, and charismatic style have propelled him to the highest office in the nation.
E-books
[11/5/2008]A monthly showcase of new and notable eBooks, “Foreclosure Survival Guide: Keep Your House or Walk Away With Money In Your Pocket” by Attorney Stephen R. Elias published by NOLO is chosen as NetLibrary eBook of the Month.
The No. 1 topic of conversation in the news and around the office today and tomorrow? Foreclosures. They rose in the U.S. by over 79 percent last year and over two million more are expected in the next two years. Written by a practicing lawyer who has helped hundreds keep their homes or come out of foreclosure financially sound, Foreclosure Survival Guide provides practical solutions and information that can help readers make the best decisions possible.
E-books
[10/20/2008]Election season is HERE! Our updated Government Documents website is live! Use our subject guides to find information about elected representatives, upcoming elections, patent research, and more …
We’ve also added a search feature for the Science Accelerator database right on the homepage. Check out recently released government reports through Document Spotlights and download them for your teaching and research needs. Oh, best of all bookmark us and share the links with your Facebook and other social network friends!
Government Documents Website
Resource Highlight
[10/15/2008]Please join us for a reception Thursday Oct. 30 from 4:30-5:30 to celebrate the unveiling of “Miners’ Ascent” by local artist Phyllis Fredendall in the Opie Reading Room. This event is sponsored by Friends of the Library. The Friends’ annual membership meeting will follow the reception.
Mark your calendars: The Friends Annual Membership Meeting will take place Thursday 30 October 2008 from 4:30-5:30 in the Opie Reading Room in the Van Pelt Library. All members and the public are welcome to attend. The speaker for the annual meeting will be Professor and artist Phyllis Fredendall of Finlandia University, who has completed a fiber-art piece that as of 21 October will occupy pride-of-place in the Opie Reading Room of the Van Pelt Library. The Fredendall commission was sought and funded by the Friends.
Friends of the Van Pelt Library
Newletter of the Friends
[10/9/2008]The Library will be opening at 10:00am on Saturday, October 11th, for Family Weekend.
[10/6/2008]On Thursday, October 9 at approximately 9:30 am, the University will be conducting the Safety First Alert System. All cell phones and other telephones that have been designated for the alert will ring simultaneously. THIS IS ONLY A TEST.
[10/1/2008]Salem Press’ monumental “Great Events from History” series spans human history from ancient times to the present, worldwide. NetLibrary is pleased to announce that the culminating set in this series, “Great Events from History: The 20th Century, 1971-2000″, will be available as the October eBook of the Month.
The ideal reference tool for students and general readers at all academic levels, the book includes 1083 individual essays covering topics ranging from personal computers to the rise of the Internet to groundbreaking advances in biotechnology. Events covered include the curriculum-oriented geopolitical events of the era-from the end of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War in 1973 to the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. Essays also address important social and cultural developments in daily life: major literary movements, significant developments in the arts and motion pictures, trends in world population and immigration, and landmark social legislation.
Designed to increase awareness of online resources and highlight the value of our eBook collection, the October eBook of the Month is provided through the generous support of NetLibrary. Don’t miss this great opportunity.
E-books
[9/24/2008]The J.R. Van Pelt and Opie Library will have extended service hours on Saturday, September 27 for the Campus Open House. The Library will be open from 9:00am to 6:00pm.
[9/22/2008]Jessamyn West, putting the rarin back in librarian since 1999, will be giving a talk titled “Web 2.0, Library 2.0, Librarian 2.0″ at 2pm on Friday, September 26. The event will be held in the library’s Reading Room, First Floor. Reception and refreshments will follow.
This talk will discuss ways that libraries are using new technologies to reach and interact with patrons. We’ll also discuss the privacy issues that are emerging around the use of social software.
Download the event flier.
[9/17/2008]Today is Constitution Day at Michigan Tech. The J. Robert Van Pelt/Opie Library’s Information Wall is featuring a large-screen, multimedia Constitution Day Exhibit. The Information Wall includes four display screens near the library entrance and one near the bridge to Rekhi Computer Science Hall.
TechToday News
Library Featured Topic: Constitution Day
[9/8/2008]The complete JSTOR collection is now online.
The expanded JSTOR collection covers all five subsets of the Arts and Sciences Collection and the new Life Sciences Collection. As an archive, JSTOR includes journals from their volume 1, number 1, with a moving wall (or time lag) of 3 to 5 years for recent issues. JSTOR is full-text searchable, offers search term highlighting, includes high-quality images, and is interlinked by millions of citations and references.
The Arts and Sciences Collections cover a wide range of leading academic journals across the humanities, social sciences and sciences. The Life Sciences collection includes biological, health and general science titles. At its completion, Life Sciences will archive the full contents of at least 160 journals, including Science.
Details on each collection can be found at through this link.
[9/2/2008]Now you can search for electronic journals from your own browser toolbar. Install the A-Z list browser toolbar add-on to your Internet Explore and find the quick and easy way to locate the journal you need. To install this add-on or for more information check on the E-Journals page.
E-Journals
E-Resources FAQs
[9/1/2008]A monthly showcase of new and notable eBooks, “Encyclopedia of Information Communication Technology” published by IGI Global is chosen as NetLibrary eBook of the Month.
Through 111 authoritative contributions by 93 of the world’s leading experts, this reference covers the materials and instruments of information technology: from ICT in education to software engineering; the influence of ICT on different communities and environments, including e-commerce, decision support systems, knowledge management, and more; and the most pervasive presence of information technology, including studies and research on knowledge management, the human side of ICT, ICT in healthcare, and virtual organizations, among many others.
E-books
[8/11/2008]Portions of the third floor reading room and adjacent study rooms are reserved for a meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 12 and 13, from 1:00-5:00 pm. Most of the space is available for quiet study. All of the book stacks are open.
[8/7/2008]Watch the opening ceremony LIVE from CBC on Friday morning (August 8, 2008) on the Information Wall when the XXIX Olympiad flame is ignited in Beijing’s National Stadium. The library will broadcast NBC’s coverage for the following fifteen days. Come to the library and cheer for our world athletes and the US teams. For NBC and CBC’s broadcast schedules, and library resources for more Olympic coverage, check on the library featured topic.
Library Featured Topic on the Information Wall
[8/1/2008]A monthly showcase of new and notable eBooks, “Competition and Development: The Power of Competitive Markets” by Susan Joekes and Phil Evans from International Development Research Centre(IDRC) is chosen as NetLibrary eBook of the Month.
The book demonstrates the importance of true and fair competition to sustainable development and an effective marketplace, touching on issues of globalization, consumer welfare, cartels and monopolies, and trade liberalization. It provides an introduction to competition, and competition law and policy in developing countries. It focuses on the practical problems faced in developing countries and the steps that have been and can be taken to overcome those problems.
E-books
[7/14/2008]Library’s Web Chat Widget is In Action. The Van Pelt / Opie Library has expanded its real time reference services to include both embedded web chat and instant messaging. Both services are available during library reference desk hours and work best for getting quick answers to brief, factual questions. Please help us test them out before our fall students arrive. To access them, click Ask a Librarian on the library homepage.
Ask a Librarian
[7/12/2008]The Michigan Tech Archives Speaker Series presents visiting scholar Michelle Hamilton’s “Bric-a-brackers and Pothunters: Amateur Archaeologists in Nineteenth Century Ontario,” on July 22 at 7:00 p.m., in Room 102 of the ChemiSci Building. The event is free and open to all.
Visiting scholar Michelle Hamilton will speak on the history of collecting of Iroquoian and Ojibwa artifacts and the development of archaeology in Eastern Canada on Tuesday, July 22nd at 7 p.m., in Room 102 of the Chemical Science Building at Michigan Tech. Hamilton discusses how amateur collectors frequently led professionals to new discoveries, controlled excavation standards, affected the preservation of artifacts, and influenced the study and treatment of specimens in Canada.
Hamilton is recipient of the 2008 Travel Grant Award. Her visit is supported by the Michigan Tech Archives and the Friends of the Van Pelt Library. The Michigan Tech Archives preserves the rich social and cultural resources of the Copper Country and makes them available to local, regional and international researchers. The Archival Speaker Series highlights current research utilizing the Archives Collection. The presentation is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Archives at 487-2505 or copper@mtu.edu.copper@mtu.edu
Archives Research Travel Grants Program
[7/7/2008]A monthly showcase of new and notable eBooks, “Britannica Encyclopedia of World Religions” by Wendy Doniger from Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. is chosen as NetLibrary eBook of the Month.
Religion is dominating today’s headlines like no other time in modern history. Whether the issue is sectarian violence, stem cell research, or political elections, religion plays a critical role. But what is the story behind the headlines? The Britannica Encyclopedia of World Religions gets to the heart of the matter by providing a deeper understanding of the religions that shape our world. Prepared by the editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica and Merriam-Webster, with the assistance of hundreds of scholars and experts, this authoritative, comprehensive, and up-to-date book answers your questions as well as exposes you to the concepts, movements, people, and events associated with living and ancient religions, including Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism.
Designed to increase awareness of online resources and highlight the value of eBook collection, the July eBook of the Month is provided through the generous support of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
E-books
[6/25/2008]The Popular Books, Paperback Collection and New Books display have been relocated to the first floor in the northeast corner of the Library. Walk in and spend a few minutes browsing the books, newspapers and current journals. Enjoy!
[6/24/2008]This week look for the new Forest Science interface. This interface replaces the current Forest Science Database interface on June 27th. If you have questions please contact the Reference Desk.
Databases
Ask a Librarian
[6/19/2008]New Michigan Tech Archives exhibit “Fifty Years Ago Today” opens today in the archives reading room of the J. R. Van Pelt/Opie Library, and will remain in place until Labor Day. For further information, contact the Michigan Tech Archives.
Keweenaw Digital Archives
Announcement on Tech Today
[6/4/2008]The JRVP Online Catalog has moved to a new server. While the old link will continue to work, we recommend changing your pointers to the new link(http://ils.lib.mtu.edu). There is no change to the library’s main website url.
JRVP Online Catalog
Library Website
[6/2/2008]“What now?” by Ann Patchett is June NetLibrary eBook of the Month - A monthly showcase of new and notable eBooks.
Based on her lauded commencement address at Sarah Lawrence College, this stirring essay by bestselling author Ann Patchett offers hope and inspiration for anyone at a crossroads, whether graduating, changing careers, or transitioning from one life stage to another. With wit and candor, Patchett tells her own story of attending college, graduating, and struggling with the inevitable question, What now?
E-books
[5/27/2008]Graduate students, faculty and staff are invited to a presentation entitled “Copyright, Plagiarism, and Academic Integrity” hosted by Graduate School on Thursday, May 29th in Rehki Hall G05 at 2:30pm. Come and join presenters from the Van Plet/ Opie Library (Nora Allred), Graduate School (Debra Charlesworth) and Judicial Affairs (Pat Gotschalk) to learn about the issues of copyright, plagiarism and academic integrity, particularly as they relate to graduate students.
Copyright Services at the Van Pelt / Opie Library
[5/9/2008]You are invited to an ice cream social celebrating the retirement of Phyllis Johnson, University librarian, on Thursday, May 22, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the Library Reading Room.
[5/1/2008]“The New Paradigm for Financial Markets: The Credit Crisis of 2008 and What It Means” by George Soros is May NetLibrary eBook of the Month.
E-books
[4/24/2008]Come study with us! The Van Pelt/Opie Library will be extending its hours this Friday and Saturday (April 25th and 26th.) Circulation, Course Reserves, all collections and the group study rooms will be available until Midnight. Reservations for group study rooms are recommended and no renewals are allowed. For additional information on library hours for break week and summer terms, click on “Library Hours”.
Library Hours
[4/24/2008]Leaving for the summer? Don’t forget to return your library books before you go! Library materials may be returned at the Circulation desk in the Van Pelt/Opie Library during regular hours or at any library book return. Book returns are available at the following campus locations: Memorial Union Building, Walker Arts and Humanities Center, R.L. Smith Building (ME-EM) and the Van Pelt/Opie Library. Please return Interlibrary Loan (ILLiad/MeLCat) items to the Circulation desk only - do not put in book drops.
[4/8/2008]The life and work of architects in the Copper Country is the topic of a new web site to be unveiled at a public event Monday, April 14, at 7:00pm in room 139 of Fisher Hall on the Michigan Tech campus in Houghton. Kim Hoagland, Professor of History and Historic Preservation in the MTU Social Sciences Department, will provide an illustrated presentation on research examining more than two dozen architects who have been active in the Keweenaw. The event is free and open to the public as part of the Archival Speakers series sponsored by the MTU Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections.
[3/17/08]Do you need more room on your shelves? Is your office/dorm room closing in on you? Is it time for some early spring cleaning? Donate your books to the FVPL Book Sale, taking place on April 4, 2008, from 10 AM to 4:30 PM in the MUB Ballroom.
Friends of the Library
[3/12/08]The MTU Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections announce the 2008 Research Travel Awards, making a total of twenty researchers that have been funded through the program since its start a decade ago. This year’s winners will use Archives collections in innovative ways. Projects include online ethnographic resources, a historical documentary, and research of Native American mining sites. The Grant is funded by the Friends of the Van Pelt Library.
This year, researchers will make use of the Archives collections in some innovative ways. Filmmaker Thomas Beach plans a 90-minute video documentary of the 1913 copper miners strike. Michelle Hamilton, University of Guelph, will research Native American mines and early mineral exploration by white settlers. A team of genealogical researchers, Cecile Jensen, Michigan Polonia, and Brother Joseph Martin, Lewis University, will enrich online resources with material on the early Polish immigrant community in Calumet.
The Friends of the Van Pelt Library provides financial sponsorship for the Michigan Tech Archives Travel Award program and makes it possible for researchers from outside the area to explore the unique Archives’ unique collections. For further information about the award program or the collections at the MTU Archives, call 487-2505.
Research Travel Grants Program
[3/3/08]“From the Primaries to the Polls:How to Repair America’s Broken Presidential Nomination Process” is selected as NetLibrary eBook of the month.
America’s presidential nominating process is inherently unfair and exclusive, yielding undue weight and privilege to the states that vote in the earliest rounds. More and more states are beating down the door to vote earlier, trying to redress the inequity on a state-by-state basis. In the ensuing free-for-all, the presidential primary schedule has become so front-loaded that the anointed “front-runner” with the biggest war chest in each of the major parties is the de facto nominee. From the Primaries to the Polls describes the problem and proposes the solution.
E-books
[2/27/08]The MeLCat server will be down on Wednesday, February, 27. The system will likely be unavailable ALL DAY. The downtime is to allow for the newest release of the MeLCat software and testing. We are sorry for any inconvenience that this may cause.
MeLCat and Other Catalogs
E-Resources
[2/1/08]ALL-NIGHTER NEWS: The Van Pelt/Opie Library, including the 24/7 space, will close at 9:00PM on Wednesday, February 6, 2008. The library will resume regular hours at 7:45AM on Thursday, February 7, 2008. Be safe and enjoy the Winter Carnival festivities!
Library Hours Exceptions
[2/1/08]Now in its second edition, NetLibrary eBook of the month “Science and Technology in World History” from Johns Hopkins University Press may be the single most influential study of the historical relationship between science and technology ever published.
The new edition reorganizes its treatment of Greek science and significantly expands its coverage of industrial civilization and contemporary science and technology with new and revised chapters devoted to applied science, the sociology and economics of science, globalization, and the technological systems that underpin everyday life.
E-books
[1/28/08]MelCat service will be unavailable on Wednesday, January 30, 2008, due to a software upgrade and testing. Service should be restored Thursday, January 31, 2008. Please contact the Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery office with any questions.
MeLCat and Other Catalogs
Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery office
[1/24/08]During the Spring 2008 semester the Van Pelt/Opie Library is conducting an on-campus document delivery pilot project for MTU faculty, staff and graduate students. The service includes campus mail delivery of most circulating material in the JRVP Library. Electronic delivery of journal articles and conference papers from JRVP owned journals and proceedings will also be available. The service is free of charge. More detail >>
Requests will be accepted through ILLiad. A campus mail address is required for delivery of loan items. Please contact the Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery Department for questions about the project at ill@mtu.edu
Library Services > Borrower Services > On-campus Document Delivery Service
ILLiad
[1/14/08]Need help locating volumes in the U.S. Congressional Serial Set? Wonder what the Serial Set is? Check out our new Serial Set web page which provides a volume level inventory of Serial Set holdings in our library as well as pointers to resources for locating specific Serial Set content.
New Serial Set Web page available
[1/11/08]U.S. and Michigan tax forms for 2007 are now available online. Easy access to the forms is available through our Government Documents web site.
Library Government Documents web site
[1/3/08]Archives Websites Receive Award of Merit. Two online tools developed by the Michigan Tech Archives and the Van Pelt/Opie Library were recently accorded honors by the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH). The organization’s Leadership in History awards committee presented a 2007 Award of Merit to the archives for its Interior Ellis Island and Keweenaw Digital Archives web projects.
Developed with grant support from the Michigan Humanities Council, the sites provide remote access to rare historical resources that explore the rich ethnic and cultural history of the Copper Country. The Interior Ellis Island site includes content examining local regional ethnic history, while the Keweenaw Digital Archives provides access to more than 3,000 historical photographs from the archives collections.
Historians and the general public often underestimate the importance of Upper Peninsula mining industries in the state’s development, said Marcus Robyns, university archivist at Northern Michigan University, in his nomination letter for the award. Much of the best historical resource material on this aspect of state history is held by smaller organizations and institutions in this geographically remote area of the state. The AASLH awards committee commended the project for its publicly accessible web resources and was particularly impressed by the way that the sites encourage users to investigate and learn about the region’s rich culture and history. The AASLH Leadership in History Award, now in its 62nd year, is the most prestigious competition of achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history.
The Interior Ellis Island Site
The Keweenaw Digital Archives Site
[1/2/08]A bestselling author and business guru Patrick Lencioni tells how to improve your job satisfaction and performance. Check out 2008 January NetLibrary eBook of the Month, “The Three Signs of a Miserable Job: A Fable for Managers (And Their Employees)” from John Wiley and Sons.
It is a simple fact of business life that any job, from investment banker to dishwasher, can become miserable. Through the story of a CEO turned pizzeria manager, Lencioni reveals the three elements that make work miserable — irrelevance, immeasurability, and anonymity — and gives managers and their employees the keys to make any job more fulfilling.
E-books
